I know it's supposed to be quality before quantity, but. Yeah. I'll get to the quality bit next chapter (for real this time) and stick to the quantity for now.

Thanks for reviews, they make my day.

Chapter Thirteen
A Small World

X

Rei was in a pretty good mood. The odd behaviour of the Russians had eventually escaped his mind and a month later, he thought nothing of it. It was never mentioned again but Boris still ran off every now and then. Kai had mentioned the fact that Boris always seemed to disappear in a regular pattern, but Rei figured that knowing was not going to help him much and instead pretended like nothing.

And even life appeared to feel like he deserved a break. After a lot of torturous waiting, the press finally grew tired of him. Homosexual sport stars and child abuse was only entertaining for so long, eventually the blurry pictures of Rei eating at McDonald's with dirty hair ceased to amuse people. But he guessed what really helped them direct the spotlight at someone else was the latest update on Victoria Beckham's breasts.

He tried to be on the safe side at first, but after a few days Rei felt like being dangerous. He had taken a walk through the neighbourhood and for the first time, no one had pointed at him when he passed by. Rei felt free and untroubled, and despite getting an eyelash caught in his eye and having to cry it out for ten minutes, life actually felt pretty good for once.

He wouldn't start working for another two weeks and the tournament was still three months away, but despite his newfound spare time Rei quickly fell into boredom. There was only so much ice cream and dry, British sitcoms one could watch before starting to climb the walls. It didn't help that Kai had decided to go back to Moscow for a while. Apparently there had been some major problem in the lower ranks, one which shouldn't take long to fix and Kai promised he'd be back before Rei knew it. Despite that Rei just got even more bored.

Yuriy also had decided to go, which for some reason made him a little miffed. It was strange, but despite their many quarrels and rudeness towards each other, it had started to feel like Yuriy genuinely tried to help. At the same time, it was also a relief to have them fly home again. Rei hadn't felt too good about taking up their time like that. It seemed unfair that they should have to deal with problems that weren't even theirs. Of course, one always helps out friends in need, but it felt like it was time for Rei to take care of himself for once.

He wasn't entirely sure how he would do that, but things were starting to feel better again. Sure, he wasn't as brave and stubborn as he used to be, but on the other hand he had started to learn not to run away as much. He was still very sensitive, but had managed to find that fighting spirit enough to stand his ground again. Fighting with Boris wasn't even scary anymore. After all they'd been through there was nothing new the Falcon could throw his way.

He hadn't heard from the Institute in a long, long while. But in a way, that felt great. All he wanted to do was to leave his past behind him, and even if he didn't feel like ignoring his father, his mother or Amanda Gray was the best way to go, it was the closest to coping he'd come in a long time. Maybe one day he'd learn how to deal with it better. Yes, there were times he would cry like a child over certain memories, and there were times when thinking about certain people would make him bitter.

But he understood much better now. He couldn't really do more than he had. Even if he still felt the everlasting guilt weigh him down like an anchor, he knew he had done all he could for his mother. The guilt would probably never end, but now he could carry it much better. And no, he would probably never forgive his father, but at least now he felt like he had moved on enough to stop hating him. Instead, Rei just didn't care anymore.

All the lost friends, all the strayed paths and mistakes still made his stomach churn coldly whenever he thought of them. The regret was there, the pain was there, it wouldn't go away completely but he had realized something now. Realized that there was nothing to do about any of that. Life was a bitch and then you just had to move on. Moping wasn't going to help him anyway.

Rei didn't even want to be like his old self anymore. Instead, he saw this as a chance to make something new of himself. To start a new beginning and become an even better person than before. A new Rei Kon with all the good qualities of his teenage self and the wisdom from his troubles but without its many flaws.

He wasn't so naive as to think he'd be completely flawless, but he thought that fretting about it and trying to be something he once was, was only a complete waste of time. The past had happened, and it was time to accept that and move on. It was time to start focusing on the time he had left and make what he could of what he had.

In a way, Rei was actually proud of himself. He had a job, he had a nice place to live, three good friends – albeit a bit insane – and nothing really major was wrong. His past was a hell, yes, but his present was quite alright. And even if his future was uncertain, at least it was still there.

He was still a nutjob and he would probably always be one. But at least he was trying, and that was more than most people had.

Then again, there was one little problem that never seemed to stop worrying him. A problem Rei didn't like thinking about but he knew deep down that his nature, however weakened, would never let him live it down. He had always been passionate and girly as it sounds; he had always been a dreamer. And dreamers never really died. No matter the hardships or the suffering, there would always be an old part of Rei that remained alive. And as much as he was thankful for that, it was also a cause for all of his current problems.

Boris Somethingovich Kuznetsov. The root of all his problems. He had never learnt Boris' patronymic name, or if he had any nicknames growing up. He'd never dared to ask as he felt that Boris' own past was a very volatile subject which should not be prodded if avoidable. Still, it was a bit strange not to know anything about a man that knew everything about him. Also, it felt even stranger not to know anything about a man whom he loved. The first one he ever really loved, if he was to be honest.

Then again, it didn't really matter who Boris used to be or what had happened. The really important things were who he was in the present and what was going to happen now. Rei knew that, but he still felt like he had been fooled. At the very least, it felt like he deserved to get at least a little trivia about his roommate. On the other hand, looking at what kind of person Boris had turned into, Rei wasn't all that sure he really wanted to know.

Rei used to fantasise about Boris' past sometimes when he was just a bit too bored. Like now, when the TV had stopped amusing him hours ago and the seconds went by so slowly he suspected they had stopped altogether. He used to dream up what Mr and Mrs Kuznetsov had looked like, or still looked like. He wasn't sure if they were dead or not. He imagined what their names would be, what their house was like and what flowers Mrs Kuznetsov planted in her garden.

What kind of food they ate at New Year's and if Boris' used to be a bully when he was a child. He wondered what happened for him to get sent to the Abbey. Wondered if his parents died or just abandoned him, or even if he was kidnapped. He wondered how the Russian bladers' first encounter had been and how often they played pranks on other kids there. He wondered what Boris was thinking when he was ordered to hurt Rei in that match. He wondered if Boris ever thought of their match at all.

Sometimes, though he would never admit this, Rei wondered what their children would look like. If Rei had been, you know, a woman. He wondered if they'd get his golden eyes, or Boris' silver. Would they have his slender features or Boris' rough ones? Gray haired, black haired? Or perhaps Boris would dye it Lavender?

That was really the question Rei had wondered about the most. What on earth Boris was thinking when he dyed his hair such a god awful colour. Then again, Yuriy's fashion taste had been an abomination. Not to mention Max's, or Rei's own. A Yin-Yang headband? Yeah, way to be stereotypical.

If they had a daughter, Rei hoped it would look more like him. He couldn't decide if she should be named Irina Weilin Borisovna Kuznetskov, or perhaps Weilin Irina Kon. If they had a son, personally he voted for naming him Lev. Not that they could have a child anyway. Even if there was a possibility that Rei would develop a functioning uterus over night, he wouldn't bet all his money on Boris winning the Father of the Year award.

Not the Boyfriend of the Year award either, he reminded himself bitterly.

Rei winced. He really, really didn't want to go down that road. Not today when he was finally feeling good. Instead he quickly picked up the remote to try to find something that could distract him, if even for just a few minutes. Quickly pressing the button, he jumped from channel to channel never really finding anything worth watching.

'' – well let me ask you this; do you want faeces in your vagina?''

Until that, of course. Rei had to stare awkwardly at the screen for a while before he could understand what sort of show this was. To his amazement, it was not porn, but instead it seemed to be some sort of talk show. The camera was on the audience, showing several women in their mid-twenties nodding in agreement. When the camera swerved back to a close-up on the host, Rei almost choked on his breath.

''Unless you have a poop fetish, I suggest all you girls start wiping the other way after peeing. Now that we've covered that, let's move on to our first guest of today.''

In a remarkably comfortable looking salmon-coloured armchair, Hilary sat. The same Hilary whom had been on Rei's very team. The bossy brunette who had scared half of them to death, and then nagged at them until someone distracted her with something shiny. The same woman whose cooking was known far and wide as a health hazard, who despite not being able to blade her way out of a paper bag with two openings, had been on a Beyblading team far longer than she'd been in a good mood.

There was something uncanny about seeing a person you hadn't spoken to in years on TV. In their own show, at that. Suddenly forgetting all about his Russian troubles, Rei raised the volume and fixed his eyes intently on the TV awaiting whatever the girl would throw his way.

''Let's welcome a dear friend of mine, and also a beloved sports star; Tyson Granger!''

The audience erupted into wild fangirl screaming, bordering on frightening, and claps that were enough to startle a deaf person. Tyson arrived on the scene looking confident and young and not really all that different. His face looked more mature and his hair was longer, also there seemed to be a weak attempt at a beard going on. Wearing that same old dingy cap, Tyson boisterously sat down on the just as comfortable looking couch.

''Hello, Tyson!'' Hilary said with a sly smile.

''Yo, Hil! 'Sup girl?''

''Thank you for coming here, Tyson. I know you must be busy now with the semi-finals just a few months away and all.''

''Are you kidding me? If I hadn't showed up you would have cooked my ass. I mean butt. Uhm… Am I allowed to curse on air?''

The young man looked around sheepishly while the audience giggled lovingly. Hilary waved his words away with the same smile still on her lips.

''Tyson, I just spoke about poop and vaginas. I think you're going to fit in nicely.''

Tyson looked like he wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but he hadn't the time to dwell on it for much longer before Hilary spoke again.

''So, Tyson. How is everything going? Are you nervous about the semi-finals?''

''Oh, not at all!'' he flashed her a confident grin. ''I've got this one in my pocket.''

''Wow, you haven't changed a bit, have you?''

''Why change a winning concept?''

The audience giggled again and Rei couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had to agree with Hilary on that one.

''Anyway, it was a long time since I moved around in the Beyblading circuits. Are there going to be any familiar faces showing up? Any new ones people should be worried about?''

''Well, most of the old crew quit a while ago. People say that Beyblade is a sport for youths, but I mean… Most of us are in our twenties, and I say that's pretty young. As long as you keep the passion, there's really no use in quitting whether you're sixteen or sixty.''

Something ached inside of Rei when he heard that. The long lost dream of his childhood felt sudden and fresh again, and for a small moment he almost regretted quitting.

''But'' Tyson continued eagerly. ''I understand some of them. You have a lot on your plate in life, and they say that you should quit when you're on top. Like my former teammate Kai, he has a whole huge-ass business to run. And Max had to take over his father's company, which seems to be making him happy… I guess having good memories of glory days to look back on is just as good. There are more things in life I suppose. But for me it's always been about the blading.''

Hilary seemed to look mildly irritated by now.

''So… you're saying there aren't going to be any oldies in France?''

Tyson laughed stupidly.

''Oh! Yeah, I guess I didn't really answer the question.''

''No.'' Hilary said bitterly.

''Well, Lee from the White Tigers is going to be competing, as well as some of the Majestics. I'm the only one from my old team though. But then again, that's all you need for a wicked game!''

''Where'd that monkey Daichi run off to, then?''

Tyson shrugged.

''I heard he married a Brazilian model and moved to Thailand.''

Hilary rolled her eyes.

''Figures'' Hilary and Rei said in unison.

''Yeah. It'd be great to see all of the guys there, but like I said, I can understand if they've got other things going for them. I guess somewhat it is a lot of… ageism in the sport. Also it's very expensive. It's hard to find sponsors now that everyone's interested in all the newcomers. I'm lucky I've got enough money to pay for myself. But not everyone can do that.''

''Yeah, I haven't spoken a lot to the guys since our glory days… I really kind of miss them, to be honest.''

Tyson smiled wickedly.

''Oh, has someone grown soft?''

''No!'' Hilary glared at him. ''But you know, after going through so much with people you start to get used to them. And some of you became my friends. I understand that big shot stars don't have time for that, but still. Would it be such a bother to call?''

Tyson shrugged.

''Well, I guess. Max has a lot to do at the shop but he sends his regards.''

''Oh!'' Hilary turned to the camera and waved. ''Hi Max!''

''Also, I don't speak too much to the inactive Bladers mostly because I don't know how to contact them. But the ones still in the business are another thing.''

''Yeah. So how's everything else then? Got any girls going on?''

''Why, are you interested? Jealous, perhaps?''

Hilary laughed out loud and sarcastically.

''Hah! Not in a million years you big man-baby! No, it's just that the fans want to know and it's my job to supply them with information.''

''Well, I'm not seeing anyone at the moment but I wouldn't mind if I met someone. How about you then, Hil? Still married to that dork?''

Rei blinked. Hilary was married? Since when? He wondered if there was some number to call if one wanted to talk to her. Maybe that wouldn't be a good idea, on the other hand. The press was a sleeping bear it was best to leave unbothered. Preferably forever.

''He's not a dork. He's a great man and yes. Actually, we're very happy here in New York. And also, we're planning to have a baby!''

''You? A mother?'' Tyson snorted. ''I hope your husband can cook or else the kid's gonna starve.''

The audience made an oooh-sound while Hilary smacked Tyson in the back of his head.

''Anyway.'' She sat down and straightened her outfit. ''We should have a re-union!''

''Yeah!'' Tyson lit up like a lighthouse. ''Get the gang together! We could have a party!''

''I could have them all on the show!''

''You just want to boost your ratings, don't you?''

Hilary scoffed.

''My ratings are fine, thank you. I just thought the fans might appreciate it.''

''Well, I don't have everyone's number. Do you?''

''It's not that hard to track down, is it?''

''I dunno, man. Maybe some of them don't want to be found. I've been trying to get a hold of some of them for ages but I just end up with the wrong number.''

''I heard Kenny had found some of the guys not too long ago.''

''Really? How?''

''Some of them still had their old numbers.''

Tyson looked absolutely perplexed for a moment.

''It was that easy? I've been chasing them for so long with their numbers just in my reach?''

Hilary nodded.

''Yup.''

''I'm fucking stupid.''

The woman tilted her head amiably and smiled at him like one smiles at a child.

''Yes you are, hun''

''But…'' he frowned. ''Even if they've managed to keep the same number for years I certainly haven't. I break my cell phones every week. Crap, I don't have any old numbers saved!''

''Aww. Too bad. Let's have a commercial break so you can cry about it.''

Tyson looked one minute away from retorting when a nice Coca-Cola jingle interrupted him. Rei watched in slight awe as his old friends faded out of view. Tyson had actually been trying to reach them? Maybe there was a slight chance at reuniting with them, after all. Rei had just thought they didn't bother, seeing how no one had tried to contact him. Okay, so maybe he hadn't contacted them in several years either but still. Now when he found out at least someone had, he wasn't entirely sure what to feel about it.

So Mariah had been a bastard, he really didn't want to talk to her. And Lee and the others he'd tried to reach had changed numbers and after all that time, he wasn't all that surprised. He was one of the few who still had the same number he'd had since he was fifteen. Which felt sad in a way.

But now there was a possibility to talk to them again. To sort out whatever it was that made them drift apart. Rei had never really wanted to lose contact with them. He had just wanted some time for himself, some space to think and it wasn't on purpose that he'd lost contact. He hadn't tried all that hard to regain it again but he thought that was understandable. A lot of things had been going on in his life and he just hadn't had the time or the heart to deal with anything other than himself.

Which felt quite selfish when he thought about it like that. Huh. Maybe he had been the biggest bastard of them all, in the end. But what now? If Tyson called him, what would he do? What would he say? Was a reunion really what he wanted? Was it what he needed? Rei just wanted to be left alone, but at the same time… he did miss them all. Very much. They had been his entire life once, and perhaps meeting up with them could cheer him up in this great mess?

Then again, maybe not. Maybe they'd just be personal and bitter and hate him for leaving them or ask him a lot of intrusive questions. Maybe the press would start hunting him again and maybe it would all turn out to be a really bad decision. Rei didn't know and as the commercial break ended he was starting to regret changing to this channel.

''Welcome back, you're watching the Hilary Show!'' Hilary waited for the applause to end. ''With me I have Tyson Granger, unbeatable Beyblade champion. Several years in the business and still going on strong. Hi, Ty.''

''Hey, Hil.''

''So Tyson and I were just talking about a reunion special with our old Beyblade pals. Now I've received a lot of calls during the commercials, and ninety percent of the people calling in seem to think this is a good idea. During the break we also discussed how to contact our old pals, and I think this is a great idea!''

''Yeah. A really great idea.''

''So, we're still accepting calls so if anyone has something to say about this or if there are any bladers who want to make this easy for us by inviting themselves, call the number shown on the screen.''

Rei stared at the blinking numbers. Long and hard and intently he stared, but his brain couldn't seem to come up with any logical way to respond. A little part of him was very tempted to call, but his common sense started screaming at him to stay put. So Rei did as it said and moved his eyes back to Hilary and Tyson again.

''Oh! Listen!'' Hilary said as a peculiar little tone rang through the studio. ''Someone's already on the line. Hi, who am I speaking to?''

''Yeah, uh, hi. My name is Raleeshia, I'm calling from Colorado''

The audience clapped. Rei didn't know why but assumed a lot of them were from Colorado as well.

''Hey, Raleeshia. What's on your mind?''

''Well, first of all I just want to say that your English is great! How did you learn it so well?''

''Well, since Tyson and I both come from a sport that is spread all over the world, it was natural that to overcome the language barriers we had to learn a decent amount of English. Otherwise, it'd be hard to communicate with the other teams. Also, my husband is American so that helps!''

For some reason the audience laughed again. Rei was starting to wonder if they suffered from mental hysteria.

''Wow. Was it hard? Who spoke the worst English?''

''Everyone was actually pretty good'' Tyson said. ''Even the White Tigers, and they had been raised in a strict place. I was assuming all they'd learned was Chinese but apparently not.''

''Tyson!'' Hilary barked. ''You're being a bigot!''

''What? They lived in the freaking mountains!''

''Well thanks. Now the Tigers aren't going to want to come to the reunion.''

Tyson looked away like a grumpy child, muttering something in embarrassment.

''Okay, cool!'' the caller said. ''Thanks Hil! And by the way, your show is awesome!''

''Thank you Raleeshia! It's viewers like you who keep this show on the air! Now, who's our next lucky caller?''

''Hi y'all!'' another caller, also female, shrieked.

''Hi! Who might you be?''

''I'm Stefani, calling from New York!''

To Rei's nonexistent surprise the audience went wild with applause and cheers again. Lying on the couch, he wondered if he really had nothing better to do than watch a woman's talk show in the middle of the day. Hopefully Boris wouldn't walk in on him. He'd never be able to live it down.

''So, Stefani, what's your question?''

''Well, I was wondering if that hot husband of yours has any nice single friends?''

Hilary frowned, smiling awkwardly.

''Uhm… I don't know. I'm not a matchmaker.''

''Well, that's too bad then.''

''But Tyson's single. You could try him.''

Tyson immediately blushed under the merciless laughs of the audience.

''Ah, no, I'm into more mature men. But don't get me wrong, Tyson's cute 'n all!''

''Hear that Ty? She thinks you're cute.''

Tyson just glared at her uncomfortably while looking like he was trying to sink into the couch and away from sight.

''Oh, well, thanks for a great show then, Hil! Keep it cool!''

''Yeah, I will.'' The strange signal rang again indicating another caller was on the line. ''Hello? Who's on the line?''

''Hi Hilary! I'm Grace from Boston. I'm calling because I have some question for Tyson mostly.''

''Well, here he is. Fire away!''

The camera turned to Tyson who looked a lot like a deer caught in the headlights.

''Hi Tyson!'' the caller sang.

''Uhm. Hi.''

''So, I was wondering, all these rumors about Rei Kon and Boris Kuznetsov and all that stuff… are they true? I mean, since you knew them back in the days maybe you could shed some light on this?''

By now Tyson looked the most uncomfortable Rei had ever seen him in the time they knew each other. Rei's own stomach was feeling sick, but there was something familiar about that look in Tyson's eyes. It was the same sort of fierce protectiveness he'd seen whenever someone was saying anything bad about his friends. It brought brief warmth to Rei which slightly stilled his nausea. But his heart refused to calm down as he waited for the whole thing to go out of control.

''Depends on which rumors, I guess.''

''Well, first I was wondering if those two are really together. I mean, didn't they have like the biggest match ever? Which sent Rei to the hospital? I mean, I thought they hated each other! And now they're supposedly together? I mean, sure about Rei I wasn't all that surprised, but I never thought Boris was gay!''

Rei frowned.

''She wasn't surprised that I'm gay?''

''Uh…'' Tyson cleared his throat. ''You know, I don't know more than you do. I haven't spoken to any of them in a long time, so if they're together or not I guess only they know. But even if they are, what's the big deal? I mean sure Boris messed Rei up real bad, but the Russians aren't really bad people. Sure they're a bit on the cranky side, but they've got their reasons. And Boris was pretty brainwashed at that time. After they got rid of that douchebag of a leader, they turned out to be really okay guys deep inside. And I trust Rei enough to know that if he would be together with Boris, he'd have a damn good reason for it.''

A small smile silently violated Rei's lips. That must have been the nicest thing anyone had said about him and his relationship since the whole mess began.

''Second of all'' Tyson continued. ''You never know who's gay and who's not. I mean, that's not something that always shows. I mean come on, Emily from the All-Starz came out as a lesbo last year and half the fan base was shocked!''

''I wasn't'' Hilary grunted. ''She always gave off butchy vibes.''

''Okay, yeah I guess'' the caller said. ''Then, what do you know about all that other stuff the media said? Like, how Rei grew up to child abuse and stuff? And Boris being alcoholic? Do you know anything about that?''

''You know'' Tyson was almost starting to look angry by now. ''I don't really think that's anyone's business. Certainly not the media's. They spread lies everywhere they go, and if you were to believe all of it then hell, Hilary would be a bulimic gold digger and I would be the biggest slut of all time. Also, apparently there are rumors that I snort cocaine. All of that is just complete bullshit, so you shouldn't take rumors all too seriously.''

''Yeah, I guess. I just thought since you know them and all.''

''I did know them. Truth is, I haven't spoken to any of them in years and I never had any good contact with Boris. I don't know him well enough to know his middle name, and I certainly don't think he'd ever tell me if he was indeed an alcoholic. And even if he were, that's none of our business. And as far as Rei's concerned, even if I did know anything about him I wouldn't be sharing it on a talk-show. That's personal and I don't see why it matters.''

''Well, if I may just jump in here, Ty'' Hilary said not really caring for the permission. ''A lot of people have been wondering if a sport where there are alcoholics are sending a good message to our kids. Remember when Emily came out? There was a hell of an outrage, people thought their kids were going to grow up homosexual. Not that I really see what the big deal is, but whatever. Even when Johnny admitted to the press that he'd been abusing drugs people went crazy. Johnny's clean now, thank god. But people are still afraid that the Beyblading sport is just some big scam trying to brainwash children into debauchery.''

Tyson rolled his eyes.

''Yeah, well, those people are morons. Beyblade is a sport, and what the players decide to do in their free time has nothing to do with that. The BBA isn't trying to brainwash anyone into doing anything and really, I think those people just need to chill out. I mean come on, just because Britney shaved her hair off it didn't mean all her fans did.''

''Some of them did, but those people are morons in my opinion.''

''Yeah'' the caller said. ''I totally get what you're saying. Well, thank you then Tyson for clearing things up!''

''No problem!'' the champion smiled.

''Alright, that's all for now.'' Hilary said and the camera zoomed in on her face. ''After the commercial we are going to test the best hair products. Stay tuned to find out what's best for you and your hair! See you after the break!''

Rei watched the scene fade to a picture of a hamburger and reasons as to why the viewer should buy it. Almost as if in a trance, he laid motionless for a long while. His brain tried to melt all of this new information, but wasn't doing much progress.

Tyson had really stood up for him. Emily was a lesbian. Johnny was a former drug abuser. Hilary was married. American audiences thought everything was fantastic. There was a new hamburger at McDonald's with an extra slice of meat and cheese.

It was a great deal to take in under just one day.

''What are you looking so spaced out for?''

Rei snapped out of his musings when the voice spoke. Turning his head to the doorway he saw Boris looking at him like he was a mental patient.

''What are you looking at?'' Boris said and glance warily at the TV, making Rei jump to change the channel.

''Nothing! Nothing at all!''

Boris didn't look too convinced, but didn't feel the need to know.

''Okay. Whatever. I'm taking a shower.''

''Are you hungry?''

Boris shrugged.

''Meh. I could eat.''

''Where have you been, anyway? You smell like smoke and dirt.''

Boris looked at him over his shoulder. For a brief moment Rei almost thought he saw some panic there. But he waved it away, it was probably just nothing.

''You know this is London, right? Lots of dirt and smokers here''

''Alright. What do you want to eat?''

''Meh. Whatever you've got.''

With just another shrug Boris left the room to go hunt down a clean towel. Left in the living room Rei felt his own heart sink.

Something just wasn't right about this picture.