Hi Guys! Welcome to Chapter 21! I re-read my Chapter 20 and there were a few spelling mistakes that I've gone back and rectified and also tweaked a couple of paragraphs to make them a tad more interesting. :) Thank you all for reading!

Chapter 21.

Max raised a playful eyebrow and gripped his chin. "So how long have you been with her Kai?"

Emilys' misty blue eyes were desperate for information as she tapped her arms with precise fingers. "Just who is she then Kai?"

"So Kai, have you done ...it...with her yet?" Quipped Tyson with his hands on his denim hips; his cheeky face sported a raised eyebrow and bit down on one side of his bottom lip. His eyes were menacingly slanted and had been interrogating Kai flat out for the last 5 minutes. The beychamp was not the only one who begged for answers as the rest of the gang stood wedged and clustered by the window and small space between the wet room door and foot of the bed. Max and Hilary were equally curious and had quickly joined their bluenette friend in the excavation of Kai's love life.

Tysons' over-personal and vulgar question went unanswered as a knotted vein protruded from the bed-ridden prisoners' forehead. His arms were crossed in their natural position and near-white fingers gripped deflated biceps. He gritted his teeth and hissed with a pained voice. "For the last time. She's NOT my girlfriend." His grey hair bounced in the light breeze of the open window as his gaze shot upwards to lock with his pestering opponents.

The bluenettes' body language was smarmy and did not believe a word. "You're just holdin' out on us Kai."He teased.

Ray examined Kais' intense scowl then laid a firm hand on Tysons' shoulder. "Why don't you give it a break Tyson. Kai needs his rest and you are stressing him out."

Max placed a gentler hand on Tysons' other shoulder. "I'm sure Kai will spill the beans when he's ready hehehe." The blonde then winked and extended a thumb up to the man in the bed. "We know how you like to keep things close to the chest pal. Or herrrrrr chest to be exact."

Daichi still had love hearts in his eyes and daydreamed about Megumis' physique. "She is awful prettttttttty."Cupids' arrow protruded from a bull's-eye on his forehead.

Emily exasperated with hands on her hips. "Well if she's not your girlfriend then who is she?"The ginger had made a mental note to do some research on this-Megumi-woman as soon as she had the chance to jump onto her laptop and do so in privacy; the prime objective... to assess the competition. After all, that's how she worked at the BBA research facility...analysing opponents and their weaknesses to have the upper-hand later.

Tyson retorted. "Oh she's his girlfriend all right...You and Meguuuuummi looked reaaaalllll close Kai. She was leanin' in for a smooch wasnt she? Hehehe."

Hilary noticed Kai was beginning to shimmer with thin sweat again and warned as she side eyed him. "Yeah Tyson. I think it's time to cut Kai a break now."

Kenny picked up instantly on Hilarys' concerned vibe as Kais' top lip was curled with a soundless growl. "Yeah guys lay off will ya. Kai will tell us when he's good and ready but for now let's give him some space."

Kais' last nerve was being plucked at. His nails dug into the flesh of his arms as his fuse whittled dangerously short. One more word out of Tysons' mouth and he was going to throw him out of the window; or at least try. He wasn't sure if he was physically up to the task or even if Tysons' chunky body was going to fit out of the window gap. Kai day-dreamed the scenario of Tyson's body being catapulted into free-fall and splat on the ground below, followed by a glorious silence.

Relationships were highly private in Kais' book and romantic ones even more so. He wasn't going to divulge anything to do with his love life here and now and certainly not during his friends' Spanish inquisition. He grew light headed with the growing the tension in his body and cried in his mind for them to leave him alone. The white tiger male and The Chief were right...Kai was getting stressed out and he sorely needed precious peace and quiet.

*SLAM*

"K-MAN! WAHHHHAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH YOU'RE ALIVE MA MAN!" Cried an over-emotional Grandpa Granger in a pastel yellow and pink Hawaiian shirt; complete with summer shorts. In one hand was his kendo stick and the other held onto the handles of a blue plastic shopping bag. He snivelled snot back into his nostrils as tears of happiness rolled down his high cheek bones. He cracked his kendo stick on the floor twice and yelled "OHHHHHH MAAAAAANNN! K-MAN IT'S GOOD TO SEE YA DAWG!" before making space for another to enter the room.

"Oh Kai." Mr Dickenson wiped away a tear with a white handkerchief and blew his nose into it. The much older gent removed his bowler hat as a sign of respect and chocked back fresh joyous tears. "It's so so very good to see you awake Kai." In his right hand was his trusty walking stick and wrapped around his palm... *Kai's eye twitched* a light blue string with a dark blue helium balloon on the end with "Feel better soon" in silver word lettering.

"Grandpa! Mr D! What are you doing here?!" Exclaimed Tyson. It was pretty clear why they were here but as always, his over excitement got the better of him.

Kai did his best to prevent his eyes from rolling backwards and for the most part; succeeded. "More visitors...so much for rest." He whined silently as he began to feel sick again. Kais' male resting-bitch-face tried his hardest to hide his agitation as he gripped his arms tighter. He glanced at the window briefly and considered jumping out it himself in a bid to escape yet more pairs of eyes to watch him squirm; weak, wounded and sweaty in a hospital bed.

The two elder men joined the gang of other human irritants at Kais' feet.

Grandpa Grangers' long trailing moustache was now semi-soaked with happy tears. "K-Dawg I can't express in words how glad I am to see ya up and talkin'. I've been praying to the Shinto Gods for ya night n' day. You gave us quite a scare I tell ya!"

Mr Dickenson was a little more composed than the elder Granger as he clutched his bowler hat close to this suited chest. The balloon bopped in the air above his bald head. "Kai if there is anything you need at all from me or the BBA I want you to call on me any time. I don't want you to worry about a thing alright my boy."

Kenny recited rapidly in his mind as sweat tricked down his left temple and his teeth chattered. "Please don't mention anything about Blake or Dranzer. Please don't mention anything about Blake or Dranzer. Please don't mention..."

Grandpa Granger tucked his kendo stick under one arm in order to free both hands and rummaged around in the blue plastic bag. "It's not much but we gotcha these K-Man." His limber hands pulled out box after box after box of assorted sweets, biscuits and chocolates. 15 boxes in total consisting of jaffa cakes, party ring biscuits, jelly babys, Cadburys heroes, milk chocolate buttons, sweet mochi dumplings, melon bread and donuts. The small hoard of sweets birthed sparkles in the eyes of the younger Granger, Mariah, Daichi, Hilary and especially sugar-head Max. They had run out of coins for the vending machines hours ago and the new stash was like a gift from Buddha himself. They eyeballed their favourite treats, drooling and praying Kai would later share them.

Patient 12 glared down at the varied food boxes and plastic wrapped confectionery which now covered his lap and legs. Nearby was the yellow teddy wearing his cute "Get well soon" t-shirt balancing on the left hand edge of his bed.

"More gifts I don't need or want. What a waste."Thought the melancholic patient as a new headache swelled his brain and pumped more pressure behind his eyes.

For days prior, Mr Dickenson had watched his beyblader, Kai cling to life in the ICU and now he was awake and talking. He beamed with pride and gratitude as we wiped another tear away with a white cotton cloth. His old English voice was squeaky with emotion. "Here Kai, we got you this. It's not much but I thought it might cheer you up." He chuckled lightly and with kind stubby hands he tied the string around a bar at the foot of his beybladers' bed. The inflated gimmick bopped just above head height and swayed from the breeze billowing in from the summer air outside.

Grandpa Granger – "So, how ya feeling K-Man?"

Mr Dickenson – "Yes Kai. How are you doing? I hope they are giving you the 5 star treatment here."

Kai was sick to the back teeth of that question and couldn't help but scowl. His eyebrows furrowed, he could literally feel his blood pressure rise in his veins and he fought not to scream at them all to go away. Kai took a deep breath and gathered his patience to repeat one more time; one more lie.

"I'm doing just fine Mr Dickenson." He grumped with a sore throat and un-animated face. All he wanted now was to be left alone to sleep for a month.

The fatigue in the younger mans features and hoarse voice was clear. Mr Dickenson and Grandpa Granger got the hint and nodded to one another; their time was up.

The BBA chairman edged his way towards the door. "Ok my boy, we are gunna leave you in peace now. We just wanted to drop by to see how you are doing. It's good to see you up and doing well. You keep getting better young man. I want to see you on your feet soon my boy."

Grandpa Granger followed suit. "Yeahhhhhh we're gunna give you ya space ma homie. You don't need a couple a ol' fogies like us crampin' ya style. There's some class nursey birds here and I betcha want them all ta yaself. So we're gunna scoot and see how ya doin in a couple a' days."

Tyson smarted with a sly side glance at the glowering Kai. "Grandpaaaaa...Kai doesn't want any of these nurses. He's got a super-model girlfriend didn't ya know. Heheh."

Kai threw his face into his wide sweaty palms. The oximeter clipped to the end of his index finger embedded into his lolling light grey hair as the darkness of his palms nursed his thumping eyes. Intense frustration bubbled beneath his skin. He felt sick, trapped and ridiculed, emotions which he rarely ever felt. He reminded himself to breathe and count to ten. One. Two. Three. . Five. Six. Breathe... Then a thought hit him. "It must be lunch time soon...they must be hungry. It won't be long now until they head out and finally leave me in peace."

15 minutes later.

Soon after Grandpa Granger and Mr Dickenson left; a new episode of boredom loomed. Only the ever-tiger-eyed Ray noticed a flat screen TV affixed to the ceiling above Kais' bed. It only had to be pulled down, twisted on its axel and angled for all corners of the room to see. Kenny took charge of the remote, tuned it, and inventoried what channels they had and there...instant entertainment. Max, Daichi and Emily sat at the back in a row of three seats. Next to them in the corner was Mariah resting into Ray with his back to the wall. In front of them in a row was Kenny next to Hilary, next to Tyson. To Tysons' left was Kai in the same position in bed...seemingly asleep with his arms crossed and his eyelids tight shut, finally getting the rest bite he needed?

Patient Room 12 was now a low budget cinema. After much bickering they settled on an action movie which involved guns, fight scenes, swearing and the kidnap of a girl who needed to be rescued by a good looking American with a chiselled double chin. Kenny suggested they have the volume as low as possible in consideration for Kai who clearly needed a nap, to which they unanimously agreed.

Kais' gift food bundle from Grandpa Granger took no time in being raided. Kai didn't want any of it. He still had no appetite and was more than happy for his friends to have the sweets and other sugary treats; he hardly touched junk food anyway. Besides...if their mouths were full with food, they couldn't ask any more annoying questions about his love life or anything else... or so Patient 12 hoped.

Mariah was sat crossed legged between Rays' splayed lower limbs. His body leaned against the wall as her torso leaned back into his groin comfortably. "Max you gotta share the jelly babies ya know. Hand em over will you." She whisper demanded as she tossed another green tea mochi ball into her wide cat-fanged mouth.

Max sat on one of the chairs furthest to the back. He screwed up the top of a packet to ensure any precious contents didn't fall out whilst being passed around. "Sure Mariah, just as soon as Hilary passes me a jaffa cake." He leaned forward and handed the pouch of sweets to Kenny to be passed across the sea of beybladers couching on the lino floor.

Hilary handed the open jaffa cake box to Tyson; who took a jaffa cake for himself first, swallowed it whole with a loud gulping sound and then passed the rest of the box and its contents behind him to Max, as instructed.

Daichi scoffed on the box of Cadburys' heroes with chocolate smeared at both corners of his grin. Whilst chewing obnoxiously on his brown delights he rolled the wrappers into little balls and threw them, aiming for Tysons' head diagonally in front… only, the wrapper-balls curved in the air and landed in Hilarys' lap instead. "Will you stop it Daichi. I'm trying to watch the movie!" She whisper scolded again as her neck swiveled 180 degrees round at him like an owl.

Emily gestured with furrowed ginger eyebrows and a finger near to her lips. "SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH Kai is asleep. Don't you guys know the meaning of quiet?!"

Kai was not asleep. His eyebrow twitched and ticked with each disturbance. One... after the other. *Rustle of a sweet packet*"Daichi will you stop throwing wrappers!" "Max pass the donuts." "Ray can you pass me the melon bread please?" "Don't eat allllll the chocolate buttons, will you!" "I want a pink party ring...not a white one." "Stop hogging the jaffa cakes!" "*BANG BANG of a gun on the TV*" "Mariah you ate all the mochi balls!"

Each harsh whisper, complaint, rustle, grunt of discomfort from the hard floor, TV noises ect were like nails on a chalk board of Kais' psyche. Kai reminded himself to breathe... count to ten and breathe some more. Eventually his tiredness won and as his brain and eyes begged for sleep. He learned to block out the living noisy irritations in the room and slowly...his arms felt heavier, his chin tucked downward into his sternum, his breathing slowed and at last; he drifted off.

15 minutes later...

*KNOCK KNOCK* The door handle twisted and opened with a creaking sound.

Without invitation, two nurses entered what small space remained of Patient Room 12. Their faces were astonished for the high number of bodies wedged in the tight room. Kenny instantly muted the TV, the gang jumped to their feet and clustered to the far right side of the room allowing the nurses to take centre stage.

Kai had barely enjoyed a few moments of precious sleep when he was awoken by yet more invaders. His amethyst eyes were bloodshot and anger bubbled his blood like water in a kettle. He recognised the younger nurse from earlier, the one who had rescued him from vomiting on himself; the same one who threatened to tell the doctor if he hadn't eaten anything by the evening. Her name badge "Nurse Hina" shimmered on her dark blue nurse outfit, black hair wound tight in a bun and pink lip-balm glittered as she clutched a grey file to her breast. The other nurse was middle aged, shorter and heavier bodied than the other nurse with a rounded face and short curly brown hair. She wore an identical uniform and pushed a metal trolley in front of her with 2 steaming bowls, a stack of towels, wash cloths and a variety of soaps and shampoo bottles collected in a small tray. Kai had never met her before...or so he thought.

Nurse Hina beamed at her disgruntled patient. "It's good to see you up Mr Hiwatari..." She turned her gaze to Tyson and Co and glared at them with scepticism and malice. "...I hope you are getting the rest you need."

Heavy sweat drops and fearful wide eyes befell Kais' "visitors" as they sweated in the warmth of the tiny box room and the scrutiny of the "take no prisoners" nurse.

Nurse Hina – "I've come back to check on you Kai. How are you feeling now? Do you need any more pain medication? Are you feeling up to eating yet?"

Kais' thick grey eyebrow twitched with annoyance. Sleep was within his grasp only this nurse and her colleague had snatched it away and for what? To ask more personal and aggravating questions? His lip twitched into a momentary growl and grouched an answer. "I'm fine. I'm not hungry. I would like some peace and quiet though... if that isn't too much to ask." His croaky voice portrayed a deep agitation towards the end of his sentence.

Nurse Hina smiled sickly sweetly with a sweat-drop. She knew she was dealing with a stubborn patient and butting heads with him was not going to help. "Ok if you're sure. Please let me know if anything changes and if you need any more medication. I will need to see you eat though by the end of the day remember." She obnoxiously cocked her head to one side.

Kais' temper was as thin as a worn shoe string. He could feel his heart thump in unison with the popped vein on his pale forehead.

The other nurse stepped forward. She had a friendly and kind disposition. The joyful, bubbly lady couldn't wait to introduce herself. "Hello Mr Hiwatari, it's very nice to meet you now that you are awake. You won't remember me... My name is Nurse Sayako. I have been overseeing your personal needs since the day you arrived."

Kais' blood instantly ran cold and his heart flat-lined. His jaw hung as his bottom lip extended. He mumbled "Personal needs?" His eyes were painfully wide and he felt sick for the answer.

Nurse Sayakos' hair bounced above her shoulders as she smiled. "Yes I am in charge of bed-bathing patients who cannot help themselves. I mainly help ICU patients when they are unconscious and then when they begin recovery. I also help patients who struggle to wash themselves due to injury, age or immobility. I wash hair, brush teeth, clean bodies from tip to toe and change anything soiled. I also change wound dressings." She began rummaging around in a white tub for gauze pads and reels of surgical tape.

Tyson and Co felt awkward and shuffled uneasily. They had an idea of what "personal needs" meant and felt immediately embarrassed for their former team captain and adversary.

Kenny gazed at Kais' mortified form through thick goggles and mumbled incoherently. "Oh Kai this just isn't fair. You are such a private person and this must be torture for you. I wish there was something I could do to help you."

Kais' nausea returned tenfold as he blushed red from humiliation. This nurse...had seen his whole body naked, run her fingers through his hair, wiped over his scars and private parts...on multiple occasions... every day since his arrival.

Nurse Hina – "We are going to have to ask all of your friends to leave for a little while so that Nurse Sayako can bathe you. Afterwards, we will see if you finally want some food Mr Hiwatari."

Kais' fingernails dug into his biceps so hard now that his finger bones ached and would leave bruising if he grabbed any harder.

Hilarys' curiosity got the better of her. "Give him a bath in bed? How?"

Nurse Sayako replied very matter of fact. "We use wash cloths and wet wipes and use a small basin to wash hair...all in the comfort of our patients' beds." She soaked two small flannels into the steaming soapy bowls and pulled blue latex gloves over her fingers. "Now there's no need to be embarrassed Mr Hiwatari... I've seen it all before. I bathe both male and female patients. Most men don't have an issue so there's no need to make a big thing of it." She then winked at the young man in the bed who had a face so disgusted she thought he was about to cry and vomit at the same time.

Kai was horrified. His face went redder and extended an arm to gesture to his en-suite wet room. His tone was firm and unwavering. "I have a bathroom right there. I'll take a shower after I've had some sleep. I will take care of myself. You can go now. "

Nurse Hina shook her head. "I'm afraid you won't be having a shower anytime soon Mr Hiwatari. You are too weak to walk and we cannot leave you unattended and unaided, especially in a room with a slippery floor. Now, you have a physiotherapist appointment in two days time who will work with you to help you learn to walk again. For now you will just have to tolerate bed baths. Nurse Sayako will be very gentle with you."

Nurse Sayako cocked her head and beamed as she began rinsing out the flannels and grasped a new sponge in gloved hands. "I will have you spick and span in no time."

Kai creakily unfolded his arms, allowed his hands to thud onto his bed-sheets and gripped the fabric so tightly his knuckles turned arctic white. His body heaved with anger, his breathing laboured and his pupils were like pin pricks. Kais' heart rate spiked on the monitor screen as a red warning light flashed. He had finally snapped. "No." He hissed dangerously as his headache thumped. His distraught face loomed in the darkness under his hair as his chest heaved in oxygen.

A thick choking tension coveted the room.

Nurse Sayako ceased collecting wash items in her hands and held her breath. Her patient had become a growling wild animal of which she was too frightened to approach.

Nurse Hina immediately took charge as the higher level nurse and readied herself for an argument. She said in an authoritarian tone. "What do you mean? No? You have to be washed Mr Hiwatari. You will be in that bed for the next few days at least. The sooner you accept that the better."

Kai shot his aching head upwards to glare with hostility at his uninvited caregivers. He slammed two furious fists down on his bedding by his thighs.

"I said...*heave* no. I don't want a stranger touching my body. I will take care of myself. Leave me dressings and I will take care of my injury. I don't need you to do it for me.*heave* I want you to leave. NOW. *heave* ALL OF YOU!" He demanded as loud as his damaged voice would allow. Each word fought its way through his vocal chords as rage rocked his nervous system.

Nurse Hina was taken aback and worried for his accelerated heart rate. "Mr Hiwatari, please calm down. We are only trying to help. You need a qualified nurse to help you with your wound. It's not a small scrape you know."

Kai hissed through his gritted teeth. "I am calm! I know what to do with wounds. *heave* Now leave me in peace!"

Tyson stepped forward with sweat pouring down both of his temples and soaking into his blue bangs. "But Kai... you don't mean us too? Right?"

Max begged at Tysons' side. "Yeah Kai we'll turn the TV down and promise to be real quiet from now on."

Kais' malicious voice had broken as much as his temper and emitted a harsh broken scream. His right arm and oximeter clamped finger pointed sharply at the door. "I SAID LEAVE! GET OUT ALL OF YOU! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

4 hours later.

Tyson and Co were busy demolishing a dinner at their usual spot by the sun-lit window in the canteen hall. Despite having eaten a whole carrier bag full of cake, sweets and biscuits between them they were still hungry for more. The time was 5pm and the day was dragging. The boredom of being in the same blank hospital walls and Kais' second emotional outburst in the last 24 hours had dampened their mood. Food was the perfect temporary remedy and the friends were deep in conversation.

Tyson swallowed a lump of potato. He stropped out as he banged the end of his fork on the table. "I can't believe Kai threw us out!"

Ray sawed with a silver knife at a piece of chicken breast. "I'm surprised he put up with us as long as he did. You know how Kai likes to be on his own sometimes. He must have felt pretty boxed in with us all around him."

Max chewed with his mouth open. "I've never seen Kai lose it like that. Poor guy must have really been at the end of his tether."

Mariah replaced a half drunk glass of milk to the table top. "Yeah well think about it. He's got a lot to deal with… he's a lone wolf who likes his own company and he's trapped in a hospital bed unable to move and clearly doesn't feel very well."

"Kai's still dealing with the loss of his Dranzer don't forget. He must have a lot on his mind."Said Hilary as she dipped a chip in sauce.

Emily sipped from a glass of apple juice. "Kais' little fit is totally natural given his circumstances. Those nurses were quite unprofessional too. They completely embarrassed him."

Kenny folded Dizzi away and proceeded to slap an upside down bottle of ketchup to add the red condiment to his plate of hamburger and chips. "I agree, they were totally unprofessional. They didn't even ask Kai what he wanted."

Max was busy squirting a larger than life pile of mustard onto his plate next to 20 chicken nuggets. "Totally! Did you see Kais' face? He was devastated! I wanted to stick up for him but the nurses know best I guess."

Daichi swallowed a mouthful of beef burger. "I think Kai's quite lucky havin 'someone wash and bath him. I'd love to have a woman do that for me. I can see it now...Megumi wiping me down with a warm flannel. Her in a nurses outfit and me butt naked hehehee. She can wipe me allllllllllll over." Hearts emanated from his eyes and popped on the high roof of the canteen like bubbles.

Hilary choked on a sip of her berry tea and spluttered unceremoniously. "EWWW Daichi, nooooo I don't want that mental image in my head thank you very much." Her face screwed up in disgust.

Max swallowed a soft chip covered in mustard. "Hahaha dream on Daichi. I hope we get to meet Megumi again she was high class. Megumi in a nurse outfit... wooo my heart just jumped. I wonder if Kai is really telling us the truth about not being her boyfriend. If she's single I'm definitely gunna make a move."

Emily coughed with a small vein popping. She was getting sick of the boys swooning over MeGuMi. "Can we get back on topic please guys? Back to Kai. The nurses are gunna have a tough time with him, he's so stand off-ish and I bet he's not accustomed to being told what he can and can't do as a CEO and all. I can already tell he is going to struggle with life in the hospital. We should try to think of ways to cheer him up."

Max - "That's a brilliant idea Emily. I agree. Kai's gunna have a tough few days and he's gunna get bored outta his brain in bed. We should brainstorm some ideas tonight."

Ray- "You're not gunna like this but I think Kai would appreciate some space. Maybe we should limit how many of us see him or only see him for a few hours in a day. We should respect what HE wants. I certainly wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now. I hate hospitals."

Kenny - "I concur Ray. In fact I think we may be partly to blame for Kais' outburst today. We could have been more courteous and sensitive to how he was feeling. Our presence crowding him all day was too much for him. We need to be aware of that in the future."

Tyson retorted in denial. "Kai won't ever admit it but I think he likes hanging around with us more than he lets on. Chief... he needs us around him. We are his closest friends. I know we haven't been exactly in each others' pockets for the last 10 years but friendships like ours are eternal. Kai needs us around him whether he likes it or not, especially right now with Shadow Vale out there."

Ray– "Speaking of Shadow Vale we really should tell him soon. He has a right to know who they are and what they want with Dranzer."

Daichi – "I was sure Mr D or Grandpa Granger was gunna slip up and say somethin' about them. I agree with Kenny. The sooner that Kai knows about those goons and the danger he's in, the better."

Emily – "I don't think we need to rush too quick guys. You heard what the nurses said. He's gunna be in that bed for days yet. We have time. Let him get stronger and in a couple of days... and then tell him that his life is still at risk."

Max – "Yeah I guess you're right. But Kai will have questions for us sooner or later and we need to be ready for them."

Meanwhile...

"Where are you Dranzer?"Kai whispered into the empty air around him with sadness in his heart.

A pair of amethyst eyes glinted in the last few hours of daylight as they scanned the view from his open window at the world outside. Opposite were the brick buildings of other sections of the hospital. Above, was a picturesque clear blue sky with thick white clouds cruising along the atmosphere. Birds speckled the scenery as they darted around catching insects and returning to nests in the trees. Kai arched his gaze downwards to a well kept enclosed courtyard; a peaceful rectangular haven with twisted paths, a perfectly mown green lawn and various shaped flower beds. Stone statues of wild animals and a small koi pond made it look and feel like a well kept miniature public garden. Benches were thoughtfully placed under trees and between large bushes for shade. He figured the garden was some kind of purposely built outdoor space for patients to get fresh air and a short reprieve from their dreary wards.

Kai hawked at a teenage girl with blonde hair as she hobbled to a bench beneath a sakura tree with a white cast encapsulating her right leg. Nearby, a new mother held a baby wrapped in a pink blanket was being pushed along in a wheelchair to the edge of the pond by a very tired looking man, presumably the new father. A few benches away was a very old man in a wheelchair with a drip on a hook with wheels next to him, he had been left there by a nurse to bathe in the partial sun beneath a green maple tree. The beyblader watched as the senior enjoyed a blue butterfly flap around his bald and wrinkled head.

Kai had not long awoken from a much needed nap, he stretched his arms outwards and yawned himself more awake. His nausea, sickness and headache had completely dissipated and he felt clear as a bell at last. After his visionary adventure into the outside world, he glanced at the room around him and sighed with relief at the emptiness of it. He rolled his eyes at the evidence of his friends snack party... a few crumbs on a seat, an empty box of jaffa cakes under a chair and balls of chocolate wrapper on the floor. The nurses had taken his unwanted and stone-cold lunch away and replaced the tray with a neat pile of gauze, surgical tape and bandages on his nearside table along with a fresh cup of water. He sat up with a heave and a gasp of sharp pain as his injury reminded him it was still there and extremely tender. A new sensation made itself apparent; a dull pressure in his groin... the need to pee. He shamefully remembered the adult nappy he was wearing and thought about relieving himself into it, after all that's what it was designed for. Across him behind the wall of the bathroom a toilet seat rim peeped and waved to him.

"I hate this. I need to get out of this bed. I've got to try." Kai muttered to himself in defiance.

Kai flipped the limp blue blanket across to the right side. He figured if his legs were going to be as weak as the nurses said then he should at least get a little help from the window sill on his left. With weak arms he heaved the dual layers of thin bed sheet away to reveal his scarred near-white legs; his childhood at Biovolt and years of rough beybattles had left their marks. He fingered along two deep diagonal scars which were slashed across his thighs, of which he received from his battle with Brooklyn during the 3rd World Championships. His mind wandered and found himself comparing the strength of Brooklyn to Blake...the latter was far stronger and would leave a much deeper scar on him than Brooklyn ever could. The ex- revolution blader pulled on his hospital gown with blue shaped-diamonds on it upwards to reveal his abdomen and placed a tender hand over the taped down gauze patch, and held it there as if to caress it. His mind wandered again as painful flashbacks of the discovery of the Blakes daggers' hilt sticking out of his body, and he could almost feel the stickiness of his blood stained clothes all over again. His heartbeat jumped and drew a sharp breath, screwed his eyes and chomped his molars down as a wave of furious emotion hit him. His fists were turning into tight balls until the dull ache in his bladder intensified, reminding him of his need to get to the bathroom. He opened his eyes and thought to deal with his immediate problem first. His puffy adult nappy caught his gaze and he felt disgusted at the sight of it. He quickly stretched down his gown to cover the hygiene pants in-case somebody walked before he invited them in; like many had done earlier in the day.

He got to work. The grey haired young man took his time and flexed a foot. He stretched his toes out and wiggled them on his right foot and then the left. He used his arms to drag his left knee up and shuffle his leg partially over the side of the bed and then repeated for the right leg. They were a little skinnier than he had remembered and figured extreme blood loss and 3 days of not eating would have physically cost him something. Now for the shitty part...twisting to straighten his legs out in front of him to adopt a seated position at the edge of the bed. He drew long lungful breaths through his nose as he prepped for the manoeuvre.

"Ok this is gunna hurt. One, Two, Three. Arhhhhhhhhhgggghhhh." Kai cried with the agony as his abdomen wound throbbed and screamed for him to stop moving. Despite the sharp pain from the move and ache of having been laid out flat for days...he was now successfully turned and perched at his mattress edge. Kai panted and clutched his hand over his wound site but smirked with one eye clutched shut. "That's the worst bit over with...I hope."

He ceased moving for a moment to catch his breath and let the ripples of fresh pain at his side ebb away under a protective hand. He glanced down at his warm sockless feet which dangled 2 inches off the ground and calculated how he was going to get down. The young CEO settled on a plan of action and executed it. Firstly he unclipped the oximeter and placed it with its trailing wires on the right side of the bed. Now for his cannula… the annoying needle contraption had itched the back of his left hand ever since he knew of its existence and was more than keen to remove it. Kai carefully peeled away some of the see-through sticky tape and with a careful tug in the opposite direction to which it had been inserted... he dragged the needle out with a scrunched grimace. Once free of it, he stuck it to his pillow. The nurses would have a thing or two to say no doubt but he figured he would deal with the flack later and protest for medicine in tablet form instead; anything to be free of the cannula and his medical shackle to the drip bags. He snaked a hand under his gown and plucked off 6 heart rate monitor ports which were clipped onto sticky pads on his chest. He promised to deal with the sticky pads in the shower later. Lastly...he wiggled his right arm out of a cuff which inflated and deflated to measure his blood pressure.

"Oh gosh that feels better." He breathed and flexed his newly free index finger and inspected the slightly bleeding and bruised area that the cannula needle called home. He dabbed a piece of his gown on it to clean it. Now for the next bit, he took another lungful into through his nose and out of his mouth.

"Ok here goes."

He dragged his bottom against the sheets and slid off the edge very slowly and carefully until his warm toes of his right foot touched the cool hard floor. His wound throbbed but it wasn't anything the seasoned beyblader couldn't handle. He gasped with the discomfort but carried on until all his toes… and then the ball of his foot… and then his heel felt the pressure of earth. Half an arse cheek remained on the bed and Kai took a moment as sweat drops travelled down his pale handsome face and soaked into his grey bangs.

"Ok I've come this far. Nearly there. I've got this... Ahrrhhhhhhghhhh."

Kai groaned with discomfort as his vertebrate took upright gravity. He pressed both his palms and all fingers onto the white ceramic window sill ledge like a gecko climbing a wall. Pressure evened out under both feet, his knees and thighs trembled and his wound still throbbed but...he... was... standing!

Kai glanced down at his once so strong legs. 4 days ago he was in the gym, killing the treadmill and weight lifting on benches. His weakened legs shook under his weight but Kai was not about to give up now.

"That's it Kai. Take it steady."

He shuffled one sticky foot along the lino and then shuffled the other along and then repeated until he reached the end of the window sill. His gown billowed and swayed with its lightness as he arched his head out of the window. He loomed over all the other patients who had escaped their hospital cell and longed to do the same. He took a moment to relish the breeze directly which stroke his face and cooled his dense eyebrows and flushed cheeks.

"That's it. I've got this." The physical strain of standing was a feat enough but walking was going to be hard work. Kais' energy reserves were non-existent. He began to feel faint and cursed his absent appetite.

Next he needed to make it to the bathroom door frame. He turned his stature to face where he needed to be like a cat calculating its leap. He just needed to stand straight and walk unaided for 4 steps to reach the door frame of the bathroom. From there on he would have the support he needed from the handrails in the wet room.

"Okay just 4 steps and I'm golden." Kais' heart burned with determination but his legs weren't so confident. The dual tone haired man begged for his lower body to stop earth-quaking. He took a deep breath. Whispered within himself the words "Focus." His scarred pins adjusted to the new position and momentarily stood strong as if they took commands.

He stepped forward with his left foot, landed it, balanced his frame and then swung the right leg to meet it in line.

…..

Suddenly... a knee gave way

...and he fell crashing to the floor.

...

Daichi slapped his food-pregnant belly with two tanned hands as his belt and zipper splayed undone. His pink and yellow polka dot underwear peeped through the zippers' gap as he used a tooth pick to wedge food from between his knashers. He belched with satisfaction and jabbed at his friend in the neighbouring seat. "What's up with you Tyson? You got tummy ache or what? "

Tyson was usually as slobbish as his red-haired team mate but right now; he had something on his mind. His roast chicken meal with a side of potatoes and vegetables was only half demolished. He gazed woefully at the remaining food on his plate. Despite his ravenous start of the meal, something Kenny said earlier replayed in his head.

"No Daichi I haven't got a belly ache today. Yesterday's curry went through without a hitch by the way. It's nothing do with that. It's just... I can't help but feel bad for Kai. The more I think about it, the more I feel sorry for him."

Kenny pushed his glasses up to his nose with one hand as the other set down a mug of tea onto the table. "Oh it's playing on your mind too huh?"

Tyson pushed a runner bean around with a knife on his white plate. "Yeah Chief, we overcrowded him and we know he hates that. We ate all of his snacks. We took over his TV and we did nothing to defend him against those nurses."

Emily had just gulped down the remainder of her orange juice. "There's no use getting worked up over it Tyson. Kai didn't care for the TV or snacks. That much was clear."

Ray swallowed a final morsel of salmon fillet. "We did overdo it with the overcrowding though."

Hilary sipped delicately at her berry tea in a mug. "Oh I'm sure Kai's fine. He'll have a long nap and forget about all it. Kai's not one to keep a grudge over petty stuff."

Max polished off the last of his cold fries in a bowl. "And what was we supposed to do about the nurses? They are the ones in charge of looking after him. We've got no say in it. Although I am proud of Kai for sticking up for himself and telling them where to go when he'd had enough."

Daichi - *cough* "He'd had enough of us too don't forget."

The gang started to pile their plates onto trays. Their empty glass tumblers, mugs and scrap food wedged and jenga'd on top of the plates and saucers. Conversation continued as they stood up and tucked their chairs in readying to leave the food hall.

Emily brushed out her skirt. "So what are we all doing now?"

Tyson exclaimed. "I thought we were going back to see Kai. Or at least check on him."

Hilary smarted. "Don't you think Kai has had enough visitors for today? Let's leave him in peace Tyson. It's clear that Kai is not feeling too well and probably just wants to sleep. That's all I want to do when I'm ill. Don't worry about him Tyson. Kai's allowed to be a misery right now." She turned to the pinkette on her left. "Hey Mariah did you want to check out the peace Garden. It'll be nice to sit outside for a while."

Mariah bounced at the idea. "Oh yeah sure! I'm tired of being stuck in a stuffy room. The rest of you guys coming?"

Emily pushed her glasses up to her nose and started for the doorway. "No thanks. I'm heading back to the family suite for some decent WiFi. And I couldn't agree more... Kai needs his space. We will see him tomorrow when he's simmered down and feeling better. And what's more; I have some important emails to make. I need to update Judy about what you guys have told me about that Shadow Vale clan and see if she knows of anyone with data on them."

Kenny was quick to follow suit."I'm coming with you Emily. I need to email the other beyblade teams with updates and see if Tala has replied. He said something about joining us in Japan a couple of days ago but I haven't heard anything since. I also need to check on my substitute at the BBA research facility, just a courtesy email to touch base. Also if it's not too much trouble I'd like to see any research Judy comes back with if that's OK with you Emily?"

Emily turned back at her BBA colleague."Of course. We're all in this together aren't we? Although... I'll be surprised if we get anything. By the sounds of it... Shadow Vale are even more secretive than the White Tigers and our data on them is scant at best."

Daichi zipped up his trousers and re-belted his rotund stomach. "Kai has made it pretty clear he doesn't want people to see him. This is the last time I'm gunna say this Tyson... Give him some space, there's nothing we can do for him. As for me, I'm too full to do anything. I'm a go back to the suite for a nap."

Tyson became flustered."But guys! I want to apologise to Kai. I don't wanna leave him the way that we did. It just doesn't sit right with me. Ray? Max? You'll come back with me won't ya? 5 minutes I promise and we'll leave him alone for the rest of the day. I just wanna make sure he's OK. Ya know?"

Tysons' eyes were like a puppy dogs. His chubby Japanese features begged at them. He was going to see Kai regardless, on his own if necessary but favoured having the extra company. Once Tyson Granger had made his mind up there was no changing it.

Blue and yellow eyes mirrored each other. Whenever Tyson was like this, it was very hard to say no.

Max crumbled first. "Ohhhh OK. I'll admit it. I feel bad too. If only we had been quieter he might not have thrown us out. We drove him to kick off like he did and I guess we should apologise. I just hope he doesn't get upset with us again."

Mariah was at the doorway exit with Hilary at her side. She could almost taste the fresh air beckoning her from down the hallway, where the sliding doors led to the garden courtyard. "Ray! You comin?"

The White Tiger male lightly growled with the indecision. He glanced at Tyson, then Max and back at Mariah. A second more to decide and then yelled. "I'll catch up with you later Mariah."

"Kay!" Mariah had her answer and soon disappeared around the corner with her arm linked with Hilary's.

Ray turned to his cap wearing buddy with sternness.

"I didn't like seeing Kai that upset too. I would feel better ending the day on a high anyway. Okay let's go. 5 minutes remember. Don't make me set a timer."

"Yes! You guys are the best." Tyson rolled his fingers into happy fists and led the way.

Hi everybody! Thank you sooooo sooo much for the reviews guys! I know Tyson may come across as a bit childish but he adds a great level of humour to what is quite a serious story-line. Pop over to the next Chapter which was originally meant to be part of this one but I didn't want chapter 21 to be too long... and so Chapter 22 was made from the final 3rd of no.21. I hope you have enjoyed it so far. ;)