Ta da! I told you chapter 7 was coming up soon 😊 Enjoy 😊
Rei was putting his shoes on as he readied himself to leave Mariah's hotel room; she was just starting to wake up when she saw him sitting at the edge of the bed; fully clothed, while she was naked under the bedsheets.
"Are you leaving already?", she asked as she looked at the clock, seeing it was 5:30am. Standing up, Rei nodded with some regret. "I have to get back before anyone wakes up, you know how Kai can be", he said before he looked into her eyes. He was glad to see Mariah, but it felt like he was saying goodbye to her for good. As tears started to creep out of his eyes, he looked away and rubbed his eyes quickly. "Get home safe Mariah. You can let me know you made it, but after that, I don't think we should talk until after the tournament. Both of us have a lot on our plates and its obvious there are distractions keeping us from having a solid relationship right now", he said with sadness in his voice. He could feel his heart breaking all over again.
"Damnit, I just should've just went home last night", he thought to himself, putting his hands on his hips.
Tears started to pour from Mariah's eyes, hugging her knees as she leaned her forehead on her knees. "When did it come to this Rei? I thought last night might have changed your mind about us", she said as she started to cry. He couldn't stand it, to see her cry and the feeling of heartbreak. "I'm sorry Mariah, but there is no more 'us' anymore; right now. I need to figure out some stuff, and so do you. We have our whole lives ahead of us, so the best solution is to just part ways intimately. We can still be friends like we were before", his words cut through her like ice, especially the part where he said 'friends'. She couldn't bear to see him with another girl, especially that girl from last night.
"Do you like her?", Mariah asked before Rei started to leave the room. Looking down at her, he could see the anger, sadness and curiosity in her face; behind her tears. Regrettably, he put his hands in his pockets and sighed. "I don't think its relevant to tell you that, but yes; I do", he answered, waiting for a slap or for her to start yelling. Instead, she looked away and cracked a smile after a few seconds of tense moments. "Well, I hope she makes you happy. Just don't do to her that you did to me", her comment made his blood start to cook, sending her a small glare. "Let me ask you this, do you like Victor?", he asked. When she didn't answer, he huffed and turned towards the door. "That's what I thought", he said before opening the door. "I hope he makes you happy, good bye Mariah", but before he could leave the room, she said something to make him stop in his tracks momentarily before leaving.
"At least we got to sleep with each other one last time, right?", she asked, only to hear him walk out of the room, shutting the door. Flopping back on the bed, she starred up at the ceiling as her phone started to go crazy with text messages. Opening them, she saw a few from Lee and some from Victor.
"Hey babe when are you coming home?"- Victor
"Mariah, remember to train while you're there. Also, Victor is driving us nuts so the sooner you come home the better"- Lee
"Babe, answer my messages. I'm worried about you"- Victor
"I think its best if you just leave things with Rei, Victor is seriously driving me nuts. You should've told him you were going to see Rei"- Lee
"Mariah, call me when you decide to look at your phone"- Victor
"Why are you lying to everyone? You tell us you two aren't together, he says another story. You lied to Rei and now you lied to Victor. What's happening with you?"- Lee
Sighing heavily at the last message, she threw her phone lazily on the bed and rolled over to get some more sleep. "When did things get so complicated?", she thought to herself before closing her eyes and drifting back into a deep sleep.
Walking home, Rei had his hands in his pockets as he felt the morning breeze hit his skin. The sun was barely starting to show its face, but he couldn't enjoy the sunrise with the many thoughts racing through his head. "I should've just went back to the dojo last night. Now, everything seems so complicating; getting over her is going to be a lot tougher", he thought to himself as he started to replay the night before.
Flashback
"I'd rather be a bitch than a fucking slut like you!", Mariah yelled as Rei started to drag her towards the bathroom.
Rei was on top of Mariah, kissing her roughly as his hands pinned hers. His biceps tense from the pure, raw emotions he was feeling at the moment; kissing and biting her neck as she moaned out of pleasure to his movements.
Reality
"How am I going to move on from this? She's everything I've ever known when it comes to love", he thought as he walked through the dojo entrance, stopping when he saw Kai sitting on the porch. It looked like Kai was waiting up for him.
"Kai? I didn't think you would already be awake", he said as he walked up to him. Standing up, Kai crossed his arms; "You've been gone all night, where were you?", Kai asked bluntly. When Rei didn't answer, Kai took that as the answer of 'I was with Mariah'. "Well, now I really hope you don't go after Katy. She doesn't deserve to become apart of your heartbreak", Kai spat, seeing the defense rising on Rei's face. "Why are you so defensive with Katy? Do you like her or something?", Rei asked. Kai was taken off guard by his question, raising an eyebrow as he smirked. "This isn't about me Rei, I just don't think it's a good idea to be dating someone from the team; or did you forget what happened last night?", Kai asked harshly. Crossing his arms to mimic Kai, Rei looked at him intensely, "Well if you don't like her, then leave the subject and me alone Kai. I'll do whatever I want in my personal life, but I promise, Katy will not be my doormat if that's what you're implying", his words didn't reassure Kai at all.
"Its not about my liking her Rei, this is about you and your personal bullshit affecting our team! If you don't put a stop to it before the tournament, I will bench you! Obviously, you can't concentrate on your blading if you're so worried about your love life", Kai said harshly. That was enough to send Rei over the edge, his blood has boiled.
"What would you know about having a love life Kai?! You don't know anything about that! I've never once seen you have a girlfriend, or even take the time to get to know a girl the way I have with Mariah! Do you even have a loving bone in your body for another person?! Don't lecture me about having a love life if you don't even know what you're talking about", Rei said coldly before stomping his way inside. His loud voice woke up everyone else, seeing all of them rising from their beds as he quickly walked into the bathroom, slamming the door. Kai was still standing outside, not wanting to admit Rei's words got to him, anger and frustration coursing through his veins.
Katy woke up before Hilary did, looking in the mirror at her battle wounds. She had some bruises on her shoulder blades from falling on the hardwood floor, along with a purplish-blue bruise on her cheek from where Mariah hit her. Cursing to herself, it wasn't until she started brushing her hair is when she noticed the small area right by her temple, a bald spot. "I swear I'll beat the bitch's ass again", Hilary heard her say from the bedroom. "What's wrong?", Katy heard Hilary ask as she walked back in the room. "She got a good chunk of my hair. I don't have any hair right here, none", she said as she walked close to Hilary so she could see, moving her hair to the side for a better view. Hilary made a pained face, helping Katy fix the part of her hair while smirking "That was some fight last night, you surprised me", she laughed. "Though I must ask; where did you get that scar?", Hilary asked, changing Katy's tone from laughter to irritation. "Oh my god, why does everyone keep asking me that question?! Would you all feel better if I told you I was born with it? Would that make everyone stop asking?! If so, then I was born with it!", Katy shouted before grabbing her small bag with her book and IPod, along with any essentials she may need.
"Sheesh, I was just wandering", Hilary said as she followed her out the door. "Well stop wandering, I don't want to talk about it", Katy spat as she quickened her pace. "As if I would tell anyone about it, nobody could understand, nor do they deserve to know", she thought as the memories of last night coursed through her head.
Flashback
She felt Mariah hit her cheek with a closed fist as the two girls wrestled around on the floor, tight grips on each other's hair in a fight for dominance. "Fuck you, you fucking bitch!", Katy yelled before slamming her fist into Mariah's nose, immediately making her bleed. After that hit was when Mariah loosened her grip on Katy's hair, but still had a grip on the part she yanked out when Kai pulled Katy away from her.
Feeling Kai's arms tighten around her, Katy struggled harder to break free. "Let me go Kai! Let me go!", she yelled while trying to push herself away from him; but Kai was too strong. "Stop it Katy! That is enough!", she heard him yell before she was put against a wall. Before that, everyone had a full view of her scar while she was being held back by not only Kai, but Max too.
Reality
At one point, she felt a hand go against the roughness of her scar; she didn't know who it was though. Even though it was the next morning, she could still feel Kai's grip all around her; she wouldn't be surprised if she sustained any bruises from the pressure of his arms on her collarbone.
Walking up to where the team was having breakfast, Katy and Hilary both sat down at the table with heavy sighs. "Good morning everyone", Hilary said cheerfully, grabbing some bacon from the middle of the table. "Morning, how are you doing this morning, scrapper?", Tyson asked, implying to Katy. With a small glare, Katy smirked and narrowed her eyes; "I'm fabulous this morning, how about you?", she asked cockily. "Sheesh, what's with you?", Tyson asked as he took a bite of his eggs. Katy sighed and closed her eyes, taking some bacon from the middle of the table also. "Just sore and cranky. How would you feel if you discovered bruises you didn't know you had along with missing some of your hair to start your day?", she asked as she raised her eyebrows but kept her eyes shallowed. "Well at least she had it worse than you; you didn't get a bloody nose and I'm sure she's missing more hair than you", Tyson joked as he took a drink of his juice.
"Can we change the subject please? I would rather not relive last night", Katy said bluntly as she stood up and walked into the other room, opening the fridge and taking a bottle of water from it before she closed to the door to find Rei standing right there. "Oh my god Rei, I almost slugged you", she said as she jumped, putting her hand on her heart. "Sorry, can I talk to you?", he laughed as he hinted for her to follow him outside. He didn't want the team to know he was talking to her, let alone Kai. Katy was confused but she followed him outside as she took a drink of her water.
"what's up?", she asked once they were outside. Turning towards her, Rei leaned against the supporting post to the porch. "How are you feeling this morning?", he asked her, his voice holding concern. "I'm fine, how are you feeling?", she asked, knowing he would have a hard time with Mariah leaving. "Things could be better, but I'm ok I guess", he said as he looked at the courtyard of the dojo, seeing the dust go with the wind as it blew through the yard. "I'm sorry I got into a fight with your girlfriend", Katy said sincerely, putting her water on the porch and leaning against the pole opposite from Rei. Shaking his head, he put his hand up to stop her; "No, don't apologize. Its over between us", he said, much to Katy's disbelief. "Really? I thought you two were OK now", she asked as she arched an eyebrow in confusion. "No, I ended it last night when I took her to the hotel", he said, but obviously lying since he stayed the night with Mariah. To Rei, last night was simply break-up sex and one last night together before he ended it for good.
Katy didn't say anything as she looked at Rei, watching his body language. She could tell he was hurt, almost like he couldn't let go of something. "You don't have to lie Rei", he heard her say, making his heart quicken a bit. "You don't have to say you're OK when you're not", she told him as concern washed over her face. Rei didn't answer her, just sighed heavily and looked at her; taking in her beauty even with her bruised cheek. She looked stunning in the sun light, her eyes radiated an icy blue shine against her tanned skin. It was like the perfect mixture for him, the perfect view to start his day.
When she felt he was staring at her, she eye-balled him and blushed a bit. "What?", she asked, smiling softly. Rei just smiled softly and shook his head; "Nothing, I was just wandering if anyone has ever told you how beautiful you are", his words made her heart flutter, her face growing more red. "Uhm, not lately" she said as she moved some hair behind her ear. Rei could see the embarrassment on her face, thinking it was the cutest thing he's seen in a long time. "Well, you are. Very beautiful", he said softly, stepping closer as he moved another piece of her hair behind her ear. Katy moved away from him when he did that, shaking her head. "Hold up, you just broke up with your girlfriend Rei. Give yourself some time before you go flirting with other girls", she said as she tried to get some distance between them. The last thing Katy wanted was to be a doormat for Rei's feelings, to be the person he gets under to get over Mariah. Rei knew she was right, but he couldn't help how he felt, especially after last night. When he saw her start to fight with Mariah, he felt a feeling build inside of him that made her believe she had strong feelings for him, to cause herself injury on his behalf. "I'm sorry Katy, you're right", he said calmly, realizing she was right and if he had any kind of respect for himself and Katy, he would hold off on asking her out.
With that, Katy gave his shoulder a light pat, nudging her head to the side for them to go back inside. Rei followed her and walked to the table where everyone was sitting, Katy remained in the kitchen to grab herself a yogurt.
"At least he listens to you", Kai's voice made her jump as he emerged from a corner by the door, growing annoyed by the sneakiness of everyone. "Geez, you too? What are you talking about?", she asked him as she looked for a spoon. Kai walked up to her, standing close enough to her for her to become nervous, taking a step back. He leaned down a bit, opening the drawer next to her and grabbing a spoon, holding it in front of her face; "To not use you as his doormat", he said before taking a step away from her. Katy reluctantly took the spoon, confusion spilling over her face. "Thanks", she said as she watched him walk back into the dining area.
"Does everyone know about this?", she thought to herself as she joined everyone else.
Practice seemed to be going smoothly, the Bladebreakers have all improved with some minor tweaks to their blades and better concentration now that the drama was over. Kenny looked up the tournament details, clapping once as he saw an update on the tournament's website. "OK guys! The tournament starts in two weeks, so we can get our plane tickets together. Its being held in Beijing, China for the first round, then to Paris, France, then New York city! This is going to be awesome!'', Kenny cheered with excitement. Everyone seemed to be excited, except for Katy; sadness caked her face quicker than water. "Well I hope you guys have a good time, I'll just be here, bored out of my damn mind", Katy said as she opened her book, feeling all eyes on her.
"what are you talking about Katy? Of course, you're coming along!'', she heard Hilary say, shocking Katy. "Wait, what?", she asked, closing her book slowly. Smirking, Hilary walked up to her cousin and patted her good shoulder. "Did you really think I was going to leave you behind? You're apart of our team just as much as I am. Are you excited now?", she asked with a wide smile, seeing the delight start to come back Katy's face. "Uhh, I guess I should be huh?", she asked as she stood up, feeling like she belonged for the first time. Rei was especially excited, now he could work on trying to develop something between Katy and himself. Kai, however, was more concerned than ever.
"Well, this should be fun", he thought sarcastically, leaning against a pole and crossing his arms, sighing heavily.
That night after practice, while everyone was inside having dinner, Kai was sitting outside; letting the breeze make his hair dance as he thought about what this upcoming tournament was going to be like. "We may have improved, but we still have a long way to go. This tournament is supposed to bring a lot of new teams to the surface, new challenges and new obstacles. We have to be on top of our game", he thought to himself before he heard someone walk up behind him, turning to see that it was Katy. "Hey, can I talk to you?", she asked. "What is it?", he answered while facing away from her. Katy sat next to him, letting out a breath as she asked the question that's been bothering her all day.
"What did you mean by 'at least he listens to you'?", she asked, referring to their small talk earlier that morning. The last thing Kai wanted to do was get in the middle of everything, this was frustrating to him. "He has something for you, and I told him not to bring you into his heartbreak. Its not fair to you, or anyone else for that matter. That's all I told him", Kai said in a calm tone, his eyes still facing away from her.
"Sorry, but why do you care? Its his personal life, so what does it matter what he does with it?", she asked, earning a small glare from him. "His personal life is his business, but when he brings it to the team, is when it becomes my business. I've known Rei for a long time, he had a deep connection with Mariah, so I can imagine how hurt he must be right now. I just don't want him to do something stupid, like getting attached to someone else while his heart is still on Mariah", Kai explained, his face staying strong as he tried not to lose his cool. Katy was more surprised that Kai cared about her well being enough to interfere with Rei's motives. "I see, but what if I feel the same for him as he does for me? Would you really stop us from dating?", it was like she was asking for his blessing, but it was more curiosity.
Rolling his eyes, Kai looked away; "I don't care what you do, just don't let it interfere with our team. If you do, I'll have no choice but to take action", he threatened, his eyes hard on her. That didn't phase Katy in the least, only made her go on the defense. Standing up and walking so she was in his eye view, crossing her arms as her attitude changed. "Oh and what action would that be? You going to hold me against the wall like last night?", she asked tauntingly. Kai raised an eyebrow, standing up and looking down at her. "I only did that to keep you from getting more hurt, but if I have to do that just to keep you from destroying my team's concentration, then so be it", he said as his tone started to get a bit louder.
Katy laughed, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh really? I'd love to see you try!", she said as she started to go inside, leaving Kai with the active challenge. Stopping in the doorway, she turned to him once more. "Just a word of advice, don't worry about my love life; you have your own to worry about", she said before disappearing inside. Now Kai was confused, almost in a disturbing way. "What is she talking about?", he thought to himself as he sat back down. "It doesn't matter, I have no time for dating and besides, she can't challenge me and get away with it", he thought as he looked up at the moon, another cool breeze going over the courtyard.
