Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade
"This is talking"
'These are thoughts or writing' (e.g. books)
My grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari, was released from jail just weeks ago. It didn't make much of a difference to many, but under painful persuasion, I'm bound to secrecy once again...I just wish I could tell my friends; they'd help me figure something out...I wish I could tell Tyson; he seems to be, remarkably, the one that understands me the most... I can't tell him, it's to dangerous. I'll have to just survive my grandfather alone... again...
Kai sighed as he skimmed through the journal entry, remembering all to well the night he wrote that in. It had been just after a hard day of training - one of the many over the space of five weeks - and he was on the brink of an emotional breakdown. Unfortunately he had no one to confide in, so he poured his emotions into the thick black book he called his journal. Every night it had felt good to write everything down; it seemed to take away some of the stress.
Flicking forward a few weeks he saw the dates change dramatically; what used to be a nightly entry had had about a month-long break. Stopping on the first page after the gap he noted the date - February 12th 2005 - and started reading. His writing was messier then usual and his entry very short (for him at least; his were usually either detailed or quite emotional), but he wasn't surprised, remembering the reason for not entering.
Saturday, February 12th 2005
On January 20th Tyson and I had been caught in an explosion we caused at the abbey while trying to stop Voltaire from controlling the world. Max and Ray had not been far away with the police when it had happened, which was very lucky. We wouldn't have stood a chance had they not been there. We made it back to the hospital but for 'some reason' we both fell into a coma. I woke up three days ago (on the 9th) but Tyson is still out cold. His condition doesn't seem to be improving.
Kai skipped down a few more entries.
Thursday, February 17th 2005
Tyson finally woken up this morning, but he's still very weak; he can't stay awake for more then a few hours. The doctors have told his father (and mine, odd as it is to say) that his condition seems to be improving. I hope they're right.
Friday, February 18th 2005
Tyson is much better today then yesterday, though he still keeps falling asleep. I know it's strange to say, but I think he's using his injuries as an excuse to sleep so much! He's his usual perky self until a doctor comes in. It really bugs him that he has to stay in bed, though. Who' have thought Tyson Granger would EVER want to get up!
One more thing; Tyson got some great news today. It turns out that there's an operation that could fix his eyesight! It's a little risky, and it may not work, but if he's all for it, so am I!
Kai smiled and shut the book, placing it back in a wooden box beside a number of books, photo albums and papers. He had been in a much better mood when he had put in that last entry; and after that he started writing in his diary for fun instead of emotional support. For the years that followed he took five minutes a night to fill it in. He never went a day without entering something, and he kept every journal he ever had from then on. He assumed he was just being paranoid, but after he had lost his memory on several occasions, he didn't want it to happen again! His journals were a perfect way for him to revisit the past.
Taking it down off the dresser beside his bed, Kai ran his hand over the cover of his newest journal, which he had been given for his last birthday; a black one with the name 'Kai Hiwatari' printed in the corner. He had decided to keep the Hiwatari name; dark though his past may have been he had been a Hiwatari as long as he could remember, and was determined to restore the name with good quality (and he never thought he'd ever get use to the name 'Granger'). Lucky his family were very understanding, they were the ones who gave him the journal.
Now aged twenty-seven, Kai had created a very comfortable life for himself; devoid of any indications of his past (save his journals and Beyblade). He had even opened up his own Beyblading school, though it was a public one, unlike the abbey. Tala was also working at Kai's Beyblading school (Wolfborg had managed to help him escape the explosion when he sensed the increase in Dragoon and Dranzer's powers), along with Ray. With their help, Kai's Beyblading school became the most popular and successful in the world.
As Kai placed the journal back down on the dresser and began pushing the now covered box back under the bed, a voice behind him caught his attention.
"Dad? What are you doing?"
Kai looked up from the box and smiled at the boy standing in the doorway. The boy, wearing a grey shirt, black pants and black runners, was Kai's six-year-old son, Gou Hiwatari. He looked remarkably like Kai and, after seeing so old pictures and thinking it looked 'cool', had two large triangles painted on each side of his face in the same shade of blue Kai used to use. "Just looking through some old junk, Gou."
"Again?" Gou sighed, shaking his head. Like Kai, he was quite mature for his age. "What is it about your life you have to keep looking back on? I know you were a Beyblade Champ and all, but life couldn't have been that exciting."
"If only you knew." Kai thought, smiling. He pushed the box under the bed and straightened up. "Are you ready?"
The six-year-old spread out his arms as if Kai was blind. "Do I look ready?"
Kai chuckled as he walked over to his son, reaching down and picking him up. "Nah, you look grubby." He held the boy above him at arms length and grinned, "I think you need a bath."
Gou eye's widened in horror at this. "Dad no! I had one yesterday!"
"You're ly-ing," Kai taunted, hugging the child to him and tickling him. Gou erupted in a fit of giggles and tried desperately to escape his father's grasp, to no avail. When Kai felt Gou had been tortured enough, he set the child down on the floor. When Gou wiped away the last of his tears of laughter, Kai smirked. "You're not ready."
"Huh?" Gou looked himself over and frowned, looking up at Kai quizzically. "What's wrong?"
Kai smiled and poked his son lightly in the face. "You're face paints smeared."
"Wha-?" Gou touched the side of his face, and looked at it hands. His tears had dampened the markings and caused then to run. "Aw, dad!"
"Use the waterproof stuff next time."
Kai and Gou entered the Beystadium side-by-side, though Gou had to take about three steps for every one of Kai's. As soon as they entered the main arena, though, Gou was tackled to the floor.
"Ow! What the-?" Gou opened his eyes and growled. "Ling!"
The pink-haired girl giggled happily and jumped up, looking down at the fallen boy. She was wearing a white tank, sleeveless shirt and pale pink pants and shoes. "Hi Gou!" she chirped happily, reaching a hand out to help him up. "Good to see you again."
"Where's your father?" Kai asked the young girl.
"Ya," Gou muttered as he got to his feet, "shouldn't he have your leash?"
Ling puffed up her cheeks and spun around. "Dad! Gou's making fun of me!"
"I am not!" Gou protested. A look from Kai reminded him what happened the last time he lied and he quickly added. "Well... a little, but not much!"
"He says I need a leash!" Ling yelled, pointing accusingly at Gou as her father ran over. Kai smiled as Ray stopped in front of his daughter trying to catch his breath. He was glad Gou wasn't as much of a handful as Ray's daughter, the poor guy looked exhausted.
"I'm starting to think that's a good idea," Ray panted. "Where do you get the energy? Oh, hey Kai." He waved lazily at Kai, who merely smirked in response. Ray glared back, "Oh, I'd like to see you control her for a day!"
Kai shrugged. "Couldn't. Wouldn't." he answered simply, placing his hand on Gou's head. "I like this one; won't be trading any time soon."
Gou raised an eyebrow up at Kai, confused, then shrugged. "Dad, you're messing my hair."
"Heh, touchy little guy isn't he?" Ray asked, straightening up.
"I'm not little, I'm tall for my age!" Gou protest, stamping his foot hard on the ground.
"Shrimp." Ling muttered.
"Hey!"
"Uh-oh." Kai grabbed Gou just before he launched himself at the girl, holding the struggling child in his arms. "Gou behave yourself!"
"Man, can't wait 'til mine are that age."
Kai turned around to the sarcastic voice and laughed. "Ya Max, then you'll have TWO to deal with!"
"Don't remind me," Max muttered in an annoyed tone, but he was smiling all the same. Max was visiting from America, were he had a family of his own; a wife and twins, one girl and one boy. Kai was unaware whether or not the children's names really were Minnie and Tim, or whether Max had just made them up. When he asked how they were Max just smiled. "Great! Started nursery school a month ago - the Mrs. insisted. I don't see the point, really. I didn't go to nursery school and I ended up a Beyblade engineer. And a well-paid Beyblade engineer, might I add."
"Well, looked like we're all here." Ray announced. "Except for-"
"We're late! We're late! We're soooo late!"
The group all exchanged confused glances - had they heard two voices saying that? - and turned to face the entrance. Sure enough it was Tyson and his five-year-old son, Makoto, both yelling Tyson's infamous 'I'm late' routine. Makoto was latched tightly around his father's shoulders as the older of the two sprinted into the stadium; late as always but still just as fast. "Hello Tyson." his friends chorused in amusement.
"Hey!" Tyson greeted, skidding to a stop as he reached the group. He was the only member of thee group who, surprisingly, didn't work with Beyblades as a profession. He had inherited the dojo from his grandfather and, though he wanted to take Kai's offer to work at the Beyblade school, he didn't have the heart to let his grandfather down. He stayed in the dojo and continued his grandfather's job of training people. His publicity as a famous Beyblader had gotton him many more students then his grandfather, though, so he was always kept busy.
Tyson looked down at Gou in confusion, who was hanging from Kai's arms, then grinned. "Hey Gou! How've you been?"
"Um..." Gou looked up at Kai then back at Tyson, smiling. "Better."
"Uncle Kai!" Makoto exclaimed, jumping off Tyson's shoulders and clinging around Kai's neck. This caused Kai to lose his grip on Gou, but the child, thankfully, didn't charge for Ling. Instead he trotted over to Tyson and reached up to him for a hug, which Tyson gave whole-heartedly.
"Man it's been to long sense we were all together!" Tyson laughed, causing the others to smile. Ruffling up Gou's hair he put the six-year-old, who quickly started fixing his hair back into place, and turned to Max, tutting. "Now now Max, we all brought our minis, why'd you have to be different?"
"Sir! 'Cause the wife say's they get air sick, Sir!" Max announced as if in the army, saluting Tyson.
"Very well, at ease soldier," Tyson muttered, saluting Max back. They still hadn't grown up.
"So, you all ready to get going?" Ray asked as he picked up Ling, sitting her up on his shoulders. They had all agreed to meet here at the Seaside Dome, at the very same Beyblade Stadium where they first became a team. With Max living in America, Kai and Ray working a lot at the Beyblade school and Tyson teaching martial arts at all hours of the day and night, the group rarely got to see each other anymore. They had always kept in contact though, and had decided to meet up once in a while. So, every few months, the group would take a week out of their busy lives and meet up (sometimes they met up more often).
Every nodded and followed Ray as he lead the way out of the Beystadium. Kai, though, feel a little behind the group, thinking to himself. He walked in silence behind the chattering group, before his thoughts were interrupted.
"Kai?"
Kai jerked out of his thoughts and looked up at Tyson, smiling. "Yeah?"
Tyson raised an eyebrow. "Don't act like I don't know you, Kai. There's something on your mind."
"No there's not."
"Yes there is." Tyson insisted, eyeing Kai suspiciously. Suddenly he gasped, "You've been down memory lane again haven't you!"
Kai folded his arms. "You say that like it's a bad thing... And how do you know this stuff?"
"Like I said, I know you." Tyson fell into step beside Kai, putting his hands in his pockets. " And I know you weren't going through memories of sunshine and rainbows; you thinking about being a Hiwatari again?" Kai nodded. "Kai, you've gotta stop worrying about that..."
"But what if I turn out like him..." Kai muttered, eyes on the ground in front of him. "I mean, I did spend most of my childhood with that man..."
Tyson shook his head. "Kai, you are nothing like Voltaire." He placed and hand on Kai's shoulder and smiled. "If you were anything like him, do you think Gou would love you as much as he does?"
Kai looked up at his son who was trotting next to Max, asking him all sorts of questions about Beyblading. Kai smiled, "No..."
"Exactly." Tyson nodded happily, patting Kai's shoulder and walking ahead of him. "You've got a new family now Kai, a proper family and a good life. Forget about the old coot and enjoy it!"
Kai looked up as Tyson jogged up behind Gou and grabbed his shoulders and yelled, giving the child a scare but causing him to laugh. He smiled. Tyson was right; he had to stop worrying about the bad things in past and focus on the good things to come. After everything that he'd been through in his life, he still managed to grow into a good person and become part of a loving family.
"Hey guys, wait up!" Kai called, running to catch up with the group. His life was with them; the people who really cared about him. The people he loved. His friends.
No... not his friends...
His family.
And so ends one of my favourite stories; Kai's Family (Though twas one of the hardest to write). Exactly one year ago today, this story was first posted, and now it's finally complete! Took 365 days, but it's done!
I hope you guys enjoy it; I quite liked this ending and I hope you did to!
Cookies to all who review(ed), you guys are the best! Thanks for your support through the entire story!
Slán slán everyone!
Bay Bay!
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