Title: Obsession

Author: PandaPjays

Chapter Title: Epilogue

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi. KaiRei TalaBryan if you don't like, don't read it. Fairly creepy themes and violence towards the end.

Disclaimer: If anyone has ever thought I owned Beyblades they were WRONG. I just like stealing the characters and using for my own amusement

Author Note: Annd done. Told you I'd already worked out what the epilogue was- hence the weirdly fast update.

So, I looked at the publish date of this and realised that it's been almost five years since I began this. That's... actually no, I don't want to try and think about it. Too long. Too long.

That said, after five years I've finally changed the summary to something coherent. What can I say? I suck at summaries but I like having a go at them anyways. So now the summary actually (somewhat) says what the story's about as opposed to some random gibberish. Yay!

So, now I'm left with the problem: What's next? I like the idea of starting another longer fic again (as much as I love writing oneshots there's something enjoyable about keeping a longer story going- not for five years, though, am new and shiny and committed. See this commitment right here? –points- Yeah, that's right XP.)

Anyways, I've been mulling over a JoRe/KaRe!spy fic for an age so I was thinking about doing that or possibly a BryanBrooklyn fic that I found half-planned in one of my notebooks (Though that one would be fairly short). Or maybe something else entirely? I'd love your opinions about what you'd like to read XD

On to this fic. In my original plan, Kai died in the last chapter but when I got there it just didn't feel right. This epilogue, however, feels like it's the only conclusion this story could have had. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for sticking with me!

"...And what about Rei?"

Kai paused, considering the question. It'd been a year since he'd been admitted to BBA Psychiatric Institution. A year since he'd last seen Rei.

It hadn't been a year since Rei had plagued his thoughts, however. He was maybe pushing three seconds on that count.

Kai sighed and turned to look out the window. He was sitting in the too-white office of the too-nice therapist who'd been seeing him since he'd been admitted. He'd be lying if he'd said the obligatory sessions were his favourite part of the hospital but sometimes... they helped.

"Kai?" She asked.

"Hm?" Kai turned back to face her.

She smiled indulgently. "You've been avoiding talking about him for the past few sessions. You keep on steering the conversation that way then changing the subject when you realise what you're doing. Not that I don't admire your ingenuity..."

Kai smirked. "That obvious, huh?"

She made a noncommittal noise, "Is there something you want to get off your chest?"

"Not really... I just miss him." Kai shrugged and looked away again and out of the window. The hospital was in the middle of the city so there weren't any expanses of grass and trees like those places you always saw in the movies. Nor was it depressing and dirty like those places you always saw in the depressing movies. The window looked out to a courtyard and the wall that separated his world from the outside one; the world Rei lived in.

Noticing the therapist's silence, he turned to look at her again with what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face. "I know." He said quietly. "I know I shouldn't be missing what I never really had but-" He trailed off, remembering the exact colour of Rei's eyes, the way they had constantly flashed and swirled with the vibrancy and passion of their owner. "-I miss him," he finished.

"Do you think you ever won't miss him?"

"Never," Kai said with a definiteness that invited no argument. He chose not to elaborate on that. He couldn't without sounding clichéd. Rei was too much a part of him. Even now, a year after everything, Kai felt like the centre of his universe had been ripped away from him and now he was simply heading aimlessly through life without anything to anchor him to a path. He was in freefall.

But every now and then he found that he had time to admire the scenery while he fell.

He closed his eyes as a wave of calm and clarity came over him. It hadn't happened often since he'd been admitted, maybe half a dozen times. The rest of the time he was stuck in the haze he'd become accustomed to since he had first seen Rei.

Sometimes, however, when the fog lifted, Kai began to believe. He began to believe that there was hope and a future out there for him when he was released. He began to believe that maybe- just maybe- there was a chance that he could get better and place the nightmare of his life firmly behind him.

The clarity gave him hope that he could be normal again.

Closing his eyes against the too-white room with the too-nice therapist, Kai smiled.

-o-

Rei smiled as he handed over a tray of coffee to the older lady sitting at the reception desk. "Here you go. I hope they didn't get too cold on my way over."

The receptionist accepted the tray and inhaled deeply, loving the rich smell that wafted up from the cups.

"Thanks, Rei, you're a champion. When Gladys's car broke down we didn't know what we'd do! This hospital doesn't run without caffeine. Or it does- just not very fast." She began to sort through the cups, finding her own and separating the rest into their owner's departments so she could deliver them more easily.

Rei waved off her thanks, "Couldn't leave you in your hour of need, could I? That'd be inhumane and cruel. Besides, I know how terrible the coffee they provide in any place like this is. Trust me, I've been there. I understand the need."

"You're sweet. And absolutely correct." She made a face. "I swear they pick the coffee here in an attempt to find just how terrible it can get."

Rei laughed, "The fact that you still call it coffee means they haven't hit rock bottom yet, right?"

"Trust me, I use that word very loosely"

The phone on the desk began ringing, making both Rei and the receptionist jump. She gave Rei an apologetic smile. "You have a great day, okay?"

Rei grinned and gave her a wave. "Always do. If Gladys is still having trouble with her car tomorrow don't hesitate to call. I like coming out here- it's always a nice break in my day."

The receptionist nodded the affirmative before picking up the phone, "Hello, you've reached BBA Psychiatric Institution, how can I help you?"

Rei left the building, ignoring the sense of uneasiness that the hospital always gave him. They were good customers and providing delivery when they couldn't make it to the Gatling themselves always made Rei feel useful. He hadn't done it often, only about half a dozen times and only when they couldn't get to the café themselves but it was always good to prove to himself that he could function outside of his comfort zone.

It had been a year since the events in Kai's apartment and Rei would be lying if he said he still didn't wake up in the night too terrified to move. Even after a year, the nightmares still plagued him. He'd worked out how to go about his daily life without Kai's shadow hanging over him but at night he was defenceless. And it was at night that the terror gripped him.

Still, working at the Gatling grounded him and helped him to believe. He believed that every time he did something that reminded him of his old life, even if it was something mundane as paperwork or delivering coffee to old ladies, he regained a little of his old self back. He believed that every time he achieved a small victory like stepping outside of his door and interacting with people he regained some more strength. And sometimes those beliefs gave him hope that maybe- just maybe- he could get better and learn to trust again. He believed that in the future he would have the strength to leave that nightmare firmly behind him.

Sometimes, he even believed that he could be normal again.

End

It's done! It's done! It's finally over! Four years past the time I thought it would be done in but I'm proud that I didn't give up on it.

Please tell me what you think. Please please please! Reviews make me smile and, without fail, always brighten my day. And I genuinely do want to know what you think – awesome end-of-story-summative-reviews are awesome.

Once again, thank you so much for sticking with me this long! I'm going to go crack an energy drink and eat some candy to celebrate. Cheers!