Of Boys and Blades

Part Two

Chapter 15

xXx

Kai

xXx

Training began. I loved training. Real training. I loved the focus, to completely throw myself into something and allow myself to be consumed. The distraction was more than welcome. It made me function again. The old desire for perfection renewed, I practiced until I was exhausted. Hiro and I got along like oil and water. He was currently one of my least favorite people in the world. He just didn't get that I was pretty much nocturnal at this point and I usually skipped out on practice after lunch.

When I showed up on the third day he pulled me aside, lecturing me on the importance of being punctual. "I know how to train, Hiro. I've done well so far."

"Yeah, but you're not World Champion, are you?"

"Neither are you." Glaring at him, I walked past, being sure to bump him on my way to the other side of the training room where I normally practiced, putting as much distance between us as possible.

Tyson gave me a smile.

I wasn't sure what it was that bothered me so much about Hiro. The way he'd entered my life? The fact that Tyson was completely glued to his side? Or maybe just the fact that Tyson had completely failed to mention the existence of a brother to me. That was probably the one. Why it bothered me so much, I didn't understand.

After a few grueling hours we broke for lunch. I was exhausted. I sat down on one of the benches to pull apart my blade. I'd damaged one of the rings. Hiro, Hillary, Daichi, and Kenny headed downstairs.

"You coming?" Hiro asked Tyson. They'd stopped asking me.

"I'll catch up," he told him with a grin.

I continued to mess with Dranzer.

Tyson came over and punched me in the arm after they left. "What are we, strangers now? You've barely talked to me all week."

"How come you never told me you have a brother?"

Rolling his eyes, Tyson fell on the bench beside me. "Oh, please don't tell me that's what this is about?"

"It's just not like you to keep secrets."

"Other than us."

I almost said "there is no us," but stopped myself. That would definitely piss him off. "I'm just curious."

He shrugged. "I don't know. My mom's dead, my dad dumped me on Gramps, and then Hiro left, too. I don't exactly love talking about my family. And it's not like you volunteer info on yours, you know."

"Did he tell you why he left?"

"No. And I didn't ask. I'm just glad he's here." He hopped off the bench. Tilting his head to the side, he flashed me a smile. "Hey, want me to make you dinner tonight? I could really use a break from Daichi for a few hours. That kid is driving me nuts."

I looked intently at Dranzer. "I can't. I have to meet Lidiya to discuss some stuff." A completely and total lie.

He didn't hide his disappointment. "The qualifier for the PPB All Starz is airing tonight. I was hoping we could watch Max together."

I hated that he was making me feel guilty. "The White Tigers are having theirs tomorrow morning. We can watch that, alright?"

Tyson nodded. "Hey, I wanted to run something by you. I already talked to Kenny. Hilary's not acting like it, but she's bummed out about us leaving, so I wanted to ask her to come with us this year. Kind of be a manager like what Kenny was, you know? Are you ok with that?"

I shrugged. "Sure, she did it last year. She's pretty much part of the team."

He smiled. "Thanks. Are you gonna ditch before they get back?"

"You know me."

He kissed me quickly on the lips. "See you tomorrow, not boyfriend."

xXx

The following morning in leiu of training we were all glued to the screen watching Rei's match with Lee Chen. Lee had been a formidable opponent when last we met and Rei had struggled to beat him in the past.

I had not been surprised to see Max in the finals for the PPB All Starz. What did surprise me was the newcomer Rick beating out Michael to be Max's partner.

Rei was doing well. Every move was perfectly executed. Rei was an extremely technical blader and his technique was second to none.

"He won," I heard myself say. It was almost effortless how he'd beaten Lee. I'd underestimated how much he'd improved in the last year. He really wanted this championship. And so did I.

I'd stayed up messaging Tala most of the night. He'd been pretty confident about winning the qualifier this morning, and he had. It was him and Spencer in the top. He kept reiterating his offer and how much he wanted me to be on his team. It was so tempting. And Daichi was talented and skilled, he just lacked experience. It wasn't like I'd be leaving Tyson without a capable partner.

Rei and Max have chosen their teams, but I still don't know which team I should be loyal to. I want to with the championship.

There it was. I wanted to win. I didn't want to win with Tyson. I wanted to beat him. Did I wan't it bad enough to throw everything away for it?

Time was running out.

While the others were still preoccupied, I slipped out. I needed to think.

I will have to make a decision.

xXx

Tyson

xXx

"All I'm saying, Hiro, is you've been gone for a pretty long time. You never finished school. What is your plan long-term? Are you going to be a coach for the rest of your life?"

"I didn't come here to be lectured, old man. You invited me for dinner, I thought we'd actually be eating instead of you berating me for once."

Same old Hiro and Grandpa. Daichi was scarfing his food down, oblivious. I finished my food and left the table without a word. Inside my room, I fell back on my bed and rubbed my face.

Why did they have to argue about everything? It's been five fucking years! Hiro was still rude and Grandpa was still trying to tell him what to do. Mom was still dead and Dad was still pretending he'd never had kids. I grabbed my Game Boy Advance and tried to distract myself.

There was a knock at the door a few minutes later. The door swung open, revealing Hiro. "Hey, Tyson, can I come in?"

"You're already in."

Closing the door behind him, he took a seat at my desk. "You alright?"

"Yeah, Hiro, I'm fine." I concentrated on battling my Pokemon.

"I'm sorry we haven't gotten much time to hang out, just the two of us."

"We've been busy with training. It's okay. How's Dad these days?"

Hiro shrugged. "I actually don't see too much of him. He's always at digs or he's with—"

I snapped my head to look at him. "With who?"

He took a deep breath. "Her name's Amber. She's a Brittish archeologist." Another pause. "They're engaged."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"He wanted to tell you at the right time."

I sat up, slamming my Game Boy to the bed. "He didn't even tell me he had a girlfriend!"

"He didn't want to distract you."

I wished he'd stop making excuses for him. I flopped back against my pillow, annoyed, angry, hurt. "Sure. I know how much I mean to him."

"It's not like that."

"He doesn't like me, he's never liked me, stop acting like it's anything else."

Standing, he poked my shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here for a while."

We left through the outside door to my room. "Where are we going, Hiro?"

"Let's just go for a walk. Talk to me. Tell me about your life here. Do you always hang out with the team or do you have a life outside of blading?"

I laughed a little. "I really don't have much of a life outside of blading."

"Neither do I." He grinned at me. "So tell me, you and Hilary argue constantly, do you like her or something?"

"What? No, not like that. We're just friends."

"Are their any girls you do like?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"You ever have a girlfriend or dated anyone?"

"Nothing serious. What about you? Are you hiding any secret girlfriends?"

"Nah. I've had a few relationships. Nothing that worked out. Nothing now."

We walked in silence for a bit. We were headed towards the downtown area by the water. "Kai lives over here."

"Does he?"

I pointed to the tallest building along the water. "That one."

"That's a ritzy place."

"Kai's rich."

Hiro looked surprised.

"You've heard of Hiwatari Industries, haven't you?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, Kai's the heir to that family."

"Wait, he's related to Voltaire?"

"His only grandchild."

"Tyson, how long have you known Kai?" he asked, concerned.

"Umm...a little over two years."

"Are you close friends?"

Yes? No? "I'm probably closer to him than anyone else."

"Do you trust him?"

I hesitated with my answer, biting my lip. "Why are you asking me this?"

Hiro shook his head. "I didn't know he's Voltaire's grandson. Voltaire's a huge international criminal. That's kind of worrying."

It irritated me he was judging Kai based on that. "He doesn't have anything to do with his grandfather. His cousin's in charge of Hiwatari Industries and she shut down everything having to do with Biovolt."

"So do you trust him?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I trust him, more or less."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It depends on what I'd trust him with."

"Putting his all into the team."

"Oh, yeah. On that I trust him a hundred percent."

"Okay." He seemed content with that answer. We made it down to the part of the city that was older, full of warehouses and old businesses. "Well, this is it. My old stomping grounds back when I was in middle school. The BBA wasn't what it is now. This is where all the best bladers hung out."

I knew where we were. I'd been there before. "All the old blade gangs were down here, right?"

Hiro nodded.

"Were you in one?"

"No, I fought on my own. There were a few of us that did. But I fought almost every gang. Won almost every battle, too."

"Were the Blade Sharks here then?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. Fought them a few times. Why?"

"Kai was their leader before he disbanded it."

"I can see that. How did you two become friends, then?"

I shrugged. "I got on his bad side and we ended up battling each other at the regionals. That's when Mr. Dickenson formed the Bladebreakers with Max and Rei. Well, me, Max and Rei were friends right away. Kai considered himself our babysitter. Eventually he came around."

He stepped in front of me, pulling out his blade. "Let's have a battle, Tyson. Right here, right now. Blow off some steam."

I smiled, pulling out Dragoon. "Fine. But I won't go easy on you."

"Let's go."

We engaged in a quick, fun battle. It was nice to actually hang out with my brother. No pressure, not worried about winning. He knocked Dragoon into the side of a building.

I grabbed my blade. "Let's get out of here."

He agreed.

It was still pretty early in the day. He hung around at the house for a bit before he and Grandpa said awkward goodbyes.

I looked at Grandpa after he left. "Did you know Dad's engaged?"

He looked surprised. "He didn't tell me, either, T-Dawg."

xXx

Kai

xXx

I watched the light dance on the water from the setting sun as I stood on the pier. I sent Tyson a quick text asking him to come over to my apartment that night. He sent me a happy face and I slipped the phone back in my pocket without responding. I froze. Someone was watching me.

"I came here to be alone, Hiro."

"You may have fooled your friends, Kai, but I see right through you. You're leaving the team, aren't you?"

How was he able to read me so well? Keeping my eyes on the ground, I walked past him. I had to get ready for Tyson.

"I thought so. Goodbye."

I slammed the door to my apartment. Hiro had put me in a bad mood. I tried to resist the urge to break something. I took a quick shower. Pulling on some sweatpants, I settled on the bed and flipped open my laptop.

I'm coming.

Tala responded immediately.

You're making the right decision. You won't regret it. This is going to be amazing.

I didn't echo his sentiment. A pit was forming in my stomach. How the hell was I going to tell Tyson? How could I ever explain this to him without him hating me for it?

Lost in thought, I was snapped from my reverie by the bedroom door opening. I slammed the laptop shut. "What are you doing here?"

Tyson looked confused. "You invited me."

"Yeah, but why are you in here?'

"I guess you didn't hear me knocking. And you didn't lock the door." He came over and sat on the bed. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so jumpy?"

His hair was down and still damp from a shower, strands of hair clinging to the sides of his cheeks. Seeing him with his hair down always drove me crazy, especially when it was wet. It scared me how badly I wanted to kiss him. "Nothing's wrong with me," I told him settling back against the pillows. "I'm the same as I've always been."

Tyson snorted. He stood, walking around, touching everything. "Yeah, clearly. I feel like I haven't been here in forever. Looks the same. Are you still living off ramen and cereal?"

"They're merely one staple of my diet."

He laughed, messing with a couple of notebooks on my desk. School supplies I had yet to throw away. "Look, I don't want to fight. I just want to know what's going on. Did you read my journal? Did it make you feel weird? I promise I won't be mad. I just want you to tell me the truth."

What the hell had he written in there about me? "We already went through this," I said through clenched teeth. "I didn't read it. I found it and then you walked in. End of story. Even if I wanted to, I didn't have the chance."

"Then why have you been ignoring me? Why did you disappear for a month? What did I do?"

"You know, not everbody's fucking world revolves around you," I snapped at him.

He pouted. "I don't think that."

"I have my own problems, Tyson. And right now my problem is you." I needed air. Getting out of the bed, headed straight for the balcony that was off the bedroom.

Tyson huffed, throwing himself back on the bed. "I don't get you," he whined.

"And you never will. So stop trying." I stood outside, looking out into the humid night.

"I'm sorry, all right!" he yelled after a moment. "Will you just come back in here?"

Ignoring him, I concentrated on the nearby harbor. The summer air was thick and heavy. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply.

I felt fingers on my back. Opening my eyes, I saw Tyson join me on the balcony, leaning against the railing. "I'll drop it, okay. I'm sorry. Can we just go back to normal?"

I had to laugh. "What the fuck is normal, Tyson?"

He looked out over the balcony, a serious expression marring his face. "Nothing lately. I don't know, I just don't... everything just feels so weird right now. Max and Rei leaving, my brother showing up. I know you don't believe me, but I really didn't have any friends as a kid. My brother was the only person who ever acted like he believed in me. It wasn't until I started getting good at blading that people actually wanted to be my friend. I met Kenny, and then Max and Rei, and you. The Bladebreakers meant everything to me. I just don't understand how they could be so selfish."

"Aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"You're wallowing in self pity. Yeah, Max and Rei are being selfish, but so are you. Aren't we all entitled to do things for ourselves once in a while?"

He sighed. "I just thought that our team mattered more than the win."

"Says the world champion."

"Don't tell me you feel the same way?"

There it was. He had given me an in. All I had to do was say yes. I could feel his eyes on me. A plane passed overhead, cutting the quiet night with it's noise. I looked up, watching it in the dark sky.

Tyson touched my hand. "I'm sorry, okay. I just... I don't know. I don't feel like myself. When Hiro left he wrote a note saying he was going with Dad and he wasn't coming back. He didn't say why. He hardly ever called or wrote. Just sent me weird souvineirs every now and then. I felt like I was nothing. My big brother didn't even care about me. I just... that's how I feel. Like I'm nothing. And Hiro just comes on back into my life, without an 'I'm sorry,' or any kind of explanation, and just expecting everything should be okay between us!."

I watched him. I never really thought of Tyson as pretty, but he looked pretty out there, bathed in the moonlight. I wasn't going to tell him, was I? I'm just a fucking coward. Nothing had changed. The pit in my stomach had grown, twisting my insides with guilt.

I grabbed the sleave of his jacket, tugging him gently back into the apartment. I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't do it. Once inside, I pulled him close to me, kissing him gently, running my fingers through the hair that drove me crazy.

"So... you're not mad?" Tyson eventually asked.

"Why do you always have to ruin everything with your mouth?"

"I thought you liked my mouth," he teased with a smirk.

"I don't like what comes out of it most the time."

He started to kiss my neck. I could feel myself melt beneath his touch.

I pushed him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him. "What do you want me to do?" I whispered in his ear.

"That's a dangerous question," he breathed against me.

"That depends on your answer."

xXx

AN: Storytime! I'm just curious, when and how did you guys get into Beyblade? I was in my late teens when it came out so I'm probably amongst the oldest generation of fans. I caught it randomly, so I saw the first two seasons completely out of order. I thought spinning tops were stupid, but I liked the characters so I kept watching it. Kai was my favorite character from the beginning and Tyson grew on me as the series progressed. I remember KaixRei being huge but I never really saw it in the series.

I didn't get really into it until G-Revolution. I found Tyson to be a lot more interesting. And how can you possibly ignore all the TyKa stuff? Tyson and Kai are absolutely obsessed with each other to the point it's practically cannon. ^_-

Though there are definitely a ton of animes out there that are better and I like more, something about Beyblade always drew me back. I have rewatched this series more in my adult life than any other. And it's the only series I've ever written fanfiction for. I don't know, I guess it makes me feel young again when I watch it and it's been really cool watching with my kids.