Kai and the rest of the team battled their way back through the Paparazzi after sign ups. They were all still shouting questions at Kai about Voltaire. He would have loved to have know where they were getting their information as they seemed to know more than even Mr Dickinson. The team had to hold Kai back from smacking the equipment from one small man with a camera so big that it obscured his entire face. He had been asking whether or not the news would dampen Kai's blading skills, or at least he had been, until Kai went stomping up to him.

Eventually the entire team had to run down an alleyway and hide behind some large grotesque smelling bins until the sounds of clicking cameras and people calling their names faded into the distance.

"Phew, that was a little overwhelming, even for me!" Tyson breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're just pissed they weren't there for you." Kai muttered angrily.

"HEY- I was not!" Tyson snapped back. Kai was about to retort when-

"Tyson! Kai!" Hilary said imperiously, placing a hand on Tyson's arm. They both fell silent. "I'll ask Mr Dickinson to see if we can arrange some sort of security."

Kai growled at this idea, he didn't much fancy being followed around by security guards all day.

"Alright," Hilary changed tact immediately, "maybe there's another way into the building that means you wont have to go past the paparazzi, it might mean going in without us though,"

"Oh no, how terrible!" Kai said sarcastically.

She seemed completely unsurprised by this response, "I'll head back to the hotel and get that sorted then!" She said, taking Kai's reply as approval.

They all stood there by the bins as they watched her run off back down the alley.

They had all decided earlier that they didn't want to go back to the hotel just yet. Tyson, Max and Daichi wanted to go further into central London in search of food. Kenny was resigned to go with them but Ray seemed hesitant to join. Kai wasn't much inclined either, and anyway, he had already started walking away in the opposite direction.

He could hear them all saying their goodbyes as they departed. "I'll see you later!" Kai heard Ray call towards Tyson, Max, Daichi and Kenny and then he rushed up behind him.

They fell wordlessly into step with each other and continued down a road lined with grand houses painted all in white. They appeared to border what looked like a large park, although it was difficult to tell through the iron railings and dense shrubbery. Neither of them spoke as they walked and eventually they came to a set of grand gates which they passed through and found themselves surrounded by grass and trees.

"Thanks for not telling me to get lost," Ray said as they chose a wide path leading to what looked like a large ornamental water fountain.

"Well you don't seem all that talkative today, so I thought I'd take the risk," Kai replied.

Ray laughed, "you just can't be nice, can you?"

Kai smirked, "'fraid not."

"Well thanks anyway," Ray said with a small grin. They had reached the fountain and sat down on one of the empty benches that surrounded it. The water made a pleasant melodious splashing sound and the noise from the road was muffled by the trees and bushes surrounding them.

"I'm sorry about your Grandfather," Ray began.

"Don't be." Kai sighed, "he had it coming."

Ray nodded in understanding, "yeah but its kind of crap for you that its fallen at the same time as the tournament."

"Yep. Sucks to be me!" He agreed, not wanting to share what Mr Dickinson had told him hours earlier.

They lapsed into silence as they watched the fountain and Kai wondered whether Ray was about to tell him what had happened with Mariah. He wasn't sure he really cared that much, but Ray had started to fidget awkwardly and it seemed as if he wanted to say something. Kai surprisingly found that he didnt mind. Anything that would take his mind off Boris and Voltaire would be welcome, even if it was Ray whining about his relationship problems.

"So, Mariah?" he asked.

"Is dating Ming-Ming!" Ray replied at lightening speed, as if he had been itching to find the right moment to reveal this information.

"Wh-what?!" Kai asked, shocked. Out of all the things he had expected Ray to say, that was not one of them.

"Yeah well, it's a thing apparently," Ray said shaking his head, "since last year, maybe since just after BEGA!" He continued in a more defeated voice.

"A whole year?" Kai asked in disbelief, all aversion to the conversation forgotten.

"Well, not a whole year exactly," Ray explained, "the summer was great, I went back to White Tiger Hills and it was kind of like an unspoken thing that we were together, the village elders kept asking us when we were going to get married," he shook his head as if trying to rid himself of the memory. "But then one day she started acting really distant with me, we barely spoke for almost a month! So eventually I confronted her about it and we had this big argument so I kind of just.. Left the village." Ray said this all very fast as if getting it out quicker would make it less significant.

Ray looked at him as if hoping for a reaction but Kai said nothing and indicated that he should continue.

Kai thought Ray was now going to reveal whatever had happened in Mariah's hotel room last night, but instead..

"Well, then I kind of... met up with Salima," Ray admitted.

Kai shook his head in disbelief, "of course you did."

"It wasn't like that!" Ray said indigently, "well at least not to start with it wasn't.." He sighed and continued, "Mr Dickinson said I could train the kids at this training camp he was hosting. So I went, and when I got there, Salima was there too.." He trailed off with a remorseful look on his face.

"So you've been there all this time?" Kai asked.

"Yep!" Ray nodded, "I tried writing to you all but honestly the post man was a bit useless," he laughed.

The Bladebreakers had tried writing to Ray multiple times over the past few months but only when they had finally asked Mr Dickinson did they finally manage to get in contact with him. Now Kai knew why.

"I think Mariah may have got with Ming-Ming officially after I left, but there was definitely something going on beforehand…"

Kai nodded, maybe it was an odd thought because it had simply never occurred to him that Mariah would end up with anyone other than Ray, but actually, Ming Ming and Mariah kind of suited each other. Not that he would admit that to his defeated looking friend.

"So, you like her? Salima that is," He wasn't sure why he was asking, Kai knew that Ray had liked Salima from the moment he met her.

"Of course I like her, I've always liked her!" Ray insisted, "but…"

"Ah yes, there's a but.." Kai smirked.

Ray let out a frustrated noise, "but me and Mariah. I mean, its me-" he paused "-and Mariah!" he insisted.

"It is indeed you and Mariah." Kai repeated back to him in agreement.

"I spent the night in her room!" Ray added helplessly.

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll go down really well with Salima!" Kai laughed a little savagely. He wasn't sure if Ming Ming would be best pleased either.

Ray gave him a look of resentment, "oh yeah, I'm sure you'll be soooo much better when you've got someone!"

Kai laughed scornfully, "or in your case, two people!"

"Well, yeah, maybe!" Ray said, a little hurt, "you don't know what you'd do in my situation!"

Kai gave him an imperious look. "Actually I choose to control myself and not to get involved with any of the crap you seem to get yourself mixed up in," he stated, "people are distractions and distractions are annoying."

Ray laughed, "yeah right, you'll meet someone!" he said defensively, "you'll meet someone and it'll hit you like a train!" Kai raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to retort but Ray cut across him. "You will!" he was looking at Kai as if he knew him all too well. "And you'll be a mess, mark my words, I know what you're like, especially when you get obsessed with someone!" Ray laughed scornfully.

Kai must have looked perplexed at this because Ray continued with, "errr, Tyson, Brooklyn?"

Kai's face quickly turned sour, "oh shut up," he retorted, "that's different!"

"Same difference in my eyes." Ray smirked.

"It is different!" Kai insisted, "I wanna beat them, I don't wanna fuck them!" he said acidly.

Ray laughed, "I know that! I'm just saying, its the same difference.. When you find someone, you're going to be just as obsessed with them as you are with blading!"

Ray must have hit a nerve because Kai stood up abruptly and said, "I'm going back to the hotel."

"Oh, right.." Ray said a little anxiously, he must have known he had pushed Kai a bit too far. "I guess I should probably go back too and, uh, y'know.. sort my life out," and he too jumped up from the bench.

"Yeah, you and your stupid relationships," Kai said acidly, "only got yourself to blame," and he trudged off back down the path with Ray following meekly.

Sorry it was a bit short, I planned on writing a whole other chapter but then this came out of my fingers! So I guess you'll get the other chapter next! I am very tired so I hope this make sense hahah. I always struggle to write Ray for some reason! I feel like Kai likes him more than the rest of the Bladebreakers but not quite as much as the Blitzkrieg Boys hahaha.

Thanks so much to SierrA and AS for the reviews! I appreciate them so much! And of course the review my boyfriend left despite the fact he doesn't like beyblade hahaha. Please do leave a review, let me know what you think :)!