Of Boys and Blades
Part Two
Chapter 21
xXx
Kai
xXx
"There's not a single other room?" I repeated.
"Of course not. This hotel and every one in the nearby vicinity have been completely booked for the tournament."
"I will sleep on a cot in the boiler room."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hiwatari. The room your team has currently is the only one available to you." The concierge handed me the check-in package and our key cards and told me to enjoy my visit.
We were in Madrid. My first time in Spain. This hotel was very different from the one in Italy. It was sleek and contemporary. Much more my style. This was definitely the nicest hotel we'd been in yet and Tala, Bryan, and Spencer were exploring like small children once again.
"Did you see the pool?"
"The ballroom's amazing. Can't wait to see the party!"
I held up the paperwork. "You guys done?"
"Don't you ever get excited about anything Kai?" Bryan asked.
"I'd be very excited to kick your ass."
"Sure you wouldn't rather spoon with me," he teased.
I walked away from them.
Tala told them. Tala fucking told them and now every comment thrown my way was about spooning, cuddling, fondling, canoodling, whatever. I seldom hated being part of the Bladebreakers as much as I hated being on the Blitzkrieg Boys right now. I didn't feel bad about hurting Tala's feelings anymore. That was for damn sure.
The room was a suite that had a living area with a couch and a small table with a couple of chairs. There was a bedroom and a bathroom off to the right. Inside the bedroom were two queen beds. I called the couch.
Bryan put his arm around me. "What's the matter, Kai? You don't wanna cuddle anymore?"
"Get your arm off me before I break it."
The others had a good laugh.
After we were settled in I headed down to the business center to use a computer. They were really getting on my nerves now. I looked up every hotel near the tournament in Egypt, and then the one in Australia. All full. Not a single vacancy. The finals would be back home in Bay City since Tyson was the defending champion. I could probably just go home if I really wanted but I was feeling abnormally petty and really wanted my own room in at least one hotel. I called them.
Normally I would never name drop Voltaire. I despised being associated with him. But I really wanted my own room. Once I told them I was Voltaire's grandson, they were more than happy to accommodate me. All they had available was a corner suite on the top floor. The price they gave me was almost what Lidiya gave me to live on for an entire month. I agreed. I hardly ever pulled from that account. Lidiya would have questions, I was sure.
As I finished up my phone call I heard familiar voices from the lobby, There was a glass window in the door. I could see BBA Revolution walking by, Tyson and Daichi arguing about something, as usual.
I sighed, guilt creeping up my side and twisting like a knife into my gut. Guilt and I were old friends now. I'd hurt him. I'd anticipated confrontation but I hadn't expected him to chase me down in front of Tala. I said things to make him mad, things the others would expect from me, things that hurt him.
I missed him. With all the travel and training, I hadn't had a whole lot of time to dwell on Tyson, but I really fucking missed him. And that annoyed me.
xXx
I watched the empty stadium, envisioning the day's tournament. I would face Max today, the first of my old teammates. The four of us had spent so much time training together we knew each others strategies inside out. Max didn't have the power I did, but his defense was second to none. And besides that, he knew me. That gave him a powerful advantage over most the other competitors in this tournament. This would be my first real challenge, for sure.
"Kai!" a familiar voice rang out.
I looked down to see Rei making his way up the stairs toward me. "Rei," I acknowledged.
"Getting psyched for the match?" he asked when he made it to me.
"Something like that."
He stood beside me, looking out at the stadium. "Hey, how did Tyson take it when you told him you were leaving?"
"I didn't tell him."
Rei stared at me. "You didn't tell him!"
I shook my head. "I thought it would be better that way."
"Better for you."
Couldn't argue with that.
"No wonder he's so pissed at you." He shook his head and shut his mouth for a moment. "Kai, that's really messed up. You should apologize to him."
"I didn't ask you for advice."
"I think we're a little beyond that." We stared at each other for a moment. He was the first to break away. He sighed. "Fine. That's between you two. How's your team doing? You guys ready for today? For Max and Rick?"
"I can't speak for Tala but I'm ready."
"You get along well with them?"
"I would very much like to strangle Tala in his sleep right now, but sure, we get along fine."
He chuckled.
"How is it being back with the White Tigers?"
"It's good. It's different this time. You know, I left them to get stronger and become a better blader and a leader. And I feel like I've done that, you know? It's nice to be back with them. I do miss the Bladebreakers, though. Do you?"
I shrugged. "You guys annoyed me less than Tala and Bryan."
Rei laughed at that. "Good luck today, Kai."
"You, too," I told him as he walked away.
xXx
The time came for our match. The booing of the crowd annoyed me. They didn't like Rick. Why? Because he'd wanted Claude to finish their match while injured. Any self-respecting blader would've gone ahead and finished that battle.
"Silence!" I screamed at the crowd in English. I didn't speak Spanish and I figured that was the most universal of the languages I knew. "Show respect for our opponents, or else!" Max met my eyes with a grin.
Max loaded his launcher. "Are you ready, Kai?" he asked in Japanese.
"You got it. Let's go!" I was excited to get this started. I wanted to see what Max was made of. We launched our blades into the dish and went after each other immediately. We knew each others moves almost as well as we knew our own. There was no need to pace ourselves. Max had a strategy for me, all right. He was stronger than I thought. Best to end this quickly.
Max managed to outlast a couple of my attacks, to my surprise. I won't underestimate you again. He had grown strong, throwing me a few attacks I hadn't expected. I had to pull out one of my strongest to beat him. My blade ran out of steam right after I knocked him out of the dish. Max shot me a smile and I returned it before walking away. I suppose I would always consider them friends.
It was a good match. I was proud of myself. I was happy with it. But it showed me how much work I still needed to do. I would have to do better than that to win against Tyson.
It was Tala's turn to go against Rick. Rick was very powerful, possibly more powerful than myself, and Tala was distracted. I knew he was better than this. What the hell was wrong with him now? He lost easily. It was my turn to face him for the tie-breaker. Max was talented at taking on opponents with more power, and I took a page out of his book on the best way to battle Rick. I was able to get him in the right place to hit him with my attack, winning the match for the Blitzkrieg Boys.
"Good game," Bryan told me as I made it back to the bench.
I thought about making a comment about how I might as well be blading by myself out there, but decided to keep my mouth shut. Nothing good would come of me kicking Tala while he was down. I hoped he would snap out of his mood soon.
xXx
Tala was nearly giddy sitting in the booth. He'd already had a couple drinks back in the hotel room. "Did you guys know that the legal drinking age here is sixteen?"
"What's the big deal?" Bryan asked. "Me and Spencer are legal back home. We can get liquor anytime we want. And so will you come February."
We were at the hotel restaurant. The party would be held the following night following the final battle of the tournament. Tonight we—Tala and Bryan—had decided we should celebrate todays win with a feast.
Tala was perusing the drink menu. "But it's legal here right now for me and Kai. You're failing to appreciate the situation, Bryan."
He just rolled his eyes.
The waitress approached us with a beaming smile. "What can I get for you boys?"
"A white Russian," Tala told her with a grin.
She looked to me. I didn't know what any drinks were called, and I wasn't about to copy Tala. Peering over at the drink menu that Tala was still holding I said the first thing I could read. "The house margarita."
Bryan and Spencer each ordered shots of vodka and she asked for our ID's.
Our drinks arrived without incident. Bryan and Spencer got their shots, Tala got his white Russian, and I was given a giant fishbowl garnished garishly with fruit impaled on swords and umbrellas. The other's burst out laughing.
"Can I have your cherry?" Tala asked. "Unless you already gave it to someone else." I kicked him under the table. I proceeded to drink it and didn't stop till it was gone. I was going to regret that. But it shut them up.
"Was that good, Kai?" Spencer asked with a smirk.
"Very refreshing."
Bryan and Spencer tapped their glasses and knocked back their shots. "Weak," was Bryan's only remark.
Tala drank his quickly and we were both soon on our second drink. Tala ordered a round of shots. My head was swimming. I was really starting to feel the effects of the liquor.
Bryan settled back in his seat. "I've got something to ask you, Kai, because it's kind of been bothering me. Back at the 2001 championships, Boris told us you didn't remember us or the Abbey, and that's why he didn't want us to talk to you much. Was that true?"
I took a big sip of my drink. Why did he have to bring this up? "Yeah. I blocked everything out after Black Dranzer."
"The lab?" Bryan asked.
I nodded. "Yeah."
Spencer looked at me sharply. "Wait, did you have something to do with that?"
"Yeah. I blew it up. I thought everyone knew."
Tala shook his head over his drink. He was being awfully quiet. "It wasn't common knowledge," he said quietly. "Boris said it was just an accident and that you'd gotten hurt in the blast. He covered it up."
"You knew that?" Spencer demanded.
Tala avoided his stare. "I only knew because I snuck into the infirmary to make sure Kai wasn't dead. I overheard the doctors. I didn't see any point in telling anyone."
Spencer watched him with a look akin to betrayal.
Why hadn't Tala told them? To protect me?
"So do you remember everything now?" Spencer he went on, his attention back on me,
I shrugged, not really sure how to answer. "I don't know. Every time I think I remember a lot of it a bunch more comes back. I guess if you ask me about a specific situation I could probably tell you." I was saying a lot more than I meant to. It must've been the alcohol.
Bryan was chewing on his cheek. "You were there for over five years. You left and you just completely forgot everything? You didn't think that was weird?"
"I didn't dwell on it. Living with my grandfather wasn't the most enjoyable experience," I said softly. "I guess I traded one hell for another, in a way."
"It couldn't have been as bad as the Abbey," Spencer insisted. "I mean, you had more freedom, didn't you? You went to school. You joined a team. It couldn't have been that bad."
No. I still got beat, only it was just me and there was no one else for my grandfather to take his anger out on. I was constantly told I was useless, I was worthless, I was the bane of his existence. I was a mistake. I never should've been born. My mother should've had an abortion. That he was the only person who gave a fuck about me and was the only one who ever would. Tyson and the Bladebreakers had changed all that. Had changed me. I didn't know how to explain that. And I didn't want to. "You can think what you want. I don't give a fuck." I downed the next shot. I found myself really missing Tyson in that moment.
"On that note," Tala went on. He waved at the waitress to get her attention and held up his shot glass and two fingers.
They left Tala and I to our own devices.
"So no one at the Abbey knew it was me?" I asked him when we were alone.
Tala shook his head. "No, like I told you, Boris covered it up."
"Why?"
"Because people died, Kai. If the families knew you were behind it they would've wanted more done. They blamed it on an accident."
The waitress brought our shots and I practically inhaled it.
"It wasn't your fault," Tala insisted. "You know that, right?" He drank his shot. "How did you survive, anyway?"
"I don't know," I told him honestly. "I think I remember Boris saying something about Black Dranzer protecting me, but I'm not sure. I was on a lot of medication. Time moved weird in that place. Why did you sneak in?"
"I was worried about you."
"I thought you hated me."
"Kai, I never hated you," he said softly, looking me in the eye. I broke his gaze.
"Hey, Kai! Hey, Tala!" a cheerfully familiar voice said to us, cutting the tension. Max was standing at the table. "Congrats on the win today. It was a great battle."
"Max," Tala purred, changing his mood instantly. He gestured to the booth Spencer and Bryan had vacated. "Join us."
Max slid into the booth across from us. The world was starting to shift.
"It was a good battle," Tala went on. "Rick was a lot stronger than I'd anticipated. He won't win next time. You really held your own against Kai. That's no easy feat."
Max smiled. "Thank you. It was awesome."
Tala made conversation with him for a few minutes. He finally turned to me. "Have you talked to Tyson?"
"No. Have you?"
He nodded. "Yeah, we seem to be on okay terms now. He was way madder than I thought he would be. He usually doesn't hold a grudge."
I nodded in response, wondering just how mad Tyson still was at me.
"You want something to drink?" Tala asked him.
"He's only fifteen."
"We can get him something." Tala looked at him. "What do you like to drink, Max?"
"What? Alcohol?"
"Yeah."
He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never had anything I actually liked."
"Let's get something simple then, like a rum and coke. That's usually a crowd favorite." He waved the waitress back over. "Oh, Raquel!" he flashed her his most flirtatious smile. "Our friend Maximus here would like to have a rum and coke. Problem is, he can't find his passport. He's sixteen. My friend and I can vouch for that. Do you think we can take care of him?"
"Of course. I'll have that right up for you. Can I get anything else for you?"
Max laughed nervously. "I'm good. Thank you."
"Are you having fun yet?" Tala asked after she'd walked away.
"Yeah. I can't wait for Egypt. I'm going up against Rei."
"That'll be an interesting battle. We're going up against the cheaters," I told him.
"Watch out for them," Max warned. "They play pretty dirty."
"Oh, we'll be ready for them," Tala promised. "No holding back."
Max's drink arrived, along with more shots for Tala and I. We hadn't even ordered them.
"A toast," Tala decreed. "Pa-yé-kha-lee!"
We clinked glasses and Tala and I took our shots. Max took a tentative sip of his drink.
"What does that mean?"
"Let's get started!" Tala laughed.
"This isn't bad," he said. "Doesn't Gramps make a drink like this?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm usually too drunk to taste them at those parties."
Tala's eyes lit up. "What's this about?"
"Oh, whenever Tyson has a party his grandfather makes us drinks. Like after the championships last year he had a huge party and he made some kind of alcoholic punch for us. I got pretty drunk," he admitted.
"Yeah, I was pretty wasted. Grandpa kept handing me drinks." I was trying to remember what had happened at that party. "We walked in on you, didn't we? With that girl, Miriam?"
Max started blushing furiously. "We didn't really do anything. We just kissed a few times."
"Oooh, give me details. What does she look like?" Tala asked.
"Tall, long blue hair, huge boobs, bigger attitude, you'd like her," I answered for Max, who continued to blush.
"Sounds hot. You still seeing her?"
Max shook his head. "We keep in touch, though. She lives in China."
"You like her. You keep blushing when you talk about her," Tala went on. "You ever slept with anyone?"
"He's obsessed with peoples virginity," I explained.
"I'm not obsessed, just curious and not afraid to ask."
Max turned a deeper shade of red and took another sip of his drink.
"Is that a yes?" Tala squealed.
Max managed to nod as he sipped his drink. Okay, so this was kind of funny. Or I was really really drunk.
Tala was speechless for a moment. "Okay, nothing against you Max, but I did not expect that. You're like the poster child of wholesome. Especially not when Kai here is technically a virgin. He won't say who or what, just that he technically did not have sex." He looked at me.
"I'm not saying another word. I already regret telling you that."
Raquel came back. "Another round boys?"
"Yes," Tala and I said at the same time.
Max shifted uncomfortably. "I don't really have much money on me."
"I got it," I told him.
"Thanks, Kai."
"I'm not a virgin, either," Tala said with a smirk, standing. "I gotta piss. Be right back."
Max smiled at me as we waited for Tala to get back.
"What?"
"I've never heard you talk so much."
"Must be the liquor."
Raquel returned with our drinks and a moment later, Tala slid into the booth next to me. We clinked glasses once more and Tala and I took our shots while Max nursed his drink.
"You guys knew each other at Balkov Abbey, didn't you?" Max asked.
Tala nodded. "Yep. I've known Kai since I was five and he was four. He was a total crybaby." He gave me a coy smile. "Still is."
I gave him the finger.
"Maxi, I've been looking all over for you."
Max looked up in surprise. "Oh, hi, Mom. We were just catching up."
She looked over all the empty shot glasses on the table. "Mmm-hmm. What are you drinking?"
He didn't have much left in his cup but finished it quickly. "Just some soda." He got out of the booth. "Thanks, Kai, Tala, I had fun. Have a good night." His mother gave us a seething glare as he led her away.
Tala and I burst into laughter.
"Oooh, Mommy caught him. Do you think he's gonna get grounded?"
"She's a bitch. She'll probably torture him with drills." I sunk into the booth. The room was turning into a blur.
"One more shot?"
"One more."
xXx
We managed to crawl our way back to the room and collapsed on one of the beds. My arm flopped against his stomach and he pushed it away. I pushed him away. We kept pushing at each other and ended up in a fit of laughter because it was funny. Everything was so fucking funny. Bryan and Spencer were nowhere to be seen.
The dark surrounded me and I wanted to take my shoes off but I didn't feel like moving. Maybe if I just laid there and wished them off a magical fairy would appear to relieve me of my shoes. But alas, the shoes were still there.
"Kai?" Tala murmured beside me.
"Mmm?"
"Do you remember when we escaped from the Abbey?"
"Yeah, some of it."
"I really thought we were going to die out there in the snow," he said softly. "But it was okay because we were free and we were together. You were the first friend I ever had. You were my best friend. You were my brother. I would've died for you and I think you would've for me."
"I would've," I found myself saying. And yeah, I would've. Tala was the only person who really mattered to me at the Abbey. He was the only person I'd let myself get close to. And he'd betrayed me. "What did you do?"
"When Vadim found us, frozen and a step away from death, I was hoping he would just kill us. Part of me still wishes he had. What happened was worse. I was scared, Kai. I was scared of the pain. It hurt. Oh God, did it hurt. I was weak. I was only ten. The things he did... Boris made me hurt you. And for that I am sorry."
I didn't know how to respond. What he was saying was profound and I couldn't even remember what he was talking about. I hated this! I hated the memory loss, the uncertainty about everything. "I'm sorry, I don't remember, Tala."
"I know." He sniffed. "I won't mention it again." He hit my leg. "So who's this guy you like?"
"I never said it was a guy."
"Okay, so who is this person you like?"
"Not telling."
"Oh, come on! I'm laying here, pouring my heart out to you, you can tell me this one little thing. This one itty bitty thing."
"Never." I closed my eyes. I was passed out in seconds.
xXx
The next morning I was awoken by someone staring down at me. I peered up through my hair. The room was moving, and Spencer was right there in the middle of my peripheral.
Bryan appeared beside him with a smirk on his face. "We should take a picture," he told Spencer.
"Tala, Kai," he addressed us loudly.
I tried to roll over a little, looking up at him, and felt movement beside me.
Spencer cracked a sly grin. "Is there something going on here that you two aren't not telling us?"
What the fuck was he talking about? Why did my body feel so heavy? Something was on top of me.
Or rather, someone.
"What happened last night?" Bryan teased. "Tala, you into guys now?"
Tala was laying at my back, an arm and leg thrown over me. I guess we had been spooning all night.
I pushed him off me. He groaned in annoyance.
I pulled myself out of bed.
"What's wrong, Kai?" Bryan went on. "You don't like being the little spoon?"
I shoved him out of the way to get to the bathroom where I promptly starting vomiting everything that had ever been in my stomach.
The receipt from the night before fell out of my pocket. I rested my head against the toilet for a moment to breath, staring at the numbers on it. Two-hundred? I'd spent Two-hundred euros on liquor? On top of the ridiculously priced hotel room I'd booked for the championship. Lidiya would be sure to call me out on that. Fuck.
"Tala, you look sick," I heard Bryan's voice.
I peeked out the door I'd left open just in time to see Tala throw up all over Bryan. I laughed. Justice. And then threw up some more.
xXx
AN: I told you I'm having way too much fun with Kai and Tala. Kind of feel a little bad for Tala here. He's going through his own stuff. Kai's always had a soft spot for Max, kind of like a little brother. So I have a calendar of birthdays I created so I can keep the ages straight. When I started this I couldn't find official birthdays so I came up with my own and I like my timeline so I'm keeping it. My timeline is cannon now. Mwahaha! Just for reference at this point in time Kai is 16, Tala is 17, Bryan and Spencer are 18. From what I have read I believe the drinking age in Spain changed from 16 to 18 in 2005, but in 2003 it should still have been 16. And the currency in Spain changed to Euros in 2002.