A/N: I'm extremely sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Real Life has been a complete bitch and I had to re-read what I had written so far to get back into the plot. But in consolation, there is the long-awaited talk between Tala, Bryan and Kai!

Thanks for all the support you've given this story (and me). It means a lot and I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. THANK YOU.

Also, half of this chapter was written months ago, so I'm sorry if it seems weird part way through, because I kinda left it in a weird place – like halfway through a sentence…

Warning: I suppose I should put this in. This fic contains a fair bit of swearing, mainly from our favourite Russians :P

Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1

Tears Aren't Made to Fall

DancerInTheDark101

Chapter 5

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!"

Kai couldn't believe it. He had left the boy alone for five freakin' minutes and he managed to break something already! A groan slipped out from his lips and he placed a hand on his forehead, trying desperately to calm himself and not murder the annoying brat.

When there was no response from the dazed Japanese teen on the floor, Kai strode over and plucked him from the middle of the wrecked table. "Are you hurt?" Yeah, sure, he wasn't a big fan of Tyson Granger, but that didn't mean he wanted the kid to get seriously hurt or anything. A smirk adorned his features. The yelling and beating would come after…

"Uh, no." There was a slight pause as Tyson obviously tried to process what had happened. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, getting onto his knees and brining his hands together as if he was praying. "Please don't hurt me! I'm begging you, Kai! Please…have mercy on my poor soul!"

Kai couldn't help it. His mouth dropped open in horror. Tyson was on his knees on his floor, begging not to be hurt. Was he fucking insane? Of course he was gonna get hurt! The little fucker had destroyed a rather expensive coffee table!

"Tyson…" the single word was menacing and full of promises of extreme pain and when Tyson's eyes widened and he skittered backwards, Kai heard a snicker from behind him – mainly the bathroom doorway.

Looking behind him quickly, Kai saw Tala and Bryan trying their hardest not to laugh at the outright fear plastered across the younger teenager's face. Kai had to admit it was kinda funny. Tyson's face was completely void of colour, his dark blue eyes bulging slightly and his mouth was opening and closing, desperately trying to find something to say.

The Russian teen was about to 'tell' Tyson how he felt, when the headache came back. It wasn't like any of the other headaches he got from lack of sleep, or heat related. This one came on fast and hard and it hurt. Thinking back to when his head slammed into the flooring earlier, Kai realised that he was lucky it had held off until now.

Biting his lower lip, Kai closed his eyes quickly, trying to hide the wince as his head started to pound. The headache was situated right behind his eyes and he knew that he had to do something about it before it got any worse.

He blinked as his vision blurred a little – something that happened quite often with his headaches, and saw the others staring at him. Tyson wasn't looking scared anymore, but more concerned. Shit. That was the last thing he wanted. This was another reason he hadn't wanted them to find him.

"Kai? Are you okay?" It was Ray voicing the concern this time. He looked over to the Chinese blader and almost growled at the pleading look of concern on his tanned features. God, why couldn't they just leave him the fuck alone?

"I'm fine," he grit out between clenched teeth. He took a deep breath before coming to a decision. They had to leave. He couldn't deal with this with the Bladebreakers there. There was just one problem with that. Kai knew that it would be bloody World War III before they left willingly. Shit.

"Look," he stated, glancing at the Bladebreakers. "You're going to have to leave-"

He was cut off immediately as cries of protest filled the air. Taking another deep breath, he tried to calm himself a little, before he exploded in front of them, which would not do his head any favours.

"Listen!" They all shut up, and Kai swore he heard someone's jaw close with a click. A quiet snigger came from behind him and he turned to glare at the guilty Russians. He sent them a look, stating that he would deal with them later. Both Tala and Bryan nodded, gulping slightly. Facing the Bladebreakers again, Kai told them the compromise he was willing to make.

"You leave now, and I promise that I'll call you and set a day that we can meet up…" Even as he said it, Kai regretted the choice. He should probably just get it over and done with now, but he didn't think he could handle it. This was the only way.

"Really? Seriously? Yes!" Tyson's yells interrupted his thoughts and the Russian enigma groaned. Great, the brat was going to be worse the next time, wasn't he? Fuck… And then Tyson pulled out a cell phone, flipping it open and obviously going into his contact books. Oh god, the world was going to end. There was no freakin' way he was giving Tyson his cell phone number.

"Tyson…"

"Yeah?" the teen piped up, looking up from the silver contraption.

"There is no way in hell I am giving you my cell phone number, so just forget it. I'll get in contact with Mr. Dickinson," he groaned at that. Another person he didn't want to see, "and we'll sort out a meeting that way."

There was an easier way through all of this, but that meant actually getting in contact with one of the Bladebreakers himself. And if he called or even text one of them, his number would show up and that would completely void the whole problem he was trying to avoid.

Fuck, why did his life have to be so goddamn complicated?

He saw Tyson's face drop slightly, wounded by the statement. Kai sighed at the action and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He really didn't want to have to sit down and explain to Tyson exactly why he was doing this.

Five minutes later, Tyson, Ray and Max were leaving. Tyson had kicked up quite a stink at the fact that Tala and Bryan were allowed to stay. At that, Kai had calmly told him that Tala and Bryan didn't make him want to seriously maim them.

As the door clicked shut, the enigma groaned and slumped into one of the chairs in the living room, staring at the mess coating the floor that was once a coffee table. He closed his eyes as the headache mercilessly continued to pound. He knew he had to take the medication prescribed, but he just couldn't find the strength to do so. The encounter with the Bladebreakers had really worn him out.

It was getting late in the afternoon and soon he would have to get some food ready for tea. He didn't really feel like cooking, but after almost a week of instant meals, he was kind of over them.

Motioning to Tala and Bryan to take a seat, the slate-haired teen ambled into the kitchen and grabbed the white pill bottle sitting on the edge of the counter. Flipping the cap open, he palmed two of the tablets and after putting the bottle back on the white surface, went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water.

He was really tempted to have a beer, but he wasn't as stupid as to take prescribed medication with alcohol, no matter the low quantity of alcohol it had.

With the pills sliding down his throat, Kai hoped that they would work fast. He hated it when he got headaches like this one. They left him pretty much useless to do anything but sleep or sit quietly doing absolutely nothing.

"Kai."

He looked into the living room where the two Russian's were seated. He knew that they would demand answers and it wasn't something he was looking forward to talking about. It would most definitely be an experience he would want to forget in a hurry. Not because he didn't like the two Russians, but because he valued their opinions and even classed them as friends.

Clearing his throat, Kai coughed, wincing as it ended up sounding more like a rough bark than anything else. He made his way into the living room and sat down opposite the bladers, avoiding their steely gazes for the time being.

A few minutes passed in complete silence as they sat there, the sun shining brightly through the windows. He could feel the heat from the sun beating down on his body, and coupled with the headache, it made it rather uncomfortable.

In the middle of the room, pieces of wood and paper were scattered around. Some of the wood shards were rather sharp, and Kai was thankful that Tyson hadn't been seriously hurt when he had started fooling around, which had ended up in the world champ breaking the table.

"Kai, we need to talk." Frowning a little, Kai wondered why Tala was doing all the talking. Bryan just seemed to be on the back burner, sitting quietly, watching and listening, but never participating. It was strange.

"Yeah I know. I said that I would talk after the brats left." His voice was rough and the slate-haired teen winced inwardly. Great, maybe he was getting sick. That would be absolutely freakin' wonderful…

"Okay then. The brats are gone," the redhead stated, eyes narrowing. "So stop fucking around and start talking already!" Kai held back a flinch at the anger and frustration lacing his friend's words. Why was Tala so angry?

"Look Kai," Tala started to explain. "Just try to see this from our point of view, okay? You disappeared off the face of the earth, Kai. No one knew where you were or if you were even alive. And now, suddenly, we find out that you're okay and residing in the same damn city we are, and you didn't even bother to contact us! Fuck it Kai, even one single phone call would have been sufficient! Even if you had just left a damn message on the answering machine! Anything would have been better than not knowing! Two years, Kai. Two fucking, long years."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the teenagers at the statement. The slate-haired teen sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He was really going to have to talk, as he was damn sure that Tala and Bryan weren't going to let him just get out of it easily.

To be completely honest with himself, Kai could agree and say that he was a complete bastard to the two people sitting across from him. He had just up and left suddenly, with no clue as to where he had gone to, or if he was still alive. It couldn't have been easy on them.

But he wasn't going to tell them everything. There were things that he had to keep to himself – for his sake and for their safety.

Sighing, Kai rubbed a hand over his eyes before leaning back in his chair and looked at the two bladers sitting across from him. "Alright, what do you want to know?" he asked, begrudgingly. It wasn't normal for him to give in so easily, but he could see where Tala was coming from when he explained his outburst.

"What happened to your eye?"

Crap. Clipped, monotone and straight to the point. Tala was pissed.

"Car accident."

"When?"

"A year and half ago."

"Why?"

"Car slid out of control."

"Whose car?"

"The other driver."

"Anyone dead?"

"No."

"What's wrong with your eye?"

Kai groaned inwardly. It looked like they were playing twenty questions… it was going to be so much fun. Not.

"I'm mostly blind in that eye. The colour change is a result of the pigments doing some fucked-up shit."

"Will it ever get better?"

"No."

There was another burst of silence, which Kai knew wouldn't last very long at all. Tala was very persistent when it came to finding out things and it would only be a matter of time before he knew everything. Well, everything that Kai was willing to divulge.

"Where have you been these past few years?"

Uh oh. The slate-haired teen knew that the next answer he gave was going to seriously piss the two Russian's off.

"… Russia."

"What the fuck!? Where?"

"In my parent's old house."

"What old house? I didn't know that they even had a house left in Russia."

Kai chose not to retaliate to that statement, knowing full well what would come from it. Crap. I knew I shouldn't have mentioned the old house… fuck. Looking at Tala, Kai shot him a glare and the redhead sighed. The topic was dropped.

"Why did you retire?"

Shit.

"No comment…"

"Kai…" Tala said in a menacing tone. Not bothered by the tone, Kai continued to stay silent. His reasoning for quitting beyblading was not something he wanted to share at this point in time.

"No comment," he stressed again, hoping that the message would get through to him.

"Will you ever come out of retirement?"

That was one question Kai had been asking himself lately and after much debate, he was pretty sure of the answer, and it wasn't one that was going to please Tala.

"No."

The glares coming from both Tala and Bryan didn't deter him in the least. He was sticking by his word. Personally, even though (before he had retired) he was known as one of the best beybladers in the world, he didn't think the sport was for him anymore. Kai was well immersed in the corporate world now; running two companies in the shadows was hard work and he wouldn't have enough time to train if he went back to the sport.

"Why not?"

Kai blinked at the question, which hadn't come from Tala. He found himself staring into Bryan's strangely coloured lilac eyes, which was kind of rich coming from him since he had red.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Sighing, Kai realised that he would probably have to give them something to work with; otherwise they would just keep on pestering until he told them anyway.

"I've got too much to do. Beyblading comes second in my life now and I don't have the time for it. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"No, not even close," Tala stated, blue eyes hard. "But I can see that you're not gonna budge right now, so it'll have to do."

Kai stared outside, at the quickly darkening sky and then back into the living room with the broken table and sheets of paper scattered all over the floor. He was going to have to tidy up before heading off to bed, not to mention he still had to eat.

Slowly, Kai pushed himself to a standing position, pausing slightly to let the room settle into place and let the headache simmer down again after the change of altitude. He bent down and started to gather the pieces of paper together, bunching them into one pile and placing them where he had just been sitting.

"You want some help, Kai?" Tala asked and Kai was pretty certain that the questioning session was over. There would be more questions to come at a later date, but for now, the two Russians were content. He didn't reply, but both Tala and Bryan stood up and started to clear away the broken pieces of the coffee table, careful to avoid the nasty splinters.

Five minutes later, the living room was clear of all wood and paper and Kai placed the bundle of important documents into his room and ambled back out to the kitchen to start getting some food prepared. Turning to his two guests, Kai offered them a beer each.

"Did you want to stay for tea?" God, I sound so domesticated saying that.

"What's for tea?"

Kai almost spat out the mouthful of beer he had just drunk. That sentence was something he never imagined coming out of Bryan's mouth. It made him seem so… so domestic. Choking slightly, the crimson-eyed teen placed his beer on the kitchen bench and leaned against it, chuckling at the astonished looks plastered on the other Russian's faces.

He opened the fridge door and peered inside, wondering what food was edible and could be made into a meal. After much debate, he decided just to order takeout.

"McDonald's sound okay?"

"Sounds perfect," laughed Tala.

Grabbing his coat, Kai ushered the other two out of the apartment and to his car, where he had to pretty much snap Tala's jaw shut again as he drooled over the sleek muscle car.

"When the hell did you get this!?" the redhead exclaimed, staring at the black and white Buick GSX. Kai saw that Bryan was staring at the car too and rolled his eyes, wincing slightly as it aggravated the headache still simmering behind his eyes.

"I bought it last year. And yes, before you ask, it cost shit loads. And no Tala you can't drive!"

Seeing Tala pout at his last sentence was too much and Kai couldn't help but laugh. Tala Ivanov… pouting? Grabbing the keys out of his coat pocket, the slate-haired teen unlocked his car and climbed into the drivers seat, waiting until Tala and Bryan were in the car before turning the key in the ignition.

Immediately the powerful V8 engine roared to life and Kai let his lips turn into a smirk, which probably looked quite evil if anyone was watching. He revved the engine before pressing down hard on the accelerator and letting the car tyres spin and smoke before speeding out of the car park.

Once they were heading down the freeway, Kai flicked the stereo on and took out Avenged Sevenfold and flicked back into its case and pulled out Metamorphosis by Papa Roach. Placing the CD in the CD player, Kai hit the volume switch and moments later the song I Almost Told You That I Loved You belted out through the speakers.

"You know, I love it when you're down on your knees


And I'm a junkie for the way that you please


You shut me up, when you swallow me down


My back to the wall you're going to town."

The lyrics to the song were rather crude, but the song had good music and a good beat, so Kai had come to like it. Also, it was the kind of song Tala and Bryan liked. He knew that it was a good ten minutes until they reached the nearest McDonalds, so Kai let the song play through and sped up, watching as the speedometer reached 100km an hour.

The purr of the engine performing had always been soothing to him, hence the reason he drove so much these days. It always calmed him down, which was strange, as after the accident, he didn't want to go near a car for months.

It was dark by the time they reached McDonalds and Kai flicked on the indicator and ushered the muscle car through the drive-thru. He ordered their meals, which all comprised of some kind of meat burger and Coke. No pansy-ass chicken for them.

Immediately, Tala and Bryan started to eat, but both stopped when Kai shot them a glare. "Don't spill anything, or you will regret it." Kai glared some more when all Tala did was grin through a mouthful of burger before washing it down with a drink.

"You need to lighten up a little, Kai. All this business shit has made you too uptight."

Kai felt his eyes widen. "How the hell did you find out about that?" As soon as he said it, the ex-blader saw his friend's eyes widen fractionally and mutter a quiet 'shit' before trading glances with Bryan.

"Ah, Mr. Dickinson told us. The Bladebreakers know as well…"

Great. Just fucking great. Now I'm never going to get any peace. Not if the brats know what I'm doing now. Fuck!

And it was at just that moment that the headache that had been relentlessly simmering away in his head started to pound again. Feeling as though a jackhammer was driving into his brain, Kai dropped his burger and placed a hand over his eyes. His vision wavered in and out slightly before an explosion of pain erupted from behind his partially blind eye.

"Kai!?" he heard Tala and Bryan call out, concerned. He ignored them while his right hand shot out towards the glove compartment to find the bottle of pills he kept in there for situations like this.

But just as his fingers caught the latch to open it, the pain intensified and then everything went black. The last thing he heard was the concerned voices of Tala and Bryan.

TBC

A/N: Um, don't kill me? -runs and hides-

I hope everyone liked the chapter. It's a bit longer than usual (which I hope slightly makes up for the long wait). The plot will start to pick up soon, with the time skip finally going to happen (things just kept getting in the way!). When the time skip happens, the plot takes off big time :) Leave a review if you want to and hopefully the next chapter should be up soonish - hopefully not four months this time...

Thanks again for reading!

-DancerInTheDark101-