Chapter 26
The day had already started, but Tala just resignedly stared out the window in his room, following the roam of fancy cars on the distant highway from the great height with dry eyes. He managed to catch a few hours of sleep after the eventful day he and his team had had yesterday, however, his mind was far from restful. He also felt an uncomfortable tug in his heart strings whenever he remembered his friendship with Boris, uncertain what to do with the facts he had just learnt about the boy he trusted the most in his life. Or he thought he had trust.
Every time this happened, and his thoughts wandered off, he reminded himself of his primary duties.
Tala needed to figure out his next steps. Truthfully, he felt annoyed that he had to waste the capacity of his mental energy to the incident from yesterday. As a captain, he couldn't let it go without addressing Boris, although, he would gladly forget it and just move on, focusing on the next set of beybattles. He wanted to win and that was all he cared about. He didn't want to deal with Boris's past or his problems, he didn't want to look back. Then again, as a captain, he needed to be responsible.
He felt the urge to find some kind of punishment for Boris as a consequence of his actions. Not a draconian one, as they needed to win the tournament, but he didn't want a loss of prestige either. The burden sat heavily on his shoulders. Making tough decisions as a captain was a lonely mission, though he had already got used to the responsibility. Volkov had chosen him to play this important role and represent the BioVolt for a good reason back then. Tala hated, detested that man, but he couldn't deny the unique skill of Volkov for having had a good eye to discover the hidden talent in children.
When he noticed the small noises and murmurs from the other bedroom – the obvious sign that the boys woke up –, Tala quickly stepped out of his room to meet them before they sneaked out to have breakfast. It was only early morning, the kitchen probably just opened, but the Blitzkriegs rarely overslept, and also liked avoiding the crowd, so the moment their eyes cracked open, they hurriedly dressed up, and headed to the dining hall. Strict habits they would probably never be able to break in their life anymore.
The redhead opened his bedroom door with a big, swift movement that instantly caught the other two boys' attention, stopping them in their tracks.
"Oh, so you're awake. Great!" Sergei confirmed, not bothering to keep his voice low anymore. He expected Tala to join them and have breakfast together, but the captain quickly made it clear he didn't share Sergei's plan.
"Go ahead, I have to discuss something with Boris first."
Boris jerked his head up, then he and Sergei shared a meaningful look.
"Roger." Sergei nodded in a serious manner, sensing the gravity in Tala's tone.
When the door closed after Sergei, Boris turned to the captain with a frown. After a close look, Tala could see the fatigue on his face. The events and the emotional roller coaster of the previous night clearly affected the older boy. The redhaired presumed that it would take some time to Boris until he processed what happened between him and Alexandra.
Anyhow, Tala couldn't allow himself or his team to sink into an emotional pit right now, they were in the middle of a championship they needed to win.
"Sit." Tala ordered gently, pointing at the direction of the writing desk.
Boris obeyed and waited for him in grave silence. Tala took his seat on the other side of the table, and avoided the pale eyes for a short time while he organized his thoughts in his mind. It was not easy to say what he wanted.
Eventually, he looked up and already knew he was going to destroy and undermine the remaining trust in their friendship. But he was also certain that Boris was not going to oppose him, and only that mattered to him right now.
oOoOo
Irritatingly, Tala had to knock already two times on the door to get a respond. He had sent Boris after Sergei to have breakfast. He himself paid a quick visit to Alexa.
When she finally answered and invited him in with a rushed hand gesture, he figured that probably his knocking woke up the blonde. Tala scrutinized her appearance too just like he did in Boris's case several minutes ago, and he could say with absolute confidence that she looked worse. The wound on her head needed time to heal, her hair was a mess, the make-up she hastily removed from last night darkened her eye even more, and her sluggish posture told him she hadn't slept a lot at night, rather looked in pain.
"How do you feel? Are you still hurt?" He inquired.
"No. I'm okay." Alexa rejected.
Tala stared at her, pointedly.
"Maybe a little headache." She admitted reluctantly, then quickly added, "I can play."
Tala ignored her last sentence. He was far from certain that Alexandra was in the proper condition to play, but given the circumstances, the team didn't have much choice. Instead, he absentmindedly examined her face. Without her usual mascara, Tala found the girl's features boring, almost ugly. It was a good idea for her to use make-up every day.
"I heard you had a little chit-chat with Boris after the incident."
Alexandra shifted uncomfortably at the comment.
"Yes. We met in the training room, and he apologized to me. I accepted it." She guardedly summarized for him.
For a minute, Tala looked deep in the only green eye, seeking for any sign of hard feelings. When he found none, he tried a more direct method.
"Would you be okay with him staying in the team?"
Alexandra's jaw moved, but her voice was not heard. She looked conflicted.
"I need an honest answer." Tala said.
There was no bad answer to this question. Although, truthfully, he would go on with the team without any change, regardless of her answer.
The blonde's eye dropped to the ground and ran back and forth, obviously examining her sudden thoughts and feelings about the Lethal Archangel. After a brief silence, she looked up.
"I'm okay with it. I'm here for a purpose. I wanna win the championship."
It was the first time that Tala could respect Alexandra as a full member of his team. They had the same goal. It was a relief that they were on the same page.
Sadly, he had to continue their conversation with a less pleasant topic.
"Yesterday, we talked about trigger points. I asked about yours, but somehow it remained unanswered. We learnt about Boris's in the hard way, and that cost our team a lot. Mostly my trust in him. I'd like to avoid any similar situation in the future. If you get me." Tala emphasized, expecting an accurate answer from Alexandra this time.
She immediately folded her arms and breathed through her nose, visibly not pleased with the unsaid request from the captain. After a few seconds, she gingerly shook her head.
"I can't." Alexa said firmly, but her low voice betrayed her feelings. She didn't dare to even look into his piercing eyes anymore.
Tala heard her saying no, yet his instincts told him to put some more pressure and she was going to tell him the answer. The blonde was vulnerable.
The captain stepped closer, so close that his two hair strands almost touched her face, invading her personal space while Alexandra just kept staring at her boots.
"It's alright. I'll keep your secret." Tala spoke gently, but his voice was filled with greed.
He saw how she struggled to talk; he saw her intention to speak but couldn't form the words. It must have been a secret she had buried deep, deep inside her soul. Probably Tala would be the first and only one to whom she had talked about this sensitive information ever in her life, and that thought itself stroked his ego.
"Alexa, I need to know to prevent these situations in case someone speaks the wrong words to you. I want to protect you and the others. Just like you protected Kai yesterday."
At the name of the phoenix, she glanced up at him, but her eyes fell back to the floor right away. Tala didn't know the girl for a long time, but it was still unnatural to see her so shy and insecure.
And now, he was certain that Alexa was going to tell him what he wanted to hear. He felt the power in his hands. His self-complacent almost muddled his clever thinking, he enjoyed so much this moment. Tala got the upper hand; he directed and manipulated their conversation as he pleased.
Boris was right. Tala just had to mention Kai, and Alexandra instantly responded to it. Now, he was truly curious regarding the answer. Not really for the sake of his team or winning the championship anymore, but rather possessing such a valuable secret.
"Alright." She finally spoke up, licking her lips nervously.
She stepped away from him, and Tala immediately felt that the spell he managed to put on her somehow, broke.
"Alright." She said again. Her words were hesitant. "I can't stand it when people despise me. And making me a target as a laughingstock."
Tala bored into her eye, and the green stared back with the same stubbornness, almost challenging him. He didn't like what he saw. He didn't like what he heard either.
She was lying.
There was nothing to worry about, though. Tala didn't lose his countenance. It would have been too easy to get that secret out of her so quickly. He knew how to play this game, and he still got big guns up in his sleeve.
"Did you know that Kai was also trained in the dungeon levels in the Abbey?" He offhandedly asked and watched closely Alexandra. "Maybe you two even met."
"How is this relevant?" She shot back with vicious defense, then, realizing her hasty reaction, she continued in a more contained tone. "I never saw him there. I was strictly locked down, as I already said yesterday. Why do you ask? Did you talk to him about this? Does he know something about me and the girls?"
The green eye stared at him with indignation and worry at the same time.
"Kai described to me the fight between you and Boris. I wanted to know how much damage Boris did. Then we vaguely talked about your special training in the Abbey."
"You told him about our training?!"
"Vaguely." He repeated impassively to remind Alexandra not to cross a line with him. "I tried to probe into his training in the Abbey, but of course, I had no use for him. He can't remember."
Tala folded his arms in his annoyance, too. This had always bothered him in Kai. He couldn't decide whether he tried to get away from the bad childhood memories, or if he truly had amnesia. Personally, he didn't think Kai was someone as coward, but the amnesia always served him a good reason to avoid unpleasant questions.
"What do you mean he doesn't remember?" Alexandra frowned.
Tala's eyebrows ran up.
"Don't you know? He got amnesia. He doesn't remember anything from the Abbey."
He was expecting some readable reactions from the girl, though he was surprised by the many emotions he could catch in a mere few seconds on her face. She looked completely confused and concerned, but her clenched fists silently screamed anger.
"I thought you were a better investigator regarding your opponents." Tala remarked, provoking her further in hope of some direct reaction to prove Boris's presumption regarding Alexandra's weakness.
He could see how the fury was gradually building up in the girl, when there was an unexpected knock on the door.
The captain mutely cursed. How much he hated being interrupted, especially at such a crucial moment.
Seeing that Alexandra was too caught up in her emotional tornado, Tala arbitrarily decided to respond to the knock. With a few swift long steps, he opened the door and glared at the interrupter menacingly.
It made its effect as the hotel servant winced under the vibrant, frightening eyes of Tala before he started to talk.
"Good day, sir! I'm looking for Ms. Katin. There's a letter delivery for her."
"She's right behind me." Tala replied, giving a peek to the guy at the blonde as a proof. "Give it to me, I'll hand it to her."
Before the guy could oppose it or say anything, Tala grabbed the white envelope with Alexandra's name on it and simply ripped it out of his hand. Then, without saying goodbye, the captain shut the door in his face, annoyed with him for disrupting his important conversation with such a trivial cause.
When he returned to Alexa, he saw that she was still riding her personal emotional roller coaster in her head.
"Is everything alright?" Tala asked in a tone that rather demanded attention instead of being affectionate, and nearly tossed the envelope into the blonde's hand.
That finally snapped her out. Alexandra blinked, suspiciously examined the envelope then started to tear it open, ignoring Tala's question.
"I also want to know what happened during your battle with Max." He moved to the next bullet point. He knew the moment to inquire impertinently into Alexandra's personal life evaporated, it was futile to chase it further.
Alexa stopped fidgeting with the envelope and frowned, visibly struggling to recall what had happened in the mentioned battle.
"I don't remember telling you to smash your opponent's beyblade." Tala added, giving her a hint.
"Is it a problem? That I destroyed Draciel?" She asked back in a daring tone, purposely misunderstanding Tala's intention. Her audacity tried his patience.
"What happened in the ring, Alexandra? Did I see well that Baladrac tried to break out?"
"Well. You yourself said that you wanted to win against the Bladebreakers. I just fulfilled the command you gave me." Alexa said, somewhat irritated, making him clear that she was still angry at him for ignoring her opinion regarding the team's strategy.
"Right." All he said.
He let the silence work for him. Tala knew that Alexandra was uncomfortable under his rebuking stare. No one could stand it, and Tala loved this skill.
The blonde eventually dropped her challenging gaze to the ground, surrendering to him.
"It seemed to me you somewhat lost control over your bitbeast in the end. If you can't control it, you're not worthy to wield it. Hence, you endanger our chances to win the championship. Unless we won't get banned sooner thanks to your and Boris crazy brawl." Tala grumbled the last sentence to himself. Still pissed with his teammates. "You must train more."
Alexandra nodded dutifully.
Tala now eyed the envelope that was still in the blonde's hand.
"Open that damn letter. I wanna know it's nothing official from Mr. Dickenson."
At the idea, Alexa visibly tensed, worried that she might be suspended from the championship. She clumsily opened it with hurried movements, and when she saw its content, she froze.
Alexa was not simply scared. She was terrified.
"What is it?" Tala demanded nervously. "Is it really from the BBA?"
He was already moving to take a look at it by himself when Alexandra woke up from her stupor and snatched it out of his reach, hiding it from the captain's eyes.
"No!" She denied with more vehemence that it was reasonable. Then right after, she added in a calmer but firm voice. "It's some… personal stuff."
Tala could feel his face darkened.
"I see. Just make sure it doesn't affect our game in the championship."
He turned to the door, considering their discussion closed. When he put his hand on the doorknob, he gave a sidenote to her.
"Don't forget to put on your make-up before you join us for the training. You look awful."
"Aye, sir."
The hotel was silent and empty, only a few wandered around at this early hour. Although, the corridors became more busy nearing the dining hall.
And, of course, he had to run into the stuck-up snob, who didn't miss the opportunity to give him a scowl. None of them bothered to stop for a word, they barked at each other on their path like two misbehaving dogs during their walk.
"Is this how you solve your problems, now? Throwing a party?"
"I know you like playing the mystic, shady guy, but don't talk if you can't be straightforward." Tala pretended.
"I was quite straightforward last night." Kai snarled back above his shoulder, already moving away.
Tala didn't respond to the provocation. He gave a crap at the phoenix's threat. The Head Office of BBA was inevitably going to learn about their mess sooner or later, he might even carry on with his usual routine. He knew anyway that Kai was too eager to fight the best, and now, that he battled in the same team with Tyson, he needed to find another worthy opponent. Kai was not a foul to waste such an opportunity in favor of some dumb morality.
Sergei and Boris were still in the dining hall. More accurately, he found Sergei at one of the tables with two trays. Boris was away, talking to others at different tables.
"Bad mood? I wonder why." Sergei joked cautiously.
"Whose idea was the party?" Tala tried to ask casually but couldn't hide his sharp disapproval.
Sergei shrugged.
"Mine."
Tala gave a hostile stare without stopping buttering the bun in his hand.
"He lost a bet. I had to punish him somehow, but he looked miserable. Hence, the party idea. I told him to throw one right after the quadra finals for all teams. To be honest, we all could use some distraction." Sergei explained. "Are you coming?"
"No."
"This was one of the most definite 'no' I ever heard from you and that's an understatement."
The captain bit into his bun with self-satisfaction.
"I have to figure out our strategy for the semi-finals." He explained.
"Haven't you figured it out already?"
"I have, but always can be found a better plan."
"The team really needs a teambuilding event."
"A teambuilding." The word rolled on his tongue like a cursing.
Sergei grumbled in distress.
"Tala, the team's falling apart, and if you can't notice it with your own eyes, your self-importance is a more serious hurdle than I originally thought. Between you and Boris, trust is broken, I can feel the tension every time you two stand in the same room. Now, I can't talk on behalf of Alexandra, but she looked completely lost yesterday. Metaphorically, you stripped those two to bare skin in front of us, and if there's something that could put in danger your big plans regarding the championship, is the distrust that everybody feels right now."
Before Tala could say anything against him, Boris returned and threw himself on the chair beside Sergei with a loud, tired exhale. At the same time, Alexa noisily arrived as well, sat down on the other side of the table, across from the three boys, and began rapidly devouring her ham and eggs without a single word. She looked a lot better with her usual make-up.
"Almost everyone is informed about the rave-up tonight." Boris announced, an arm relaxing on the chairback.
"And what are we gonna drink to? Victory or suspension?" Tala sulked, making his standpoint clear.
The boys ignored him.
"Did you talk to the Bladebreakers, too?"
Boris curled his lip up as a reply to Sergei's question.
"No. For some reason, it's hard to find a good opportunity to approach them when they all are eager to murder me with those big, puppy eyes. Fucking pussies. Don't you wanna invite them instead of me?"
Sergei hummed like a blue whale under the ocean's weight.
"Hilary's your girl-pal."
Alexandra looked up from her bacon with a frown when she realized Sergei was talking to her.
"Where did you get that nonsense?" She asked with a full mouth.
"You had a good chitter-chatter with her the other day."
"And? You think she's my bitch now?"
Tala cocked an eyebrow at the harsh comeback. His team was in an unusually grumpy mood that day, it seemed.
"Tell you what." Boris spoke up, leaning closer to her through the table that made instantly Alexandra alert. "You invite those jerks and I'll owe you a favor."
The blonde snorted at the absurd idea.
"You already owe me a favor, asshole. Why are they so important? Can't you just exclude them?"
"They already know about the party." Tala chipped in behind his cup of black tea.
"Excellent! Problem solved, then."
"Rude!" Sergei booed at her. "Everyone else was invited properly."
"Okay, tell ya what." Boris cut in. "Let's have rock paper scissors. If I win, you'll talk to the Bladebreakers about the party. If you win, I'll be your Hilary-bitch for a day. Will do anything you ask of me. What do ya say?"
Alexandra tilted her back and laughed again.
"You can be my Barbie, then. I always wanted one of those. Put on you some fancy pink clothes with a fur purse."
The boys on Boris's two sides tried their best to regulate the upward curve in the corner of their mouths.
"If you have death wish." The pale boy uttered slowly and with sensible pain in his voice at the thought itself.
The blonde showed her interest with an impressed lopsided smile then continued in a more casual manner.
"Still don't get it why you want them so hard to participate your lame party."
"I don't. But inviting them would be a nice gesture to make atonement. For our sins."
"What our sins? You beat the crap out of me and Kai, you jerk!" Bacon pieces flew everywhere as Alexandra sputtered at Boris.
"You seriously think a party rectifies what you did?" Tala interrupted, slightly mortified.
"The captain's right. They'd get more use of a cougar in their virgin life." Sergei added offhandedly.
Boris and he shared a look then snickered.
"Just tell one of them yourself. Are you scared, or what?" Alexandra refused, though Tala had a feeling she was just messing with Boris.
"Scared, my ass. They're annoying and talk my ear off."
"Wow, so tempting to help you out." She deadpanned but continued after a beat. "Make it a whole weekend and I change my mind."
The Lethal Angel growled but accepted the deal.
"Are you okay with this?" Alexandra looked at Tala, requesting his approval.
"I give a shit, just win the tournament."
He should print this on his shirt.
"Great!" Alexa nodded at the business and flashed a disgustingly sickly-sweet smile at Boris. "Your first task will be inviting personally Kai and his team to your crappy party in front of everyone in the stadium."
Boris scrunched his face and glared at her like he'd been biting into a lemon, while Sergei guffawed as he leant back on his chair with hands on his nape, clearly enjoying the bickering of his teammates. Tala hardly could hide the grin behind his cup. It was a rare sight when Boris got cornered by others, a girl, nonetheless.
"Chickened out already?" She urged him with brows high on the forehead, belittling.
"Why would I? It's just a fantasy in your head."
Both Alexandra and Boris stretched out a fist, and after mutely counting to three they chose their own shape. Alexandra formed paper, Boris – scissors.
"Fuck me." She cursed under her nose, turning back to the remainder of her breakfast.
Boris shouted triumphantly.
oOoOo
Alexandra got the chance to talk to the Bladebreakers sooner than she had expected. They had finished their training before Yuriy dismissed them, so after asking the captain's approval, she sneaked to the glass door and asked Hilary for a word. She thought the brunette could convince more easily the others as the boys still seemed to hold a grudge against the Blitzkriegs.
The Japanese girl eyed her in suspicion, but she responded to Alexa's call, while the boys from both teams were inconspicuously eavesdropping in the background.
"Hi! How are you? Oh my god! Your hair looks amazing! I always struggle to do even the simplest braid for myself."
Alexandra was taken aback by the unforeseen ecstasy from Hilary. She had done her hair that day in two braids style, nothing special, really. She thanked her for the compliment with an attempt of a smile. The pain in her head made it difficult to use her face muscles.
"There's gonna be a party after quadra finals and it'd be great if you and boys would come." Alexa jabbered almost incoherently. She wanted to get over it as quickly as she could. The boys were waiting for her.
Hilary looked genuinely surprised.
"A party?"
"Yeah, let off steam, you know."
"I don't know." Hilary mumbled uncertainly, and Alexandra had to stop herself not to make an eyeroll. What was so hard to decide in this matter?
"Are you going?" Hilary asked her shyly. As if she was scared to have fun. Then Alexa realized she was the only girl in her team, as well.
"No, I have to train." Alexandra shook her head in an apologetic way.
"[The hell are you talking about?]" A rough voice suddenly snarled at her in Russian from behind.
She turned back to face Boris's hard glare with a frown.
"[Forget the stupid training! Of course, you come!]" The boy demanded, tone intolerant of any contradiction.
Alexandra got confused. Not just because the boys were eavesdropping on her conversation with Hilary, but because the blatant tone Boris used with her. He didn't invite her personally, so she didn't think he was, so to say, allowed to go with them.
She looked at Yuriy for confirmation and the captain sent his reply back as a barely noticeable dip of his head.
"Okay. I'm coming, then!" Alexandra gleamed a full teeth smile at Hilary, feeling excited.
"Oh! Well… I'm not sure what the boys were planning for tonight." The Japanese girl was now taken aback by the sudden change in her mood. Hilary couldn't understand the brief Russian dialogue, after all.
"Don't worry! It'll be great. We'll have fun. We drink, we dance. You too, guys. You must come!" Alexandra called out to the members of Bladebreakers behind the brunette. Faces of reproval stared back at her.
Hilary still hesitated and uncertainly shared a look with her teammates. They were not enthusiastic. Alexa reassuringly gave her a warm smile, fighting back the stabbing pain in her temples.
"Come to my room after battles. I'll do your hair and make-up."
oOoOo
As recently always, Kai was separated from his team, walking on the lower levels of the hotel. The others had already retreated to their room, getting a rest after the stodgy lunch, he had no doubts. Kai himself made a detour after the tough training and didn't join them in the dining hall. He deliberately avoided them, and Kai was sure the others noticed his old-new habit, too.
His mind was full of heavy thoughts, and on top of that, his entire body was aching. He couldn't blow off the stressful steam with training anymore. His muscles were already at their limits, and sometimes he had to fight with everything not to drop to the floor in his exhaustion.
Kai inevitably had to face the plain fact that something was not right with him.
He was confused – the constant terror of his nightmares, his poorly buried and haunting past, the mystery around the bitbeast of the Russian girl, his verbal and physical fights with other people, also his mother just had to come here.
Day by day, Kai felt that he was struggling to keep track of the events of his present life. As if he had been split between two worlds, a dark one and a darker, more frightening one. Sometimes he wished he could stop the time, and catch some undisturbed rest, not moving at all, just watching the shooting stars on the sky slowly falling behind the horizon.
Never in his life, he felt so helpless with this many problems at once. He knew he needed to get a strong hold on them before it was too late, but for the first time, Kai had no idea how to prioritize the tasks or find solution to any of his current problem in his head. He just felt that he was getting gradually paralyzed by the nightmares and flashing memories that occupied the bigger part of his mind lately.
He tried to escape them; tried to focus on the championship and the beybattles, to be in top shape and train with no end, but it became more and more difficult. His teammates saw well, his performance was getting worse with each training, which also weighted him down, because the competition was going to be only harder and more challenging from now on.
This was his last tournament, he didn't want to retire without victory.
Not paying attention to the route he was taking, his legs mechanically led him to the elevator to return to his room. The imposing corridors were comparatively quiet at this time. Most of the guests were out of the house or were having lunch.
Kai waited for the elevator doors to open before him, then stepped into the box without taking a glance, and pressed the button of his floor. Leaning against the shiny side wall, Kai allowed his eyes to relax a bit after a long, silent yawn.
"Oh, rough night?"
His eyes immediately shot open in alert at the annoyingly familiar drawl. He knew to whom the voice belonged, Kai still had to turn back to confirm it. Meeting with emerald eyes, a picture from his many nightmares flashed up again in his brain. Uninterpretable pain and sorrow wrenched his heart for a moment. The feeling came and went, but it left a gloomy atmosphere behind.
Brooklyn welcomed him with an insolent smile.
Kai ignored the stupid question and turned back to stare at the metal doors in front of him, suddenly wide-awake. He was not going to waste his time and last energy talking to him.
"Or should I say… rough nights?"
The stressed pluralization didn't escape Kai's notice, though he couldn't make sense out of it. How could Brooklyn know anything about his nights?
Nah, he was probably just referring to his training at night. After all, he could be often seen going up and down from the training room, and the orange mop was just making a comment on that.
"Is there something you actually want to say with that?" He asked, still facing the doors.
"Oh, no, nothing important…"
"Then you can keep your mouth shut." Kai's cold tone clipped, but Brooklyn just found his frustrated reaction more amusing. He didn't even see Brooklyn's face, but the sickeningly slow and silky voice vividly revived the so hated mocking smirk.
"Sure. You can shut me up. But not the demons."
"What are you talking about?" Kai started losing his patience.
"Oh, I think you know it well. The frequently visiting guest in our dreams? The terror you re-live every now and then?"
Kai stared in shock at first, completely froze to say anything. Brooklyn visibly enjoyed witnessing his disturbance.
"What does it offer to you? What pictures does it show you? I wonder." Brooklyn pondered rather to himself, not able to remove the smug smile from his face even for a second.
That was the point when Kai had enough.
Driven by a sudden, mad thought, Kai pressed the STOP button, and the elevator became motionless after an abrupt jerk. He heard the surprised yelp from Brooklyn, but he didn't give him time to process the situation. With two firm steps, he closed the distance between them, and gripping him by his white jacket, Kai threw up Brooklyn onto the mirrored wall.
"Uh-oh, I'm in trouble…" Brooklyn singsonged with a giggle, but the following loud gulping sound told Kai that he was close to shit his pants.
The guy always had the nerve to goad others while he had the muscularity of a snail. Kai never understood how Brooklyn was able to avoid a well-deserved beating, but Garland must have something to do with it, he assumed.
"Is this your doing?! You and your filthy bitbeast? All along?" Kai demanded in a low, threatening voice.
"I just notice the symptoms on you." Brooklyn didn't joke, didn't smile provokingly anymore. He put up his two hands in the air, begging for mercy. "Will you let me go? Please?"
"What symptoms?"
"The same ones I had, too. You should seek help. Talk to Tyson, or someone else. Otherwise, you'll completely lose it."
Kai stared at Brooklyn almost dumbfounded. 'Is this a joke?' He thought to himself. 'Seeking help?' What did this miserable maggot think of him? He didn't need help. He always solved his problems alone and all by himself. Talking to others was for those who were too weak to find solutions in their life.
On the other hand, this was the second time he received the same advice – talking to someone about his… 'sleeping problem'. Was it true, though? Were the nightmares having such an effect on him that his fatigue was already noticeable for his opponents, as well? That was worrisome.
"Is there any problem with the elevator, gentlemen? Do you need our assist?"
The static voice came from the elevator's speeker, and Kai coursed under his breath. He looked deep into the green eyes once more, that reminded him so much of the little boys from his dreams, and what he spotted in them made him uneasy. He reluctantly let go Brooklyn, and pressing another button on the panel, Kai assured the assistant that everything was fine.
"Then, please, proceed with your travel. The elevator is needed on other floors. Thank you, have a good day ahead!"
Kai felt he was close to the line to offend some rules, so he didn't oppose. He didn't want to get into more trouble; his team was already on the edge of their patience with him.
Pressing the proper button set the metal box into motion with another jerk.
"Stop being a coward and use your bitbeast only in the dish." Kai spat back above his shoulder.
"I'd happily take credit for whatever that keeps you up at night, but it's not me. Zeus is not the only demon among the bitbeasts, you know."
Brooklyn's reply made him furrow. The only demon bitbeasts he had knowledge about belonged to the Dark Bladers, but he hadn't heard about them for years, now. What would they do here, in Dubai, in the championship anway?
Unfortunately, before he could go on, the elevator stopped with a ding, and three other hotel guests stepped in. He couldn't continue his private conversation with Brooklyn anymore.
After a few more levels, the lift stopped again, and the orange-haired blader squeezed himself out. Before the doors closed, he turned back to Kai with a serious look.
"I think it'll be your other half, but it's just an intuition. You should check it."
And with that riddle, he disappeared behind the metal doors.
Kai had to almost laugh. Brooklyn didn't change a bit, he was still a freak like when he had met him the first time. He shouldn't have bothered to speak to him, Brooklyn was obviously just playing again with his mind.
'Noticing the same symptoms?' Did Kai look like a crazy batshit? Evidently no.
Other half and demons…
The guy already lost it, he shouldn't have responded to the provocations. He was just wasting energy on the incoherent bullshit.
And yet, when he stepped out of the lift two more levels later, walking on the corridor, Kai was still thinking on Brooklyn's words.
"My other half…" Kai mumbled with a knot in his stomach.
For some reason, he had a feeling that he knew what Brooklyn was implicating to him but didn't remember. That huge wall in his mind again…
oOoOo
"I heard every other team is going. We should not exclude ourselves."
"I don't care, Max. Boris beat Kai almost to a pulp, and now he's throwing a party?! That's far from okay!"
"Maybe that's how he's trying to make it right."
"Oh, okay. So, just forgive him everything!"
"Sure enough, we'd need some relaxation."
"You too, Hilary?!"
The room was loud with the dispute that the Bladebreakers were having regarding the invitation to the Blitzkriegs' party. Some of them were willing to go, but Tyson was adamant, and Kenny was not a party animal either.
"I'm just saying that we all worked hard, and the semi-finals are coming, which means the game will get serious. You won't have to opportunity to vent out your stress until the championship ends. Besides, Alexandra invited us, not Boris."
"It's because he's a coward and the girl did the dirty job for him for who knows why."
"And I think it's a good opportunity to learn something about our opponents." Kenny threw in a new perspective, and the others stared at him in common confusion.
"You mean, prying around?" Ray cocked an eyebrow, not being enthusiastic about the morally dubious strategy.
"Alexandra invited Hilary into her room. I just say you could ask some innocent questions to her, like girl to girl." He turned to the brunette.
"Like girl to girl?" Tyson parroted with a chuckle. "What do you know about girl talk? Also, it's Hilary."
"Now, what's that supposed to mean?!" The mentioned one exclaimed suddenly.
"It means that you spend most of your time with boys like us. I barely see you talk to other girls. The last time you were trying, the others hated you."
Hilary stared at him in shock, and the silence of others only confirmed the weight of Tyson's words.
"The 'hated you' part is an exaggeration, Tyson." Max defended her.
"Well, then it's about time for me to look for other companion!" Hilary remarked, crossing her arms, nose high. The sign of her pig-headed attitude.
Tyson didn't know what to say to that. It was not his intention to offend her, he just said what he was thinking about the situation.
"So, are we going? I sure am." Max voted.
"The party provides good chances to casually talk about the beyblade sport, gathering small, seemingly insignificant details about the competitors in the meantime. I hate parties, but for the sake of our victory and the data, I'll go. And try to have fun, as well."
"You sound as if you were going to a war." Tyson laughed. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. When did you become so cunning, by the way?"
"I think I can do it." Hilary cut in absentmindedly, taking away the chance from Kenny to react to Tyson's question. "Alexandra doesn't seem to be a stereotypically blonde girl, though. I'm afraid she'll see through my tactic." Hilary gave voice to her worry.
"You don't need to interrogate her, just be open for the small details she accidentally shares with you."
Hilary nodded, taking the advice. In the next moment, Kai entered the room, but he didn't acknowledge the presence of his teammates. He headed straight to his bedroom, not sparing a word to them.
Tyson didn't bother to ask him where he had been wandering since the training. However, he did notice the strange expression on the phoenix's face.
"Kai, did you hear about the party? Are you going? I think we should not."
The answer was the sound of the slammed door.
"I think that's a no." Tyson concluded.
"I don't like your idea, Kenny." Ray declared, steering back to their original conversation. "But the White Tigers are going, so I guess, I'll be there too."
Tyson glared at Ray, but he was cautious enough not to do it openly. He hated that Ray's choices were determined by the White Tigers. What did it matter what Lee and the others were doing? Couldn't be Ray more committed to his own team?
His thoughts were abrupted by a phone ringing sound. Max answered it, but quickly held it up to Tyson.
"It's your dad."
Tyson instantly got thrilled. So long! It had been so long.
"Thanks, Max! I'll take it in our bedroom."
He hurried to their room and picked up the phone there. There was more privacy there for the conversation.
"Hi Dad!" He exclaimed with exhilaration.
"Oh, my! Somebody's excited to hear from me!"
"Of course, always!" Tyson's voice almost cracked.
It'd been such a long time since he had talked to his dad, that an unexpected emotional tsunami washed over him.
"How are you, my son?" His father asked warmly, and Tyson suddenly didn't know what to tell him first among the many, many things that had happened to him since they had seen each other.
"I… I'm great! Today's the last day of the quarterfinals."
"Already? Is the team doing good? Where's my mind! I'm sure you'll get qualified! It's your team we're talking about, after all."
The muscles in Tyson's throat tightened at the question. His team was close to drop out. They had to win all battles in the last round to get qualified to the semi-finals. He didn't want to disappoint his father, though, it was so rare that he got the chance to just talk to him.
"Yeah, we rock! Victory is at hand!"
His dad laughed, and Tyson's heart immediately warmed up at the sound.
"After that, the others are planning to attend to a party." He added, expressing his disapproval.
"Are you not going with 'em?"
"Not sure. I don't think any of us should. There was an incident…"
And so, he told the whole story about the fierce fight between Kai and Boris, and how bad the Russian girl had been hurt. His dad remained silent the whole time, not interrupting him with any question or comment.
When Tyson finished telling, the line seemed deaf.
"Dad? Are you still there?"
"Yes, Ty. I was just thinking."
"And? What's your opinion?"
"It doesn't matter. It only matters what you think to be right. Follow the instincts of your heart. You can't blunder if you do that."
Tyson breathed a silent, heavy sight. His father usually started giving him empty advices, when he stopped truly listening and got bored of the conversation. He hated that he couldn't keep his attention for a long time, it was his life after all. Tyson always tried his best to impress his dad and his brother, Hiro, but somehow, it was never enough what he did. He kept failing to be interesting to them.
"Yeah, you're right, Dad. How's work?"
The subject change was helpful, his father's voice suddenly perked up, and gave a whole account of the current project he was working on. Tyson didn't mind. He liked it when his dad was just talking and sharing with him his everyday life. It made him feel like he was part of it.
His dad was still talking when Tyson noticed a movement in the corner of his eyes. For his much surprise, Kai approached him, and the captain looked like he had something important to say.
"Sorry, Dad, just a sec… What is it?"
"Are you talking to your father?"
Weird question from the Kai who had never been interested in anyone's private life.
"Yes."
"Tell me when you're done. I have a few questions to him."
"To my dad?" Tyson asked back with a furrow.
"Yes."
Kai's reply was firm and stiff, refusing to give any additional detail on his intention, so Tyson lifted the phone back to his ear from shoulder.
"Dad? Do you still have time? One of my friends wanna talk to you."
"Me? About what?" His dad's confusion mirrored his.
"I dunno. But seems important." Tyson uncertainly looked up from the bed at the captain again, but the passionless face didn't tell him anything.
"Alright. I give you my goodbyes, son, then. Good talk. Take care of yourself, and good luck with the tournament!"
"Thanks, Dad! Stay safe!"
With that, Tyson handed over the phone to Kai. He stayed sitting on his bed, too curious to leave. Kai would shoo him out anyway if his presence bothered him.
"Hello, Mr. Granger! It's Kai Hiwatari. I'm interested in your researches, regarding the collective type bitbeasts. I have some questions that you could answer, I hope."
Tyson twitched an eyebrow. It was always super weird to hear Kai talking so respectfully. He was polite but determined to get what he wanted, and finally Tyson could see Kai as the future CEO of Hiwatari Enterprises. Nevertheless, why was Kai interested in his father's research?
His dad replied something to Kai's question, but Tyson couldn't make it out. He sneaked closer to the captain, hoping to hear the whole conversation through the phone. The phoenix didn't notice the movement, he absentmindedly stared out of the window while talking.
"Yes, I know that's an ongoing research with limited publicity, but I'm curious about your opinion. Do you have an assumption how many spirits a collective type beast could capture?"
Tyson's attempts to get closer and eavesdrop was futile. He couldn't make out a word from his father's replies. However, Kai seemed unsatisfied with the answer, because he rephrased his own question.
"Right. I don't expect an exact number from you, just a rough estimation. For example, is it possible for a bitbeast to possess, let's say, hundreds of spirits?"
This time, Tyson clearly heard his father's disbelieving laughter from the other side of the line. What was it Kai wanted to know so bad?
"Can you explain the why?" Kai questioned him further.
The answer of his father was long this time. Tyson sat in complete silence with him in the same room, feeling a bit awkward not being part of the conversation.
"I see. I have another question regarding one of your older studies, in which you examined the relationship between human and bitbeast. If I recall well, you abandoned the project for some reason, but do you have knowledge about bitbeasts that possessed human souls?"
Tyson was getting impatient and angry. His father was having a longer conversation with Kai than with his own son. He got rarely a chance to speak with his dad. Why couldn't they talk the way like he was with Kai now?
It was wrong to be upset with Kai for something that was not his fault, Tyson knew that very well. Yet, the bitter feeling like venom started slowly circulating in his veins.
"How so?... Have you ever met a person whose soul was possessed by a bitbeast?…No, I was just interested. Thank you for your time, Mr. Granger."
The captain finally put down the phone, and for a few seconds, he remained silent. It was not the usual morose silence, though. He seemed nervous, a rare sight to Tyson's eyes. His dad must have given Kai a thorough, not promising answer. Tyson had never seen Kai so worried and lost in his own thoughts. Whatever his dad told the phoenix, it definitely bothered him. Kai dropped his usual impassive expression. The emotions were not plain, and hardly to spot them, but Tyson noticed the small twitches of the blue-grey eyebrows, the deepening wrinkles on the face, the restlessly flicking eyes.
A small victory for Tyson and his recently developed resentment.
It lasted only for a moment, however. His ill will was quickly washed away by worry and pity. Feelings that Kai hated the most, perhaps.
"Is everything alright?"
Tyson asked, and he guessed well. Kai completely forgot about him. The question jolted him out of his thoughts – another sign that he was not himself.
"Heh, sorry." Tyson apologized sheepishly.
Kai immediately put back on his ruthless look; the uncharacteristic despair faded to the past without a track.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded.
Tyson pulled up his eyebrows at the question and theatrically looked around.
"This is my bedroom."
The captain realized he made an awkward mistake, and quickly walked away without a comment, before Tyson could question him further about the phone call.
Tyson let him go. He was still upset a little bit, and he didn't want to engage in a fight with Kai in that state. It was hard to think clearly with so many emotions in his head. At the same time, he was eager to find out what it was that bothered Kai so much.
He reluctantly hopped off his bed and planned to join back to his friends in the common room, when he got a sudden idea.
"Ray, you got a minute?" Tyson invited him over with waving fingers from the common room.
The Chinese boy looked surprised but followed anyway. There must have been something on Tyson's face, because Ray instinctively closed the door behind him.
"What is it?" He asked with grave seriousness.
"Do you know what's going on with Kai?" Tyson asked in a low voice. He didn't want the captain to accidentally hear them talking.
Ray's muscles around his mouth tightened, his furrow deepened.
"Why? Is something wrong with him?" He asked back, but Tyson saw through him.
"He's just… not really himself in these days. You're his roommate. Did he tell you anything that would explain his depressed mood? I won't tell him anything, I promise! I just wanna know if everything's okay with him."
"Yes. He's okay." Ray replied, faster than it was reasonable. He had been always bad at lying.
"Ray, are you hiding something from me?"
"No." He folded his arms in his discomfort, visibly vacillating.
Tyson tilted down his head and looked up at his friend with a cutting glance.
"Okay, you got me! He doesn't sleep very well." Ray admitted reluctantly.
"What do you mean? He's not able to relax, or…?" Tyson furrowed. He didn't know what kind of answer he was expecting, but it was not that.
"He has nightmares. Quite disturbing ones if you ask me."
"What kind of nightmares? Did he tell you about 'em?"
"I don't know. Every time I ask and try to help, he just runs away."
"How long has he been having them?"
"Uhm… a week? Or more, maybe."
Tyson dropped his gaze. A week without a proper sleep during the championship would make him murder. It was no wonder that Kai had been so ill-tempered lately.
"The bigger problem is that I think he's afraid to sleep now, and so he always sneaks out to train. His body must be exhausted." Ray added, relieved that he could share the secret and his worries with someone.
"Yeah, I noticed it, too." Tyson nodded, thinking of the constant black shadows under the eyes of the captain. "Do you have idea what might distress him?"
"Something from his past." Ray shrugged his shoulder. "Do you remember Wyatt?"
Tyson blinked at the sudden off-topic.
"Yes. He died. Oh!" Tyson got it. Was Kai still grieving over the little guy's death?
Suddenly, the door opened and Max burst into the room with a wide smile. Based on the sounds from outside, the team was hyping themselves up for the last round of quarterfinals and the party after that.
"Tyson, are you coming tonight, then? Pretty please!" Max put together two hands and glared at him with his big, green puppy eyes.
Tyson had to laugh, the blonde tried his best to convince him. And who could persist the cuteness of puppies?
"Alright. I'm going."
24/12/2023
A/N: YO. MERRY XMAS!
My original intention was to upload two chapters, but I ran out of time, eventually, and I didn't want to leave you without a surprise upload before Christmas. After all, it has been almost TWO F*CKING YEARS! I didn't plan to put on hold the story for so long. Actually, I was "working" on it in my head almost every day since February of 2022, my latest update. The reason I didn't upload is because I became a parent, and my free time literally dropped to nearly 0. I had attempts on continuing the story months ago, but I was extremely tired all the time, and all I wrote was a pile of crap. So, I deleted almost everything in November and started it over again.
I know it has been quite a long time, and I wonder how many of you are still interested in this story. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm grateful for your patience if you're still here to read it.
Special thanks to Bling101, La la land2021 and MagicalPhoenix12 for your extremely kind support during this long time! Your occasional gentle follow-ups motivated me a lot to somehow find time for writing and continue the story. It meant a lot to me! You're the best!
Regarding the numbering of chapters, it may be a bit confusing that chapter 26 follows chapter 24, I know. I'm planning to correct some previous chapters, because when I re-read the whole fiction, I found some mistakes in several chapters, and poor writings that I want to fix. Also, I'll rename "Chapter 21 - Part II" to "Chapter 22", and "Chapter 22" to "Chapter 23" and so on, because this mess annoys me. Hopefully, these changes and corrections will be done until the end of this year.
Let me know what you think about the "return"! Are you satisfied with this chapter? The next one will soon follow!
