Notes: Alrighty, so I wanted to write a fic about this little... situation. So here goes.

Disclaimer: Beyblade is not mine-izzle. Okay, movin' on, people...

Summary: Once they found out, they had to do something. They couldn't let their friend live his life thinking one thing when it was possible that there was another answer. Hinted KH, now that I look back on it, but friendship fic.

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Kai peered upward, into the blue sky, white with clouds accentuating the light blue color. All around him, glass bent elegantly in the breeze. It was... peaceful. He truthfully, in all his experiences, lived for these times. Times when he went to a place where he was relaxed, he was at peace with himself physically. Mentally, however, his mind seemed to always have some type of stress on the back burner.

I wonder what he's doing right now. Does he even think of me? I know people know who I am, so why hasn't he tried? He is alive, I know he is.

He sighed aloud and closed his eyes, rather forcefully, trying to push the image out of his head.

"Daddy!" A five-year old Kai ran down a set of large stairs, into the arms of his father, Alexander Hiwatari. He was spun around before being set on his feet, a little dizzy from the spin. "Are we going to beyblade today?"

His father's face changed to one of regret, slightly disappointed. Kai's eyes watered a bit, knowing of the impending rejection. "Not today, Mikhail. Daddy has to go visit your grandfather. We have business to take care of."

Kai nodded before daring to take another look into his father's amethyst eyes. He noted the sorrow in them, but his age denied this emotion, calling it sadeness. He didn't want his dad to be sad. "We'll beyblade when you get back, right? Tomorrow?"

"I'll be gone for a week."

"Then when you get back, okay Daddy?" Kai's eyes pleaded with his father.

Running a hand through his two toned- just like his son's- hair, the elder smiled, and gave his son a wry smile. "Of course. As soon as I get back, we'll go down to the park and practice."

He opened his eyes again, blinking furiously. Now, more than ever, he felt like clawing at his face. The paint felt dry, felt cracked. He felt cracked. Broken. He was, and he knew it, it didn't take Brooklyn's defeat to tell him he was pretty messed up. He'd covered the physical marks well, concealing them in two triangles.

Triangles meant complexity. He was complex. There were more sides to him than people know, and such a complex individual, needed a certain type of nurturing. He hadn't gotten that.

No, his mind protested. He had received that type of care; though it had stopped a long time ago. His father had given him that care. His mother- he clenched his fists and growled. His mother never gave a damn if he lived or died.

Kai threw himself upon the grass; nearby was his mother, Haruka, laying upon a lounge chair at their summer home in Italy. He really didn't like it, personally, he thought that he'd take a winter in Moscow all year, than a summer in Italy for three months.

"Mom," he began, looking at her with a bored expression, "When's Dad going to be home?"

His mother looked up from over her magazine. "Do we really have to go over this?" Her eyes were clear and bright, but not amused. "I don't know. How old are you? Six? Entertain yourself, would you?"

"Eight," Kai answered with confidence.

His mother's eyebrows moved up in anger. "Then you should know a hell of a lot more than you already do. Maybe if you'd stop clinging to your father, you wouldn't end up as stupid as he is."

"That's not true!"

Haruka laughed. "Don't play stupid, Mikhail, do you not see this? Your grandfather has offered your father a lifetime of well-being and... comfort," she added, with another light laugh, "but he's turned it down, insisting that your grandfather wishes to corrupt both him and you." She admired her perfectly manicured nails, proping herself up on her right arm, looking at her left hand, and the more than expensive ring on her finger. "It's a shame. He hasn't corrupted anyone, if anything, it's your father's ideas that are corrupting you. Voltaire wanted you to go into his special school for beyblading, but no, your father just had to teach you. It'll be his downfall in the end, not listening to his father."

"You don't know that!" Kai yelled, running back into the house, slamming the double doors behind him. The only sound left behind him was that of his mother's laughter.

She didn't even know how old he was at the time. He growled again, trying hard not to cry out in frustration. Just the tip of his thoughts resting on her caused such a state of rage that he could barely control himself. She was part of the reason why. Part of the reasons for this.

There were reasons why Hiwatari Kai was who he was. A sadistic, lone wolf of an enigma, a contradiction who couldn't publicly care for others, and a stupid idiot who was secretly waiting for his father to drop out of the sky, even at age eighteen, when he was expected to maintain the conduct of an adult. He was... confused, unaware of what to do.

The only place he ever went was in a circle. This was the starting point for the loop back around. The darkness would come, leading to a descent into a sharp fall to oblivion, followed by a slow and painful process of admitting- and attempting to fix- stupid mistakes caused by his own darkness.

Hiwatari Kai described himself as a poison. He poisoned himself with his own stupidity. He could only blame his mother for so long. Even his grandfather couldn't take all the blame. Hiwatari Voltaire had started his path of darkness. When he left the abbey, and when he was with his team- after the first championships, mind you- he made his own decisions. He had joined B.E.G.A. of his own stupid pride. He had to beat Tyson.

Now he wasn't even sure why he was beyblading. Tyson was great. He had that excitement, that 'little kid in a toystore' attitude about beyblading. It was new every time. Without Dranzer, Kai would cease to be Kai.

Where had he heard something like that before?

Oh yes, when his father left him.

His eyes glimmered with tears. The nine-year old Kai was restrained by his grandfather's hand upon his shoulder.

"Stop! Let me go!"

"You will listen to your grandfather, Kai," His father said shamefully, as if he hadn't wanted to say it at all.

"No! I won't! Let go of me!" He kicked his grandfather's shin, and was thrown to the floor with such force that his lip puffed out, and blood fell from the scrape on the side of his face.

His grandfather spit at him. "You worthless little whelp! You dare to disobey me?"

Kai looked desperately to his mother, who didn't seem interested by this situation. "Don't let Dad leave! Please, Mom, please!"

Haruka looked up lazily at her husband. "I'll fax you the divorce papers. Now get out of our sight."

"Dad! Don't leave me!"

Kai had gotten up and sprinted to his father's side. His tears fell not from the physical pain, but from the mental. His father stopped when the young boy clinged to his leg with the intention to hold on forever, if that was what it would take. Alexander sighed, tearing his son off his leg before kneeling before him on one knee.

"Be a good boy, Kai," His father said gently. "Don't let them see you sweat."

"I want to go with you, not them!" Kai yelled.

His father shook his head. "I can't take you with me. Things would be worse for you. Just stay here."

"I won't!"

"Mikhail!" His father's stern tone was one he had never heard before. It alone made the young boy wish to burst out bawling. "Listen to me. You will stay here. Got it?"

"You mean, you don't want me?" Kai suddenly turned angry. "Why? What did I do?"

"This is for the best. You can hate me all you want, but you are going to stay here."

"I- I won't!" His defiance was admirable, but still defeatable.

Alexander knew just what words to say to seal the deal. Kai wouldn't follow him anymore. "You aren't my son anymore."

His father left him standing there, eyes wide in shock. The tearstains down his porcelain cheeks were drying, as the shock from his father's words left him with no more tears to cry.

It wasn't until that night that he found something under his pillow. His initial thought was to throw it away. His second thought, was that it meant he was destined. Whoever put it there, be it his father or grandfather, knew what he was destined for: something more than met the eye.

"How stupid could I be?" The words he spoke out loud, were his first ones today. It was nearly dinnertime, and the park was void of all other human life. He cursed his stupidity, even now, almost a decade later. Had he been even slightly inclined as to hidden emotions- with all his current ones, he was a master at reading others- he could've been able to tell. His father said that to drive him away- probably because of his grandfather's possible intent to kill him, or because he knew Kai's ability to handle separation was not good.

That's why he would cling to no one. No team, no family. No, that wasn't it. He did cling a bit to his team. He watched out for them because the knuckleheads would go and get themselves killed if he didn't provide a sense of rational thinking. He thanked them for the comic relief, though he'd never laugh when Tyson was around. As much as Tyson was his best friend, he had to keep his game face on around the other guys when Tyson was in the room. They were still rivals, after all.

Of course, when no one else was around, Ray was easy to talk to too. Probably because the guy's ying and yang and yen and such was all balanced and perfect. Ray was a source of peace, a rock. Kai wasn't too attached to the guy, but when he himself needed a bit of rational thinking, Ray was there to provide it.

"Kai!"

Lazily, the captain snapped himself from his thoughts as the aforementioned tiger walked toward his location. He didn't bother to prop himself up on one arm, but rather, he picked a blade of grass and stuck it in his mouth, debating about what he would say, if he were the type of person to answer.

Ray sat down near him. "There you are."

"Hn."

In the hazy sun, the slight breeze billowing the blades of grass, Kai figured the tiger would appreciate the silence. He was almost too positive that it was too loud at the Kinomiya Dojo for the Chinese teen to handle.

"Tyson and Hilary are going at it."

"Hn."

Ray flopped back. "You knew it would happen, that's why you left."

"She's a girl. If you time it out-"

"You mean she's-" Ray's eyes widened. Kai's astute nature was almost too astute for Ray's liking. "Eww."

Kai looked over at Ray. "That's life," he said, with a smirk. "I've been thinking about telling Tyson."

"To lay off?"

"To freak him out."

Ray laughed. Kai's antics were secretive, beneath the skin, but hard hitting, and rather playful. The phoenix needed an outlet, and the pranks pulled on their team mates were effective, but well masked. Kai would never take credit for his work; rather, he'd keep it to himself, with the exception of the snide comment made to Ray. Or Hilary, if she was particularly upset with Tyson on that day.

"That's your favorite activity, aside from beyblading and being here, right?"

"Hn."

That would mean yes, as far as anyone- Ray included- knew. The word 'hn' was Kai's response for... for just about everything. When he was angry, it would be snapped at you. In this relaxed mood, the 'hn' was Kai's yeah. The Russian could never be direct. It was anti-Kai to say the least if you got a yes. No was a bit more common, but still unlikely.

Kai had just about drifted back into a place of total oblivion- every once and a while, the grass and the lazy sunshine would lull him into a state that was utter bliss. It would be in this place, between awake and sleep, this world and another, that he would be in complete peace, mind and body.

Unless-

His eyes opened again, feeling hands upon his shoulders, shaking him. He didn't register what was being said. It bothered him. Something wasn't right; something was missing. He didn't know what the hell Ray was saying and it freaked him out, like he was being smothered. Kai thrashed around, trying to get out of the tiger's tight grip. It didn't work, and he ended up panting like a dog, still unable to comprehend what was being said.

Ray's eyes seemed to be concentrating on something beyond Kai for a moment before he spoke.

"You alright?"

Kai looked at him, eyes wide. "What language were you just speaking?"

Ray didn't respond, thinking for a moment. "Japanese," Ray answered calmly. "I'm not too good with Russian, don't expect long sentences."

"Why can't I-"

"Shock," Ray put simply.

The slate haired boy had no clue why though, and Ray caught the question in his eyes. "I fell asleep, but I don't remember-" Kai registered the language he was speaking to be Japanese, which Ray also noted. Shock was nothing to him anymore. He recovered quickly. "So why-"

Ray held up his hand, thinking back for a moment. "You started talking. All in Russian. I couldn't make much of it out, except one word."

This angered Kai. It was embarassing. He falls asleep and wakes up apparently after spilling his guts to Ray about something in Russian. The Chinese boy could speak it so there was no way that he only picked up one word. He probably just didn't want to piss Kai off, and that pissed him off even more. "Well?" He asked, interested, but angry too.

Ray concentrated. He wasn't too fluent in Russian, so he had to think about the proper pronunciation.

"Just say it already."

"Otec."

Kai's eyes widened. "Alright."

"Dude, you don't look alright. You feeling okay?"

There was silence before Kai stood up. "Just come off it, okay, Kon?"

"I'm just trying to help. You're the one screaming for your father-"

Kai tried desperately not to gasp. No one had ever said that aloud before. He closed his eyes, sqeezing them shut, and then growled the following: "Save it."

"Fine Kai," Ray said, angered. "You'll have to face it sooner or later." The tiger stalked off, saying nothing more, leaving Kai to his thoughts.

His thoughts were everywhere too. All sense of order, everything. What the hell was he thinking. He should've told Ray something, at least to keep him there, but no, he goes and ends up as the fool. Again. Kai sat up, growling and turning in the opposite direction. He needed to practice.

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"Man," Ray said, slamming himself down at the counter. "I don't know what the hell to do with that guy!"

Hilary looked at him with a smirk. "Let me guess, Kai? You left before I really got really steamed with Tyson."

Ray looked at her strangely for a moment, remembering what Kai had said. Hilary seemed normal at the moment, no signs of pms... yet. Of course, she didn't know where Tyson was... or Daichi... Hopefully she didn't kill them.

"Yeah," He answered finally. "We were chilling out on the hill, and he must've fallen asleep or something, and then when he woke up he couldn't even comprehend Japanese. He was talking in his sleep too." The Chinese boy rested his head in his hands and Hilary walked over to the stove, turning on the burner beneath the tea kettle.

She looked at Ray for a moment, just contemplating. "What did he say?"

"He said something about otec, I mean his father. It was strange. When I mentioned it, he was pretty freaked."

Tyson had taken this opportunity to walk out into the kitchen, sitting next to Ray, facing Hilary. His face was serious. "He mentioned his father?"

Hilary gave him a glare, to which he winced. Ray noted the hand print fading from the side of the champ's face. Hilary must've decked him. And pretty hard too, judging by the mark that remained. She spoke casually, walking back to the stove and turning off the bubbling water. "Well," Hilary said, "He must've been pretty freaked out, especially since we all know that he doesn't speak Russian in front of us. Unless we're in Russia."

There was silence as she made the tea. Then he spoke. "Did you hear anything else?"

Everyone looked to Tyson. Ray was confused. "Why?"

Tyson tilted the stool back on two legs, then let it plop back to balance on all four. "Kai's dad abandoned him when he was little. Left him with Voltaire."

"His father what?" The duo facing Tyson asked.

The chap poked his index fingers together before closing his eyes and thinking- a rare and apocalyptic occurance, before he spoke again. "Why do you think the guy goes through face paint? He paints those things on his face every day because his father left 'em."

"Why triangles?"

"Why not? He's probably got a reason." Tyson held his hands up, as if to say that he had no idea. "It's Kai. He's cryptic. Just leave him be. He'll come to us if he wants help. He always does eventually."

The champion then proceded, beyblade in hand, to walk out of the room. Hilary looked at Ray, who looked at her. Both stared down at their tea, and then Hilary spoke. "I don't think we give him enough credit-"

"HEY! THE NOODLE GUY IS HERE! COMING NOODLE-MAN!"

Ray rolled his eyes. "Don't talk anymore."

"He's the one who ruined the moment," Hilary said, taking a sip of her tea. She thought about what Tyson had said. "Do you think he wants to find his father?"

"Do you think with Voltaire, his father's alive?"

Hilary's eyes shown in sadeness. "Probably not."

"We could ask Mister-"

"Wait." Hilary rushed into the living room, returning with her cell phone. "I might be able to field this one. You've just got to trust me."

"How could you have any idea-"

Hilary pushed a finger to Ray's lips, preventing him from speaking. "Shush. Do you want to help or not?"

Ray rolled his eyes and nodded. "We're going to get our asses kicked, aren't we?"

"Kai won't lay a hand on us. He'll be too preoccupied." She smiled. "I promise."

"And just how are we going to do this?"

Hilary gave him a dangerous smile. "You'll see."

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Plans were made. The cards were dealt, and Ray was assured, that if they fell, they would fall together. Although Ray felt that if they were to fall- they wouldn't be alive when they hit the bottom. Perhaps that why she promised him. So neither would die alone. Mariah would kill her if just he were to be killed by the potential anger that Kai would have, if he was to find out too soon.

His partner in crime's mother had some dealings with a man who resembled, acted, and shared the same last name as Kai. Apparently he had bought a blading physility with rooms for rent for training, as well as a large practice hall. Hilary had harassed the man a bit via telephone, but deep down, she confessed that the man didn't believe Kai would step foot in the place.

Hilary looked to Kai. He seemed rather thoughtful. She was deep in thought, about exactly how to present her idea to him. The direct approach was most like her, but she wouldn't address him, only. She'd address the entire group.

"Hey, guys?"

All eyes in the room turned to her. "I've heard of this great training physility, it's only a little while away. I think we should go check it out." She smiled brilliantly to seal the deal- hopefully. Ray, stood nearby, trying to figure out just how he felt about all this. It could go terrifically well, or it could plumet into black hole that would be their final resting place.

"Sounds good to me," Ray heard himself say. He closed his eyes. The rest of the guys were in agreement. Was Kai? That was the only question to be answered.

"Hn."

A sigh of relief came from Hilary. Kai turned and gave her a look, as if to question why she would sigh. Ray cursed mentally in Mandarin. This was bad. Hilary only smiled wider, brushing it off. "I kind of booked it already, if that's okay with you guys."

"Cool!" Tyson chirped. Ray sighed inwardly, careful not to commit the same mistake as Hilary had. "So, when are we going?"

"Tomorrow, if that's alright with everyone."

Daichi, Max, and Tyson were exstatic. "Yeah! Let's do it!"

The cards were dealt. It was up to fate now.

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The complex was immaculate. The environment was intimate, the place spotless. Hilary looked to Ray. They weren't sure how things were going to work out, but they knew they'd try, and if it didn't work, they'd leave town knowing they had indeed tried.

"I got us a private room," Hilary said. "Go grab the key, would you Tyson?"

The champion was more than willing to oblige, rushing up to the counter to grab the key to the room. The man who was behind the counter gave him an interesting look before relinquishing the key. "Thanks, man," Tyson said to him, before walking back to their group, handing Kai the key. He would lead the way, leaving Max and Daichi behind him, anxious to see their own private training room.

"You didn't," Tyson said. "Tell me that wasn't-"

Hilary shrugged. "When I talked to him on the phone, I knew it was him." She threw her head toward the counter. "Looks just like Kai, too, doesn't he?"

"You sure it's the right guy?"

"I asked for his name," Hilary said quietly. "Alexander Hiwatari is the answer I came up with, and I've done the research, this is the guy."

Tyson stared incredulously from Ray to Hilary. Ray seemed a bit anxious. "It was Hilary's idea," He said, as calmly as he could manage. "I'm deciding now whether or not to back out." He paused, looking down the hall. "You can't just call this coincidence, can you?"

"You could," Tyson said quietly, "But he'll know, and you'll know that you're lying."

Butterflies were contained in Hilary's stomach, fluttering at about a mile a minute. Tyson's words freaked her out. She didn't mind if Ray backed down. She wasn't exactly a huge asset to their team. She could skip town and they'd still be okay. She closed her eyes and prayed for a few minutes, trying hard to keep herself level-headed, and trying hard not to display her nervousness.

After a grueling training session, Hilary and Ray were the last to leave. Kai had apparently liked this place. He said that it was the perfect training conditions. The duo looked carefully at each other. This could be for a certain reason, they decided mentally.

"You going to stick around for a while?" Hilary asked him.

"Hn."

Hilary nodded and took a heavy breath. "I'll be right back, I'm not exactly ready to go home yet."

The captain looked at her, confusion present on her face. Ray looked at Kai, then at Hilary. The girl was serious. "Yeah, I'll be back in a second, Kai," Ray said quietly. Kai nodded, locking Dranzer into his launcher.

The duo shut the door quietly behind them. Tyson, Kenny, Max, and Daichi had already left, opting to take the long walk home, as opposed to wait for their captain to drive them in his suv. "We sure we want to do this?"

"He's our friend," Ray said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're in this one together, Hil. Promise."

She nodded and they walked to the counter where Tyson had gotten the key. The man was surprised to see them. "You two," He said, kindly. "You're on the world championship team, aren't you?"

They smiled. "Could you come with us for a minute?"

The elder was smarter than that. He immediately knew what they were trying to do. "Does Kai know about this?" He asked. The man had aged well, looking like he was in his early thirties, as opposed to the lower forties. He gazed around, his eyes resting on the young woman before him. She looked at him pleadingly.

"No," Ray said quietly. "We didn't tell him or else he never would've came. What he believes-"

"I never wanted to abandon my son."

Hilary nodded gently, her ruby eyes meeting his own amethyst ones. "I think you should tell him that."

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Kai landed a flawless launch. As usual. He was beginning to question himself, beginning to wonder just why this was so important again. He knew that Dranzer would not let him quit, as she drew her strength from him. Dranzer was the most important reason why he continued, but as for his own personal gain... that wasn't there anymore. He was alright with his current status behind Tyson, though he would love the feeling of being number one.

After all, if he was number one, where would he go from there? Down? That would hurt him more than being in second for his entire life.

As a phoenix, Dranzer would forever rise up from the ashes. He'd done that many times: on lake Baikal, after his loss to Brooklyn; even when he was younger, if he fell or failed, he'd get right back up on his feet. Failing meant nothing if you tried again. His father had told him that. He'd value that lesson, even if the bastard wasn't there for him now.

"Dranzer!" Kai called, watching the beast rise up from the beyblade in a flurry of fire and light. She was beautiful, and Kai would be a fool to deny that. He'd also be a pile of smoldering ashes and scarf if he did that as well. "Blazing tempest!"

A cyclone of flames rose from what seemed like nowhere, rising elegantly as they spun with the phoenix, who blazed up to the ceiling of the building, releasing a cry Kai had never heard before. Then, as quickly as she had come at his call, Dranzer dissipated in a shower of sparks and red light.

"Stupid bird," Kai growled under his breath. She hadn't even finished the attack. He guessed it was his negativity, but Dranzer had always scolded him in other ways. Never before had she just disappeared, as if her work was finished. What the hell was going on.

He recalled his beyblade. "Dranzer!" He called, launching it with even more speed. The phoenix didn't aknowledge. Well that pissed him off. After a series of nearly ten other failing attempts, he gave up throwing the beyblade and turning around to walk away. His childish behavior at that moment was surprising even to him, but damn it, the bird deserved it for ignoring him.

When Ray and Hilary came back, they'd pick up the beyblade for him, so he needn't worry.

From behind him, however, his ears picked something up. Someone was there. He froze, wondering who it was. They were closer to his beyblade than he was, so a slight panic rose up inside him. Dranzer was his only lifeline. He'd depended only on her in his life since... well, yeah. The intruder, he then noted, had launched his beyblade toward the dish.

What nerve!

"Suzaku, my old friend, come forth."

His eyes widened. Did he dare take a look behind him? That voice... it was- is... so familiar. He felt the warmth of Dranzer- no, Suzaku rising, nipping at his hands. Suzaku was the name that only one person other than himself knew. It was his father who had told him of the legendary phoenix, Suzaku, one of the four guardians, the guiding light.

Curiousity got the best of him. He turned.

Standing there, before him, was the very man he believed to have abandoned him, his features accentuated by Suzaku's flame. He had aged gracefully, his eyes still holding the same emotion he had known as a child. That light that he now lacked. Kai wasn't sure exactly what to do, but Suzaku did, coming out before him, wrapping him up as a mother would her child.

They stared at each other for a while, wondering. They had been apart for so long. This was so... strange. But Kai felt something pulling at him. A decade of memories. Memories he had wanted to forget. Now he wasn't so sure.

"Your friend Hilary is a very stubborn girl. She wouldn't let me continue my life like this, in peace. Not that I'd want to." He held out his hands before the champion as to declare he was no theat. "I never wanted to leave you with my bastard of a father. You do know that, right?"

Kai grunted. Of course he knew that. It only took him a while to figure it out. Suzaku's flame was the only light in room, her flames cackling creating the only sound. Was he supposed to run into his father's arms? No. He was too old for that. So where did that leave them? "Why the hell didn't you try and find me?"

"Would you have faced me if I had confronted you before?" Kai looked at the man. Probably not. However he wouldn't get Suzaku back- and he knew that- unless he faced the man before him. His father was obviously Suzaku's original master. Which meant that his father was the one who had believed in his potential from the beginning. It would make sense, now that he thought about it. "Please don't hate me," Alexander continued. "I don't care if you never wish to speak to me again, but-"

"I don't want that." Kai looked up at his father, struggling to wrap his mind around the concept that the man stood before him. "I don't."

Alexander nodded, taking a few steps forward until his was in front of his son. "What do you want from me, then?"

"A father."

Nothing before had ever struck Alexander that way. Leaving his son was the hardest thing he had ever done. Their bond had shattered, and standing before him was the ruin of what had been such a cheerful, prideful boy. He thought long and hard, trying to figure it out. "I will always be your father by blood. I wouldn't have left Suzaku for you otherwise."

Kai glared. "That isn't what I mean."

"I know." Alexander looked at his son. "We can make something work."

"Like..?" Kai realized his behavior was nothing short of foul and nasty, but he had to know if his father was for real or not. His family had hurt him so many times. Meanwhile, his father looked at him, trying to think of something.

The man hung his head. "I have no idea."

This surprised Kai almost as much as seeing him here, standing before him. His father- from all his memories, seemed to know what to do all the time. Now- yes, even now, he could see the similarities. They were so much alike it was scary. "We'll work something out," he said quietly. Alexander's head rose. His son's eyes were brighter than before.

"Do we start over then?" Alexander began the short walk to close the gap between them. Suzaku's light grew brighter, engulfing him for a moment and starling the father. When it disappeared and the beyblade returned to his hand, Kai knew exactly what had happened. And he didn't have to touch his face to figure it out. The natural light that filled the room via skylight returned.

Kai wasn't sure, but he knew that he could handle it this time. Instead of speech, he hugged his father as tightly as he possibly could. Alexander returned it. Many emotions ran through his head and shone through his eyes. That was one way that Kai and his father were similar. Their eyes talked more than they did in public. Alexander, however, was never short on words for his son growing up.

Mind you, Kai was Kai. No tears were shed, no none of that mushy 'I love you' crap. Alexander Hiwatari realized that his boy was a man. "Are you going to beat Tyson this year?" Kai's eyes flickered. Was he going to fight the boy again? Yes, boy, Tyson was no man. Would he try to be the best, even if the only place after that was down? He thought about it, long and hard. Was it truly worth it? "I think I could help give you an edge- if you'd like."

There was silence. Well, he decided, this would be the first step in the right direction. "Yeah. I think I am." His father's eyes brightened a bit, his mouth curving into a smile. He spoke again, knowing that the deal was done. He'd have a personal trainer this year, especially for himself. "When does training-"

"Now."

Kai smirked. Where had heard that before? Oh, yes. About three hours ago, when he had said it to his own team. Did he ever mention that it was this trait, among a few others that he was particularly proud of? No? Well, that was the case. He got those traits from his father.

And he had one again.

"Suzaku!" Kai called, not bothering with 'Dranzer.' Voltaire had told him that her name was Dranzer, and that she would not be called Suzaku in his presence. Kai thought of something else too. Voltaire could go to hell, and stay there. That man would not screw things up for him again.

Alexander watched the spectacle before him, scrutinizing each movement, almost each revolution of Suzaku's blade. He then launched his own, knocking his son's back into his hands. "Try again."

"That's the point, isn't it?"

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Ray looked at Hilary, and then the clock. Oh man, he thought, this was going to be the death of him. He just knew it. It was late, past dark, and Kai still wasn't home. Hopefully they didn't set him up with some madman like Voltaire. His father seemed nice, but that whole 'I didn't want to leave my son' stuff could've been completely fake too. The Neko-jin sighed. He had absolutely no friggen idea.

Hilary looked up at the clock. Almost ten at night. They had left Kai with his father around six. "Hopefully things went towards fabulous and that," She said quietly.

"You'd better hope so," Tyson said, swearing off sleep until the captain returned to the dojo. "I don't think I'd want to be you if he's pissed off about this."

The brunette thought for a few minutes. "I'll stand my ground," She said quietly. "I've got nothing to lose."

"Except your life," Tyson said desturbingly. To top it off, they heard the slamming of a car door. Definitely Kai's pumped up suv. "Should I pray for you?" He asked with a smirk.

"Save it," Ray said. "I can just blame this entire thing on Hilary." Now, Ray was obviously joking, right? Part of him wasn't so sure, because the way Kai entered the dojo did not scream happy. He had seen Kai's anger taken out on Tyson and Daichi, and quite frankly, this would be the mother of all things to get the Russian agitated. No, not agitated, furious.

Hilary leaned forward, both elbows on the counter, her back to the doorway- the doorway with the front entrance to it. If Kai were to kill her, it would happen from behind. She registered that for all the times she had ever come in contact with Kai- save one or two times- the champion had always respected her. Maybe because she was a girl who had the confidence and wit to keep up with a bunch of guys, or maybe it was just because she was Hilary. Maybe he didn't know, and she didn't want to lose his respect. Especially not now.

She heard Kai enter the room, and could smell the fresh night air- just a touch cold- upon his wind breaker. From the corner of her eye, she saw his scarf flutter as he took a few steps forward. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at Ray, wondering if Kai's facade possibly gave anything away. Ray shrugged, trying hard not to make the captain see it. He could tell no difference. Either that or his mind froze up. Either way, Hilary groaned inwardly.This wasn't looking good.

Tyson looked up from the refridgerator, beaming mischeviously. For the first time in what seemed like forever- actually, years- he was not going to be on the receiving end of Kai's anger. Wow, did that rock. "Heya Kai!" He said brightly. "How are you?"

The world champion got a deadly stare that made him stop mid-sip of his soda. He put the cap back on, shut the fridge and then hi-tailed it out of the room before he was lumped into this. Hilary looked up at Ray and gave him a look that said he could leave. Unless Alexander told him... then there was nothing she could do.

Hilary gulped, and then closed her eyes and sighed. She'd be the first to speak. Ray admired her courage. "Hey, Kai," she said quietly, not making eye contact He released her shoulder and sat down at the stool beside her. It didn't take a look from him to tell her to sit. She did automatically. Oh man, her mind told her, am I ever in trouble.

"Whose idea was it?"

This question was barked like a command. Ray looked at Hilary who looked back at him. She nodded. "It was mine, Kai," Hilary said, holding an even tone, much to her surprise.

"Did you have any idea what the hell you were doing?"

She nodded, looking about ready to cry. Honestly, Ray wouldn't blame her. He hadn't even been interrogated yet, but he wanted to go running for his statue of Budha and rub his belly until he was sure to have such stellar luck that the Russian wouldn't come near him for weeks.

"You did? Do you know what happened?" His tone frightened her.

Hilary looked at him forthe first time. His eyes were fierce. But she saw it. Or lack thereof. Apparently Ray hadn't made eye contact. Now, more than ever, she could see it. Both in his face, and in his eyes.

She took a deep breath. "Kai Hiwatari," She addressed him, making both Ray and Kai look at her. She saw Ray's eyes light up. He saw. She was about ready for a victory dance, but that could be saved for later. "I can read you like a book." She smiled at him brilliantly. "Don't try to be angry, no-triangle-boy, because I see it in your eyes. You're about as happy as a clam."

"Took you long enough." Kai looked to Ray, his smirk revealing the brightest of smiles in his eyes. Yes, he had just made no attempt to pull them off the idea that he was happy. Surprise, surprise. "Were you going to let her take the blame, Kon?"

"I was going to try to," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "It was her idea."

Kai was about to speak to her, when a finger was pushed against his lips to silence him before he even began. "You're welcome." She stood up. "He tell you how I harassed him?"

"Yeah," Kai said, looking at her. "Why'd you do it?"

Quite honestly, Kai knew that Ray- having heard his outburst, Tyson- who had been told the story, or Max- who was simply Max- would've been the people to take charge in in this situation. He respected Hilary as a person, but why would she take the extra step?

"My Mom did some business with him a way long time ago. She's a real-estate agent, and he bought some land just a bit north of us. I didn't think about it until what Ray said to us-" Ray was glared at- "But I thought it was worth a try." She smiled. "I mean, I wasn't there at lake Baikal, but I knew it was a pretty big deal, your whole past and whatnot. So I figured I should do something, I mean, after all, you are exactly like him, looks included."

"That's the best compliment I've ever been given."

Hilary looked at him in surprise, to which he was confused. "Hon," she said, giving him a wink, "I don't think you meant to say that aloud."He looked a bit surprised, while began the treck to her room. "Don't lose your touch, Sourpuss." He knew that he definitely wouldn't.

With the way she walked away, Ray quite possibly considered alerting the media. "You never know with her," Ray said, looking up at the Russian. "She's strange."

"Not as bad as them," Kai said, throwing his head in the direction of the living room, where Tyson and Daichi were watching cartoons.

Ray thought about it. "She was flirting with you there, incase you didn't catch it."

Kai nodded, "Obviously," He said, trying to decide just how to handle it. As with all things that had come today, it didn't quite bother him. Maybe it was because she had just solved a major issue in his life. He cradled his head in his hands, as Tyson entered the room.

"Dude- there's no more cook- Hey! Where's the triangles?" Kai gave him a lazy once over, indicating his boredom. Hadn't they covered this topic already? Tyson was out of the loop, as per usual. "You mean you aren't going to kill them?"

Kai grinned at the boy in a way that was evil. Even Daichi- who was in the other room, felt the power from that one. "I was thinking about killing you," The Russian said indifferently, "But then I'd have no competition."

"I'll meet you at the dish in five minutes," Tyson said, feeling the air heat up for the first time in a while. Kai's spark was back and brighter than ever. "You're going down."

"I doubt it!" Came a voice from down the hallway.

The blunette huffed. "Thanks for the support, Hilary! I appreciate it."

Kai smirked, but Max, who had been spying from around the corner, spoke. "I think she's on Kai's side, Tys."

"Doesn't matter, he's still going down."

Eyes were rolled in response.

"I just got back from six hours of training. Does he really think he stands a chance?"

"Hold up," Ray said, eyes sharp. "You got a trainer out of this? Nuh-uh, you're sharing."

"Possibly," Kai said. That would give them an edge... And give him more quality time with his father... "Probably," He said finally.

Tyson sprinted back into the room, pulling on his gloves. He huffed. "You... me. Outside... now."

"Yeah, yeah, Kinomiya. Try to prolong your defeat for a little while, would you?"

He rolled his eyes at the Russian, the others laughing. Nothing was going to bring Kai down today. He was more like a phoenix than ever, couldn't you tell? From here on out, he'd always rise up. He had a few reasons. One he wasn't ready to divulge yet, and one he'd scream to the world if he ever felt the need.

Fin.

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