Of Boys and Blades
Part Two
Chapter 17
xXx
Kai
xXx
Tala led me through the busy city. I took in the surrounding streets and buildings, searching for familiarity. We were meeting at the Moscow BBA to catch a ride that would take us to the training facility farther north.
"I'm sure you're hungry," Tala was telling me. "Airplane food is terrible. We can pick up something on the way."
I followed him to a street vendor near the BBA Headquarters. Tala took the lead and ordered us shawarma and a couple of drinks. We ate them as we walked. I took a sip of my drink. "This is beer."
Tala laughed. "Yeah. It's not considered alcohol here. Come on, there's the van."
I finished the beer. I could go for another one. A BBA official would be driving us to our destination. We loaded into the passenger van. I couldn't help but stare out the window.
Tala slipped into the seat beside me. "So, like I said, you're going to have to battle Bryan and Spencer to be my partner. They've been training hard. That is not going to be an easy task."
"My skills are on par with Tyson's, and he beat you, so I think I'll be just fine."
"A little full of yourself, aren't you? I seem to remember you losing the last time you faced us."
I kept my face blank.
"So have you ever beaten Tyson?"
I paused before answering. "Yes and no. We spar, but we don't go all out during practice. I've beaten him dozens of times, same as him, so I don't count those as real wins."
"A win's a win."
"Not to me. How long is the trip?"
"A couple of hours." Tala settled into his seat.
I rested against the headrest. I had a slight buzz from the beer. I didn't mind.
"So... umm... now that we're face to face and not behind computer screens, I have to ask, you really had no idea who I was back in the 2001 championship, did you?"
I eyed him carefully. I figured this would come up, but I really didn't want to get into it already.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Look, if we're going to be teammates, we've got to trust each other a little bit."
"After..." I stared out the window at the passing landscape. "After I stole Black Dranzer, and... and what happened... I don't know, I guess I blocked out all memories I had of the Abbey. I went back to Japan and it was all just gone."
Tala stared at me. "You don't remember anything?" he asked, shocked.
"I didn't. Then after I came here, memories starting coming back. I remember a lot more now. I remember you. I do remember Bryan, Spencer, and Ian."
Tala was staring at me like he didn't believe me.
"What? You asked."
He shook his head. "No, it makes sense I guess. I thought you were just still pissed at me and had turned into a total fucking asshole, and were pretending you didn't know us. You really didn't remember us?"
"No. Not until after I went back to the Bladebreakers. I remembered Boris, and being at the Abbey, but I didn't really remember anything else. Not until later."
"Do you remember that we were friends?"
I nodded.
"We were more than friends, we were like brothers. I still feel that way. Family doesn't always have to like each other."
"That's a very roundabout way of telling me you don't like me."
Tala laughed. "I don't know you anymore, but you're still my brother. You're still an Abbey kid. No amount of time with the Bladebreakers will ever take that out of you."
I couldn't deny that he wasn't right about that. With the Bladebreakers I knew I was one of them but I'd always felt different. Max and Tyson, and even Rei, were all so much more normal, they related to each other on a level I just didn't. It was only different with Tyson. Our relationship was more based on his acceptance of my weirdness and my desire for something I didn't understand.
We arrived at the facility. It was farther north and there were smatterings of snow on the ground. I could see mountains off in the distance. The building was on the smaller side for a BBA training facility, but we were in the middle of nowhere.
We said farewell to our driver and started up the stairs of the building. Bryan and Spencer appeared at the door.
Before I could even blink Spencer and Bryan aimed their launchers towards me and launched their blades. Without a second thought I dropped my suitcase and launched mine towards them. The three blades met at the landing, grinded for a moment, then returned back to each of our open fists. We'd done that at the Abbey, I remembered. To forever keep us on our guard.
"I guess I should've expected that."
Bryan grinned. "Welcome, back, Kai."
I followed them inside and Tala gave me the tour. It had a decent training room. "There's no one else here right now, so we were lucky enough to each get our own room." He showed me to where I would be staying, a simple dorm room with a desk, bunkbeds, a dresser, and a beydish. I guess this would be my home for now.
I set my carry-on down. "When are we battling."
"Tomorrow. Figured you could use some rest. Oh, by the way, we each take turns cooking dinner. Since you're the newbie, you get to cook tonight. Dinner's in an hour." He patted me on the back and headed into the hall.
I groaned in annoyance.
I found my way back to the kitchen, searching through the cupboards for ingredients. Tyson had taught me to make a few things, but I was a far cry from a decent cook. There was rice and a rice cooker. And I found enough ingredients to make pancakes. That was two of all five things I knew how to cook.
Tala was the first in the kitchen. He looked confused. "Rice. With pancakes. For dinner. Why?"
I shrugged. "I eat this about twice a week."
"It's a weird combination. With the rice."
"I'm Japanese. I like rice."
Tala laughed. "So I've always wondered, how Japanese are you exactly. I know you have a Japanese name, but you almost pass for Russian, and your grandfather looked Russian, too, but I know he was part Japanese."
"I'm a little over half."
"How does that work?"
"My father is Japanese, my mother was a quarter, hence I'm a little more than half."
"You must look like your mother then."
I nodded. "I do. You look like yours, too, right? I think I remember that."
Tala let out an annoyed sigh. "So of all things that's what you remember? Yeah, I do."
"Did you ever find her?"
He looked surprised but covered it well. "No. Honestly, I thought she might try to find me after everything about the Abbey came out, but she didn't. I thought about looking for her, but I don't even know her name."
"You have her last name, right?"
Tala shook his head. "No. Ivanov is not my last name. I can't remember what it was, but I know that's not it. It wasn't important information to hold onto, so I didn't. And I don't have anything. There's no records of me before the Abbey. If there ever were, they've been destroyed. I don't even have a birth certificate."
"Sorry."
He smirked. "And you're the heir to a fortune."
"What do you want me to say?" I grabbed a plate and helped myself and Tala did likewise.
Bryan and Spencer made their appearance.
"Look boys, Kai's made us pancakes and rice."
Scoffing, they made their plates and we all took a seat at the small table in there. Spencer was the first to try the pancake, he spit it out. "Ew. What is wrong with it?"
Bryan tried it. "That's the worst pancake I've ever had."
I tried a bite. "I forgot the sugar."
Tala shook his head. "Let's not ever let Kai cook again."
"Just use a lot of jam and syrup." I spread the jam on each of my pancakes and piled the rice on top, then folded them like a taco.
"That's disgusting," Tala uttered.
"What? I'm not picky."
xXx
I woke early the following day, preparing my blade for battle. I would be fighting Bryan, then Spencer. They were both extremely powerful the first time we'd fought. Rei had barely beaten Bryan, and I had been defeated by Spencer. I was confident my skills had surpassed theirs at that time, but what about now? I gripped Dranzer. What if I lost? Then this would all be for nothing.
I walked to the training room. I have to win. I've come too far, I've worked too hard.
Bryan and I readied our blades and launched. I circled around him, evading his attacks, trying to surmise his power. He was getting mad and I let him hit me a few times. I felt the corners of my mouth tug up in a small smile. I'm stronger than Bryan. I guess all those battles against crazy scientists had served me well. I hit Bryan out of the dish and my blade returned to my hand. I looked at Spencer. "That's one for me. Your turn."
Bryan looked impressed. "You've improved."
"Thanks." I looked back to Spencer. "You ready?"
Spencer stepped up and we started the battle. I had a different strategy for him. I had to see just how strong I was. I may have been throwing away my chances at getting to Tyson, but I went straight on the attack. Spencer had beaten me before, but never again. Maybe it was petty revenge, but if felt good. I came out victorious, barely breaking a sweat.
"Two for me. That good enough for you, Tala?"
Tala was speechless. "Wow, well done. I never thought you would be that good without Black Dranzer."
"And here I am."
"Yeah. You're my tag-team partner. We should have no problem winning the Championship."
I could see newfound respect in their eyes.
"We'll win the title once again," Spencer decreed.
He broke out a bottle of vodka and poured us shots. "Za nas!" he toasted.
We each raised our glass. "Za nas!" To us. I coughed after drinking it. That was way stronger than anything Gramps had ever given me. I forgot how bad it tasted. They laughed at the face I made.
I had to admit, it felt kind of nice to be there. They knew a side of me the others didn't. The Abbey kid. Despite all the years that separated our time together at Balkov, for once I didn't feel like an outsider.
xXx
Tala
xXx
I lay on the cold ground, tears running from my eyes. I'd been violated and abused. The pain was indescribable. And the tears just wouldn't stop. The door to the cell slammed shut and we were alone.
I could hear Kai crawling in the darkness, his violet eyes blazing with concern and anger in the little light from the lone naked bulb in the hall. "Tala?" he whispered, almost scared.
I was choking on sobs, tasting blood.
Kai pulled my head onto his lap, unsure what to do. "Everything is going to be okay. We'll get those fuckers. We'll kill them if we have to. We're going to get out of here."
"It's never going to work, Kai. We're never leaving this place. Not ever. We'll be dead before we do."
xXx
I shook my head, as if trying to shake away the memories. Pushing my head back against the headrest, I tried to calm myself with deep breaths like I'd been taught in therapy.
"You alright?" Kai asked, not turning from the window.
"Yeah. Yeah." I forced a grin on my face.
With Kai back in my life it seemed I couldn't help but remember things I wished I could forget.
Watching his profile, I wondered what exactly he remembered. I was dying to ask, but wasn't sure how. What if I brought up stuff he didn't know? I wasn't sure how he would react. I was positive he didn't know what had made us enemies. And I was fine with that.
I'd spent a year in a group home, going through extensive therapy and what they called deprogramming. Balkov Abbey was considered a religious cult and we'd all been brainwashed.
The group home had worked with us to be able to navigate normal society. We learned how to interact with others, or at least how we should. We learned how money works, how to shop for ourselves, cook for ourselves, basic survival skills for this day and age.
Using Wolborg in the form he'd had during my final battle with Tyson had messed me up pretty badly. I couldn't imagine what had gone on in Kai's head after using Black Dranzer again.
I'd heard he'd been psychologically evaluated after the events of the 2001 championship and his grandfather had gone to jail. He must've known all the right answers.
A year ago Mr. Dickenson had contacted us. Apparently he'd been keeping tabs and he offered us a place to live and train. He told us he looked forward to seeing us battle again and to contact him if we ever needed anything. He was one of the few adults in my life who had truly tried to help me, and I harbored a respect for him I did for few others.
I'd only contacted him once. To get Kai's email.
We'd spent the last year training again, Bryan, Spencer and I. I felt we'd improved our game, but Kai was making me doubt that. He'd improved dramatically.
"Realistically, who do you think is stronger, you or Tyson?"
"Like I told you, we're pretty evenly matched."
"Then how would you rank them, your old teammates?"
"Tyson, Rei, then Max."
xXx
The plane landed in New York. I'd traveled little in my life. The only tournament I'd ever attended outside of Russia had been in Germany.
I did not expect the media to greet us. It started with just a couple reporters, but once they realized Kai was with us we were swarmed. They kept trying to get Kai to comment.
"Ignore them. Just keep walking," Kai told us.
"I didn't think this would be such a media circus," I whispered to Bryan.
He nodded.
We made it to our cab and drove to our hotel. New York City was quite a sight. So different from Moscow. I could see the excitement I felt mirrored in the faces of Bryan and Spencer as we looked out the windows. Kai looked bored.
"How many times have you been here?" I asked.
"Twice."
The hotel was grand, way nicer than the one we'd stayed at in Germany. I was kind of in awe of the place, looking around. There was marble on the floor and a huge fountain in the middle. Bryan and Spencer looked equally impressed. I'd never been in a place this nice.
Kai took the lead and checked us in. "You gonna follow me or are you going to stare at the lobby all day?" he asked before heading toward the elevator.
He led us to our room. It was not a large room, but it was nice and comfortable looking. Bryan, Spencer and I dropped our bags and immediately started looking in all the doors.
"Haven't you guys ever been in a hotel before?" Kai asked.
"Once," Bryan answered. "With Boris. Not fun."
It was a simple room with two full beds and a tv. Bryan jumped on the bed closer to the windows. "Mine!"
Spencer sat down beside him. "Guess we'll share this one."
Kai and I set our suitcases near the other bed. He took a seat on the bed as Bryan was searching through channels on the television.
I went to the bathroom. I was feeling fatigued. Must've been all the travel. I splashed some water on my face and headed back into the room. Bryan found the sports channel.
"In other news, the remaining teams of this years Champion tournament have arrived in New York. But the headline story today is the surprising revelation about one of Beyblading's biggest stars, former Bladebreaker and BBA Revolution player, Kai Hiwatari has left his old team behind to join the ranks of the Blitzkrieg Boys."
"Headline news? Really?" I couldn't help but ask. "Don't they know Kai's done this before. It's nothing new."
Kai smirked at me. "Jealous much?"
"I am not jealous."
Bryan laughed. "Really? Cause you sound like it."
I glared at him.
Kai stood and headed for the door. "I'll be back later."
"Where are you going?" I demanded.
He shrugged and disappeared out the door.
"Kai's a lot of fun, isn't he?" Spencer asked wryly.
xXx
AN: 1. Before 2011 beer in Russia was considered a soft drink and not alcohol. We're in 2003 so we're all good. And has anyone ever had real Russian vodka? My husband used to work with a man from Russia named Yuriy and he brought that vodka out one time. Strongest stuff I've ever had in my life! Felt like I was drinking straight vodka no matter how much soda I put in it. :p
2. I'm always torn which version I like more, blue-eyed Tala or violet-eyed Tala. Kai's got the violet eyes in this fic so far, so I'm going with blue-eyed Tala to be different. Which is your favorite Tala?
3. So in a lot of fanfics I've read in the past the Blitzkrieg Boys are the best of friends, but you really don't see that in the anime. I don't think Kai and Tala would've been super close right off the bat given their history, so I kind of wanted to explore how they eventually will become friends.
4. Kai and cooking. In my headcannon Kai's a perfectionist, but only about things he cares about. He has no desire to learn to be good at rudimentary things like cooking and cleaning. I imagine his apartment, while sparse, is not the tidiest. He's the kind of guy to just set things in neat little piles and never put them away. The same with his laundry. Everything is folded in neat piles on top of his dresser. And he is very lazy when it comes to cooking. He will make a meal out of whatever is in his cabinet so he doesn't have to waste time going shopping for groceries. This has made him creative in the kitchen. Ever have a butter sandwich? Or chips with Kraft singles melted on them as "nachos." Of my favorite, cheesy ramen. Kai would totally eat Max's noodles with mayonnaise.