Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ The Real Me ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's notes: This story has been discontinued.... no, not really, that would be cruel, to all of us. I think last chapter was definitely an improvement, and apparently you guys thought so too, coz the number of people who have the story on their favorites list and their alerts has gone up. I really can't thank you enough, I've got 92 reviews total, and whenever I check my e-mail someone's dropped me a review. I feel very special, and I owe you all(cyber sundaes and cookies for all my reviewers)! Woo! I guess thirteen can be a good number!

I think I'm going to post on this one for a while, I'm not sure, but I'd like to finish at least one of my beyblade stories, and you all really seem to like this one. If anyone wants an update of one of my other fics, and they don't want to wait, they can pm me, or e-mail, whatever. I've got another story I want to post, I've got the first few chapters cranked out, and it's looking pretty good. It's another KaiOC, because that's all I seem write with Beyblade. but I think the story is rather original, and if it isn't, well then it isn't intentional. I thought of it a while ago anywho. But less about that. More chapterness!

Anyway, I'll make with the chapter because my rants are not all that interesting (unless I'm yelling at my sister who has a paris hilton complex... but that's a different story).

"Dragonara, take him down!" Hilary clenched her fists as the air around both her and Max picked up speed, rushing around them in a cyclone of fury.

"Draciel, hyper defense wall!"

With a final deafening crash, both beyblades slammed into each other before flying from the dish. Their owners caught their beyblades and smiled. The rest of the group nodded their approval. All except one.

"As much as I know it would kill you, can you be somewhat serious?"

"Kai," Tyson said, coming to his friends' defense, "they had a great battle."
He was unconvinced, and unimpressed by Tyson's attitude. "If you battle like that-" He motioned to the dish where Hilary and Max had just faced off- "We're going to be out of the finals before you can say 'bit beast.'"

"Sheesh," Max grumbled. "Who's up next?"
Ray stood up, trading places with his team mate, and Tyson bounced up, planting a kiss on Hilary's cheek, getting an 'eww, gross,' from Daichi, and stepping up to the dish. "Let's go, Ray. Show me what you've got."

After a few hours of competitive battle, a lot of complaints from the group, and yelling from Kai, they trudged back into the kitchen of the Granger Dojo about ready to eat every morsel of food and drink every liquid they could find that wouldn't kill them. They'd let Tyson test stuff they weren't sure on.

"You know," Max said looking at Kai, who was scowling, "If you have something on your mind, you should just say it. We know you're pissed, you don't treat us like crap- at least not that badly- unless something's ticking you off. So spill."

Kai sighed a rattling sigh. "I talked to some kid the other day who used to be part of his scheme." Everyone knew what the Russian meant by 'him,' so he continued. "This kid, Ricky, or whatever-" Hilary and Tyson looked pointedly at each other- "said that the finals were probably rigged, and that my grandfather's got somekind of super powered bit beasts ready for us to take on."

"Who knows though," Daichi said, "Maybe he's making it up to freak us out."

Everyone nodded, while Hilary and Tyson thought carefully. Back in Barcelona, AJ said he was a part of it, but he swore not to go back, and destroyed his cyber bit beast. They trusted him. So, Tyson responded, "We met up with him in Barcelona, when we were away." He paused, and Hilary continued. They had been doing that a lot lately.

"Yeah, he destroyed his cyber bit beast. We saw it.. uh, on tv," She finished, a bit nervously. Kai hadn't noticed it, to her surprise- and luck- he had other things on his mind. The others had agreed not to say anything more about AJ unless asked by the captain, or when he was out of earshot. Telling him that she was the world champion was not an option. Besides, if he wanted to know, he could look it up, right?

"So, that's why you've been working us into the ground," Ray said, after a moment. "Maybe if you would've told us, we would've worked a little bit harder. We're sorry."

"Hn." Kai got up from the table he had been sitting at and walked away, not wanting to deal with his team mates at that current point in time. He just wanted to be left alone.

"...She still loves you more than you God damn deserve."

He turned up his mp3 player to its loudest setting, laying back on his bed. Damn it, he thought, changing songs. Everything made him think about her, and eventually, he threw the damned contraption to the floor. He didn't want to face this. He didn't want to hear it. He wanted to push her out of his life and keep her that way. It was for her own good, he'd told himself that over and over.

"Why the hell won't she get out of my head?"

Yeah, it was for her own good, but what about his? He could keep up his facade, but the hole he dug himself into was only growing larger and larger. What exactly did he want?

Her safety? Yes. He'd already sacrificed that much for her. An arm and a leg wouldn't have been anything compared to what he had given up.

"She's not even mad, the bloody fool."

Damn her, he thought. If she was mad, he could take it. He could take it that she was mad, that she didn't- or wouldn't- forgive her. He was used to it. No one let him control them without any kind of lasting anger.

Except her.

But she had never been like anyone else he'd known. His expectations didn't exsist. She had taken them to hell, and they seemed to be lost there forever. No one he saw compared. Not even remotely.

He rolled over and threw his face into the pillow that lay previously under his head. He wanted to scream as loud as he possibly could, for as long as he possibly could. Six months. Wasn't there some hump that was he was supposed to pass over that made this particularly easy to deal with?

A voice in his mind told him otherwise, and he groaned, annoyed by the fluffiness of the pillow. He threw it off the bed, before crushing his face into the matress. Meanwhile, a knock at the door forced back his facade, which, at this point, was only at half strength.

"Kai, it's Ray. Can I come in?"

"Hn."

He sat up, not bothering with the pillow. The amber eyed boy leaned against the door frame. "I heard you talking to yourself," he said sheepishly, hand behind his head.

"And?" His patience was wearing thin.
"She won't get out of your head, heh?" Ray was wearing that look. That look that made him turn away. As much as his team mates would never know he cared about them, these days, their resentment and looks of disappointment were more than he wished to see.

Audrey, he thought, I hate you. You're making me melt.

Kai didn't respond to Ray's previous statement. Instead, he got up and went to leave the room.

"You should at least call her."

"Are you going to make me?" Kai asked, his temper becoming near a critical level.

Ray shook his head. "No." He stepped aside from the doorway in a motion to let Kai pass.

The captain sighed, and for a moment, looked almost like an actual teenager, with actual drama. Okay, so his life was entirely drama. "And what do I say to her?" Kai rolled his eyes. "I don't regret my decision."

"You do, but you're going to stick to it," Max replied, standing in the doorway. "Everyone else is gone, they went out somewhere, and I heard you guys talking."
"Get in here then," Kai said, "Not like you aren't going to hear all of this later anyway." The irritability in his voice echoed off the walls.

"I think Ray's right," Max said, earning a glare from Kai, causing him to 'meep' and go back to being silent.

"And I'll ask you the same thing. What the fuck do I say to her?"

Max seemed to ponder over it for a moment. "I don't know."

"Exactly."

"Can I ask a question?" The blonde asked, rather sheepishly. "I know Hilary said all those things the other day, about AJ loving you. Was she right?"

"I don't know."

"Excuse me?" Ray asked.

"Get the hell out of my room. Now." Noting that his temper had officially expired, the two shook their heads, and left the room.

Kai threw himself backward, his head bouncing against the mattress. He thought about it. Was she right? Did he still- God. He slapped a hand over his eyes and wished he had a good bottle of tequila. "I guess I am."

Little did he know, his two team mates were just outside the door. After a moment, they snuck off, outside. "Well Maxy, he said it to himself... I think," Ray said carefully.
"Should we tell her?" Ray shook his head.
"Not our place. This stays between us." He motioned in the direction of Kai's room. " It's his."

The club scene in Miami was always great, AJ noted. There was always something going on, some band playing, some kind of entertainment, a tournament... but somehow, she figured that was nothing she wanted at that point. That was why she was here, at her home, instead of out in the city, partying it up.

Her cell phone rang, and she answered it on the first ring, not even bothering to see who it was. "Hello?" She asked, wondering who would call her so late. She was packing, as her flight to Buffalo was going to be leaving in about twelve hours.

"Hi."

Oh God. She tightened her grip on the phone, her eyes widened about as far as they come. "Wh-what do you want, Kai?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you calling then?" She wasn't about to take it easy on him, he had just completely messed up her groove. This was not something that she was looking forward to. She wanted to deal with him face to face. Not to mention that she didn't really feel like dealing with a mental breakdown, that was caused by his catalystic reaction to her.

"Ray told me to. He and Max wouldn't leave me alone."

"Wasn't Hilary around?"

"Do you think I'd call when she was?"

"Good point." She then realized that the anger she had poured into the line at the beginning of the conversation had died, and she pretty much abandoned it.

"But you're not mad? How come?"
She didn't respond. Not to that, at least. "You're coming to Buffalo, for the championships, right?"

"Yes."
"I'm not dealing with this on no phone conversation."

"Fine." He paused. "So I'll see you around then?"

"Yeah." She hung up the phone and felt, in every way, an entirely lower definition of low. He wasn't going to see her. She wasn't going to have time for herself in Buffalo. That's why she was leaving a week early. She had to help Mr. Dickenson set things up, deal with interviews, check into her hotel, deal with the Arena, which they were going to have to share with the resident hockey team...

At least I'll probably catch a Sabres game, she thought hopefully.

She was a good liar, he'd give her that. There was something in her voice, just the way it sounded. Overall, she sounded alright, but deep down, he knew. That phone call had messed with her head, big time. He tossed the phone from hand to hand. Was she going to meet up with him in Buffalo?
Probably not.

It was probably just a comfort thing, a meaningless promise that they decided on to fill the spaces. He didn't like it. He couldn't go back to her. And he wouldn't.

Don't even go back to that damned reason, his mind protested. That reason is dead. You could've protected her, and you know it. There's another reason why. You're afraid-

He shook his head to rid himself of the thought, no matter how true. He didn't want to face that one in particular. He had no way of getting over that one. He couldn't just deal with it, like some normal teen. No. There had to be some past consequence from his life that he'd always live up to.

His grandfather was winning, he noticed.

His life was being torn in two.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

With this newfound- or was it something he knew along, he wasn't sure- knowledge, he walked out of his room and set the phone into the charger in the kitchen. Hilary was sitting at the table, and he figured AJ had called her and said that he'd called her.

"You know, you shouldn't mess with her head like that," Hilary said, attempting an angry voice. "Though she said it was nice to hear you not completely pissed at her."

"Hn." He sat down, figuring she had something important to say. They did have a pretty decent relationship at one point... but that had died, and now it was just some fragments of words that used to be something else.

"Are you ever going to stop being so stubborn? You were with her for God's sake. She's a part of you."

"Don't go there," Kai said. "I don't want to listen to it."

"Alright." She tilted her head to the side and looked out the window. "She really is going to be in Buffalo, in case you didn't believe her. She's helping out Mr. Dickenson."

"I never said I didn't believe her, Hilary."

She nodded. "I figured. Well, Tyson and I are going for dinner. I'll see you later." She got up from the table, placed a hand on his shoulder and left.

Kai said nothing in response, going to the other door, leading outside. The cool winter air he was met with felt good. He liked the feeling; it made him at home. He thought about where they were having the championships.

Wasn't Buffalo good and snowy for Christmas?

"Personally, I can't wait to see what you all decided to get me," Daichi said, jumping up and down on the hotel bed in the room he was to be sharing with Kenny. They had drawn straws, and the poor computer nerd had lost.

"Nothing, if you keep that up. The only gift you might get is some poison in your food," Hiro said.

"If he was sharing a room with Kai, he wouldn't make it until tomorrow morning," Hiro said snidely.

Kai grunted, and everyone believed that would be a "hell yes" if anyone else was in the situation other than the human ice berg. Tyson and the others laughed.

There was a week until December twenty-fifth, and the city was filled to the brim with beybladers, not to mention rabid Christmas shoppers who had pushed off shopping until the last minute. As Kai had thought, Buffalo was indeed covered in almost a foot of snow, and it was good and chilly- his kind of weather. While everyone else was bundled up and complaining about the cold, he (and a certain team of sexy Russians) were completely fine with the climate of the venue.

AJ would be fine with it, he thought suddenly.

"...so then we'll go to dinner. Okay Kai?"

Hilary was looking at him with a curious glance. From her point of view, his face was entirely blank. "I don't think he heard you, Tyson."

"Whatever," Kai said, and walked out of his room, to the one he would be sharing with Ray. The White Tiger followed him stealthily. Something was weighing down on his thoughts again, and he'd probably need someone to take out his frustration on- or divulge a juicy secret to.

Leaving Max, Hiro, Hilary, and Tyson to their own wishes, they each threw their bags into their rooms and began unpacking. Tyson was staying with Hilary, while Max had agreed to bunk with Hiro.

Hilary threw herself back on the huge queen sized bed that she would be sharing with Tyson. "Do you think they'll get back together?"

"I don't know." Tyson pressed a hand to the tip of his nose, thinking. "At this point, I guess we can only hope. She's going to be here right?"

"She's been for a week already. We'll see her sometime soon."

"All of us?"

"Well yeah, duh!"

She stared at the chairman in immediate disapproval of what the man was about to make her do. "You've got to be kidding me!"

He shook his head and smiled at her. "If you say it, then you won't get mad at me later. It's just an interview, and a few pictures. No one is asking you to divulge any secrets with this magazine. Just say what you want, and please- please don't cause a scene!"

Now that made her smirk. "And what if I do?"

"God, I still see that boy in you every time you do something like this!" She smiled at Dickenson and he sighed in relief. "Please, AJ, for the sake of the B.B.A."

"Yeah, yeah. For the B.B.A.... and world peace... and potentially Santa Claus. I know, I know." She paused, no longer distressed. "I'll go be a good little World Champ. You just better be grateful that I don't eat like Tyson does."
They laughed. "True," He said, nodded. "You have a point there."

With a quick smile, she allowed a very modern looking woman to take her into another room to get changed into the clothing for the spread, and the interview that would be occurring as well. This was an entirely different part of the hotel she'd never been into. It seemed like a private lounge.

There were huge plushy chairs, large couches, and a small coffee table in the center of the furniture. The modern looking woman sat down on a chair, rather professionally. AJ, however, went for the casual approach, being a teenager and all. She sat down on one of the large black leather couches, her legs stretched out on the second cushion, so that she consumed all of it with her frail body.

"Well, I'm Aiisha," The woman said, with a smile. She had to be in her mid twenties, by AJ's guestimate. She had short brown hair, and amber eyes. Aiisha extended a hand to AJ, who shook it and smiled sincerely. "I'm really excited to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Her green eyes focused out the window, and she caught the sight, through the snow, of a mop of slate hair, and those amethyst grey eyes.... Kai, her mind said, saying his name slowly in his head. This had to be his type of weather, his climate. She loved it too, but... her breath caught up in her throat. He was- he was- "breathtaking..." she decided upon.

"Excuse me?"

She blushed, a bit embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just-"
"I understand," Aiisha said gently. "I've been in the same place myself. All professionalism aside, you know, if you're after a champion, it doesn't hurt that you're one yourself."

AJ laughed. "Yeah," she said, the word rolling off her tongue. "It doesn't hurt a bit." Laughter consumed them. "Now let's get to that bloody interview..."

"Now that is beautiful," The photographer said, a male, in his early thirties. He had spiky bleach blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Personally, AJ admitted, his style was impeccable. "I'd say 'work it,' but you've already done it. Keep it up, baby," He said, a smile gracing his face.

"Gotcha, Emery," AJ acknowledged. "I'm in a good mood now, that interview wasn't as bad as I'd thought."
"Okay," he said, pulling her away from the being the camera's target. "How about something juicy, as all hormonal boys between ten and thirty are probably dieing to know how sexy you can be."
"What?" AJ was surprised. Dickenson didn't know about this, did he? "Did you ask Mr. Dickenson?" The man shook his head. That was probably their motive, to get her to do something that he didn't know about, and probably wouldn't approve of. But it was her decision, and she looked pretty damned good. "Sure, Emery, why the hell not?"
"Good," Emery said, pleased. He turned to his camera crew. "Break out the hot chocolate and scarves, we're going outside."

At Ray's invitation, Max came flying into the room. "Dude, you have to see this," The White Tiger said, his nose practically pressed up against the window. "Mariah would kill me if she knew what I was doing, but I think Hilary would castrate both of us. Anyway, you have to see this."

Max shuddered at the Hilary thought, clearing a patch of condensation on the bottom corner of the window and peering out at the street. Snow was falling, and they were just outside the hotel lobby, in front of the fountain, turned toward the window. "Holy shit, is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah."

"Why the hell would AJ be doing that?"

Kai's ears pricked. She was actually here? "Move," he said, pusing Ray out of the way.

Ray grinned and sat down on the bed. Mission accomplished, he thought. And this was quite the opportunity.

Kai stared, in shock, at the rogue woman who had previously been an extension of himself. She looked... she looked-

Like hell.

And he loved it.

Her shirt was dipped down low, sliced down the front, while her jeans ripped and torn in different places. Almost preppy, but the look on her face was the angstiness she now carried. It was enticing, and he didn't dare look away. The way her hair looked, a bit wet from the snow, a little wavy from the moisture. She was holding it up with one hand, behind her head. They were far enough away that he couldn't see all the details, but he noted the one hand, her right, pulling down the right side of her jeans. He saw a splash of color. It wasn't a bullet hole, like the one he could scarcely make out from the cut of her shirt, but it was different. Something that made him think twice.

What the hell was that? He wondered, peering closer. He could just make it out...

A white rose.

Silence.

Flames behind it.

Oh shit. It was a flipping tattoo. And the way that last snowflakes melted down it-

It was real.

"God, why did she have to go and do that?"

"Do what?" Max asked. He moved out of the way so Ray could look.

Kai sighed. The blonde was just too naive. He had no clue. "Nothing." He tried, and after failing numerous times to draw his attention away from her, he made his way back to his bed, and sat on it, attempting to clear the image from his mind.

Yet somehow, he just didn't want to.

author's note: alright, I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, and I won't be back until Sunday, so I can't guarantee anything until Monday... I think. Soo, knowing that, and that I need 8 more reviews~ I CAN COUNT THAT ON MY HANDS ~ please, review for me! Please, please, please, please... well, you get the idea! And thanks to all of you who have reviewed.

and if you don't read anything else in the notes, read this~ when you review, would you please do me a favor and give me an idea of what you would like to happen? Nothing I have yet is written in stone, and I was wondering just what you'd like to see happen. so yeah... REVIEW!!!!!!!

x3 Distant Storm