Tyson raised a proud glass among his fellow companions

(A/N): I know, I know, it's either a bit late or really really early, but oh well New Year's fics are always fun no matter what time of the year it is :)

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or any of the characters in this story.

It must have been around 2am when the party had begun to die down. The noise was receding along with their sources, as the front path became inundated with those retiring, and the residue of the dojo slowly became increasingly empty. Those who had been thriving not three hours ago were now lazing about in a state of fatigue amongst the debris and dissolute remains of the flourishing party.

But the party was over now, and every room throughout the dojo was littered with evidence that it had taken place. The wooden floors were coated with who knows what, and piled high with bottles, cans, food, and people. Though none of these people were actually asleep; simply in a lightheaded state, unaware of just who they are at this very moment and unwilling to make a good effort to rise.

Deciding to put off all cleaning until later on in the morning when they would awaken again, certain bladers were pulled from their positions on the ground, and everybody still present was seated in the living room. It was a wonderful moment of relaxation and reminiscence, everybody seated together, surrounded by their closest friends, with time to spare and share the events of the evening. Looking around the room, it seemed all previous tensions had come close to being broken. Even the darkest shadow of the group lurking somewhere near the outskirts of the circle had managed to loosen up somewhat in the previous hours, if only a little.

It was a time for peaceful conversation, and the sharing of tranquil laughter. A few words to be said over the occurrences of the night, the many things they learned about one another and the stories that some had previously never been told. For those few moments, all differences were put aside. They each had a glass of champagne; for now they were all in the same boat. Some under more influence than others at that point, they all lounged in perfect acceptance of eachother, for the first time that night, while they awaited their host to raise his glass to the new year.

Tyson had been observing closely the mannerisms of everybody he socialised with while slowly circling the many rooms over and over, trying to be a good host. He observed as Max stood nearby, attempting to strike up some sort of conversation with Miguel, who looked thoroughly uninterested. It would be a sad sight to see, had Max not been so content in his own ignorant world. You couldn't feel sorry for Max because he didn't feel sorry for himself. He didn't even have a reason to be. He was the sort of person who could drive a person to an early grave and not acknowledge it in the slightest. He knew exactly how to act in a civil manner, but had no knowledge of when or why. To put it simply, much to the opinions of others along with his team at times, Max was a bit of a dope. Throughout the night he bounced from person to person, through the buzzing room of bladers enjoying their night, though he barely touched the alcoholic beverages. Until quite the amount of alcohol had settled into everybody else's systems, he knew everything about enjoying himself, and nothing about how to help others enjoy him.

Tyson had foolishly tried to help him. 'Don't be a dope,' he had counselled the slightly hyperactive adolescent a few hours before the party was to begin.

'Come on Tyson, it's new years eve!' and it was evident that Tyson's feeble attempt would remain unsuccessful.

Tyson didn't speak to many people properly at the party. He spent much of his time rushing around in an almost eccentric manner trying to control a situation that could easily control itself. He didn't drink much either, but occasionally grabbed and took a swig of a bottle of something on his way around. That night Tyson learned the stresses of being the host to a large party, especially on an important date such as this one.

A looming voice in his mind still told him this whole thing was a bad idea. He had been so intent on it until about an hour before it began, and then had fought hard with himself not to cancel the entire event. A disapproving grunt from behind him seconded his thoughts as a bottle was swung from the table and its contents were spilled out on to the floor in front of them. He sighed. It was still early; he predicted over half the guests were still yet to arrive, he didn't think he had ever seen Kai so displeased, and Hilary hadn't even shown up yet.

By the time the clock struck 10 the party was well underway. Tyson must have been on his hundredth circuit, catching himself in conversations with various groups that were still keeping to themselves at this time. Despite the laughter and excited voices, there was obvious tension in the air. A large amount of guests at the dojo that night had never met before, but they all knew who eachother were. But there were certain things that some people didn't know, and many blanks left to be filled. Some things it seemed would be difficult to forgive and forget.

Rei's time was taken up all night by when the White Tigers had arrived, and though they all looked comfortable and happy, engaging Tyson and various members of the All-Stars in conversation, they were all unwilling to extend their social circle. Rei did nothing to help this and Tyson barely spoke to him the entire night, but he did appear to be having fun every time Tyson had walked by.

The living room was lit only by the illumination of the moon outside and the portable disco light Julia had provided for him, giving momentary flashed of multicoloured beams. Though it was vivacious with the amount of people occupying it, having a good time, Tyson still saw it as an empty room in the dark, filled with figures that moved almost in slow motion. Figures that deceived him into thinking they were having a good time, when really there was so much hidden from several of them that could tear teams apart with the tension it would bring. Though people were loosening up now and starting to act themselves, Tyson wondered if they would think the same if they all knew the secrets some of them were hiding. Tyson knew, but he wasn't sure how. Things seemed to unravel in front of him sometimes, completely unintentionally.

His eyes were drawn to Ming Ming, always the center of attention even in this case. She knew how to get herself noticed and was evidently using her abilities to her advantage. All the while Kenny was at her side, like a loyal spaniel who refused to leave her, and watched her saunter through the room, attempting to flirt with Michael. She clearly didn't know the damage she was causing with her little action, Tyson observed as he saw the hopeful expression on his friend's face being slowly torn from him, while a little further away another hopeful expression was falling. For a long time the distant rumour of the baseball player and the singer had been wafting between various teams, and the sad pink eyes that gazed upon the pair had clearly taken these rumours to heart. She wasn't making any effort to be subtle, but Tyson doubted anybody but him had noticed Mathilda's presence. The rest of her team, along with everybody else, were simply having too much fun. But Mathilda was younger than the rest of them, and susceptible to taking this sort of thing badly. Tyson empathized. 'Don't let it get to you, Mathilda. We've all been there' he thought to himself, wishing he could be sure enough to say it. His thoughts cast back towards a brunette that still had yet to arrive. 'I guess in some cases it never goes away…'

People came and people went. People kissed and people laughed, and conversations became lost in the fabrics of the night. Nothing would be remembered, and yet none of it forgotten. Every time Tyson made his way back into a room he had been in before, nothing was the same. Sometimes it was as though they were working in stages, and at other times it seemed completely sudden. He had watched Garland being cornered by an unrealistically happy Julia, and his second time around the boy was being clung to by Mystel, and Julia had disappeared momentarily from the room altogether.

Enrique was sat on the couch trying to impress a polite and social Hilary, who had finally arrived several hours late and given no reason though she only lived a few blocks away. Tyson was enraged at the nerve of the Italian for trying something on her, of all people. She clearly hadn't realised even by then that the watchful eyes of Tyson were on her in gloom, as they always were and had been for a long time. And clearly it went unnoticed to Enrique the distressed and ever-watchful eyes that Tyson could see from the other end of the room at that very moment. He clearly never picked up the hints thrown his way by his French teammate, who still watched him with sad eyes and very little hope. Enrique never had been good with subtlety.

He could have sworn he caught a glimpse of Ian sneaking through the hall in search of some form of alcoholic beverage, but the more he considered it the less likely it seemed that the boy had even been there. He continued with his aimless wandering, still being dragged into many conversations on the way.

In the kitchen there was less slow motion. Robert was politely seated at the table, trying to ignore a heated argument forming between Emily and his teammate, Johnny. And Raul was casually leaning against the counter-top, trying to ignore Robert.

In the opposite corner of the room, Tyson spotted his captain engaging in solemn conversation with Rei. The grave expression on the tiger's face made Tyson cynically wonder if Rei had become aware of the shadowing 'Miguel and Kai' rumour, a widely known one which Kai had refused to acknowledge let alone deny. Tyson knew the falsity of that one, but the seldom heard whisperings that circled Rei and his captain were more believable, and while he would have once squashed it the instant it reached his ears, Tyson wouldn't put it past them. He could only hope that if something had been going on, one of them would have felt able to tell him. But with all the secrets being held back lately nothing seemed impossible anymore.

And there was Brooklyn on the window sill, staring out into the garden, lost in the dream of looking into the outside world he would rather be in at that moment. He had not been expected to show up, and there had been much surprise when he did, though his lack of enthusiasm suggested he had been dragged along by the rest of his team. In spite of himself, Tyson didn't want to approach him. Though he wasn't supposed to know anything about it, Tyson had caught information regarding the tranquil boy's involvement with his brother Hiro. Hiro had promptly left town again recently, and the reason for it didn't leave much to the imagination. Much to the relief that Brooklyn would never feel, all was forgiven and understood, but Tyson still had no desire to approach him.

Several complaints came his way from the anti-social Russian crowd who stayed in the back yard for most of the night and refused to come in until it was obvious they had been drinking a little too much. For a long time Tyson didn't know quite why they were there, and though he wasn't unhappy to see them, didn't bother to venture out and seek conversation as Max had done several times, coming back unsuccessful. The word going around was that Tala was afraid to face Garland. After all, it had not been long since he had sent the red-head to hospital. This was the first rumour Tyson squashed flat. Tala, as far as he knew, wasn't afraid of anything. Besides he had no reason to be, as everyone knew very well because it didn't take a genius to figure out. With Bryan around, why would anybody fear Garland?

Yes, Tala and Bryan, everybody was certain though nothing had ever been officially announced, had something going on between them. They were always at eachother's side and neither of them gave a damn about what other people thought. It all seemed to fit together perfectly. And Tyson had nothing against it at all, he simply thought; well, good for them. Letting people know it didn't get to them and that they weren't about to hide it was certainly more than most people did these days.

Questions encircled Tyson's ever curious mind as he made his way across the living room for another drink. When did these beyblading teams become secret enemies and spies? Why couldn't these people just be honest with one another? Was Ming Ming blind or did she ignore the way Kenny gaped at her? Why was Daichi swinging the standing lamp around his head? What would happen if he just told everybody what everybody else thinks about them? Why wasn't he enjoying himself? Did anybody else notice the amount of tension in the air? Did this tension even exist, or was he imagining it?

Realising there was somebody behind him, he turned to see Kai standing silently as ever. He appeared to be enjoying himself about as much as Tyson was, but for Kai this was normal. Tyson tried to at least look as though planning this whole party against his captain's wishes had been worth while.

'Oh, hi Kai. Are-'

'Follow me.' Before Tyson could even finish his sentence, he found himself following the silent blader out on to the front patio. Catching sight of them, Max and Kevin hastily shuffled back inside without looking either one of them in the face. Tyson became increasingly suspicious when he stopped to face his leader and saw a wave of unmistakable anxiety wash over him.

Before Tyson could say another word, Kai had looked him straight in the eye to let him know who would be doing the talking. Still in his state of discomfort which Tyson had not seen beforehand, he began the explanation he had been meaning to give for a while.

'Listen…'

……………..

In a state of despair Tyson retreated to his room in an attempt to find some space to think things over. Stepping over the mess on the floor, ignoring the people he passed by, he was relieved to find that his room was deserted and, as far as he could tell, had been left untouched. In a temporary state of numbness he sat on the end of his bed, a dazed expression plastered on his face. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, but though he had retreated to think, he found that no thoughts came. All he got was the memory of what had just been said to him. What he had said.

The whole night he had been unable to step on to the party side. He had no idea why, but tonight it seemed that he was above them. He didn't want to be, but as he watched them all throw themselves around in good cheer, he found himself slightly ashamed of them all. Nothing was being resolved, and they were only pretending. He wondered if the host always felt that they were above all of their party guests, and why he'd never had these feelings before.

There was one person above all of them, and he was out as of the next morning.

But then something suddenly occurred to Tyson, at the sudden realisation that he was sitting there alone in despair while he could hear the sounds of everybody else having a good time. He was not above any of them at that moment; he was just a boy sitting in a room. He may well have just learned that Kai was leaving, but for now he knew he needed to put it out of his mind. He could worry about this later, but for now, he ought to join his friends and guests in their celebration. Because after all, Tyson deliberated with a definite nod of the head, it was New Years Eve.

Tyson stepped back just in time to avoid being knocked over as Rick and Mariah fell through the door he had just opened. Not that they seemed to care in the least. Forcing all curiosity about how Rei would react to this to the back of his mind, Tyson boldly made his way back to his party.

Upon entering the living room, he already felt a lot better. Nobody moved in slow motion now, and he could have sworn the lights were considerably brighter. Max was having an animated discussion with Mathilda which had them both smiling excessively. Lee was making a gracious attempt to engage Kai in conversation. Garland had let his hair down and stood with Brooklyn, a friendly arm slung around his teammate's shoulder. Daichi was still bouncing off the walls, as he had been all night. Kenny had taken over the role of making sure he didn't kill himself, or worse somebody else, which he must have assumed a better job for than following Ming Ming. It was fast becoming crowded as people made their way in, and Tyson suddenly realised what time it was.

'Tyson, where the hell have you been? It's almost midnight!' the all too familiar voice of Hilary rang in his ears and Tyson beamed in response, following her through the room without giving an answer. He was glad he didn't spend the last few moments of the year moping in his bedroom.

Thirty seconds until midnight. Something strange suddenly occurred to Tyson that he hadn't thought of before. When the count down was over, and the new year began, how would he begin it? And how would everybody around him begin it? Was this as good-a time as any to start of the new year with a bang?

Twenty seconds. He looked around once more. Mariah and Rick made their way through the doors into the crowded room, holding hands and looking flustered. Ming Ming was sitting beside Michael on the large couch, beside Julia and Claude. It seemed the pairings were starting to become obvious. Hilary still stood on his right, looking around like he was, and he wondered whether she was thinking the same thing as him.

An anticipated hush fell amongst the crowd as Kenny finally got the radio to work. The countdown was beginning.

'Ten…'

Everybody was preparing themselves now, and Tyson noticed several of his friends re-position themselves to get closer to somebody else. Oliver sidled up to Enrique and Mystel was indiscreetly trying to get between Garland and Brooklyn.

'Nine…'

Hilary stayed where she was.

'Eight…'

Tyson realised that in his sudden nerves, he wasn't even participating. At that point, he didn't feel much like speaking.

'Seven…'

Kai casually wandered in the direction of the hall, hoping to avoid any sudden movements.

'Six…'

Rei made a barely successful attempt to keep Lee from confronting Rick, being a little slow on the uptake.

'Five…'

Suddenly the back door was opened and to everyone's surprise, four rather drunk Russians stepped into the room. They had made it just in time, and from the looks they were getting, Tyson suspected most of the guests had forgotten they were there. Catching Tala's eye, Tyson grinned at the sight of him with his arm around the waist of Bryan, who was still glaring daggers at everybody even in his current state.

'Four…'

Tyson's heart sank suddenly as he became aware of an absence of presence beside him. Hilary had disappeared.

'Three…'

He spun on the spot, trying not to draw too much attention to himself, but couldn't see her above the heads of all the guests.

'Two…'

For a moment, he was disappointed. But like his previous feelings of disappointment, this one left him pretty quickly. With a self-satisfied smirk, he realised it simply wasn't important. Who had he been fooling anyway? He and Hilary were friends, best friends perhaps. She was a part of his team. Maybe one day something would happen, but not now. And as the time for the new year drew closer, Tyson realised…

'One…'

…at this point, it just didn't matter.

'Happy New Year!'

He had no recollection of what happened, because for the next five minutes everything was in complete chaos. He was instantly seized by several out-stretched arms, as were everybody else, and pulled into numerous hugs and obtained many claps on the back. Hilary completely out of his mind, he became as excited as the rest of them, and must have hugged Max about a hundred times over. Despite what he had thought before, it seemed nobody was excluding themselves. He was almost bowled over with Rick's attempt at a friendly punch to the shoulder, and Julia seemed to forget her own strength when she squeezed him so hard he thought he'd lose his head.

Only two people stood back from all the pleasant disarray in the middle of the living room. Kai and Bryan stood a little further away, smirking to themselves in amusement of the whole scene. Even the other three Russian boys had managed, with some alcohol influence, to take part in the celebration. Tyson had thrown his arms around Tala's neck without thinking, but realised he'd made no mistake when he felt a firm hand pat his back. The tension it seemed had dominated the party before, had been broken, and it looked as though there was suddenly all the hope in the world, as a brand new year fell upon them.

Tyson raised a proud glass among his fellow companions. A look of pure admiration and sincerity on his face, all eyes were drawn towards him as several others raised their glasses alongside him.

Abandoning the idea to make a heart-felt speech celebrating the beginning of another year, Tyson tried to find a simple toast to make. 'Here's to…' His eyes darted around, as though searching for an adequate means to complete his sentence. Of all the highlights of the previous year, and the promises of the new, what in the world to honour at this time? Reaching his decision, a firm look on his face, the clear conclusion came to him. 'To us'.

Because it all made perfect sense. Here they were, at the beginning of another year, celebrating all the while they've known eachother, their experiences and memories. And when it came down to it, they were all there for one another. From time to time they had all had their disagreements, and such disputes had been dragged back from the past on this celebrated night. But in the end, every last fault was forgiven, and at that moment, with everybody sitting around him, Tyson felt he had never been so close with any of them, as he was now.

'To us.' Came the first response, from an unexpected source. Kai was still lingering somewhere in the back, amidst a casting shadow. But he spoke out this time, all eyes were on him for a moment as he too raised his glace, the raw determination in his voice, and that genuine smile that is so rarely seen on his face. He nodded in Tyson's direction, and the two rival confidants locked equally resolute eyes for a few moments, amidst all the merriment.

'To us!' Rei and Max were next, in perfect unison, looking around their group of beaming faces and many other glasses that were being raised.

'To us!' came Lee's roar from the other side of Rei, followed closely by the rest of his team, loud chinking noises made among the laughter and the voices.

'To us.' Michael and his team declared with strength in their voices, clapping eachother on the backs and chuckling along with everybody else.

'To us!' bellowed Daichi, perhaps loudest of them all, launching himself on top of an edgy Kenny, knocking him flat and sending various drinks flying. Though from beneath the energetic red-head, even Kenny managed a muffled 'To us!'

'To us.' Garland announced with purpose, somehow managing to hold his glass upright while trying to keep Mystel from jumping on his back.

'Oh yes, to us! To us!' Ming Ming chanted, giddy with overwhelming delight, throwing her arms animatedly into the air.

'To us.' Robert tried to declare with nobility. But knowing his team, they all had to chip in, individually stating the same two words in their own fashion, though all enjoying themselves as much as everybody else.

'To us!' Hilary pulled Tyson towards her with defiance, planting a kiss firmly on his cheek. This was much to his introversion, but received many knowing looks from those around them.

'To us…' Brooklyn said in his usual voice that managed to be cool and warm simultaneously, before trailing off as he spotted a rare blue-jay perched peacefully on the window sill.

'To us.' came the final proclamation from Tala, seated beside the tall and menacing Bryan, who said nothing but raised his glass along with the rest of them.

'To us!' the group finally announced, and the toast had been made. A toast, not to the fortunes that the new year will bring, not to the many new opportunities, though they all knew that there would be many. Not even to everything they had accomplished in the previous year. A toast to them, their memories, and everything they had learned and experienced together. And if they should not be able to sit in the same spot next year, a toast to ensure that they all knew exactly what they meant to one another, and to ensure that nobody would ever forget it.

Despite the air of glee circulating the dojo that early morning on new years day (though the party was long since over), the sadness had begun to settle in not too long after. Those who were staying were crashing in the living room, and though the sound of content discussion and laughter could still be heard, everybody was exhausted. The final burst of energy had worn off, and many were already asleep.

But not Tyson. When the rest of his team had retired to their rooms, he had sat around for a while with the rest of the guests, wishing against all hope for the party to go on a little bit longer. He now made his way down the hall, having said goodbye to everybody. Something clouded his mind, and no matter how tired out he was, the sorrow that usually comes after celebration was kicking in. But this wasn't just for any old reason. No, he had real cause to be this gloomy. Kai was leaving. The most true-a friend a guy can have, and Tyson was losing him. He knew this situation was different to any other; Kai hadn't run off this time, he had told him face to face that he had made his own decision and was returning to Russia. This made Tyson certain Kai would not be coming back. He would take over the role of team captain now, and it had been made clear that they had learned enough. They no longer needed Kai's instruction. Even Tyson knew that deeply, though he would never bring himself to admit it. In his eyes, they would always need their captain.

He had almost rounded a corner when a voice made him double back. 'Tyson'

He turned and looked through drooping eyes at the boy who was about to walk out of their lives forever. It was so unlike him to come looking to say goodbye, but at the same time Tyson wasn't surprised in the least. He found that, for once, he had nothing to say. He didn't know where to begin.

Kai was standing in the hall, fully dressed to venture out in the cold night air, bag packed and sitting at his feet. Much the opposite to the boy before him, who stood sleepily in his pyjamas, lost for words out of the several thousand that could be said. This was it, wasn't it? This was the day where Kai would finally turn and walk out of the door. After over three years of suffering with an incompetent team, this was the time he would choose to depart. He was retiring from beyblading, and for real this time. He had made up his mind, and if he was half as stubborn as Tyson knew him to be, he wouldn't back out on it.

For a while they just looked at eachother, and both boys finally realised why it was so much easier to leave without notice. But that was the coward's way out, and they both knew that now. Finally it was Kai that broke the silence, before slinging his bag readily over his shoulder. 'Happy new year, Tyson.'

For once, Kai didn't turn to walk away. He stood, carrying his bag, about to walk out of that door any second, and out of their lives forever. But he didn't go just yet, he waited. He continued to look Tyson in the eye, respecting him enough after all this time, to not have him talk to the back of Kai's head.

He finally responded. 'Happy new year, Kai.' There had been so much else in his mind before, and so many more things he wanted to say. But when it came down to it, there wasn't time. And watching his old leader walk away from him, Tyson realised that everything important he could ever want to say had been summed up perfectly in those three words. It was useless to bring up anything from the past, especially with Kai, and Tyson knew it. What good would it do to reminisce? All he wanted was to wish Kai luck in the future, and to let him know that whatever he did, he had Tyson's full support. He wanted to let Kai know that he didn't resent his decision, and supported him completely, as he had always done. And let him know that nothing would change between them. Hadn't he done just that?

The feeling of satisfaction he had never before received while watching his friend walk away, told him that he had indeed done just that.

He wasn't too sure where he was at first, but he only became aware of the grass below him, and the fact that he was lying down. A distant thought told him that this was a dream, but who could be sure these days? Kai was there too, beside him, and Tyson knew this though he didn't open his eyes. He could feel his presence beside him and it comforted him to know his captain was there with him.

'You know Kai,' Tyson began, which was followed by the usual 'hm?'. 'I've been thinking.'

He sat up and opened his eyes, realising that he was standing on a hillside somewhere, probably somewhere he knew very well, though he didn't recognise it and something in his mind told him he was far from any place he knew. Something suddenly reminded him that he had walked there, through a door, but when he looked around he saw only the grass around him, and Kai standing by his side.

'I'm glad you're leaving.' Tyson found it far easier to say it than he had done before, when they had been face to face in the corridor and pressed for time. Here it seemed they had all the time in the world. 'And I'm glad to be able to say that, you know.' He smiled to himself before finishing what he felt he had to say. 'And you know, Kai, sure I've been cocky, but I am proud to have always had you as such an important part of the team.'

Kai gave himself a satisfied smirk, before responding. 'I know what you mean, Tyson.' He gazed off dreamily, as Tyson was, into the surroundings. 'It's like the end of an era, but at the same time, it isn't.'

'Yeah, exactly.' Tyson found himself saying, slightly amazed that Kai had been so accurate, considering it didn't have much to do with what Tyson had said to him. Kai just knew what he was thinking, he supposed. He was always good at that sort of thing. Come to think of it he always seemed to know everything.

There was silence for a while, broken by a distant noise that Tyson could barely hear, but against the peaceful and silent environment it was a broken and beautiful melody of song.

'The hummingbird…' Tyson muttered stupidly. After saying it he began to wonder in astonishment why he had said anything at all. He had no idea whether or not it really was a hummingbird, nor what they even sounded like. But when he turned to look sideways at Kai, he found that the taller boy was smiling faintly to himself, perhaps lost in his own world the way Tyson was lost in this one. But he didn't know why anyone would bother, for where could there be a world so beautiful as this?

While Tyson began to take in the captivating view again, his senses felt an arm raising beside him, and clasped firmly in its hand, a glass of bubbling champagne.

'Here's to us, Tyson.' he said, holding up the glass for one last toast. A toast to them.

Tyson smiled back at the Russian and raised the glass he suddenly had to Kai's, tapping them together in good cheer one last time. 'Yeah, Kai. Here's to us.'

(A/N): Phew, it's done :D

I apologize for Tyson's OOCness in the middle of the story, but I thought I'd portray him from a different angle.

The reason I didn't type out the whole bit where Kai tells Tyson he's leaving is because I didn't think I could word it well enough. But I guess it adds to the effect this way. That's the reason I had to include in it the summary, so that people would understand what was going on :P

And the part at the end was to show the connection between Kai and Tyson, which we all know is really strong, but I didn't think the story showed it well enough.

Please R&R