Flower_on_thewind: Hahaha, oh dear... I'm getting these chapters out so sloowly! I'm sorry, it's just with me being grounded, and Christmas productions coming up, I won't have the time to write anymore -_-; Not to mention I have writer's block creeping up behind my back every so often -_-; I'm TERRIBLY sorry! I'll try to get a chapter out at least once a week, but... I can't promise anything... -_-; stupid obligations!!! I won't be released from school until 6!!! That's, 11 hours spent at school!! For the next two weeks!! God help me...
Duo: Okay, now that her important notice is over, let's get to the good stuff.
Kevin: You don't belong here, Duo. *kicks him outta the screen* And now, thanks to the reviewers:
Jedi Princess Clarrisani: You go girl! FIRST KEVIN/LEE!!! Congrats! *Throws a party* XD _ you sense a punch up? Gee, that is kinda bloody... I'll consider it! Kevin: I HAVE BUNS TO SPARE! BUNS FOR THE POOR, NONE FOR THE RICH!! *throws Jedi Princess Clarrisani a still steaming pork bun* Enjoy ma'am.
Nishasha: hahaha, you bad girl! You shouldn't be reviewing in Infotech. Take it from me, you get... DETENTION XXXDDDD
Android71: *is being glomped* ^^ You bet, he's going, going, going, gone. T_T If he doesn't, then the series of Beyblades would never happen (with Rei that is)
rdavymac : Welcome to the group, dude! I'm sorry for not updating faster... I've just got a lot on the go... erm... well, here's the reaction of Kevin... Rei is... well... it follows after that... well, actually... argh! Just read ^^
Bread'N'Butter: Yeah, I'm starting to feel sympathetic to Lee myself... Probably out of all the characters here, I relate to him the most -_-; minus the nose. LOL Duo: someone loves my line for once!! *is in tears* thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you SOOO much!!!
Dalourice: Lee hates Rei cuz... hmm, …jealousy? I don't know... Yes, you're right... Revenge is a very vindictive thing. Horrible, yet so many people can relate to Lee! I think I'm starting to respect him as a character a bit more... I don't know about you people...
Kevin: NO, YOU MAY NOT BE A BUN THIEF TOO! I'm THE bun thief; the only one! Get your own name!! *goes on ranting how he needs to be unique and special and famous* -_-; *flower_in_the_wind unfortunately needs to give him a time out in the corner* poor baby...
VoilesDragonGurl: Hiya! You bet! Locks won't keep me away from my daily dose of ff.net. ^^ Omg, you're mad at the Salima/Kane/Rei thing too? That really got me mad... Rei should be loyal to Mariah (even though I'm not fond of her). Not girl hopping with every chance he gets! Haha, and I think Ozuma/Joseph would make a good coupling too! It's been dancing around my brain for awhile, but I'm too lazy to do anything about it... haha, I'm such a lazy butt... why don't you do it?
Kevin: Okay, I think that's it! We can finally go on with the fic. it's a longer one!
Disclaimer: I do not own beyblades in any way. If I did, Mariah wouldn't have pink hair.
Notes: "talking"
'thinking'
~* Chapter 17 *~
Rei was at home, doing his homework peacefully. Not a sound was heard except for the scratching of a pencil. Even his bit beast was quiet... well, sort of...
//ZZZZzzzZzzzZZZz...snort//
'Okay, what are the two organelles that plant cells have and animal cells don't? Explain their functions.' Erk, Rei's brain was already fried, who NEEDS to know about cells anyways? ... oh right, doctors.
Suddenly there was a loud thump on his window.
THUMP!
And boy, did it scare the living daylights out of Rei
AHHH!!!!
Rei was so startled that he flipped off his chair! "What the hell was that?" He wondered out loud before picking himself up. A distinct giggle was heard.
"I didn't even get say boo yet!"
What the- Rei spun to look at his window. Sure enough, there was Kevin, grinning in all his glory. The sun behind him cast a shadow effect, making seem like a super hero.
"Kevin! What are you doing here? And what's with the new entrance?"
Kevin cocked his head slightly to the side; a cocky gesture he picked up from who knows who. Maybe it was from Lee...
"I was jumping roofs for fun when I heard this really interesting conversation. I thought you might be interested, but since you're doing homework... I guess it could wait..."
Gah, he was teasing him. Stupid monkey...
Well two can play that game.
"Oh, come on Kevin. You already stopped me from working, might as well finish what you started. Unless, you DON'T have anything to say, and you're just over to bug me..."
" Psh, I can't even check up on my soon to be partner in crime. Wait... hang on… partner in crime... that doesn't sound catchy enough... hmm, you need a name." Kevin wracked his brain until it came to him...
"LOAF BOY!"
-_-; "Excuse me!?!?!?!" Rei choked on his saliva. "Cough, wheeze, LOAF BOY!?!? What the hell???? Why don't I call you BUN MASTER MORON??? How would you like THAT huh? HUH?"
O.O "Bun... master... moron?... HELL NO! I AM THE PORK THIEF AROUND HERE! If anything, you could call me PORK MASTER!! For I WILL become your master!"
Rei was shocked. He was angry. He was... laughing?
"Pork master? Where the heck did that come from? Hahahaha, I'm sorry, Kevin, but I do believe you mean pork slave. MY pork slave!" ((a/n: woah woah WOAH! Let's just... stop for a moment... I'm getting really bad hentai thoughts... *shudders* Okay, I'm good... boy, that was spontaneous! -_-;)
Ooh, that's it! Kevin wasn't about to be insulted in his brief moment of glory.
"Thaaaaaat's it! Nobody calls ME a slave. Whip out your Driger, we're having a battle!" there was a twinkle in Kevin's eyes... something that meant trouble for Rei.
"Dude, you're on."
Beyblades danced on the bedroom floor. The battle was just that. Nothing really serious came out of it. It was just like... play fighting! In the end, Kevin... won?
"EAT MONKEY POO!!!" The spontaneous comment made Rei loose his concentration. In Rei's confusion, Kevin somehow tricked Driger into hitting a bookshelf, which resulted in a big BOOM! Poor Driger was buried under millions of pages...
"That was dirty, Kevin!"
Kevin blinked. "Of course it is! What else would monkey poo be? Clean???"
Rei grumbled, "Ugh, that's not what I mean. What am I going to do with you?"
"Nothing!"
"Bah, you pestering monkey! What do you want???"
"Well, I came here to cheer you up! You're gunna need it..."
"Seriously Kevin, why are you here? Could it be my irresistible charm?" Rei teased. For some odd reason, his heart started to beat faster... WHY? Well, duh. How was Kevin supposed to react to THAT? Would he say 'Oh Rei, you're so irresistible! I'm gay too, did you know?' ... ... ... Okay, now we know for sure that Rei's mind is not stable... ((a/n: ack! What's wrong with me??? That was soooooo sarcastic that it's not funny! It's soooo not funny, that it's funny! Get my drift?...no? blah... I'm feeling really silly now...)
Kevin's eyebrows furrowed and his lips formed a pout. "You don't think I'm serious, do you? Here I am, trying to be a good friend, and this is what I get in return!?!" Kevin's eyes hardened and his expression turned serious.
"I was jumping around Lee's house when I saw your mom over talking with his parents."
Rei didn't like the fact that his mom over at Lee's house without him. It meant that more decisions were being made without his consent.
"And I over heard then talking about the marriage thing, and guess what?" Kevin's eyes suddenly grew very serious.
Rei's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. Adrenaline made its course through his blood. There was just this bad feeling filling the entire room. It was... scary.
"Dude, are you listening? You're getting married!"
Rei was in shock. He couldn't speak, move, or think. He was getting married. It was finalized. It was FUCKING FINALIZED!! Why? It's not like he had it easy by being the only gay person in the whole village. It's not like he asked for this... And why, of all the people in the village, why did it have to be Kevin to tell him? Why??? Rei slid to the ground as his legs finally gave way. This of course went unnoticed by him. All he could do at the moment was feel the ache in his heart grow bigger and bigger with every beat. 'But I don't love her like that! HER!! Why? When? When did they decide this? Why wasn't I there? What's going on?'
Kevin knew Rei wouldn't like what he'd say. If he knew of another way to tell Rei, he would have! Honestly. But, Kevin was still ignorant to these kinds of things. He thought that if he'd make Rei laugh a bit, then things would be okay... He thought wrong.
In all actuality, Kevin didn't know why Rei disliked Mariah. She was the coolest girl in the village, not to mention the prettiest. On top of that, Mariah liked Rei... a LOT. Any normal guy would have been happy, but Rei... Rei wasn't normal. He was above normal to Kevin. In fact, for the last couple of weeks, Kevin was beginning to idolize Rei more and more. It came to a point where he'd willingly do anything for Rei to make him happy. That's the main reason why he decided to pop into Rei's window...
"No...Why? Why You? You just HAD to make my day by telling me this." Rei was very upset now. "Kevin, why? WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS???? It's none of your damn business anyway, and-and... Kevin, why? You could have pulled out a gun to kill me or something and I would've died happy. But this?" Words failed him. He couldn't even begin to stutter out the many feelings that bombarded his very soul.
Okay, to say Kevin felt bad is an understatement. It should seem that Kevin made things worse, and gee, it didn't feel very nice. It felt like he had let Rei down somehow... He only came her to help. A good lot, that helped... Well, maybe if he talked some, it'll cheer up Rei.
"Come on, Rei! it can't be that bad! I mean, at least you are friends with Mariah. It's not like you're getting married to someone you don't even know! It could be worse. You could be marrying some snobby princess from the remote village of Mangoland! She's been your friend since forever. And you have a bonus! Mariah's very pretty! She's probably the nicest girl in the village! O_O oops, I mean...did I say that? I-I mean- um- she's the prettiest girl in the village. NO, that's what I said! Um... argh, never mind. Just forget I said anything..." Kevin suddenly wished he never said anything. He blushed deeply...
...What the hell is this??? Rei was... well, he didn't know what to make of this. Did Kevin KNOW what he was doing to him? First off, Kevin was SUPPORTING the marriage. He never really said anything about the matter before, and now it was all starting to come clear where he stood. And on TOP of that, he said Mariah was pretty and NICE! That just ain't right.
"Kevin... why are you blushing?" Rei's said in a very calm and controlled tone, but inside his heart was beating fast. Why? He didn't know. Maybe it was because Kevin never talked about 'liking' someone before. Did he like girls? Did he like Mariah? God, please no! Rei hoped not though the hope was very small. Was he scared?
"Well, Mariah's very pretty..." Kevin mumbled shamefully. "And even though she has a crabby attitude sometimes, she's really nice underneath it all."
...
...
Ouch. Rei's heart broke right there and then. You could hear the pieces shatter into little fragments... It was like nothing he ever felt before. It was horrible and felt like, like... drowning. Yes, Rei was drowning in this heavy feeling of black despair. His eyebrows furrowed and pupils turn to slits. He couldn't breathe properly – the walls were closing in! What was this feeling? It was... it was confusing. It made him dizzy...
"Are you okay Rei?" Kevin asked hesitantly. Rei's face looked pale... was it something he said? Kevin was getting worried... Did he make the situation worse? God, he hoped not... If he made Rei feel bad... then what would he do? Then suddenly, Rei started smiling and laughing loudly. It kinda freaked out Kevin at first.
"Kevin! This-I can't... hahaha, I don't believe it... You like Mariah!!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Rei forced it out. He couldn't let Kevin see him this way. Not only was it humiliating, but it would give the kid ideas; ideas which he didn't want to burden him with.
Kevin blushed beet-red. Where did this come from??? "I DO NOT!!!!"
"Stop denying it." Rei snapped playfully. However, there was a little bite to the snap. Something ugly and bitter.
"HUH?! Why would I? She's getting married to you! And- andgirlsareyuckysostopteasting!!!" Kevin stuck out his tongue. Stupid Rei was going a bit too far with his teasing.
"You're changing the subject. Come on, you know you want to admit it." Rei's voice was going a bit icy on the edge... there was a shadow hiding his face now...
Gah, there was no fighting Rei! "Fine, maybe I do like her a little! Now shut up and stop making fun of me!!!!" Kevin grabbed a pillow and smacked Rei with it... ouch... Now Rei was hurting in more than one way.
'There, now no more wondering.' Rei thought. It was all finalized. Mariah loved him, and he loved Kevin... Loved Kevin... God! He loved Kevin!! It suddenly made sense! The emotions, events, everything. It wasn't some sort of... hormone phase thing that made him realize he was gay. He was gay and in love with Kevin! He wasn't attracted to Kevin, he was utterly, honestly, and madly in love with the petite boy.
...But let's get this straight. Mariah loved him, but he loved Kevin. Kevin had a crush on Mariah, and Rei didn't want anything to do with Mariah. Mariah, unfortunately was going to be his future wife. And Lee wanted to bite his head off at any given moment for some unknown reason. There! All the problems were rolled into one! ((a/n: poor Rei doesn't know that Lee loves Mariah too. Oh well... ignorance is a bliss!)). Now, Rei had to deal with the very sad fact that Kevin was straight, which destroys any kind of happy endings to this tragic tale. Could ANYTHING get any worse???
"Woah, did I hit you too hard?" Kevin asked in concern. Rei didn't move at all! He just kinda sat there with this far away look in his eyes... "Are you thinking about the marriage?"
Rei looked at the genuine concern shining in those two glorious pools of purple. So innocent, and child-like... How could he even lie to something like that?
"Yeah, I'm thinking about it. I really don't want to, though..." his voice was sad, and forlorn.
"Gee, I really don't know what to say then... I guess I'm really sorry for breaking the news to ya. I should have let your mom do it..." Kevin muttered helplessly. His idol is in trouble, and there was nothing he could do about it. "Well, umm... how about we make some crazy plan to get out of this!? Like we always do?"
Rei smiled. Didn't he just say something similar weeks ago?
"I'd like to Kevin, but... We can't do that anymore." Rei hated to admit it, but Lee and Mariah were right. It didn't mean that Rei liked it though... and it certainly didn't mean that he'd actually go through with the wedding... a half baked plan began to form in Rei's mind..."I'd really like to, Kevin, but I wouldn't want to drag you or anyone else into this."
Kevin thought a bit so that Rei's words could sink in. then suddenly..."...Geez, Rei!!! It's like you're trying to not let me help you! We're the White Tigers! We gotta stick together! But everyone seems to be forgetting that! Its STUPID I TELL YOU! Stuuuupid. What the HELL is happening huh???"
Rei thought a bit... Kevin was right. The White Tigers were falling apart. If something wasn't done soon... Or maybe it was already too late to save it?
He tried to think of a way to make this a win-win situation, but couldn't. It all seemed totally at lost. The only way was to... maybe talk to Lee and in a great alliance... Maybe they could pull their strengths together to make a final confrontation with the elder. However, that was very unlikely. Well, it was worth trying... If that didn't work... Then maybe he would just... have to leave... he was meaning to anyways. Lee certainly didn't need him, Mariah would be just fine; she was a strong gal. Gary would be sad, but it's nothing he couldn't handle, but Kevin... the promise...
"I'm sorry Kevin, you were right! I can't give up hope. There's got to be a way out of this. I'll... I'll talk with Lee." He offered Kevin a forced smile. This was killing him.
"And if that doesn't work, we'll just come up with some fantastic plan, right Rei? Just the two of us! TOGETHER!" Kevin smiled happily.
Together? No, that'll never work. Kevin shouldn't be shunned from the entire village because of him. Heck, if he found out how Rei truly is, he'd probably want nothing to do with him! But what could he say?
"Right, just the two of us. Together." what an ugly lie... a totally, deceiving white lie that will haunt him later.
To say Kevin was happy that Rei trusted him so much was an understatement. Words could not express the limitless joy he was feeling! It bubbled and squirmed inside him until he just didn't know what to do! Rei trusted him enough to share an adventure together. Just both of them. It made him feel so unexplainably special! But why? ... Who cares why? The feeling was so strong, it made his current, immobile position feel useless -- too useless. So what did Kevin do? Well, he did what his impulses told him to do.
Kevin gave Rei the biggest, most heartfelt hug he could muster all the while giggling like a moron.
'Thank you Rei! You're the best friend in the entire world! No, scratch that. You're the best person in the entire world, EVER! I wouldn't know what to do if you were gone...'
A sad smirk was faint upon Rei's lips. How could something so simple turn so complicated? He loved Kevin! He didn't love Mariah; not like that. Having Kevin so close was intoxicating him with sweet torture... Rei tentatively returned the hug as if it were fragile.
'Kevin... if only you knew... I love you.'
This was a moment where neither would forget... neither would understand until later. Both shall have this moment haunt them for the rest of their lives...
'Rei, you'd better keep you're promise. Whatever happens, you're going to let me come too, because you promised! You promised that we'll be in this together! And I know you'll keep it. Why do I know? Well, because it's you of course!'
'...I love you... and because of that, I'm going to leave you. I can't trust myself around you anymore... who knows what I will do. We can never be together... ever. I'm... I'm so sorry, Kevin. I-I can't keep my promise.'
Here we have two people expressing themselves with not words, but actions. And as one would know: a picture's worth a thousand words. In knowing this, it would make this moment worth a million more...
Facta non Verba: actions, not words.
~* *~
Duo: You are, very Evil...
Flower_on_thewind: ... I know... *is sad about the whole situation*
Kevin: Why are you making things worse???
Rei: She has something against us, I swear!
Flower_on_thewind: NO I DON"T! honest!! ... Part one is almost over!! And part two will begin!
Everyone but Flower_on_thewind: She's gone nuts...
Duo: okay, if you think Flower_on_thewind has lost her mind, REIVIEW... if you don't, THEN REVIEW STILL SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!!
Everyone: thanks for reading!!!