Chapter I - Long Distance
[I have an overly overactive imagination... I should do something about that. If there are any spelling mistakes, I apologize. I am writing this at one
in the morning because I have nothing better to do. Anyway... Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.]
A blond-haired boy with light freckles sat in the living room of his house, watching the motionless telephone with eager cheerful blue eyes. He was sitting on his knees, looking over the arm of the sofa and just waited. He wore an odd combination of clothes: a pair of orange overalls and a green shirt underneath.
Max's dad walked out from the kitchen, blinked a few times at his son's behavior then smiled. "Can't wait for your mom to call, eh?"
"Yeah! It's been so long since I've talked to her from the American tournament! And she's finally going to travel all the way over here!" Max said excitedly.
"Well, your friends are at the door. Should I let them in for you so you don't miss your call?" His dad asked.
"That'd be great! Thanks, dad!" Max nodded then resumed his staring contest with the blue telephone.
No sooner after the first ring finished, Max pounced, grabbing the receiver eagerly. "Hello?"
"Good morning, Max. Or should I say afternoon, considering the time zones." Max's mother laughed slightly, sounding just as cheery as her son.
"It's great to hear from you again, Mom!" Max stood up, holding the phone tightly on his ear. "I can't wait until you get here! It's gonna be great!"
"I'm still packing a few things." Judy paused. "Emily, can you stay on the line while I get some?"
"Uh... sure..." Emily's semi-audible voice sounded from the phone.
Max felt a faint blush creep across his cheeks and he started to twirl the telephone cord through his fingers. It had been quite a while since he had even heard of or seen Emily since the tournament. Since then, he had always had a feeling that didn't completely disappear.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Emily asked sounding sort of annoyed.
"I...uh..." Max really couldn't get himself to say anything. "Hey, Emily..."
"So it's you, Max." Emily replied. "Long-time no see. How have you been lately?"
"Great!" Max finally found something to talk about instead of stumbling over words. "Our team has gone through a lot of tournaments and met a lot of new people! It was so cool! I've never seen so many different places in so little time!"
Max noticed Tyson, Kenny and Ray entering from the hallway and he gave a quick wave.
"Sounds fun... Have you improved in your beyblading at all or are you still at a novice level..." Emily's voice had a hint of amusement.
"I've learned a lot of new things! I'll go for a rematch anytime!" Max said confidently, his nervousness dissipating.
"Great then I'll see you at the airport later tonight..." Max swore he heard a mischievous giggle as the butterflies returned in his stomach.
"Wh-Wh-what?!" Max felt the blush worsen and his voice seemed to jump an octave as he took no notice of his friends giving him skeptical looks. "You mean..."
"Sorry, Max, but your mom is back." Emily said plainly, saying nothing more to him.
Max stared hard at his socks, his cheeks still feeling heated up as he barely heard his mother speak to him on the phone. "Max? Honey, are you still there?"
"Y-yeah, I'm here." Max coughed a bit, trying to keep his voice steady. "Is Emily really coming here too?"
"I thought it would be a nice treat and I heard that she would like a rematch against you, Max. Besides, you all need to start getting along better... There was quite a bit of competition between all of you during the American tournament. That's fine with you, right Max?" She asked.
"Uh... Yeah! It sure is, mom!" Max said quickly. "Listen, I'll let you pack the rest of your stuff and dad and I will pick you up at the airport, okay?"
Ray and Kenny exchanged glances and shrugged as Max ended the conversation quickly, putting the phone back on the receiver. He turned around and fell back on the sofa, finding Tyson staring right at him face to face.
"Tyson! What are you doing?" Max asked, finding the dark blue-haired beyblader staring him down.
"So, who were you talking to, Max?" Tyson asked, crossing his arms.
"My mom. She's traveling all the way from America to stay here for a while! It's gonna be so cool!" Max sat up.
"Really?" Tyson asked, forgetting about the questioning. "That's great, Max!"
Max nodded, thankful that the blush had disappeared. "I know! It's gonna be so much fun!"
The group sat for a while, talking and Max mostly kept quiet, looking as his feet.
'Emily's actually traveling all the way over here...?' He thought to himself.
"Max! Did you hear what I said?"
Max almost jumped a mile from Kenny interrupting his thoughts. "I...uh... Yeah! Sure did!"
"Riiight..." Tyson raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, as the chief was sayin..."
They talked for a good part of the afternoon and then the three left, leaving Max to think about the conversation he had on the telephone. Much later at night, Max waited with his dad at the airport for the arrival of his mother and Emily; if she was going to actually show up or not. He yawned a bit, taking a glance at the big digital clock, which told the time in bright red letters.
"Flight 529 from America now disembarking." An announcement rang from one of the ceiling P.A systems.
"It won't be long now, Max." His dad said. "That's your mom's flight."
"Finally!" Max cheered, watching the doors intently.
After several moments, people started walking out from the flight doors and went to get their luggage from the conveyer belt. Max skimmed over the crowds for any sign of his mother and finally saw her.
"Mom! Over here!" Max yelled, waving his hands.
He caught the gaze of his mother and waved excitedly as his mother gave a small wave back.
"She's really here! Man, this is so cool! She actually traveled here for a visit!" Max beamed, forgetting his fatigue.
He waited impatiently until his mother was barely ten feet away from him and he jumped from his seat, giving her a tight hug; completely forgetting that Emily was there.
"Hey, slow down there. Your mom just got here, you know." Max's dad cautioned. "Besides, I'm sure she hasn't gotten used to the major time change. Judy."
She simply nodded in reply.
"Sorry..." Max backed up a few steps and grinned. "But you're really here!"
"Ahem..." Emily readjusted her glasses, her blue eyes looking quite bored.
"Max, I'm sure you remember Emily from the American tournament..." Judy gestured towards the ginger-haired girl.
Max nodded, keeping strangely silent. "..."
"It's nice to meet you, Emily." Max's dad said.
"It's nice to meet you, Mister Tate..." Emily said, showing little interest with the acquaintances.
"Well, since we're all here we might as well head to the house." Max's dad said as he got up, stretching.
Max continued to stay quiet, finding his shoes very interesting. Sure, he was excited that his mom had traveled all the way from the United States to see him... but she had brought Emily with her and Max found it very hard to say much at all. When they had returned to the Tate's home, Max's parents decided to sit in the living room and chat for a while... leaving Max and Emily to talk in the kitchen. Or at least that was supposed to happen...
"So..." Max scratched the back of his head nervously. "How was the flight...?"
"Uneventful... the food was absolutely horrible..." Emily replied, still seeming uninterested.
Max laughed slightly. It was more of a forced nervous laugh than an agreeable one. "Yeah... I guess they don't serve any of the good stuff a mile high in the air..."
"Indeed..." Emily scanned the kitchen with her eyes.
"That sort of reminds me... When we were heading for the American tournament, Tyson had eaten some or too much of the airplane food... got himself sick..." Max swore that he could see a slight amused smirk on Emily's face.
"I bet that shut him up..." She answered.
"It did the opposite... He kept complaining about how evil the food was and why they didn't have better things to serve..." Max laughed slightly, a little more relaxed.
There was another awkward silence as the two kept their gazes averted. Even though it was late at night, Max was feeling slightly hungry and he started to wonder if Emily was too.
"Hey... uhm..." Max started. "Are you hungry at all?"
Emily glanced at him, hating the fact that her hunger was getting the best of her. "... A little..."
"How about a little snack then?" Max got up from the table, walking over to one of the cupboards. "Is milk and cookies okay for you? You know, how late it is and all..."
"Sure..." Emily raised an eyebrow. "That is fine with me..."
"Great!" Max smiled, searching through the cupboard for the cookies. "I know they're around here somewhere... There it is!"
He pulled out an unopened box of cookies and took two cups from the cabinet then he poured some milk into them and put the carton back in the fridge. Emily waited patiently as Max brought the said snack over and set the plate of cookies between them.
"So, how do you like Japan so far? Even though you just got here and all and it's almost the middle of the night..." Max asked, carefully dipping the cookie in the milk and making sure it didn't crumble.
"It's very... bright, considering what time it is... Almost like the big cities back home, actually..." Emily answered, breaking a cookie in half.
"Cool..." Max popped the cookie in his mouth.
"So..." Emily started off, not bothering to eat yet. "You don't mind me staying here, do you? Considering I'll be in the same house..."
Max coughed and started to choke as soon as Emily finished her comment and he grabbed the glass of milk, swallowing about a quarter of it until he could breathe again. "I-" He coughed a few more times. "Of course I don't mind. You're with my mom, after all."
The two ate their snack in an awkward silence, speaking for a moment or two about what had been doing on after the American tournament and what not. There was a single cookie left on the plate and they both reached for it, their hands brushing slightly and Max snapped his hand back to his side, his face showing a slight burning blush.
"I-I'm sorry... G-go ahead." He stuttered.
"No, no... You can take it. It's your house, I'm simply the guest." Emily stated, pulling her own hand back.
Max frowned. He didn't want to seem selfish by taking the last one and leaving Emily with nothing, even though both of them were sharing a snack.
"Here. This'll be fair to both of us." Max said as he took the cookie and broke in half as best as he good, smiling.
He held out the bigger half towards Emily, whom in turn watched him quizzically then took it hesitantly. "Uhm... thanks..."
They had finished their snack and Max took the dishes to the sink, rinsing them off then put them back in the cupboards.
"Max, it's about time you get to bed." Max's dad called out from the living room.
"You too, Emily." Judy said.
"You should show where the guest room for Emily is, Max." His father spoke up again.
"Uh... Sure!" Max said timidly, looking back towards Emily. "I'll help you with your stuff."
Emily and Max left the kitchen and started gathering up the luggage. There was another split moment when they accidentally bumped into each other when they were picking up the bags.
"Sorry! My mistake!" Max said quickly as he backed up.
"Right... it happens all the time..." Emily answered. "Well...?"
"R-right... It's down the hall. Come on." Max balanced the luggage under each arm and walked down the hallway timidly.
He pushed the door open with his foot and set the bags down on the bed. Emily walked in, taking a few glances around in silence at the temporary placement.
"Interesting..." She said quietly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"We haven't really had guests for a while... so make yourself comfortable and all. I'll... I have to be going now. Night." Max said hastily, ducking out of the room.
He went back to his room and closed the door, heaving a heavy sigh. He didn't know how he was going to get through this without doing something clumsy. Bumping into her was one thing and he hoped it was the last so he wouldn't fell as embarrassed...
[I have an overly overactive imagination... I should do something about that. If there are any spelling mistakes, I apologize. I am writing this at one
in the morning because I have nothing better to do. Anyway... Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.]
A blond-haired boy with light freckles sat in the living room of his house, watching the motionless telephone with eager cheerful blue eyes. He was sitting on his knees, looking over the arm of the sofa and just waited. He wore an odd combination of clothes: a pair of orange overalls and a green shirt underneath.
Max's dad walked out from the kitchen, blinked a few times at his son's behavior then smiled. "Can't wait for your mom to call, eh?"
"Yeah! It's been so long since I've talked to her from the American tournament! And she's finally going to travel all the way over here!" Max said excitedly.
"Well, your friends are at the door. Should I let them in for you so you don't miss your call?" His dad asked.
"That'd be great! Thanks, dad!" Max nodded then resumed his staring contest with the blue telephone.
No sooner after the first ring finished, Max pounced, grabbing the receiver eagerly. "Hello?"
"Good morning, Max. Or should I say afternoon, considering the time zones." Max's mother laughed slightly, sounding just as cheery as her son.
"It's great to hear from you again, Mom!" Max stood up, holding the phone tightly on his ear. "I can't wait until you get here! It's gonna be great!"
"I'm still packing a few things." Judy paused. "Emily, can you stay on the line while I get some?"
"Uh... sure..." Emily's semi-audible voice sounded from the phone.
Max felt a faint blush creep across his cheeks and he started to twirl the telephone cord through his fingers. It had been quite a while since he had even heard of or seen Emily since the tournament. Since then, he had always had a feeling that didn't completely disappear.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Emily asked sounding sort of annoyed.
"I...uh..." Max really couldn't get himself to say anything. "Hey, Emily..."
"So it's you, Max." Emily replied. "Long-time no see. How have you been lately?"
"Great!" Max finally found something to talk about instead of stumbling over words. "Our team has gone through a lot of tournaments and met a lot of new people! It was so cool! I've never seen so many different places in so little time!"
Max noticed Tyson, Kenny and Ray entering from the hallway and he gave a quick wave.
"Sounds fun... Have you improved in your beyblading at all or are you still at a novice level..." Emily's voice had a hint of amusement.
"I've learned a lot of new things! I'll go for a rematch anytime!" Max said confidently, his nervousness dissipating.
"Great then I'll see you at the airport later tonight..." Max swore he heard a mischievous giggle as the butterflies returned in his stomach.
"Wh-Wh-what?!" Max felt the blush worsen and his voice seemed to jump an octave as he took no notice of his friends giving him skeptical looks. "You mean..."
"Sorry, Max, but your mom is back." Emily said plainly, saying nothing more to him.
Max stared hard at his socks, his cheeks still feeling heated up as he barely heard his mother speak to him on the phone. "Max? Honey, are you still there?"
"Y-yeah, I'm here." Max coughed a bit, trying to keep his voice steady. "Is Emily really coming here too?"
"I thought it would be a nice treat and I heard that she would like a rematch against you, Max. Besides, you all need to start getting along better... There was quite a bit of competition between all of you during the American tournament. That's fine with you, right Max?" She asked.
"Uh... Yeah! It sure is, mom!" Max said quickly. "Listen, I'll let you pack the rest of your stuff and dad and I will pick you up at the airport, okay?"
Ray and Kenny exchanged glances and shrugged as Max ended the conversation quickly, putting the phone back on the receiver. He turned around and fell back on the sofa, finding Tyson staring right at him face to face.
"Tyson! What are you doing?" Max asked, finding the dark blue-haired beyblader staring him down.
"So, who were you talking to, Max?" Tyson asked, crossing his arms.
"My mom. She's traveling all the way from America to stay here for a while! It's gonna be so cool!" Max sat up.
"Really?" Tyson asked, forgetting about the questioning. "That's great, Max!"
Max nodded, thankful that the blush had disappeared. "I know! It's gonna be so much fun!"
The group sat for a while, talking and Max mostly kept quiet, looking as his feet.
'Emily's actually traveling all the way over here...?' He thought to himself.
"Max! Did you hear what I said?"
Max almost jumped a mile from Kenny interrupting his thoughts. "I...uh... Yeah! Sure did!"
"Riiight..." Tyson raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, as the chief was sayin..."
They talked for a good part of the afternoon and then the three left, leaving Max to think about the conversation he had on the telephone. Much later at night, Max waited with his dad at the airport for the arrival of his mother and Emily; if she was going to actually show up or not. He yawned a bit, taking a glance at the big digital clock, which told the time in bright red letters.
"Flight 529 from America now disembarking." An announcement rang from one of the ceiling P.A systems.
"It won't be long now, Max." His dad said. "That's your mom's flight."
"Finally!" Max cheered, watching the doors intently.
After several moments, people started walking out from the flight doors and went to get their luggage from the conveyer belt. Max skimmed over the crowds for any sign of his mother and finally saw her.
"Mom! Over here!" Max yelled, waving his hands.
He caught the gaze of his mother and waved excitedly as his mother gave a small wave back.
"She's really here! Man, this is so cool! She actually traveled here for a visit!" Max beamed, forgetting his fatigue.
He waited impatiently until his mother was barely ten feet away from him and he jumped from his seat, giving her a tight hug; completely forgetting that Emily was there.
"Hey, slow down there. Your mom just got here, you know." Max's dad cautioned. "Besides, I'm sure she hasn't gotten used to the major time change. Judy."
She simply nodded in reply.
"Sorry..." Max backed up a few steps and grinned. "But you're really here!"
"Ahem..." Emily readjusted her glasses, her blue eyes looking quite bored.
"Max, I'm sure you remember Emily from the American tournament..." Judy gestured towards the ginger-haired girl.
Max nodded, keeping strangely silent. "..."
"It's nice to meet you, Emily." Max's dad said.
"It's nice to meet you, Mister Tate..." Emily said, showing little interest with the acquaintances.
"Well, since we're all here we might as well head to the house." Max's dad said as he got up, stretching.
Max continued to stay quiet, finding his shoes very interesting. Sure, he was excited that his mom had traveled all the way from the United States to see him... but she had brought Emily with her and Max found it very hard to say much at all. When they had returned to the Tate's home, Max's parents decided to sit in the living room and chat for a while... leaving Max and Emily to talk in the kitchen. Or at least that was supposed to happen...
"So..." Max scratched the back of his head nervously. "How was the flight...?"
"Uneventful... the food was absolutely horrible..." Emily replied, still seeming uninterested.
Max laughed slightly. It was more of a forced nervous laugh than an agreeable one. "Yeah... I guess they don't serve any of the good stuff a mile high in the air..."
"Indeed..." Emily scanned the kitchen with her eyes.
"That sort of reminds me... When we were heading for the American tournament, Tyson had eaten some or too much of the airplane food... got himself sick..." Max swore that he could see a slight amused smirk on Emily's face.
"I bet that shut him up..." She answered.
"It did the opposite... He kept complaining about how evil the food was and why they didn't have better things to serve..." Max laughed slightly, a little more relaxed.
There was another awkward silence as the two kept their gazes averted. Even though it was late at night, Max was feeling slightly hungry and he started to wonder if Emily was too.
"Hey... uhm..." Max started. "Are you hungry at all?"
Emily glanced at him, hating the fact that her hunger was getting the best of her. "... A little..."
"How about a little snack then?" Max got up from the table, walking over to one of the cupboards. "Is milk and cookies okay for you? You know, how late it is and all..."
"Sure..." Emily raised an eyebrow. "That is fine with me..."
"Great!" Max smiled, searching through the cupboard for the cookies. "I know they're around here somewhere... There it is!"
He pulled out an unopened box of cookies and took two cups from the cabinet then he poured some milk into them and put the carton back in the fridge. Emily waited patiently as Max brought the said snack over and set the plate of cookies between them.
"So, how do you like Japan so far? Even though you just got here and all and it's almost the middle of the night..." Max asked, carefully dipping the cookie in the milk and making sure it didn't crumble.
"It's very... bright, considering what time it is... Almost like the big cities back home, actually..." Emily answered, breaking a cookie in half.
"Cool..." Max popped the cookie in his mouth.
"So..." Emily started off, not bothering to eat yet. "You don't mind me staying here, do you? Considering I'll be in the same house..."
Max coughed and started to choke as soon as Emily finished her comment and he grabbed the glass of milk, swallowing about a quarter of it until he could breathe again. "I-" He coughed a few more times. "Of course I don't mind. You're with my mom, after all."
The two ate their snack in an awkward silence, speaking for a moment or two about what had been doing on after the American tournament and what not. There was a single cookie left on the plate and they both reached for it, their hands brushing slightly and Max snapped his hand back to his side, his face showing a slight burning blush.
"I-I'm sorry... G-go ahead." He stuttered.
"No, no... You can take it. It's your house, I'm simply the guest." Emily stated, pulling her own hand back.
Max frowned. He didn't want to seem selfish by taking the last one and leaving Emily with nothing, even though both of them were sharing a snack.
"Here. This'll be fair to both of us." Max said as he took the cookie and broke in half as best as he good, smiling.
He held out the bigger half towards Emily, whom in turn watched him quizzically then took it hesitantly. "Uhm... thanks..."
They had finished their snack and Max took the dishes to the sink, rinsing them off then put them back in the cupboards.
"Max, it's about time you get to bed." Max's dad called out from the living room.
"You too, Emily." Judy said.
"You should show where the guest room for Emily is, Max." His father spoke up again.
"Uh... Sure!" Max said timidly, looking back towards Emily. "I'll help you with your stuff."
Emily and Max left the kitchen and started gathering up the luggage. There was another split moment when they accidentally bumped into each other when they were picking up the bags.
"Sorry! My mistake!" Max said quickly as he backed up.
"Right... it happens all the time..." Emily answered. "Well...?"
"R-right... It's down the hall. Come on." Max balanced the luggage under each arm and walked down the hallway timidly.
He pushed the door open with his foot and set the bags down on the bed. Emily walked in, taking a few glances around in silence at the temporary placement.
"Interesting..." She said quietly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"We haven't really had guests for a while... so make yourself comfortable and all. I'll... I have to be going now. Night." Max said hastily, ducking out of the room.
He went back to his room and closed the door, heaving a heavy sigh. He didn't know how he was going to get through this without doing something clumsy. Bumping into her was one thing and he hoped it was the last so he wouldn't fell as embarrassed...