Hello again everyone! Sorry for yet another delay on this story. I have little spare time on my hands now I'm working full-time; but mostly I guess I've just been lacking in motivation.

Thanks to everyone for all the reviews! Reviews will make me smile :D

Kai gave another irritated sigh.

He was sitting on the couch in the hotel lobby and had been doing so for at least a couple of hours. There were no magazines for him to read this time around - not that they were exactly enjoyable - so he had taken to watching the hotel occupants come and go.

Four young women - wearing high heels and short, shiny dresses - strolled past him at that moment; linking arms with one another and giggling uncontrollably. Kai watched them with disinterested as they walked through the revolving front entrance to the hotel. Just as they left, three young men came stumbling through the door, two of the appeared to be holding the one in the middle up. Each arm slung over his companions shoulders, his legs were going all over the place, and his head was drooped - resting on his chest.

Kai found himself wondering what it felt like to be that drunk. To be so hammered you could barely think straight let alone walk. He'd never had a single sip of alcohol in his entire life; the thought of loosing control over himself was something of a nightmare to Kai... But at times like these, when his thoughts were spiralling out of control and he wanted nothing more but to run; the idea of numbing his senses down to nothing seemed rather tempting.

Kai suppressed another sigh - he'd done that too much over the last couple of days. No matter how tempting the idea of throwing himself head-first into a blissful drunken state was; he would never do it. He'd never allow himself to risk loosing himself from reality.

Plus, he'd heard that the hangovers next morning could be total killers.

The three young men wobbled over to the lift, rocking backwards and forwards as they walked, grunts of laughter escaping them as they slurred unfathomable words to each other. Kai raised a fine eyebrow at them. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet.

Kai groaned to himself. Not even ten o'clock? This day truly couldn't go any slower.

Yes, Kai is still avoiding his team-mates. He didn't know if they came looking for him after he hurriedly left the dinner table to not-so-gracefully hurl his stomach contents down the toilet bowl; but if they did, they hadn't looked very hard. When he'd finally been able to stand without his legs turning to jelly, Kai had simply thrown himself down on the couch he was currently sitting on and had stayed there up until this very moment in time. His plan was: that hopefully by the time he decided to go upstairs, the rest of his team would be asleep.

Hell, he was willing to stay in the lobby all night if he had to.

Unfortunately, that idea was crushed as soon as it came. Kai's eyes ripped themselves away from watching the three drunk young men when he heard someone drop themselves down onto the sofa opposite him. He prepared himself to throw this unwelcome person a ferocious glare - there were at least four other empty sofa's scattered around the lobby, why the hell did they choose to come sit with him?

However, the glare fixed on his face dropped immediately seeing Mr. Dickinson sat opposite him. How on earth does he keep sneaking up on me? Kai thought, curious as to how - twice in one day - Mr. Dickinson had seemingly appeared out of nowhere to greet him.

His thoughts were soon pushed aside as he registered the stern expression Mr. Dickinson was wearing. On the table now sat a plate with two sandwiches. Kai closed his eyes and turned away; the thought of food making him want to throw up again.

"Kai."

Mr. Dickinson's voice was no longer held its usual cheerful note. Instead, he sounded like a strict school teacher who had just caught you cheating on a test. Kai opened his eyes and flickered them over Mr. Dickinson's form. He looked almost angry, and Kai knew he was about to get a good finger-wagging.

"Kai," Mr. Dickinson spoke again, his voice louder and clearer and now, and Kai - with an irritated 'leave-me-alone' huff - swivelled around and slump against the back of the couch with his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face. Usually this behaviour would produce a light-hearted chuckle from the older man; but not today. Mr. Dickinson's pressed his lips together so they appeared no more thicker than a pencil drawn line.

"I don't know what you think you're playing at, Kai," Mr. Dickinson lectured, looking very miffed, "but it stops here. I can't believe you didn't eat your dinner. Before we even left for China, you made a promise to me that you wouldn't skip meals. You're going to make yourself very poorly!"

Kai noted each word Mr. Dickinson emphasized in hopes that this would get through to him.

It was true. Kai had promised he would eat at every meal like a good boy and that he would have a few snacks in-between so Mr. Dickinson could sleep easy at night knowing the team captain wouldn't collapse from exhaustion in the middle of the bey-stadium. So far he had kept to his word. But... make-himself-poorly?

Kai felt purely frustrated at that.

'I already am sick!' Kai thought but did not say, 'because you couldn't keep your mouth shut; I'm sick with stress!'

"Now," Mr. Dickinson continued, forcing authority in his voice, something with sounded rather unnatural coming from the friendly, porky old man. "I want you to eat those sandwiches."

Kai's eyes flickered to the sandwiches sat on the plate on the table before fixing them once more on Mr. Dickinson's face. His frown deepened, disliking the way Mr. Dickinson was ordering him around. Who did he think he was? His Grandfather!

"No, Stanley. I won't," Kai answered simply with a small sneer, partially just wanting to annoy.

Mr. Dickinson's expression darkened somewhat, he looked almost resentful of Kai. But he was not a man to loose his temper so easily. Mr. Dickinson stood up sharply, surprising Kai by the sudden movement, walked around the table and sat himself next to the teen.

Kai almost smirked, thinking this was all Mr. Dickinson would do. He got a shock, however, when Mr. Dickinson seized his upper arm and tugged him up from his slouched position so he was sat upright. Kai blinked, astounded, his eyes fixed on the spot where Mr. Dickinson was gripping his arm. His expression hardened rapidly as he realised he did not like the way he was being held. However, even as he jerked his arm trying to loosen the grip, Mr. Dickinson did not let go which earned him a rather vicious glare from Kai's end.

"Let go -"

"You have a choice," Mr. Dickinson hissed, successfully silencing the teen, "you can sit here for another couple of hours, only if you eat those sandwiches. If not, you're going upstairs and to bed, right now!"

Crimson orbs widened considerably. For a moment, Kai felt slightly helpless, almost hurt by Mr. Dickinson's words. He was used to other people yelling at him. Hell, it was the only thing his Grandfather did when he wasn't ignoring Kai. He was used to giving and receiving abuse from other teenagers on the street because 'they-didn't-like-his-attitude' and he knew very well his team-mates complained that he was a grouch and a slave driver.

But Mr. Dickinson never snapped at him. He received a few telling-offs from the team manager, but Mr. Dickinson was more likely to chuckle at his antics and attempt to ruffle his hair.

At this moment, Kai felt most of the fight leave his body. He was more-or-less willing to do whatever Mr. Dickinson wanted, but...

Kai only had to glance at the sandwiches sat on the table and he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. He had no appetite, despite his empty stomach. and the back of his throat was still painful burning. But he didn't want to go upstairs either, and Mr. Dickinson knew he didn't want to face his team-mates. He'd much prefer to sit here in the lobby and lick his wounds.

Although completely lacking the energy, Kai forced himself to his feet and violently tugged his arm from Mr. Dickinson's grip.

"I'm going to bed!" He snarled, marching towards the stairs, leaving Mr. Dickinson behind wearing a look of surprise that said he had expected Kai to eat rather than go to bed.

Kai got to the staircase and slowed down his pace, his breath coming out in short, terrible, ragged gasps. He gripped the banister tightly and heaved himself up the first few stairs. It was here he began to fee light-headed, and he promised himself if he made it to the first floor, he'd get the lift the rest of the way.

You may ask why he didn't get the elevator on the ground floor?

The answer s tat he wouldn't have allowed himself to do so. He had stormed off angrily and the whole effect would have been ruined if he'd had to stand and wait for the lift to arrive for 5 minutes.

Sweat-bedding his forehead, Kai vaguely wondered if his pride sometimes caused him too much trouble?

Tyson was sitting on the sofa in the room the Bladebreakers were sharing. Although only just gone 10pm, the other - minus Kai - had already climbed into their beds, though Tyson was unsure if they were actually asleep yet.

Personally, he wanted to wait for Kai to come back before he allowed himself to sleep. He didn't know what he was going to say to the older teen, and he definitely did not want to start another argument... but after speaking with Mr. Dickinson today; Tyson felt like he needed to do something.

He wasn't a miracle worker, or a psychiatrist and he had no idea how on earth you were supposed to help someone overcome a severe phobia. But he wasn't going to allow himself to just push everything they'd leant about Kai over the last few days away. Finally, he'd seen a side to Kai he never thought he would see. The vulnerable, insecure side. And he'd be damned if he let Kai down.

Tyson glanced at the clock on the wall again. '22:13,' it read.

He gave a sigh as he leaned back on the sofa, eyes fixed on the ceiling. You'd think he'd use this time to - I don't know - prepare how he will react when Kai comes back; make a speech maybe. But Tyson was never the time to prepare himself. He always preferred racing on ahead with enthusiasm and a bit of luck, hoping for the best.

By the time Kai had reached the room the Bladebreakers were staying in; he thought he was going to collapse. With his forehead resting against the doorframe, Kai tried to focus his eyes and shake away the black spots eating up his vision. Once again, he was panting hard and it was a hard struggle to keep himself on his feet. Kai began to dread thinking about how he was going to keep himself awake for the next few hours.

At least he had one thing to feel positive about: he could hear no sound from inside the room and he dared to hope that maybe all his team-mates were already sound asleep in bed.

Kai raised his wrist and took a look at his watch. Almost 10:43pm! His eyes widened slightly. How long have I been stood outside this door? Kai asked himself, stunned.

Slowly, he pushed himself of off the doorframe and straightened himself up, ignoring the fact that his vision was still a little blurry and nibbled at by darkness. He took out his card key from his pocket and - being at silent at he could - dragged it through the card-lock and opened the door.

The first sound that Kai made was an unhappy groan when he noticed the lamp on the coffee table was still on, and sat on the sofa was none other that Tyson.

Tyson jumped at the sound of the door opening, his heart picking up speed. He knew the only person it could be was Kai, but he still felt utterly relieved just to see him in the flesh. If only Kai returned to feelings, though Tyson was not discouraged, even when he heard Kai groan irritably after seeing him.

"Kai..." Tyson breathed, standing up and walking around the sofa, allowing his eyes to fully wander over Kai's rather exhausted looking form. Tyson's eyebrows knotted together as Kai seemed to stumble closer, his eyes a little unfocused. "Kai...? Are you okay?"

Kai did not answer, but he inhaled shakily.

'Too hot,' Kai thought, the heat of the room sweeping over him, too quickly, far, far too hot. 'Jeez, why is it so hot? I need - I need to open... open a window. Yeah...'

Kai pressed a hand to his forehead, panic sweeping over him as his vision went from bad to worse. He tried to shake it away, but if anything, that just made him loose his balance.

He reopened his eyes - not realising he had shut them - to see a fuzzy blob in front of him. Kai squinted, only making out a huge splash of yellow that was almost blinding him and a mass of navy close to his eye-level. He numbly felt a hand give his arm a nervous stroke.

'Oh God... Tyson, move please! I need air!'

Kai heard Tyson's hushed voice faze in then out, as though he was listening to a badly tuned radio and couldn't find the right frequency. He dimly noted that above the boiling heat, his skin felt damp and he believed he must have been sweating.

"Kai! Kai! Dude, are you okay?"

'Yes... yes Tyson! I'm fine! Please, just move!'

No matter what, Kai couldn't seem to find the energy to actually speak. And he had absolutely no idea where this weariness had come from. Sure, he felt exhausted while he was in the lobby. But... he felt ready to collapse now!

To think, only half an hour ago he had been sat wondering what if felt like to be drunk... was this it? Is this how it felt? His limbs felt heavy and sluggish, and his eyes were drooping shut every five seconds - not that it really mattered he could barely see a thing anyway - and he wanted nothing more than to fall onto the most comfortable things around.

'Nnngh, I wish I just eaten those damn sandwiches!'

"Kai, dude, you're really freaking me out now!" Tyson said, as quietly as he could although he was slowly becoming hysterical. He was holding Kai by his upper arms but the slate-haired teen didn't seem to notice; it didn't even seem like Kai could here Tyson speaking. "Come on... say something!"

Tyson watched as Kai's nervously licked his lips, his pink tongue quickly flicking out as he blinked rapidly. Finally, in a voice very unlike his own, Kai spoke.

"I'm fine."

Tyson dropped his arms back down to his sides and bit his lip frantically. Kai was anything but fine, he looked completely worn down with fatigue and he was swaying on the spot.

After a few seconds trying to gather his thoughts and energy, Kai attempted to walk forwards as if nothing had happened... only as soon as placed his weight upon it; his right leg gave out and he felt himself fall forward.

For a moment, Kai lost all sense. He couldn't feel, hear, see, smell or taste anything. He couldn't process any of his thoughts, until that sudden sensation of falling stopped. Only then did he realise what had happened.

Heat and colour swam to Kai's cheeks quicker than blinking.

'I fell... I fell!!! I fell and Tyson caught me. Oh no no no!'

He could have spent to the rest of eternity denying it and trying to convince himself that reality wasn't happening, but it was. Even now, he could hear Tyson's panic stricken voice whispering frantically in his ear, begging him to speak.

"Let go!" Kai gasped, trying to push himself away from Tyson. Except Tyson was the main reason why he was still standing, his legs felt like jelly, and if Tyson were to unlock his arms from around his torso; then Kai would surely hit the ground.

"Kai! Stop squirming!" Tyson hissed, worry etched in his voice as Kai tried to push away from him but he was tripping over his own feet at the same time.

To anyone watching; it would have looked like Tyson and Kai were clumsily attempting to dance. Tyson had his arms locked over and around Kai's arms and back, while Kai was pushing his hands against Tyson's chest in hopes he may get free from the embrace. Both of them were tripping and swaying as they fought to gain control of the situation.

"Get off!" Kai cried, snapping his eyes shut as the swirling colours began to make his head feel even more light. His legs wobbled and gave way again, causing Tyson to grip the back of his tank-top to stop him dropping to the floor.

Seeing the opportunity, Tyson dragged Kai over towards his bed at the end of the room, glancing quickly at his other team-mates who were still sleeping soundly in their beds - how on earth they'd slept through all the commotion was anyone's guess.

"Kai, you're exhausted man!" Tyson stammered out, still hauling Kai's uncooperative body, "you need to lie down!"

Kai moaned out what sounded like a 'no!' But Tyson ignored it anyway. Finally, he made it over to the bed and inelegantly threw both of them sideways down onto the mattress. Once down, Tyson unlocked his arms from around Kai's body and rolled onto his back, panting from the scuffle. Kai didn't fare any better. The older teen lay still in the same position, the only movement was his chest rising and falling rapidly as he breathed hard.

Tyson rolled his head to the right, his breathing coming down to a comforting speed, and watched as Kai painfully struggled to push himself up. His muscles were taut under his skin and his arms were trembling; he hadn't even opened his eyes.

Realising that the battle wasn't over yet, Tyson heaved himself up into a sitting position.

"Kai..." he began in a pleading voice, "just lie down, you need to sleep."

Kai shook his head furiously, angered by the simple suggestion. But Tyson didn't give up. Leaning forwards, he grabbed Kai by his upper-arms and dragged him up the bed so his head was above the pillow.

"Kai... Kai, I know you're afraid..." Tyson said in a small voice, "b-but you need to. You can't keep this up."

Kai flung his arm out in attempt to bat Tyson away and narrowly missed hitting his face.

"Shut up!" Kai growled, his head bowed, glaring at the pillows beneath him from his kneeled position, "I can handle it, okay? I don't need help from anyone, especially you!"

Tyson knew he shouldn't have expected any other comeback remark from Kai, but it still hurt him to hear those things. But what was the point in arguing back against Kai? He was the most stubborn person in the world, right?

"No! You listen here, Almighty Captain!" Tyson snapped in a low tone, jabbing his finger into Kai's forehead and watching as those crimson eyes boiled over with fury. "No matter what you seem to think, you're not God, okay? You're human, just like the rest of us, and you get tired, just like the rest of us!

"I know you probably feel separated from us because of your phobia. And just because we want to help doesn't mean we see you as some kind of charity case!"

Tyson sucked air in-between his teeth, his sudden rant left his breathless. Kai had pushed himself up fully now and was sat opposite Tyson with a glare fixed on his features.

"You. Can't. Help." Kai growled, turning his back on Tyson, "I don't care what you think of me, but stop pumping yourself up already, because it's useless."

"Have you ever even let anybody try to help?" Tyson asked, in a much quieter voice this time, all anger evaporating leaving him feeling worn out. "We may not be the best of pals, Kai. But I care about you, and so do the rest of the team. And Mr. Dickinson cares as well, and we all get worried when we see you torturing yourself like this -"

"Shut UP!" Kai snapped, his fingers violently gripping the bed covers and his head slumping forward onto his chest. "What the hell do you know, huh? You don't understand!"

"Well... maybe - maybe I don't need to understand," Tyson began, his voice becoming almost desperate now as he leaned forward wishing he could urge Kai to accept him. "I don't need you to... to tell me all your secrets! Or become Mr. Sociable with the team - 'cause if you did that'd just be scary - but, just let me help... please?" Tyson begged in a tiny voice, though somehow, he seemed to have shuffled himself much closer to where Kai sat now. So close in fact he only needed to whisper for Kai to hear him.

"I know you're scared," Tyson whispered, unable to see Kai cringe as he uttered the word 'scared' "but you're completely exhausted. And - and I'll stay up all night if that's what I have to do, but you need to get some sleep."

Kai's knuckles had turned white as he fisted the sheets again. He shook his head a little.

"No.." he breathed, and Tyson's eyes widened slightly in surprise hearing Kai's voice so faint and frail. "No, I can't... I w-won't wake up..."

Tyson couldn't help himself. He closed the small gap between their bodies and threw his arms around Kai's shoulders, hugging him from behind. Kai immediately tensed and squirmed, trying to pull himself from Tyson's grip; but Tyson did not let go. If anything he squeezed his arms tighter, burying his face into the back of Kai's neck.

The sudden confession from Kai - one which portrayed his true feelings, his true fear in such a short sentence - it was almost heartbreaking. Tyson knew that Kai hated sympathy, but it's all he could feel.

"You will wake up, Kai," Tyson insisted, his voice slightly muffed as he was talking through Kai's hair, "and I will stay awake all night to make sure of it. Just believe me, you will wake up."

"But they d-didn't wake up..." Kai answered in a fragile tone, his voice breaking off a little at the end.

Tyson hugged Kai tighter. He tried to speak but he just choked on a sob.

'Kai... you're parents were sick. That's why they died. You know this. But you're not sick... at least not yet. If you carry on the way you're going though...'

After what felt like a life-time stuck in the same position - Tyson kneeling behind Kai with his arms thrown round his shoulder and Kai sat with one leg hanging over the side of the bed with his head bowed - Tyson loosened his arms and shuffled around so he was sat next to Kai.

"I'll stay awake all night," Tyson whispered, trying to catch Kai's eyes with his own, "and if at any point something goes wrong; I'll wake you up. I promise."

Kai inhaled sharply, his shoulders shaking. He was beyond exhausted, his body needed rest, yet his still mind said 'no'. But, even if he turned his back on Tyson now, he wouldn't be able to keep himself awake. Even now his eye lids were drooping and he was using all his remaining energy just to keep them up.

Kai couldn't believe he was even contemplating Tyson's offer.

But... if he were to fall asleep, he'd rather do it knowing that Tyson was watching over him.

Kai took a deep breath before answering weakly; "all night?"

Tyson nodded determinedly. "Yes."

"You promise?"

Tyson reached out and placed his hand on Kai's shoulder, and the older teen finally took his gaze away from the floor to look him in the face. Midnight blue met fiery red.

"I promise."

There was a long silence in which time Tyson waited patiently as Kai chewed his lip nervously.

"...Okay," Kai answered so timidly it came out sounding a bit like a squeak.

Tyson nodded encouragingly as Kai kicked off his shoes and unbuckled his arm-guards. He didn't have the energy to get changed, so after Tyson shuffled over to the other side of the bed, Kai just pulled back the sheets and climbed under them. Tyson dropped his red jacket onto the floor and - having already taken off his shoes and cap - hurriedly scrambled over to the lamp on the coffee table and switched it off, covering the room in darkness. Only a single strip of light made it's way into the room through the gap in the curtains.

Kai lay still, listening to Tyson blindly make his way back to their bed, knocking into a couple of things on the way. Tyson found the bed with his hands and also climbed under the sheets, however, unlike Kai, he did not lie down. Instead he piled his pillows up against the headboard and leaned back upon them.

Neither of them spoke at all.

Tyson suddenly yawned. He placed a hand over his mouth and blinked tiredly, wishing more than anything he could have just gone to sleep. He found himself wondering if - after Kai had fallen asleep - he could catch a few hours as well. All he had to do was wake up before Kai and pretend he been awake through the whole night.

However, Kai didn't look like he'd be falling asleep right this second. He was lying on his side facing Tyson, his eyes wide open, staring ahead of him. His heart was pounding hard in his chest and although he tried to tell himself to calm down; he simply couldn't.

Time ticked by and still Kai couldn't allow himself to fall asleep. He felt exhausted but panic was sweeping through his body and possessing his mind. He lifted his head ever so slightly off the pillow and glanced over Tyson's body to see the digital clock on the bedside cabinet, it's red, glowing numbers saying '23.46'.

Kai's eyes widened. It wasn't even midnight yet! And...

Kai's heart rate picked up again as he noticed that Tyson was completely still and his breathing was shallow.

'He's fallen asleep!'

Kai began breathing so hard his chest was shuddering with each gasp. His eyes scanned through the darkness in a panicked state. He couldn't believe Tyson had fallen asleep! He'd promised!

Kai tried to calm himself down but he couldn't. He was scared - no! He was terrified. After all these years, he'd come to believe that the longer he slept for, the more likely it was that he wouldn't wake up. That's why he rarely went to sleep before 3am, and he'd wake up around 7am, sometimes earlier.

So what was he supposed to do now? He barely had the energy to keep himself awake, and now Tyson wouldn't be there in case...

Kai scrunched his eyes up, his breath hitching as he tried to contain a sob.

'I'm going to die!'

"Kai...?"

Kai's eyes snapped open as the voice and he raised his head off of the pillow, his eyes searching for Tyson's.

"Kai... are you still awake?" Tyson breathed, leaning forward so the stream of light from the gap in the curtains caught his face. Kai breathed out in relief.

"Tyson, I-I thought you fallen -"

"I promised, Kai."

Kai nodded, allowing his head to drop back down onto the pillows. He could still feel Tyson's eyes on his face, and although he still felt scared... although there were still voices in his head speaking of disaster - Tyson had promised.

And now, Kai felt as though he'd never believed in something so much as he did that promise. So finally, he relaxed and closed his eyes; sleep only waiting around the corner.

Max was the first to wake up next morning. Sitting up with a yawn and stretching his arms out to the ceiling, feeling fully refreshed.

The first thing Max did was give Ray a playful dig in the spine, which caused Ray to awaken with a yelp of surprise. He seized his pillow, sat up quickly and threw it at the blonde-haired teen. Only Max - well known for his great defence - swiped at it with his arm, causing the fluffy sack of feathers to fly over his head and land on top of Kenny instead; the computer wizard waking with a groan.

Max sniggered as the Kenny reached out for his glasses, mumbling out, "wha' time isit?"

"Seven: twenty-five."

Max and Ray blinked in surprise, and Kenny - once having found his glasses - turned to see Tyson sat up in his bed, slouching against his stacked up pillows; his eyes looking rather dark and blood-shot.

"Wow, Tyson... you look like death!" Max commented.

Tyson raised his palms and dragged them down his face. "Thanks, Maxie. I love a compliment in the morning."

"What's up Ty?" Ray asked, rocking onto his knees, "didn't you get much sleep last -"

Ray froze in the middle of his sentence as he saw Kai, asleep, on the other side of Tyson. Max and Kenny both glanced at Ray, confused, before lifting themselves higher with curiosity to see what he was looking at. They both let out a small startled gasp when they saw Kai. Tyson gave a little smile.

"I made him a promise," Tyson said in a tired voice, "if he went to sleep, I'd stay up and make sure he was okay. I knew that nothing would happen to him, but I wanted to prove that to him."

Ray smiled at him, "well done, Tyson!"

"Yeah, nice one!" Max added, "I guess Mr. Dickinson was right giving us - well you - the job!"

Tyson shook his head.

"It wasn't really a job," Tyson said, glancing as Kai's sleeping form, "I guess I just really wanted to help him."

Ray smiled fondly, "well I guess we can help him too by getting ready for training. He'll probably have a heart-attack when he finds out everyone is awake before him."

Max, Ray and Kenny climbed out of their beds and within half an hour were leaving the room and heading down for breakfast. They closed the door with a sharp snap, and Tyson jumped when he heard a surprised gasp from next to him.

Crimson eyes shot open and Kai's body lurched slightly, his hand shooting up to clutch his heart.

"Morning."

Kai looked up to see Tyson smiling as him, and for a moment Kai felt confused about the whole scenario. If was only a matter of seconds before all the previous nights events came back to mind though, and Kai felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. This was probably the most refreshed he's felt in a long time.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and ran a hand through his slate bangs.

"What time is it?" Kai asked.

Tyson glanced to the side to look at the digital clock, "nearly eight."

Kai's eyes widened. He had over eight hours sleep!

"The others are all awake," Tyson continued, slumping back and closing his tired eyes, "they've gone for breakfast and then they're going to the training room."

He peeked open an eye as he felt Kai stand from the bed. He watched as Kai wandered over to couch where his bag was sat and took out some shampoo and shower gel. Tyson closed his eye again and settled himself down comfortably into the mattress.

No sooner had he gotten comfortable when he felt a pillow slam against the side of his face. He jumped up sharply, knocking the offending pillow onto the floor to see Kai stood in front of him, frowning, with one hand on his hip.

"You better get your lazy arse up too," Kai said firmly with a raised eyebrow, "trainings starts in half an hour."

Tyson's jaw dropped open in disbelief.

"What!?! Are you -? You can't be!" Tyson stammered, he pointed his finger at the spot where Kai had been sleeping. "I've just stayed awake all night. For you! You can't possibly -"

"I was joking, Tyson," Kai interrupted smoothly, turning his back and heading towards the bathroom, leaving Tyson to gape at him open-mouthed.

"Oh."

Kai pushed open the bathroom door, but stopped when before he went inside. He turned halfway, and raised his head a little, but glued his eyes to the floor.

"Tyson?" he said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks," Kai mumbled, "for... that..." He trailed off awkwardly, refusing to meet Tyson's gaze.

Tyson smiled happily, "anytime, Kai."

Kai looked up, tilting his head as Tyson continued to smile at him. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

"Tyson," Kai said sharply, and Tyson's smile faltered a little at the tone of Kai's voice. "Just so you know. Everything that's happened over the past twelve hours; none of it means that we are friends, okay?"

Tyson bowed his head a little, but the smile had reformed on his face.

"Sure, Kai. Whatever you say."

Tyson didn't miss the similar looking smile that Kai was wearing as he closed the bathroom door either.

So... yeah. The End.

...

Wow.

This is a first for me. I've been sat here for about ten minutes just tapping my keyboard thinking, "Oh... I'm done."

Just so you know. Kai has not overcome his phobia. But he's taken his first step.

So, I guess all I can really say if, I hope everyone enjoyed this - what was supposed to be a one-shot, turned into a two-shot, turned into a three-shot, turned into a four-shot and then turned into a five-shot - story. And, erm, yeah. Please review!

Phoenix-Falling