Of Boys and Blades
Part Two
Chapter 28
AN: Shifting perspectives a lot in these chapters because it flowed better that way. I hate rehashing the same events from different perspectives. Hopefully it's not annoying. ^_^ Also, I kind of had a hard time finding breaking points for the chapters, so some of them are kind of short.
xXx
Tyson
xXx
We were at our layover. Out flight had left early in the morning. I'd overslept and missed breakfast and my stomach was in agony. Hangover plus no food equals a very unhappy Tyson. Kenny was practically comatose. I wondered how far he'd gotten with Jessica. Hilary tagged along with me to grab a bite to eat. She seemed excited to finally get me alone.
"Spill," she commanded as she took a bite of sandwich. "I saw Kai at the door."
I shrugged. "Nothing happened."
"So you ending up in Kai's arms was a complete accident?"
I felt myself smile. It was actually kind of nice to get to gush about it a little. I hadn't been able to breath a word of any of this to a soul since Kai and I had gotten together. "It kind of was, actually." I shrugged.
"You're blushing."
I let out a little laugh. "Okay, so we all went to that party. I guess I drank a lot. Don't really remember that too much. Then everyone decided to go skinny dipping in the pool. Ashleigh cornered me in the locker room. She wanted to have sex."
"You didn't!"
"No. I didn't. I got away from her and snuck out of the hotel. Kai found me. So... I was pretty... umm.. drunk. Yeah. Kai brought me back to the room. And then outside our door, I actually did fall and he caught me."
"So you guys aren't back together?" she seemed disappointed.
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"I mean, we were never like official or anything, so we never broke up... so.. I don't know. I don't know what we are. And he... ummm... he kissed me in Egypt. Like a lot. And I kissed him back."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes were wide.
I could feel heat creeping into my cheeks as I nibbled on a fry. "I don't know. I'm still kind of pissed at him."
"What's going to happen if you have to battle him?"
I smiled to myself. "I think it'll be awesome. I'm actually really getting excited about it." I sat up straighter. That was enough about me. "What were you and Tala talking about?"
"Nothing really." Hilary shrugged, trying to hide a smile. Well, wasn't this interesting? "I told him I watched his interview. He seems like a nice guy. Do you know him very well?"
"Not really. I battled him at the world championships two years ago. He seemed all right. A little messed up with a lot to deal with, but okay underneath. I didn't know he and Kai were so chummy. Why? You like him or something?"
She shrugged again. "He's kind of cute."
I arched an eyebrow.
xXx
After an eternity, and another layover in Tokyo, our plane finally touched down in Bay City. It was a pretty small airport in comparison to all the other ones we'd been to, but it was nice to be home. To smell the familiar air.
Hiro had to go straight to BBA headquarters to get arrangements made for the finals so we had the cab take us all home. Daichi and I were the last ones to get dropped off. I was excited as the dojo came into view. Home. It always took being away to make me appreciate it. Daichi hopped out of the cab behind me.
"Here's a sight for sore eyes after being on the road all these months," I said, more to myself than anything. "Home, sweet home."
"Feels good to be home."
I wrinkled my nose. "It's not your home, it's mine." I don't know why it bothered me when he did that. Sometimes it felt like he was trying to take over my life or something.
"It's almost like a second home to me now," he said with a smirk.
"What do you mean, 'second home'?"
"What do you mean 'what do I mean?'"
"Yo, howler monkeys!" came Grandpa's familiar voice. "Chill out."
"Grandpa?"
Daichi jumped into his arms. "I'm home!" he shouted.
He's my Grandpa. I pouted as we went inside.
Grandpa made us dinner, listening to us go on an on about our travels. There was just so much to tell! New York, Rome, Madrid, Cairo, Sydney! Some of the greatest cities in the world! I'd talked to him briefly on the phone, but nothing was like speaking face to face. We told him all about Barthez Battallion and how I'd helped show Miguel he didn't have to cheat. About my battle against Max and how we'd ended up friends again. I didn't say a word about Kai and Grandpa wisely didn't ask.
"So, where's your big bro Hiro, Tyson?" he finally asked as we were finishing up. I'd finally stopped talking and started eating.
"He had a meeting at BBA headquarters. Man, there's nothing like a home-cooked meal."
"Yeah," Daichi agreed. "Being at home helps you to relax."
"Will you quit it? This isn't your home, alright!"
Daichi stole the last bite of food off my plate.
"Hey! That was mine!"
"Survival of the fittest, pal!" he said with a laugh. "You'll never be champ again if you're that slow."
I retaliated by stealing his last fish.
xXx
After dinner I headed to my room. Finally, I was alone. Finally, it was quiet. And reality started to set in. In a few short days I'd be participating in the finals, and possibly face off against Kai. He would be hard to beat.
With a sigh I started unpacking. I'd done my laundry back in Australia the day before my match so I didn't have much that needed washing. I put the clean clothes away. I went to put away my pajamas and stopped when I opened the drawer. There were a handful of things Kai had left at my house over the past year. A couple pairs of pants, a few shirts. There was a plain black tee I had accidentally grabbed the last time I'd stayed overnight with him. I hadn't washed it.
It still smelled like him.
I sat on the floor for a few minutes, hugging the shirt, inhaling his scent, feeling utterly pathetic. Eventually I forced myself to put it away.
xXx
Kai
xXx
Our arrival in Japan was fully covered by the media, to my annoyance. My hangover definitely added to my misery. I missed the anonymity of the last two years. Things were definitely different now. I took a cab with the others to the hotel we'd be staying in. I recognized it. I had often walked by this building. I really should have just stayed at my apartment.
I checked us in, first the room for Tala and the others, then the one I'd gotten myself. I handed Tala the key cards and the paperwork. "All yours."
"What? You're not staying with us?" Bryan asked.
"No, Bryan. You see, Daddy's tired of Mommy's bullshit so I got my own room."
Spencer burst out laughing.
I turned around and headed towards the elevator, hoping they wouldn't follow. "See you later."
"Kai!" Tala called behind me.
I gave him the finger.
My room was on the top floor. It was nice to stretch after all the hours on the plane. I headed up to see the room I'd overpaid for. It was a large suite with a huge king sized bed complete with living room area and small kitchenette. The bathroom was enormous and had a walk in shower. Yeah, this was such a colossal waste of money. At least it had a nice view.
I dropped my luggage and headed back out. It felt strange to be back in Japan. Home. I went to a corner store and picked up some cat food and treats to go feed my strays. I found most of them, the few that would allow me to touch them were happy to see me. I never named them. I didn't like to get attached. Learned that lesson young.
I found the white one in the bushes at the park but she wouldn't come out. I left some treats at the edge of the bush and laid back in the grass, looking up at the clouds, trying to empty my mind. I heard her cautiously come nearer. Peeking over I noticed a couple extra sets of eyes in the bushes. Kittens. "So that's why you won't come." I emptied out the bag of food and left, not wanting to bother her any longer.
xXx
Tala
xXx
Mr. Dickenson was going over his proposed solution for the finals. I stifled a yawn. It was too fucking early.
After Kai ditched us we'd hung out in our hotel room. Bryan and I had stayed up late doing shots. That had probably been a mistake. Always the smart one, Spencer had just gone to bed. I was annoyed with Kai. I thought everything was okay between us now. And the whole "Mommy" thing Bryan started was driving me crazy. Even Kai was calling me that now. Spencer had been cracking jokes about it all morning. "Mommy, can you get me a drink?" "Mommy, can you help me tie my shoes?" "Mommy, where's Daddy? Why did he leave us?" I wanted to scream.
I tried to concentrate on what Mr. Dickenson was saying.
"Isn't there any way to have a break between the battles of the second place teams and the finals?" Hiro was asking. Hiro didn't seem to like me much. We'd seen a lot of each other at these meetings. He always looked at me with disapproval. I wondered what I ever did to piss him off.
"Unfortunately we cannot," Mr. Dickenson told him. "The finals are arranged to only take place in one day. Everything was arranged months in advance. There's no way to change that now. It has to be the same day."
Either way it didn't affect us.
"I understand," Hiro said.
"You've had time to consider, then," Mr. Dickenson went on. "Are the proposed matchups acceptable?"
"They're fine by me," I told him.
Romero smiled. "They're good."
"We agree," Hiro said with a nod.
I returned to the hotel room. To my surprise Kai was there. They were waiting for me to give them the news.
"So the second place team has to fight two battles back to back?" Kai asked when I'd finished. "That's a little unfair."
I shrugged. "It was brought up but the finals have to be completed in one day. They'll be announcing it soon and then we have the press conference this afternoon."
Bryan smirked. "Daddy, are you coming with us?"
Kai didn't miss a beat. "No. I have no intention of being interrogated by reporters again."
"Come on, Kai," Spencer said. "We're a team. We should all be there."
"You three can handle it, I'm sure."
I glared at him.
xXx
Tyson
xXx
When I woke the next morning it was still dark. Daichi had come into my room late the night before and we'd stayed up arguing about battle strategies. He was still in my bed. I pushed his leg off me and got up.
After a quick shower I was wide awake. Hiro had stayed the night but it seemed he'd already left. His bed was empty. He had another meeting early this morning where they would make the final decision about the tie. I went back into my bedroom to grab Dragoon and saw Daichi had disappeared. Probably went to go practice.
It was still pretty early. I bet I can beat Grandpa to the dojo. He always started the day with drills. I rushed in there and got dressed for practice. I beat him by mere minutes.
"Morning, Grandpa," I greeted, purposely ignoring the shocked look on his face.
"T-Tyson?" he stammered. "You're up at the crack of dawn! What gives?"
"I've just been getting up earlier these days. I was... hoping you could run me through some drills." I didn't want to admit I'd actually missed him. "I know i've been slacking on my physical training, but i've been trying to change that."
"You? Change?"
Was I really that bad?
"Better pinch myself, make sure i'm not dreaming," he went on to himself.
We got into sparring positions and began. I'd gone through this so many times in my life. It was so familiar. Instinctual. Comfortable. My mind wandered.
The championship was fast approaching. F Dynasty. Kai. How was I going to do this? How was I going to pull out the win again. I thought about all the bladers i'd faced this year. Miguel. Rei. Max. I'd learned something from every battle. I'd come out of the last couple months of hell stronger and more disciplined. I was ready for anything they could throw at me. For all the bladers who've been eliminated. Their dreams of winning the championship now rest on my shoulders. I have to win it. For them.
Grandpa and I danced around each other move for move, my mind spinning in a thousand different directions and completely focused at the same time. F Dynasty. The Blitzkrieg Boys. The first time Kai kissed me was in this room.
I went on the attack. I don't care how the finals are scheduled. I'll be ready for anyone that comes my way. I lunged forward. "I will win!"
Granpda was on the ground, his eyes wide, his shinai had been sent flying across the floor. Did I just defeat him? Like, for real? "Grandpa?" I asked. "Are you okay?"
He gave me the brightest smile. "My little dude's finally found his groove."
That made me grin. "How about we get breakfast ready? Daichi's gone out, but he'll be back soon. If I know him, when he's done practicing, he's going to be hungry." He took my hand and I helped him to his feet.
He didn't let go when I pulled away. "Tyson, I'm really proud of you."
He didn't need to get all mushy on me. "Thanks," I muttered.
xXx
Daichi never made it back for breakfast so I headed to the park to look for him. I was sure that was where he would be. I found him on the stone steps and egged him on into a race. He wanted to know about he finals. I still hadn't heard any news. We skipped our blades on the water for practice as Daichi interrogated me.
After some drills we took a break on the grassy hill near the beach. Kai always liked this spot. And there he was. In my head. Again. I looked out over the water. "Call it a hunch, but I think I know which team we'll see first."
"Me, too!"
I was surprised. Daichi just kind of went along with things. "Really?"
"I've got a gut feeling, and my gut never lies."
"F Dynasty?" I asked him.
He nodded. "Yeah."
I took a breath. "They beat us the last time we met. This time they won't be so lucky." We had to win. I had a promise to keep. And I had no intentions of breaking it.
xXx
AN: I know this chapter's short and kind of slow. I'm sorry. The next chapter will be more fun. Promise. We're building up to the climax of this arc! And Tyson is just so confused from all the mixed signals he's getting from Kai. Thanks for all the recent reviews! It really keeps me motivated. ^_^
