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Running Scared	By : Kali Category: Beyblade > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 4619 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Warnings: Same as Chapter 1. See chapter 1 if you�re that concerned about it.

Disclaimers: I still don�t own anything, and that
includes any of the songs used for titles in this fic.

blah � normal speech, blah � thoughts,
{blah} � telepathy, //blah// � electronic speech (com-links, computers, etc.)

Chapter
11: Summon the Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found Tyson sitting on the
edge of the large stone fountain in the middle of the courtyard, and watching
the koi in the basin swim around. He
looked up at me and smiled before I got within a couple metres of him.

�Finally awake?�

�You could have woke me up, you
know.� I smiled back and he got to his
feet as I walked up to him.

�I didn�t want to because you
were so peaceful. You needed the rest,
love.� Tyson wound his arms around me
and I let my hands come to a rest on his hips, holding him close to me. �So what�s up? Have you decided what our plan of action should be?�

�I�ve an idea, yes. For now, I think we should get in that
practice session while we have the chance.�

�Sounds good. Dragoon and I are ready whenever you are!�

I nodded and raised one hand to
trace his jaw-line with a finger. �But
first�� I swooped down to kiss him long and hard. His mouth opened compliantly to my demanding tongue and we got
lost in each other for a brief moment.
I was the first to get my head back on straight and pulled away slowly
after nibbling on his bottom lip playfully.
�Good morning, my beloved, dragon.�

�Good morning.� He returned, his voice husky. I took his hand in mine, linking our
fingers, and squeezed. Then I led him
to the other end of the courtyard where a fairly large outdoor beydish was
built into the stone floor.

�We�ll start here and work our
way to the harder terrains some other time, if that�s okay with you?�

Tyson nodded. �Sure.�
He went over to one side of the dish and I took up my place opposite
him. Then I paused thoughtfully for a moment
and shook my head.

�You know what? I think I�ll start you off at a lower level
of battle, Tyson. You know � work your
way up?� I decided. He shrugged.

�Whatever you say.�

�Alright. Max!
You�re up.� I ordered, moving to
stand with the rest of the group instead as Max pulled out his blade and
launcher and took up his position and launching stance. Tyson echoed him and I got ready to count
down. �Chief, you monitoring? Both of them?�

�Yes. I�m ready to go.� He
answered, his laptop up and running on his lap.

�Okay! Bladers ready?� At their
brief nodes, I held up a hand.
�Three�two�one�let it rip!�

They launched
simultaneously. Tyson was a bit shaky
but he didn�t let it phase him, going after Max immediately. I watched his blade critically � the attacks
he made, the defences he presented � analyzing for myself his strengths and
weaknesses and taking note of his surprisingly increased abilities. I couldn�t put my finger on it, but
something about his style was slightly different � in a good way, though.

As I stood there watching,
trying to puzzle it out, Kenny was busy analyzing the entire thing on his
laptop, and Rei, Oliver, Bryan, and Enrique were watching the battle with
extreme interest while Hilary cheered on the sidelines for her cousin.

�So what do you think?� Rei asked me as Max continued to dodge and
weave to continuously try and avoid Tyson�s attacks. I smirked as Draciel�s blade went flying suddenly to land neatly
at Rei�s feet on its side.

�I think he�s still got the ability
and despite being out for six years he�s still damned good.� I told the neko-jin. �You�re up next, Rei.�

�What? Me?� Rei blinked in
surprise and laughed nervously. �Come
on, Phoenix! I had no chance six years
ago and I highly doubt I have one now.�

�So what?� I scoffed.
�This isn�t about winning or losing.
Tyson needs practice and I want him to get used to battling against
different styles of blading again as well as different skill levels.� I gave Rei a tiny shove forward. �Now get out there.�

Max came over to stand near me
as Rei and Tyson took up their launch stances once again. �He�s really good,
Phoenix. Now I understand why Boris is
after him.�

I nodded. �Yes.�
I agreed, smiling widely. �Tyson
is the only one who has ever been a true match for me, Max.� I gave him a sly look. �You do realize he was holding back in your
battle, don�t you?�

Max looked shocked and
spluttered for a moment as I turned back to the next battle. �Okay!
Bladers get ready!� I called
out. �And no holding back � either of
you! Don�t go easy on him, Rei!�

Rei scowled. �I wasn�t going to.�

Tyson just gave me a sheepish
grin and apologized to Max. �Sorry,
dude! I didn�t mean to��

Max laughed. �Nah.
Don�t worry about it.�

�Ready? Three�two�one�let it rip!�

They launched and the two blades
clashed in midair once before landing in the dish and going after one another
with a vengeance. I smiled in smug
satisfaction, folding my arms over my chest as Rei�s blade was sent flying by a
particularly forceful attack by Tyson.

�Ah! Driger!� Rei cried,
watching his blade go up, up, up�and come crash landing down on its side with a
splash in the koi pond behind us. Rei�s
forlorn look disappeared when he saw my smug grin and he glowered at me while
Kenny fished Driger out of the pond.
�You�re so evil!� He
complained. �I told you I
wouldn�t stand a chance!�

�Oh, stop that. Suck it up, Rei. You weren�t even trying that hard.�

�You think so? I�ve got news for you�I was. You think you�re so hot?� He suddenly purred and I frowned at
him. �Let�s see you battle him,
Mr. I�m the best.�

I regarded him silently for a
moment then shrugged. �Whatever.� I said and crossed over to the side of the
dish opposite Tyson, who had a wide, eager grin on his face and this hard gleam
in his eyes that I hadn�t seen for a very long rime. It made me grin back at him.
�I see you�re back in the groove, love.�

�Hey, you know me! I love a challenge�and you are the
ultimate challenge, after all.� He
replied, blithely. My grin widened and
so did his as we raised our launchers and got ready. �Three��

�Two��

�One��

�Let it rip!� We chorused, launching smoothly. Our blades hit the dish with a light
clinking sound and went for each other immediately, with no tip-toeing around
the issue. There was a loud cracking
sound as our beyblades slammed into one another, making the others wince
slightly and gape at the battle in amazement as Tyson and I got down to the
business of grinding away at each other, and furiously continuing the battle.

�Holy crap!� Max exclaimed, eyes huge. �Now I�m kind of glad Tyson didn�t
use his full strength on me! He�d have
totally wasted my blade!�

�He hasn�t lost his touch.� Bryan mused, shaking his head. �Take a good look, people. This is what blading is really about: a true
match of strength, skill, power, and a love of the game.�

Rei glanced at him,
startled. �Never thought I�d hear that
from you, Bryan. But I�m glad to
hear it.�

�I�ve learned that people can
change, Rei, if they truly want to.�
Bryan gave him a small smile.
�But I�ve always thought of blading that way. It was only a bit warped because of��

�Yeah. I know.� Rei turned his
attention back to the match.

�What was that, World
Champion?� Tyson taunted me. �Quit giving me love taps and hit me
already!�

I smirked and gave him a
smouldering look. ��Love taps?� Aren�t we cute? You wanna get hit, Tyson?
Fine.� I planted my feet and let
loose Dranzer. �Dranzer! Fire Arrow!� I smiled in satisfaction as my beautiful, fiery red partner rose
out of my blade with a deafening scream of a battle cry. She attacked and Tyson barely managed to get
out of the way, his blade avoiding the full brunt of the hit, getting
side-swiped instead and careening dangerously before righting itself and
resuming its spin normally.

�Impressive.� I heard Enrique comment, sounding a tad
shocked.

�Merde.� That came from Oliver.

�Nice try, love, but not good
enough!� Tyson gloated
triumphantly. �I�ve seen that attack so
many times it�s ingrained in my head.
And now it�s my turn!� I folded
my arms over my chest and gave him a nod, waiting patiently for what I knew was
coming.

Hilary was cheering her cousin
at the top of her voice. �Go
Tyson! Give him all you�ve got!�

�Dragoon!� Tyson gave the order, loosing the great
dragon from his blade � with a vengeance.
Out of nowhere the wind kicked up and blew furiously, whipping
everyone�s hair and clothes around.
Leaves and dust flew through the air and in a flash of intense blue
flight, Dragoon appeared, circling and weaving with Dranzer high above the dish
and our heads in a sort of greeting and assessment of each other after so long
apart. I could feel the spirit�s power,
immense and intense, and it hadn�t diminished one bit since the last time I�d
seen him.

It was a beautiful sight to see
our Sacred Spirits entwined with each other again in battle after so long. It was an even more beautiful sight to see
my beloved dragon surrounded by the power of the Sacred Dragoon, the wind blowing
furiously around him while he stood staring up at the spirits unfazed by it and
smiling peacefully. He was�magnificent.

I glanced over at the others,
feeling rather smug on Tyson�s behalf, really, when I saw their dumbfounded,
awed expressions � except for Bryan, Rei, and Hilary who had all seen it
before. Yet even they were quite
impressed.

Turning back to the battle, I
called out to Tyson over the howling wind, �Welcome back, Kinomiya! I�ve waited a long time for this��

He brought his attention back to
me, a slow grin spreading across his face.
I could see his love for me in those vivid blue pools and I hoped he
could see mine for him just the same.
Tyson winked at me and replied, �It�s good to be back, Hiwatari! What�s say we get this over with, hmm? Play time is over.� He looked up to Dragoon and called his
attack. �Dragoon! Attack!�

�Dranzer!� I yelled in response, and our blades went at
it again. Flames shot out in every
direction and had to compete with sparks that could be more aptly described as
mini-lightning bolts as they flew outward, causing the others to duck and dodge
to avoid getting hit. I flinched a bit
from a particularly forceful attack and laughed in pure delight.

This was the way I loved
to blade � against a true opponent who wouldn�t hold back, who would never give
up, and who would always push me to my limits and force me to be better than I
was. And as I�d told Max before, the only
person to ever do that was the young man I�d lost my heart and soul to long
ago.

�I�m glad to see you�re enjoying
yourself so much, lover!� Tyson grinned
at me, laughing. �Too bad I have to end
this now!�

�Bring it on, love! I can take whatever you�ve got.� I told him.
He gave me a quick nod.

�I know. Dragoon�Phantom Hurricane Attack!�

I watched his most powerful
attack come at me and things seemed to slow down to a near stand still for a
brief moment. �You�ve still got what
you had six years ago, Tyson. But I�ve
learned a few new tricks and I�m afraid that this time you can�t win.� I stared into his eyes with a slightly
apologetic smile as I released Dranzer completely, our gazes never breaking
from each other. �Volcano Emission!�

My blade turned from blue to a
dark red and when it lashed out at Tyson�s the resulting explosion was colossal
and loud enough to shake the ground, sending the white blade zipping through
the air and into Tyson�s waiting palm.
I recalled my own blade and tucked it away as the smoke cleared,
revealing a massive crater at the centre of the beydish.

I watched Tyson put his blade in
his pocket and tuck his launcher into the waistband of his jeans at the small
of his back then saunter towards me with a content smile on his face.

�Awesome battle, Kai! We�ll have to do it again sometime after
I�ve gotten some more practice, huh?�

�Count on it, love.� I held out my hand to him and he took it,
linking our fingers together and holding firmly. He looked up at me briefly before he leaned up on his toes to give
me a quick kiss that I helplessly had to respond to, dragging him as close as I
could and kissing him thoroughly and not releasing him until he went limp and
totally pliant in my arms, his fingers tangling in my hair.

We�d both forgotten the others
were even there and I let my hands wander until I gripped his hips firmly and
pulled him against me tightly, his little whimper shooting straight through
me. His arms came up and wound
themselves around my neck and he tilted his head slightly, changing the angle of
our kiss and making it deeper, more passionate. I groaned in response and had this insane urge to pull him to the
ground and simply immerse myself in him completely.

Luckily, Max interrupted before
I could do just that, reminding me of our audience.

�Sorry to bother you when you�re
busy, guys, but�� the blonde tapped me on the shoulder insistently. I broke away from my lover�s mouth and
rested my chin on top of his head, willing my heart and breath to slow down and
for my raging hormones to go away.
Tyson cuddled into me with a sigh, his cheek pressed to my upper chest
contentedly.

�Ah�sorry, Max.� I ran the fingers of one hand through my
hair. �You wanted something?�

He grinned at me and I just
looked at him in return. �Yeah. To tell you guys that was the best freaking
beybattle I have ever seen!� The
guy was practically bouncing up and down he was so excited. I wondered how much sugar he�d put in his
coffee that morning.

�Indeed.� Oliver agreed, stepping up next to Max. �That was fantastic. However, now that I know who you are, Monsieur
Hiwatari, I can not say I am very surprised.
Your skill is legendary, as is your bit-beast and your name.�

�Yeah, well, keep that to
yourself, Oliver. If you don�t
mind.� I gave him a nod of
acknowledgment. �The world doesn�t need
to know I�m back just yet.�

�My word, Kai.� He gave me a graceful short bow.

�Well, now I know why Tyson�s so
important on this mission.� Kenny spoke
up, closing his laptop. �He�s very
good, and Dragoon appears to be quite powerful.�

�That�s an understatement.� Max said.

The Chief�s mention of the
mission reminded me that it was time to pack up and go back to Athens and do a
little brainstorming with the help of Mr. Dickenson and to get Bryan debriefed.

�Okay, everyone. Fun�s over.
Let�s go back inside, pack, shower, or whatever, and get moving. We have work to do.� I glanced at my watch. �You�ve got one hour and we�ll all meet down
in the foyer.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tyson followed me up the stairs
and into our room. I got part way to my
bag when I heard the distinct �click� of the locks on the doors. I stopped and turned around to inquire of
Tyson why and snapped my mouth shut when I saw his hands working quickly to
unbutton his shirt and yank it off then go for his belt buckle.

�What are you doing?� I asked lightly, knowing perfectly well but
wanting to tease him anyway. The look
he gave me was hot and had me stripping my own clothes off in a hurry.

I�d barely stepped out of my
jeans, both of us now naked as could be, when he pounced and we tumbled onto
the bed, our mouths seeking one another and fusing together in a feverish
kiss. His hands ran over me frantically
and I rolled onto my back, dragging him with me until he was draped over my body
and rocking against me insistently. Tyson
tore his lips from mine and descended on my neck, leaving me to gasp in much
needed air and tangle my fingers in his luxurious blue-black hair at the
tingling bolts of pleasure he was invoking in my system.

�Ah, shit!� I moaned when he took one of my already
hardened nipples in his mouth and sucked hard.
�Uhn�Tyson!� I arched into him,
wanting more.

�Mmm�Gods, Kai! Do you know how hot and turned on I got just
from battling you?� He panted, pinching
and rolling the other nipple between his fingers while his mouth worked the
other, making me cry out loudly and writhe helplessly under the onslaught. I could feel his erection jabbing me in the
thigh then rubbing against my own aching cock as he moved against me. �I just wanted to leap across the dish and
jump you.� His mouth left my chest and
moved downwards with a wet trail. He
kissed my navel and dipped his tongue into it, making my spine bow and a low
whimper come from me in needy pleasure.
It wasn�t going to be long and I�d lose control completely and come.

�Tyson�can�t�ooooh!� I didn�t recognize my own voice anymore it
was so husky and needy sounding. �Oh Gods,
Tyson, please!� I was beyond caring if
I begged anymore, and did so unabashedly, my legs splaying farther apart to
accommodate him as my lover settled between them and proceeded to torture me
with that incredible mouth of his and a very talented tongue.

�AH!� I was close to bursting when I felt a finger rubbing my entrance
then slowly slide in. �So good��

�It gets better.� I heard him assure me � not that I didn�t
believe him. Another finger joined the
first and his mouth continued to distract me as he swirled his tongue around my
tip, licking away the nearly continuous drips of pre-cum that formed
there. And then a third finger
stretched me wide and he bumped my prostate.
I let out a shocked yell at the spike of pure ecstasy and managed to
gasp a warning.

�I�m�gonna�cum��

�No! Not yet!� He cut off my
orgasm quickly and removed his fingers letting me calm down a bit. Tyson kissed his way back up my body until
he could kiss me again properly. I
could taste myself on his tongue and I shuddered, moaning his name. �Tyson��

�You know what else I wanted to
do?� He whispered darkly in my ear,
nibbling on the lobe. His hands ghosted
against my sides and grabbed my hips, holding me still against him. I growled in frustration and squeezed the
lobes of his ass with both hands in retaliation. He gasped and chuckled.
�This.�

He thrust into me hard and fast,
just taking me. I gave a hoarse shout
and my head tossed back, eyes rolling up into my head and closing as my mind
swam with pleasure. Never had I ever
imagined myself as uke to his seme but Holy Gods�

I loved it. I loved him. I loved this sudden display of dominance from him and I loved how
he filled me as no one and nothing else ever could. I surfaced from the pool of love and lust I was drowning in to
hear him asking me if I was alright and I realized my ears had stopped working
for a moment there.

��Kai?!�

�Yeah. I�m okay, love.� I pried
open my eyes and stared up into his, blue and silver depths gone nearly black
with his passion and love.

�You weren�t answering me.� He breathed, and shifted experimentally,
earning a whimper from me. I bent my
knees, raising my legs up as far as I could and he sank in deeper, making him
shiver and groan, �Gods you feel so good��

�Fuck me.� I rasped, grasping his shoulders as he
propped himself up on his forearms on either side of me to get better
leverage. �Finish what you�ve started,
my dragon.�

�Yes�� Tyson hissed, withdrawing
nearly all the way from me then slamming back in. I mewled and he did it again, and again, until he was literally
pounding me into the mattress. And with
each stroke he hit my sweet spot, sending spikes of ecstasy coursing through me
in waves until I couldn�t stand it any longer and came with enough force to
wrack my whole body with shudders as I poured myself out between us. Warmth flooded my mind, and bursts of white
fireworks exploded in my vision and I cried out his name euphorically.

�Tyson!� I clutched desperately at his back and
shoulders, sure to leave marks, riding the waves of my orgasm and then his when
he made a strangled noise and shuddered, exploding deep inside of me with a low
moan of my name.

�Kai! Oh, fuck�� he cried out and let his head
drop to the pillow next to my head, trembling uncontrollably above me. I raised my arms and wrapped them around his
shoulders and lower back, holding him to me as we both lay panting and gasping
for breath, our hearts pounding as one.
I turned my head a little and brushed my lips across his cheek and felt
him smile then turn his head to kiss my cheek fondly. I smiled in return and kept my eyes closed and my arms around
him, perfectly content to stay right where we were.

�Gods�� I gave a moaning laugh
when I felt him shift and pull out of me then settle back down on top of me
with a sigh. �I have no idea where that
came from but�wow��

Tyson chuckled and kissed my
neck a few times. �Yeah. I completely agree.� He sighed again and reluctantly sat up,
staring down at me with sleepy blue eyes that sparkled a little with
amusement. I raised an eyebrow at him
and let my hands run up and down his thighs.

�What�s that look for?� I inquired.
He gave me a wicked little smirk.

�Hmm�oh, nothing. Just thinking that I�m the luckiest damn
person in the world, that�s all.�

�Why�s that?�

He leaned down again, pinning
both my wrists to the bed on either side of my head. I growled playfully and gave him a little bit of a struggle,
which just made him grin more.

�I somehow managed to tame the
wild Kai Hiwatari. I earned his
respect, his love, and now he�s given me the last gift he had to give me �
himself.� As he spoke he became serious
and even began to sound a little awed.
I blushed, suddenly feeling incredibly shy for some odd reason. But I didn�t look away.

�It just felt right.� I said softly. �It feels right, Tyson.�
I gripped his hand in mine, our fingers twined together. �I am yours in every way. I love you.�

�I love you.� Tyson bent and kissed me soundly, until this
time it was me who was completely pliant in his arms.

When he let me come up for air,
I panted out, �You�d think we were still hormone-crazed teenagers or
something.� I was hard again and I
could feel him equally hard against my hip.

�You�ve always had that effect
on me, lover.� Tyson informed me in a
husky voice. �But we don�t have time
for another round. We should have a
quick bath and get packed, don�t you think?�

�Damn.� I think I pouted.

He snickered and got off me,
helping me up when I discovered my legs felt like jelly and a sharp pain shot
up my spine when I tried to stand up.
�Whoa, Kai! Easy, love.� Tyson seemed to think for a moment then
simply scooped me up into his arms and strode to the bathroom.

I yelped, startled, and clung
for a second then glared at him. �I can
walk, Tyson.� I complained
petulantly. He ignored me and set me down
gently on the edge of the huge tub when he reached it. There wasn�t much I could do so I gave in.

We had our bath quickly and any
pain I felt after was reduced t o a dull, but bearable, ache.

Tyson and I dressed, packed and
tied up a little, even though I know Enrique would have already called for
cleaning service and to get rid of the food in the kitchens. In all likelihood we wouldn�t be coming back
to Russia, after all.

We all gathered in the foyer and
split up into two vehicles � Tyson, Enrique, Max, and I in my Toyota (since it
was already out anyway) and Oliver, Bryan, Rei, Hilary, and Kenny in Oliver and
Enrique�s rental SUV.

At the airport there was a brief
argument between Oliver and Max over who would pilot my jet back to
Athens. Hilary broke it up, pointing
out that Max didn�t get to pilot it here to Moscow and Oliver did so it was
Max�s turn.

I just rolled my eyes, equating
the two to a couple of kids fighting over a toy. �Children.� I muttered
under my breath, making Tyson smother a laugh.

Once we were airborne and
levelled off, I leaned back in my seat and allowed myself to relax, knowing
there were going to be few opportunities for it in the days to come. Because despite the emotional few days we�d
just had and all the mental stress, I suspected the worst was yet to come.

I finally had Tyson back. Now came the hard part.

Keeping him.

*************************************

Chapter
12: Return to Innocence

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We arrived in Athens and went
through the same process that Rei and I had undergone last time. As soon as we entered the main complex Kenny
bolted for the tech labs. I guess he
missed being surrounded by his gizmos, gadgets, and computers.

Tyson and I watched Hilary watch
him disappear and exchanged glances of sympathy for her. By now we were nearly positive she�d fallen
for the Chief.

We kept on walking, following
Max since he knew his way around this place, until we got to security where we
turned Bryan over for debriefing and review.
Oliver and Enrique came with the rest of us out of pure curiosity about
the base. We were heading for the
cafeteria, which Max assured us was first-class eating (though not as good as
Rei�s), when Emily appeared and came hurrying toward us.

�Phoenix! Oh, good, you�re back. I have some papers that require your
thumbprint (1) and Mr. Dickenson wants to see you and your team
immediately in his conference room.�
She informed me. I raised an
eyebrow at her.

�What are you? His secretary now?� I asked flippantly. She gave me a withering glare.

�I was in his office just now going
over some data and he received word you all had arrived and since I was leaving
anyway, he asked me to send you up.�
Emily explained coolly.

�Chill, Emily. I get it.�

She ignored me and looked at the
rest of the group, her eyes landing on Tyson and Hilary. �Who are they? Do they have clearance to be here? Are they new recruits?�

I stiffened and Tyson just gave
her a winning smile, turning on that impossible charm of his. �We�re here with Phoenix. To help with his mission.� He told her. She eyed him suspiciously.

�Well, you guys, if Mr. D is
waiting for us then we�d better get moving, don�t you think?� Rei hastily pointed out, ushering us away
and leaving Emily behind to stare after us.

�Bye, Emily!� Max waved over his shoulder.

We all crowded into the elevator
after the electronic voice of the security system identified us. On the ride up, Tyson finally commented on
everything. I�d wondered what he would
think, on the plane ride over, of this place when he saw it.

�This is some operation you
people have going here, Kai.� He
observed. �I feel like I�m in some sort
of spy movie or something.�

I smiled and drew him close to
my side with an arm around his shoulders.
Max and Rei laughed outright and the others all chuckled. Tyson leaned into me and slid an arm around
my waist in return.

The elevator stopped and the
doors swung open. We stepped off into
the conference room and I told everyone to take a seat.

Tyson turned to me and said,
�This room�s pretty plush, Kai. Does being
an agent pay well?�

�I don�t know. I don�t get paid.� I shrugged. He stared at
me.

�Why not? I mean, do they pay any of you?�

�Oh, sure. I just refused to take money for what I
do.� I explained. �I still receive the same benefits and stuff
I would if I was being paid, too.�

He nodded, accepting that. �So why don�t you want to be paid? This is a job, right?�

�Yeah. I don�t want to be paid because�� I paused, thinking about it for
a moment. �Because this work I do to
protect Sacred Spirits is a sort of penance � my way of making up for all this
ills I did when I was still under the influence of Voltaire, Boris, and the
Abbey.� I gave my lover a wry
wink. �Besides, it isn�t like I need
money, right? I�ve got more than I know
what to do with truthfully.�

�I see.� Tyson nodded his understanding. Then he got this curious look that I
recognized quite well. �So�about how
much, exactly, would you say is more than you know what to do with, my love?�

I blinked in surprise, since I
didn�t think he ever really cared about my money. He must have seen it on my face because he hastened to reassure
me that was true � that he was just curious.

�Honestly? I don�t have a clue.� I sighed and glanced at Enrique. �Hey, golden wonder! How much am I worth?�

I
asked.

Enrique scowled at the name and
I smirked at him. �Right off the top of
my head, I�d like to say that you�re not worth this pencil I�m holding.� He waved it at us. �But since that�s just instinct and not fact, I�d say you�re
worth well over the billion mark by now.�

Tyson and I, not to mention
everyone else, stared at him in shock.

�Are you kidding me?� I managed to ask after a second of stunned
silence.

�Nope. I�m a businessman, Hiwatari.
I know exactly what to do with money to make obscene gobs more of
it. Your investments have been
fruitful.�

�Well, geez�� I managed. Tyson nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly.

Rei shook his head. �I�ll never totally understand why anyone
could ever want so much money. What
could you possibly do with it all?�

I just shrugged. So did Enrique and Oliver.

�It�s not the money,
necessarily, Rei.� Oliver mused. �It is a game, you see, and money is the way
to keep score.�

�You know�in an odd way that
actually makes sense.� Max said in
wonder. �Wow��

I smiled faintly at Oliver. �Very poetic description, Oliver. And a rather accurate one, too � I suppose.�

He gave me a graceful head-bow.

We sat around the conference
table for a while longer, until my patience was beginning to wear out. That and Tyson�s stomach grumbled. I looked at him sympathetically.

�I�m kind of hungry, too,
love. Think you can hold out for a
little bit longer?�

�Well�I�ll try.� Tyson grinned impishly at me and I smiled.

�Your appetite is legendary,
cousin.� Hilary stated
sarcastically. �Nearly as much as Kai�s
blading skills.�

�I wouldn�t go that
far!� My blue-eyed bishonen protested.

After another ten minutes of
sitting around waiting, someone finally came out of Mr. Dickenson�s
office. It wasn�t who we were expecting
(or at least I wasn�t).

�Mom!� Max�s surprised, happy cry blasted my ears since he was seated on
my right, Rei on his other side, who also winced.

The tall woman had blonde hair
to match Max�s perfectly. A flash of
surprise crossed her face and then she smiled and hugged him when he got up and
nearly knocked her over in a glomping embrace.

�Why, Max! I wasn�t expecting to find all of you out
here. Did you just get back?� She ruffled his hair fondly and his genki
mega-Watt smile flashed brilliantly.

�Yeah, we did. But how come you�re home so early? I thought you were busy doing some research
in Egypt until the end of the month.�

�Mr. Dickenson requested that I
return early.� She explained. �Are you here for a meeting or
something? He isn�t in his office right
now, I�m afraid. Since the Chief wasn�t
here to do it himself, I installed some new computer hardware and updated
everything for Mr. Dickenson myself.�

�We have a briefing.� I told her, speaking up from my seat and
watching her coolly. I�d slipped back
into work mode almost immediately when the door had opened. �Emily sent us up here. She told us Mr. Dickenson wanted to see us
right away.� I frowned. �That was nearly forty-five minutes ago.�

�Oh! Well, that�s certainly unacceptable.� The woman held out a hand to me and I shook it once, albeit
warily. �Director Judy Tate, head of
Research and Development here at the BBA laboratories.� She studied me for a moment and, though it
was only in her eyes for a split-second � I saw recognition of me � and I don�t
mean my code name either. �Phoenix, is
it? Please allow me to find out where
Mr. Dickenson moved to and I�ll inform him of the mix-up.�

I gave her a short nod and she
went over to a side panel on the other side of the room, where there was a
computer screen and telephone, picking up the receiver and making her
calls. Max gave me an odd look and
reclaimed his seat.

�What�s up, Kai?� He asked in a low voice.

I gave him a solid stare and
said equally lowly, �Your mother named me by Phoenix, Max, but she knows who I
am. I could see it.� The implications of that worried me and I
was beginning to wonder what was going on.

�That�s impossible,
though.� Max shook his head. �How would she know you? You�ve never met before, have you?�

�No.�

�Are you sure?� Rei looked around the blonde at me. �Maybe you�re just��

�Seeing things?� I snorted.
�As if. I know what I saw,
Rei. It was recognition.�

Tyson was frowning now, too, and
so were the others, who�d all leaned in closer to the conversation. �But� wouldn�t that mean she�s got higher
clearance or whatever than you, love?�

�Yes. And so much more than that.�
I agreed. My instincts were
setting off alarm bells and I did not like surprises. �Something�s up and I don�t like it.�

Max glanced across the room at
his mother, whose back was to us as she continued to speak to whoever, an
expression of confusion and a hint of hurt � almost betrayal � crossed his face
as the possibilities dawned on him. I
felt bad for him but there was nothing I could do. Rei attempted though, placing a hand on the blonde�s shoulder and
squeezing gently.

�Don�t worry, Maxie. It�s probably nothing. We�re all just a little stressed out after
the last few days.�

Max gave him a smile that was a
fraction of its usual Wattage. I didn�t
think he really believed what Rei said, though.

Judy came back over and informed
us, �Mr. Dickenson is down two floors in conference room E. He�s in a meeting but we all might as well
go down and join in. Salima, my
assistant, said he was wondering where you all disappeared to a long time ago
and thought perhaps you�d gotten lost.�

I made some kind of noise to
show I had heard her and got up, leading the group to the elevator once more. Tyson slipped his hand into mind and I held
it gratefully. I knew he knew I was
worried.

Leaning against the wall of the
elevator with my arms folded over my chest, Tyson right beside me, I let my
unwavering gaze settle on Max�s mother and simply watched her carefully. It was an old trick I�d learned when I was
just a kid. I found that my eyes were a
tool � a weapon even � and that because they were so unnerving to nearly
everyone else, if I stared at a person long enough they would get anxious and
sometimes say something they weren�t supposed to or hadn�t intended, giving
away information.

Oh but Judy Tate was a cool
one. She gave me a small smile and a
miniscule nod of acknowledgement � which told me two things: one, she knew what
I was trying to do and that she wasn�t going to fall for it; and two, she knew
that I knew she was aware of my true identity � and everything that
knowledge implied.

We stepped off the elevator and
followed her down the long, empty hallway to conference room E.

�Wait here a moment and I�ll let
everyone know you�re here.� Judy
instructed before leaving us standing around out in the hallway. I scowled.

�I�m tempted to just walk away
and go to the cafeteria.� I muttered in
annoyance. Rei sighed and nodded in
agreement, still hovering nearby Max and watching over him with concern. The blonde had gone unnaturally quiet and
introspective, his genki self shadowed by the possibility that his own mother
was not who he thought she was.

�Enrique, mon ami,
perhaps it would be wise for us all to retire to your villa here in Athens
later, oui?� Oliver suggested
quietly, and the Italian nodded.

�Certainly.� He gave me a quick glance. �You and the rest of the team are more than
welcome, Phoenix.�

�Thank you, Enrique. We�d be happy to accept your offer.�

The elevator bonged down the
hallway and Kenny appeared, making his way over to join us, his trust laptop
tucked under one arm.

�I got called up to some kind of
meeting.� He said, looking at me. �What�s up?�

�Don�t know, Chief.� Hilary shook her head, moving up closer to
him. �And Kai suspects Max�s mom knows
him.� She added in a conspiratorial whisper.

Kenny blinked and adjusted his
glasses. �Director Judy? How could she?�

�I saw it when we �ran into her�
in Mr. Dickenson�s office, Kenny.� I
told him. He took me at my word and
frowned.

�But that would mean��

�Yes.�

We all glanced over at the
elevator when it bonged again. This
time it was Bryan who stepped off. He
smiled faintly as he approached, and I felt a little badly for him. He looked exhausted.

�I�m cleared, Phoenix. They told me to come up here.� He said.
I shook his hand in acceptance.

�Then welcome to the team,
Bryan.�

Tyson laid a hand over our
joined ones and Bryan looked at him in surprise.

�We�ll find Tala, Bryan. I promise.�
Tyson vowed and I let him say what I couldn�t � wouldn�t. It was an offer of comfort and I am not
really the kind of person who can do that so Tyson did it for me.

And then Rei was suddenly there
and his hand covered Tyson�s. And then
Max�s covered Rei�s. The blonde looked
around at each of us, stopping on me.

�I�m in, too.� He stated and I could see the determination
in his bright blue eyes. �No matter
what else, guys�I�ve chosen my path.� Rei
slipped his free arm around Max�s shoulders.

Kenny slapped a hand on the
growing pile next and when we looked at him he smiled and said flippantly,
�Hey, this sort of operation�s going to need someone of intelligence,
isn�t it?�

Enrique and Oliver just said, �We�re
in, too, Phoenix. Forgive us if we
don�t join in the little pep-squad thing, though.�

That made me laugh � true
European aristocrats that they were and so unapologetic about it.

Bryan looked a little shocked
and overwhelmed but he accepted it as we broke apart, saying nothing but
letting a slight smile remain on his face.

The door to the conference room
opened and a girl stuck her head around the doorframe.

�You can come in now,
everyone.� She informed us, holding
open the door as we filed in.

I recognized three people in the
room immediately when I walked in. One
was Judy, of course, and another was Mr. Dickenson. The third, however, threw me for a loop, though it occurred to me
that I really shouldn�t have been surprised at all. Tyson spotted him immediately, too. And Hilary.

�Grandpa!� They chorused in shock. Hilary ran around the table and gently threw
her arms around the eldest Kinomiya. He
patted her back soothingly and smiled at both his grandchildren.

�There�s my peeps! Yo!
T-man! How�s it hangin�?�

I felt Tyson twitch beside me
and sweadropped at the old man�s speech pattern. �Well,, I�m glad to hear that hasn�t changed.� I said, dryly. Tyson closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples.

�No. It got worse.� He
muttered. �Gramps, must you? We�re all adults here, now, aren�t we?�

�So what?�

�And what are you doing here
anyway?� My beloved was demanding to
know, his blue eyes flashing. �You�re
supposed to be in a hospital, aren�t you?�

�Now, Tyson, everything will be explained
soon, I promise.� Mr. Dickenson replied
before Gramps could retort with equal energy to Tyson�s own. �If you would all take a seat��

�Before we do,� I held up a hand
and my team stopped in their tracks, waiting to see what I was doing. �I want to know what�s going on. I really don�t like surprises, sir,
and you know it.� I eyed him
knowingly. �You�re entirely too crafty
and wily sometimes.�

He had the grace to look a bit
sheepish but before he could say anything Tyson made a noise that instantly had
my undivided attention. I looked at him
sharply and saw him turn positively ashen, those pools of midnight blue turning
nearly black and beginning to glaze over with shock as he stared at one of the
other two men in the room I didn�t recognize.

�Whoa.� I hastily grabbed him and held him upright
when he began to sway. �Tyson! Love��

�You�not possible�can�t be�� he
gasped out. Then his eyes rolled back
up into his head and he slumped against me, unconscious. I grunted and manoeuvred until I could pick
him up in both arms like a child. Mr.
Dickenson looked vaguely distressed and Gramps was holding Hilary�s hand
firmly, watching me carefully and coolly � and totally unsurprised by his
grandson�s reaction. Judy looked a
little flustered.

And then it wasn�t only Tyson
who was in need of support standing up.
Good thing Rei had yet to remove his arm from around Max�s shoulders
because when he saw the fifth person in the room he squeaked out a
shocked, �Dad!� before collapsing to the floor.

I had to close my eyes and
physically swallow back my abilities and temper before I could speak � and even
then some still managed to leak out.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw that Rei had scooped up Max as I had
Tyson, and the feral glint in his own golden orbs matched my feelings pretty
damned closely. He wanted answers,
too. I glared at the five older adults
and saw everyone of them recoil slightly � not much, mind you, but enough.

�Someone had better
explain. NOW.� I snapped, my hold on my temper fraying
fast. Bryan, Oliver, and Enrique moved
up behind Rei and I, though they kept their distance from me.

Kenny looked around at the Five
gravely then finally said, �Meet the five founding members of the Spirit Squad,
Phoenix.�

I looked at him, then back at
the four men and Judy.

�I figured you would come to the
right conclusions, Chief.� Mr.
Dickenson sighed. �Yes. We are the founding members. You all know me, and Director Judy, and now
you�ve met Tyson�s grandfather as well.�

�This is my husband and Max�s
father, Mr. Mizuhara.� Judy introduced
the one Max had called �Dad�, quietly.
Rei just stared at them, his arms tightening around his burden even
more.

My gaze burned into the final
member�s for a moment until even he had to look away. But then he looked back and returned my gaze without flinching
and with a defiance only Tyson had ever been brace enough to show me.

I put two and two together and
suddenly felt cold, hugging Tyson as close as I could protectively, wanting to
shield him from this but knowing it was useless. The damage was done and no matter how much I � or Tyson � was
going to want it, there was no return to innocence for us.

For this was the man Tyson had
inherited his courage from, where my beloved dragon had gotten those gorgeous
blue eyes.

This man was Tyson�s father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifty minutes later I was
sitting on the edge of a nice comfy bed next to Tyson, who was still out
cold. I stroked his hair away from his
face and let these newest developments run through my mind.

Once I�d pretty much figured out
for myself who the fifth member really was, I�d felt my control of my temper
disappear and to keep myself from simply bringing the entire facility down
around us, I had turned on my heel, my lover in my arms, and walked out without
a word. My team had followed on my
heels, and that included Hilary, too � but not before shooting both Gramps and
Tyson�s father a glare that should have skewered them both.

Judy had protested us leaving,
claiming to be worried about Max.
However, she didn�t dare go near Rei, whose golden eyes had gone
completely feline and warned her off.
Mr. Dickenson had simply placed a hand on her shoulder and said, �Don�t
get in their way, Judy. We don�t need
any accidents and Max will be just fine with them.�

Kenny had security arrange to
transport us back out into the city and from there Enrique had a limo come to
pick us up and take us to his villa.
Once there, Enrique led Rei and I to two rooms and we took up our posts
to watch over Max and Tyson until they came around.

I sat there thinking for another
ten, fifteen minutes perhaps when the door opened, accompanied by a soft knock,
and Rei and Max came in quietly, closing the door behind them.

�Has he woken at all?� Rei inquired in concern as they came over to
us. I shook my head.

Max, who was still pale and a
bit shaky on his feet, sat at Tyson�s feet on the bed wearily. �I know why I passed out, Kai, but
why did Tyson? Who was that other guy?�

�Someone whom we both believed
had died man years ago, when Tyson and I were just kids � before we had even
met each other, in fact.� I said, my
soft voice heavy with a barely leashed rage on my beloved�s behalf. Max�s blue eyes widened and he was
immediately sympathetic because even without knowing who the man was beyond
that, he understood how much of a shock it would be for Tyson to find out yet another
person he�d believed dead wasn�t.

�He did look really
familiar.� Rei said, slowly. �Actually, he looked vaguely like Tyson.�

�He is Tyson�s father.� I spat angrily. Uh oh�I was losing my temper again. Rei sucked in a breath and Max�s eyes filled with tears.

�My God. What are we supposed to do?� The blonde wanted to know, looking totally
helpless. Rei began to pace at the foot
of the bed, stalking back and forth with feline grace.

�Will he be strong enough to
handle this, Kai?� the neko-jin finally asked.
�The amount of emotional stress he�s been under in the last week��

�He had only Hilary to help him deal
last time.� I responded, gripping
Tyson�s limp hand between both of mine and deliberately leaving Gramps out of
it. That old man had stood by and
watched Tyson suffer, had lied to his grandson not only about me, but about
himself and Tyson�s own father.
In my books that meant he was useless and untrustworthy. �I won�t let him get lost in the confusion
and pain this time.� I stated
decisively and with a fierce determination to see that my beloved dragon
suffered from this as little as possible.�

�We�re with you both, Kai.� Rei vowed.
Max nodded and wiped away his tears.

�Thank you.� I accepted that quietly, knowing we�d both
need their support. I studied Max
critically. �You look like hell, Max. How are you doing?�

�I feel like hell. I�m also confused, angry, and�lost. It�s like I�ve been betrayed somehow.� His hands fisted in his lap and he hung his
head. �I can�t believe they�ve lied to
me all this time. I�m their son
for God�s sake! I work with my
mom all the time! I just�don�t understand.�

I sighed. �I don�t blame you, Max. We�ll get answers, though. I promise you that.�

Rei sat on the bed behind Max
and pulled the blonde backwards to curl against his chest, his arms sliding
around him and cuddling Max in comfort.
Max sighed and closed his eyes.
I raised an eyebrow at Rei and he jus shrugged, returning my questioning
gaze evenly. �What?� He asked flatly.

�Just wondering what took you so
long, Cat.�

He scowled at me and Max cracked
an eye open. �What�s he talking about?�
He asked curiously. Rei looked down at him with a smile and
began purring like a freight train.

�Nothing, Sprite. Kai�s just being his usual self and poking
his nose in where it doesn�t belong.�
Rei explained. Max closed his
eye again and Rei mouthed, �Asshole.� at me over the mop of blonde hair. I grinned wickedly at him, feeling quite a
bit better now that some of my aggression had been released by teasing my
oldest friend. He sighed and smiled
reluctantly at me. �Feel better?�

�Some. Sorry, Rei.�

�No, you�re not. But thanks anyway.�

Tyson stirred at that point and
I squeezed his hand to let him know I was there.

�Wake up, love.� I coaxed, stroking his cheek gently with my
one hand and brushing my lips across his knuckles on the hand I held firmly in
the other. �Come back now, Tyson.�

�Uhn�� He groaned, opening his
eyes and blearily blinking up at me, trying to focus on my face. �Kai?
What�?�

�You passed out, love.�

�I did?� Oh�� I guess he was beginning to remember
because he went deathly pale. I pointed
to the bathroom and he was gone like a shot.
I got up to follow him.

�Do you want us to leave,
Kai?� Rei asked. I shook my head.

�Stay if you like. Tyson needs us right now.� I said before ducking into the bathroom to
care for my lover, who was currently being noisily ill over the gigantic
sink. I guess he couldn�t make it the
extra few steps to the toilet. Without
saying a word I turned on the taps to wash out the basin and left them running
while I grabbed two face-cloths then got those wet, handing one to Tyson for
his face and folding the other to place it against the back of Tyson�s neck.

I led him back out to the
bedroom and made him lie down. �Rei,
would you go find Enrique and find out when our bags will get here from the
airport?� I requested. He nodded and jogged off.

Max took one of Tyson�s hands in
his and patted the back of it sympathetically.

�I�ll be okay, buddy.�

Tyson swallowed and looked at me
with confused, pain-filled eyes.

{Why, Kai? He lied to me. So did Gramps�about so many things! Why�?} I heard his voice
in my head and I felt his emotions as if they were my own. Lost�so lost. And scared. And so many
other things that all I could do was gather him up into my arms and lap and
rock him as if he�d been a child. I
buried my face in his hair and whispered to him.

�I don�t know, my dragon. But we�ll demand answers and we�ll get them,
I swear. And I�m right here with you,
Tyson, okay?� I felt him nod and clutch
at my shirt, a sob wracking his body as tears began to flow. I held him as he wept and murmured my love
for him over and over again until he calmed down.

Rei returned with our bags and I
helped my shaky lover to the bathroom again so he could wash up and brush his
teeth. Enrique poked his head in and
informed me that Mr. Dickenson and the other four had just arrived. I told him to gather up the team and have
everyone brought to his library for this meeting.

�And for pity�s sake get Tyson
and I something to eat, would you?� I bemoaned. Enrique laughed and disappeared to get to work.

Max, Rei, Tyson, and I were the
last to arrive in Enrique�s library, where he�d had his staff set up a buffet
for everyone. I sat Tyson down and
watched him with an eagle eye, making sure he ate.

I also sat next to him and gave
anyone not on my team a warning glare if they tried to come near him.

Yes, I was overprotective and
acting like a mother hen. So what? Wouldn�t you?

After we�d gotten some food into
us (finally), we got down to the business at hand.

It was time to get some answers
and I wouldn�t stop until I�d wrung every last shred of information from the
Founding Five.

*************************************

Chapter
13: The Reason

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tyson pushed his plate off to
the side and I eyed both it and him.

�You didn�t eat much.� I observed.
He sighed and leaned back in his seat, giving me a weary look.

�I�m not that hungry anymore,
Kai.� He told me. I frowned at him in concern.

�When you don�t eat, I know it�s
time to be worried.� I folded my arms
on the table in front of me and nudged the plate back at him. �Besides, I�ve noticed you�re entirely too
skinny. Put some meat on those bones,
love.�

He pouted at me and sighed again
in defeat, obediently taking a chicken wing and nibbling on it. Satisfied with that, I turned my attention
on the reason we were all sitting around Enrique�s library in the first place.

The Spirit Squad�s Founding
Five: Mr. Dickenson, Judy and Max�s father, and Gramps and Tyson�s father.

I let my eyes roam around the
table at those five faces, stopping when I landed on Mr. Dickenson. He returned my accusing gaze gravely and
even managed to look slightly ashamed.
My eyes narrowed. �There is so much
you are going to explain that I don�t even know where to start. And that goes for the rest of you.� I stated, making sure they understood my
intentions.

�I�ll remind you of who works
for who, Kai Hiwatari.� Judy said, a
hint of anger in her voice. I glared at
her.

�And I�ll remind you,
Director, that I do not take money from you for what I do, and that if I choose
to walk away there is nothing any one of you or all of you together can
do to stop me.� I returned, and it
sounded like the threat it was. If they
didn�t cooperate, I�d walk � and take Tyson and Rei with me because I knew
they�d follow me whether I liked it or not.

�Judy, he has a right to know
why we�ve kept ourselves and our affiliation with the Squad secret.� Mr. Mizuhara laid a hand over hers on the
table. �And why it is we�re revealing
ourselves to him now.�

�And what about me?� Max suddenly spoke up from my other side,
his voice unnaturally serious and quiet.
Rei, on his other side, scooted his chair closer to Max and regarded the
blonde�s parents coolly with his own intimidating golden eyes. There was a great deal of confusion and pain
on Max�s face and I felt badly for him.

�I�m you son. I�ve worked with you, Mom, for years
now. And Dad�� Max closed his eyes
briefly. When he opened them again
there was a growing anger in those brilliant sea-blue depths. �All this time I�ve been lying to you about
pretty much my entire life � not to mention believing I was helping protect you
from Mom�s life in the process � and you�ve let me! You allowed me to believe that you knew nothing of any of this
and yet you�ve known all along.� He
laughed with absolutely no humour and plenty of bitterness. �Well, you both deserve acting awards then,
because you sure had me fooled.
Congratulations. I guess this is
what it really takes to play the spy game.
The ability to lie for whatever amount of time to your own child.�

�Maxie, sweetheart, we didn�t
tell you because we wanted to protect you.
It�s not that we don�t trust you because we do.� Judy tried to explain, looking very
distressed now. �And we love you.�

�We�re so proud of everything
you�ve done, son.� His father
added. �When your Mother and I agreed
to help form the Squad we had to make the decision to tell you or not. At the time, we didn�t think you�d be
recruited or even be interested if approached so we came to the decision that
it was best for all of us if you didn�t know.
And then you were recruited.�

�I couldn�t stand hiding
everything from you Maxie. So your
father and I, and Mr. Dickenson, agreed that I would reveal my job here as
Director of Research and Development and then at least I�d have the peace of
mind of always knowing where you were and what you were doing and you�d be able
to relax a little around me, at least, because you wouldn�t have to continue to
lie to me about yourself.� Judy was
giving her son a pleading look for understanding and Max was just looking back,
completely numb.

�It doesn�t explain why you
never told him about being a founding member, Mrs. Tate.� Rei glowered at her, taking Max�s hand in
his and holding it firmly. �That all
happened years ago. I�ve seen how
secrets can affect people and I would have thought that two people who are
obviously intelligent enough to have formed the Squad and be in this business
in the first place would know that.� At
Rei�s words, I couldn�t help shifting uncomfortably and guiltily, since I was
pretty sure he was talking about me.

�I had to learn that lesson the
hard way.� I said, deciding that what the
hell? Everyone in the room pretty much
had a good idea what I was talking about anyway. �It nearly cost me the most precious thing in my life several
times over.� I felt the old shame and
guilt well up once more and forced it down again. �No matter that I thought I was protecting him from the evils of
this world � and from me. It was a
mistake. And I never make the same
mistake twice.�

Judy glared at me and abruptly
stood up, slapping her hand son the tabletop and making Max jump in startled
surprise. �What do you think you know
of this, Hiwatari? You are not a parent
and I find it questionable that you even know how to feel anything let
alone love and loss. Stay out of other
people�s family business!�

Okay that threw me for a
loop. What?!

Before any of the others (being
my team, that is) could say anything, my defence came from someone I hadn�t
expected at all.

�If you truly believe that,
Judy, then you haven�t been paying attention and though you might think you
know Kai from his files and all that extensive data you�ve collected, I�ll be
the first to inform you that you know squat.�
Gramps said, dropping his usual teenage-slang speech pattern
completely. �Machines, technology, and
science are all well and good when it comes to beyblading but they�re useless
when you�re dealing with people � especially those who are as complex as the
young Phoenix, there.� I saw his wily
slate eyes glint with the same feisty spirit I saw in my lover all too often. �If I didn�t believe in Kai � not to mention
my grandson � and if I didn�t know how much Kai truly loves him, I guarantee
he�d never have gotten near Tyson, let alone have been allowed to let
him believe he was dead for the last six years and for him to go through all
that he has because of it.�

Tyson was staring at him, tears
welling up in his eyes, and he�d dropped the fork he�d been using to pick at
his salad. �Gramps��

The eldest Kinomiya looked at
the youngest with a small smile. �I owe
you huge apologies, Tyson. I helped hide
Kai from you, helped to perpetuate a lie and I did it because I love you and
was trying to protect not only you but Dragoon as well. Even when you gave up on�everything I
continued to lie to you � despite wanting to tell you it all right then and there
when I got to the hospital after Hilary�s frantic phone call.� Gramps sighed, suddenly looking his
age. Tyson made a small whimpering
sound and I didn�t care who else was in the room anymore. My dragon was suffering and damned if I�d
sit there and do nothing. So I pulled
him out of his chair and down on my lap, wrapping my arms around him as much
for my comfort as for his, and he let me, settling against my chest and leaning
his head back against my shoulder gratefully.

�Forgive me, Grandpa, if I don�t
thank you for that.� I said over
Tyson�s head. �Perhaps things could
have been different if you had told him.�

�Maybe. Maybe not.
The damage was already done and I�d say you�re both on the way to
healing each other of the past.� The
old man gave us a grin. �You�re exactly
what my grandson needs, Hiwatari, in a partner. I�ve known that since I met you for the first time all those
years ago. You were what? Ten?
Eleven? And I knew then, too,
that you needed Tyson just as much � maybe more. You were too old for your age, Kai. Children should live and you simply existed.�

I nodded. �Yes.
Tyson is the best thing to ever happen to me � besides Dranzer.� I added as an after thought and got a mental
eye roll from her in response.
{What? It�s the truth!}

{Thank you, chibi. I�m flattered. But you would do just fine without me. You wouldn�t last five minutes without Tyson.} She replied, not one bit of sorrow or
jealousy or anything of the kind in her voice.
She was simply stating the truth as she saw it. I hugged and decided accepting that was
easier than arguing with her about it.

�Um�please excuse for butting in
where I probably shouldn�t, but�� Max was looking a little confused about
something. �What is Tyson�s grandfather
saying about a hospital?�

Tyson shivered in my arms and
looked up at me for guidance. I gave
him a reassuring smile and kissed him on the forehead.

�It�s your decision, love. Tell them or don�t. If you don�t then no one will ask about it
again.� I gave all those not in the
know a solid warning stare that plainly spoke of pain if any of them dared make
a liar of me.

I guess me silently threatening
bodily harm to protect him made him feel better or something because he
actually smiled and swatted my arm playfully. �Alright, love, quit glaring at everyone. It�s okay.
Help me get these off, would you?�
He held out his right wrist to me and I undid the clasp and took the
wristband off, setting it on the table in front of us. Tyson took off his left band and put it on
the table with its twin then nudged me to make me swing the chair in Max�s
direction, holding up the inside of his wrists for our team to se, since they
were all at that end of the table.

Max�s eyes went wide in shock
and Rei made a low noise of anguish while Kenny went pale. Oliver and Enrique gasped and there was pity
and sorrow on their faces now. Even
Bryan looked surprised.

Tyson dropped his hands back to
his lap and stared down at them, fidgeting.

�Oh, Tyson�� Max began but
couldn�t say anything more.

Hilary, who had been sitting on
Tyson�s other side, sniffled and I hid a small smile in Tyson�s hair as Kenny
got up and brought her a handkerchief, sitting in the chair Tyson had abandoned
and holding her hand loosely.

�There! You see?
That boy is not to be trusted.�
Judy said firmly, and rather triumphantly, as if she�d just proved some
great point. �Look at the harm he
causes people he supposedly cares about.�

Ouch. That one hit the mark. I
winced and my arms involuntarily tightened around my lover. I buried my face in his hair and yet again
fought back a flood of guilt.

It also succeeded in snapping
Tyson out of his memories and pissing him off.
My head jerked up as I felt that curious tingling along my arms, making
my hair stand on end, and then a sharp jolt a split-second before the
flat-screen television hanging on the wall behind Judy and her husband started
sparking and exploded, smoke curling from the shattered screen in lazy
tendrils. Everyone but Tyson and I
jumped and Judy yelped, moving away quickly from the smoking machine. No one suspected Tyson was the cause,
though.

�That is enough. You know nothing about Kai if you can
say that.� Tyson seethed and even I was
a little surprised at his anger. �Now
you listen to me��

I began running my hand up and
down Tyson�s arm trying to calm him.
�Tyson, baby, she�s not entirely wrong.� I said, taking his left hand and raising it to place a soft kiss to
the inside of his wrist. �These are
partly my fault.�

Tyson was trembling with either
anger or repressed memories and turned in my arms, cupping my face in his
hands. �No, Kai, they aren�t. These are my weakness. I did this to myself, love. You have to let go of that unwarranted guilt
and forgive yourself. We�ve been through
this, haven�t we?�

I closed my eyes and nodded,
leaning my forehead against his. �I
still haven�t had a chance to put it aside, love. I made a huge mistake in letting you believe I was dead and I
don�t know how long it will take me for me to forgive myself but I�m
trying.� I whispered, opening my eyes
and looking into his. �I love you.�

�I know.� He murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead
and making me sigh. Then he turned
around once again and settled back into my arms comfortably. He may have been in my embrace, but
the way he had his arms lying over mine to hold them in place, the way his
fingers twined with mine, and the way he was situated in my lap with his butt
on the seat between my legs and one of his casually draped over one of mine spoke
volumes about the true nature of our relationship. I was his and no one was taking me away from him ever
again � especially not me. Tyson would
defend me and fight for me even when I wouldn�t do so for myself.

Glancing across the table I
could see that Gramps certainly understood that. In fact he looked downright pleased � and not a little bit smug
about it, either. Tyson�s father I
couldn�t read at all. He was keeping
his expression carefully neutral and had yet to say anything at all � which was
very wise of him, I thought.

�I don�t understand why you�re
so distrustful of Kai, Mom.� Max was
looking at her in puzzlement, still very sad and subdued. �I�ve worked with him so many times now and
I�ve never felt safer on a mission no matter the danger I might have found
myself in. He�s never hurt me or anyone
else but the bad guys and he�s always had my back. You should know better than anyone, being a founder, how much
he�s done for the Squad, for Sacred Spirits and bladers. So why?�

�Yes. Excellent question, Max.�
Enrique spoke up, sounding vaguely like the lawyer he was � in this
case, my defence attorney. I resisted
the urge to point that out and tease him, since now was hardly the time and
place for it. He folded his hands in
front of him and gave her a cool stare.
�Kai is one of the most honourable people I have ever met. I trust him.�

�We all do.� Rei agreed.
�With the exception of Tyson I know him better than anyone. And there is no one I�ve ever trusted more.�

�You are all deceived then! He is a Hiwatari, raised by that vile
grandfather of his to be just as bad.
Boris was his trainer! How can
any of you believe for one second he won�t turn out to be just like Voltaire
and go rouge?� Judy demanded, and I
frowned. I could see the desperation in
her face for some reason and what�s worse there was fear, too. But despite what she was saying, that fear
was not of me.

Now I was really confused.

Even her husband was looking
puzzled, not to mention the rest of us.

�All right.� I said decisively. �You don�t like me for some reason, Director Tate, and quite
frankly, I don�t care. But for Max�s
sake I want to get to the bottom of this irrationality so we can move on to
more important things.�

�I just told you, Hiwatari, my reasoning. Did I speak to fast for you? Perhaps I should repeat it more
slowly.� She shot back, still standing
with her fists clenched at her sides.

I ignored that and asked Tyson,
�How are you feeling, my love?�

�Better, Kai.� He gave me a wry smile. �The food helped.�

�I won�t gloat.� I promised.
�Are you well enough to put an end to Judy�s protests and tell us what�s
really the problem?�

He leaned back against me and
gazed over at her coolly. �Hmm�so you
picked up on that, too? You�re better
at reading people than you give yourself credit for, Kai.� Tyson was absently stroking the back of my
hand as he spoke, a gesture of familiarity that showed how comfortable we were
with each other. �I think I�m strong
enough for this.�

�If you need a little more then
feel free to borrow from me.� I offered
and he smiled.

�Not necessary, but it�s nice to
know you�re here.� He responded and I
waited as he fell silent, staring at Judy.
I knew without looking he�d already begun to dig around in her mind for
answers, and by the expressions on Gramps�, Max�s, and Rei�s faces they could
see his eyes go blank and distant, knowing what that meant he was doing.

Judy couldn�t continue to return
his solid stare and looked away, demanding, �What�s he doing?�

�Tyson?� I inquired.
�What did you find in there?�

�She wasn�t really lying about
what she thinks about you, Kai. Judy
truly believes all her data points to you betraying us all someday. However, she is only using it as an excuse
to hide her fear.� My dragon responded
in a faraway voice. Judy�s head snapped
back to stare at him in shock and apprehension.

�My God. He�s a telepath.� She gasped.

�You bet. Tyson is also empathic.� Gramps informed her proudly. �My grandson has many talents. Beyblading is only one of them.�

�Extraordinary.� Mr. Dickenson murmured. �I�m glad you reached him before Boris
could, Kai. That boy is truly a
marvel.�

�I�ve known that all
along, sir.� I replied. Tyson gave my hand a squeeze and I turned my
attention back to him. He appeared to
be struggling now, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. �What is it, love?�

�She�s resisting me now. I can get past her attempts, Kai, but if I
do, I will knock her unconscious for a while.�

�Stay out of my head.� Judy hissed. �You have no right��

�Mom, either you tell us what
the hell is going on or I will ask Tyson to take the answers out of your
head.� Max declared stiffly, his
ultimatum hanging heavily in the silence.

�Thank you, Max.� Tyson said.
�What you just did made her thoughts perfectly clear long enough for me
to see them before she threw up her shields again.� He sagged against me wearily and I reached over and grabbed a can
of soda from the table, handing it to him.

�Have some of that and tell
us.� I coaxed. He sipped gratefully and sighed.

�She is afraid to lose
Max.� He began slowly. �Judy fears that by lying to him she has
lost his trust and even his love and that he�ll be driven to do something
dangerous and rash on this mission, maybe even be careless and get hurt. She�s using Kai�s �untrustworthy� data and
background to try and keep Max from continuing to participate on the mission.�

Judy burst into tears and
abruptly dropped down into her seat again, burying her face in her hands. Mr. Mizuhara sighed and draped a comforting
arm around her shoulders and handed her a tissue.

Max made a sound that was partly
exasperated and partly annoyed, overlain with sadness. �That�s what this is about? You�re being overprotective again! What�s worse is you�re using one of my
friends to do it! When are you going to
realize I�ve grown up, Mom? I�m not a
child and I can take care of myself.�
He held up his hand when she looked up and opened her mouth to
speak. �No. I don�t want to hear it.
I will always be your son and I will always love you but you have to let
go. I am an independent adult, not a
ten year old kid in overalls anymore.�
The blonde stood up. �Excuse
me. I need to get some air. I�m just too worked up right now.� He excused himself and strode out with angry
strides.

Rei got up to follow and I said,
�Half an hour, Rei. We�ll take a
thirty-minute break. Bring him back
then.�

�Sure.� Rei nodded and gave me a small smile in
thanks before hurrying after Max.

�I agree with Kai.� Mr. Dickenson stated, getting to his
feet. �Let�s take a breather,
everyone.�

Tyson and I went back to our
room as Enrique and Bryan cleaned up the broken television. When we arrived, Tyson flopped down on the
bed with a moan. �Gods. The emotion in there was making my head
ache. And then when Judy started
blocking me��

�I�m sorry, love. I shouldn�t have asked you to do that.� I went to the bathroom and got him a glass
of water and a couple of headache pills.

�No, it�s okay, Kai. I wouldn�t have done it if I hadn�t wanted
to. I just hope it was able to help Max
and his parents somehow so they can work all of this out.� He accepted the medicine and water and I sat
beside him on the bed, soothingly running my fingers through his hair.

�So�� I began after a
moment. �Do you always blow things up
when you�re angry?�

Tyson cracked open a blue eye
and snickered. �I try not to. But she really got on my nerves, trying to
put you on a major guilt trip like that.�

I sighed dramatically. �I guess I owe Enrique a new
television.� He snickered some
more. �Good thing we weren�t in his
office. I might have had to buy him new
computer equipment and a new photocopier, too.� Tyson lost the fight and started laughing aloud. It made me grin to hear that happy sound out
of him again. I lay down on my back
next to him as he laughed so hard he was curling into himself. �It wasn�t that funny!�

Still giggling, he rolled over
on top of me and sat up, straddling my hips.
�Sorry. I guess I needed to let
off some tension.� He looked around the
room curiously. �Hey, this is pretty
nice. I didn�t really take a good look
before. Look at all this marble! And hey!
Is that a balcony?� Clambering
off me he bounced over to the floor-to-ceiling draperies and pushed them aside,
opening one French door and stepping out.
I sat up and yawned, wishing I had time for a nap and watching Tyson
walk along the balcony and admire the view of the city spread out around us for
miles.

Then he turned suddenly and motioned
me to come out there quietly. I stood
and went over, asking, �What?�

�Shh�look over there � in the
gardens.� He whispered and
pointed. I followed his directions and
stared out over the railing at Enrique�s rather extensive garden and courtyard,
and spotted two familiar figures standing under a tree.

�Well, well.� I smirked.
�Rei and Max.�

�Do you think one of them will
ever actually make a move?� Tyson asked
in a low voice.

�They�d better. Rei needs to settle down with someone.� I muttered.
�Max would be good for him.�

�Oh! Oh! Look!� Tyson�s hand latched onto my arm and we both
watched as Rei took a step closer to Max and leaned down to brush his lips
against the blonde�s tentatively before stepping away. Max said something, though we couldn�t hear
what, and it made the neko-jin whirl in surprise. Even from that distance we could see the blushes spreading over
both their faces as Max reached up and brought Rei�s head down to kiss him
firmly and Rei�s arms wound around the blonde.

I heard Tyson sigh in delight
next to me and I rolled my eyes, gently pulling him back into the villa. �Come on, nosy. Let�s just give them some privacy, shall we?�

Tyson pouted and grumbled, �You
have no sense of the romantic, do you?�

�Not at all.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After our half hour break, we
re-gathered in Enrique�s sitting room rather than the library. For one thing it was more comfortable. And for another, it made me quite happy because
I could sit on the settee with Tyson leaning against me, curled into my side
with my arm around him and his legs tucked under him and off to his other side.

�I�ve sent all the servants home
for the day.� Enrique informed me
quietly before we got the rest of this meeting underway. �Not that I don�t trust my staff but it�s as
much for their protection as our own if they don�t know anything about our
conversations here.�

�Very cautious of you. Good thinking, Enrique.� I commended him. �Let�s get this over with, shall we?� He nodded and went to take a seat. I wanted this done and I wanted answers. I could feel the tension in Tyson�s body
that had returned almost as soon as we entered the room and he spotted his
father again.

Before I could open my mouth to
begin, Judy appeared, Max�s father right behind her. She came over to me slowly and I regarded her silently and
coolly.

�I wish to apologize, Kai, to
you and to Tyson.� She said,
quietly. I could hear her embarrassment
and guilt in her voice but it didn�t really affect me much. �Those things I said, how I�ve treated you
both today�I shouldn�t have projected my fears for my son on you. I know better. I let my judgement be clouded over and I hope you�ll forgive me.� Judy gave us an abject bow of apology and
Tyson sighed. I had nothing to say to
her so I let my lover speak for us both.

�We accept your apology, Judy.�

She gave us a small smile and
let her husband guide her away to take a seat next to Tyson�s father on the
couch. Max sat with Rei and though he
still seemed sad and angry with his parents, I could see that genki spark back
in his eyes. He�d apparently regained
some of his strength and spirit now that he�d found support in Rei, for which I
was glad � though I�d never admit to it aloud.

�All right, people. Let�s get back to things.� I took control of the meeting and I looked
solidly at Gramps and Tyson�s father.
�Max and his parents can work out the rest of their situation later. You two, on the other hand, are going to
explain to us what�s going on right now. I suspect it has something to do with the mission, else you,� I
pointed at Tyson�s father, �Would not have revealed yourself.�

�I see everything I�ve been told
about you is true.� The man
observed. �Mr. Dickenson told me you
were highly intelligent as well as powerful.�

I just looked at him
impassively.

�Tyson, my man, I want to
explain something right away, before we tell you everything else.� Gramps spoke up, regarding his grandson
carefully. �Up until six years ago when
Stan approached me about forming the Squad, I�d believed my son was dead,
too. And then, after I learned why he
had faked his death and let us believe it for so long, I had no choice but to
continue to pretend he was dead.�

Tyson gripped my arm. �I see.
And why, then, was that? Why did
he just abandon me as a child and why does he think he can just waltz back into
my life like this?� My lover demanded
in anger, confusion, and grief.

�Because of everything that I
know about the creatures we call bit-beasts and the incredible forces they control.� Tyson�s father answered softly.

Mr. Dickenson nodded, fiddling
with his cane absently. �Mr. Granger,
you see, is an archaeologist. His life
has been devoted to the search for knowledge about Sacred Spirits.�

Tyson flinched and stared at his
father sadly. �So devoted that you
abandoned your family and even changed your name?�

I never wanted to, Tyson. I know you�re not inclined to believe me,
but please listen to what I have to say.�
The older man rubbed a hand over his face then clasped his hands in
front of himself, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. �You see, when you were just a baby, I went
to work for a university on a new project that was being sponsored by a
relatively young, but incredibly successful, company that dealt with the game
of Beyblade. At the time, I didn�t
really know who I was truly working for.
Turns out the company was Biovolt.�

My eyes narrowed and Tyson
sucked in a breath. �Go on.� I said.
He had my attention now and I suspected Tyson was just as eager to hear
this � not to mention everyone else.

�The university was one I�d
worked with before so I�d had no reason not to trust them. And looking back I don�t think they did know
who they worked for. When the
university�s president contacted me he told me he had a project for me that he
was sure would interest me greatly and perhaps even gain me recognition among
the world�s top archaeologists and anthropologists if I made the kinds of
discoveries the project�s sponsors were hoping for. So I went and met with the president and a man the sponsors had
sent to oversee things. That man was
Boris.�

�Why am I not surprised?� I heard Rei grumble. My sentiments exactly.

�To make a long story shorter, I
went to work on the new project. After
a few years of researching and boning up on everything I could get my hands on
that had even the slightest bit to do with Sacred Spirits, I followed some of
the information to Egypt. There we
began a series of digs. On one of them
we found some ancient hieroglyphs and scrolls of papyrus that spoke of how
great creatures of power were used in ancient contests of skill and power, and
how these games began to change when those who played them grew greedy and power
hungry. The contests grew out of
control and so many of the most powerful of the creatures were sealed away in
rock and stone. Some few remained in
the care of certain families, tribes, etc. for protection and such.� Tyson�s father reached into his pocket and
drew out a beyblade. �Those spirits not
sealed away retreated to objects of power and importance � symbols,
basically. Things like swords, armour,
jewellery, and some went into the bit-pieces of blades.�

Tyson took out his blade and
stared down at the bit-piece.
�Dragoon. He was in our family
sword in the dojo until one day he left it and entered my beyblade.�

�Yes.� Gramps smiled. I hugged
Tyson and he cuddled into me, handing me Dragoon�s blade, which I obediently
studied.

�So what happened next?� Enrique asked.

�I took extensive photos of the
scrolls and catalogued the hieroglyphs on the walls of the room we found them
in. Then we sent them off to the
university and resealed the room. I
came home, worked on the new information for about four months until I figured
out the clues there and discovered where one such rock could be found.

�I went with a team of
researches to a spot in Mesopotamia just outside of the ruins of Babylon. We found the rock but we also found another
chamber full of scrolls and texts, and after repeating the process we used in
Egypt we sealed that room again and I did more examinations back at the
university. I never knew what the
university did with the rock but I suspect our generous �sponsors� took it
someplace.�

That made a whole lot of sense
to me. �Well, that explains where Boris
and his mad scientists got the bit-beasts to experiment on at the Abbey.� I closed my eyes, feeling a lot of sorrow at
the way those spirits had been treated.
It was only one of many reasons I did what I did everyday. I wouldn�t allow any other Sacred Spirit to
suffer as those at the Abbey had.

�And that hardly surprises
me.� Tyson�s father drawled. �Now, anyway. I was quite na�ve back then.�

�Tell them the rest of it, son.� Gramps urged.

�Well, it�s fairly simple,
really. One day I went back to the lab
to pick up some papers and books one evening long after everyone else had gone
home for the day. When I got there, I
discovered Boris had dropped by and he brought his boss, Voltaire, with
him. He was in the lab showing the old
man all the research. I overheard a
portion of their conversation.� He looked
at me solemnly. �They were discussing
their plans to create mutant bit-beasts and how they would do so from he spirits
in the rock, then how the mutants would be put into the hands of the army of
brain-washed children at the Abbey.� I
gave him a short nod of acknowledgement.
�I snuck away before they caught me and I immediately called some
contacts I had in the government. They
put me in contact with Mr. Dickenson.
He was able to help me arrange a way to take the next big discovery we
stumbled on and put it out of Biovolt�s reach.�

�Another discovery?� Oliver inquired. �What was it?�

�A second rock. We found that one in Central America in a
chamber beneath one of the ruined temples of the Aztecs.� Mr. Granger revealed. �We did it on a holiday, when everyone was
returning to their homes. That way I
could take the rock and it wouldn�t be discovered missing until everyone
returned a week later. Or at least,
that was the plan. I didn�t realize
that Boris had left behind a guard to keep an eye on things and he saw me steal
the rock. Biovolt sent out assassins
after me but I managed to avoid them long enough to get the rock to Mr.
Dickenson. And then, not only to
protect myself but Tyson, Gramps, and Hilary, too, we arranged for my death to
faked � so convincingly that no one would question it and come after my
family.�

�The car explosion.� Tyson whispered. �No one could have survived it and all the papers and whatever
with you would have been destroyed.�

�Yes, Tyson. You were only six years old by that
time. It was the hardest decision I
ever had to make. I have missed so much
of your life because of all this.� The
man suddenly looked weary and far older than his age and I couldn�t blame him.

Apparently my lover couldn�t
either because he pulled out of my embrace and got up, walking over to his
father and throwing his arms around the older man�s shoulders. He looked a bit surprised for a moment but
returned the hug quickly and firmly.

Now, I�m not a sappy kind of
guy, but even I had to sniff a bit.
Hilary was crying into her handkerchief she�d gotten from Kenny and Max
was sniffling into Rei�s shoulder. The
sentimentality of the moment was enough to smother.

�You�re back now. That�s all that matters any more.� I heard Tyson say in a watery voice, muffled
by his father�s shirt.

�Okay. So now we know how all that happened. But why come back now?� I
asked, trying to get the meeting back on track and the emotional level down
again. �Have you discovered some new
information or something?�

�Yes, in fact, we have.� Mr. Dickenson spoke up. �You see, I took the rock and up until we
formed the Squad � and then after as well � Mr. Granger continued to research
and analyze all the information he�d gathered for us. He even went back and had those chambers reopened. The scrolls and the rock are now in the
vaults here at the main base. Judy has
been working with him as much as she can to help learn more about the rock.�

�And what did you find?� Max questioned. Tyson came back to me and I took his hand in mine, rubbing it
between my palms.

�You okay?� I asked in concern. He nodded and I kissed the back of his
hand. �Good.�

�It�s very serious, Max.� Judy told him, her expression reflecting her
statement. �But it didn�t come from the
rock or the scrolls.�

�We had an email come in a day
and a half ago from a contact in Belgium.�
Mr. Dickenson said. I frowned.

�That�s where those hired thugs
at that club in Moscow told me Boris was going.�

�Ah. Well, he�s been and gone now.
Our contact told us he�d brought some rather exceptional diamonds with
him and sold them.�

�That jives with the thugs� story.�

�He�s returning to Moscow,
briefly.� Mr. Mizuhara added. �And from there he�s heading for Australia.�

�Australia? What for?�
I had no idea what could be down under that would interest Boris.

�We think that�s where he�s set up
his new operations base.� Judy said.

�Great. At least we have a direction to go,
now.� I muttered.

�You will follow him,
then?� Oliver asked me. �Do you not think it would be best to wait
until we have more information?�

�It doesn�t really make a
difference to me.� I stated. �I have had enough of that demon. I am going to stop him once and for all.�

A sudden ringing of a cell phone
made all of us jump a bit. Mr.
Dickenson pulled out his and got up, walking away from the group to answer it.

I leaned back comfortably in my
seat and Tyson looked up at me.

�Tired, love?� He reached up to run his fingers through my
bangs. �You look like you could use a
nap.�

That, of course, made me yawn.

�I�m fine, Tyson. We can sleep later.�

He chuckled and he said in my
head, {Much, much later, I hope. I
intend to wear you out tonight, lover.}
I felt a pleasant jolt at the heated statement.

�Oh, really, now?� I murmured next to his ear. �I look forward to it.�

Mr. Dickenson returned at that
point and he was looking rather worried and distressed, his face pale.

�Boss? Everything alright?� Rei
got up and led him to a chair, checking over the old man carefully with his own
abilities.

�No. The last of our reason will have to wait, I�m afraid. It appears that Tala managed to sneak out a
message to the Squad. And along with it
came detailed data and schematics for Boris� base. The data is of Boris� plans.�
Mr. Dickenson informed us.

�And�?� Kenny wanted to know. I was dreading the answer.

�He isn�t trying to make another
Black Dranzer, as we had thought. He�s
out for revenge.� The old man wiped his
brow with a tissue from his pocket.
�Boris is developing a virus � for bit-beasts. If the virus gets out and works as he wants it to, all the Sacred
Spirits everywhere could be destroyed.�

The only thing that could get
through my shock was�

Why can�t anything go right?

*************************************

Chapter
14: Double Agent

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really didn�t want to, but we
ended up all trooping back to the base to find out just what exactly was going
on.

Tyson kept yawning and it only
served to make me even more sleepy and worn out than I already was. I think the jet lag was starting to catch up
with us, too.

After once again spending and
annoying amount of wasted time sitting around Mr. Dickenson�s conference table
doing next to nothing for several hours while all the recent data was being
verified, compiled, and analyzed, we finally got the gist of the threat.

�This is how we stand.� Mr. Dickenson. �Judy?�

�Yes.� She stood and turned on the computer monitor for all of us to
see. �These are the detailed files that
Wolf managed to send us. From what I can
determine from these, the files outline the necessary materials and steps to be
taken in order to create a virus. This
virus is for Sacred Spirits, and in short, uses the special abilities of each
bit-beast against themselves in order to destroy them completely.�

�Special abilities?� Olive inquired.

�Each Sacred Spirit is, in some
way, connected to an element � earth, air, fire, water, etc.� Mr. Granger spoke up. �It was these elemental powers that the
ancients lost control of and why many Spirits were sealed away.�

�But why does Boris need those
DNA samples he got from our Sacred Spirits six years ago?� Rei wanted to know. �He�s not creating a new Black Dranzer,
so�why?�

I closed my eyes. I had a pretty good idea, now. �Because there are four Sacred Spirits � at
least � who control the most pure power of their elements. If he uses the virus on them and it
works, Boris will be certain it will work on every other Sacred Spirit also.�

Everyone stared at me and Judy
broke the stunned silence. �Very, very
good, Kai. You�ve gotten it.�

�So�� Max said, slowly, thinking
it through. �I�m assuming, then, that
Dranzer is Fire��

�Dragoon is Air�� Tyson
continued, looking over at the blonde and Rei.
�Which leaves Draciel as�?�

�Water.� I provided.
�And Driger is Earth. Boris took
samples of our bit-beast�s DNA a long, long time ago � Driger�s and Draciel�s
from various tournaments where you battled bladers from the Abbey and without
your knowledge. Dranzer�s he could get
nearly anytime he wanted off of me.� I
looked back at Tyson and sighed. �But
Dragoon was a different story. He had an extremely hard time trying to
get a good sample from you. You were
too good for his regular bladers and it was lucky that you just never happened
to ever wind up battling one of the Demolition Boys.�

Tyson�s eyes went wide. �Is that what you had been ordered to do at
the Worlds?� He asked, beginning to put
a few things from our past into place.
�That�s it, isn�t it? At the
championships, when you battled me in the finals, you were supposed to take
Dragoon from me when I lost�but you didn�t!
And then later�when I came to congratulate you and��

�Yeah.� I cut him off quietly, feeling a pang in my
chest at the memory of what I had done, what I had said, in order to push him
away in my attempt to protect him.
�That�s exactly what I was supposed to have done.� I stared into his glistening storm blue
eyes, filled with sudden clarity and�relief.
�I couldn�t do it. It was the
last straw for me. But then you came
and�for a moment I forgot about it all.�
I said softly, staring down at the table now, really uncomfortable under
everyone�s scrutiny when I was talking about myself � a particularly private
part of myself, too. �And when I
remembered�I knew I had to push you away, get you out of my life and away from
me so that you�d be safe. So Dragoon
would be safe.�

Tyson sniffled and was out of
his chair in a flash, crawling into my lap and wrapping both arms around my
neck and shoulders securely and tightly as he buried his face in the crook of
my neck. I held him close and felt a
shiver run through his body.

And then I heard a ragged
whisper of, �So you didn�t mean any of it?�

I shook my head and hugged him
hard �Hell no, my love.� I whispered back in his ear. �Not one word of it.� I heard a ragged sob and he clutched me
tighter. �Forgive me?�

�I already have��

Rei cleared his throat and got
everyone�s attention, for which I was thankful because it wasn�t on Tyson and I
and our emotional little scene any longer.
While my dragon and I got a hold of ourselves, my closest friend
continued the briefing for me.

�Okay. We know what Boris has planned, and we know where he�s going�so
what do we do? He�s going to come after
Tyson eventually because he needs Dragoon if he wants to be positive his
little science project will work on all the Sacred Spirits, right?� Rei wondered.

�Probably. However, we can�t afford to assume he�s sane
enough to not just go ahead and unleash the virus anyway. It�s to great a risk.� Max�s father pointed out.

�We have to get him before he
can even finish developing the virus.�
Judy stated. �The schematics
Tala sent us for Boris� new lab is a good place to start.�

�What would you suggest,
then?� Mr. Dickenson wanted to know. �I�d hesitate to send in a full squad and
raid the place.�

�I wouldn�t.� Gramps shook his head. �It�s the wrong strategy for this,
Stan-my-man. The creep would just run
off and disappear back into the hole he crawled out of in the first place all
over again. We�d never find him.�

Bryan, who is usually extremely
quiet, suddenly spoke up. �Boris �
whether he�s sane or not � is arrogant and prideful. If the thinks he�s winning, we can get to him much easier. He will grow careless when he begins to believe
he�s ahead.�

Tyson settled back comfortably
in my arms and I had to agree with Bryan.
�He�s right.� And I didn�t like
it.

The Founding Five exchanged
glances.

�Alright.� Judy said slowly. �And how do you propose we go about this, then?�

�Somehow he has to get what he
wants � or at least think he�s getting what he wants.� I told her, a plan I really didn�t
like forming in my mind. �A challenge.�

Bryan�s smile came instantly �
and a touch wickedly. �He won�t be able
to resist.�

Enrique tapped his fingers on
the table, mulling that suggestion over.
�So�you�re saying the Squad should offer a challenge to Boris� best
blader. But the only person he�ll want
to battle is��

�Me.� Tyson nodded. He sounded
calm about it, but from the way he gripped my hand I was fairly sure he wasn�t
calm. �There�s only one problem.�

�What�s that?� Max asked.
�You�re one of the best bladers I�ve ever seen. Anyone you take on shouldn�t be a very big
challenge.�

�No�that�s not it. I have the best possible coach right
here.� Tyson patted my arm around his
waist. �It�s who Boris� best blader is.�

Bryan paled, more than he
already was if that was possible.
�Tala.�

�Right.�

�That could definitely be
a problem.� Rei slouched in his chair.

�It could be to our
advantage.� Mr. Dickenson mused,
playing with his moustache as he considered it. �Falcon has complete faith that Wolf hasn�t turned rogue on the
Squad. I, for one, am leaning toward
that direction myself � even if I don�t agree with how Wolf has gone about
things.�

�But we don�t know.� I protested. �I don�t like sending Tyson in there without knowing that Tala is
still on our side � no offence, Bryan.�

�None taken. I�d want to know for sure to� and I
do.� Bryan gave me a short nod. �I don�t believe Tala would join up with
Boris again for real willingly and on his own.
But we all know that when it comes to that demon�s spawn�well, let�s just
say he has a way of making people do things they don�t necessarily want to do.�

Tyson shivered and I hugged him
tightly.

�Oh my�� Mr. Dickenson drew a
handkerchief from his pocket and mopped at his forehead. �I�m afraid I�m at a loss on this one.� He looked at Tyson and I gravely. �This decision is yours to make, Kai. And yours, too, Tyson. We can�t force you to do any of this.�

�If you don�t want to do it,
love, then we will find another way.� I
told him quietly, and I felt his hand on my arm move up and own slowly,
comfortingly.

�I�ll do it.� He finally said, turning in my arms so he
could look me in the eye. �I can do
it.�

I took his face between my hands
and promised, �I will be right there with you.
Dranzer and I will keep you and Dragoon safe, I swear.�

�I know, Kai.�

And that was that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While the Squad�s communications
and security teams went about devising ways to contact Boris without letting
him know how we figured out how to contact him, let alone how we knew he
was alive and lurking, the rest of us went back to Enrique�s villa for much
needed sleep.

Tyson was already in our room
and I assume getting ready for bed as I made my way there through the halls of
the villa from the library, where I�d been on the phone with Kenny. He�d volunteered to stay behind and keep an
eye on the planning and whatnot for us, something I gladly let him do.

I got half way down the hall to
my room when another door opened and out slipped a barely clad neko-jin. He was obviously trying to be stealthy �
though it wasn�t working so well for him this time as it usually does. Grinning wickedly to myself and folding my
arms over my chest, I decided to scare the boxers off of him.

�You really are a tom-cat aren�t
you?� I observed loudly, making Rei
jump two inches off the floor and let out a startled yowl. I grinned even more as he gasped and whirled
around to face me, clutching his chest with both hands.

�Fuck!� He swore � something he rarely does, I might
add. I laughed and he snarled at me in
annoyance. �Damn it, Hiwatari! Where did you come from, anyway? You scared the hell out of me!!�

�Poor you.� I drawled, completely unsympathetic. �Is there a reason you�re sneaking out of
your own room in your underwear?�

Rei immediately blushed bright
red and his tail lashed in agitation.
�Ah�I was just�uh��

�Never mind. I don�t need a full news bulletin.� I rolled my eyes and waved him away. �Get going before Max gets lonely and comes
looking for you. One of you running
around the place nearly naked is bad enough.�

Trying to hide his embarrassment
and keep some of his dignity, Rei stuck his nose in the air and gave me a snort
of indifference. �Fine. I will.
Not because you told me to, but because very shortly I hope to be completely
naked.� I groaned as he wiggled his
eyebrows suggestively at me. I so
didn�t need to hear that! Too much
info�

�Oh, ugh. Bad mental images! Go away, Cat.� I winced
and walked up to my door, opening it and quickly going in, the sound of Rei�s
vastly amused chuckles following me.

Tyson was sitting on the bed
looking very delectable, with his knees drawn up to his chest, the sheet on the
bed draped over them and one arm slung around his knees. He looked up as I came in and raised an
eyebrow at Rei�s laughter before I firmly closed and locked the door.

�What was Rei snickering about?�

�Oh�nothing. He just gave me a few bad mental pictures I
really didn�t need and thought it was amusing.� I started pulling off my clothes, taking my time about it for
once. �I was torturing him because I
caught him sneaking off to Max�s room in his boxers so I guess I deserved it.�

Tyson laughed. �Way to go Rei and Max! Finally��

�Maybe they�ll quit making
cow-eyes at each other now.� I hoped,
agreeing with him.

My lover�s look was
reproachful. �Not one romantic bone in you,
is there?�

Done undressing, I padded over
and crawled into the bed with hi. �I
guess not�� I lay on my back and looked up at him and a bit sideways, since he
was still sitting up. �Does it bother
you that much, love?�

Tyson sighed and reached over to
flick off the lamp next to his side of the bed, throwing the room into
darkness, before sliding down under the sheet and moving up closer to me. He propped his head up with a hand, lying on
his side facing me, and started drawing random patterns on my chest with the
fingertips of his free hand.
�No�because if you were all gushy and sappy you wouldn�t be
you.� He smiled at me and let his hand
rest over my heart. �And I love you
just as you are, Kai.�

I covered his hand with one of
mine and with the other I drew him down to kiss him seriously, trying to convey
everything I felt for him in that gesture.
It became a long, slow, thorough exploration of each other. I guess he understood what I was trying to
tell him without words because he responded by making love to me in a way that
was reverent, passionate, and almost tender at times � and at others rough,
demanding, and insistent. He filled me
completely � body, mind, and even spirit � and I hoped he understood how much
it meant for me to give him everything I had to give.

When we finally collapsed in a
tangle of exhaustion, sweat, and satisfaction, purely satiated and blissfully
content, Tyson gave me a soft smile, staring into my eyes from mere centimetres
away, and said in a husky, sleepy voice, �My everything.� He said it quite possessively, too.

I fell asleep curled into him
with a peaceful smile on my face.

I guess he does understand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day dawned dark,
gloomy, and raining. The Founding Five
arrived with Kenny in tow, even before Tyson and I had gotten breakfast. By the time the Five had left again, we not
only had been in contact with Boris via email, but also had a scheduled
beybattle in Sydney in one week between Tyson and Boris� best blader � Tala.

There were conditions, however,
and I can�t say I didn�t expect them.
No one was to be wired, for one thing.
I suppose surveillance made Boris nervous. I wasn�t really worried about that because even if we weren�t
wired directly, there were always the satellites orbiting the planet�which
Kenny assured me (out of ear shot of the Five) he could use his laptop to hack
into and keep an eye on everything.

Another condition was that
neither side was allowed to bring more than four other people with them. Now this is one I protested � loudly.

�Say what?! You�re not serious!�

�Now, Kai�� Mr. Dickenson held
up a hand and hastily tried to explain himself. �We had to argue extensively to get him to agree to that
many. He only wanted two others.�

�It won�t matter what deal was
made.� Bryan interrupted. �Kai knows as well as I do that Boris will
have backup either surrounding the area or very close by. He never leaves home without an entourage.�

�Exactly! If I only get three other people besides
myself and Tyson then other plans had best be made to back us up.� I ground out, reigning in my temper.

�And me.� Bryan looked solidly at me. �I�m one of your four, Kai. You�re not leaving me out of it.�

�Max and I are with you,
too.� Rei put in, and Max nodded in
agreement.

�What about me?� Kenny wanted to know, looking vaguely
disappointed to be out of the action.

�You, Chief, will coordinate our
backup and whatnot.� I informed
him. �Be our �eye in the sky�?� I reminded him meaningfully. He gave me a quick nod of acceptance. Luckily, the Five didn�t catch the hidden
meaning of my suggestion.

�Say, Enrique?� Oliver inquired suddenly. The Italian glanced over at him. �What do you suppose Robert and Johnny are
up to?�

Enrique�s answering grin was
evil. �Bored. Oh, I�m sure they�d love to take a small working vacation to
Australia. Wouldn�t you agree?�

�Certainly.� Oliver grinned back.

�Gryphon and Gladiator?� Max asked, eyes widening. �I thought they weren�t active agents
anymore.�

�They aren�t.� Judy agreed. �But they still help out from time to time in their own ways.�

I groaned and Tyson gave me a
strange look. �What�s the matter?�

�You just had to suggest the
MacGregor to help you be backup, didn�t you?�
I accused Oliver and Enrique.
Rei began snickering and I gave him a glare.

�Hey! You have to admit he�s good, Kai, whether you like him or
not.� Rei felt obliged to point out to
me. I just continued glaring.

�Besides, mon ami, you need
people you can trust to keep secrets.
Short of everyone in this room, you must know that if you demand silence
from either Robert or Johnny they will agree and keep to their oaths.� Oliver sounded pretty damned sure of that.

�I don�t trust that many people,
Oliver.� I reminded him. �Least of all that hot-headed, aggressive,
Scot.�

�Then we will take
responsibility for him.� Enrique
offered. �If he goes back on his word,
then it�ll be on our heads, too.�

I muttered a few unkind things
about the Scottish blader in question under my breath in Russian. But I needed strong, reliable backup and the
former European team � all four of them � would be the best I could get on
short notice like this, and I knew it.

�Alright, fine. Whatever.�
I gave in. �Just keep him away
from me, got it?�

�We will.� Oliver promised.

After that was settled, all we
did was finalize our plans and make sure everything was set. Enrique and Oliver went off to contact their
former teammates, who were apparently as bored as they�d said in their
retirement, and who quickly agreed to join up.

The Founding Five, satisfied
that we had things under control for now, left us at that point, one by one.

Tyson said goodbye to his
father, Gramps, and Hilary � who would go with them for now until it was all
over. Max had a somewhat emotional and
stiff goodbye with his parents. I guess
they hadn�t had a chance to work things out with each other yet and I felt a
little badly for Max.

Just before Mr. Dickenson walked
out, he laid a hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile that said he was very
proud. Of me.

I blinked at him, not used to
this at all. �Sir?�

�You�ve come a long way,
Kai. I�ve watched you grow into the man
you are and I couldn�t be more pleased than if you were my own grandson.� He gave me a fond pat and I just stared at
him, not sure what to say. �You will
do just fine in this whole saga. I have
faith in you. Now�� Mr. Dickenson
dropped his hand and straightened. �You
have one week to train and prepare Tyson for his battle. Will it be enough?�

Tyson slipped his hand into mine
and I gripped it. He looked at Mr.
Dickenson with smoky blue eyes that were filled with determination.

�More than enough.� My lover stated.

The old man laughed,
delighted. �Excellent. Then I will just leave you two boys to get
started. Oh! And there�s one more thing I nearly forgot to tell you��

�What?� I asked suspiciously. He had a familiar gleam in his eyes that
told me he was being wily again.

�I realize neither of you wants
Tyson to become an agent for the Squad.
And I want you to know, Tyson, that if you should ever change your mind,
you will be welcomed with open arms.�
Tyson nodded. �However, because
you are putting yourself on the line to help us in this endeavour, I�m making
you a temporary agent.�

Both of us stared at him and he
grinned at us.

�That�s not all.� Mr. Dickenson motioned Rei, Max, and Kenny
over. �You five have earned the respect
and loyalty of not only your fellow agents and the Five, but of all the bladers
and Spirits you�ve helped over the years.
And because of this, each of you are now the Spirit Squad�s elite � with
Alpha and Omega clearance.�

I swear Kenny started to vibrate
he was so elated. �You mean�I can
access any information anywhere in the world that I want? And I don�t have to do it illegally?�

Max grinned his thousand-Watt
smile and clapped the Chief on the back.
�It�s a dream come true for you isn�t, Chief?�

Mr. Dickenson wished us all luck
a final time and left us stunned and a little flustered. It�s not everyday one gets promoted at the
Squad � especially to that level.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One week.

Seven days of training,
exercises, practice matches, and physical conditioning.

Tyson already had the skill, the
raw talent. Now it was about
fine-tuning and polishing his abilities, as well as building up his endurance
and adaptability again. I will admit
that I put him through training hell that week. But it was necessary.

And to make it up to him, every
night he got a full-body massage from me to ease away the aches, pains, and
tension in his muscles and the rest of him, too. I would work him to death in our training sessions, but then I�d
work him over until he was putty in my hands.

But he surprised me a little
because not once did he complain about anything. I was so proud of him I swear I wanted to burst.

Tyson wasn�t the only one who
got in to my regiment. I made the whole
team train, with Kenny and I supervising their every move.

Rei wasn�t above voicing his
opinion about his own aches and pains on occasion � which I summarily
ignored. Bryan was used to the
intensity of the workouts I was putting them through so he didn�t complain,
either. Max continued to astound me
because he did anything and everything I asked with a smile and without
question.

That boy is inhumanly genki.

Even Oliver and Enrique got into
things, saying they could always use the extra practice anyway.

By the end of the week we had
done as much as we could and my beloved dragon had vastly improved in such a
short time.

�Well?� He asked, hands on hips after his practice
battle with me. �Have I gotten any
better? What�s the verdict?�

�There�re definitely significant
improvements in his power levels and his other stats, Kai.� Kenny called out from the sidelines.

�You�re ready.� I decided, putting my blade and launcher
away. �There�s always plenty more I
could teach you, love, but you have everything you need now to go up against
Tala and win.� I smiled faintly. �Not that you couldn�t before, but now
you�re going to have an advantage of surprise over both Tala and Boris � most
especially Boris.�

�How do you mean?�

�Boris will believe you have let
your skills and abilities slide since I�m sure he knows you�ve been out of the
game for some long.� I explained. �He�ll be expecting little of a challenge
from you.�

�Ah. I see.� Tyson�s smile was
a tad scary. �Isn�t he in for a
surprise, then?�

�That�s the idea.�

Rei and Max came over, shaking
Tyson�s hand in congratulations.

�Now there�s just one more thing
you need, Tyson.� Max declared.

Tyson looked at him in
confusion. So did I. �What?�
He asked before I could.

�You�re an agent. Temporary or not � you need a code
name.� Rei explained, smiling
triumphantly for some reason. �So�any
ideas?�

�Well��

Kenny piped up. �Dragon!�

I nixed that in a
hurry. No one but me would call him
that as long as I lived. �No.�

They all looked at me and I just
returned their looks stubbornly. Except
Tyson. My lover flushed slightly and
agreed with me.

�No. Not that.�

�Well�what then?� Max demanded in exasperation.

�Storm.� I suggested. Tyson�s gaze met mine and he smiled slowly.

�Works for me.�

�Put it in his data,
Chief.� I held out my hand to my
beloved dragon and he took it, squeezing lightly. �Make it official.�

�Done.� Kenny declared.

�I don�t get it.� Max shook his head. �Why �Storm�?�

�Someday, Max, you�ll
understand.� I said mysteriously.

Rei gave us suspicious glances
but didn�t say anything.

�Alright, people!� I spoke up, gaining everyone�s
attention. �Let�s grab showers, food,
equipment, and pack up. And get some
rest. We have a long flight tomorrow
and then we have a mission to complete.
So let�s get moving!� I shooed
my team away.

As we trooped back indoors,
Enrique pulled me aside and informed me of Robert and Johnny�s arrival in the
morning.

�They promised to be here before
we leave tomorrow.�

�Good. Because if they aren�t, I�m not waiting around for them.�

�Of course not.�

I tried taking my own advice and
attempted to sleep peacefully but I was just a little too wound up for it.

In less than 48 hours I would be
face to face with the demon of my past and an end to all of this would be met
once and for all � including find out if Tala really had turned or whether he�d
become a double agent for the Squad on his own.

It was time to end this.

Watch out Boris. The Phoenix has risen and I�m coming after you.

************************************

Chapter
15: Back To You

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning (early
the next morning � like 5:30 am early), we met up with Robert and Johnny at the
airport. I ignored the MacGregor and he
bestowed the same courtesy on me.

After he got over the shock of
seeing me alive, that is.

We split up into our two teams
then � Tyson, Max, Rei, Bryan and I would take my jet to Sydney and the former
Majestics (as their team was once named) and Kenny would take a BBA jet. This made me immensely happy because I
wasn�t going to be sharing the same air in the same confining space as that
arrogant Scot. I don�t think it hurt his
feelings much either.

If I were asked where the end of
the world would be, I would have to say Australia. Why? Because it takes
forever to get there from nearly everywhere else in the world, and also because
it�s the one place that is just so visibly separate from the rest of
civilization. Not to mention the
difference in seasons, climates, geography, and way of life down under compared
to everywhere else.

In other words, the flight was
long and I was restless the whole time.
We only stopped once to refuel and it wasn�t long enough to even bother
getting off and taking a look around � much to Tyson�s disappointment. He�s always liked Hong Kong.

�When this is all over we�ll
come back, love.� I promised him. He gave me a look that said he�d hold me to
that promise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We arrived in Sydney twelve
hours before the battle was scheduled for, giving Max time to �park the jet� as
he called it (not me rolling my eyes), and for everyone to get to the hotels
we�d booked ourselves into and rest as much as we could before it was time to
put our show on the road.

I did manage to sleep for a
couple of hours. Tyson, too. I was glad he wasn�t as anxious about this
as I was � or at least it didn�t seem like he was. If it was bothering him he was hiding it pretty well.

I had gotten up before he had,
and deciding to have a nice warm shower to try and relax, I slipped into the
bathroom. I came out towel drying my
hair with one towel and with another draped around my hips. Tyson, by this time, was awake, though he
hadn�t gotten out of bed yet. He lay on
his side, one hand tucked under his cheek on the pillow with the other fisted
next to his head. His midnight blue
hair flopped into his smoky blue eyes that watched me move to my bag and pull
out clothes with a smouldering intensity.

�That has to be one of the
sexiest sights�� He purred and I glanced over at him, smiling in amusement. �Watching you move around in nothing but a
towel, damp and dripping, looking relaxed�� I saw him lick his lips and felt an
answering sharp tug in my groin.

�Is that so?� I left my clothes in a neat little pile on
top of my bag and walked over to the bed as Tyson threw back the sheet and
rolled onto his back, giving me a heated, steamy gaze and looking extremely
delectable in just his boxers. Being
careful not to lose my towel just yet, I knelt on the bed and swung myself over
him so that I was straddling him and sitting on his legs. I let my hands wander idly over his sides
and chest, making him squirm under me with these sexy little sighs, and then an
unrestrained moan when I accidentally brushed my arm against the growing tent
in the material of his boxers.

�Uhn�� Tyson gave a grunt of
pleasure and tried to push his boxers off � but since I was sitting on his legs
it was kind of difficult. �Move, would
you? I want these off��

�Hmm�and what if I don�t want to
move?� I inquired playfully, my fingertips
tracing circles around his hardened nipples teasingly, occasionally flicking
across them and making him arch up into the touches.

Tyson gave me a challenging grin
and before I knew it he�d grabbed my towel and yanked it away, tossing it aside
carelessly. �There. Much better.� He decided, one hand gripping my thigh and kneading while the
other didn�t hesitate to wrap around my rapidly thickening cock and slide up
and down a couple times quickly. I let
out a startled moan and couldn�t stop myself from bucking into his hand. Okay�two could play this game. With a short growl I moved away from him and
practically tore the silk material off of him, throwing them over my shoulder
and covering him with my body, my mouth hungrily capturing his and beginning an
all out war.

He made a low sound and opened
his mouth for me willingly, allowing my thrusting tongue to invade and
explore. Then his tongue met mind and
his hands were in my hair, holding my head in place while he turned the tables
on me and ravaged my mouth until neither of us could continue without stopping
to breathe. Tyson pulled back a bit,
leaving us both gasping for air momentarily.
He stared at me with heavy-lidded, lust-filled blue eyes and panted,
�Fuck me, lover. I need you so badly��
in this needy, commanding voice that really left me no room for argument. Then he hooked a leg around my waist and
rocked his hips into mine, his now rock-hard erection rubbing against my own
and jabbing me in the stomach, where I felt a slight wetness spread. I think my eyes might have crossed at the
wave of pleasure from that contact and I gasped, one hand sliding down to grab
his hip and hold him still against me in defence.

�You�re sure?� I managed to rasp, studying him closely as I
ran the fingers of my other hand through his blue-black hair. I blinked when his hand slipped under his
pillow and pulled out a tube of lube.

�I asked Max to pick this up for
us when he went out shopping earlier this week.� Tyson explained at my questioning look. �Now�s a really good time for us to use it, don�t you think?�

I took it from him. �Well, yeah�haven�t you ever heard of
foreplay?� I protested when he started
placing desperate, wet kisses along my collarbone and his other hand reached for
my ass and squeezed. I groaned and
shifted against him. �Ah�ummm�Tyson!�

�Screw foreplay. I�m beyond that, lover.� He nipped at my earlobe. �Take me, Kai. I want to feel you inside me.�
My lover tilted his head just enough to mash his lips to my own
demandingly, thrusting his tongue against mine then sucking on my bottom lip
before taking it between his teeth and tugging gently. �Ah�there you are.� He laughed huskily when he saw the flare of
his challenge in my eyes. �Do it. I want to know just how dominant you can
be.�

Unable to speak without
growling, I accepted his primal challenge and rolled off him long enough to
flip him over onto his stomach and draw him up onto his hands and knees, taking
the lube from his unresisting hand. He
whimpered and bit into his lip to keep from crying out as I used the lube on my
fingers and dribbled some over the slit of that tight, sexy ass, rubbing it
over and into his rosy, puckered entrance.
Unable to help it, I leaned in and set my teeth to one lobe and bit
carefully as my first finger slid in, leaving a marked imprint and making Tyson
mewl in pleasure.

�Ooooh yes! More�� he pleaded, pushing his hips back and
digging his fingers into the bed. Since
I was beginning to lose my own patience, I obliged, and in went a second
finger. Now he was making the most
erotic, interesting little noises as I scissored my fingers in and out of him,
gently but forcefully, stretching him out a bit more. When he reached for his dripping, swollen cock I slapped at his
hand.

�No.� I growled. �Mine.� He wanted dominant from me? Well, he was going to get it. He whimpered my name achingly and twisted
his hands in the sheets to keep himself anchored in reality. I smiled and lightly smacked him on the
other ass-cheek, earning a startled yelp that ended on a low moan when I added
the third finger.

�Not�enough!� He keened, glancing back over his shoulder
at me. �God�Kai! Please�� Tyson was on the verge of begging
he was so desperate now. For some
reason I was quite pleased with it and sought his prostate, finding it and
pushing that button in a type of reward.
This time he nearly screamed, and his arms gave out on him, dropping him
forward to face-plant into the pillow.

I couldn�t stand it any more and
removed my fingers from him, moving up behind him and using the remainder of
the lube on my throbbing, continuously leaking cock, gasping a little at even
that slight stimulation from my own hand.
Then I took Tyson�s hips in my hands and pulled him towards me as I sat
on my knees on the bed behind him, positioning us both.

�Sit up, lover.� I commanded and he eagerly obeyed, trembling
with frantic desire. With one hand I
guided my glistening tip to his swollen entrance and steadied him with the other. Then in one fast, smooth motion I thrust up
into him as he pushed himself back and down onto me, impaling himself on my
length and crying out in pure delight.
I hissed in my own pleasure, feeling him surround me in that tightness
and the walls around my cock contracting rhythmically. �Fuck, Ty�so tight��

�Move, Kai.� He moaned hoarsely, laying his hands on my
arms as I curled one around his abdomen to anchor him in place and let the
other hand rest on his thigh, my fingers stroking and caressing the soft skin
toward the inside. He wriggled
impatiently and I nipped at the pulse in his neck in warning.

�I�ll move when I�m ready,
lover.� I grinned into his shoulder and
he gave a frustrated snarl. I could
feel his whole body vibrating on and around me with the effort to hold
still. I closed my eyes and fought for
a little control before I simply fucked him silly � which I would
do�just not right away.

�Please�� he
whimpered. �Oh my God, Kai�please! I�m so hard it hurts��

That did it. Tyson was begging and I couldn�t stand
holding out on him any more, his hands on my arms rubbing and stroking
encouragingly. I bucked my hips and he
cried out sharply. I did it again and
his head lolled back onto my shoulder, his lips parted in ecstasy and little
droplets of sweat rolling down his cheek.
Again, and again, each time feeling more intense than the last, his hips
beginning to rock in my lap in accord with my movements. I began kissing and sucking on the dampening
skin of his neck and shoulder, the taste of him and his scent intoxicating and
flooding my senses. The pressure in my
groin was building rapidly and my breathing turned harsh. I wasn�t going to be bale to hold out too
much longer.

And then I had a perfectly
wicked idea. Well�it was more of a
sudden desire, really. I decided to
prolong his torture and see just how much he could take from me � or how much I
was willing to make him �suffer.�
Depended on one�s point of view, I suppose.

Why did I suddenly want to do
such a thing? Because the little minx
dared to try and force me to end the fun sooner rather than later by clenching
his internal muscles around me and releasing � and it was
deliberate. So in retaliation � and
punishment � I wrapped the hand on his leg around his straining erection,
cutting off any chance of his orgasm, and simply took him hard and fast,
pounding into him until I couldn�t hold on any longer and let myself fly. My orgasm had an intensity I�d never felt
before. There was a buzzing in my ears
and I swear I saw stars as I emptied myself into Tyson, shivers wracking my
body. When I could hear again, my
dragon was moaning my name in a desperate, agonized plea of frustration. He was literally shaking in need he had to
come so badly.

�No! Kai, what�?� Tyson gave a
low, whimpering wail of protest as I withdrew from him but didn�t remove my
hand from around his throbbing cock that was so swollen it looked like it was
turning nearly purple. �Uhgn�Kai!! Why did you�?�

�Quiet, love.� I shushed him, smirking evilly and pushing
him down onto the mattress, relishing in the glazed, hazy gleam of his eyes
that had gone almost totally silvery-blue in lust. He mewled when I none-to-gently shoved his legs apart and settled
down between them, my hand still keeping him in a state of desperate need. With the other hand I stroked the sensitive
skin along his pelvis and planted a wet, open-mouthed kiss to his novel,
dipping my tongue into the indentation.
Immediately his hands were in my hair, fisting handfuls, and trying to
push me lower. I raised my head up a
bit, looking up at him, hovering oh so close to his barely restrained need for
me and said huskily, �Grab onto the headboard, my sexy little dragon.� before
flicking the tip of my tongue over the glistening head of his cock.

Tyson pried his hands out of my
hair and away from my head, reaching back to wrap his fingers around the wooden
slats. He stared down at me, shivering
uncontrollably. �Kai�need�can�t��

I guess I made him suffer
enough, the way I had him writhing under me in a quivering mass of nerves. So without any warning at all, I took him
into my mouth, completely engulfing him and proceeded to suck and massage his
length. In sudden shocked pleasure he made
these interesting noises that sounded like mixtures of yowls, whimpers, and cries. I loved every sound and shudder, and the
taste of him was just the icing on the cake for me.

�Mmm�so good.� I hummed around him, and, as much as I was
enjoying this, I wanted him to come. To
encourage that I worked him up higher and higher with tongue, teeth, and the
rest of my mouth while my hand continued to pump his cock in time. �Go higher, Tyson. Let go and fly��

What poured out of his mouth now
was a litany of incoherent pleas, and prayers, and curses. �Shit!
I�uhn�God� please, Kai! Oh,
fuck, just�more�have to�aaaaahhhhhh�� I
couldn�t help chuckling. There was one
final push I was going to give him. My
free hand slipped down farther to play with his balls and I felt him tense up,
shouting to the heavens of how good it felt for him. I left that part of him alone and gently slid my fingers into him
again, searching for his sweet spot and using it ruthlessly to shove him over
the edge. His spine arched and a high
wail came from him, his ever muscle tensing for one brief moment before he let
out a strangled cry of my name and gave me his release in waves. I had to hold him down to keep him from
thrusting right down my throat � I was having enough difficulty managing to
swallow the impressive amount of thick, slightly salty and sweet essence Tyson
was pouring into my mouth.

Even after he stopped jerking
under me I continued to hold him in my mouth, swirling my tongue around his tip
and milking him completely, catching any missed drops. When I felt him simply go totally limp in a
dazed, ecstatic stupor, I released him and began slowly crawling up his body,
dropping soothing kisses here and there and running my hands over him, feeling
not only my own immense satisfaction but his.
It flowed over my every nerve like waves of cool water. I lay alongside him and he rolled onto his
side and curled into me, tossing an arm and a leg over my chest and arms as he
kissed me solidly and for a very long time.

I realized he was emoting. Everything he felt at the moment he was
impressing on me so that I felt it, too.
And what we were feeling was a refreshed, relaxed, sleepy
satiation. There was smugness under
that and�my God. Love. Such love.
It was a rather humbling thing to experience really.

�So�� I yawned, feeling
perfectly lazy at the moment, and idly traced his spine with a free hand.

�Ughn.� My beautiful dragon grunted, rubbing a hand
over one of my pecks in appreciation.

�Did I meet up to your
expectations?�

I swear his eyes crossed as he
let out a groan.

�Remind me not to challenge you
at sex, lover.�

I smirked. I admit it!
But hey � when you�re good, you�re good.

�Just one problem.� I sighed melodramatically and he glanced up
at me suspiciously.

�Huh?�

�Now I gotta shower again.�

Tyson snorted with amusement and
began to laugh � so hard that he rolled right off the bed.

Still smirking and quite pleased
with myself, I got off the bed and helped him stand up. He winced a little, but managed to
straighten.

�A little sore?� I asked with a hint of concern.

�More like well-used.� He replied dryly. �I feel good though.�
Tyson glanced over his shoulder, trying to look at his butt, and twisted
a bit. Then he sighed and gave me a
raised eyebrow, patting himself on the cheek that had a nice, small bruise that
was an impression of my teeth. �Except
for that bite mark.�

In apology, I stepped up behind
him and wrapped my arms around him. I
nuzzled his neck with my nose and lips.
�I guess I got a little carried away, staking my claim.�

�Nah�� Tyson snuggled into my embrace
contentedly. �It�s just a little
tingly, that�s all.� He smiled, letting
me walk him into the bathroom and kiss him lingeringly before I turned the
shower on for us. �I love that you
marked me.�

I wiggled my eyebrows at
him. �Kinky.�

He rolled his eyes and dragged
me under the spray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After my second shower in under
an hour, we sat around in our bathrobes eating the meal we ordered from room
service. I wasn�t all that hungry so I
only ate enough to keep me going until I really was. My beloved dragon, however, seemed to have regained his appetite
and dug in with gusto.

While he sampled everything and
considered ordering desert, I was on the phone with Kenny, making sure
everything was set for the meet and Tyson�s battle, which was in a mere three
hours or so. The Chief and the
Majestics were in the hotel across the street and down a block from ours, and
were currently in the private parking garage outfitting the SUV we�d gotten
from the BBA�s �Outback Branch� (as the Aussies called it) with surveillance
and communication equipment. As Enrique
pointed out, in very lawyer-like fashion, Boris� deal stated none of us
were supposed to be wired � he hadn�t said anything about our vehicle. Lucky for us, the battle was taking place in
an area where we could drive the SUV and have it right there with us the entire
time. This way the Chief could monitor
the situation perfectly and be ready to give the signal to the Majestics to
move in if � when � it became necessary.

I hung up with Kenny and set my
cell phone aside, getting up and going for my clothes to start getting
dressed. Tyson watched, fascinated for
some reason, while he polished off his second helping and contemplated a third
� or desert.

One thing I�ve learned in this
career of mine is that clothes can make a huge difference to whether one
succeeds or fails in their mission.
Clothes, while they don�t define who one is, do make impressions and do
provide other people with glimpses into one�s character. They are tools to be used for whatever
situation one might find one�s self in.
To this extent, I have taken great care in selecting my �work� wardrobe
� and I keep it very separate from the clothes I wear on a normal, everyday
basis.

So for this mission, there were
a few things I planned for my outfit to say about me and for me and I hoped
what I�d chosen today would get my message across. One, I was running the show and in control � but in a
behind-the-scenes capacity. To
accomplish that, I was putting on a black pair of jeans that were just loose
enough on me that I could move about freely and comfortably. With the jeans I put on a black, sleeveless,
leather, high-necked shirt. I�d have
worn the black leather pants I�d brought along but then I would have been
screaming, in your face, in charge. I
had to explain it to Tyson this way, too, when he asked about the pants
curiously. He sounded a little
disappointed about it, really.

�Why?� I wanted to know, setting out my accessories on the bed and
glancing over at him.

�Because, my fiery Phoenix,
after that wonderful display of dominance you provided me with earlier,� I
flushed at his heated, smug look. �I
think you�d do leather very, very well.
Not everyone can wear it, you know.
Not and look like they are the way that sort of material implies
the person wearing it really is.�

�Yes. I know. But that�s why
I�m not wearing the pants. I might be
the team leader on this mission, love, and I still have to look the part, but
I�m not the one doing the real work this time.
That�s all you.� I pointed out,
and picked up the first set of accessories � mini-black leather belts that were
meant for straps for weapons like knives.
I thought they made very interesting armbands and wore them as such
instead of their intended purpose.
Besides, I didn�t use weapons like that. I had two on each upper arm when I was done, and then I picked up
two more, slightly longer sets that I strapped around my upper thighs. I also strapped on a wide, gold-studded and
buckled black leather belt that was more for decoration than to hold my pants
up.

I pulled on a pair of those
leather blading gloves � also black � and put on my Bulgari Chronogram (which
is a very expensive, very high-tech watch).
I slid my wallet into my back pocket and dug out a pair of
sunglasses. Then I sat on the edge of
the bed and stuck my feet into a brand new pair of black running shoes that
were from some fancy Italian designer that looked more like a casual pair of dress
shoes than something I would go jogging in and were twice as comfortable.

You�d think with all that I�d be
ready to go and ready for anything, but I added one last piece � something no
serious blader should be without. It
was almost like a gun holster � a shoulder harness � but it was for one�s
launcher rather than a gun. I slipped
that on and placed my launcher in the holster, pocketing my blade as I stood
up.

Finished, except for my jacket
(which I would grab later), I turned around and held out my arms to the sides,
silently asking Tyson to what he thought of me.

�Wow.� His jaw dropped open and he stared with unabashed lust, a slow,
wicked grin crossing his face. �Mmm mmm
good. Damn you�re hot, lover.�

�Hey, I just put all this on,
Kinomiya. Quit looking at me like
you�re about to tear it all off me again, you fiend.� I had to admit, his reaction pleased me on a personal level. �So other than the need to get into my
pants, how do I look? Is it too much?�

�Uh�� My beautiful bishonen had to shake himself out of fantasyland
visibly to answer me. �Well, you look
very authoritative, Kai.
Confident. �Leadership� is
written all over you.� Tyson looked me
in the eye, a gleam in his. �And
dangerous.�

I nodded my acceptance. �Okay.
Good enough.� I picked up my
cell and dialled Rei�s cell number.
�I�m going to take Max and get the car.
Rei and Bryan can stay here with you until we get back, okay?� I asked him, waiting for the neko-jin to
answer.

�Sure. Rei can help me pick out my outfit for the
party.� Tyson shrugged.

�Who and what?� Rei�s voice in my ear demanded
grumpily. I smiled evilly.

�Oh, I�m so sorry, Rei. I�ve interrupted something. Perhaps you�d like me to postpone the battle
for a later date so you can��

�Get stuffed, Hiwatari.� He cut my highly sarcastic mocking sentence
off. �Max and I weren�t�you know. Busy.
I was asleep and I didn�t look at my phone to see who it was.�

�Hn.� I grunted, not really believing that but putting it aside. �Whatever.
Get yourselves up, shower, whatever and come over to my room, and tell
Max he and I are going to go get the car Kenny�s tricked out for us.�

�Okay. Want me to get Bryan?�

�No. I�ll do it. I want to
talk to him before we go any farther.�

�Right. Max and I will be there in�half an hour?�

�Fine. But not one second longer, Cat.�
I warned. �Keep it in your
pants. You can play with each other
later.�

�Ha ha. Yes, mother.� He hung up on me.

I called Bryan next and since he
was already awake and anxious to hurry up and go, came over immediately.

�Are we leaving?� The pale, lavender haired blader asked when
I let him in.

�Not yet. Max and I are going to go get our
transportation when he gets here.� I
told him. �I want you and Rei to stay
here with Tyson until we get back.� I
led him over to the sitting area, taking a seat next to Tyson on the
couch. My dragon was still in his
bathrobe, lounging comfortably and watching TV.

�Because you think I�m
too�emotionally attached.� He stated in
a disgruntled tone. I frowned at him.

�No. Because I want someone who
knows Boris and his tactics guarding Tyson when I�m not here to do it
myself.� I readjusted his thinking and
he sighed, staring down at his hands.

�Sorry, Kai. I guess I�m worried.�

�Hn.� I couldn�t help feeling sympathetic toward him, even if I never
really had gotten along with him (or the rest of the Demolition Boys)
before. Then again, it�s not like I
really had a chance to get to know them better and to try and get along. �I know.�
Was all I said in offer of comfort.

�I�m getting bodyguards?� Tyson grinned at me and I rolled my
eyes. �Gee�I feel like a celebrity or
something!� He grabbed my sunglasses
from on top of my head and put them on.
�I�m a superstar!�

I snickered, since he looked
ridiculous in a bathrobe and shades.
�You�re wacky.� He stuck out his
tongue at me.

A few minutes later, Rei and Max
showed up and I took the blonde with me to get the SUV, leaving my lover behind
with his two �bodyguards.�

~~~~~~~~~~POV
Change~~~~~~~~~~

Tyson watched Kai and Max walk
out, feeling just a little wistful. He
didn�t like being left behind but he understood the need for it. He also knew his lover wasn�t happy not
being right next to him and was worrying a great deal.

Rei settled into an easy chair
and Bryan took a spot near the curtained window, pulling out a newspaper to
read.

�You okay, Tyson?� Rei asked, noticing the bluenette�s sad gaze
on the door. �If you�re worried about
Kai, you don�t need to. He�ll be fine.�

�Oh, I know. It isn�t that. I just feel very alone when he�s not with me and I don�t like it
much.� Tyson sighed and got to his
feet. �Too close to what I went through
before.� He murmured as he walked over
to his bag.

The neko-jin�s face fell,
feeling bad for even bringing it up.
�I�m sorry, Tyson. I shouldn�t
have��

�Don�t, Rei.� Tyson shook his head and dug through his
bag. �What am I going to wear anyway?�

�Clothes, hopefully.� Bryan drawled from behind his newspaper.

The sarcastic comment won a
small laugh and a slight smile from Tyson.
�Ha ha. Good one, Bryan.� The bluenette pulled out some clothes from
his bag, then began digging out accessories.
Rei watched with slightly wide golden eyes.

�Uh�Tyson? Is that leather?�

�Yes.�

�I didn�t know you wore
leather.�

�I never used to. Then�after these,� he held up the inside of
one wrist for Rei to see. �I went
through a phase where I wore nothing but.
Not sure why, really. Since then
I wear it every now and then just for fun.�
Tyson flashed a smile. �Hilary
hates it. She says she can�t go
anywhere with me when I wear leather because I look so much hotter than her and
no one looks at her anymore.�

Rei chuckled. �I suppose.
Are you going to be able to move around in the pants though?�

�Oh sure. They�re quite flexible and I�ve trained with
Gramps wearing them, too.�

�Then I�m sure you can handle
anything.�

�And the accessories?� Bryan asked, listening in and observing
quietly.

�They�re for effect � and
fun.� Tyson winked, a silvery glint in
his eyes. �Tell me, Rei, do you remember
Kai ever seeing me in leather?�

�No�� Rei snickered. �You�re evil, Tyson. The poor guy�s going to be so distracted.�

�Yeah, well, like the feeling�s
not mutual.� The bluenette pouted in
annoyance. �Do you realize how long
it�s going to take me to get him out of those belts and bands again?�

A snort sounding suspiciously
like a smothered laugh came from Bryan and Rei doubled over with laughter.

�Go on, Ty, and get
dressed. I�m sure they�ll be back soon
and Kai�ll want to go right away.�

Tyson nodded, disappearing into
the bathroom. Five minutes later he
came back out, going to his and Kai�s luggage and dropping his shirt on his bag
before pawing through Kai�s with a growl of displeasure at his own wardrobe.

�Problems?� Rei inquired glancing over.

�I didn�t bring the right
shirt. I guess I grabbed the wrong one
when I was in a hurry to pack�oh yeah.�
Tyson pulled out Kai�s long-sleeved, turtleneck shirt, black, made of a
stretchy, clingy material that had a slight gloss to it like leather and yet,
wasn�t. Tyson hummed in approval and
tugged it on over his head, discovering the shirt fit him nearly perfectly,
though it was a little looser on him than it probably was on Kai.

Satisfied with his find, Tyson
returned to the bathroom once more.

When he came back out again,
five more minutes later, he was fully dressed and very much looking like he was
about to go clubbing rather than to a bey-battle.

�Kai is either going to flip out
or die on the spot when he sees you, Tyson.�

�Is it dominant enough, do you
think? I don�t want�Boris thinking he�s
really in charge.� Tyson amended his
statement carefully, not wanting to upset Bryan any more than he already was with
the situation.

Rei gave him two thumbs up. �If I am feeling like I should do
whatever you say and do it immediately, then yeah, I�d say so.�

�Great.� Tyson yawned and stretched. �I�ll just clean up the mess I made in the
bathroom.� He glanced at the door
before going back.

�He�s different.� Bryan observed quietly, setting aside his
newspaper. Rei looked over at him. �Not changed�just different.�

�What do you mean?�

�I remember what Tyson was like
six years ago. He was innocent, yes,
but it was na�ve innocence. He believed
everyone in the world could be saved � all they needed was a friend. He tried to be everyone�s friend. He�s still innocent, but he�s not na�ve
anymore. And the kid had a temper that
was quick as lightning and often just as unrestrained and untameable. Tyson was the very definition of a storm.�

Rei smiled. �Yes.
I guess I have to agree with that.
He�s just learned to control it all, though. He had to, really, what with his abilities.�

�Being telepathic and empathic,
you mean?� Bryan mulled that over. �I suppose so. But then, I don�t have any special talents as most of you
do. None of us did � except Kai. Quite frankly, he scared the hell out of
us.�

�I don�t blame you, Bryan.� Rei was about to say something else when the
door to the suite unlocked and opened.

~~~~~~~~~~POV
Change~~~~~~~~~~

I walked into my room behind
Max, and from the silence and the looks on their faces, I could be pretty sure
we�d just interrupted a conversation � probably about me.

Ignoring it, I looked
around. �Where�s Tyson?�

�Right here, love.� He came strolling out of the bathroom with a
few items of clothing and other things in his arms, going over to his bag to
dump them in.

I think my jaw hit the floor and
I nearly swallowed my tongue when I said, �Nice outfit.� My mouth went dry and I couldn�t help
staring at him.

Tyson left his bag and slowly
walked toward me. I just stood there
meeting his silver-blue gaze dead on, though I did take a step back from the
spark of pure hunger for me in his eyes.
That brought me right back up against the door I�d just closed.

I don�t know what sort of
expression I had on my face, but it made Max snicker and shake his head as he
went over to join Rei and Bryan in the sitting area.

My dragon was the definition of
authoritative in the leather, all of it black and glossy, that conformed to his
legs and�were those my boots?
Yep. They were. And I never thought my shirt had ever looked
so good as it did on him. The clingy,
shiny material hugged his body and defined his musculature quite well � enough
that there wasn�t much left to the imagination, almost like a second skin. Around his waist was a wide, black leather
belt with a large, circular, silver-coloured buckle, and draped around his neck
he wore a thick silver and gold choker-style necklace. Tyson also wore his wristbands and a pair of
black blading gloves he must have borrowed from me, too.

As he stalked me purposefully, I
licked my lips, sure I was drooling, and let my eyes feast on every single inch
of him, watching the way the materials slid sensuously over his skin the way I
wanted to run my hands over him. Tyson
slapped a hand on the door on either side of my head and leaned into me,
trapping me there. I sucked in a breath
and closed my eyes, knees feeling weak.
His scent was heady and really, really unfair. He knew my weaknesses all too well and this was one of them.

�Oh God�you smell like vanilla��
I breathed. �That�s cheating.�

�Ha. No, no!� Tyson grabbed my
wrists when I reached for him and pinned them to the door. I resisted, out of instinct, but without
actually hurting him I couldn�t free myself and he knew it. I gave him a smouldering look and he
grinned. �Not this time, my fiery
phoenix.� A lock of his hair flopped
into his eyes and he regarded me consideringly through it.

�Um�guys? As extremely entertaining as this is,� Rei
spoke up, sounding very much like he was trying not to laugh. �We have places to go and things to do.�

�I know, Rei. I�m just making a point.� Tyson said, not even looking over at the
neko-jin. His grip on my wrists
released and he slid his fingers across my palms and up to twine with my own,
holding tightly. I let myself lean back
against the door and he leaned into me more, the front of his body pressing to
mine and his nose brushing mine. I could
feel his warm, minty breath on my lips and my eyes slid closed on their own
accord and I distantly heard a small noise like a whimper come from myself as
my beloved pressed his lips to mine gently.
The world ceased to exist beyond this for me.

He kissed me slowly, parting my
lips with his tongue and hinting that he wanted inside. I let him in and my fingers tightened around
his, involuntarily flexing with the sensations he caused in me.

And then he was in my head. {I know you�re worried about me, Kai. And I know there�s nothing I can say that
will make you stop. I can see what you
fear most and that is something I can do about.}

I felt him break away gently and
rest his forehead against mine, and I opened my eyes to stare directly into
his. {How? We can�t predict the future and if anything ever happened to you�}
I thought at him.

{I�m not leaving you, Kai. If anything does happen I will fight with
everything I have to come back to you.
No one and nothing will ever separate us again, my love.} I saw the fierce spark of determination
flash thorough those gems and shivered, believing him completely and almost
feeling sorry for who or whatever dared to get between Tyson and me. {You hear?}

{I hear.}

{Good. Love you.} He gave me
another quick smooch and pulled away, releasing one of my hands but keeping
other firmly held in his.

�I love you.� I replied aloud, not caring anymore that the
others were there and had witnessed our entire moment.

Tyson grinned widely and said,
�Let�s go kick some ass!� with eager enthusiasm. Rei grabbed my jacket and tossed it to me with one hand.

�I�m all for that, Tyson.� He agreed, a very feline, fang-filled smile
echoing his words. �I�m in the mood for
a hunt.�

Turning, I led my team out the
door.

It was time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride to the place we had
arranged for the battle to take place, a spot on the bluffs just outside
Sydney, was short. On the way over, I
had a brief conversation with Kenny, who was monitoring the area via the BBA
satellites. He confirmed that Boris,
Tala, and two other people were already there and that only a kilometre away
was a suspicious group of people that were pretending to be tourists � Boris�
backup.

�I won�t show myself right
away.� I decided, thinking the
situation over. �Or at least, I won�t
make my presence known right away. Max,
when you drive up, make sure one side of the SUV is to our opponents so I can
sneak out the other side.�

�You got it.�

We passed the �tourists� on the
highway and one look at them as we went by was enough for me. I whipped out my cell and sicced the
Majestics on them.

I put my phone away as we slowly
pulled up to where the other vehicle that Boris and his people had arrived in �
that being Tala, and who I could now recognize as Spencer and Ian. Just as I�d suspected. With the windows of the SUV tinted so
darkly, no one could see in but we could see out. Therefore, no one could see me as I slipped out while Tyson, Rei,
Max, and Bryan exited the vehicle.

�Welcome, boys.� Said a voice I recognized all too well and
that sent cold shivers down my spine. I
closed my eyes and leaned against the side of the SUV for a moment, willing
myself to get a grip. I wasn�t a child
and Boris couldn�t harm me anymore. I
moved silently to the back end of the vehicle and peered cautiously around the
corner as I heard him continue. From my
vantage point, I couldn�t see him, but I could see Tala, Spencer, and Ian. �And Bryan!
How interesting�you not only betray me and your team by taking up with
our enemies, you chose our worst enemies, too. Tsk, tsk, Bryan.�

�We owe you nothing but pain,
rage, and years of suffering, Boris.�
Bryan responded, as calmly and bravely as he could, though I could hear
the fear in his voice. I had to give him
credit for trying though. �I don�t know
how you talked my teammates into rejoining you � or perhaps I should say what
you threatened them with? Because I
know they wouldn�t done so willingly.�

�However it happened doesn�t
matter.� Rei interrupted. �We can get answers, later, Bryan. Let�s just do what we came to do and get it
over with.�

Since I couldn�t see my team, I
watched Tala instead. He hadn�t said a
word yet, and from what I could see, he wasn�t in the best of shape
either. I could see bruises on his pale
arms and there was a fading one on his cheek.
Rage poured through me and Dranzer clucked soothingly at me in my mind,
telling me to calm down silently.

I watched everyone take up
flanking, defensive positions. I could
see the back of Boris now, since he�d moved off to the side a bit to watch,
and, deciding I didn�t like not being able to see everything myself, I made
sure everyone�s attention was on the bladers and each other before quietly
climbing up the side of the SUV and laying on my stomach on the roof, peering
over the edge.

Tyson and Tala took up their
launching stances and stared at each other with little expression on their
faces, both cool and collected as could be.
And my lover, being the good sportsman he is, gave his opponent one last
chance to stop.

�I�m giving you a warning,
Tala. Once and only once. You think you know me, know my skill and
what I am capable of. But I assure you
that you know nothing.�

�I�ll keep that under
consideration, Kinomiya.� Tala
answered, giving him a short nod. Even
from a distance, I could see Tyson�s eyes go slightly blank, signalling his
search through Tala�s mind, while the red haired Russian remained oblivious.

I nearly fell off the SUV when
Tyson said in a rather relieved voice in my head, {Kai�Tala�s in no way loyal
to Boris.}

{Ah! Good God, Tyson! Don�t do
that.} I complained. {You�re sure?}

{Sorry, and yes. One�s thoughts can�t lie, love. Best you remember that, should you ever even
think of trying it on me.} He
gave me a mental wink and I suppressed a groan.

{Great. So what about the other two?}

{They aren�t loyal either. They�re only with him out of fear.}

I thought about that for a
moment and decided to just end it without even bothering with a battle. {Call them on it, love. I don�t think you need to battle today.}

{Aww�}

I swallowed a snicker.

Suddenly the SUV�s horn honked
in rapid succession a few times and the headlights blinked on and off. I ducked down as much as I could just in
time to avoid detection when everyone looked over at the noise.

�Sorry about that.� Max gave an innocent, bright, apologetic
smile. �I guess I forgot to turn off my
car phone.� He held that expression
like a champ when he got several suspicious looks.

Good cover, Max. I praised him silently. The horn had been the Chief giving us the
heads up that the Majestics had cleaned up the �tourists.� With them out of the way, we were set.

Tyson sighed and lowered his
launcher. �You know what? I don�t feel like blading right now. Why are we even going through this charade,
Tala? Tell Spencer and Ian to put their
launchers down and turn themselves over, why don�t you. We both know this battle is unnecessary.�

Tala gave him an odd look, then
looked over his shoulder at Bryan. �Bry?�

�Telepath, Tala.�

�Oh.� The redhead sighed, too, and put his launcher away with a
shrug. �No point in keeping it up
then. Spencer, Ian, stand down.�

The two looked at each other,
then at Tala, then at Boris, then back at Tala again.

�You will do no such
thing!� Boris snapped angrily. Gee�I think we made him mad. �If you know what�s good for you, you�ll��

�Now, now, dude.� Tyson waggled a finger at him. �Temper.�
He turned and looked directly at Boris, giving him the full-fledged
telepathic treatment. His stormy blue
eyes became lost to his abilities much as mine usually do, turning a solid,
steely blue, the pupil disappearing. I
felt the hair on my arms stand up and couldn�t help grinning idiotically as
even the wind picked up around us.

�You know, as soon as I lay my
eyes on you, I got suspicious. There
were just too many inconsistencies about you.�
My beautiful dragon said, taking a step toward Boris � who, by the way,
was still standing with his back to me.
�The first and biggest being that you�re even alive. Now, after the last couple of weeks, I�m a
little wary of anyone who�s supposedly died in my lifetime still being
dead. And yet, if you did somehow
manage to survive the explosion at the Abbey, I would have thought you�d at
least be more physically damaged � yet you look pretty much the same as I
remember you six years ago.�

�He has a point.� Rei agreed.
�And the Squad has been very curious about it ever since we found out
you were still lurking around.�

�Especially Phoenix.� Max added.

�I was lucky, that�s all.� Boris growled, then he sneered. �And the BBA must not consider me a very big
threat if they didn�t even bother to send their supposed �best� out here. I�ve heard of this Phoenix. How pathetic.�

Tyson�s eyes flashed and I
winced, praying to whatever deity was listening for him to hold onto his
temper. �Watch it, buddy.�

Tala was quick to add, �He
didn�t hear it from me, guys. I
swear.� Then he gave a small flinch and
took a step back when Boris looked at him.

�So I have a spy in my
camp? Tell me, Tala, how much
have you given the BBA?�

�Enough to know you�ll never
succeed. Oh, and by the way, I set a
few rather potent charges here and there around your little laboratory where
you�re keeping the virus and all the DNA and data. They�re set to go off in�� Tala glanced at his watch. �Oh!
Look at that! They already
have.�

Boris sputtered and lunged for
him but Tyson was ready. He let loose a
violent flare of pure electric energy, knocking the man to his ass in the dusty
ground, and waited until Rei and Max had him securely placed between them. Bryan let out a laugh and his grin was
positively vicious, looking at his lover fondly. �There�s the Tala I know and love. Sweet.�

The icy blue-eyed blader blew
him a kiss. �I always cover my ass,
babe.�

This was getting to be a really
good show. All I needed now was a bag
of popcorn and a soda. Boris was
visibly trembling in anger. It warmed
my heart to witness how his scheme was falling apart at the seams. I slid my sunglasses onto my face and sat up
on the edge of the roof, draping one leg casually over my other knee and
folding my arms over my chest.

Spencer and Ian noticed the
movement and stared at me in shock, both going deathly white � not that Boris
noticed. He was too busy raging at Tala
for his �betrayal.�

�Oh, shut up.� Tyson snapped loudly, fed up. �And did any of us ever say Phoenix
didn�t come with us? You know, you
really shouldn�t make assumptions without all the facts.�

�What are you babbling
about?� Boris snarled.

�Uh�sir?� Ian pointed at me with a hand that shook
violently, eyes impossibly wide.
�There�s�he�s��

�A ghost!� Spencer cried. I rolled my eyes. He
always was the superstitious one.

Tala rolled his eyes, too �
until he turned to look and saw me.
Then he nearly fell over in shock, and would have if Bryan hadn�t moved
quickly and slipped an arm around his waist.

�Bry�that�s�it can�t be!�

�I know. I said the same thing. But it is.�

�Holy shit!�

I raised a hand and waggled my
fingers at him in a wave of greeting.
He leaned into Bryan heavily, as if he couldn�t even stand up on his own
anymore.

Boris had turned around too, on
his knees, and was looking at me with a slightly puzzled expression under the
fury and annoyance. I frowned and
tilted my head to the side as I studied him.
He looked the same as I remembered�

And that alone gave off warning
bells of suspicion. Tyson was
right. Something about the demon was
seriously off.

�What�s the matter? Don�t you recognize your worst
nightmare?� I taunted, jumping to the
ground lightly. �Really, Boris. That was very sloppy of you to not make sure
that your opponents came alone.�

�I�ve had enough!� He growled, pulling out a cell phone from
his pocket. He pressed a button before
Rei or Max could slap it away from him.
�My backup will be here soon and you�ll all regret having double-crossed
me.�

�Yeah, yeah. Hate to break it to you, but your �backup�
is currently otherwise engaged. You�re
on your own, asshole.� I informed him
with a smirk, looking around him at Spencer and Ian. �Did you not hear your captain order you to stand down? Or do I have to remind you?�

They dropped their launchers and
blades immediately, surrendering. Max
went over and collected them.

�Ah ha!� Tyson suddenly crowed, startling all of
us. I looked at him with a raised
eyebrow.

�Care to elaborate, Storm?� Rei asked.

�I got through the rest of his
mental barriers!� Tyson exclaimed.

�Whose? Boris�?�
Max blinked. �And?�

�It makes sense! It all makes sense now��

�Tyson, lover, quit holding out
on us, please?� I sighed and held out
my hand to him. He grinned at me and
strolled over, grasping my offered hand tightly.

�It�s not him.� He said, simply. I gave him a confused stare.
The little minx rolled his eyes and gestured at Boris, who had frozen in
his spot and was trying to glare my dragon to death. �That�s not Boris. See, I
dug around some while you were distracting him and I got a few answers.�

�Enlighten us.� I pleaded.
He smiled at me.

�His real name is Gideon (2)
and he�s actually Boris� half-brother.�

I blinked and glanced at�Gideon
in shock. Well that did explain
a lot. He looked enough like Boris that
making a few adjustments here and there to his own appearance rendered him a
Boris-double � not to mention that those infernal goggles he wore (exactly like
the ones Boris had always worn) hid his eyes, so if they were different,
we�d never know.

As for his voice, it probably
wasn�t much of a stretch for him to mimic Boris�. They were even about the same height and build.

No wonder we�d believed it was
him.

A slow smile slid across my
features and I�m willing to admit it was an evil one, too.

�I didn�t know he had a
brother.� Tala shook his head, ice blue
eyes wide.

�I don�t think anyone did.� Rei frowned. �Well�twist my tail.�
Said appendage was restlessly tapping against his upper thigh, his hands
planted on his hips in disbelief.

�So, Gideon�� I drawled, eyeing
him consideringly while he spluttered.
�I�m guessing you really don�t know who I am.�

�No.� He spat angrily and with a healthy dose of fear. He was sunk and he knew it.

�They call me Phoenix at the
Squad.� I informed him. �Since you�ve apparently heard of me in that
capacity, you know what I�m capable of.�

�What�s your point?� He demanded brazenly.

�My point?� I let go of Tyson�s hand and slowly began
leaking my powers. The air began to
waver around me hazily as heat poured off me in waves, even taking on a burning
copper-orange tint. I knew my eyes were
gone bloody-crimson red, an inferno of my abilities smouldering there. �No point.
Just a statement of fact. And
here�s another: I am the cause of the explosion at the Abbey. I am the source of the fire that killed
Boris and Voltaire Hiwatari.� I bent in
close as he tried to sneak away backwards from me in pure shock and
terror. �I am the Phoenix and if you or
anyone else dares to try and harm my lover and/or his Sacred Dragoon ever
again, you�ll get a first hand demonstration of what I did to that demon you
call a brother.� I hissed the warning
and he fell over onto the dusty ground, staring at me in abject fear. I straightened and dangled a pair of cuffs
over him. �Rei? Why don�t you put these to good use so we
can get back.�

The neko-jin came up and took
the cuffs, roughly forcing Gideon onto his stomach and pulling his arms behind
his back to cuff him. �Just some
friendly advice, Gideon.� I heard him
say with a great deal of satisfaction.
�Play with fire and you�ll always get burned. Up!� He yanked the guy to
his feet and let Bryan and Tala escort him, Ian, and Spencer to the van they�d
come in.

The rest of us piled into our
own SUV and followed the van back into Sydney.
I let the Chief know it was over, everyone was fine, and we were coming
back in. He reported that Johnny had
twisted his ankle in the skirmish with the �tourists� but otherwise no one was
hurt.

As mean as it is, somehow that
just made my day complete.

**********Tale
Ends***********

(1)
Spy-speak:
instead of a written signature, use a thumbprint. More secure, I guess�

(2) Explanation: I was watching reruns of V-Force (Isis knows
why) and I just had this rather wacky insight.
Boris and Gideon kind of look like each other, not to mention they have
the same kind of personalities (evil), and so I thought, �Why not?� Hence, the biggest plot twist I�ve come up
with yet. Hope you weren�t disappointed!

End Chapters 11 - 15
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Running Scared

End Chapters 11 - 15