Yes, hello. I've changed my pen-name again. Hope you're not too confused but I can honestly say this was the last time.
And I know it's been so long since I updated anything... I'm NOT giving up, but have patience. It's not that easy. I feel a bit empty, creatively, I mean.

But keep your eyes open and chapters will come in.
Until then, here's something while you wait.

Chapter Six
Foolish Things

X

Rei hadn't done much all morning but simply stare at the phone. He'd had it turned off during the night, from experience knowing that it was the only way to get some sleep. He hadn't spoken with Boris for the past days, figured the man needed some time to think. Normally Rei hated when he did that, because Boris never seemed to think he'd thought enough. There was always some insecurities lingering, insecurities which he could not leave be but he simply had to solve them.

Rei figured it was simply an excuse not to have to deal with the issue at hand. The Russian was sort of a coward that way. So he left him alone, figuring if he didn't hear from him in the next two weeks he'd go to the apartment and see if the man was dead. Until then he thought it'd be best to lie there and hope people forgot about him.

But the little nagging voice of reason – which sounded alarmingly much like Hilary – told him that this was a stupid plan and he ought to be ashamed of himself. And the only reason he really had to lie around was to think of a new plan that would make some difference. Begrudgingly Rei knew the voice was right, as it most often was, and therefore didn't give it much thought as he turned the phone back on.

Now, for the first time in three days the display menu blinked at him, almost menacingly. He wondered if this was really such a good idea, and with his breath held he waited. Waited, waited and waited but nothing in particular really happened. The cellphone stayed quiet. Rei looked at it in bewilderment, honestly he thought he'd get harassed a bit more. Not that he wasn't grateful, but it just seemed a bit… odd.

''You have one new message!''

Rei jumped in the couch at the vibration of his phone, staring in shock at the screen. Large, sinister letters telling him what he'd feared most all morning. Blinking he tried to get back to reality again. But reality wasn't such a nice place to be when he, just a second later, got another message. And another, and another, and yet another until finally he was starting to seriously wonder how many messages the phone could hold without exploding.

''You have 34 new messages''

He wanted to moan. Suddenly the small little thingamajig didn't look so innocent no more, and Rei wondered if he should just throw the thing away. But the nagging little voice didn't like that, not at all actually. And instead it told him that someone important might need to reach him, and he should call in sick at work or something if he wasn't planning on leaving the apartment soon. Which he wasn't. He tried yesterday, but he had to basically run back home before the horde of journalists and paparazzi caught him.

He really wished they would leave him alone, but he knew from experience that they wouldn't. Life as a sports star was not an anonymous one, but since the team put their blades on the shelf no one really remembered him nor his teammates. It had been a quiet life, but a nice one. The only ones who got attention seemed to be Tyson, since he still was going at it. And Kai, but that was because he was a businessman now, and people never really got enough of that.

Pouting in displeasure he finally clicked the right button and message after message got played for him. The first ten ones had been from random people, threatening him for being an atrocity and whatnot. The next ten were fans giving him their 'full support' whatever the hell that meant, and the next fourteen ones were TV stations and gossip magazines wanting to get a hold of him. Rei sighed.

''So if you'd really be so kind as to visit us at the tv-station we…'' click. ''Message deleted.''

Rei wondered how many they were out there who wanted a piece. Shockingly enough the Ming Pao Daily news had left a message, and even though the majority of the journalists were from England, he caught a few Russian and Japanese as well. Knowing that the whole thing was so widespread, a crackling sense of dread filled him. Rei didn't want to be famous. He'd pulled out of the sport to get a little peace and quiet, a chance to get himself together.

Never mind that he'd spent three years doing nothing but existing, wanting to live life but not really sure if he dared to. The last year had filled him with enough life, and enough pain, to last him a lifetime. So if he wanted to he could hide inside his apartment until the entire thing died out, but he didn't want to do that. It'd feel like a cage and Rei didn't want to be trapped in his own home.

He was not nicknamed 'Tiger' for no reason. Rei needed calm, but at the same time he needed life and excitement. He needed to feel free, to know that whatever he felt like doing he could do it without curious reporters breathing down his neck. On the other hand, what was worse? Being trapped in his apartment or being hunted down as soon as he set foot out on the streets?

He really didn't know and for the moment all he wanted to do was get a little sleep. He hadn't even called his boss yet to explain the situation, and to add to his misery he couldn't even go to the grocery store without being noticed.

Mumbling a little to himself, Rei decided the couch was sufficient to sleep on, and therefore curled into a little ball under the blanket. Most displeased he noticed how comfortable it was to be squeezed into soft pillows, soft pillows that smelt like a certain Russian. Not that he'd admit it out loud, but it was… nice.

Much to his irritation he wasn't allowed to wallow in this nicety for long, before a small, pitiful sound came from the doorbell. An old relic he thought would have dusted and rusted apart by then, and at first he thought he'd heard wrong. But the ring came again and again and again until it just wouldn't stop and Rei was sure it was imprinted in his brain.

Oh no. Oh crap. The press couldn't know his address, could they? He wasn't listed, in any list at all. He was quite anonymous, and he didn't know anyone who could tip him off. Dr. Dafoe was bound by law to uphold professional secrecy, and James couldn't say anything because of what one of the A's stood for. Other than that Rei didn't think he knew anyone. Perhaps his boss could have squealed, but the man didn't seem like someone who'd do that.

Rei didn't know and at the moment he didn't care either. No one came to visit him, besides perhaps Boris but Boris never had the delicacy to use the doorbell. Either he'd knock loudly or he'd just barge right in. The ringing was eager, but it wasn't close to Boris-brusque. It was more clouded in some sort of annoyed urgency. In a way that sort of piqued his interest. The question was if it was enough to make him risk his life and open the door.

Five minutes of more shrill ringing, and a few kicks to the door, told Rei it was best, for his own curiosity's sake, to at least peek through the door. So, quiet as a cat on the prowl he tip-toed out into the hallway, trying extra hard not to breathe too loudly as if the thick door between him and the visitor was really paper thin. He was just about to put his eyes to the peeping-hole when a hard, relentless fist connected with the door on the other side. Making him jerk back, face aching from the impact.

''KON! Open the damn door!''

Rei frowned. He just didn't hear that voice. No way.

''Kon!'' more irritated knockings. ''I know you're there!''

Rei looked at the door with great wariness, suspiciously as if the person on the other side was just a figure of his imagination. Or worse, a journalist dressed as a Russian to trick him.

''Yuriy? Is that you?''

''Yes! It's me! Open up!''

''Is Kai with you?''

''Why? Do you think I'm here to hurt you?''

Rei really didn't want to answer that, so he decided it was best to stay quiet. Not that he didn't trust Yuriy, he just wasn't in the mood to have the man in his apartment. Alone.

''Rei, I'm here. Will you let us in?'' Came Kai's voice, and finally Rei relaxed somewhat.

Without any other sound he unlocked the door and opened it, and setting a new world record Yuriy barged in without even saying 'hello'. After him came Kai and he could feel their scrutinizing glares as he locked the door once more, taking his sweet time before he turned around to face them.

''Uhm… hi'' Rei said uncertainly, not really liking the unreadable glint in their eyes. He thought he could make out anger in their faces, but it was small enough to just be something he imagined. ''This isn't Russia, right?''

Almost as if by habit, Yuriy scoffed.

''Don't try to act like an idiot, Kon. We know what's going on.''

''Okay.''

''I said don't deny – '' it was odd seeing Yuriy confused, for a while there he'd thought the Russian was incapable of it. ''Okay? I mean… don't okay me! I want details!''

Yuriy was like a rock. A cold, made-of-ice, slippery rock in the middle of a stormy ocean. He was impossible to climb, impossible to get around and more so he was like trying to befriend a tumor. Yuriy was almost always calm, bordering on eerie, and when he was angry people knew damn well to stay away. Of course he never got angry in the I'm-going-to-eat-your-family-while-you-watch sort of way that Boris did, neither did he get angry in the I'm-going-to-ignore-you-and-shun-you-viciously-until-you-come-begging-for-forgiveness sort of way Kai did.

No, Yuriy was somewhere in between. Right now Rei thought Yuriy was probably the scariest, mostly since he wasn't as used to the redhead lashing out as he was the others, but also because Yuriy had that blood-chilling look in his eyes that suggested he was going to pick you apart and you'd never see it coming. Rei felt like the little boy being scolded by his father, all the while Kai stood intently watching them. Waiting for a mistake, a slip-up or just a simple explanation.

''I don't know what to say'' Rei shrugged, feeling unrealistically calm. ''You know about my life, you know it's all over the news. What more details are there?''

At first he thought he was going to deny it as well, ignore the problem and hope it went away. But the cold of being caught red-handed wasn't there anymore, and suddenly Rei felt as if he'd finally had enough. As if he'd run too far and too long and all he wanted to do now was to stand his ground. Hoping that somewhere deep inside of him, the old Rei would reawaken.

''Well'' Yuriy said, voice sharp as a razor. ''What are you going to do?''

''What is there to do? I'm tired of hiding. Staying in here would only drive me mad, it is driving me mad. I want to participate in this fight.''

The two Russians just looked at him for a while, with that odd little glint Rei had never been able to read. But for a moment he thought that Kai looked almost… proud.

''The press is going to be relentless.'' He said, stating a fact they already knew.

''Yeah, I know.''

Kai looked at him questioningly.

''And you're ready for this? You do know this is nothing like when you played professional Beyblade? They're going to be a thousand times worse.''

''I know, Kai. But eventually it will blow over. Someone else will make a bigger fool out of themselves and the media will rush to laugh at their misery instead. I just have to make it through this, and then it'll be fine.''

A part of Rei wondered if that was really true, or if he was just trying to kid himself. He did hope it was, but at the same time a part of him knew it might not be that easy. Now when after a few years of anonymity, they knew where he was, now when they remembered him…

''Maybe it's time to get out of London'' Kai finished his sentence for him, making Rei's heart sink a little.

After all the courage it took him to return to the city, a place that held so much sentimental nostalgia, it felt as if leaving London was as if leaving a friend. He'd had his ups and downs there, sure, but it was also the only place in the entire world where he had felt at home.

''I know.''

They looked at each other in silence again, no one paying any attention to the luggage the Russians had. A vague thought whispered that Rei should offer them some room, but at the moment he couldn't get his lips to move, let alone form words. Instead he waited, and it was Yuriy who finally broke the silence.

''How's the idiot?''

Aqua pierced gold, and for a second no one knew if they'd be stomping on any toes. To be honest, Rei wasn't sure himself what was a touchy subject or not. For the moment he simply felt relaxed, as if his problems could be solved. He wasn't sure how or when, but just the knowledge that it wasn't permanent made all the ache he'd been carrying around seem less heavy. He was worried, hell he was petrified, but at the same time Rei could feel his old courage coming to life within him. As if surviving this new misfortune, perhaps the White Tiger was a little bit closer to its return.

''He… well, he visited three days ago.''

''Really?'' Yuriy arched a delicate brow. ''And here I'd gone and half expected to see his obituary in tomorrow's paper.''

Rei grimaced, then suddenly looked at the suitcases.

''How about I make some coffee and you make yourselves comfortable, and then we bitch about things?''

''Sounds good to me.''

X

Three steaming cups of hot coffee stood on the table. The kitchen wasn't all that big but it was enough for one person, and in a way that gave the room some sort of lonely glow. The Russians didn't think much about Boris and Rei as a couple, most of the time at least. At first it took them a while to get used to, but the problems in the relationships weren't really that much of a surprise.

Sure, last year had been a bumpy ride. Bumpier than they were used to, but they never thought much of it. After the shock had worn off, it was just the way things were. Boris and Rei, Rei and Boris. Two people, like they'd been like that their entire life. It was as normal as the sun rising in the morning or water being wet. And now when it was all over, that same shock that had risen in the beginning came back.

And suddenly they realized how empty it seemed when Boris wasn't there.

Rei felt it too. No one to run around yelling at random things, hating every last piece of furniture and person in the world. No one to be mean or crude or sarcastic. No one to stir up some trouble and no one who would swing a fist at anyone who dared judge them. Rei had missed Boris, of course he had. He'd missed him like a limb, but it wasn't until recently he'd realized just how much the emptiness hurt. It was a strange feeling, waking up with no one beside him but the silence.

Kai had left his family business in the hands of the vice president, apparently their short-notice leave would do no harm to their everyday life. Rei'd been skeptic at first, but then Kai reminded him that he and Boris basically were their everyday life. It was enough to make the Tiger feel guilty, that the two felt like they had to come to England just to sort out a mess he'd made.

But Kai would have none of that and simply silenced him with a glare, saying that Ian and Spencer could take care of things back home. And what was important now was that things didn't get too out of hand. It was the most caring gesture Rei could think of, coming from them. No one ever said it out loud, but Rei knew they were there not as fellow sportsmen or rivals or even teammates. They were there as friends, and friends helped out even when no one asked them or even wanted them to.

And Rei was glad he had a friend like Kai. Someone who would, perhaps not give advice but who would instead offer a silence that was so much better, because it meant Kai listened to him when everyone else tuned him out. Kai never offered help directly, but still Rei knew he'd always be there if Rei ever felt he'd hit rock bottom. And Yuriy was trying his best, which was special on its own. On the outside it looked like two grim looking Russians sat staring at coffee cups in his kitchen, but to Rei it felt like a slice of heaven.

''Thank you'' he said suddenly after minutes of silence, making the two look shiftily at him. ''For being here.''

Yuriy snorted in a way to hide the awkward glint in his eyes.

''Shut up, Kon.''

''I mean it. You didn't have to come here. I know you've got things to deal with in your lives, but… I appreciate it.''

Kai nodded, while Yuriy grunted something inaudible. Another few minutes of silence stretched past, during which they all concentrated on their coffee. Suddenly Yuriy, without looking up, felt like he had to say something to make everyone forget the fact that he'd done something nice.

''So…'' he grunted in that gracious way that seemed like a trademark ability for him. ''The idiot. Still alive?''

Rei looked at his hands, fondling the coffee cup, feeling the warmth of the liquid permeate the ceramic.

''Well, he came over here.''

''Sober?''

''As sober as one can be after two bottles.''

Yuriy sighed exasperatedly, taking a sip.

''What'd he do?''

Rei looked at him, feeling the frustration in the redhead's words, accusing.

''Oh, no! He wasn't… behaving badly. Well, he was a bit loud and he was a bit crude but… he just wanted to talk.''

''Talk?'' Yuriy had the look on his face one gets after being told a rock tried to swim. ''Do I even want to know?''

''We talked about the media… thing. And then we talked a bit about what went wrong. Then he said he'd lost his keys and I let him sleep here.''

Two incredulous eyebrows rose in the Wolf's face, while Kai glanced somewhat questioningly at Rei.

''On the couch!'' Rei hurried to add. ''He slept on the couch, and… well, then the reporters started to call…''

''Reporters?'' Kai spoke for the first time in minutes.

''Yeah, they've been calling all morning. Asking me if I want to make a statement… I mostly just hang up on them.''

Kai nodded.

''I expected as much. Has someone else called?''

''Like someone I actually know?''

The Phoenix gave him another nod.

''Well…'' Rei thought about the call he'd gotten from Mariah, instantly feeling some sort of sad irritation filling him. His fist tightened around the cup as he sighed. ''Mariah called me.''

''Lee's sister? From your old team?''

''That's the one.''

''What'd she want?'' Yuriy half spat, not in the very least fond of the White Tigers, or anyone else for that matter.

''The same as the reporters, she wanted me to explain myself.''

''Hn'' Kai sounded. ''You have to expect more calls of that nature, I believe.''

''Yeah…'' Rei sighed. ''But, hey. Enough about me. What about you?''

Kai frowned.

''Us?''

''Yeah!'' Rei nodded with some sort of unfounded enthusiasm that almost bewildered them. ''What have you been up to recently? Anything new happen in Moscow?''

Yuriy shifted weirdly, glancing at Kai with a look that asked if the Chinese had gone crazy. Kai on the other hand, took the sudden change in conversation with ease, shrugging slightly.

''A tournament is about to start, I heard. Not that we will be participating, but I heard Tyson is.''

''Really? Where's it being held?''

''The first outtake is going to be in Tokyo, and then three competitions in Paris, Helsinki and Washington D.C. The semi-finals are held in Moscow, I think. The location of the finals haven't been released yet.''

Rei looked contemplative for a moment, leaning his head against his hand as his eyes wandered to the window. A blue sky had risen above the city, and for a fleeting moment Rei thought he could remember the roaring cheers of a crowd. He missed Beyblade sometimes, the rush of adrenaline as he watched his Blade spin into the dish. The glow of the spotlights and the vibrations in the ground as people cheered and clapped. Sweat running down his temple, his heart going 1000 mph, the sensation of being invincible, like he could do anything.

And then a crazy thought struck him.

''Wouldn't it be fun to watch a game?'' they turned to look at him oddly, like it was the first time someone ever suggested such a thing. ''Don't you miss it sometimes?''

''We're too old. It's time to move on.'' Yuriy oh so optimistically said.

''Perhaps, but that's not what I asked.''

The Wolf looked at him for a moment, not one emotion in his eyes betraying what he thought of. Simply observing, like Rei was some daft child who'd just said something worth thinking about. Finally Yuriy muttered, shaking his head as he downed the last of his coffee.

''We could always see the one in Paris.'' Kai said, thinking it actually sounded like a good idea.

Not that he was particularly interested in the newcomers, but he did miss the sport. And as one of the worlds former best Bladers, perhaps it could be fun to go to a game again. But this time as an observer. Rei smiled slightly at him, feeling that for the first time in months he'd gotten some good news.

''Great! When is it being held?''

''In about a month or so.''

Rei looked at Yuriy, golden eyes excited while the redhead had a grimace of disdain on his face. But after having Rei stare funnily at him for a few moments, he finally growled in resignation.

''Fine, I'll go! But it's a waste of time!''

Rei ignored the last part and instead downed the last of his drink as well, the smile on his lips getting bigger.

''Then it's decided!''

X

Rei remembered the way to Boris apartment from the back of his hand. Yuriy and Kai walked quietly behind him, not really questioning the decision to visit. Rei knew things between him and Boris were fragile, awkward and not to mention strange. A part of him wanted to wait for Boris to get things straightened out, but at the same time he knew he shouldn't hold his breath unless he felt like suffocating.

He wanted to sort it out now. They'd been sneaking around each other for months, not really saying what was on their mind but constantly thinking it. Rei hadn't said all the things he wanted to because he feared Boris wouldn't understand them, or worse than that; he was afraid the Falcon wouldn't listen. So he thought that if they couldn't have a normal heart to heart talk with each other, perhaps it'd do them both some good to get out of the house and forget everything for a while.

And what was better as a reality escape than to go see a Beyblade match? Not that Boris cared much about the sport now when he didn't have someone breathing orders down his neck. All it had ever been about for him was control, winning, subjugation. His purpose in life since the day he came to the Abbey had been to destroy. Beyblade was just a weapon. And now when he didn't have to compete, Boris didn't. Instead he found that life itself was a much better battlefield, with a much wider range of weapons and, the best part of it all, there were absolutely no rules.

But Rei had seen Boris battle. Besides the sadism and the malicious glee in the Russian's eyes, every time his BitBeast had spread its wide, majestic wings across the dish, Rei thought he'd seen something else in there. Something that wasn't supposed or allowed to exist. The last emotion that the Abbey could not kill.

Boris had looked proud.

So Rei found his way to the neighborhood where the Falcon lived, and thanks to Kai, Yuriy and some bribing to keep the taxi driver quiet, they'd managed to get there without getting attacked by reporters. Since he didn't want to test his luck he decided to get inside the building as soon as possible, and in no less than fifteen minutes had the trio gotten as far as to stand outside Boris' apartment door.

The thing was, no one seemed to be home.

''Weird…'' Rei pressed the doorbell for the umpteenth time, but no sound of footsteps came from inside. ''Boris?''

Rei tried knocking, he tried kicking, he tried ringing the bell five more times. He even tried peaking through the mail hatch, but finally beginning to feel like a stalker he decided it was time to give it up.

''I wonder where he's gone to…''

''Maybe the bar.'' Yuriy suggested and earned a glare. ''What? Sounds from what you've told me like he's had a relapse.''

Rei chose to ignore him, growling in annoyance instead of answering.

''Can't you call him?'' Kai asked, looking mildly interested in the whole situation.

''I think he broke it…''

''Looking for the young man?''

The three turned to look at the woman who had spoken, seeing an old lady look out from her own door. She looked kind, but on the brink of extinction, and Rei wasn't sure he even wanted to guess how old she was.

''Uh… yes. Do you know where he is?''

The woman shook her head.

''No, not since he stumbled out of here the day before yesterday, smelling like a liquor store.''

Rei frowned, suddenly feeling worried. If Boris hadn't returned home after leaving Rei's apartment, where could he be? He did say his keys were lost, but wouldn't he at least have kicked down the door?

The woman ogled them strangely, looking at Yuriy and Kai as if they were hiding guns behind their backs, but it wasn't until she'd been staring at Rei for a disturbingly long time that she actually made a sound.

''It's you, isn't it?''

Rei blinked at her, feeling that there was something he had missed.

''Excuse me?''

The woman just smiled. Which actually was more disturbing than her staring.

''The one he called when he borrowed my phone. R… something.''

Rei frowned, remembering the phone call he'd gotten three days before. Unfortunately he'd been too panicked to pay attention to it.

''Rei Kon'' he introduced himself. ''And these are my friends Kai Hiwatari and Yuriy Ivanov.''

''That's nice dear'' she said, making no indication to tell them her name. ''If I see the young man I'll tell him to call you.''

''Uh… thank you…''

And just like that the woman disappeared behind her door, locking it with a discrete little click. Left in the hall were the three men, looking oddly at the door, and then questioningly at one another. Rei gave Kai a look that asked if he had any reason to worry, but the Phoenix simply shook his head.

''We will just have to tell him later. Rei, don't panic. He'll be back.''

Even though he wanted to believe Kai was right, like he almost always was, something deep inside of him told him not to trust the words. Maybe Boris was just out making the town an unsafe place to be, maybe he'd gone on an adventure. There really was no reason at all to get worked up about it, so why couldn't he help but worry?