A/N : Hi it's me again ! And here's another chapter for you my dear reviewers !

But before we start, let me introduce my two new muses ! There's Akari-chan...

Akari : (waves) Hi everyone !

...and Raiu.

Raiu : Yeah yeah, just get on with your stupid fic.

Hmph... (turns away from Raiu) Don't pay attention to her, she's a pest.

Raiu : At least I'm not insane.

What was that ? (glares)

Akari : Cherry-chan, the fic...

Oh, hum, yes. Thanks Akari. Ok then, on with the fic !


.: Sweet tragedy :.

by cherry fantasy


Chapter eight : Silent words

Mr. Dickinson's office, 1h28 p.m.

A good ten minutes passed without anyone talking. Everything seemed too much like a dream, and talking might cause it to disappear... To fade away like it had never existed... Which was something Ray, Max, Kenny, Hilary and most of all Kai certainly didn't want to happen. As for June and Mr. Dickinson, they respected the others' need for silence. And so, no one spoke...

Kai was still holding Tyson, very unwilling to let go. His mind was less foggy now and he was aware to be acting very out of character, but he just couldn't bring himself to detach his arms from around Tyson's waist. For some reason, just the thought of doing it was making him tremble, as if the mere action of moving away would cause Tyson to vanish before his eyes... Kai knew it was ridiculous, but he really couldn't help it. Maybe it was just an after effect of the shock, but right now he had a visceral fear of letting Tyson out of his sight. Luckily, the midnight blue-haired youth didn't try to push him away ; he stayed calmly in Kai's embrace, not uttering a word.

From the corner of his eye, Kai cast a glance at the others ; they were still frozen on their chairs and seemed very shaken, staring at them with an unbelieving expression... Well not really at them ; they were staring at Tyson, and Kai just happened to be in the same range of vision. And if they took note of the fact that Kai was presently hugging Tyson, it didn't show... Of course, right now they did have more pressing matters to think about... Like trying to understand how it was possible for their dead friend to be standing right before them, healthy-looking and very much alive...

Finally, Kenny asked with a shaking voice, as if afraid of the answer :

"Mr. Dickinson, is it... i-is it r-really... who I t-think it is...?"

The others held their breath as Mr. Dickinson rose and walked around his desk, coming to stand just beside Tyson and Kai. He then turned to Kenny and answered :

"Yes, it is"

Their breath hitched audibly. Mr. Dickinson put a hand on Tyson's shoulder and gently pulled him away from Kai ; the duel-haired blader visibly shuddered at the loss of contact and it took everything out of him not to reach out to grab Tyson and bring him back against his chest. But his legendary self-control decided to take that time to come back and help him restrain himself, and so he stayed rooted to his spot, unmoving. He took a quick glance at June who had walked back to them and who was now standing a few feet away from him, a comforting smile on her lips.

Soon though Kai turned his attention back to Tyson ; just tearing his gaze away from him more than one second was almost physically painful. Kai was vaguely aware to be acting down right pathetic at the moment, but he couldn't help it. The sight of his secret love suddenly standing before him when he had thought to have lost him forever was just so overwhelming...

Kai looked as Mr. Dickinson went to stand behind Tyson, making the youth face his bewildered friends. With one hand still on Tyson's shoulder, Mr. D declared with a serious tone :

"I know this may be hard to believe, but trust me, it is no joke : the young man standing before you really is Tyson Kinomiya"

Now, it was one thing to see it, but it was something else entirely to actually "hear" it being said out loud.

Silence fell over the room once more, as what Mr. Dickinson had just said slowly started to sink in... Kai, who had already accepted the fact that the Tyson he was seeing was real... his Tyson... took the opportunity to observe the midnight-haired blader more attentively ; the surprise and shock of seeing him had distracted Kai at first and he hadn't really paid attention to the details.

He skipped the long black velvet cape covering Tyson's shoulders and reaching down all the way to his ankles, having seen the dark cloth more than once already. Instead, he concentrated on what the youth was wearing underneath : now that the cape was mostly opened, Kai could see that Tyson had on black baggy pants quite similar to his own, the only difference being the silver chain hanging from the left side of Tyson's waist. In fact, beside that chain, Tyson seemed to wear nothing but black : black boots, black pants and black long-sleeved shirt with a V collar. Gone were his colorful clothes and his blue fingerless gloves. Tyson didn't even have his famous cap anymore ; his hair was simply tied back in his usual low ponytail, although it was longer than before.

But then something else caught Kai's gaze : a scar. A long dark pink scar, in no way ugly but awfully visible over the paler shade of Tyson's skin.

It started right under his right ear, running down Tyson's neck all the way to his Adam's apple and even going a bit farther. Kai swallowed with difficulty ; the scar was thin and neat, showing that it had healed pretty well, but it was obvious that the wound had been dangerously deep. Kai's chest constricted painfully... He didn't even want to think about how that wound must've hurt... Blinking, he collected himself and fixed the scar once more. Then, just as he was looking at it, something clicked in his mind... And suddenly, Kai started to have a very, very bad feeling...

Meanwhile, Ray, Max, Kenny and Hilary were finally realizing the reality of what was happening. They rose on shaky legs, their eyes never leaving Tyson's face for a single second. Then, Max asked hesitantly, his voice trembling :

"T-Tyson...?"

This one just gave them a sad smile and nodded, his unforgettable chocolate brown eyes staring back at them with a calm happiness.

The effect was almost instantaneous ; the four were still for a moment, then suddenly they were running toward their friend, their eyes filling with tears, or re-filling in Hilary's case. Soon Tyson was caught in a clumsy group hug, a soft smile playing on his lips. Ray was by far the calmer one ; with bright watery eyes, he was clinging to Tyson's arm as if it was his lifeline. There was a question in his golden gaze : "How ?". But he didn't voice it. The other three though weren't as reserved...

"Tyson! Oh my God Tyson, it's really you ! We... we thought you were dead !" Max cried out, his face soaked with tears. "Everybody told us so ! All... all these years we believed you'd died in the plane crash !"

"What happened to you ? Where were you ? Why did you let us believe you were dead !" Hilary asked, sobbing and nearly in hysterics.

"How did you survive ? How is it even possible !" said Kenny, trembling from head to toe.

"Answer us Tyson !" Max pleaded almost desperately.

Tyson just gave them a sad look then turned his head toward June, a silent request in his eyes. June let out a soft sigh before saying calmly :

"He can't answer you, Max. Or at least, not in a way you would understand"

Kai felt a cold sweat running down his back... The others loosened their grip on Tyson, looking at June confusedly and with a little bit of dread. Max gulped and asked weakly :

"What...? But... why couldn't he ?"

Kai madly resisted the urge to cover his ears... He knew almost for sure what was coming, and he didn't want to hear it... He did not want to hear it ! ...but he did anyway :

"Because he can't speak anymore, Max" June said softly. "Tyson is mute"

o0o

"Hey, anyone seen Kai and the others ?" asked Tala.

He was sitting on a couch in one of the hotel's resting rooms, situated on the first floor. There was a bunch of other beybladers in the room, some he knew and some he didn't. They'd gotten tired of beyblading after a while and had come in here to chat. Suddenly Tala had realized he hadn't seen Kai or the rest of his gang since dinner, making him a bit curious about the group's whereabouts. He'd went to knock at Kai's door ten minutes ago, remembering that they'd been there earlier watching movies. But nobody had answered, so apparently they weren't there anymore.

"Maybe they went in town ?" suggested Kevin.

"In this weather ?" said Lee with a snort. "It's pouring outside ! Only Mariah and Julia are crazy enough to go out in a day like this, when they could've stayed in a warm and comfy hotel instead ! Talk about a time for going on shopping spree !"

"Yeah, I'll never understand girls..." added Micheal.

"We wouldn't expect you to, bonehead !" Mathilda and Ming Ming said in unison while slapping Micheal behind the head.

"Oww...!" he whined as the others sniggered.

"Brooklyn, Emily and Mystel went out too, remember ?" Garland said. "They went to see the aquarium"

"I'm not saying they're any more sane" answered Lee with a grin.

"Yeah, and with a weather like this, they'll turn into fishes themselves before making it back here !" Eddy exclaimed with a laugh.

"That doesn't answer my question" Tala pursued. "Where's Kai and the others ?" he repeated.

Everybody shrugged, not having a clue. Bryan and Spencer entered the room just then, catching the end of Tala's question. Bryan answered :

"We saw them about half an hour ago. They were heading to Mr. Dickinson's office, and Mr. D himself was with them. I don't think they've come out yet"

"Strange. What could they be doing ?" wondered Garland.

"Who knows ?" said Micheal. "It could be anything. The most entertaining things always seem to happen to them !"

"Yeah, you're right..." retorted Tala with a solemn voice that silenced everyone as they listened to the rest of his sentence : "The most entertaining things... But the most tragic ones too..."

Of course, they all knew what he was talking about. Their mood dampened a little, and nobody answered. Tala glanced at them and added :

"Never forget the darker side of the medal..."

o0o

"Wha... what do you mean, mute...?" Hilary asked weakly, and it was obvious that she didn't really want to know the answer.

June smiled sadly and walked toward them. They backed away from Tyson a little to give her more space, however not going very far. June came to stand beside their friend, then she pointed his neck and said softly :

"You see that scar ? His vocal chords have been severely damaged. He can't speak anymore"

Hilary covered her mouth with her hand as new tears rolled down her cheeks... Max, Kenny and Ray just stared at Tyson, unable to find their words, their eyes glittering... Kai clenched his fists until his knuckles were white, nearly digging his nails into his palms. In all their minds, what they had just learned was just so unfair...

Just then, they saw Tyson tap on June's shoulder to get her attention. June turned to him, and they watched in strange fascination as he started making different movements with his hands. When he was done June nodded and turned back to them with a smile.

"You see, Tyson just spoke to me right now" she told them. "He used sign language. That's how he communicates in direct interactions"

They swallowed back the lump in their throats and Kenny asked :

"What... what did he say ?"

"He said he was happy to see you all again and that he had missed you very much"

They gave a trembling smile, their eyes watering again, and June pursued :

"He also said he was sorry for making you sad"

Their eyes widened and they turned to Tyson, who just smiled to them apologetically. Considering the situation, that was as far as Kai's self-control could hold. He walked toward the blue-haired youth and took his hand shamelessly, not really caring about what the others would think. Right now, all he cared about was Tyson... He locked gazes with him and said in a whisper, although his voice was firm :

"There's nothing to apologize for"

Tyson looked back at him and smiled, then he freed his hand in order to sign something...

"He said thank you" translated June with a smile of her own.

Kai stayed silent, merely taking back Tyson's hand and entwining their fingers. Then, a soft voice resonated in the room :

"How...?"

They turned to Ray, who was the one speaking. He looked back at them and pursued shakily :

"How is this possible ? For so long, we thought... I thought..." he made a painful pause, then finished : "What happened ?"

June sighed and said calmly :

"A fair enough question. And of course we expected you to ask"

She glanced at each of them, then she looked at Tyson who simply nodded. She turned back to them and said :

"Tyson insisted we tell you everything. Of course he can't exactly tell you himself... But since I was with him since the start..." (she paused a moment under their questioning looks, then continued) "...I will tell you his story. He already agreed to let me do it"

They glanced at Tyson, who just nodded and smiled encouragingly.

"Well..." Mr. Dickinson said while walking back behind his desk, "I think it would be better if we'd sit down"

He was trying to sound casual, but they easily caught the slight strain in his voice. They glanced at each other nervously, even Kai ; they suddenly had this disturbing feeling that what they were about to hear would be far from a fairy tale. Of course they wished to know what had happened, and where Tyson had been during those five years when they had thought him dead ! They wanted to know... but suddenly, it occured to them that whatever it was, they probably wouldn't like it. They'd thought that Tyson losing his voice was bad and unfair... but looking at Mr. Dickinson's tense form and at June's solemn expression, it dawned upon them that... Chances were, they hadn't heard the worse part yet.

But they needed to know. Even if knowing would be painful.


A/N : So yeah, short chapter... and evil cliffhanger, mwahahahah !

Raiu : See, I told you she was insane.

Oh shut it ! Anyway, sorry the chapter was a bit short. I'll make the next one longer. Oh and once again forgive me if there was too much OOCness.

Akari : I thought it was good anyway ! (smiles)

Thank you Akari-chan !

Raiu : Well I thought it was horrible.

(sighs) Why am I not surprised...? Well, please review everyone ! See you next chapter !