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Attention: More wonderful Kai and Toshiro fanart from the ever talented Taijiya Mizu (taijiya23 on Deviantart). Link is on top of my profile, be sure to check it out!
Yup, there's a tiny treat at the end of this chapter for you. Remember, no killing the author ^^
Chapter 9:
The Patter of Tiny Feet
As the soft radiant glow of the sun's warning rays enters Kai's bedroom, he slowly arouses from his sleep, blearily blinking open his eyes as he lifts his head off of his pillow. It takes him a moment or two to adjust to the bright light and stretches his long frame.
Suddenly, he stills when he hears the familiar sound of footsteps and rolls over in bed, a soft smile gracing his lips as he pretends that he is still asleep. The door of his bedroom creaks open and tiny feet walking on tiptoe enters the room. The smile on Kai's face widens when the images of a young boy with light blue hair and bright red eyes crouches down near the side of the bed, his tongue slipping out in a sense of anticipation of what's to come.
Then…
"Papa!" A young voice cries happily and jumps onto the bed, lying across him. "Time to get up!"
Kai cracks open an eye, immediately seeing the smiling face of his three-and-a-bit year-old son, Toshiro. It still amazes him how energetic his little one could be, especially first thing in the morning. His favourite activity is waking everyone up by literally pouncing on them. He likes jumping on Tyson's stomach to wake him as Tyson would yelp, roll over and fall out of bed. He would then get up and pretend to be mad and chase Toshiro around the house, tickling him relentlessly when he catches him.
Rolling over, Kai wraps his arms around Toshiro and sits up, pulling his son into his lap and tucks his head under his chin. "Ok, Toshiro, I'm up."
Toshiro giggles happily and looks up at him with his expressive and beautiful bright eyes. "Morning Papa!"
"Good morning to you, too," Kai says as he gently kisses the top of his head, a content look on his face. "Did you sleep well?"
"Uh huh," Toshiro replies as a huge grin appears on his face in a sense that he has something really important and exciting to tell him. "I had this dream that I was at the beach and a dolphin came up and I could ride it and-"
Kai cannot help but chuckle as Toshiro is madly in love the beach, has been the moment he set foot on one at a very young age. He loves playing on the shore line, running away from the waves and then chasing them when they recede, only to run away again moments later.
"That sounds like a very nice dream."
Toshiro nods his head enthusiastically and bounces a little with excitement in his lap. "Yeah! Papa, can we go to the park today, please?"
Kai has been expecting that request, Toshiro just loves being outdoors in the sun. He's going to be a right little adventurer when he gets older. "Alright, as long as you eat all of your breakfast, ok?"
"Kay!" Toshiro says as he settles himself down in Kai's, grabbing a hold of his hand and presses their palms together, in awe at how much bigger his papa's hand is compared to his. "What's for breakfast? I'm hungry."
A soft smile makes its way onto Kai's lips. "What would you like?"
Toshiro places his tiny hand on his chin in thought, his eyes rolling upwards. He has a big decision to make. "Um...pancakes!" he then says as his usual smile appears on his face.
Kai has been expecting that as well, as pancakes seem to be Toshiro's favourite morning meal. "You had those yesterday," he points out with a soft laugh.
"Papa makes the best pancakes," Toshiro says as he folds his arms over his chest and nods his head in a serious, businesslike manner.
"Oh, do I now?"
"Uh huh. Better than Uncle Ray," he then lifts up his hand and cups it near his mouth, whispering cheekily to Kai, "Don't tell him I said that."
"Your secret is safe with me," Kai says as he puts a finger near his lips. He then picks up son up effortlessly into his arms and places him on his feet. "Race you to the kitchen."
"Kay!" Toshiro says cheerfully and then races out of the room, a right ball of energy.
Kai watches him leave and shakes his head in mild amusement before he stretches and slips out of bed himself. He then proceeds to head to the kitchen as well, but at a more leisurely pace. He can already see his son's bright smile when the little one claims victory of their race.
It's hard to believe that Toshiro is already 3 and a bit. Kai can still remember the day he brought Toshiro home from the hospital. He has been living at the dojo ever since, not that he minds too much. This place is perfect for Toshiro to grow up in safety.
Besides, it's not like the Grangers would allow him to move back to his old apartment anyway.
Over the years the once childish and flamboyant Grev have matured into fine young men, the most notable is, of course, Kai himself. Gone is his dark clothing and his anti-social stare, instead he had become softer, warmer in both personality and appearance. These days he prefers to wear simple, yet durable clothing. Jeans or cargo pants with loose fitting jumpers during the cooler months and shorts that end about mid thigh with either long or short sleeves during the warmer months.
Even his hair has changed; no longer as spiky as it used to be. The stormy gray bangs now fall gentle waves around his face, elegantly framing his still stunning ruby red eyes. His tribal tattoos that adorn his face, however, are as bright and bold as ever.
Most notable change in his attitude is that he is becoming more open with his emotions. He expresses his happiness or annoyance more frequently, but he still posses his killer glare that he uses only on people who tell him how he should be raising Toshiro or if anyone looks at his son the wrong way. He might be older now, but he can still kick your ass in a split second.
It can be said that Toshiro is the sole purpose for Kai's change. Toshiro is a wonderful child, happy and always cheerful. He keeps Kai busy but is most certainly not classed as a handful.
Toshiro is a well cared for child; he has several uncles, one aunty, one grandparent and one great grandparent who all readily spoil him rotten, but he's not a selfish or bratty child at all.
Gramps Granger is still going strong, no sign of him slowing down, despite Bruce's pleas for him to relax a little. But he simply laughs and tells him that he has no time to relax when he has a great grandson to spoil rotten.
Bruce had decided to stay in Japan, growing weary of his wonderings for the time being. He is currently working with Kai and the BBA on Bitbeast research. Bruce has changed little over the years; the same understanding father figure he always has been. Kai really respects Bruce for everything he has done for him. He sees him as the father he can't remember.
For a year now, Grev are no longer participating in any more tournaments. They retired after last year's tournament with an undefeated record. Kai didn't participate in the last three tournaments as he was too busy looking after Toshiro. After what happened with his battle against Brooklyn where he was almost killed, Kai never wants to risk his life like that again. For if he did, Toshiro would be without a papa or a father. He's sure his teammates would look after him if anything should happen to him, but he does not want Toshiro to go through the same pain his did when he was young.
Toshiro is his world now.
"I beated you, Papa!"
A laugh passes Kai's lips and he bends down to give Toshiro a hug, picking him up off the floor and balances him on his hip. "You sure did."
He carefully places Toshiro onto his chair and lets him grab a few crayons to use on pieces of paper scattered across the table. This will occupy him until breakfast is ready.
"Good morning Kai," comes a familiar voice on a wide yawn. Kai glances over his shoulder in time to see Ray enter the room, his shorter hair pulled into a lose pony tail at the nape of his neck. His hair is nowhere near as long as it used to be. A neko grin makes its way onto Ray's lips and he leans down to ruffle up Toshiro's spiky blue hair. "Morning squirt."
"Morning Uncle Ray," Toshiro replies cheerfully and quickly goes back to drawing, getting lost within its importance.
"Hey," Kai greets as Ray walks over to him, a hand on the small of his back as he looks to see what he's preparing.
"Hmm, pancakes again?" Ray asks with a knowing grin.
"Toshiro asked for them again this morning," Kai explains with a light shrug, biting his bottom lip just a little when the hand on his back lingers there.
"You're going to spoil him," Ray chuckles and finally pulls away from him, walking over to the other side of the room to remove plates and cutlery from a cupboard.
"As if everyone else isn't," Kai quips over his shoulder, to which Ray simply laughs.
"Too true."
Ray had severed all ties to his village after his refusal to marry his childhood friend, Mariah. He couldn't do it to her. He felt that she deserved someone who would love her and did not want to tie her to a loveless marriage because a group of grumpy old meddling farts thought they could control the destinies of those who reside in their village.
There was, of course, a huge uproar from the elders and Lee even demanded to know why Ray would do something to disappoint his village like that. Ray simply told him that he felt that it was time for him to choose his own path in life, explaining to him that even though he loves Mariah, he only loves her as a sister and did not wish to ruin her life by forcing her into a loveless marriage. It wasn't fair on anyone, especially not her.
It has been a difficult time for Ray over the last few years, but he never had any second thoughts and Kai is very proud of him for standing up for himself like that.
Ray accredited his new found intemperance on Kai and little Toshiro. The two of them made him see that it's important to choose what you want to do in life, not let others choose for you.
"Oh, I've got a text from Max this morning," Ray comments as he begins to set the table.
"Ah, how is he?"
"He's doing well," Ray says with a grin. "He's helping Judy train a few of the youngsters."
A warm grin appears on Kai's face at the thought of the young blonde; he'd make a great coach one day. Max is currently in America, spending time with his mother who was forced to take a few weeks off because of stress and her strenuous workload.
Max has changed very little over the last few years, having grown much taller, taller than Kai is now and his build more athletic, he can effortlessly throw Kai over his shoulder and parade him around, much to Toshiro's delight. Although it's highly embarrassing to be thrown about by Max, it's nice to hear Toshiro laugh the way he does.
However, despite his physical change, Max is still the bright and friendly young man he had been in his youth. His blue eyes still lighten up the room and he still uses that puppy expression whenever he wants something to go his way.
Kai is starting to suspect that Max taught his son how to do that expression as Toshiro uses it so often on him now. But knowing the little one, he learnt it himself and doesn't realize that he's doing it.
"I'm going to get Tyson and Daichi up," Ray says as he makes his way out of the kitchen, once again stopping to ruffle up Toshiro's already untameable hair.
"Okay, food won't be long," Kai calls out after him.
Good old Tyson and Daichi, they still like to sleep in.
Personality wise, Tyson and Daichi had changed very little, they were both loud and competitive, seeing everything as a challenge and a game for them to win. Although, they're not nearly as bad as they used to be.
Physically, though, they have grown quite a bit as well. Tyson has officially lost all baby fat and is now quite a tall and lean young man, his arms appearing quite strong without being overly muscular. And to make matters worse for Kai, Tyson is also taller than he is.
Officially, Kai is the third shortest male, Kenny and Daichi still being shorter than he is and Toshiro, for obvious reasons, doesn't count. And don't think Tyson doesn't like to drop the fact that he's taller than him in conversation every once in a while. He does and he does it whenever he realizes that he may be losing an argument of some kind.
Daichi is still the hyperactive monkey boy, only slightly taller. Other than that, he hasn't changed much at all. He likes to see himself as an older brother figure to Toshiro, which scares Kai just a little. He doesn't want Toshiro growing up as...active as Daichi.
And Hiro...
No one knows where he is, or if he is even alive at this stage. Four years have passed and there hasn't been a single solitary word from him. Nothing.
No one has said anything to him, but they fear something terrible has happened to the wayward ex-coach. Even for Hiro's standards, this was too long without contact. Kai knows that Bruce has been trying to locate his son on the quiet, not wanting to upset him, but even so, Kai can't help but feel this sense of bitterness. He can feel deep within his heart that Hiro is alive somewhere, but there is also this sense of fear that maybe something did happen to him.
He feels torn, not knowing what to do or feel. It's been four years; he just wants a confirmation of some kind, even if it's just a 'Hey' from him. There's this emptiness inside of him, one he tries to fill by busying himself with Toshiro and part-time work with the BBA. He has made sure that there was no time in his life from romantic love of any kind. He's not interested in forming a relationship. He doesn't want Toshiro to get hurt.
Kai is happy with being a single parent and being without a lover of his own, really he is, but he can't help but feel guilty whenever he turns down both Ray and Tyson's advances; he knows he should be flattered that he has two wonderful young men vying for his affections.
Yes, both Tyson and Ray have confessed their feelings for him, much to his surprise. They're really sweet and understanding about how he can't return their feelings due to a sense of fear in his heart. He allows them a kiss or two, but it goes no further than that. And he feels terrible about it.
No matter what they do for him, how they would try to hold him, comfort him, he just can't bring himself to love them as they love him.
It's because, despite everything, he's still in love with Hiro. He knows it's stupid, it's obvious that Hiro wants nothing to do with him, but he can't help what he heart chooses to do. There's this sense of hope that Hiro will return, and he better have a bloody good excuse for taking so long!
Not many people know of Toshiro's existence. Only the most trusted members of the BBA and a few selected bladers from around the world know of the little one. Kai's childhood friends, the Blitzkrieg Boys know about Toshiro. At first they were bewildered at how the little one was conceived and then utterly pissed when they found out that Hiro had done.
Tala even threatened to hunt the bastard down and drag him all the way back to Japan. Of course, he couldn't do that himself. He was needed in Russia as the Abbey has been converted to an orphanage that they actually run for abused and neglected children.
Taking care of an Abbey filled with orphan children is a full time job, and oddly enough, they ring Kai here at the dojo to ask for advice on how to look after the children more thoroughly.
Who knew the big, tough Blitz boys would flail at the sight of a small child with a head cold? It's still sweet, none the less. He'll take Toshiro is Russia one day as a treat; he'll have fun playing with other children his age.
A sudden knock at the door pulls Kai out of his thoughts and he furrows his brow in confusion as who could be knocking at their door at this time in the morning. Despite still wearing his night clothes, Kai wipes his hands on a dish clothe and walks to the front door.
As he pushes open the door a sudden sense of anticipating fills Kai's being and he throws open the door, his eyes widening in utter disbelief. There, standing at the door is a very familiar, still undoubtedly handsome wayward coach that had caused him so much heartache.
Despite the weariness in his eyes and posture of fatigue, he still looks as handsome, charming and undeniably sexy as he did four years ago.
A smile of mild relief suddenly twitches onto his lips. "Kai?"
Kai suddenly feels faint, like this is all a dream.
"...Hiro?"
Yes, finally, Hiro is here! –cheers- And about time too, you jerk!
Hiro: Hey, you're the one in charge here, not me!
Oh, excuses! Anyway, please review!