When Kai finally woke up, excluding the number of times he had slipped in and out of consciousness, things weren't so bad. Except for the pain shooting through his body every time he shifted his left shoulder, and maybe the constant throbbing in his temples, he was fine.

Kai reminded himself to take in deep breaths. Silent as a shadow, quite as a mouse, he found himself thinking. First thing on his priority, he needed to know what the heck is going on! His memories were completely distorted, the last thing he clearly remembered was calling out to Tyson for a championship match at the talk show, and everything got hazy after that.

He slowly opens his eyes so as to not alert anyone keeping a watch on him and to get his bearings of the situation. Starting with where he was. To his utter relief, the room he was in was empty. The room was dark, with moonlight through the window being the only sourse of illumination. 

Random memories trickled back into his head. Books. Gunshot. Blood. A warm hand. Screams... These minutes details, though they made no sense, were more than enough to get him started. 

The utter unnecessary fiasco the talk show ended up to become... He hadn't seen so much blood, so much chaos since... never mind. This is not the time. He didn't want to re-live the most hellish day of his life at the moment. He had a lot on his plate as it is.

He tries sitting up straight, completely forgetting about the wound. A surprised gasp escapes his lips as he swallows down his pain, but it brought him relief in a way.

He could remember being the only one who was struck by the bullet that evening, so the blood he remembered must have been his, unless there was someone else..., but no. He also remembered that Hillary had been helping him. The blade breakers had been the only people left in the hall. And none of them had looked hurt, except for a graze on Max's head. So, he must be in the hospital, he concluded. The whitewashed walls and that eriee silence surely fitted the discription. His observation was furthe reinstated by the strong scent of disinfectants blocking his nostrils.

Kai tries sitting up again, careful not to move his shoulder this time, to get a better look at his surroundings. Silence was exactly what he wanted. Silence to get his thoughts in order. Though he was sure he was in a hospital and out of harm for some time, he still wasn't sure he was safe. What if Voltaire had taken him back to Russia again, after teaching his friends a lesson, for he was sure that those dumb buffoons wouldnt have the slightest thoughts of self preservation! What if... 

Stop, he reminded himself. Priorities, one thing at a time. First, piecing his memories in the right sense and order. To try and remember everything that has happened in the last few... days? weeks? heck, he had a lot of catching up to do.

I was attacked once, twice...twice! Of course, how could I not remember the attack that took place right in the hospital!... and Hillary had been there! He was sure of it. Yes, she had come in just as he was about to stab him in the heart, finishing him once and for all. Yes, and he knew her.

He had gone on rambling as she stood there, for once looking speechless. And  just like her impulsive crush, had made a rash decision and attacked him, and that to with a pair of scissors! Didn't she not see that he was a trained fighter and could have killed her in a minute if had really wanted to? Had been prepared for her?

And then, even he shuddered remembering what had happened next. He had struck his assassin just as he had been... hurting Hillary. How he had been at his mercy, how Hillary had pleaded with him as he crouched down on the floor, unable to stand up again. How much it had reminded him of his earliest memories of his childhood.

How could he still be so weak? After all this time, after all that hardwork, and still he had been in a position to not help himself. Had someone else begging for his safety! How could -

Stop, he reminded himself again. This was no time for self-loathing. He needed to figure things out. One question at a time.

What had the assasin talked about before, to get her so worked up? Try remembering Kai... Was it something about resilience? Silly girl?? Supposed friends??? 

Holy Dranzer! He exclaimed to himself, let me remember something which makes sense! Something worthwhile! He pleaded with his mind. His temples had started throbbing again... and with much more ferocity. Deep breaths, deep breaths, in out, in out.... He commanded himself to clear his head off the pain.

He tries again. What exactly did that attacked talk about again? About blackmails, yeah sure he mentioned it, a house attack and.... of course, Hillary's mom's accident!

Gods above, this girl had been singled out, her family was attacked, her house was broken into, and for what? Just to get us distracted and make us lose the world championships! And yet she hadn't tbreathed out a word about it? What the hell did she think she was doing! Anger at himself for being so blinded by his own grief, frustration at her for for not telling any of them sooner, frustration at his own team members-

Speak of the devils and they arrive, he dryly thought as he heard voices growing louder. It was Ray who was speaking then."-take first watch, you still look tired, hope your head isn't hurting you anymore."

Max exasperated, "Don't be ridiculous Max, I'm fine. You're the one who needs to rest, you yourself have been way too-" but whatever he was going to say was cut short as his eyes landed on him. "Kai!'' Max exclaimed happily. His elated voice echoed through the empty corridor as he scrambled ahead to take the opportunity of his weakened state to give him a hug, though he was very careful to leave the wounded area untouched.

It was hard to dismiss the wide smile and relief shining in his eyes. Max was genuinely happy to see him awake. "Are you okay now? Should we get the doctor for you?" "Hmm." answered Kai. "Well, what was that 'um' for? Are you okay or should I bring the doctor?" questioned back Max, smiling innocently, yet a mischevious glint shone in his eyes. He knew very well for what that answer was for, yet he was testing his patience. It was not a good time to do so. Kai grits his teeth and answers, "I'm fine."

Max beamed at him. "Oh, that's wonderful. Ray, keep an eye out for him, will yaa? Do you recon I'll catch up with the others if I leave now?" He questioned, already going towards the door. "You'll only know it if you try." Answered a cryptic Ray, his eyes not leaving Kai since the time he entered. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... we don't need another riddle master here, Ray. Kai's awake now.'' he grumbled ''I'll be back."

Silence once again reined the room as Max's hastened footsteps faded. Ray  leaned against the door sideways, observing him intently. Kai felt extremely vulnerable under Ray's scrutiny. Being the only person on team who even had the slightest idea about his past, with whom he had had several encounters with before the blade breakers were even formed, Kai felt highly conscious about himself in his presence. Though they never spoke of it, Ray had seen and helped him when he was highly vulnerable. There was no question of not trusting him, but it did scare him that Ray could reveal a good number of his secrets of his if he wanted to.

"Welcome back to the land of living, Mr I'm-fine-facade." Ray started, his gaze intense."What was that supposed to mean?" He questions back, returning his gaze.

"You can't fool me as easily as you fooled Maxy there. You're hurting." He stated calmly. Kai rolled his eyes, "Gee, What gave it away? That I'm in a hospital or this bandage around my chest? I was shot by a bleeding bullet, Ray! Of course I'm hurting. It's Max you should be talking to, to 'not ask such stupid questions'."  He snaps, sarcassm dripping in his voice.

Ray sighs, as if to say 'there's no hope'. Kai liked it. "Do you want me to grab you something?" Kai shook his head in denial.

"Bleeding hell Kai! You're in no state to keep up with that name of yours." Ray snaps back, raising his voice. Kai was taken aback. Ray never snapped, never raised his voice, or even curse loudly, not even when Tyson is being himself i.e., annoying. How long was he out to miss such a drastic change?

Kai thought it would be best if would just ask of something, even if it was just to satisfy Ray. "Painkillers" he croaks, his voice already hoarse due to the lack of continuous usage. He suddenly realised how dry his throat felt. "And a huge glass of steaming hot water while you're at it."  He added, huffing in annoyance.

Ray's  lips twitched, just like everytime he tries hiding how pleased he was with a particular development. "I'll see what I can do." Having nothing else to do, Kai observes Ray as he made his way all around the room, his steps making no sound at all, just like the stripped bit-beast he carried.

"How long have I been out?"  Kai asks after some time. Ray hands him a pill as he says. "Six days have passed since the talk show, Kai. Don't use your left hand like you always do. Use your right for the cup and left for the saucer."

How much does he observe me? He thought as he took the pill with some cold water, before taking the big cup of hot water to drink, doing exactly as ray says.

Ray seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. His lips twitched again. "Not just me, we, including Tyson mind you, have observed you long enough to know some minute details here and there. And due to the scarcity, we usually share everything we get to know." 

Kai was surprised. Sure, he knew his teammates talked about him behind his back as he was rarely around them when they were free. But he had just assumed it was for bad-mouthing and cursing him for making them practice ruthlessly. He never knew they actually discussed him. And how did he know what exactly he was thinking? Was his face that easy to read?Does Ray know some ancient Chinese art to read minds?

"And no, there's no Chinese art for reading minds, well at least none I know of."  Ray answered him again, before he even asked, and was openly smirking now.

He continued though, "Well, I guess that the cold facade you usually wear, looses it's effect when you're not st-recovering from an injury." Both of them realised the slip of tongue, but for once Kai chose to ignore it. He had better uses for his limited energy.

He tried taking the cup from Ray, but his hands wouldn't budge. He looked at Ray questioningly. "Your hands are trembling, Kai. You'll spill it. Just let me help, will ya?" Ray said, a bit of impatience in his voice. This was a whole new level of humility, and Kai wasn't going it accept it.

He places the saucer on his lap to free my left hand."I said leave the cup, Kon." He gritted his teeth and filled his one statement with as much venom as he could. Ray simply stated a "Nope."

Their eyes met and a fierce glaring competition stuck up again. At the end, Kai had to use his left hand to slap Ray's hand away. It was enormously painful, but nothing Kai couldn't manage. He wondered, was there even a breking point for his pain-tolerating level? 

Ray grumbled in annoyance, still sour about losing his ground against him. After sitting at his bedside, he said. "I guess your glares haven't lost their intensity after all.." 

Kai didn't bother to grace Ray's remarks with a smirk of his own. Ray had earned himself a treatment of indifference for some time now. To Kai's surprise, he found a small amount of pepper added to it. Ray wasn't joking when he said that the team was observing him.

It was a tradition in the bayad tribe of western Mongolia to drink hot water with a touch of pepper to keep away the usually cold weather and soar throat... Kai had been taken into the tribe and for the first time since he had made his run from Voltaire, he had felt safe, secure, well-cared for and for once, loved. He had alluded himself to think that he was safe with the tribe and could spend the rest of his life with them, until he got to know of the bounty of ten thousand dollars he had on his head. Kai wouldn't risk to put the tribe in harm's way. He had silently slipped away in the night the next day. But he still continued to follow the tradition whenever he could, just for old times sake.

******

"So, how much do you plan on telling your papa?" Tyson tried enquiring with an arched brow. But Hillary wasn't listening. Such occasions were very rare for Anastasia Hillary Elis Tachinbana.

Shuffling between duties of a class president, being at the top of the class, practicing for her swimming matches, administering all of our non-beyblade-related requirements, she was all business and no nonsense.

Skipping between tiles, humming to herself, lost in her own thoughts... Tyson was witnessing one of those rare glimpses of the young silly girl he had grown up with and had inevitably fallen in love with.

Every time he thought about it, jittery feeling shot through him, as though someone had set up the New Year's fire crackers in his belly. It made him feel warm and comfortable in a strange way too.

He could never forget how much he had missed her in his initial days in Hiroshima... Heck!! How much he used to think about her even after five years without seeing her.

He chuckled at himself as he remembered how he used to sneak out at night to grab a handful of stamps and envelopes to try sending her letters. He wonder whether it reached her at all. He must have sounded so desperate to talk to her during those times, writing all about his day, week, month, from friends to homework, from favourite foods to the never ending spats between his father and elder brother.

How could we have grown so far apart?  He wondered, even though he knew the answer instantly. It had been him who had secluded himself from everything that reminded him of his earlier life, reminded him of his dad, who had just then died in an archaeological accident. He didn't bother himself to get to know much of the details.

Hiro was in no way ready to provide financially and emotionally for the two of us even though he had just turned eighteen then. Hiro soon sent him packing on his way to a boarding school with the last bit of his dad's savings. Even though the place was awful, too strict, and he had grown as isolated as he had ever been from the world. 

He had stayed there for nothing more than a few months, yet he was thankful for the school as it was there he had learnt bey-blading. Thankfully, his grandfather intervened at took custody, becoming his legal guardian. It was in beyblading that he had found a lost part of himself. It was after coming back to Tokyo that he started opening up again. Yet he had been so engrossed in his newly discovered passion for beyblading that he had forgotten all about her.

She needn't have stated it openly, he knew she was hurt when he had completely forgotten her existence when he first returned to Tokyo. The fact that he hadn't even bothered inviting her to their team's victory celebration party when he had invited utter strangers didn't help matters either.

The first time he even took notice of her was when he was transferred to her class. He hadn't even realised that the first person he had had a verbal spat with on the very first day of school was none another than his childhood best friend until he was giving away a few corrected assignments at the end of the day.

Well, he woulldn't accept it to be his fault alone. He had never known Hillary was her middle name. She had quite an affinity to use different names at different settings. To be honest, except for the old, dust-ridden report cards, none would know her name to be Ana at all.

They outgrew their initial dislike for each other only after discovering that their best friend was still the same in core, barely below a layer of attitude facing the outer world.

Tyson's long train of thoughts came to an abrupt halt as they existed the hospital together. Hillary shuddered slightly due to the cold weather, pulling her hoodie closer to her skin.

Rubbing her hands together, she said, "Now all we have to do is reach home before it starts raining.""Why are you smiling like that? Have I got something on my face?" She frowned, running her hands all over her face to find something.

Tyson felt like smacking himself in the head. Apparently, he hadn't stopped smiling like a lunatic and now had to come up with a plausible explanation."I've been thinking....." He started.

Hillary snorted "Don't, it may disfigure that pretty face you've got with wrinkles."

Tyson was awed that Hillary could still think of being witty after everything that had happened. He was truly awed by her strength. If Hillary could be in a playful mood right now,so could he. "So, you do think my face is pretty, huh?" He asks instead, wriggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.

She blushed furiously as she swatted him in the shoulder, hissing "Just get on with the damn question!! Will yaa?"

Tyson widely smirks at this,"So you aren't going to deny it, either?" His eyes twinkled with amusement. 

"I swear I'm having a comeback for this Tyson sometime soon. For now, one more word and your pretty face would be missing a tooth."

'' 'Kay, 'Kay..." He raises his hands in surrender. Before even thinking it through, he had uttered the first question that came up in his mind. "Do you have a crush?" He immediately felt stupid for asking it. Whatever she was expecting, this was not it. She blinked twice, trying to figure out whether she had heard him correctly. She then took in a deep breath and started. "Why on Eart-" just in time for Max to interrupt her.

"Guys, wait up!!!" Max screamed into the empty road, running towards us. Hillary and Tyson exchanged a worried look at this,thier previos conversation forgotten. They rushed towards him. "What happened Max? Is everything alright?"

He was heaving heavily, his hands on his knees, taking in large gulps of air. "Kai's awake." He choked it out, a small smile creaping onto his face, which soon grew into a huge grin. "Thought you would like to meet him before going." He added.

Tyson engulfed Max in a hug, almost choking the already-breathless-Max. When Tyson turned towards her, she looked slightly unsure of herself but he didn't let it bother him. Tyson was bubbling with excitement. "Of course we will!!" He beamed before adding. "That's pretty much the best thing that happened the entire day.." he declared.

"That's not true", Hillary smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What are you-" started a confused Max. But Hillary had her eyes on Tyson and no one else. She suddenly grabbed his collar, slightly pulling him down, made a go for his lips. Tyson stared back in confusion which quickly turned into surprise and panic. And at the very end, she changed her course and from what he would later perceive was on purpose, gave him a peck on his cheeks.

The funniest part of all of this was when he couldn't decide who looked paler,him or max, who was frozen in his place. Hillary bursted into giggles. "I told you I'll have my comeback, Ty. Oh! the look on your face... worth millions, I swear." She said, in between her fits. She went ahead, retracing their steps back to the hospital. Both Tyson and Max scrambled whatever small amount of sense they still had in themselves before following Hillary.

And all the way back, Tyson could not bring himself to remove his hand off the cheek where Hillary had pecked him.

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