Of Boys and Blades

Part One

Chapter 4

I needed to clear my head, to get Tyson out of it for just a little while. I decided to go to the beach to blow off some steam. It should be pretty deserted at this hour. The outside air was crisp and cool. Spring hadn't come quite yet. Head down, hands in my pockets, I walked through town lost in thought.

"Hey, K-man! Where you off to this early?"

I turned to see Tyson's Grandfather walking out of a grocery store. Well that caught me off guard. I hadn't expected to run into him. "Umm... I was going to go practice at the beach for a bit."

"Tyson's not going?"

"He's not really a morning person."

Grandpa let out a chuckle. "Ain't that the truth. Are you staying again tonight?"

"No, I don't want to impose on you anymore."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! You're not imposing. Stay as long as you like. And you don't have to stay in the dojo. We have a couple extra bedrooms."

I couldn't stay there. I didn't trust myself around Tyson. "I appreciate the offer, but-"

"No but's! I'll see you later. Have fun. Let me know if you see any hotties at the beach." With a wink he dismissed me and headed back in the direction of the dojo.

I watched him for a moment before continuing on my walk, replaying in my head the events of the night before. I'd kissed Tyson and he'd kissed me back. What had I really expected? That if I kissed Tyson these annoying feelings would just magically go away. No, it had just confirmed this was more than some stupid little crush. And I didn't like it. Not one bit.

I took my frustration out on the discarded cans and bottles I found near the water. It felt good to practice. It had really been a while. I missed the focus, the precision, the battle to attain perfection. And for just a moment, I actually didn't think about Tyson.

Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. Voices interrupted my practice. Of course. So much for that plan. I jumped onto one of the breaker walls. Looking down I confirmed it was indeed Tyson, Kenny, and Hilary. Figures.

They joined me on the wall overlooking the ocean and Kenny went more into detail about the events that had been going on over the past few days. I stood behind the others as they sat. Tyson was oddly quiet. I caught him staring at me more than once.

I gave them a brief rundown of what had happened with Dunga and our weird battle. I didn't really understand how he'd been able to keep up with me without a bitbeast.

"I'm not surprised by your story, Kai," Kenny said after I'd finished. "We have a theory about what's been happening. The Bladebreakers are being targeted by members of a group with ulterior motives."

"...And?" As if I couldn't have guessed that.

"Well, judging by what you've just told us, the pattern fits the bill," Kenny continued. "The mysterious blader shows up out of the blue, demands a match with you, and then displays incredible power in battle. Just like Tyson's opponent, yours had a beyblade that was guided by a hidden force. An invisible bitbeast!"

"So that was the ace up his sleeve." Now it made sense.

"Pretty sneaky, isn't it?" Kenny went on. "At least now you know how that guy was able to beat you."

"He didn't beat me," I told him quickly. "It was a draw."

"Right. Sorry." Kenny looked down at his laptop.

Tyson looked up at me with a grin. "Chill out, Kai. Even the best of us lose sometimes." He stood to join me.

"You still think you're the best?"

Tyson rolled his eyes. "I didn't say that."

"Good. Because you're not."

"Oh, and you are?"

And then we were back to how things used to be, at least on the surface. Arguing came naturally to us. I wasn't sure if I'd ever had a conversation with him that hadn't ended in a fight. He decided to remind me that he was world champion and I decided to remind him that I'd kicked his ass before so I could definitely do it again. All the while I was thinking of the night before and wondering if it was on his mind, too. I wanted to kiss him again. Badly.

"Look," Tyson cut me off. "Fighting like this is getting us nowhere. The important thing is you're here now. We were a team before, and we can be a team once again. Working together Kai, that's how we'll beat those invisible bitbeasts."

No way. "Unh-uh." I shook my head. I didn't understand how Tyson could act so...normal around me. It was a little unnerving.

"Huh?" Tyson looked dumbfounded.

"I know we were a team once. And once is enough for me." Like hell I'd ever share a hotel room with him again. I turned to leave. I was done with this. I needed to go back to Lidiya's and never look back. This was a mistake. All a huge fucking mistake. I turned and walked away.

"We're your friends!" Kenny yelled behind me. "Don't leave!"

Friends? I didn't have any friends.

xXx

I walked around town lost in my own thoughts. I was angry. Angry at Tyson for acting like nothing mattered, and angry at myself because it had. I wanted this crush to go away. I wanted Tyson to go away. I wanted everything and everyone to just go away. After an hour or so I decided to head back to the mansion to get my stuff and call Lidiya. No more Bladebreakers, no more Bay City, and no more Tyson. I was done with it all.

I was almost there when I noticed a familiar car slowing down beside me. As it pulled over my cousin rolled down her window. "Hello, Kai." She looked slightly amused under her oversized sunglasses. I didn't get her.

"How did you find me?" was my only response.

"I thought you might come home."

"You could've told me you sold it."

"Yeah, I could have."

"I'm not going back to school."

"I figured that. Get in. Let's go talk over lunch."

Letting out a sigh, I got into the passenger side and she took off. I watched her profile as she drove, wondering what she was going to do with me now. She was what I imagined my mother would look like if she were alive, she had the same dual-toned hair and violet eyes both my mother and I possessed. Most people thought she was my sister. She was young, early thirties. She had yet to marry and have any children of her own. She was the only one of my relatives I'd ever liked.

We went to restaurant downtown. Voltaire had favored it. I guess she had similar tastes. We were seated and she ordered a bottle of wine. "Do you like Pinot Grigio?"

"Never had it." She poured me glass.

"Is there something you want from me?" I asked after the waiter had taken our orders.

She sighed. "What do you want, Kai? Obviously you hate boarding schools."

"I want to stay here. This is my home." Even thought I had just decided to leave it forever. I could be very indecisive sometimes.

"I can't rearrange my whole life to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself. I'll go to school. I'll behave."

She smirked at me. "Do you know how to behave, Kai?"

"I can behave as long as other people leave me alone."

"Sure you can." She paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Okay, Kai. If I do this, you had better be on your best behavior. I don't want any phone calls. And if I need you to attend one of the boring dinner parties you hate so much I want you to do it without argument and refrain from insulting anyone."

"Done. I can handle that."

"Give me a couple of weeks to find something suitable." She sipped her wine.

"Why are you doing this for me?" I was curious.

"Well, we're the only family each other has left, so there is that."

"Anything else?"

She set the wine glass down. "You're Nina's son. And you remind me of her."

No one ever spoke of my mother. I'd only ever gotten hit for bringing her up in front of Voltaire.

"Did you know her well?"

"I did. I went to live with Nina and Voltaire when I was twelve, did you know that?"

"No. He never told me anything."

Her face was somber. "Well, I did. My parents died in a car accident. Nina was two years older than me and treated me like a sister. She was my best friend." She paused, playing with her wine glass. "Misfortune and tragedy follows our family, Kai."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you trying to say that we're cursed or something?"

"I digress." She shifted in her seat. "I was in the car with my parents. It was a miracle I survived. When I went to live with Nina and Voltaire your grandmother had already disappeared."

"Disappeared? I thought she was dead."

She arched an eyebrow. "Did Voltaire actually say she was dead?"

I had to think about that one. "Well, not in so many words."

"Voltaire claimed she ran off with a lover, but there hasn't been a trace of her since. She may indeed have had a lover on the side, but she doted on Nina. She never would've left her behind."

"So what are you saying, exactly?" I didn't like where this was going.

"Nina was wild," she explained. "She was a loner with few friends. She did what she wanted, when she wanted." She smiled at the memory. "Reminds me of somebody. Well, she drove Voltaire crazy. Especially after she met Toma. He was a high school drop-out and part of a gang."

There was someone else no one had ever spoken to me about. My fucking father.

"Your mother thought he was so exciting. Voltaire was furious when he found out she was pregnant. You were born a week before she turned eighteen. He wanted to give you up for adoption but she wouldn't hear of it. She threatened to run away and he'd never see her again. So...he let her keep you.

"Her relationship with your father didn't last. She lived at the mansion and Voltaire took care of the two of you financially, but there were always the fights. They had horrible, horrible fights. I was away at college when she died. When Voltaire told me it was suicide I didn't believe it for a minute. Nina had her problems, but she loved you. She never would've left you with Voltaire. I read the autopsy report. She had injuries they couldn't attribute to her fall."

I felt my blood run cold. Not suicide? How many times had I stood on that roof looking down at the spot her body was found? How many times had I stood there wondering why she had done it, what had driven her to that edge? Wondering what it had felt like? I chewed my lip. "He...killed her?"

She shrugged. "Or had her killed. You're well acquainted with Boris, I've heard."

"Yeah." Understatement.

"What you probably don't know is that Voltaire took Boris in as his ward. He was a bit older than me and Nina but he was always there when tragedy struck. My grandparents died young—fire in a vacation house. My parents in a freak car accident on a beautiful summer day. Voltaire's wife disappeared without a trace. And then Nina committed suicide. Don't you think that's an awful lot to be a coincidence?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

She finished her wine. "When Voltaire gets out of jail—and he will get out of jail, he's too well connected—he will come for you. Regardless of how he's treated you in the past, you are his only blood heir, and that does mean something to him. He will come for you. He might try to tempt you, or he might threaten you. But he will want you to do something for him. When that happens, promise me you'll make the right decision."

"Lidiya, I—"

"Promise me."

"I promise." I drank the wine she had poured for me in one gulp.

When we left the restaurant she asked me where I was staying so she could take me back. "I'm really busy at work right now. Give me a couple weeks to find you something permanent. Do you think you can stay with them until then?"

Grandpa had offered. "Probably."

"Good."

I gave her directions back to the dojo. As we were leaving downtown I noticed Tyson and the others going into the BBA Headquarters building. "Drop me off here"

"Why?"

"I just saw my friend."

"I need to talk to his grandfather."

"You can go without me, he's probably home." I hopped out of the car before she could protest further.

My head was swimming with information. There was too much going on. With a deep breath I headed into the building. I just needed to deal with this. I found them in the training room having an altercation with some strange older man. I hung back in the shadows to gage the situation.

"They want to fight the Bladebreakers?" I heard Kenny squeal.

"Oh, yeah? Well, too bad," Tyson said dejectedly. "We don't fight as a team anymore."

Mr. Dickinson pleaded with him. "You must."

"Not if Kai won't join us again," he told him. "He's gone. But I'm not. If the Psykick's want the title they'll each have to fight me!"

"One person can't be a team," Hilary pointed out. "They'll wipe the floor with you!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." I stepped forward, making my presence known.

The others looked pretty happy to see me.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Tyson said with a smile as our eyes met. I didn't know what was going on between us. But it could wait for now.

"It's Kai!" Mr. Dickinson exclaimed. "He's back."

"So he is," the older man in the white jacket let out a laugh. "Only two Bladebreakers left to go. You'll make sure the other ones are here for the match?"

"I'm a man of my word, Dr. B., and a promise is a promise," Mr. Dickinson told him. "Consider it done. I'll contact Max and Rei immediately."

"All right!" Tyson was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"The Bladebreakers team is getting back together!" I heard Kenny say. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

Mr. Dickinson stepped forward. "For the record, the BBA officially recognizes the upcoming championship match between Team Psykick and the Bladebreakers."

And that was that. We would be battling Team Psykick as the Bladebreakers. We went back to Tyson's house to start training.

xXx

That night found me back at the Kinomiya dojo eating dinner with Tyson and his grandfather who insisted I call him Gramps. Hilary and Kenny had left not long before.

I couldn't get over how different their relationship was from mine and Voltaire's.

"So I met your cousin," Gramps told me. "Cute little thing. Sure has a lot of rules for you. You get into a lot of trouble?"

I shrugged. "I suppose it has a way of finding me."

Now that the others were gone Tyson had barely spoken to me.

"Well you don't have to worry about me tattling on you," he said with a smile "I only have a few rules here. Curfew's eleven o'clock. If you're not home call and let me know where you are. Clean up after yourself. And don't lie to me. If you can do all that you'll be just fine."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're so polite. Tyson could take a page from your book." He chuckled into his drink.

"I know how to be polite, Grandpa," Tyson said curtly. This was a different side of Tyson. One I hadn't really seen before.

"Yeah, well prove it."

After dinner he had Tyson give me an official tour of the house and show me the room I was to use. "Tyson, are you really alright with me staying here?" I said as he showed me my room.

"It's fine, Kai. Stay. We don't want you out on the streets." He left without another word.

I showered and collapsed on the bed, ready to welcome sleep. I finally let myself think about what Lidiya had told me. It was too much to process. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know how to feel.

I felt eyes on me. Looking over I saw Tyson leaning in the doorway, leaning against the frame. I hadn't closed the door.

"Do you want something?"

"Are you alright?"

"No. Leave me alone."

He didn't say anything else and for a moment I thought he actually would leave. "I don't want you to go."

"I didn't say I was going anywhere."

"Isn't your cousin going to take you home?"

"I don't have a home."

He was quiet. "You can stay here as long as you want, you know," he said softly and I heard him walk away.

"No. I can't."

xXx

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait...*cries* Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and faved! I love you all! And damn this chapter was difficult to write. Some of the dialogue from the show is soooooo cringe worthy. So yeah *cackles evilly* The plot thickens! What? This thing has a plot? Sort of... It's backstory for the story this is a prequel to...that I will get to...eventually. I haven't written in so many years I feel like this is just soooo choppy. Believe it or not, I used to be a good writer. I'm starting to get the hang of it again. The next chapter contains one of my favorite scenes so hopefully I'll get that one up relatively quickly. No show dialogue to deal with. Yay!

AN 2022: Way back when I started this I didn't have much info on Kai's family background so I just made up my own. Kai is the illegitimate child of Voltaire's only daughter, Ninoshka. Lidiya is the child of Voltaire's younger brother. That is his only direct family. There is more extended family with distant cousins but they have little to do with the family business.