By: Lady Sapphire
Author's Notes: Hello! I just had to try my hand at a Beyblade fanfic. I analyzed the possibilities of couples. The most evident couple is, of course, Ray and Mariah (Sorry, the English names are what I'm used to!) and they are by far my favourite. But then I started thinking of other relationships and I came up with: Kai and Mariah! Don't ask me how or why. I know, I know, they hardly even know each other, but I still think it could work if only they would have spent a little more time together. Which is what I plan to do in this story…
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. Or anything relating to Beyblade. Though I wouldn't mind owning Ray…^_^
Chapter 1: Mission Impossible
"Master Kai, where are you going?" questioned the old butler, as the scowling blue-haired young man grabbed his coat and opened the door to leave.
"That's none of your business," he simply retorted, "Tell Grandfather that I will be back before supper." He didn't even wait for a reply or farewell. In one quick motion, the door was swept open, and then he was gone, letting the door slam behind him.
"Very well…" murmured the butler, replacing the lock. He knew better than to talk back to the young Master. Everyone knew it was best not to anger Master Kai, for he was stubborn, and can be very cold and disagreeable when displeased. In fact, the Hiwatari family has had a reputation for being cold-hearted, ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve their objectives. But, of course, no one would dare speak of this, not if they wanted to keep their jobs. And with the Hiwatari family being one of the richest, no one could afford to get on their bad side.
Taking a sigh, the butler turned to seek out the Master to inform him of his grandson's absence.
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Kai trudged through a long and relentless road. The late afternoon breeze brushed across his face and hair, ruffling it from it's neatly combed place, ever so slightly. His usual scarf-like piece of attire fluttered through the wind behind him. The blue-haired boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and rested a scowl upon his usual emotionless face. His mind drifted away with the wind, overwhelmed with thoughts. Thoughts of his grandfather's orders… He couldn't stand it anymore; he had to get away, as far away as possible. He quickened his step and soon came to a part of the road, where the path diverged to a narrow trail leading into a lush, thick forest. When he was young, he would often ride his bike up to this forest and just lie beneath the trees, doing nothing. It was great; there were no worries, no cares, just the serene peacefulness of nature. It was his sanctuary from the real world…and from his grandfather's demanding missions.
The first thing he sought out, upon entering, was a giant oak tree that he had claimed his own ever since he was young. Sitting down beneath its towering branches, he could feel himself calm down as his head cleared, allowing him to analyze the situation.
"How could he expect me to commit myself to something like that? I'm only 17, for God's sake!" he growled out loud, unaware of the fact that he was talking to himself. He clenched his fists and smacked the ground, hard. Closing his eyes, he recalled the conversation between his grandfather and himself…
"Kai, my dear grandson, you have always been my most obedient messenger. Never have you failed me before and I expect the same results with this new task that I am about to give you," announced Kai's grandfather sternly. There was no humour in his eyes. His monotonous expression always seemed to send chills down Kai's spine.
"Yes, Grandfather," replied the young teen. He hated when he talked like that. It was like he was some kind of tool that he could just use and then throw away. He never did show the slightest emotion that he cared for his grandson, like a grandfather should.
"Excellent," he said and turned to face the other way. "Kai, do you remember the time when I first presented you with Dranzer? You were only seven, but the look on your face was of pure innocence," he said, almost sounding wistful.
Kai stared at floor. Of course he remembered the day he first received his Beyblade, it had been the best day of his life. But, the question was, why was Grandfather bringing it up now?
"Dranzer has been in our family for generations, and now that it is in your possession, you must carry on this tradition…" he informed his grandson.
Kai's face paled. Whatever could he have meant by that? "I don't understand…" he responded hesitatingly, with a frown.
His grandfather turned to face Kai, and continued to explain. "You aren't a child anymore, Kai. You've grown into a young man now, and it is your responsibility to produce heirs to this family. I'm not getting any younger, and I wish to hold my great grandchildren before I pass on. Since you are my only grandson, this task is yours to bare."
The stoic boy nearly fainted. He could hardly breathe. Was his next mission really to do what he thought he heard? It took a minute or two to finally process this profound thought, but when he finally did, he argued, "But, Grandfather, I'm only seventeen!"
The old man shook his head sternly. "I've put a lot of thought into this and I've decided that you are old enough and that this will be your next task. By the next full moon, you will have found a wife and be wed."
Kai scowled at this. "And…if I should happen to fail?" he questioned, with a tinge of humour in his tone.
The expression on his Grandfather's face changed from serious to dead serious. He did not return his humour. "This is one mission you cannot afford to fail, because if you do, you will have forsaken the Hiwatari family. Everything you own now will be stripped from your possession," he said gravely. "Including Dranzer…"
Kai's eyes fluttered open, as he escaped that horrid experience he had gone through today. He still couldn't believe the objective of his next mission. It was simply mind-boggling. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.
'Why would Grandfather set me up with such an unimaginable task? Is he testing me? To see how I would measure up in a task not related to my strengths in Beyblading?' he wondered to himself in frustration.
'This is crazy. I don't know the first thing about women, and he expects me to court them? What the heck is his problem?' he thought, the anger inside of him began boiling up. Nonetheless, he was his Grandfather, and no matter what, he would never disappoint his Grandfather.
He reached in his pocket and pulled out the blue Beyblade and wrapped his fingers around it. It glowed for a brief second, radiating heat, as if showing empathy towards its owner. 'Dranzer, I would never give you up,' he told the bit-beast with determination. The fate of Dranzer depended on him and the thought of the possibility of losing the Red Phoenix was unbearable. Dranzer was his friend.
Tightening his fists, he stroked the ground again with all his strength, willing it to open up and swallow him up, but to no avail. He was still sitting on the ground, with the burden of an impossible task. He laid his head down on the ground and closed his eyes to help him concentrate on the best approach to this mission.
Little did he know, the answer was just around the corner…
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Author's Notes: Hope you're enjoying it so far...bet you can't guess who I was referring to in that last sentence! I'll give you a hint, the second main character will be introduce next chapter! ^_~ Please tell me what you think of it so far!