Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ How we came to be ❯ Facing the press ( Chapter 18 )

Chapter 18

 

It had been over a month ago since the world had been turned upside down. Slowly everything had gotten back to its normal routine. Except perhaps for the way Kai and Faith interact with one another. They could be seen in a comforting hug in front of the television, or Kai would give her a quick kiss when they passed each other in the hallway. Faith, though inexperienced in the field of relationships, eased quickly in the new situation. She had never felt this happy in ages. Even her nightmares stayed away.

 

But maybe the fact that she now slept in the same bed as Kai had more to do with that. She loved to lie there in his arms, in his sheltering embrace. To just put her head on his chest and fall asleep on the steady rhythm of his heart beat. And waking up at the sight of Kai smiling in his sleep, where otherwise his face seemed to be so void. To trace figures on his chest as she felt him stirring. As he awoke, his eyelids would flutter and his eyes would seem like vibrant rubies, he'd look up at her and smile again, but this time at her. Then he'd take her in his arms and kiss her once before getting out of bed.

 

She loved to wake up like that. Even though Kai was usually the one waking up first, like today. He normally snuck out of bed to get ready and leave her snoozing for a few extra minutes, but this time she woke up just as he was about to get out.

“Mhm…Kai?” she asked groggily, not really sure if she was still asleep or not. Blinking a blur approached her and pulled up the covers. He gave her a light kiss on the cheek, told her to sleep a little longer while he went for breakfast. By the time he got back she was already dressed and downstairs, setting the table.

 

“You never listen do you?”

“I was already awake; you know I can't fall asleep once I woke up.”

He smiled, it didn't really matter. She would've woken up soon anyway, part of the old Biovolt routine they couldn't get rid of. She was going to sit next to Kai, and yelped as he tugged on her arm and pulled her on his lap. There he embraced her and placed small kisses on her neck. She blushed slightly at this open display of affection. Then again, nobody was awake yet. He nuzzled her neck and yawned a little. He was feeling in peace with himself. He looked puzzled as a piece of toast started hovering in front of his nose. Then he saw a hand attached to it and the owner of said hand smiling at him. Playfully grabbing the piece of toast with his mouth and taking a bite as he took the toast in his own mouth, he leaned her in closer for a kiss. He wished he could just be with her like this every second of the day, but the press was still lurking, and their team mates hadn't gotten used to them yet.

 

He could still picture their faces when they kissed for the first time perfectly. In fact it was kind of like they were looking now.

“We've talked about this Kai, not in public.”

“If you don't like it then go away.” Kai grumbled, but still allowed Faith off his lap. Life couldn't get any better than this; she thought happily as she took a seat next to Kai, amused by the way Tyson reacted to Kai's response. She wondered why the blader was up so early, why they were all up this early in fact when she took a glance at the calendar that hung on the kitchen wall. Oh, right, today would be the long postponed press conference. The smile disappeared from her face. The reason they had actually planned to go through with this was because Kai had decided to confess his former addiction, and that Faith and him were together. She didn't wish to attend, but Hilary and Kenny had forced her into it, since she was a part of the Bladebreakers, she was part of the conference.

 

They had arrived at the building and were immediately guided to the awaiting journalists. Most of the team looked calm and at ease, but Faith was truly discomforted. She didn't dare look at the cameras or the journalists, afraid that she might do something strange and have it blown up in an article. Not that they wouldn't have enough once the conference was over. She felt a warm hand over hers underneath the protection of the tablecloth. She didn't look at Kai, but as he squeezed her hand she smiled a little. She wasn't alone.

 

“Members of the press, the Bladebreakers will now inform you of anything you need to know. If there are any questions, please hold onto them until the end of their speech.”

Faith listened with a half ear to all the things the Bladebreakers were planning, what their strategy was in the coming tournament, nothing she didn't know yet. But when Kai spoke, she was all ears. He spoke, with a strict face, his eyes gazing at the crowd and his voice steady. She noticed the room went quieter with every word he said. For months had they been lurking near their homes, just outside the court order limit, waiting for a scoop. And yet so many things had happened right underneath their noses.

 

He told them of his addiction, of how his team had helped him going through the rough period in his life and how he thankfully had gotten rid of the nasty habit. He even told them why Faith had gone to the hospital, of her cardiac arrest and her coma. At that point she felt stares at her and she wanted nothing more than to run away. But the hand still clutching hers as he continued gave her the courage to stay. As whispering started to engage between the journalists, Kai empowered his voice a little, commanding silence once more as he came to the last part of his confession.

 

It wasn't just that he and Faith were together. He told them that he had long been ignorant of his feelings, sticking them away because he was afraid. And that it had nearly cost a persons life to realise how much that person meant to him. He announced that after years of misinformation and denial of the heart that the newspapers could finally print the truth for once of how deep the relationship between the two went. Some of the female journalists swiped away a tear at that confession, but quickly turned back into hardened news scoopers as the question hour was announced.

 

Not surprisingly, nobody cared about the plans of the team; all questions were directed to Kai and Faith.

“So, what you're basically saying is that first you had to almost kill her to find out you love her. Is that how you usually show your emotions?”

“Faith, what's it like being together with a man that can't hold his temper?”

“Do you have any remaining injuries?”

“How can you love him when he's tried to kill you?”

The whole team defended Kai. Saying that the struggles had only been because of the effects of rehab. And that since he had been clean, he had been peaceful and calm. But the storm of questions was so great that Faith threatened to snap under pressure. Not only were people accusing them, there were also journalists who wanted proof after being misled so many times. He could see her hunching, putting her hands in her hair and closing her eyes.

 

He was whispering comfort in her ears, but it was to no avail, she was blocking out the voices and the cameras were all focussed on the two of them. Seeing her eyes close even tighter, Kai had enough. He stood up, said loud and clear that the session was over and took Faith with him away from the bright lights and constant voices. In the hallway he sat her down and took her in his arms.

“It's ok, it's over, they're gone, and you're alright.”

Grabbing Kai's shoulders she broke down. She hated the press; they were vultures, every single one of them. They did nothing but tear everything apart until there was nothing left but a rotting carcass. And because of all the stress, her nightmares came back.

 

As they all had expected, everything had been blown up in newspapers. Headlines went from `Kai Hiwatari: perfect addict' to `Bladebreaker quarrel ends in coma'. There were a few newspapers that actually mentioned the relationship following the entire series of events, but it was barely a paragraph out of an entire page. The only thing that seemed to be most truthful were the newscasts who broadcasted live footage from Kai's speech. The following days their mailboxes were littered with fan and hate mail. Fans expressing their support for Faith, telling Kai that he's a rotten asshole and he deserves to die. And then there were those who hated Faith because she had stolen their dream boy. But most of the letters were for Kai, congratulating on the successful rehab, or for finally letting his heart decide.

 

They didn't need to fear bad publicity, they lost fans yes, but for every fan they lost, they gained two more, because the story Kai told proved the world one thing. They were only mortal after all. Magazine after magazine had called for an exclusive with Faith and Kai. They begged, pleaded and even bribed them, but to no avail. They answered the same thing to every caller. Unless your reporter can write the entire story truthfully, you are not expected to call again. They never did. One day they got a phone call from a very peculiar reporter. He apologized for the rubbish his magazine had published about them and asked if he could follow the entire bladebraker team on one day and write a story about it. Even though they usually knew better, they accepted, since this man sounded honest.

 

The man's name was James, and on the entire day he had a camera with him, as a later reference. What they didn't know is as he was shown around the house the day before; he had dropped one or two mini cameras in the house. Every moment Kai and Faith spent alone in the kitchen was recorded, and so was every moment in the living room. The entire day he noted down a lot, making it hard for the Bladebreakers to act normal. The scribbling sound of the pen was a bit unnerving, but James had a respect for privacy. Meaning he wouldn't be waiting at the toilet door just to hear you flush.

 

They got the published article in the mail 3 days later. They had feared the outcome, but it had been the nicest article anyone had written about them in days. Even though a lot of the photos were not remembered to be recorded. They had again survived as a whole, and faced the tournament with a relaxed heart. And slowly, but steadily got used to the fact that there was a big chance to see Faith and Kai making out in the kitchen if they entered it.

 

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Another chapter done….. I felt I needed to enter the way the press and their team mates reacted to it before I could go on. Note the words `I felt'

 

News on what to come: Well, the tournament is going to be over in the next chapter, so I won't be boring you with beybattles. I have been considering of posting a one-shot mature content that goes with this story…but, I'm going to need a beta on that one. Volunteers greatly accepted.

Read, review, flame…ur click.