Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Embrace ❯ Part Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Warnings: Yaoi, language, mild angst, lemon. NC-17!

Pairings: TyKa, ReMa, Kenny/Hilary (just for something different).

Dedication: To onlytykahotness & Anime Firefics members & mods, but a special thanks to BG for the help with my German presentation, and to Ranma for the title of this fic! ^-^

Authoress' Notes: ^-^;; Um…I've pretty much decided I'll never be able to limit myself to writing a one-shot because not only is this a two-parter, it just became a three-part fic. *sighs* Sorry about this! Oh, and since Jen decided not to get lemony in her fic, I'll just have to do my best to make up for that, won't I? *hentai grin* Anyhow, enjoy part two!

Embrace

~ Part Two ~

School got cancelled on Wednesday due to a freak snowstorm. Tyson and Max spent a lot of time on MSN coming up with their next notes for their unsuspecting teammates.

//What do you think, Max? Is it too obvious?// Tyson typed in and sent to his co-conspirator.

//Hmm…I don't think so! ^-^ I like it! Ty, you don't give yourself enough credit! You're really good at poetry!// Max sent back.

//I'm not good at it, Max! *blushes*// Tyson typed. //I'm just hoping Kai likes it…//

//He will! Don't worry!// Came the reply. //Oh, hey! Kenny's online! Should we invite him in?//

//Sure. As long as Hilary isn't with him.// Tyson wrote back, scowling at the screen. He was still peeved with her for the other day. She'd found out about his crush on Kai when she heard Tyson telling Kenny and Max about it.

Max read Tyson's message and sweatdropped, sighing and sending a message to Kenny. //Hey, Chief! Tyson says to invite you…but if Hilary is there, I'd suggest not doing that. I think he's still mad.//

There was a pause. //Um…she's a little annoyed with him, now. Oh, and yeah, she's here. ^-^;; I'll talk to you later, Max.//

//Right, Chief!// Max closed that window and quickly let Tyson know Kenny wasn't joining them. //Kenny says he can't chat right now, Ty. Anyway, we'd better go to bed, huh? I just realized how late it is!//

Tyson sighed and glanced at his alarm clock, not realizing they'd chatted nearly all afternoon and well into the evening. He blinked.

"AGH! I MISSED SUPPER!!" He yelled, thrusting his fingers through his hair and growling. Tyson quickly typed out a goodbye to Max and dashed for the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rei sat in the middle of his living room floor, arms crossed over his chest and legs folded under him. His eyes were closed and everything was dead silent.

He was meditating, hoping to settle his mind - and his hormones.

The notes had his mind spinning and no matter how hard he tried to do something else to keep his mind off them, it just didn't work. And his hormones? Well, that was Max's fault. The genki blonde had been on his mind for a while now, but only recently had Rei figured out why.

His heart had been glomped by Max and it seemed he wasn't about to let go - not that Rei really wanted him to.

Put the two together and Rei was one confused neko.

{You're not concentrating, Kitten.} Driger purred mentally. {What's on your mind?}

Rei sighed and opened his eyes. {You're in there, Driger. It's not like you can't just take a look for yourself.}

{True.} Rei felt a small tug in his head. {Ah. I see. Well, perhaps I can help you to figure out who sent the notes to you.}

{I really don't know how you can help.}

{Let's look at the clues you were given.}

{I've only gotten one, though. The person's favourite colour is purple. But that can be a lot of people!}

{You've got a point there. Hmm…perhaps you could keep a watch over your locker to find out who sticks them in there.} Driger suggested.

Blinking rapidly for a moment in surprise, Rei slowly grinned. {Of course! Why didn't I think of that before?}

{I really couldn't tell you, Kitten.}

Rei groaned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day dawned bright and sunny. The world was a blinding white winter wonderland.

By the time the noon bell rang for lunch, though, it had warmed up considerably and begun to melt.

Rei found that while he and the others sat around their table eating lunch and chatting, his gaze was continuously drawn to the blonde blader next to him.

He also noticed that Kai kept looking at Tyson speculatively.

Wonder what's up with that? Rei asked himself.

To his surprise and amusement, Kai had apparently come up with a few plans of his own, because he casually - in very Hiwatari Kai fashion - brought up the existence of the notes.

"So has anyone noticed anybody hanging around our lockers lately?" Kai inquired, watching Kenny, Hilary, Max, and Tyson with his penetrating crimson gaze. He'd already ruled out Rei (because he wouldn't know anyhow since he'd been with the dual-haired teen when he found the notes). Kai also knew it wasn't Kenny or Hilary but he hoped they might have seen someone.

Tyson and Max looked at each other, a little panicky. Hilary shook her head 'no' and Kenny raised an eyebrow in question (barely visible under his hair).

"Sorry, Kai. Haven't seen anyone. Why?" The Chief asked.

"Rei and I have gotten two mysterious…letters in the last couple of days, shoved into our lockers. I was hoping one of you might have noticed who may be the one putting them there."

"No. I haven't seen anyone. What was written on them?" Kenny asked. "If you want, I can analyze them for you. Maybe they'd give us a clue?"

Max hastily interrupted before Kai could say anything and Tyson kicked Kenny under the table. "We could all keep a closer eye on the lockers for you!" He offered. "You know, in between classes and stuff."

"Thanks, Max." Rei gave him a grateful smile, unable to keep his affection from shining through his golden gaze.

Max, to his shock, blushed brightly and looked away. Even his ears had turned red!

"Max?" He inquired, tentatively.

"Ah…we'd better get going, Maxie!" Tyson stood up and pulled Max up, too. "Didn't you want to talk to Ms. Percy about that project?"

"Oh…yeah!" Max grabbed onto that out with both hands and both teens made a quick getaway.

Kenny rubbed his shin bemusedly as he watched them go. They're up to something. He thought. Then realization hit him. They are the ones sending the notes!

Hilary was frowning intently, still not sure what was going on.

Rei stared after Max, fighting the urge to go running after his genki blonde angel.

Kai was scowling, on the other hand, since he didn't get an answer out of Max or Tyson. They'd avoided it and run off on him.

Back up at their lockers, Max leaned against his and gasped in air. Tyson had dragged him out at a dead run. "What…do…we…do now?" He panted.

"I'm not sure. I think we should leave the notes now. While we know for sure they aren't watching or may suddenly show up." Tyson dug his out of his pocket and shoved it into Kai's locker.

"I don't know…" Max stared down at his.

"Look, the whole point is for them to eventually find out, right? If they find out sooner than expected…that's not necessarily bad." Tyson plucked the note from Max and slid it into Rei's locker before Max could protest. "There! Now all we have to do is warn Kenny to keep his mouth shut and keep him from offering to analyze the notes, again."

"What about tomorrow? How are we going to arrange the dance thing?" Max wondered.

"Yeah. I say we cut out the poetry if they haven't guessed by tomorrow and just do the blind date thing. You know… 'meet me at the dance. I'll be the one with the whatever item to identify me'."

"You know…that just might work, Ty! I like it!"

"Okay! We'd better get out of here before the others get here." Tyson nudged Max down the hall and away from the scene of the crime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai sighed in resignation as another envelope fell from his locker. "Here we go again. Damn it! How could we miss seeing who keeps putting these in our lockers?"

Rei picked up his note when it fell out of his locker. "I don't know, Kai. Shall we see what clue we've been given?"

Kai nodded and carefully slit the envelope open, unfolding his paper and reading it quietly.

The weather is strange

First a blizzard then sun

A storm is a beautiful thing

Giving us all time to have some fun!

School was cancelled

So you were deprived of another clue

Guess what, Kai?

This time, you get two!

Firstly, all rhyming aside,

More often than not,

I am always close by.

Secondly, as you may have discovered

I am not a girl.

You may find this strange - or you might not.

But my beyblading skills are really top notch!

Rei leaned against his locker and quickly read his own, a smile crossing his face. He held it out to Kai.

"What?" Kai took it and read quickly.

Rei,

No more rhyming this time! Your clue is the answer to a riddle, and here it is:

What sort of creature lives in the water, but can move over land, and carries its home on its back all the time?

"I got a riddle instead of a poem for a clue this time."

"Know the answer?"

"Yes. I think so."

Kai looked at him. "I take it you also know who it's from then?"

Rei gave him a purely feline grin. "Oh yes. And I couldn't be happier about it."

"Who? And what are you going to do?"

The Tiger shook his head, still smirking. "I'd rather not say if you don't mind. I want to think I through a little more."

"Fair enough."

"What about you? Any ideas now?"

"No! Other than confirming it's not a girl sending me these things, I'm still not sure who it could be!" Kai kicked his locker in frustration, leaving a small dent in the metal.

"We don't have time right now to work on it. We have to get to class." Rei took back his note. "Don't give up trying, though, Kai."

Kai grunted and stalked off to his next class, Rei following behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rei spent the evening working on a note of his own. After two and a half hours of 'Kai-intensive' training (as Tyson liked to call it), during which he kept an eye on Max surreptitiously, the neko-jin ran home and started scribbling away, with a few tips and unsolicited advice from his nosy, curious bit-beast.

As soon as he got to school the next morning, a full five minutes before any of the others, he shoved the note in Max's locker and made himself scarce, hiding nearby and awaiting the discovery of his note in Max's locker.

He didn't have to wait long. Max and Tyson soon appeared and opened up their lockers. Curious kitten that he was, he eavesdropped shamelessly on their conversation and waited eagerly.

"…I think we should wait until between first and second periods to slip the notes into their lockers, Ty." Max was saying. "At least we can count on Kenny to keep Kai and Rei occupied long enough for us to do it." He twirled the combination lock and popped open his locker, staring at a piece of light blue paper that fell out to the floor. "What's this?" Max leaned down and picked it up.

Tyson grinned. "Maybe you've got a secret admirer, Maxie! Open it, huh?"

Max rolled his eyes at Tyson and carefully unfolded the paper, reading quietly. From his hiding place, Rei watched Max's bright blue eyes widen in shock and smiled when the blonde visibly began to tremble.

"So what's it say?" Tyson asked as he pulled his books out of his locker. When Max didn't respond, he glanced over and saw his friend shakily hand out the note to him, blushing furiously. "Max?"

"R…read." Max stammered.

"Uh…okay." Tyson took the note and read quickly, his own set of blue eyes going wide and a smile crossing his face.

To Max:

Roses are red

Violets are blue

This white Tiger

Loves you, too.

Be my Valentine, Max? Always?

Rei

When he finished, he handed the note back to Max. His friend clutched the note tightly, and his head suddenly snapped up as a thought occurred to him. He looked around frantically but couldn't spot Rei anywhere. He'd hoped the older teen would have been watching.

Max sighed dejectedly, his shoulders slumping. Then he noticed Tyson staring at something or someone behind him, a huge smile on the bluenette's face. Max whirled and gasped, his heart suddenly pounding, his palms growing damp, as he stared directly into the laughing, shiny golden feline-shaped eyes of his beloved.

"Rei…" Max whispered.

"Hey." Rei reached out and brushed away a stray tear from his beloved's cheek. "Be mine?"

Max's 1000 Watt smile flashed at light speed before he threw himself into Rei's arms and planted his mouth on Rei's, saying against his lips, "Always."

Rei shivered in delight and wrapped his arms around the blond in a crushing embrace, kissing him back enthusiastically then burying his face in the crook of Max's neck, just holding him close.

Tyson leaned against his locker, sniffling and smiling widely as he watched them.

Kenny and Hilary came up beside him and gaped for a moment at the newly formed couple, then grinned and clapped their hands, applauding the two.

The couple looked up at them and felt their cheeks start to burn at the attention they were receiving - from everyone in the hallway. It didn't last long, though, because Tyson started shooing them away with a little help from Hilary.

Max took out the last note he'd been planning on leaving for Rei and handed it to Tyson. "Throw that in the wastebasket, would you? I don't need it anymore."

Tyson accepted it and turned it over in his hands. "Are you sure? You don't want to keep it as a souvenir?"

No one noticed Kai approaching them as Rei held out his hand to Tyson.

"Give it here, Ty. I want to at least read it before either of you throw it out."

Tyson reached out to drop the not into Rei's hand when Kai appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and plucked it out of Tyson's fingers.

"What the…Kai? Give that back!" Tyson tried to grab it, but missed. Kai frowned, suspicious and fighting back the sudden, unwanted feeling of jealousy that was growing in his chest as he read Max's note.

And since he'd just missed all the earlier events, didn't know that it was Max's note to Rei - and not Tyson's.

H read it quickly, a cold, leaden weight settling in his stomach. He closed his crimson eyes briefly against the pain and silently held out the note to Rei. Kai's words were a little shaky and he spoke in a low, pain-filled voice.

"Congratulations, Rei, Tyson. I hope you're both happy with each other."

Then he turned and walked quickly away, leaving a shocked and silent group behind.

Rei cursed loudly and punched his locker - hard. Max shook his head in disbelief and turned to Tyson immediately, knowing his friend was probably reeling from all this.

Tyson stared after Kai, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. He was pale and Max watched in sadness and sympathy as tears spilled out of the World Champion's midnight blue eyes.

Kenny took charge at that point. He ushered them all into an empty classroom.

"Okay, Tyson. I know you're feeling pretty low, but pull it together, okay? Listen. Kai didn't know that was Max's note. And I don't imagine he noticed them holding hands, either. You still have a chance, Tyson!" Kenny spoke firmly, laying his hand on Tyson's shoulder.

Rei sighed as he figured things out for himself. "I take it the notes Kai keeps getting are from you, Tyson?"

The despondent teen wiped angrily at his eyes, hating himself for the tears, and nodded. "Yes. But what does it matter?"

"Chief's right, Tyson." Hilary laid her hand on his knee in comfort. "Kai jumped to conclusions without all the facts. It's not over yet!"

"Yeah!" Max leaned against Rei. "We'll all help, okay?"

Tyson looked at them, a slight smile crossing his face. "You really think so?"

"Yes!" They chorused.

"Okay. So what do we do?"

"Let me talk to him. I'll explain about Max and I, and you can leave the note in his locker, just like you planned. But I won't tell him anything about the note or how you feel about him, okay? That'll be up to you." Rei gave Tyson a one-armed hug.

"Sounds like a plan." Tyson nodded his agreement and headed for the classroom door. "Thanks guys."

"Hey! Tomorrow's Valentine's Day! Even you deserve a special someone to celebrate with." Kenny grinned at him and dodged when Tyson tried to smack him upside the head.

*************************************

Authoress' Notes: Yes, I know…part 3?! Well, it's coming! I swear! ^-^