Chapter 6: We Are Family Aren't We?

"Are you enjoying the island, son?"

Zeo stopped poking his fork into his Sunny-Side up egg and lifted his head from his hand to look at his father. Dr. Zagart was looking at him, waiting for a response. Zeo didn't offer one up right away. He sighed and began poking at his food again. Dr. Zagart picked up his mug and lifted it to his mouth. He blew against the steaming surface of the coffee a few times and then took a sip, gently setting the mug back down on the table.

The morning had brought another beautiful day to the island. The sun dominated a cloudless blue sky and seemed to bathe the entire resort in a golden glow. The waves crashed against the beach and the place was already alive with tourists running about, excited for their new day. A few families sat at larger tables around the two, talking quietly about their next planned activity.

"It's…okay," Zeo finally replied, timidly. The aqua haired boy took a smile bite of his egg and chewed slowly as he let his eyes move around the hotel's restaurant. Everywhere he looked fish swimming around in glass stared back at him. Their bright, colorful bodies moved gracefully through the water, being illuminated by pockets of light. Their big eyes shifted around as they slowly swam around in circles.

Zeo sighed. I know how you feel, little fish, he thought while watching a fish go around in another circle. Feeling stuck and that there's no other way to go but in circles. That must get tiring, huh? He brought a napkin up to his mouth and slowly dabbed at it.

It was a moment like this that he forgot that he wasn't real. He could eat and drink like the others, having taste buds placed on his tongue so he could experience that. He could think and speak and feel and hear like any normal person as well. But he did still have his limitations. Mainly being that he couldn't get submerged in water and that he never would fully know what it was like to be a normal kid.

Being on the island and waking up every morning reminded him of it. He had to sit down and get charged for fifteen minutes to be sure that he didn't run out of power. He had to be checked for condensation in his circuits every night. He couldn't get too angry or else his power levels would get too high and steam would fly out of his joints.

And he hated it.

Looking up at his father he studied the man's face. Fine lines collected in the corner of his eyes. In the past year more had shown up, Zeo noted, but he didn't say anything to his father about it. He didn't look as worn out or stressed as he did when he was chasing after the Sacred Spirits.

Just so I could become his son again.

Giving his head a small shake Zeo forced another bit of egg down his throat and swallowed, pushing aside the thought that he would have to get his stomach cavity emptied out later. He looked out at the fish once more and watched them swim around. It wasn't until he felt a heavy hand on his arm that he tore his eyes away from an angel fish.

"Zeo?" Dr. Zagart said. Zeo blinked up at his father. "I asked if you were having a good time," he said, his gravelly voice held a concerned undertone.

Zeo nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I met some new people. They're really nice. We were going to do something later."

Dr. Zagart nodded. "It'd be good for you," he said.

Zeo's smile stretched a bit wider. He thought that luck had been on his side when he met Alicia, Thunder, and Kaoru. They weren't afraid of him, even when they knew what he was. They accepted him into their group easily. He hadn't had so much fun in a while. And the best part was that they wanted to teach Tyson and the others a lesson.

He almost jumped for joy at that news. He and Tyson were friends once. Hell, he still continued to look up to the navy haired blader but there was a score he needed to settle. He couldn't do it on his own, he knew, and that's where the others came in.

Now Zeo began to grin.

Yes, this was going to be a good vacation.

Tyson uttered a loud groan that caused Max and Kenny to stir and roll over. Tyson tried to pull a pillow over his head but it was yanked out of his grasp. A few seconds later he felt the full force of it coming down onto his head.

"Get up, Tyson!" Kai's rough voice pierced through his lollipop-filled dream. Tyson groaned again and, this time, pulled the covers over his head. "It's time to train!"

"But Kai…" he whined. "We're on vacation!"

Kai's eyes narrowed as they swept around the sweeping group. Grunting he knelt and grabbed onto the side of Tyson's mattress. With a tug and a yelp Tyson landed on the floor with a thud, the pillows and blankets falling atop of him. Max and Kenny instantly woke up from their beds and looked sleepily over at Tyson.

"Hm. Training doesn't take a vacation," Kai grunted. "Be out in ten minutes or you'll regret it." He turned and stalked out of the room, ignoring the angry shouts coming from the room behind him. He stepped out into the hall and let out a sigh, only turning when he heard amused laughter.

"Tyson's still not a morning person then?" Ray asked as Lee grinned next to him. They were both leaning against the wall closest to the door in the hallway as they waited. Gary and Kevin were leaning against the opposite wall. Kevin only so he could stay standing, soft snores fell from his mouth alerting the others that he had gone back to sleep right after he was woken up.

Kai didn't offer up a response but crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, falling into his usual stance. While others thought that he was simply ignoring those around him in need of time to himself his brain was actually working in overtime, processing a million thoughts that were flying through his head at once.

And today his mind was being filled with questions about the Alicia girl. She seemed like just another beyblader that wanted to take down the Champions but he knew, after the battle, that there was more to it to her. Never before has Dranzer refused to come out of his blade. But as soon as he battled this girl he was a no show.

What kind of power did she posses to keep him inside? Or does Dranzer know something that I don't?

Max and Kenny finally emerged from the room, both yawning and rubbing their eyes but they did look more awake than before. It was a few minutes after that Tyson finally emerged from the room. Sleep still had its hold on him; he was looking at them all through barely-opened eyes.

"Kai, it's too early for this," Tyson whined.

"You call nine in the morning early!?" Lee exclaimed. He scoffed and shook his head, a smirk curling his lips. "Try surviving a day at the village. Up by five and down by eleven only to do it all over again the next day. This is nothing." He crossed his arms over his chest and added in a condescending tone, "But I guess that's what the city does to you. It makes you too comfortable."

"Hey!" Max cried out.

Ray placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Now there's no need for that. He's just not used to being up before noon." He chuckled and added, "His grades now make sense.

"Ha ha," Tyson laughed sarcastically. "So, where are we headed? The beach?"

"The gym," Kai replied. "You need to get your body back into shape. Beyblading isn't only about how strong your blade is, after all."

"Ugggh! The gym!? I hate the gym!"

"Why? Because it showcases how weak you actually are?" Kevin spoke up, his eyes slowly opening and a lazy smile formed on his face. "Weakest link."

Tyson expelled a breath through his nose and clenched his teeth, feeling a muscle in his neck pop out. It wasn't too long ago he remembered first encountering the White Tiger team. Kevin got under his skin back then with his 'Weaklest Link' crap and it still got under his skin now.

"Oh yeah?" He growled. "I bet I can lift more weights than you can, Shrimp."

Kevin's purple eyes drifted down to his arms. "I don't know," he drawled. "Your arms look kind of noodle-y to me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You might hurt yourself."

"I'll show you—"

"Tyson, calm down," Kenny spoke up. "Don't get yourself too worked up." He lifted a finger. "Kai does have a point,even though we're on vacation we should still get some body training in just in case those bladers come back for another battle. With our track record that's going to be an inevitable occurrence because, come on, when have we ever had a break? Us going to the gym is the best thing we can do instead of waiting around for an attack to happen."

"Shouldn't we wake up the girls, then?" Max asked while motioning to their door down the hall. "They should be training with us as well."

Tyson let out a laugh. "Let them sleep!" He locked his hands behind his head. "They need their beauty rest after all, don't they?"

Max frowned at Tyson's words. He knew for a fact that Hilary would not be happy being left out. And Mariah's reaction would be much worse than Hilary's he guessed, like Hilary she had a mouth on her and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Heck, none of the girls were.

"And besides, they'd probably just slow us down," Tyson continued. "Needing our help and everything. They can go to the spa." He waved his hand in a dismissive way and started off down the hallway. "Now come on. The faster we get there the faster we can leave!"

Max looked over at Ray who was frowning at Tyson as well. Obviously his sexist comments didn't sit right with him either. Were they supposed to chalk it up to Tyson being Tyson? He flung those sort of comments around Hilary all the time, and every single time he'd earn a thrashing in return. Yet he didn't ever seem to learn, even If his intent wasn't malicious at all. It was just how he viewed girls.

"He never learns does he?" Ray finally uttered.

"Mm-mm," Max mumbled with a shake of his head. "But then again…I guess he wouldn't be Tyson if he learned that quickly. We might as well go, before he finds himself in way over his head."

He forced his feet forward to follow his best friend, each step making the guilt in his stomach weigh heavier. It wasn't that big of a deal, he told himself. We're just letting them sleep in, that's all. But no matter how many times he told himself that the sick feeling wouldn't go away. It was the same he felt when they banished Hilary to a circle in the sand the year before for disrupting their practice and when they wouldn't let Zeo blade with them.

Max when did you become a follower?

He could practically hear the disappointment in his mother's voice. Shaking his head he forced his thoughts over to the session they were about to have, a little bit anxious. He wasn't much of a gym person himself. He preferred to get out on a bike, be in nature, not stuck in a box that smelled like a sweat sock.

But with Kai as Captain he knew he had to listen. He was always right about these things.

As soon as they got into the gym Kai gave off orders of where each person would work: Tyson would spend time on the treadmill, Max on the bike, Kevin on the elliptical, Kenny on the stair climber, and Ray, Gary, Lee, and himself would work with the weights and then the group would switch.

Max got a quick rhythm on the bike, watching a prize-awarding game show as he ignored the burning in his legs. Sweat dripped down his face and landed in droplets on the floor around him. When he wasn't lost in the show he was concentrating on keeping his breathing even and glancing down at the heart rate monitor to see where his levels were. He smiled at the numbers and eased back to a slow pedal.

Placing his hands behind his neck he turned to see how the others were doing, almost faltering at how fast Tyson was running. No doubt Kai had amped up the speed and the incline if he ever thought that Tyson was slacking. Now he was practically wind milling his arms to stay up, pushing his legs to keep him going.

"This is torture!" Tyson yelled.

"If you can speak properly you're not working hard enough," Kai responded, his words coming out slow from the grunts that were shoved in between each one as he lifted a barbell across the room. Gary was spotting him but it didn't seem as if he'd need the help. Nearby Lee and Ray were going at it on the rowing machine, as if in a silent competition with each other.

The normal with those two.

"Kai!"

Laughing, Max got off of the bike and walked over to his friend. "You know, it's alright to slow down to a walk and work your way back up again," he told Tyson. As soon as the words came out of his mouth Tyson's fingers frantically pushed at the buttons on the machine, beeps filling the room until he came down to 1mph.

"Kai…is…a…jerk…" Tyson panted, doubled over. His cheeks were almost as red as his hat underneath the fine layer of sweat that settled onto his skin. His hair lay disheveled and limp underneath his hat. "That was…ridiculous! I'm not that out of shape! I practice kendo for crying out loud!"

Max continued to chuckle as he jumped and held onto the front of Tysons's machine. He grabbed his friend's water bottle and squeezed water into his mouth. A chill ran down his spine as the water went down his throat. He could almost feel the cool liquid spread through his body and cool him down inside out.

"Yeah but that's only when Grandpa can keep you still long enough to do it," Max pointed out and set the water bottle back down into the holder. He hummed a sound of confusion at the reaction Tyson displayed once Max mentioned his grandfather. He began to tug at the hem of his shirt and then fidget with his hat, taking it off to wipe sweat off of his forehead and then fiddling with it until it lay in the perfect position.

Odd.

"Wouldn't it be better if you took that off? Aren't you hot?" Max asked.

Tyson shook his head rapidly. "Hey, no way. I never take this hat off! Never!"

Max held up his hands as if to block his words. He knew it was a loaded question. He knew the sentiments behind it but Tyson looked like a tomato! Surely it would be better for him to take the hat off to stay as cool as possible. "Okay, okay, it was just a suggestion." He paused and watched Tyson walking for a minute. "Have you heard anything from him?" Max asked.

Tyson didn't need any more details to know to whom Max was referring. "No," he replied sullenly, the light in his eyes fading a little. "Nor Daichi. Those jerks."

Max frowned. He then snapped his fingers at a thought that just suddenly came to his mind. "Grandpa's called a few times," he told Tyson.

"I know," Tyson replied.

Max blinked. He knew? But Grandpa said that Tyson never called him back. He wasn't even sure if Tyson knew he had called. "So…how come you didn't call him back?"

Tyson shrugged. "I've been busy. And you know how it is with him, once you get him started it's hard to get him off the phone and I want to be out as much as possible. I can't sit around listening to him complain about new technology all day, you know."

Nodding slowly Max stayed silent. Admittedly Tyson did have a point. Grandpa was slowly getting used to Tyson introducing new technology into his home. He had just gotten used to cell phones and he did call and awful lot and whenever Max answered it was to talk about something new he had found out about it. But Max just guessed he was lonely. With Tyson, Hiro, his own son, Daichi, Crystal, Hilary, and Kenny all gone from his home there was no one for him to talk to. He was so used to having a full house. And he called a lot when they were on the road as well.

But this was different.

Tyson always responded as soon as he heard that Grandpa had called him and now he was ignoring it?

Max forced a smile on his face. "Just give him a call later then. Just so he doesn't worry you did something stupid and got eaten by a shark."

"There's too much chatter going on over there!" Kai called.

Both Tyson and Max looked over at him. He was sitting up on the bench and staring at them hard, a wringed towel in between his hands. At once Tyson amped up the speed on his treadmill and Max went back to his machine.

Friend or not Kai was still as scary as when they first met him.

"I'm glad you brought that up," Kenny spoke up as soon as Max sat down on his bike again. Max looked over at him. "Tyson's made me come up with so many excuses for why he wouldn't talk to Grandpa."

"Really?" Max blinked. Kenny nodded. "That's weird."

"I'm beginning to think Tyson's avoiding him."

Max laughed. "No way! Tyson loves his Grandpa, no matter how crazy he is. He wouldn't do that!" Kenny didn't respond. He just hummed and went back to his workout. Max took that as his cue to do the same.

Across the gym Lee and Ray continued to work on the rowing machine. Their moves were in sync and very smooth, even a bit fluid like. They took in breaths and let it out at the same time, leaning back to pull on the machine and gently lean forward to reset the weight. Forward and back. Forward and back. Their faces were a mask of concentration. Their bare chests shone with the sweat that had settled onto their skin. The muscles in their backs and arms rippled with each tug on the machine. They worked in silent synchronicity until Lee finally broke it with a grunt.

"My arms are on fire," he groaned as he eased the handle forward and set it on the ground. Ray did the same and watched as Lee rested his arms on his knees and lowered his head, taking a few deep breaths. Reaching down next to him he uncapped his water bottle and held it out to his friend. "Thanks," Lee grunted and squirted a stream into his mouth. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and replaced the cap. "I've been thinking," he started as he passed the bottle back over. "About Driger the other day. Ray…why do you think Driger didn't come out?"

Ray took a moment to respond. He didn't know either. It hadn't happened to him before. He remembered Dragoon refused to obey Tyson once but he didn't refuse to come out when he was needed… He shrugged. "Dunno," he finally replied. "I've been thinking about it myself and I haven't been able to come up with any answers. It's just too weird."

Forcing himself to his feet Ray walked over to a bar that was suspended from the ceiling. With a small jump he grasped onto it, locked one ankle around the other, and proceeded to do a rapid amount of chin ups as he thought about the past battle.

What was weird about it was the sudden lightning storm that came up. It wasn't anywhere in the forecast and he was sure storms don't happen that fast, even if the weather was unpredictable. And it was almost as if the large cloud popped up just to hit them. They were the only ones within striking distance of the lightning, especially Max. And was he imagining it or was the lightning green…?

Ray blinked and pulled himself out of his thoughts when he felt eyes on him. Lifting himself above the bar he held on as he looked over at Lee. Lee's intense golden gaze stared right back at him. Uh oh. Ray's seen that look many times before and knew what was behind it.

"That's not the only thing you wanted to ask was it?" He questioned his partner as he let himself down and lifted up once more.

"No," Lee replied.

"I figured as much." Ray grunted and pulled himself up to the bar again. "What's up?"

Lee hesitated before finally blurting out, "It's about Mariah." Ray's head tilted slightly and his eyebrows came together. Before he could say anything he heard a loud yelp and focused his attention over to Tyson who was jumping around and holding his toe, a dumbbell lying on the ground by his feet. Kevin snickered nearby as he continued with his arm curls.

Shaking his head Ray went back to the pull-ups. "What about her?" He asked and cleared his throat. "Is she alright?"

"Besides being desperately head-over-heels in love with you, then yes," Lee bluntly stated. It caused Ray to falter slightly. He didn't expect his friend to be so candid about whatever it was they needed to speak about. Nevertheless it made a blush rise to his cheeks, a normal habit now whenever he caught himself staring at her or thinking about the Ball from a few weeks ago. "Anything to say?"

Ray continued to do the pull-ups in silence. What could he say? Nothing that would pacify Lee long enough so they wouldn't have to have the conversation. It was the only reason he's been avoiding Mariah. He felt bad about it; before everything happened he considered her one of his good friends. Someone he could go to when he wanted a laugh or to be cheered up and —not that he'd admit this to her— to get his ego stroked as well from time to time.

But now all of that went flying out the window.

Lee sighed as he continued to watch Ray. "You're really messing with her head," he informed his best friend. Ray grunted in response. "Since when are you such a coward?"

Releasing the bar Ray dropped to the ground, his feet barely making a sound on the shiny surface. Gone was the relaxed expression on his face. It was now replaced with unbridled annoyance. "I'm not a coward," he grumbled.

"So what else do you call it?"

Why won't he just leave this alone? Lee was worse than Kevin sometimes when it came to wanting to know others' business. No, he was worse when it came to wanting to know things when it came to his sister.

"Look, this is a delicate situation. I don't want things to mess up between us. Let me handle it, okay?"

"Do you like her at least?"

Ray rolled his eyes. "Of course. She's one of my dearest friends. I would not do anything as callous as lead her on. She means a lot to me."

Their golden gaze was held for a few moments. The suspicious look never fell from the lion blader's face. He finally let out a breath and shook his head breaking their stare. "I'm letting you know…if she ever comes crying to me about you…or you hurt her…Galeon and I won't go easy on you," Lee told him, his voice stern. "She's my sister and I love her to death and while I see you as a brother I will not let anyone hurt her and get away with it. Understand?"

"Yeah, I understand Lee," Ray replied, a bit taken aback. Now if only Lee could blade with the same intensity and focus as he used to. It's been so long since Ray has seen that level of intensity in his eyes, especially in a battle. It was almost as if as soon as Ray returned Lee's technique and confidence disappeared…

"Hey," Max suddenly uttered, grabbing their attention. The blond boy was looking around with a confused look on his face. "Where did Kai go?"

"If he went to get breakfast without us," Tyson groaned.

"Relax," Kenny spoke up. "We have no reason to worry. Kai always does this. I don't know why we keep wondering about his whereabouts at this point."

Kenny had a point.

"What!? They left without us!?" Hilary yelled. The man behind the counter shrank back at her outburst and stepped away from the counter as she leaned over it. "What do you mean they left without us? Are you sure?"

The man gulped. "A-all I know is what I saw, m-ma'am," he stuttered. "Th-they left about an hour ago." His voice began to shake from how hard his body was trembling. He prayed that he angry woman wouldn't swing at him or cause even more of a scene. He was just doing his job after all.

"I can't believe this," Mariah gasped with a shake of her head. Her hands were placed on her hips and a scowl sat on her lips. "What was the point of going on vacation if they don't include us?" She tossed a scoff in the man's direction. "Oh, Lee's going to get it."

"I bet this was Tyson's fault!" Hilary growled as she stepped away from the counter. "You know how selfish he can be! Well, wait until I see him again! Leaving us out! That's ridiculous! Are we not a part of their teams? I tell you, they wouldn't have gone far if it weren't for us!"

Crystal stood away from the ranting girls, their loud voices echoing around the lobby. A few passersby stopped to see what the commotion was about and that was when she distanced herself. No need to let others know that she was friends with them at that moment. She didn't want to be pulled into the embarrassing scene.

Lifting a thumb to her mouth the black haired blader began to chew on the nail and stayed quiet as she watched them. They were beating down the 'relax' part of the vacation, that was for sure, with how worked up they were getting over something so trivial. She sighed. So what if they went to the gym without them? It wasn't as if they needed the boys around to be able to do something on their own and a break from the boys every now and then was a good thing.

Finally she dropped her hand from her mouth when she felt a thin nail land on her tongue. She looked at her thumb and wrinkled her nose as the mangled nail that was left behind. Looking around to be sure no one was watching her she casually spit the nail into the dirt bed of a nearby potted plant.

"I've never been more insulted in my life," Hilary mumbled as the two girls walked over to the lone Chinese blader.

Crystal blinked. "You two are making too big of a deal about this," she sighed while brushing a braid behind her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world. See, now you go tan again without interruptions. Hilary, Tyson won't be making comments about your magazines." She paused as a thoughtful look came to Hilary's ruby red eyes. "And you, Mariah, don't have to worry about Kevin throwing hermit crabs at you again."

Mariah looked as if she were about to protest but her shoulders slumped. "She has a point," Mariah said with a sigh, sounding almost as if she didn't want to admit it.

Bright blue eyes jumped towards the ceiling before completing their roll down to a normal position. Just then Crystal flung her hand to her back pocket where her phone lay and grabbed onto it when it buzzed. "I want to go check out the video games they have here, get some fun in before Tyson barges in and becomes competitive about it. Why don't you two go get a manicure?" She began backing away when her phone buzzed once more. "Afterwards we can go to the beach and I can start a crash course on Beyblading with you, Hil."

She did not wait for a response as she turned around and walked quickly towards the hall that would take her to the game room. Once she was sure she was out of their sight she pulled out her phone and checked the screen. An envelope sign on it flashed signaling that she had a text message. She smiled.

Finally.

Flipping the cover of the phone shut with a jerk of her wrist she looked out towards the lobby again. The girls had left. Perfect. Straightening up the Chinese blader walked out of the hotel and down the street, following the directions into town that the concierge had given her earlier.

Six blocks South, four West, and two South again. Easy enough.

She turned her face upwards towards the sun and smiled at the beauty that surrounded her. Everything looked fresh and crisp. No wonder people always lamented about not living on a tropical island. Everyone was so relaxed and happy. If she had the chance she'd live there as well. Time would slow down and nothing would matter but to live life and enjoy it.

Her smile quickly turned to a frown at that thought. It wasn't as if she'd ever be given that chance. With a heavy sigh and a heart to match she continued on her way, glancing in at different store windows along her walk. Finally she reached the meeting spot. Pressing her palms against the window she looked around to see if she could spot a familiar face. When that tactic drew a blank she brought out her phone to compose a message but stopped when a shadow fell over her screen.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," the man said, chuckling at Crystal's first instinct to jerk out of the way. Her muscles instantly relaxed and her heartbeat slowed down, allowing a small smile to form on her face.

"You didn't. I'm naturally a bit jumpy, that's all," she responded as she craned her neck to look up at the tall man. He was easily a little more than six feet in height, casting a shadow over the small girl. His short midnight blue hair, styled to perfection (maybe with a little help of gel?), faded to gray around his ears. Fine lines formed in the corners of his eyes when he smiled, his deep purple eyes seeming to lighten at the gesture while a smile formed on his mouth.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Hiwatari." She clasped her hands together and bowed, feeling the heavy weight of her braids falling in front of her face and lightly tugging on her hair. "I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. If it weren't for you…" she let her voice trail off as she stood again.

I'd probably be dead.

He chuckles and holds up his hands. "I should be the one thanking you. And please, call me Susumu. Shall we?" He reached for the door and pumped the handle. With a grand sweeping gesture of his arm he ushered her inside and walked straight to the woman standing at the hostess stand. "Table for three, please. Someone else is coming a bit later if you would be so kind as to be on the lookout. He's a little shorter than me, two-tone hair, blue triangles painted on his face—long story," he said at the skeptical expression which appeared on her face.

She nodded and silently gathered three menus. "Right this way," she uttered and then led them through the crowded. Again Susumu motioned for the younger girl to move ahead of him. She quietly followed the woman past tables filled with quietly talking patrons until she stood by a table near the back of the room.

Crystal had begun to reach for her seat when Susumu stopped her and pulled out her chair. Ducking her head to block her red cheeks she sat down in the seat and lifted her feet off of the ground for him to push in her seat for her. And they say chivalry was dead. To distract herself she grabbed the menu, opened it up, and held it in front of her face. What stared back at her were bright pictured and some kind of alien language.

Squinting, she pulled the menu away from her face and then brought it closer again, repeating the process a few times before huffing in defeat and setting the menu down. Susumu looked at her from across the table with lifted eyebrows. "You already decided."

She nodded wordlessly. It was a strange sight, seeing Susumu up close. Kai looked a lot like him, the same piercing eyes, the same strong jaw, and the same facial expressions. The only difference was that Susumu smiled more often, giving him a softer look to his face and an innocent air to his persona. Kai's was always as hard as stone and radiated the need to be alone.

She understood to some degree. She did prefer to be alone on some occasions, especially when she felt overwhelmed by the others and how outgoing they were. Max she got used to, because he was Max. He was a ball of energy that was made to befriend everyone he came across. It would not surprise her in the least if he was born with a sign in his hands that read 'Do you want to be my friend?' No one would be able to deny him. But when their friendship started to scare her she'd back away and put a wall back up to keep them out.

There was no need for them to get too close. She'd join in one the fun and act silly and let go when she needed to. All in due time. But they always acted as if she were about to break and they were walking on eggshells around her and, well, one can only take it for so long.

The waitress came back and asked for their orders. Susumu went with a simple sandwich and some coffee while Crystal rattled off her favorite, and usual, order: a bacon cheeseburger with fries and lemonade. She didn't even have to think twice about ordering it now; it seemed to bounce off of her tongue as soon as any waiter or waitress asked the question. As if a part of her muscle memory was triggered every time.

"How is Kai?" Susumu asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled over the table. Crystal looked up from the sugar packet she had been flicking idly as she waited for their meals to arrive.

She paused. How was she to even approach answering a question like this? On some days it felt as if Kai wasn't all that different to her than what Tyson explained about him one day: he was quiet, stoic, insensitive, and a loner. But then there were other days, other instances, where he would stay in their company, even contribute a time or two to their conversations and shock them all with the simple gesture just to fall back into his normal routine. It was safe to say he was anything but predictable.

"He's…alright," she finally managed to reply. That was a safe word. Yeah, that worked. "He's healed perfectly from the BEGA tournament. We've all taken a bit of a break on beyblading so I can't tell you much on that front." Underneath the table she began to rub at her arm and shift in her seat. A weight settled in her stomach as she relayed the information. "I'm pretty sure he's not going to use Black Dranzer ever again. I asked the others about it but they wouldn't go into details with their experience but I managed to gather enough information to piece together that something happened."

Susumu slowly nodded and rubbed his chin which was covered in alight stubble. "Good, good," he hummed.

Silence settled over them again. When it wasn't interrupted by Crystal's chair shifting every time she moved to get comfortable. But no matter how she sat she couldn't get comfortable. She wasn't too comfortable with the whole thing, going behind Kai's back just to speak to his father about him. She couldn't imagine he'd be happy with it. Hell she wouldn't be happy with it if someone did that to her but in this case she was trying to push her guilt and apprehension aside.

This wasn't about right and wrong, it was about bringing a family back together.

They had gotten halfway through their meal going through short conversation topics like how they were enjoying the island, beyblading, and their next plans when Susumu finally suggested texting Kai to get him there. Nodding Crystal left the table and paced near the bathrooms to keep the feeling of nausea at bay. When she finally gathered enough courage to lift her phone to her face her hands were trembling so much that she couldn't type a thing with her thumbs.

Get a grip! You're just helping Susumu see his son again. You're not doing anything illegal!

Finally she was able to get her body to stop shaking and compose a text to the Captain. Biting down on her thumbnail again she waited for his response. She got on and sent another text back, waiting a bit longer and then got another response of him saying he'd be coming and that it better be important.

Oh you have no idea.

She went back to the table and tried to sit still and finish her meal but she was too jumpy. Her leg started to bounce beneath the table and then her hands started to shake so much that she almost dropped her glass three times. It came down to it that she had to sit on her hands and cross her ankles to keep from destroying anything within her reach.

"Relax," Susumu hummed. He calmly lifted his mug to his mouth and drained the last bit of his coffee. But he didn't tip his head back excessively like most others commonly did, he merely tilted the mug even higher. With a small sigh he gently set the mug down on the table. "Everything will be fine. You're more nervous than I am."

A small smile split Crystal's look of nerves. She forced a few deep breaths and in and out and began a slow breath in routine she learned in a few fo the meditation practices the White Tiger team went through. In with peace, out with nerves. In with peace, out with nerves. In no time she felt relaxed all over again.

Unfortunately that didn't last too long.

"Father."

Susumu calmly looked up from the table when he was addressed. Crystal forced herself to stay in her seat so as not to look over at Kai. "Son," Susumu replied while standing, setting his napkin down on his half eaten meal and approached the phoenix wielder.

The Hiwataris stood looking at each other. Any other sound in the café seemed to be muted as more time went on. Finally Susumu was the first one to move. He reached out for his son; Kai didn't move but let his father hold onto him, placing a hand atop of his head as he ruffled the younger boy's hair. Crystal almost fell out of her chair when she saw Kai's face soften.

Who knew that was even possible?

"Please, sit down," Susumu said as he gestured to the empty seat next to him. Kai's eyes slid in the girl's direction and then back over to his father. He then moved around the table and sat down next to his father. "It's been so long." Kai grunted. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here." At those words Kai cut his eyes at the smaller girl who was trying to make herself appear as small as possible. "I wanted to explain to you my reasoning for leaving."

"I understand perfectly," Kai told him. "You abandoned us."

Susumu shook his head. "Kai, that's not what I did."

"Then what else do you call picking a toy over your own family?" Kai demanded.

Susumu sighed. "Natalya could understand. I don't know why you won't—"

Kai's fist fell heavily down on the table. The other patrons in the restaurant jumped and looked around to see who it was that had made the noise. It was not hard for them to deduce that it was the two-toned teen in the corner, his eyes narrowed. "Don't bring Mom into this! Because of you I was stuck with the sadistic bastard you call a father!"

"I know, I know," Susumu sighed. "That's why I'm here. To make everything up to you and, maybe start over?"

Kai's eyebrows lifted. "Start over?" He repeated.

Susumu nodded. "I know we can't go back to what our lives were like before but…maybe we can move on and—"

"Just forget everything that happened? I'm sorry but, unlike you, I can't just ignore part of my life."

With a loud scraping sound Kai pushed his chair back from the table and stalked off. Susumu's shoulders slumped and he clasped his hands together atop of the table.

"I'm sorry…I thought this would be a good idea," Crystal uttered, even though she knew she didn't have anything to be sorry about. Not really, anyway. It was bad on her end for pulling the wool over Kai's eyes but she was doing a good thing! Trying to get his family back together. She was only trying to find a way to pay Susumu back for all that he did for her.

Susumu slowly shook his head. "It's not you, this was sprung on him. Maybe if we give him some more time…" his voice trailed off and looked at his watch. "It's probably just too much for him right now. But you should go, enjoy your time with your friends." He lifted a hand to flag down the waitress for the check.

"Okay. I'm sorry, again. Goodbye." Crystal jumped up from her seat and shuffled past the waitress that had moved towards their table and rushed to the front of the building, catching up to Kai as he reached the foyer. "Kai, stop! You didn't have to do that! He just wanted to talk to you.

"What do you know?" He demanded, whirling around to glare at her. She stopped in her tracks at him raising his voice. "Why don't you keep your nose out of my business? You know nothing about myself or my family."

"I was just trying to help," she explained. "I know how upset you must be about the whole thing and—"

"You know nothing!" He repeated, his voice raising so much so that she flinched. Once again he gained the attention of anyone within earshot to turn and look towards him. One glare sent their way made them go back to what they were doing. "You don't understand anything about this. Stop acting as if you do." He turned on his heel and continued walking out again.

She glared at his retreating back and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "You know, you're lucky," she said to his back. Her suddenly speaking caused him to stop in his tracks but he didn't look around. She curled her hands into fists and held them at her side. "You have your father right here wanting to be back in your life, wanting a second chance, and you're turning your back on it. You're lucky he's reaching out. You're lucky you have parents at all! Stop being a brat about it! He's here, for you. You may not get this chance again, don't him for granted. Not everyone in the world gets an opportunity like this and I know those that would kill for it wouldn't shit on it like you're doing. Get over yourself, honestly!"

Instead of waiting for him to respond she stomped past him and yanked open the door so hard she was surprised her arm wasn't pulled out of its socket at the force along with the heavy door. She hesitated for a moment and uttered without turning to look at him, "You're the same way with the rest of us, no matter how hard we try to get you to realize we care about you. One day we won't be there…and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

With a shake of her head and a look of disgust thrown his way she left.

A/N: And we are back with another chapter!

I've been working on this one all week and I'm finally happy with the way it turned out! We have a little bit of everyone in this one to highlight future problems and hint at others. Originally this chapter was much longer but I decided to cut it in half so it didn't drag so the next one will be up soon! Thanks to all of those that have read and reviewed so far, I love seeing your reactions and what you think is going to happen next.

Recently I went back to watch Beyblade from the first season and I fell in love with the show and the characters all over again. Part of it was nostalgia and part of it was to be sure I'm getting the characters right. (Kai's a tough cookie!) Which makes me have to ask, who are your favorite characters and why? I love all of the Bladebreakers for different reasons but my top is Ray, it switches with Kai sometimes but Ray's usually it.

So hit that review button and let me know what you think, how you're feeling, and maybe how your Easter is going so far. I've had a lot of candy already and I'm going to tackle my chocolate bunny later. Also, do you think you'd be able to stand up to Kai and his wrath? Either Crystal is crazy or she's really not afraid of him.

Thanks to...

Rangerapprentice - You're right on your guess with their powers but the question is if it's them specifically that has the power or something else? I can tell you though that Thunder cannot control the weather, none of them can. I can't wait for you to see the rest of the story, I'm sure you'll enjoy what I have in store.

Aldamonburst - Thanks! It's good to see your presence again!

OragneSpartans - What makes you think what Zeo's doing is him going to the dark side? Muahahahaha.

Cat - I do have the idea for part three written and a few chapters done as well but I have to get through this story first. I will admit it's taking me a bit longer than I planned, I expect to take a year to get only six chapters up but I know what I'm doing so the others should follow suit a bit more regularly.

and Guest for the reviews! And thanks to all that take the time to read my story.

~C.M.