A/N: Hey all. Sorry for the wait for this chapter. Two friends passed away last week and I've been preoccupied with their funerals and the such. Thanks so much for all your support so far. I really hope you like the new chapter.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. They really mean a lot to me. This fic now has 51 reviews, 24 faves and 31 alerts. You guys rock!

A special thanks goes to: mimic shalle, The keeper of lone wolfs, Kiki Ling, Miako6, Pikke Wood, phoenix-falling, Rapunzelle, x-Black-Dranzer-x, The Swordsman, FallenHope-Angel, PermafrostDuchess, pheonix80, Destiny Kitty, Elves of the Moon, vlissan, OnlyNotReally, black angel falling, marishka91 and AzikaRue394 (chapter 1).

Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1

Tears Aren't Made to Fall

DancerInTheDark101

Chapter 4

Earlier that day

"Tala!" a whining voice boomed through the complex, causing many people nearby to wince and cover their ears as a teenage boys came racing around the corner dressed in a pair of blue swimming shorts, a white towel wrapped around his shoulders. Just as the boy was running along side one of the many swimming pools, Tala watched with morbid fascination as Tyson slipped on the water coating the floor.

The navy-haired teen fell, a shout slipping through his lips as his back slammed into the tiled flooring. Ice blue eyes widened in amusement as Tyson then tumbled over the edge of the pool and into the water, creating a splash that sloshed over the sides and wetting the feet of the people nearby.

Letting out a short laugh, Tala slapped a hand against his mouth and looked on as the world champ struggled to untangle himself from the towel. The redhead stepped forward, careful not to slip, and stared into the churning water where Tyson was now floating, his face twisted into an annoyed scowl.

"Tyson!" a female voice scolded as Tala felt someone stand beside him. He looked to his left and saw the Bladebreakers fan girl and partial cheerleader standing beside him, hands on her hips and glaring at the soaking wet boy. "Haven't I told you not to run around swimming pools? I told you that this would happen, and guess what? It did!" The last two words were loud and Tala winced as he backed away, the shrill words making his ears ring slightly.

The leader of the Blitzkrieg Boys heard a snigger from behind him and turned to see the rest of his team standing together in their normal style of clothes, launchers and beyblades firmly in their hands. Shit, he was supposed to be meeting up with them in one of the many training rooms. And then Tyson had interrupted everything… again.

"Don't even start," Tala growled at Spencer, Bryan and Ian. The three Russians nodded, the smirks not leaving their faces. Rolling his eyes, Tala turned back to see Tyson getting out of the pool. The world champ was spluttering, coughing out mouthfuls of water. Droplets of the liquid flew in every direction as Tyson shook his head. Tala grimaced and stepped back as the water was flung onto his clothes.

"Thanks, Granger," he said sarcastically as Tyson flopped onto the tiled floor, breathing hard and soaking wet. "Now, what was it that you desperately wanted to say? I've got things to do and I don't have time for your stupid antics." The words were harsh and clipped, but Tala couldn't find the energy to care.

"Hey!" Tyson yelled indignantly, eyes closing slightly in what Tala presumed was a glare. It didn't really work in the boy's favour as Tala heard laughter from behind him. Smirking, the redhead stared down at the teen, who was pushing himself to his feet.

"I…" There was a slight pause and Tala narrowed his eyes. He really didn't have time for this. "I need your help…" Tyson continued. Tala felt his mouth drop open a little at the statement. Tyson needed his help? Why the hell would the world champ even be contemplating asking for help? And for what?

He frowned at the blade before him, speaking as he did so. "What? Why do you need help from me, Granger? This had better be damn good…or else."

Tyson visibly paled and swallowed nervously. "I…ahh…" he stumbled over the words, desperately trying to find the right ones. In the end five words spurted out of the Japanese boy's mouth. Those five words were enough to make Tala halt in his thoughts and actions, staring at Tyson in shock.

"I know where Kai is!"

Silence followed the statement. Tala stared at Tyson in shock. How in the world did the immature world champion find out where Kai was? Tala had been searching for the missing teen for the past couple of years and hadn't found a damn thing. Yet here was Tyson, telling him that he knew where Kai was.

He threw a glare Tyson's way and earned a flinch in response, replying to the statement angrily. "You better not be joking me around, Granger…" The words came out in a growl, just as Tala had planned. Tyson paled even further and the redhead could see him shaking a little. Good…

"I…I'm not kidding, Tala. Mr. Dickinson finally found out where Kai was and he told me!" The indignant reply was full of happiness that Tala knew Tyson wasn't lying. No matter how annoying the Japanese teen was, the boy had a genuine friendship with Kai – even though it was rather one-sided.

"Well?" Tala demanded, eyes narrowing as he drawled the word. "Where is he?"

"Oh!" Tyson's deep blue eyes widened, his mouth forming an 'O' that contorted his face into an amusing expression. "Ah, well…let me see…" He strode over to where his belongings were stored away in a navy backpack and pulled out a folded, crisp piece of paper.

Tala held out his hand, motioning for him to hand the piece of paper over. Tyson did so and he glanced at the precise writing scrawled across the paper. Seeing the word 'America' written on the page shook Tala slightly. Kai was in America? And he was currently in the same damn city?

"He's here?" The Russian captain exclaimed, waving the information in Tyson's face. "Kai's in this fucking city, right now!?"

"Yeah…" was the slow, drawn-out response from Tyson. Looking up from the white paper, Tala frowned as he remembered that Tyson had been asking for his help.

"Granger? Why were you asking for my help? It appears that you already know where Kai is."

A sheepish smile appeared on Tyson's face, his hand going up to scratch his head. It was at that point that Ray and Max decided to show up. At first they looked confused, but a knowing look crossed their features after taking in the scene.

"You see…" Tyson began, his hand moving from his head to scratch the back of his neck. "Mr. Dickinson told me that Kai was in this city, but he didn't tell me where he was exactly. We have no idea where he's staying and was wondering if you could help me find him?"

The statement was met with silence once again. Tala gaped at the teen before him, wondering what on earth had possessed the poor kid to ask him to help them.

"Why should I help you?" he questioned, waiting patiently for Tyson's reply as he stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "What do I gain from helping you, Granger?"

Seeing Tyson's fists clench, Tala knew that he was gonna erupt pretty soon. Even as he was asking the kid the questions, he had already made up his mind. For years he had wanted to see his old friend again. He and the other Blitzkrieg Boys had tried and tried to find where the slate-haired teen was, but to no avail. Their searches turned up nothing. But that was something Tala had been expecting. When Kai wanted to disappear, he disappeared.

So with the news that someone had found out that Kai was actually in the same city as them, Tala found that even though he really didn't want to associate with Tyson much at all, he couldn't pass up the chance to finally track down Kai.

"Why…why you…bastard!" Screamed Tyson, his fists shaking in anger. Tala flicked his gaze towards the boy, schooling his expression into that of indifference. "You finally get the chance to find Kai and you're asking what you'll gain from it!? You haven't changed one bit, Tala! You're still the cold-hearted jerk you always were and always will be!"

Whatever he had expected to come out of Tyson's mouth, that wasn't it. Standing frozen in mild shock, Tala watched as the angered blader turned and started to storm off in the opposite direction, towards the changing rooms.

"Granger!" Tala called out just as Tyson was about to disappear around the corner. The world champ stopped and turned slowly, his face twisted into anger. "I'll help…"

Besides, it would be fun to see what Kai's reaction would be. The Russian enigma would most probably be pissed beyond words, but that was what Tala lived for. Pissing off Kai was a favourite past time of his.

With those two words, Tyson's demeanour changed in an instant; the change so rapid that Tala had to blink a few times to make sure he hadn't dreamed it all up. Tyson 'whooped' and jumped into the air, pumping his fist above his head as he did so. The next instant, Tala felt two arms wrap around his midsection and it took him a while to figure out that Tyson was hugging him…

"Get off!" he demanded, prying the boy away from him. "I agreed to help, not to be damn well hugged!" Tyson leant back then, and Tala growled low in his throat, making it damn apparent that he wanted the teen to let go. However, the oblivious teen just hugged him again. Clenching a fist, Tala readied himself to deck Tyson. He didn't like to be hugged in any way, shape or form and now his clothes were all wet.

"Granger…" the word murderously slipped from his lips, eliciting a scared squeak from the other boy.

Present time

Kai listened with a smirk as Tala finished the tale of how Tyson managed to rope two of the Blitzkrieg Boys into searching for him. It was a rather entertaining story, but he was still annoyed. He had tried so hard to stay away from everyone involved in the beyblading life, but they still found him.

Lifting the icepack away from his head, Kai probed the wound with a couple of fingers, wincing ever-so-slightly as a small burn raced through his head. He felt a small trickle of blood seep from the cut, groaning as he remembered that head wounds always bled a lot. Wonderful…

"Hey, Kai?" a quiet-ish voice piped up. Kai looked over to where Max and Ray were sitting. He nodded in response to the question, motioning for Max to continue. "Why'd you leave for so long?"

The bluenette sighed, knowing that someone was bound to ask that question at some point. He was quite surprised that it hadn't been asked before now. Pondering over what to say, Kai took the time to look over the people he hadn't seen in over two years.

Tyson seemed to be somewhat more mature than the last time he had seen him. He was still as loud and obnoxious as ever, plus his ego was as huge as Russia after his last championship win. The Japanese teen was dressed in a pair of baggy blue pants, a black, lightly fitted shirt hanging loose over the top of his pants. He was wearing no jacket, which was wise considering the heat at the moment. Tyson seemed to have lost some weight too. His face didn't carry all the baby-fat from years ago, his cheekbones more pronounced. He still had a deep tan, but Kai reckoned it was just from his Japanese heritage more than anything. A black wrist band circled his left wrist and Kai could see a beyblade holder attached to a brown leather belt wrapped through the belt loops on his pants. All in all, he didn't seemed to have changed much.

Max still came across as a small kid in a bigger kid's body. He was all smiles; seemingly non-stop grinning at anyone and anything. Kai found that it was a nice chance from the depressing, slightly Emo looks that he dealt with from day to day. At this present time, Max was dressed in a pair of blue jean shorts that reached just below his knees. A baggy lime jean shirt completed the ensemble, somehow not managing to clash with the faded red shoes covering his feet. So the blonde kid still liked his bright colours…

Ray was the one who seemed the most grown-up out of all the Bladebreakers present. His hair was long, although it wasn't nearly as long as it had once been. He still wore a white bandana with a ying/yang symbol stitched into the front of it, which held back the black bangs that would otherwise fall into his eyes. The Chinese teen was wearing a black fitted t-shirt with a Chinese character on the back in red, which was tucked into a pair of dark blue jeans, held up by a black belt. A few black leather bracelets encircled his right wrist and Kai felt his eyes widen when he noticed the simple silver ring settled on Ray's wedding finger. He was engaged? Making a note to ask Ray about the ring later, Kai turned his attention to the two people left – Bryan and Tala.

Bryan's looked pretty much exactly the same as the last time he had seen him. His lilac hair was long-ish, reaching his shoulders, but the bangs were kept away from his face. The wielder of Falborg was dressed entirely in black; a black muscle top with black jeans. A black studded belt wrapped around his hips and a silver chain hung from the side into his pocket. A necklace hung from his neck and Kai recognised the pendant – a silver replica of a falcon. A single black skull stud pierced Bryan's right ear and apart from a couple of silver rings, that was all the jewellery he was wearing.

Tala. Kai had noticed immediately that Tala had changed. The first thing was that he no longer dressed in those hideous jumpsuits that Boris and his grandfather had made the redhead wear. Personally, the things had kinda creeped him out a little. Tala's fiery red hair was still styled in the 'devil horns' and Kai figured that the Russian would never change it. Like with Bryan, Tala wore a single necklace around his neck. Although his pendant was a replica of a wolf. He was dressed in a pair of baggy dark blue jeans and a red shirt. A black jacket that looked suspiciously like leather covered his arms and any tattoos and jewellery the teen might have had. Also like Bryan, Tala wore a black studded belt with a chain disappearing into a pocket.

"Ah, Kai?" Max's voice snapped him out of his observations. Noticing that they were all staring at him, Kai cleared his throat and tried to remember what the blonde's question had been. Oh yeah, why he had left…

Shit.

"Yeah, sorry," he quickly apologised. What the hell was he supposed to tell them? The truth would probably be the best bet. They didn't say anything about what happened during my time away, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell them why.

"With Voltaire and Boris both rotting in prison, Hiwatari Enterprises and BIOVOLT needed a new CEO and apparently I was first in line for the job. I couldn't continue with blading and run both companies, so I gave up beyblade." After he had finished the explanation, Kai realised that he hadn't mentioned anything about being away for so long without any contact. He thought about carrying on, but decided to wait and see if anyone noticed the evasion of the question. Unfortunately, Ray was the first to speak up about it.

"But Kai," he started, gold eyes boring into his own. "Why did you stay away for so long without contacting us? I mean, we didn't even know that BIOVOLT and Hiwatari Enterprises needed a new CEO. Mr. Dickinson had thought that Voltaire and Boris had someone picked out for the job and you definitely weren't a passing thought for it."

Letting out a low snort, Kai rolled his eyes. "In my grandfather's trust, he stated that if anything was to happen to him, I was to take over the family company under the guidance of Boris. However, Boris also happened to be in prison, so I just did it without him. Only the most trusted of staff know that I'm in charge as I set up a trusted family friend to act as CEO until I'm of age. And as for not contacting you all, how do you think the media would react to a sixteen-year-old running two of the most influential companies in the world? They would have a field day. It was better off this way."

Kai stood up as soon as he was finished speaking and walked over to the fridge and opened up the freezer, placing the partially melted icepack into the roll-out draw. After placing two fingertips against the cut on his head and finding no blood on his fingers, the Russian CEO strode into the bathroom and proceeded to get first aid supplies ready to patch up the wound.

Feeling someone behind him, Kai turned to see Bryan and Tala standing in the doorway, mixed expressions marring their pale faces. Yelling out to Tyson, Ray and Max to behave themselves, Kai let the other Russians into the bathroom before closing the door.

It was good to see them after so long, Kai realised as he stared into the mirror, grimacing at the horrible sight of his different coloured eyes. He grabbed a piece of medical tape and a patch of gauze. Soaking the gauze in antiseptic, he placed the white material against the cut, wincing as the antiseptic did its job. He then ripped off a couple of pieces of tape and pressed the strips against the gauze, holding it in place.

"Kai…" Tala began. Kai held up a hand to stop him.

"Once the brat, Ray and Max leave, then I'll tell you more, okay?"

Tala opened his mouth to say something, but before a sound could come out, a large crash sent vibrations racing through the hotel apartment. Groaning, Kai pushed thoughts and images of intricate ways to murder Tyson out of his head and opened the door to see said teen lying in the middle of the floor. Beside him lay the broken remains of the wooden coffee table, white pieces of paper scattered everywhere in a disorderly mess.

"Tyson!"

A/N: Well there's chapter four done! I hope it didn't seem too rushed. I haven't really been in the right state of mind to write, but I really wanted to update. It kinda kept my mind off things too. I hope you all liked the chapter. I think I replied to everyone who reviewed last chapter. If not, I'm really sorry! Please accept my apologies.

Also, I know I said that there would be a time skip and more character meeting this chapter, but it didn't quite work that way lol. It should be next chapter :)

Leave a review if you feel like it!

Thanks again for taking the time to read.

-DancerInTheDark101-