Chapter 46------For Those of Us Who Begin to Love and Hate

"GUESS WHAT!" Max slammed his palms on the cafeteria table, "Mai and K-mmphfmmmmpphhff!"

"Kentucky! I suggested we go to KFC for dinner tonight." Mai put on a convincing smile as Max struggled.

"You don't want those thumb-sucking pictures to go up on the internet do you?" Kai whispered in Max's ear and he immediately had a complete change of character.

"Uh… yeah! Kentucky! Best chicken in the world! It's finger-lickin' good! Let's go there! Ahahahaha!" 'Damn! I gotta find those pictures!' Max cursed inside.

The others looked at him like he'd gone mad.

"Well, if you guys want to then it's all right with me." Judy wiped a bit of ketchup at the corner of her mouth.

"Umm, Mrs Tate…" Mai fumbled.

"Hm?"

"About just now…I'm sorry." She bowed. "I had no right to get angry with you. Honto ni gomenasai."

"Apology accepted. I know girls tend to be more sensitive than boys but don't get carried away by your feelings yeah?" The woman winked, causing Mai to smile. "Sit down and eat." She pulled up an empty chair next to her.

'Guess she's not so bad after all.' Mai thought. Judy didn't make her feel worse and she liked it. She smiled, she really liked it.

-Later that day-

"Ah! I'm stuffed." Tyson ranted as the group walked to their dormitories. Max wasn't with them; he decided to stay with his family in their own home.

They stopped in front of the two doors. "Who's got the keys?"

"I have 'em." Rei searched his pocket and pulled out two jingling keys. He handed 17 to Tyson.

Tyson unlocked the door and went in, followed by Mai and Kenny. The room wasn't much. It had two beds, a desk table, a two-seater sofa, a television set and a bathroom. However, the view made up for everything. It overlooked a wide lake surrounded by weeping willows and in the distance Mai could see the faint city lights. 'Wait…'She squinted, 'are those…ducks?' She looked at the small tiny figures breaking the lake's serene surface. "Hey! They've got ducks here!"

"Where?" Tyson came up beside her, "Oh yeeeeaaah. You hardly see ducks in Tokyo."

"Let's go there tomorrow." Mai reluctantly tore her gaze away from the window and looked around the room, "Where's my luggage?"

"Maybe it's in Rei's room?" Kenny suggested.

Mai entered Rei's room, she looked around, "Is my bag here?"

"You mean this one?" Rei pointed to a black luggage next to the cupboard.

"Yup, that one." She pulled out the handle and was about to roll it away when—

"Where you going? You're bunking with us."

"What?" Mai blinked, did she hear correctly? "Why can't I stay in the next room?" 'I'm not gonna sleep in the same room as Kai. NO WAY!'

"Why would you want to stay in the next room? Tyson snores."

"Then why can't I have my own room? I'm a girl, I need my privacy." Mai stole a peek at Kai, he was watching television but she could bet a hundred percent that he was listening. 'If this is all for my protection then I'm gonna bang your head against the wall, Kai.'

"It's all for your protection." Rei replied simply. "I'm not criticising them or anything but… I don't think Tyson and Kenny can protect you very well."

Mai glared at Kai but thought it over. Kenny protecting her was waaaay out of the picture and Tyson…Would he fight? He'd get beaten no doubt… Sighing, Mai rolled her luggage back to its original position, "I'm not a little girl. I can take care of myself…" She muttered.

"We know, but it's just to play safe." Rei smiled, happy that she chose to stay. "Take the bed. I'll use the mattress."

"No, I'll take the mattress." She took hold of the white fluffy thing, "That way, that whole side of the room with the beds are yours –jerks head to bed- and this whole side is mine. Deal?"

But before Rei could say anything, someone had already answered for him. "Deal." Kai got off the sofa and sat on the bed which was on his side of the room.

"And…since the TV is on my side of the room, I get to pick the channels." Mai changed the channel to HBO.

"Hey! That's not fair!" The two boys exclaimed. Kai changed the channel back to the baseball game on NHK using the remote.

Mai changed it back to HBO.

Kai pressed the remote once more.

HBO.

NHK.

"Will you stop it?" Mai pressed the button and blocked the TV.

HBO.

"Why don't you?" Kai pressed the remote.

NHK.

HBO.

NHK.

"You know what? No TV." Rei walked over to Mai's side and—

Mai's jaw dropped, 'He pulled out the plug!' Kai just gave his usual "Hmph," and went to take a shower.

"Why can't the both of you just be nice to each other for once?"

"That's because we hate each other…" Mai spoke into the pillow as she lay on the mattress.

"What?"

She rolled over, "Nothing…"

That night…

Mai couldn't sleep. Her hair was still wet and she had been thinking about some things…more specifically, someone.

'"You asked me why I cared so much… It's because you're so weak you make me want to protect you…That's why I keep telling you to be strong, because I don't like what you're doing to me."' Mai turned over and buried her face into the pillow, 'Mou! Stop thinking about it, you fool!'

Levian: It's no use denying it. You like him.

Mai could sense that Levian was smirking. 'But I can't! Nononononono!' But that funny feeling inside her was saying another thing. She rolled over on her back, 'I must be making too much noise shuffling about…' She propped herself on her hands to check on the boys: they were sleeping.

Mai lay back down, her head turned to the window; she wanted to get lost in the mesmerising beauty of the lake. 'I have Riya, I can't cheat on my fiancé…And I promised we'd never let Eden come between us. I can't go back on my promise.'

Levian: Sigh. Promises, fiancés…Complicated love life you've got going on here.

Mai furrowed her brows at this. 'I didn't ask for this to happen… And if I become strong, Kai wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, and then he'll forget everything.'

She dug under her pillow and pulled out her hand phone. She switched it on and a glaring white square appeared. Mai faced it down; she didn't want to attract any attention in case the guys weren't asleep. The phone took a few seconds to load before the menu page came on. She chose the MY PICTURES icon. Her thumb clicked on the buttons, once, twice. A picture opened.

In the dark, she stared at the picture. Her gaze ran across the faces of Copellia, Riya, Mit-chan and Drex before returning to Riya. 'Riya…' She studied his smiling face. Just then she remembered what she had said earlier on today, that she would return to Riya and the rest if she found them, 'Do I really want to leave?'

'Not really…'

Levian: Because of Kai?

'Stop asking if you already know. You're just trying to make me admit it, aren't you?'

Levian: Yup.

She played with the buttons; the picture zoomed in and out.

Levian: If you think your decision is bounded by promises and fiancés, then it is you who chooses it to be. Think about it, you have all the freedom in the world; nothing is stopping you but yourself.

Mai thought about it. Levian did make sense. Heck, he made all the sense in the world! 'But what do I really want? Which is more important?'

'Kai did always look out for me… Ever since they found me, he was the one encouraging me, scolding me, telling me to be this and that, to be strong. When Riya wasn't there, he was. He was the one who saved me from Chace that night at the opening ceremony. He made sure there was always someone around to look out for me…And all this time I thought he was being too strict, but it was because he cared…he actually cares…'

Mai felt something drop on her, a pillow. She tossed it off and looked up to see who the culprit was.

"Switch that thing off. Some of us are trying to sleep here."

"Mind your own business," She threw the pillow at Kai but he caught it. Mai saw that he was smiling, not a warm one, but the kind you have on when you were playfully mocking someone.

"Go back to sleep. And stop ruffling the sheets; get a room if you have to…" Kai adjusted the pillow and lay back down.

'This guy!' Mai kicked his bed before snuggling up in her own.

"Hey Kai."

"Nani?"

"…I'll be strong."

'Huh?' Then it hit him, 'Was she thinking about this morning?' Kai turned to look at her but her eyes were already closed. 'Mai…'

-Morning-

"Mai, wake up." Rei nudged her shoulder. The girl groaned and rolled over but didn't get up.

"You wanted to go see the ducks, remember?" It was Tyson's turn to try.

"I don't care about them anymore…" Mai's voice was muffled against the pillow.

Kai went to the bathroom and came back carrying a glass of water. "You're going to?" Tyson watched as Kai, unnerved, poured the water on Mai's head.

"WHAT THE HELL?" She immediately shot up, her hand touching her head. Her hair was wet…again… "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Mai saw that the guys were looking away, their cheeks a little red. "What?" She demanded, irritated that they did this to her early in the morning and were now acting weird.

"Well uh…your shirt…" Max replied, looking away.

"Huh?" Mai looked down. 'Ehh?' Her face went red with embarrassment, the water had gone down her shirt and made it cling to her body; she could see the pattern of the lace underneath. "Konno…HENTAI! (You…PERVERT!)"

The boys ran out of the room with pillows and shoes flying behind them. Then the door slammed and they heard a click. Rei and Kai were locked out of their room.

"You see? YOU SEE? You and your stupid idea!" Tyson wagged a shoe in front of Kai who merely shrugged and leant against the wall.

Max came up beside him, "You couldn't wait to see, could you?" he said cheekily. Kai turned away before his face could show any emotion. He spotted the shoe Tyson was holding, took it and threw it at Max. "Okay okay. I get it." The blond rubbed his shoulder and walked away. Further away…and further till he was a safe five metres from the group before turning around to shout: "KAI LIKES MAAAIII!"

Tyson, Kenny and Rei all turned to look at Kai, who looked stunned at Max's outburst.

"AND YOU KNOW WHAT, KAI? I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THOSE PICTURES!" With that, Max ran away laughing to himself.

"MAX!" But Tyson grabbed hold of his sleeve.

"So what's this about you liking Mai, hmm?"

Kai moved away, he didn't like where this was going… 'I'm going to kill Max!'

-Fast forward-

Mai was forced to sit next to Kai at the breakfast table…Tyson was walking around the both of them with his hands behind his back.

"What're you doing?" Mai's eyes followed Tyson as he paced back and forth. "What's with you guys? You've been acting funny since this morning…" She picked up her fork and scooped some omelette into her mouth.

"I'm disappointed Kai…You of all people should know." Tyson finally said something. Kai just kept quiet.

The fork stuck out of Mai's mouth, "Hmm? What did he do?"

"How could you betray us? How could you betray the team?" Tyson was getting all melodramatic. "How could you—"

"Get on with it, man." Max slapped his shoulder.

"All right all right." Tyson sat himself down and looked seriously at the two, "Kai, Mai, the both of you are not allowed to like each other."

Kai's reaction: … -picks up coffee cup to take a sip-

Mai's reaction: O.o? "WHAT?"

Max's reaction: "BUT WHY?"

Tyson broke into a long speech, "I-know-it's-hard-for-the-both-of-you-but-your-relationship-will-only-affect-your-performance-and-ultimately-affect-the-performance-of-the-team-so-we-cannot-allow-such-a-partnership-to-exist. Haaa-huh haaa-huh." He caught his breath.

Mai understood what Tyson was talking about. She placed her fork down, crossed her arms and sat back, "Are you done?"

The bluenette gulped down some of his orange juice, "Yeah, okay."

"Look, there's nothing going on between us. You've seen the both of us, we treat each other like mortal enemies!" Mai turned to Kai, "Right?"

Tyson, Kenny and Rei recalled everything that happened between Kai and Mai: the servant-master incident, the many times Kai and Mai fought over the TV, over the household chores, the many times Kai shouted at Mai for being stubborn…

Was there anything good?

Nope, nope, nope…

"And I have a fiancé."

"Yeah but you can break off the engagement." Max pointed out.

'But I made a promise…' Mai imagined Max saying: "But you can break that promise." 'Yeah right...easier said than done.' Mai shook her head.

"But what's Kai's take on this? Hey Kai, say something."

"There's nothing going on between us…" He answered the neko-jin coldly.

'Kai…' but Mai quickly supported his statement, "Yeah, we're just team mates. End of story." She picked up her fork and took a bite out of her sausage.

"She's returning to Riya and the rest," Kai lifted his tray, "so what's the point…" His words trailed as he walked off.

'"I have a fiancé..."' Kai's grip on the tray tightened…

-Fast forward-

"DRANZER! FLAME SABRE!"

The red phoenix sent Drigger crashing to the edge of the dish.

"Nani aitsu wa… (What's up with him?) He's taking this too seriously." Max watched as Rei's blade got trashed.

"Dunno, maybe he's angry?" Tyson felt a little worried. It was his turn next to battle Kai and if his blade was going to turn out like Rei's then he'd better not risk it.

Rei's beyblade bounced on the floor outside the dish before coming to a stop. The poor boy picked his blade up and quickly handed it to Kenny to have it fixed.

"Saa, tsugi wa! (Next!)" Kai ordered.

Tyson backed away, "Never mind. I'll pass."

"MAX!"

"Uh you know what? I think I need to go the bathroom. I'll be right back." Max zipped out of the training room with Tyson following behind him.

'Bunch of cowards…' Kai thought. Just then, something fell over his head. He pulled it off and found that it was a towel.

"Here." Mai handed him a water bottle, "Take a break."

Kai wiped the towel over his brow and looked at Mai's outstretched hand. Should he take it? "Hmph." He walked towards the vending machine and bought his own drink.

'Fine then! Be that way!' She turned away and went to the beydish. She ran her fingers on the dish's surface and could feel the drill marks made by the beyblades. She looked back at Kai, 'What're you so upset about?'

Mai stood up, 'If you're angry then let's do something about it,' and walked towards Kai. "Get your blade; I know you're not tired yet."

"You want me to battle you? In that condition?"

She noticed that he was looking at her shoulder, "Hmph, don't take me so lightly." She walked towards the dish and held out her launcher.

Kai followed and held out his launcher, "You asked for this," he warned.

"3, 2, 1! LET IT RIP!"

-CLANG!-

The commotion had caught Rei and Kenny's attention and the both of them stopped to watch.

The two blades fell into the dish and went at each other again, pushing and drilling as though trying to grind the opponent to dust. Levian swerved but Dranzer was hot on its tail. The two blades chased each other around the dish, attacking each other as soon as one of them came near the other.

"DRANZER! DRANZER GIGS TURBO ATTACK!" Kai commanded.

"WATER MAGE!"

The white wolf leapt out of the blade in a flash of blue light and immediately, several clones of Levian popped up and surrounded the beydish. Dranzer's attack fired at one of the clones but it melted away and popped up somewhere else.

"Cheh! I won't lose so easily.' "Dranzer! Shoot all of them down!"

Dranzer blasted a flaming arrow at each of the clones till the real one was singled out.

'Soko da! (That's the one!)' "NOW ATTACK!"

'This isn't good,' Mai thought fast, she looked around for her blade amongst the flames, "ARTIC FLARE!"

Blue flames burned among the red ones; the battle of two fires. Red countered blue, blue countered red. Mai watched Levian leap into the air, dragging Dranzer down with its foot caught in his mouth. But the bird was no push over, Dranzer fought hard and sent a fireball surging at Levian with a flap of its wings.

'Jikkushyo! (Dammit!)' Mai looked at Kai; he was staring up at the battle. But even so, Mai could see that he was fighting hard, the determination in his eyes shone through his bangs. Kai looked at her and narrowed his eyes. Mai narrowed hers too, 'It isn't my fault that I'm engaged, so stop throwing your anger about!'

"This isn't a training session anymore. It's a battlefield…" Rei watched as the two bit-beasts fought amongst the flames, watched as the two bladers fought their hearts out. "They're gonna destroy each other."

"But we can't stop them, can we?" Kenny looked on with worried eyes.

"DRANZER FLAME!"

"ARTIC FLARE!"

'Zettai…MAKENAI! (There's no way…I'M GONNA LOSE!)' Both bladers thought simultaneously.

Both bit-beasts charged at each other—

"DRIGGER! GATLING CLAW!"

Two blades of white light slashed through the flames.

"Nani!" Mai and Kai looked up to see Drigger in between the two bit-beasts, growling at Levian and then at Dranzer.

"Rei! This is our battle! Don't—"

"I know that!" Rei cut Mai off, "You call this a battle? The both of you are trying to destroy each other!"

Mai: '!'

Kai: '!'

"Dakara mou yamete kudasai! (So please stop it!)" Rei shouted.

In the beydish, the three beyblades were still spinning till Levian slowed down to a stop, followed by Dranzer and lastly Drigger. Mai bent down to pick up her blade, she could feel the heat from the friction. She surfaced and met Kai's eyes. The both of them glared at each other until Kai broke away.

Mai clenched her fists; he couldn't just walk away like that! "It's not my fault he's my fiancé so stop being so angry!" she called after him.

Kai stopped in his tracks, "Do whatever you want…" He walked out of the training room.

Mai stood there glaring at his already-gone figure while Max and Rei were at a loss. What was going on between those two? First they find out Kai likes Mai and now they both hate each other to the core?

"Mai…" Rei placed a hand on her shoulder.

The girl let out a heavy sigh, "Daijoubu desu. Shimpai sunna. (I'm fine. Don't worry)" she smiled at Rei. "I'm gonna take a shower so can I have the keys?"

"Eh." He handed them over.

Mai took them, "Ja mata ne. (I'll see you later)" She pocketed her beyblade and left the training hall.

"Those two…" Rei shook his head.

"Maybe it's best if we leave it to them to sort out their own problems, ne?" Kenny stood alongside Rei.

"Tabun… (Probably)"

Hope you liked it. It's the longest chapter i've written for season two! Please review yeah?