Tournament time!- well at least the arrival part of it 😊 Enjoy!

The plane to Beijing was crowded, the bladebreakers couldn't all sit together but that didn't stop Rei and Katy, along with Kai and Hilary, from sitting in the same area. For their benefit, Tyson was seated up from with Max and Kenny; while they sat in the back. Now they only had to listen to Tyson snoring from a distance or complain about how hungry he is. Rei and Katy were seated together by the window, Kai and Hilary were in front of them; much to Hilary's excitement.

"This is so great, maybe now I can get some ground work done with Kai", Hilary thought as she planted her hands on her legs, looking at Kai from a side view to see him looking out the window. The plane hasn't yet taken off, Kai was just waiting for the gate to close and for the plane to start moving. Looking behind her, she saw Katy was sitting next to the window while Rei sat by the aisle, both looked like they were into their own activity; Katy with her book and Rei cleaning his Beyblade. "I do wander what was up with those two last night, Katy hasn't spoken a word at all today", Hilary's mind was racing with all kinds of questions for Katy, until the flight attendant closed the gate and the plane started to move.

Flashback

"I don't think Kai has a type for anyone anyways", Katy said as she left the room.

"To be honest, I think you are better off with Tyson than with Kai" Katy said as she fixed her bed.

Reality

"Could she be right? Kai hasn't shown any interest in me at all, even in our conversations he seems to distant", her thoughts were getting louder it seemed, because she then felt Kai's eyes on her. Turning her head, she confirmed her suspicions; "What?", she asked him politely, trying to keep a blush from forming on her face. He was just looking at her like he was trying to read her mind, his arms crossed as his head rested on the seat. Before it got awkward, Kai leaned towards her, so he was close to her ear and whispered, "Can I ask you something?", his breath teased her ear, making a chill go up her spine. "Umm, sure. What is it?", she asked. Kai didn't answer right away, he didn't know how to ask but he felt like she was the only one who would help him if he asked.

"I need you to be an informant for me, on the two behind us", he hinted with his eyes, keeping his voice low enough so they were the only ones in the conversation. Curiosity and disappointment washed over Hilary, but luckily curiosity overpowered. "Really? Why? Do you suspect something between them?", she whispered, looking through the crack in the seat to see if Katy was listening, luckily she had her earphones in and Rei was talking to someone in the neighboring aisle.

"You could say that, but can you? You're the only one who I can trust to keep this a secret and help me out", his words made her heart thump a bit harder, a wave of warm fuzzies filled her stomach. "If this is what I must do to Kai to notice me more, then so be it", Hilary thought before nodding. "Yes, I will do my best", she said with a smile on her face, seeing Kai nod in approval before turning his face towards the window. "You can't sneak behind my back, neither of you can", Kai thought as he narrowed his eyes, watching the land outside get smaller and smaller.

From an outsider's perspective, Katy was listening to her music and reading her book, but her mind was talking so loud; she couldn't even read the words printed in her book.

Flashback

"Say something", he softly commanded, his breath teasing her ear. "Like what? What do I say?", she thought as she felt his finger go under her chin, making her look up at him. "Let me show you how you make me feel", he whispered, his lips only inches away from hers. When she didn't fight him, Rei took that as a signal for him to advance; planting his lips on hers ever so softly. When their lips met, Katy felt her heart stop, it felt like time had stopped; her knees suddenly felt weak. "What is this feeling? I feel so…weak…" she thought as she looked up at him when he slowly pulled back, waiting for her to kiss him back. "Rei; I don't know what to say", she whispered as she felt his hand go from her chin to her neck. "Just say yes to going out with me; on a date", he said as he rested his forehead on hers.

Reality

"What have I gotten myself into?", she thought as her eyes started to burn holes into her book, its obvious now that she was deep in thought. "I haven't been in a relationship in a while, and Rei's situation is still delicate. What if Mariah advances on him again? What if Kai finds out?", her thoughts were too busy dancing around for her to notice Rei looking at her. She turned her head to look at Rei, thinking he was doing his own thing but jumped when she saw him looking at her. "What?", she asked, rubbing her eyes. Rei looked down at her hand, gently taking it into his; "Are you OK? You haven't spoken much today", he said softly, trying to stay quiet so the crowd in front of them won't hear.

Katy was hesitant to answer, looking down at their fused hands. She didn't want to give Rei the wrong impression, but she didn't feel right at all. "I just, I don't know about this Rei. Something just doesn't feel right", she whispered as she looked away. Rei didn't know what to say, other than some reassurance. "It felt right last night, right? What makes you think that?", he asked as he leaned towards her ear, making her take in a tight breath. After a few intense moments, she finally looked at him; "Are you sure you're over Mariah? I couldn't get over Todd for a long time, and that was two years ago. I haven't dated anyone since; so how can you bounce back so fast?", her voice and face said it all, she was confused and convinced he was just trying to use her as a doormat.

Sighing heavily, Rei let go of her hand but only to reach into his pocket to pull out his phone. He pushed some buttons before handing it to her; she hesitantly took it and read what it said. It was an email between Rei and someone named Lee.

Email

Lee: What the hell happened with Mariah and this girl on your team? She came back and said you left her after she was attacked!

Rei: Actually, she is the one who attacked first. Katy was just defending herself and besides, it was Kai who said she had to go first. I got her a hotel room and she left the next day, there is nothing to fix between she and I.

Lee: I see, well you should know she and Victor are together now. I wish you the best in this field, see you in Beijing old friend.

Reality

Katy read the email once, twice, a few times before handing it back to Rei. "So, what does that mean? She's already moved on or she moved on before you two ended it?", Katy asked, reading his face for any sadness; but none came. His eyes were calm, he was almost smiling; "If she can move on like our relationship didn't mean anything, then so can I", his words oddly enough, made her feel a lot better. He was right, there was no point of hanging onto something that isn't there. However, there was still one thought that lingered; "What about him?", her eyes pointed in Kai's direction, Rei sighed heavily. "I already told him not to meddle in my affairs, that my personal life won't affect my spot on the team", he explained, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes for a moment. "At least I hope it doesn't", he thought, looking away and closing his eyes. "Then why are you wanting to keep it such a secret?", she asked, crossing her own arms.

Rei only had one answer, the only reason as to why he would want to harbor his relationship with Katy. "I just don't need to risk Kai finding out, is why. When the tournament is over, I'll announce it but until then, we must keep it between us ok?", he gave her a reassuring smile as he took her hand, gently squeezing it. Even though Katy still didn't completely understand why Rei wanted to keep it a secret, she agreed and nodded as she smiled.

In Beijing, the weather was rainy and foggy; a not-so-perfect way to start the tournament. Arriving to their suites, Katy and Hilary were designated to one room, Kai and Rei to the neighboring room and Tyson, Max and Kenny across the hall. Flopping down on the bed, Hilary sighed in relaxation as Katy put her bags in the closet. "How long are we staying here again?", Katy asked while getting out her bathroom essentials. "The tournament starts tomorrow, three rounds, best two out of three. We battle for two days, then if we advance, we go to Paris. If we don't, we go back home", Hilary explained formally, sitting up and twiddling her thumbs.

"Hey Katy, can I ask you something?", Hilary started, receiving no response from Katy. "Is something going on between you and Rei?", she asked, watching Katy stop in her tracks. After a few tense seconds, Katy took in a breath; "What are you talking about? Of course not", she said with a laugh, putting her things in the bathroom. "Well I only ask because you two disappeared for a bit last night and you didn't say anything last night or all day today. I'm just wandering" she asked once more, this time hoping for the response she was looking for.

Katy didn't know how to go about it, but the secret was starting to eat her alive because she wasn't sure of it herself. Sighing heavily, she ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the wall. "Damnit…", she thought before she took in a breath. "Can you keep a secret?", she asked, immediately seeing Hilary's face go from curious to shocked. "What?! Are you serious?", Hilary almost yelled until Katy just about tackled her, putting her finger to her lips. "Shh! Rei and Kai are our neighbors, keep it down!", Katy whispered harshly, sitting down on her bed. "So, you guys are officially official or is this like a trial run?", Hilary asked as she sat next to her. Shrugging, "I don't know what to call it, he wants us to be officially-official, but I don't know if that's what I want. I don't think he's over Mariah yet. I'll know once he sees her and doesn't go leaping into her arms once more", she stated, hearing a knock on their door.

"I guess the boys are ready to go down for dinner, lets go", Hilary said as she stood up, but was stopped when Katy grabbed her wrist, tightening her hold as she stared intently at Hilary. "Please Hilary, if there is one thing I'm asking, don't tell anyone. I don't need Kai getting wind of what's going on and I don't want to see Rei get benched over this, you know how Kai is", Katy stated, not letting go of Hilary until she nodded in agreement. "I promise Katy, you don't have anything to worry about", Hilary said with a sweet smile, turning to answer the door. "Come on girls, let's go eat; I'm starving!", Tyson shouted as he started running down the hall to the 'all you can eat' buffet downstairs. "Well what's stopping you? Certainly not your patience", Hilary cracked at Tyson, making him turn around and glare at her. "Waiting for you is like waiting for rain in a drought", he cracked back, starting a bickering fight all the way down to the buffet.

During dinner, it was tense but loose at the same time. Katy and Rei were sitting next to each other, making it miserable for Katy since she had to keep this secret, but it didn't help that he kept sneaking feels on her thigh under the table, she always played it off as if she was just crossing her legs. Just the feeling of his hand on her thigh was enough to make her face change in a way that would make everyone curious. It was a mix of forbidden relations and wanting to punch him in the face.

"Does anyone know what time we're all supposed to be at the battle ring?", Max asked, taking a bite of his food as he waited for an answer. Kenny was very quick to answer, flipping open his laptop and looking at the screen. "It says we have to be ready to battle by 10am; which means we actually have to be in the battle room at 9am; so no sleeping in Tyson!'', he said sternly. "What are you talking about? We have our first battle tomorrow, I'm so excited I don't even know if I'll be able to sleep tonight. Dragoon and I are going to kick some butt!", Tyson said excitedly, getting the attention from the other bladers who were also trying to eat.

"Geez, can't you be a little more modest Tyson? With that big head of yours, I'm shocked you can even balance yourself properly", Hilary said with a raised eyebrow, obviously annoyed by his behavior. "What was that Hilary? Don't make jokes about my head when you're the one who has the bigger ego!", Tyson said as he stared Hilary down. Both stared at each other as if it was a competition as to who would look away first.

"Why don't you two just hook up already?", they heard Katy say; both looking at her as she was an alien. The rest of the table, started to laugh to themselves, almost choking on their food. Hilary and Tyson didn't know what to say, just started blushing before backing away from each other. "Yeah right, as if I would have a chance with Hilary", Tyson thought before stuffing his face once more. "That would never happen, Kai is mine", Hilary thought before her eyes went to the team's captain, secreting eyeballing him with a small smile on her face.

That night, as Tyson predicted, he was having a hard time sleeping so he decided to walk the halls since Kenny already yelled at him about being noisy with the tv, or flipping through a comic. When he was about to round a corner, he heard familiar voices coming from where he was going; he heard Katy and Rei talking. He was going to say something to them but decided to stay quiet when he heard the word 'secret'.

Rei and Katy were standing in the middle of the hall, whispering to each other. Katy was aggravated, obviously over what was happening during dinner time. "I don't think I can keep this a secret Rei, this is too much pressure", Katy said, her demeanor disturbed and as if it was about to burst. "I know its hard Katy, but please try. Kai can't find out about us", Rei said as he tried to calm her down, rubbing her shoulders gently but she turned away from him. "Well it's a little hard to keep it a secret when you cop cheap feels under the table", she snapped as she turned back to face him, crossing her arms. Rei only smirked, shrugging as he stepped closer to her; "Can you blame me? I mean, look at you", he said as he slowly backed her into the wall, trapping her with his arms once more. "You're a beautiful girl Katy, is it so wrong that I want to show you how beautiful you are?", he asked, his voice seductive as he leaned into her.

This didn't make things any easier for her, denying him a kiss as he leaned in by turning her head away. "What if I'm not ready for you to make me feel that way?", she asked, expecting him to end everything and walk away; but he only took her chin gently and made her look up at him. "Then I'll wait", he said with a sincere smile, this time leaning in fast and stealing a kiss before she could deny him. Katy at first pushed on his chest; but relaxed as soon as he intensified the kiss.

Tyson couldn't believe what he was seeing, his teammate was in a secret romance with Hilary's cousin. "I wander how long this has been going on; not that I didn't see it coming from a mile away but still, during the tournament? If Kai finds out, there will be consequences for sure", he thought as he leaned against the wall to conceal himself. "We can't lose Rei over something as simple as this, where would we find another blader?", these thoughts were too busy coursing through his mind for him to notice Rei and Katy beginning to walk around the corner; stopping in their tracks and separating their hands.

"Tyson? Umm, what are you doing up?", Rei asked nervously, looking back at Katy with the 'we just fucked up' look. "I should be asking you two that, what's going on?", Tyson asked with his arms crossed, eyeballing Katy. "You're seducing our teammate during a very important tournament Katy, do you have any idea what this could do to him?!", Tyson's voice started to get louder, Katy was about to slap him for yelling in her face, but Rei stepped in front of her. "Listen Tyson, this isn't her fault. I'm the one who took the first step and forced her to keep this a secret so don't say anything to Kai. I promise I won't let this get in the way of my blading", Rei said defensively. Raising an eyebrow and backing up a bit, Tyson looked at Katy for a moment to study her body language. "She's a pretty girl Rei, you really think you'll be able to wait until the end of the tournament to tell everyone?", Tyson taunted, making Rei glare at him. There was a few seconds of silence, it felt like either one of them was about to exploded and start fighting but then, Tyson nodded and sighed heavily.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything. You better not let this get in the way of our championships Rei", Tyson said before looking at Katy once more, then turning to walk back towards his room. Looking back at her, Rei held out his hand for her to take but she declined. "We can't keep this a secret Rei; you have to say something. The truth sounds a lot better than a lie, believe me", she said before walking back towards her room, quietly walking inside. Rei sighed as he put his hands in his pockets, watching her walk into her room.

"I'm sorry Katy, but I can't let anyone else find out", he thought before he walked to the vending machine, where he said he was heading. After getting a water, he walked back to the room to see that Kai was asleep. "Thank god", he thought before grabbing some clothes and getting into the shower. Kai wasn't asleep however, he was laying awake with his back to the door. "Keep going the way you're going Rei, you'll see where dishonesty gets you", Kai thought before closing his eyes.

I hope this was worth the wait 😊 BTW, for those of you who wish for Katy to become a blader, I thought a juicy idea I think all of you will love 3 Comes in later chapters, so stay tuned! Leave reviews!