Of Boys and Blades

Part One

Chapter 8

The 2002 World Championships came to a close, crowning Tyson the winner once again. Sure, it was another win for the Bladebreakers, but everyone knew Tyson was the one to beat. He alone was the world champion in the media's eyes, and no one else. I was slightly bitter at not having had the opportunity to battle him again in the dish. Well, maybe more than slightly. I hadn't realized how badly I'd wanted it until that chance had been taken away from me.

Tyson had decided to host a last-minute celebration party at the dojo. He'd invited everyone; the Saint Shields, Kane's team, Zeo and Gordo, even the South American team Rei and I had battled against. There was lots of pizza and soda to be had. And booze, courtesy of Grandpa. According to him, a party just wasn't a party without it. Tyson was in there playing host, making sure everyone was having a good time. He'd been glued to Zeo's side all night, much to my chagrin.

I stood alone outside the dojo, watching the moon, Dranzer clutched in my hand. Music was blasting from inside. I wasn't really the best in social situations.

A dark shadow had settled over my mind. Dranzer had been taken away, something I'd sworn I'd never let happen again. I had gotten him back, but I'd still let it happen. Because I was weak. I'd slacked off too much this year pretending I'd quit. I wasn't as strong as I had been when I'd battled Spencer the year before. I could feel it. I'd gotten soft, lost my edge. That wouldn't happen again. My grip tightened around my blade. Never. Again.

"Hey, sourpuss, you gonna stay out here all night?" I heard Tyson ask from the doorway. He exited the dojo, shutting the door behind him.

I gave him a passing glance to acknowledge him then returned my gaze to the sky. "Probably."

He took a couple less than graceful steps towards me. He'd had a few drinks, apparently. Well, so had I, thanks to Gramps. Every time he passed by me he'd felt compelled to give me a drink. And being thirsty, well, I drank them.

"Hey, sorry we didn't get to battle. I was looking forward to it."

"Next time," I promised.

"Yeah." He settled next to me with his back to the wall and I could feel his warmth against my arm. "You know, I'm supposed to try to get you drunk so I can have my way with you." I could see him blushing in the dark.

"You don't need to get me drunk for that." It was out of my mouth before I realized it. Four drinks apparently made me speak before thinking.

"Oh really?" His face lit up with evil intent. "Have you been drinking, Kai?"

"Maybe. Through no fault of my own. Why don't you go enjoy your party?"

"Why don't we got to my room?"

"Because your bed is tiny."

"Is that a bad thing?" His face was so close I could feel his breath. And smell the alcohol on it. He tugged at my hand. "Come with me."

"Won't your party miss you?"

"Nah, Kenny's trying to breakdance. That'll keep everybody entertained for a while."

"Seriously?" I kind of wanted to see that.

"I think Grandpa's been feeding him shots. That man should never be allowed around teenagers."

"That might be worth watching."

With a laugh he pulled me by the arm towards the house and I felt the world shift. Okay. I was drunk. This was definitely drunk. Tyson grabbed my hand. With a quick surveillance of the area to make sure no one could see us I allowed myself to be pulled, placing Dranzer safely in my pocket.

Once inside and out of site I pinned him against the wall, pushing my body against his. "Is this what you want?" I claimed his lips with mine. He deepened the kiss with a sigh. He felt so warm. And tasted so good. His fingers trailed down my sides sending shivers through my body. And then he ruined it by digging his fingers into my flesh and proceeding to tickle me. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "Stop it."

With a grin he used the opportunity to escape and I chased him down the hall towards his room. Was this what normal teenagers did? Sneak into a bedroom giggling like a couple of school girls? I noticed too late Tyson had stopped dead in the doorway when he'd opened his door. I had to grab onto him to keep myself from falling.

"Oh, hey there," he said smoothly to a very stunned looking Max and Mariam. They were seated very close to each other on Tyson's bed. Not really a surprise. We all knew Max had a thing for her.

Without a beat Tyson crossed the room, grabbing something off his bookshelf of knickknacks. "This is what I was telling you about, Kai," he said as he headed back. What the hell was he talking about? Oh, he was playing it off. Fuck I was drunk. Tyson winked at Max before exiting the room. "Carry on." He shut the door behind him.

I leaned my head against the wall laughing quietly. Damn it I just couldn't help myself. Everything seemed really funny. "What did you grab?"

He held up a plastic anthropomorphic cactus proudly holding a sign that read Texas. "Race you to your old room," he whispered then took off.

It was on. It wasn't even fair. He had a full second head start. I bolted after him and I almost caught him but he practically dove on the bed upon entering the room.

Turning the light on I closed the door behind me. I rested my back against it, the cool wood felt good through my clothes. I locked the door. Damn, what the hell had Grandpa given me?

Tyson was laying on the bed in a fit of laughter. The site of him sprawled there made me smile. Content? Was that what this was? Perhaps even happy. I didn't remember ever being happy. Lidiya's warnings came back to me. In my heart I knew she was right. The possibility of Voltaire getting out of jail was very real. And he would come for me.

"What do you think they're doing in there?" Tyson asked from the bed.

"Locking the door now, maybe." I fell onto the bed next to him. The room was moving.

"I mean, they weren't kissing," Tyson went on. "Or maybe they were kissing before. None of her clothes were missing. I hope she doesn't hurt him. Max is pretty sensitive."

I poked him. "You talk too much."

"And I think you drank too much." He climbed on top of me, straddling me against the bed. "I like you."

"I know that."

Tyson bounced against me. I really wished he wouldn't do that. "Tell me about you."

"There's nothing to tell."

"There's a lot to tell. I mean, I know next to nothing about you. I know you're an awesome blader and a good friend...well, most of the time. I know your mother died and you don't have anything to do with your dad. I know you were raised by your grandfather but you spent time in Balkov Abbey. I know you're going into school so I think you're fifteen. You like cats. And that's about it."

I was quiet. Why did he always have to ruin things? "What do you want from me?"

"I want to know what you like to do besides blading. Where do you go when you disappear? What do you want to be when you grow up? What's your favorite color? What's your favorite food? Those kinds of things."

My hands had settled on his hips. "Look," I said after a moment "I thought I made this pretty clear but apparently I didn't. I'm not your boyfriend. If you can't handle that let's end this now."

I expected him to either throw a fit or a back down but he did neither. His face betrayed nothing. I was usually better at reading him than this. "So we're not friends either? Friends kind of know this stuff about each other. Max likes comics and baseball. He wants to coach like his mom. His favorite color is green. Rei likes to read and to cook. His favorite color's red. Kenny's whole life is computers and he really likes pop music for some god-forsaken reason. He wants to develop beyblade parts. His favorite color's blue. Hell, I even know Hilary's favorite color is pink. I need this, Kai. Just give me a few answers."

Why was he making me feel bad? "I like sneaking into abandoned places and stealing stuff. I'm going to be in charge of Hiwatari Industries when I come of age. I like Italian food. And my favorite color's purple. Is that enough to placate you?"

He looked confused. "I thought your grandfather's company was disbanded—"

"Biovolt was disbanded. Hiwatari Industries is the legal side of everything. Now I answered your fucking questions. No more."

He expression softened into a gentle smile. "Do you know what my favorite color is?"

"Red?" I guessed, based on his wardrobe.

"Yeah." He leaned down to kiss me and I pulled him close. "I really like you, Kai. Tell me you like me."

"I like you," I whispered. I never wanted this to end. Happy? Yeah, this must be what being happy felt like. I would make this last as long as possible.

xXx

Author's Note: Alright my friends. We have at long last reached the end of Part One. This was another shortish one, hope I didn't disappoint. It's been kind of a rough week. I lost my kitty last week. His name was Deathy and he was thirteen years old. I lost him to cancer. It's been really hard. I raised him from a baby and he was like, well, a child. I'm trying to concentrate more on writing so I don't think about him so much.

Thanks again for all the reviews and everything. They keep me motivated to finish this epic. Love you guys!

AN 2022: In addition to pop music Kenny also really likes techno. He often dances alone in his room to help himself think when trying to figure something out. He doesn't remember this night. He woke up outside by the koi pond.