Aftermath

Chapter 2 - Rei

Kai was beginning to regret having the idea of not staying more days in the US and just flying to China immediately, he wanted to get over with his business ASAP but he was still human, and the jetlag and being seated so many hours was getting to him. He also had a big problem… he had never been to Rei's home village. The first time the Bladebreakers were here, they stayed in the city and of course, they wouldn't go to the village since Rei was considered a traitor, but at least he hoped someone in the city could help him out since apparently the White Tigers used to roam the city.

He started wandering looking to return to where they first encountered the Asian team, but that had been three years before, and even though he had a great memory, he had also been distracted by the display of power of a certain pink-haired girl. Yes, at the moment Kai had underestimated her and had been proved wrong in front of his team, after that he swore never to underestimate any rival again, less a woman, most female beybladers were fierce and he respected that.

Talking about the devil, said cat-like lady was walking on the other side of the street carrying a bunch of paper bags, he was lucky. He quickly crossed the street and like a bad cliche one of the bags was about to fall from her grip but he caught it on time.

She thanked him in Mandarin before glancing up to see his face. He replied in the same language.

"Kai" her body tensed when she realized who exactly had helped her.

"Hey," said the two-toned blader awkwardly.

They stayed in silence for some seconds, Mao mildly glaring at him and Kai finding the store he had the closest, very interesting. Plausibly Mao was still angry at him for having stolen her bitbeast three years ago.

"Thanks," she said grabbing the bag and started walking away.

"Wait!" he said. She half turned and raised one eyebrow, "I am looking for Rei"

"Oh. Well he is in our village, I came to the city on my own" she said turning completely.

"Well, I can help you take those groceries back, seems like you could use a hand"

Mao seemed to think it through making Kai think she would say no but then she got closer and gave him a couple of the bags.

"Be careful those are fruits, I don't want them to get squashed" she said beginning to walk leaving him behind.

The bags were very heavy, Kai was impressed she was carrying them all by herself.

They stopped in a couple of stores which Kai didn't mind but it seemed Mao was taking very seriously that he carried the heaviest stuff. He wondered how she could do all that alone. New found respect for the White Tiger female grew in him.

"Ok, I think that's it. We have a long way to go, are you ready?" she said smirking.

"Hn" he smirked back.

They took a bus that seemed very old and creaked a lot.

"The village is kind of far, so you'd better get comfortable," she said looking out of the window. Kai doubted he could get comfortable with the sound of the brakes screeching every time the bus stopped. Also after some minutes, they reached a road that was full of dirt and rocks, making the bus shake. It would have been great to be able to sleep for a bit on the way but it was clear that would not be possible.

"Do you always have to do this?" he asked Mao.

"Yeah. Usually Gao tags along but right now he went hunting. When he can't come one of the other guys helps but today all of them were busy, Kiki is sick, and Rai and Rei had other duties" she said still looking out the window, her chin resting against her hand that was prompted on the window sill.

"You shop for the whole village?"

"No, only for the White Tigers. We don't actually live in the village, we have our own camp where we train. It started as a children's thing but we liked it and enjoyed being on our own. We go back to the village every once in a while, especially when there are no tournaments," Kai could sense that she was more relaxed when talking to him, she had turned to look at him when she spoke. He nodded to let her know he was paying attention.

"Still it is hard work to buy and carry all this"

"Well, one gets used to it. So, why are you here?" she asked.

"I came to see Rei" he replied dryly which made Mao roll her eyes.

"You already said that I know. I mean why are you here to see him?" Kai sensed some kind of defensiveness in her tone.

"I need to talk to him" he replied curtly. Mao made a frown, the tension back in her body. Knowing she wouldn't achieve anything else she went back to look out the window.

After an hour, which Kai felt like three, they got off the bus, and Mao started walking through the woods. Rei's village was indeed very secluded.

Some half hour later they arrived at a long wide river where there were people on boats waiting for clients to take through it, Mao talked to one of them.

"C'mon," she said hoping on the boat. Kai sighed, he wished this would be the last part of the trip.

At least the boat ride was calm, different from the bus where he still could feel his teeth rattling with every rock they passed on. Kai could feel himself getting sleepy, the sound of the water was soothing, as well as the birds chirping.

"You are going to take Rei away aren't you?" Mao said in a low voice that Kai had trouble hearing.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you came to talk to Rei and convince him to go back to Japan and be a team again or something like that"

All sleepiness left Kai's body after that. He thought of laughing out loud, but one, he was not a person who would laugh out loud, and second, Mao probably would take offense. He turned to look at her, she was avoiding his gaze.

"I am not here for that. I just want to tell him something important and that's it. I will leave after that" Kai tried to sound reassuring, after all… it was part of his plan.

Mao looked at him skeptically.

"I know Rei, he will leave again someday. He is like a bird, he doesn't like to be caged in one place. I know he loves it here, but he also loves Japan and he loves you guys, he likes traveling the world, meeting new people, and learning new things. I have accepted that for some time now, but what I don't want for him is to suffer Kai. He doesn't say it but I know he admires and respects you, I know that of all the other guys, you are the one he feels the closest to. So I hope you know that if you ever hurt him again, I will kick your ass" By the end of the sentence, Mao had her pupils stilled like a wild cat.

Kai was again impressed by the woman in front of him. She was so fiercely protective of Rei and knew him inside and out, she was this tense not only because of what had happened in Russia years ago but also because of what Kai had done last year. This confirmed to him how all of the team was affected by his decision to join BEGA, not only Takao.

"I won't," he said quietly.

"Good," she said and turned her back to him.

Silence fell between them again. Kai rubbed his wrists that were covered by warmers, he toyed with them to calm himself down.

"I am sorry"

Mao half turned her head in his direction, but her eyes were hidden behind her fringe.

"For what?" she asked.

"For stealing Galux" Mao turned more, her eyes were back to being normal.

"Uhm, apology accepted. Rei told us about everything, so, even though I don't condone you, I understand"

"Thanks"

Kai's head was tossing after some more minutes of silence, tiredness was getting to him.

"Sleep, there is still half an hour to go," Mao told him. Kai was grateful to know that but he doubted he would be able to sleep. The conversation they had was still on his mind and he could feel the nerves not leaving him completely.

"Kai you are safe, I won't do anything to you and this river is very calm, the surroundings too"

For the nth time, Kai was surprised. It seemed Mao was very observant, but also very kind.

"It's not that. Don't worry, but thanks" he smiled tiredly not opening his tired eyes.

Half an hour later they got off the boat and started walking up a big hill. If this was what the White Tigers had to go through every time they went to the city, he respected them even more. Finally, they arrived at a site with houses made of bamboo. There were only 5 houses, and there were also some wooden benches in the middle of the site and what appeared to be bonfire remains.

Mao walked to one of the houses which he assumed was hers and they left the groceries there.

"Thanks, Kai. I will take you to Rei now, he must be chopping wood" she said more light-hearted than before. He nodded and followed her.

"You mentioned Rei and Rai were doing duties, what kind of duties do you all have here?" he asked her while going through the woods again.

"Well, I am usually in charge of getting supplies and making food, sometimes Rei is too, I taught him how to cook you know?" she said smiling brightly, "he is also in charge of getting wood, Rai too, they patrol the area together, because there are wild animals around, so they just make sure they aren't close, and if they are they scare them away, same for intruders or any potential threat. Gao is in charge of hunting because we do not buy meat since we don't have where to refrigerate it, Kiki helps him sometimes, he is really good with the bow, and they both help me get groceries too"

Kai nodded. He now understood more why Rei was so efficient in daily life, it was admirable.

They heard the sound of wood being chopped and some steps later Rei was visible. He didn't have a T-shirt on and was bathed in sweat.

"Rei!" Mao shouted so he could hear her above the sound. Rei turned to them breathing harshly, his eyes opened wide when he noticed Kai. Kai remembered Max's reaction when he visited him and although Rei's eyes didn't open as big as Max's it was also comical how none of them expected him to be there and were completely surprised.

"Kai?" Rei asked cleaning the sweat that was falling from his forehead to his chin with his hand.

"Hey," Kai said.

"I ran into him in the city. He helped me bring the groceries" Mao said cheerfully. Rei smiled at her but looked a bit confused, Kai wondered why. "He was looking for you, so I will leave you guys be. Dinner will be ready in about an hour!" and with that, she walked back to the campsite.

Rei took his shirt that was on the ground and cleaned his face with it.

"Sorry you see me like this, if I knew you were coming I would have done this earlier" Rei was always thoughtful and well-mannered, Kai smirked.

"Relax Kon" Kai walked to his side and crossed his arms. Rei put the dirty shirt on.

"So, what's up?" he asked the other.

Kai remained silent, he remembered Mao's words.

"Mao cares a lot about you," he said in a low tone. Rei bowed his head a bit to the side with a confused stare, " she is very protective of you. Are you guys finally together?"

Rei's face went several shades red. Kai looked at him and side smiled. Even though Rei was the most mature one on the team, after himself, Kai was always amused at how he could be naive and innocent too.

"Uhm well… kind of. Not officially though" Rei crossed his arms in what Kai thought was a safe position after being put on the spot like that. He chuckled a bit.

"Good," he said to the dark-haired.

"Kai? Why did you come all the way here? I am sure it was not to find out if me and Mao were together" Rei went back to have a normal face color and his tone was a bit preoccupied.

"Hn" Kai walked to the edge of the hill they were standing on and looked on.

"She was anxious about me being here. She said that if I hurt you again she would kick my ass"

Rei stayed silent pondering on that.

"Rei, were you hurt by my actions last year?" Kai asked solemnly. He heard Rei join him at the edge.

"You know? I had a battle with Takao, just after Hitoshi was announced as BEGA's coach. He was very affected. But I… I was selfish, I had to battle him before that tournament or I wouldn't have known if I was a good enough blader. In the world championships, you know how he was when it was my turn to battle him, I was frustrated at him for not giving his all, and that battle before the Justice 5 eased my mind and I could focus on the upcoming challenge."

The wind blew their hair. It was nice to hear the trees' leaves moving with it.

"So if anyone understands your motives, Kai, it's me, and Max of course. Then again, you had your chance to battle Takao at the championships, it was an incredible fight, something to remember for ages, and I grasp your desire for another battle like that, but at that point, the sport of Beyblade was in danger, we needed to stick together against an enemy we knew was capable of everything, and yet, you chose to have that opportunity to face Takao again"

Kai's heart started to beat furiously.

"I was disappointed. You put on the line something that is the reason I met you guys, why we became a team. You risked everything that we fought for in previous years"

Kai felt like a bucket of iced water was dropped on him. This is what he feared, why he was on this journey. He lowered his head, his fringe shadowing his eyes.

"But…you came back. You were there when we needed you, you supported Takao in his last battle, and I think, you realized all of this I am telling you, or you wouldn't be here, correct?"

Kai was always impressed at how Rei could read him like an open book. Rei would never take advantage of that ability though, and that made Kai like him even more.

"So for a bit, I was hurt, but didn't take it personally. I just wished you would realize what was at stake, and you did. And, correct me if I am wrong, but you learned it the hard way" Rei's tone softened. Kai only nodded, he had a lump in his throat.

"That being said, I never stopped seeing you as my friend, and you know the others haven't either... The past is in the past, and it should stay there" Rei put a hand on Kai's shoulder.

"Thanks, for being so sincere," Kai said.

"You deserve honesty pal" Rei smiled at him.

"I'm sorry"

"I know"

They both looked at the horizon again. Kai knew it would be hard, especially because for him, Rei was also the one he felt closest to too. The one he had unspoken agreements with, mutual understanding, and above all the highest regard. Kai had a long way to redemption, but this was the first step.

"C'mon, let's go have dinner. Mao's cooking is the best, she is the one who taught me how to cook" Rei turned to walk back to the campsite.

"I know, she told me" Kai turned too and started walking beside Drigger's owner.

"She did? Hmm," Rei hummed pensive.

"Why is that weird? Because she doesn't like me?" Kai asked and Rei chuckled.

"Is not that she doesn't like you but more that she is wary of you. But, I felt her more relaxed around you now"

"Well I did say I was sorry for stealing Galux" Rei stopped walking which made Kai stop too.

"I see," Rei said and smiled, Kai quirked one eyebrow.

"What?" Kai asked but Rei started walking again. Now that he was on the receiving end of someone walking off not giving answers to his questions he could see how frustrating it was. Karma was working its magic.

When they arrived at the site, Gao was there lightning a fire in the place amid the houses where the wooden benches were, Rai was also there. The night was starting.

"You look tired Kai, you should rest until dinner is ready, you can rest in my hut"

Suddenly Kai felt his eyelids were heavy as hell. He nodded.

Rei took him to his hut. It was very simple, with a bed made of bamboo and a few other belongings.

"Sorry, it's scarce," Rei said.

"Don't worry about it"

Rei told him to take the bed and left him to it. For a bed without a mattress, the bamboo was oddly comfortable, at least it was better than the stone beds at the Abbey. Kai furrowed his brow, chasing unpleasant memories away, he breathed deeply like he was taught, feeling the bamboo in his fingertips, and smelling the burnt wood outside. He was here in China, in Rei's village, not at the Abbey. Sleep came to claim him shortly after.

He woke up feeling hungry. He didn't know how many hours had passed but it was completely dark. He still felt very tired but he figured he needed food to keep sleeping. He got up and went out of the hut.

The White Tigers were gathered around the fire, he could hear them laughing. He doubted. Would the others feel the same way about him as Mao did? He clasped his wrist.

"Do it" he said to himself mentally.

He walked to them and they all looked at him.

"Hey, Kai! Fancy seeing you here, welcome to our humble camp" Rai said with a fang glinting with the fire's light.

"Uhm thanks"

"Sit! You must be hungry" Kai did as Rai said. Well, at least Rai wasn't angry at him. Mao approached him and gave him a bowl of soup.

"I made my best dish" she winked at him. Kai blinked confused, he would never understand women.

Gao and Kiki smiled at him. Kiki was wrapped in a blanket and his nose was red.

He tasted the soup. If Rei was a good cook it was definitely thanks to Mao.

"Delicious," he said quietly.

"Not better than mine though, right?" Rei asked jokingly.

"Hmmm," Kai preferred not to answer. Rei feigned offense and the others laughed.

"So Kai how long will you be here?" Rai asked.

"I will leave tomorrow" Kai answered while trying to sip more of the soup. He didn't want to appear as bad-mannered but he was starving.

"What? Why so soon?" Mao asked surprised, Kai remained silent.

"You should stay here for some days dude, this place is amazing, I am sure you'd love it," Rai said smiling and looking at Rei who returned his smile. The other nekojins agreed.

"Thanks but I have other business to attend to" Kai finished the soup and immediately Mao was at his side refilling his bowl. Kai nodded in thanks.

"Well if you change your mind, you are always welcome here," Rai said. Rei must have told them beforehand how Kai was someone you could not push.

They told him stories about Rei when he was a kid and goofy things that had happened to all of them. It was nice and Kai felt strangely accepted by them. He could see how strong their bond was and he was reminded of the Bladebreakers. After a while they all went to their respective huts, leaving Rei and Kai alone.

"You know, you look like shit," Rei said teasingly, Kai glared at him.

"I take back my thanks for you being sincere" Kai smirked.

"No, but really Kai, you look like you could use some rest. Stay. Rest here, I am sure someone like you would appreciate the White Tiger Hill. And if you need more commodities, we can go to the village, my house there has an extra bedroom and more facilities"

Kai sighed. He was really tired.

"Would your parents be ok with it?" Kai asked.

"I live by myself" Rei answered. Kai looked at him.

"My parents died when I was very young. I inherited their house and have lived there ever since. Rai and Mao's family took care of me but I didn't want to live with them, it just felt wrong to leave my parent's house. I learned to be independent at a very young age" Rei explained.

Kai felt bad that he didn't know much about Rei's past, and the hardships he had gone through. But then again, this journey was for that. Kai was sympathetic to his friend's history.

"I love this place" Rei looked to the sky, "Here one can think, clear their mind, and enjoy nature. So stay, there are a lot of cats around" he giggled and got up, "I would be very happy if you do, but if you don't, I will go with you to the airport, just let me know. Also, I will sleep at Rai's he has an extra bed, and you can have the hut to yourself. There is a lake up north not far where you can bathe, at this time of year the water is fresh so you won't get cold" Rei started walking to what Kai assumed was Rai's hut.

"Oh and also, thanks Kai" Rei looked back to him and smiled fondly. Kai gave him a small smile.

When Rei was out of sight Kai looked up at the sky. Here you could see more stars more clearly than in the city.

Maybe, he would take on Rei's offer. Kyoujyu was not going anywhere that he knew of, but he could ask Rei in the morning to discreetly find out.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I know Kai probably wouldn't mind what others, in this case The White Tigers, thought of him, but as I mentioned, Kai might be OOC in this story and that was on purpose.