Yay! My next attempt at KaRe-ness! Let's hope it works! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last fic, and to my rooted-chan for the courage to go on!!!
DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Beyblade or any characters from it that appear... Alas, woe is me...
Kai knew he was supposed to be concentrating. There was a book open on the table beside the notepad covered in statistics he'd need to use to work out a strategy for the Bladebreakers' next tournament. Of course, Tyson being on the team meant any strategy would quickly be flushed unceremoniously yet spectacularly down the drain, but Kai was the team captain, and as such he had to -something-.
Crossing his arms, he scowled at the book, willing it to do his work for him. Names of 'bladers and teams caught his attention at random… or maybe not so much at random...
There were the White Tigers, the Chinese champions and former teammates of his own teammate Rei Kon. Former teammates, and, Kai figured, judging from the closeness they shared, his family as well. His own Biovolt team, led by almost clinically insane Tala, and Bryan who Rei faced in their first ever World Championships… Then there was Ozuma and the Saint Shields, who had captured Rei's Bitbeast in the year that Kai teamed up with the Chinese boy in the Championships… And there was the 'blader Rei had faced and successfully defeated in the…
It occurred to Kai that this was not strategizing. It was daydreaming. And how could he be blamed, if right across the table was-
"Kai? D'you think you could give me a hand with this?" Rei scratched his head with the end of his pencil, chewing on his lip, his smooth forehead wrinkled in a frown. Stray locks of luscious black hair hung loose to frame his face, the rest bunched in a high ponytail held up by a cloth band. He looked adorable.
Kai could have jumped him.
But that was not the 'Kai' way. The Great Hiwatari did not jump people. He regarded people with a stoic expression of calm and melted into puddles of mushy goo inside.
"I've tried to do the same calculation about ten times already, and each time I come up with a different answer!" Rei intoned.
This was all Hillary's doing, of course. She wanted the Bladebreakers to be smart as well as skilled, so she was loading them with work for their brains. Kai wasn't part of it, of course. Not only was he too smart for this, but Hillary had let out a frightened squeak and backed off after the first 'Ask-me-to-do-sums-and-I'll-make-you-suffer' look. The others, not having the good fortune to inherit the Great Hiwatari Glare Technique, had to do what the girl said, no questions asked. This included the kawaii koneko who was the sole begetter of Kai's distraction and was now looking at him, pleading for help.
Kai squashed the side of his brain that was briefly fantasized on what it would be like to have Rei pleading for something quite different and said, in Stoic Hiwatari mode, "Hm?"
Rei immediately jumped up, a smile breaking on hid lips, and crossed the table to slap the paper down before Kai, leaning over him to explain the problem.
His senses went into overdrive. Here was Rei, so close he could smell the unique blend of cinnamon (from the morning's waffles) and some unidentified flower that was the neko-jin's scent, and Kai, who couldn't pay attention to anything when he was across the friggin' table, was supposed to look at the math? His crimson gaze remained fixed on that almost-feline face, the delicate features, the pointed ears, the beautiful golden pupils in wide eyes that were now looking at him expectantly…
"Huh?" Kai started, colouring at the proximity this had put them in. "What?" he barked, getting out of the chair and regaining his composure.
Rei frowned again. "I asked you if you had any idea what to do…"
"I don't," he said sharply, turning on his heel, his heart pounding so hard he thought he was going to have an attack. The part of his brain that he had squashed earlier came back to say that he should take his chance before he died. He killed it again.
"Kai?"
His voice came out as a harsh rasp and he fought the urge to turn. "Try doing it yourself, Rei. You won't learn if you don't."
"But I did try!" the boy protested. "If you could just tell me if any of these answers are right…"
"I can't!" Kai barked. "I- uh- suck at math." He retreated, abandoning books and notes and heading straight for his room, not stopping even to look where he was going until the door was slid shut behind him and he leaned against it, waiting for his heart to stop racing. "Damnit!" he cursed under his breath. "It's getting worse."
It was no secret to Kai that there was a very large part of him that was utterly, utterly in love with Rei Kon. He had been steadily falling for the neko jin for a good part of the three years they'd known each other, and now in year four, it was at its peak. He couldn't spend more than a few minutes in Rei's company before getting fidgety, and when they got close…
Kai sighed. This was not good for his health, that he was sure of. How did other lovestruck idiots manage, he wondered. Or was it just his problem? From where he saw it, he could choose one of several alternatives. One, he could tell Rei how he felt about him flat out and risk rejection or acceptance; two, he could somehow start hinting subtly about the whole feelings issue and see if he could get the neko jin to fall for him; and three, he could shut up and die of that heart attack.
Seeing as how Hiwataris did not like rejection, and Kai was too young and too gorgeous to die, option two was the only plausible way to go. He would have to start hinting instead of running for his life…
Kai clenched a determined fist. He was (drop- dead- make- the- fangirls- squeal) gorgeous, he was (filthy, stinkin' I-own-a-couple-of-Rolls-Royces) rich, he had the walk and the talk down to an art…
So he had a slight attitude problem… that just added to his mystique… How could Rei resist?
And that folks, was chapter one!
I hope to keep goin', have Kai hatch his master plan to get Rei...
Whaddaya think? Lemme know and I'll be eternally grateful!
Ja ne,
Yarnball