A.C.: I will not feel sudden pity for Takao, I will not feel sudden pity for Takao... no I don't know when Hitoshi's or any other blader's birthdays are. Assuming beyblade tournaments are held around the summer months of the northern hemisphere (which reminds me, in g-rev they fought in Australia... isn't it supposed to be winter there or something?) Takao's birthday should be around early to mid-July to end of August. (I don't think Japan starts breaks as early as Americans...)
This chapter bothers me too...
Summary: The dark phoenix is amongst them once more. Between emotions, hormones, therapy, and all around domestication, the Neo Borg will discover the truth explanations behind one Hiwatari Kai's revival...
Warnings:Slashy themes, all around insanity? Structure, grammar, much mistakes. Un-Betaed, uke-Kai and possible/guaranteed oocness. While I did see V-force and G-rev to completion, I missed most of season 1 so... yeah. (everytime I tried to watch it was as if the series was stuck on the White Tigers arc >.>)
Pairings: Yuriy/Kai, one-sided/mild Brooklyn/Kai, Takao/Kai, Boris/Kai
Because heaven welcomes no one...
Takao looked up vacantly at the sky feeling the cool drops slip off his face. He raised a hand to his cheek, traced the outline of his now livid bruise as it pulsed an angry red. Tasting the distinctive tang of salt tracks, he dropped his hand, his eyes now free from spots of amethyst.
In the rain, Kinomiya Takao was crying.
-
-
"Let go Yuriy."
Yuriy paused for a split second before fruitlessly trying to pull Kai up from his seat in the puddle of water. His leg twinged in reaction to the pouring rain outside, Yuriy narrowed his eyes.
"You're going to catch a cold Kai..." a defeated sigh as the phoenix looked away. Letting go of the rain soaked jacket Yuriy put his hands on his hips, "Just what am I going to do with you Hiwatari?" seeing no reaction Yuriy shrugged before sitting down beside Kai. Kai gave the redhead a startled look. At this Yuriy explained, "If you're not going to move, I'm not going to either, and while you sit here determined to freeze to death, I might as well sharing body heat because heavens forbid you get a cold, Boris will murder me in my sleep."
Ah yes, the ever present threat of a falcon on a warpath.
This earned him a brief smile from the slate haired phoenix. Yuriy felt absurdly pleased for no particular reason.
"I don't get colds." it was a debatable subject. While the members of Neoborg were resistant to most viruses, lethal infections and etc, they couldn't deny the fact that they had been sicker than any other point in their lives in Japan. Bad air, Kai had once explained and had advised them to wear masks when going out to more developed parts of the city.
"Mmhmmm..." Yuriy snuggled closer to the door, not minding the chill of sitting in cold water. Outside the rain was probably pouring down, the scent was one that he recognized well enough. The smell of rain hitting the heated pavement, how he longed to be out there. The redhead stretched his toes experimentally, feeling the crimson eyes following his every move.
"I don't," Kai insisted, feeling a bit foolish for doing so.
"Tell that to Boris after you wake up with a fever." Kai doesn't say anything for a while. Yuriy felt it's a safe bet that the phoenix wouldn't torch his arm off if he placed it around the slim frame. He can feel the miniature tremors that go through Kai's body, where are those bloody maids when you need them? "Something wrong?"
"Something like that," Kai responds amiably blinking his eyes once or twice as if to wake from a long wrought dream. Kai doesn't tell Yuriy off for touching him, Yuriy moved closer, prying the wet jacket from the teen's arms.
"Yuriy..." the sadness had evolved, Yuriy had been wrong, there was something in those eyes. Kai was troubled, confusion outlined the redness as Yuriy brushed a stray wet lock from Kai's face. The jacket fell to the floor, Yuriy's eyes wandered to the finger mark bruises on Kai's wrist entwined with darker lines. Something foreign, something akin to envy bubbled up in Yuriy's chest. How strange that the jealousy had been tamer in Boris' presence.
Yuriy feels betrayed. The bruises are light, almost unnoticeable, but they're still there.
"Takao do something to you?" Yuriy asked in a low voice, he could literally smell the blue haired Japanese as his eyes searched Kai's face. Kai flinched away at the sight of anger in Yuriy's eyes. A hand deviated to the slightly red wrist, for Kai it was as if he had been shocked. Kai squirmed inwardly,
'Not now, please, not now...'
"Yuriy," a finger hushed him as Yuriy looked in to his eyes. Kai felt his face flush at the close proximity. Did he have 'molest me' written in neon colors on his forehead today? Still, he couldn't help but feel a little eager.
"Kai I..."
"Oh my, master Kai!" One of the maids had finally discovered them. Yuriy groaned and cursed whatever deity that happened to be listening somewhere.
At the cry, other women of various ages poured in towards the entrance, smothering them in a blanket and herding them over to the living room where a fire was promptly lit. others were seen mopping up the floor and taking Kai's jacket for laundering.
Yuriy was more than a little grumpy at this administration but the flustered little quirk to Kai's lips made up for it somewhat.
When Yuriy was looking away Kai turned his head slightly to hide an embarrassed smile forming on his face.
-
-
Takao trudged home, ignoring the smear of mud on his jeans, ignoring the rain that had thinned to a bear trickle, ignored the waft of fog that rose up from the ground, ignoring everything. His jaw still hurt.
Without announcing his return, he kicked off the waterlogged sneakers before peeling off his socks. Squeezing his cap free of water at the door, he placed it back on his head as he made his way towards his room.
"Takao?"
Hitoshi eyed at the younger Kinomiya oddly. Takao was sopping wet and dripping all over the floor, thankfully the puffiness of his eyes had subsided. Hitoshi's eyes narrowed at the sight of the puddles that tracked all the way from the entrance. Hell if he had to mop that up.
"Dinner's ready." the delicious aroma of steamed vegetables and chicken assaulted them but Takao seemed aloof and immune to the scent.
There was some mumbling in response, obscured by the fact that it was too quiet even for his sharp ears and that Daichi was making a ruckus in the kitchen with his loud, 'I want second helpings!' the smaller blader had been coming down the mountain everyday to hang out with Takao, soon they would have to ask him to move in to save the commute. Hitoshi sighed at the mental picture of another large mouth to feed.
"Say it again?"
"...isaidimnothungry..."
Had he heard it right? Hitoshi went up to Takao but the younger boy refused to raise his head. Placing his hand on his forehead, Hitoshi place the other on Takao's other head.
No fever, might be a danger of one seeing how he was so drenched. Takao couldn't be that sick could he? They were talking about a boy who continuously tried to get three whole servings for three square meals even bedridden with a stomach flu!
"...Please tell me that the world isn't about to end right now."
No response.
"I'll give Daichi your dinner."
"..."
Hitoshi tried another tactic. "Go to your room and change into something dry, I'll be there in a minute." Takao nodded before robotically turning his whole body towards the direction of his room. Hitoshi went into the kitchen.
-
-
The air was thick with last minute dragonflies swiftly devoured by white winged gulls. The cracked concrete of the platforms were constantly swept by attendants clearing away torn pieces of transparent wings. The ocean spray lapped against the rocky edges as the boats hummed to life.
Somewhere in the coast of Korea, four teens were purchasing a ticket to cross over to Japan.
-
-
Takao quickly stripped himself of clothing and dumped them in a heap on the floor. He wasn't particularly concerned about cleanness right now. He hung his cap on top of a bedside stand, clearing it of its previous occupant. The rain had stopped completely and it was hazy outside. As cliché as it might have sounded, the weather seemed to reflect on his thoughts, cloudy and muddled.
'Kai...'
He silently weighed the word on his tongue before slipping into something dryer. Not feeling up to wearing the whole outfit, he dressed himself in a long sleeved yellow shirt and a pair of blue shorts, from the old days. He gave himself a quiet smile thinking about three years back when it had all started.
'Kai...'
'...Let go Kinomiya'
'I'm sorry'
He sat on his bed, hugging to pillow close to himself.
A few minutes later Hitoshi came into the room, wearing a ridiculously pink apron that Takao had never seen before.
Even in his despair, Takao couldn't help but to give a mute inquiry over frilly garment.
"It's from Mingming, it's a present for my birthday (which you conveniently ignored)."
"Ah?" Hitoshi sighed, seating himself on the edge and untying the knot behind his back. Takao briefly admired his older sibling, comparing and contrasting the similarities with his former captain. They had the same languid grace, the agileness and a way of moving that reminded him of a predator-in-wait.
'Like a cat,' his face throbbed in agreement, the bruise progressing into shades of deeper blue thanks to Seiryu's influence. 'quiet, quick and vicious.'
"What's wrong Takao? It's not like you to miss dinner." Hitoshi pointedly ignored the bruise, giving Takao the 'I-will-deal-with-it-later' look.
"It's nothing. Something I ate at Garland's I think." Takao cringed, even to him the excuse sounded so fallible.
"Right." The sound of a broken plate, grandpa's yells, Daichi's running. "So who's the lucky girl?"
"Girl?" Takao looked up, Hitoshi looked back at him, quietly diagnosing that the bruise was probably not fatal, Takao hadn't lost any teeth and he might need an ice pack later. Already the edges were fading away in to the skin.
"Or a boy, so?"
Takao looked at his brother incredulously, open mouthed at how well Hitoshi was taking all this. For all it was worth, they could have been discussing the patterns of the floor, or even how many bowls of rice Daichi had consumed at that moment.
"Wait, aren't you mad or anything?" Takao asked tentatively, still wondering if the news had sunk into the man's brain yet.
"For what?" Hitoshi asked idly, tsking at the pile of wet clothing at the foot of the bed.
"You know... me being gay and all..." the pillow lay abandoned by his side, the middle had been squeezed so hard that it was nearly devoid of cotton fluff that filled it. He nervously chewed his nails, drawing patterns on the sheets.
"Not really, I'm always open minded. I guess traveling around the world does that to you." Replied Hitoshi, now tugging at the violet-pink knot at the base of his neck.
"Oh." Takao was now beyond the point of chewing on his pinky, seeing how he had started from the thumb. He got started on the other hand and nibbled on the thumb.
"So?" Hitoshi folded the apron neatly in his lap, pulling his hand away in distaste at the glitter that came off.
"So..." Takao repeated, moving on to his index finger.
"Stop that, who's the lucky guy who captured my little brother's nonexistent attention?"
There was a mumble as Takao ignored the teasing tone and gnawed at the middle finger.
"Do I know him?"
Love problems, Hitoshi too had them once upon a time, but he didn't get beat up over it. More like act like an idiot for a while, but snapped out of it eventually. The older Kinomiya hoped that Takao would do the same and forget about whoever he was hung up on right now. Kids...
"Probably."
"What's he like?" Hitoshi spied the darkening bruise on the side of Takao's face. "Violent?"
"He's not like that all the time, he... I... Ikindakissedhim"
Figures Takao would do the stupid thing and do the first thing he saw in one of those romance novels they had lying around from Hiromi's frequent visits. Useless waste of paper they were, Hitoshi planned to gather what they had in the house and offer them to some unseen god someday.
"Ah... I'm sorry to say that... you probably deserved that hit then."
"...yeah..." Really, his brother hadn't offered any miraculous solutions to his dilemma but somehow talking had taken the load off of his chest. Kai's rejection still hurt, felt like a bitch, but Takao felt better. A lot better in fact.
"You sure you don't want dinner?" Hitoshi asked, guessing that Takao would be hungry right about now. Sure enough there was a resounding growl of the infamous stomach as it demanded its share of food.
"I thought you gave it to Daichi?"
"I lied," Hitoshi poked the wet pile of clothing with his toe, watching it shake capriciously before debating whether it was safe to take it down to the laundry room.
Takao jumped out of the bed.
"Why didn't you say so!" the indigo flash as his calling card, the boy wonder ran down the halls. Hitoshi got up to go back to the kitchen in case Daichi had eaten Takao's share despite the threats of sending the small redhead on a training camp with Hiromi. Just then, Takao poked his head back in. "Uhh... Hitoshi? Thanks"
"Sure," Hitoshi replied chuckling as he followed Takao out the door. "What else are older brothers for?"
Laundry could wait.
-
-
He doesn't like what he sees. Thin fingers slip through the bars, he grasps them but lose hold when the flames burn through the flesh. He cries in frustration as the black waters cool his hands, but the bars are gone and so is the hand behind them.
-
-
Kai left early, not particularly wanting to meet up with Takao, should the dragon come back after that particular incident. (Yuriy was more than disgruntled at this news) Brooklyn was pleasantly surprised to see that someone had actually used the doorbell, someone other than those who delivered odd items to him and officials that came to examine the youth's mental state that is.
"I was afraid it would rust, but it makes such a ghastly sound..."
The doorbell made a wheezing sound that trailed off into a high pitch. The horrid tune it played lasted well over a minute.
Coffee, Brooklyn offered cream but Kai declined. Brooklyn was humming that nameless tune again, he seemed... cheerful.
"How far can you see?" Kai asked after a while. He deemed it safe enough to approach the subject, and rather than asking Brooklyn if he could see in the first place, Kai had skipped unnecessary questions that he knew or thought unimportant.
"Pardon?" Brooklyn thought it was quite rude to ask suddenly, but then again the two were never conversationalists to start with, Kai more so than Brooklyn. Still, even if he had already foreseen all this this, it didn't hurt to ask once more.
Bide your time...
"Your visions, how far?"
Brooklyn weighed the words in his head, trying to find a right answer for the question. It wouldn't do to keep the phoenix unsatisfied, after all he did say one question and it was one he would answer. Truthfully, even if the truth sounded emptier than lies.
"So rude Kai." Brooklyn remarked, "Visions come and go, they're not always right." he approached carefully, Kai was biting his lower lip. He had acquired the habit from somewhere, it made him look adorable. Brooklyn blinked, had he just thought...
"You said I would lose, you were right." stabbed Kai reproachfully, peering down at the swirling liquid.
"I was wrong the next time around." a silver spoon is discarded on the plate.
"How far can you see?"
"How far can you see?" Brooklyn had foreseen many possible outcomes to this outcome. He had mulled them over in his head while tending to his flora earlier in the morning. He hadn't come up with a plausible answer yet so he was stalling, until the question wore itself out or until Kai inadvertently asked another, easier to answer question.
"I asked first,"
So much for the delaying tactics, he was never the one to hurry things.
"Saa...So you did." Brooklyn wore an unusual expression on his face, a pout... but it disappeared before Kai could be sure it had been there in the first place. "At first there was only one door."
"A door." repeated Kai, slightly disbelieving.
'Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly.'
"A door," Brooklyn agreed, "with time, my defeat, they split into many, many different paths... I'm not sure what you can see, or what you did see, but Kuro Suzaku's visions are taking a toll on you, Zeus' did too at first."
Kai made a slight choking noise before he composed himself.
"So you saw her."
Not a question, more of a statement Brooklyn reminded himself.
"I did, it was... disturbing." Brooklyn set the cup down, quietly observing Kai as he absorbed the last drops of the caffeinated liquid.
"What? To see her?" Kai had not meant that as a question, more like an outspoken cry of bitter thoughts. As it was, most people's perception of Kuro Suzaku seemed to be pure evil. Which is why Brooklyn's answer surprised him.
"No, to see you dying."
A.C.: And that's a wrap... probably the last regular update (ok it isn't that regular but I've updated... two times in a month!) you'll see for quite a while. Hey I have to go to school to you know. I'd be lucky if I could get out by four thirty . The lack of Yuriy/Kai-ness depresses me, it really does. I'll just have to fix that somehow T.T
YuriyTalaIvanov: It's still Tala/Kai. What did I do to Daichi?
Kurosaisei: Heh, actually that was my own little add in but I'm not quite sure. It's been a long time since I've seen the series and asf. Files suck. ;/