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Between the Lines	By : Kali Category: Beyblade > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 4201 -:- 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
- 4
- 5
Kali Notes:� Thank you to everyone who has read and
commented on Between the Lines.� I really
hope I accomplished what I set out to do with this story.� How fitting that this I�m ending the fic nearly a year to the date I first posted!

This is the finale,
folks!� Enjoy!

Warnings:� Yaoi (shonen ai, on ffnet), adult language and
situations; don�t read it if you can�t take the heat!

Disclaimer:� Kali and muses do not own Beyblade or its
characters.� We make no money from
writing this fic � how unfortunate.� Neither do we own the parts in this fic taken from the English dub of the anime.

Dedication: To all TyKa
fans everywhere, especially those hardworking writers, artists, and AMV-techs
who continue to support the fandom even though everyone seems to have
disappeared� O.o

� and
� to TechnoRanma, Feelin Glayish, and Flamable Devil (Crazy
Jen) in celebration of Tyson�s Birthday � and because it�s around the
anniversary of the time we first �met��

~~~~~~~~~~

BETWEEN THE LINES

~~~~~~~~~~

Part V

�� It was surprisingly easy for us to integrate each other into
the lives we already had.� Easier still to explain to the boys the new situation in their
home-lives.� I don�t know if it�s
because Gou and Makoto are truly our sons or if they were somehow blessed with
a more mature wisdom than either Tyson and I were at their age, but they actually
listened with patience while we, their somewhat clueless fathers, fumbled
around our explanations about our relationship, how things were going to be
from now on, and were they okay with all this?

�� Leave it to Makoto to sum it up
nicely and Gou to just shrug in the simplest form of acceptance there could be.

�� You love each other.�� Makoto announced.

�� So why would we have a problem with
that?�� Gou added.

�� Tyson and I really want you to
think about this, boys.�� I wagged a
finger at them.� �Because after a long
talk, Tyson has invited you and I to move into the
dojo, Gou, and that�s a big change for you and Makoto.� You�re both used to having your fathers�
undivided attention, and if this happens then you�re going to have to learn to
share that attention.�

�� Not just with either
Kai and I, but with each other as well.��
Tyson added seriously.� His hand
was clasped tightly around mine, and those fingers tightened slightly, as if he
feared that they would rebel at that idea completely.

�� Makoto and Gou just looked at each
other for a moment.

�� It won�t be easy, I suppose�� Gou mused thoughtfully.

�� I think it�s a good idea.� I would like having my best friend around all
the time � even when you are getting on my nerves.�� Makoto replied.� Gou rolled his eyes.

�� Who gets on whose nerves?�� He muttered, but grinned.� �Me too.�

�� I let out breath of relief I hadn�t
known I was holding in.� Tyson�s hand
relaxed around mine.

�� So you don�t mind, then?�� I asked Gou.�
�Leaving the mansion to move here?�

�� Nah.� It�s a big old house, Papa, but it�s really
empty with just us, you know.� Besides��
he looked around the living room, taking everything in.� �This feels like home.�

�� Now I grinned, because that�s
exactly what I have always thought.� I
always knew he was a smart child.� Tyson
was looking a little misty-eyed, and he was suddenly getting up and swooping
Gou up in a giant hug, planting a kiss to the top of my son�s head with an easy
affection that filled me with the deepest warmth.� God how I loved him.

�� Makoto rolled his eyes but then was
coming over to stand in front of me, eyes questioning.� I smiled and drew him up to sit in my lap,
cuddling the young boy like I had Gou over the years.� �I know it�s kind of strange, Makoto, but�I
love you as much as I love Gou, and I�m sure you can tell your Dad loves Gou
just as much as he loves you.�� I stated
quietly, watching Tyson swing Gou around with a laugh.� Gou was giggling at the ride.

�� It�s not strange.�� Makoto looked up at me with Tyson�s vivid
blue eyes.� �Not to me,
anyway.� Everyone loves me!�� He exclaimed � with Tyson�s pride and
complete lack of modesty.� I
laughed.� I couldn�t help it.

�� Yes, I�m sure that�s true.�� I coughed at the �I am so modest, Hiwatari!�
broadcast loud and clear down that weird bond between Tyson and I.� Giving Makoto a hug, I put him back on his
own feet and stood up.

�� Tyson and Gou joined us again, and I
lifted Gou up into my arms, a smile on my face.�
�I guess that means we have a lot of things to do, don�t we Gou?� First thing�s
first: packing.�

�� Yeah!� Gou, come and pick out your room!� We�ve got a few extras around here.�� Makoto dragged off his new housemate and I
watched them go, feeling somewhat misty myself.�
Arms slid around my waist from behind, and Tyson�s breath was warm on my
neck and ear.� I leaned back into him, my
cheek brushing against his.

�� Welcome home, Kai.�

�� I�m home, Tyson.� And this time I�m not leaving.� Ever.�

�� Damn straight you�re not.�

~~~~~~~~~~

�� Some days I can hardly believe that
my life could be even half as wonderful as it is, now.� Some days I am just waiting for the other
shoe to drop � on my head.� Things
weren�t all sunshine and rainbows with all the changes that have occurred since
that fateful weekend.� There have been a
few bumps and bruises, namely the kids getting used to each being in the
other�s space (which could have been worse had we made them share a room), and
the fact that Tyson and I have very little �alone time� as Kenny so
euphemistically terms our sex life.� But
there�s no where else any of us want to be, and there�s nothing that could drag
either Gou or I away from the dojo now that we�re here and we�re a family.� A real
family, Gou is forever reminding me.

�� I still have visions of Tyson in
that apron doing dishes whenever he says that.

�� Our friends have been nothing but
supportive (not that I expected otherwise), though there have been a few people
around that are less than agreeable about the fact that Tyson and I are
obviously living together, as a couple, with children always present,
and�well.� We all know how many in this
world view homosexual relationships � even when they don�t know a thing about
the people they�re maligning.� But Tyson
and I have managed to deal with society pretty much as we always have.

�� We ignore it.

�� The boys have dealt with a bit of
fall-out at school, but I think they handled that perfectly well.� Tyson�s not so happy about the phone call
from the principal, but I�m slipping the boys a bonus for their allowances this
month.� We, neither of us, have tolerated
bullies and when Gou caught some kid at school bullying Makoto he quite handily
proved to the bully and his gang that picking on Makoto was a mistake.� A really big one.

�� I�m so proud.

�� Tyson�s proud too, he just hides it
better.

�� It�s been three months since Gou and
I moved into the dojo.� And today was a
rather momentous one.� You could say
today was the day Tyson �took me home to meet the parents� � or in his case, Gramps.

�� Snuggling up to Tyson, curled around
me in our bed and snoring lightly in my ear after a rather vigorous love-making
session, I cast my mind back on the events of the day with a sigh of relief at
the knowledge it�s over.

I looked
around at the scenery, a half-smile crossing my face as I followed Tyson
through the halls of the seniors� condo building.� This was definitely a place that suited the
eldest Kinomiya; beaches a few steps away, pretty nurses and staff around 24/7,
and yet still each elder had their own suite and space to call their own.� Tyson had explained in the car on the way
here that Gramps had searched and searched until he found this place, and then
he and Tyson had a nice long argument about how the old man didn�t have to move
out just because Tyson had a son and was running the dojo himself.

�He�s adamant
that it was time I had completely ownership of Kinomiya lands and that it was
time for me to continue the Kinomiya �dynasty,� as he calls it.�� Tyson had said with a fond rolling of eyes.� �Besides�I apparently �cramp his style with
the chicks.��

I had nearly
choked on my coffee at that.

Tyson stopped
at a door at the end of the hallway, raising a fist to knock briskly � before
simply walking right in with a yell of �Gramps!�
You home?�� I followed him inside
silently, my nerves already strung tightly at the prospect of the coming
confrontation.� If there was anyone in
Tyson�s life that I had to fear in order to be with him, it was Ryuunosuke Kinomiya.

�Little dude!� Out on the deck!�� Came the reply.� I grasped Tyson�s arm before he could move
through the condo suite.

�Kai?�

�Maybe you
should�talk to him first.�� I hesitated,
glancing in the direction the voice had come from.� �I mean�break the news and give him a chance
to absorb it before thrusting me into his life again��

�Oh, Kai�� Tyson leaned over and gave me a soft, but deep and thorough, kiss.� �He�s always thought of you as one of his own
grandkids.� You don�t need to be so wary
of him, you know.� He knows you stayed
away for a good reason, no matter what it may have been.�

�Still�� Okay, so I�m a coward.� We know this already.

�Alright.� Stay here a minute, and I�ll go talk to
him.�� I nodded and watched him walk
outside through the patio doors of the living area.� I looked down at my feet for a moment then
glanced at the sofa.� Might as
well, sit. I thought, not knowing how long it was going to take for Tyson
to explain to Gramps everything.

I couldn�t
stay sitting for long, however.� I was
too restless and nervous.� So I wandered
over to the patio doors that were still partly open, and unashamedly
eavesdropped on Tyson and his grandfather.

��about Kai,
Gramps.�

�What about
him?� The kid finally bothered to call?�

�Gramps.�� Tyson snapped.� I knew that tone perfectly well.� �You don�t know what happened so don�t go
making judgments.� I thought you were
wiser than that.�

�Now, now, T-man.� Just because you�re not 13 anymore doesn�t
mean you can take that tone with me.��
Gramps responded in a reasonable tone.�
He didn�t sound very happy though.�
�As for your former home boy��

�He�s back, Grampa.� We�ve had a
long, long talk about�well everything, honestly.� There was a pause, then, �He
loves me.�� I heard the smile in his
voice.

�Tyson�� Uh oh.� I�ve hardly ever heard Gramps use Tyson�s
proper name.� Then there was a deep,
heavy sigh.� �Kiddo, I can�t say anything
about your choices in love.� You�re old
enough to deal with those sorts of problems on your own.� And I doubt that my opinion holds much weight
in any case.�

�That�s not��

�Ah Ah!� Let me finish.�� Gramps interrupted.� �The fact is, I know
perfectly well that when it comes to Hiwatari Kai, you will do whatever you
want no matter what anyone else in the world tells you.� Because you love him.�� This time I could hear a smile in the old
man�s voice, and my heart suddenly jump-started in my chest.� I hadn�t realized it stopped.� �Because you know him best.� Besides which, it is your life.� I have no right to tell you who you can or
can�t love, and I wouldn�t dare to presume to tell you any such thing.� Because I love you and you�re my grandson.�

A sniffle.� �Gramps��

�What I�m
trying to say, little dude, is that if you and Kai have worked things out, then
fantastic!� It�s about damn time.� I�ve watched the two of you dance around each
other for far too many years.� You�ve
said things to each other with a heart that has always been wide open to one
another, things that few people ever find in life.� Granted, his life hasn�t been easy nor has it
been simple, but he�s come through it well enough.� I�ve seen through that mask of his since the
first time you brought him home with you and the rest of your homies.� If there�s
anyone out there that�s worthy of you, I haven�t met them yet.�

There was a
long, long moment of silence, and I could hear Tyson�s sniffling.� Actually, I kind of wanted to sniffle,
too.� I wasn�t expecting open arms here,
but I hadn�t expected quite that amount of blessing from the old man,
either.� Then came Gramps voice again,
breaking the poignant moment.

�Blow your
nose, T-man.�

Tyson�s
laughter was a little on the wet and stuffy side, but he obeyed.� �Thanks, Gramps.�

�So are you
going to tell me about it or do I get to chock it up to one of life�s great
mysteries? Gimme the skinny, little dude!� The low-down, the 411��

�Gramps!�� More laughter from my beloved in that
protest, then...� �He�s here.�

The smile
that had crossed over my face at Tyson�s relieved laughter disappeared
instantly.� Maybe Gramps was willing to
forgive me, but I still dreaded meeting him again face to face.

�Eh?� Who�s here?�

�Kai, Gramps.
�He�s waiting inside.�

At that, I
made a break for it.� Kami
forbid I should get caught eavesdropping.�
I went back to the sofa and sat gingerly on the edge of the cushioned
seat, running my hands through my hair in a nervous gesture.� At that point, Tyson stepped back into the
room, Gramps following behind closely.� I
waited for all of a second before I looked up at them, then shot to my feet to
greet the old man that had been more of a grandfather to me than my own had.

�Kinomiya-san��
This was going to be interesting since I apparently can�t even say anything
useful.� At least I�m not stuttering.

�K-Man!�� I had a millisecond to blink before I was
engulfed in the embrace of a wiry � but surprisingly still spry � old man.

�Oomph!�

�Oh
for�Gramps, he still has to breathe, you know.�

�I know
that!� But I had to give him a hug!� The boy hasn�t had enough hugs in his
life.�� Gramps let me go and I pretty
much collapsed backward onto the sofa again, blinking in stunned surprise.

I couldn�t
really argue with him, though.� Hugs, indeed.� Tyson
was smiling knowingly at me, in complete agreement with his grandfather, I
suppose.

�Don�t worry,
Gramps.� That�s my job from now on.�� The
little brat actually leered at me!

�Tyson!� I admonished, blushing to the
roots of my hair.� He snickered then
burst out laughing.� Gramps was
chuckling, too.

�Well, you
boys sit down here and I�ll rustle us up some grub and some iced tea!� Then you can tell me all about it.�� Winking at me, Gramps strolled off to the
kitchen area (albeit aided by a stylish walking stick these days)
whistling.� I huffed and fell back
against the soft cushions of the sofa, eyes closing in amazement.� Tyson dropped down next to me and nudged my
leg with his knee, his hand picking up mine and bringing it up to his mouth to
brush a kiss over my knuckles.

�You okay,
love?� he asked me softly.� I nodded,
rolling my head to look at him kind of sideways.

�Getting there.�� I gave him a reassuring smile.� �He�s still�Gramps.�� I commented, earning a snicker from my lover.

�Yes.� Yes he is.�

�� Thinking about it made me
smile.� Gramps had plied us both with
enough iced tea to waterlog an elephant and stuffed us with snacks like one,
too.� And while he did that, we gave him
a slightly modified explanation of everything.�
And there were tears.� Not out of
me�well, okay.� I admit I got a tad watery, but not like the crocodile
tears that came out of two emotional Kinomiya men.� I got the air squeezed out of me again by
Gramps when we left, too.

�� Tyson�s breathing shifted and I knew
he was waking up.� His arm tightened
around me, then his hand rubbed over my chest
seductively.� �Hey.�

�� Hey.�

�� You�re thinking.� I can hear it.�� Lips nipped tantalizingly at the nape of my
neck.

�� I rolled my eyes, but leaned into his
embrace willingly.� �It�s nothing.� Sorry I woke you up.�

�� Chuckling darkly, he nibbled on my
ear.� �No you�re not.� I can feel it.�� His hand was wandering down my front with
lustful intent.� I sighed happily.

�� Well, there is that��

�� I flipped over to face him and was
quickly absorbed into a passionate, loving kiss while his hands mapped out my
body with abandon, his legs tangling with mine in the sheets.� After that, any more thoughts of the day or
my frayed nerves disappeared.� Tyson had
a habit of making me put the important things in perspective.� And damn if he wasn�t good at it.

~~~~~~~~~~

�� A month or so went by and everything
was beginning to settle into what I loosely termed �normalcy� � considering
life with any Kinomiya is never routine, let alone life with two of them.� I had thought that I�d cleared all the
hurdles to finally getting on with my life with Tyson, but of course reality
had to come back and bite me on the ass.

�� Hard.

�� Somewhere along the way I�d
completely forgotten that aside from Gramps, Tyson had a father and a brother
out there in the world somewhere.

�� It was early October.� I had the day off work, Tyson made sure he
didn�t have anything to do for the weekend, and we�d sent Gou and Makoto off to
visit Kenny � who was then going to pass them on to Max and Hilary so they
could see the new baby and help out around the house a bit, since Max was busy
between family and work for the BBA and the Hobby Shop.� I got up early, leaving a passed out, snoring
freight train named Tyson still sprawled face-down on the bed with the sheets
mostly on the floor and barely covering his backside.� I had to smile, as I pulled on a pair of
drawstring lounge pants and a shirt (which I didn�t bother to button), when my
beloved bluenette snuffled and patted the spot I�d just left before blindly
reaching up to grab my pillow and bring it down to hug to his chest with a
contented sigh.� I grinned and quietly
slipped out of the room so he could sleep in for a while.

�� I made coffee and toast for myself
and took my breakfast outside to eat while I read the newspaper.� When I was finished, I left my dishes in the
sink and went into the dojo to meditate, knowing that by the time I was done,
Tyson will have woken up on his own and would come looking for me.

�� I was just walking into the dojo
when a voice called out from the front entrance, �Tyson!� Hey, kid!�
You awake yet?�

�� I froze and stared at the man who
came waltzing in with a large bag tossed over his shoulder.� I swear the powers-that-be hate me.

�� Kinomiya Hiro stopped when he
spotted me and there was an instant death-glare directed at me.� Not that he was receiving smiles of welcome
from me in return�

�� You.�� I think the temperature dropped a few hundred
degrees, because I shivered � and tried desperately not to show it.� Frigid doesn�t even begin to describe the
vibe that flowed in my direction from Tyson�s older brother.

�� As I had no real response to give, nor anything productive to say that wouldn�t result in an
attempted beating, I kept silent, lips pursed in a thin, straight line and face
as blank as I could make it.� Internally
I was well on my way to panicking, shouting on down that bond to my lover to �WAKE
THE HELL UP!� before something bad happened.� Sometimes this telepathic connection can be
useful, because I could feel him moving before he was even mostly awake, the
link between us drawing him to me through the house like a magnet.

�� Hiro.�� I acknowledged, carefully taking up a
position that could easily shift from defense to offense if the occasion
rose.� I could feel the tension at the
back of my neck and the little hairs on my arms seemed to prickle with it,
almost like a static charge.� I watched
Hiro slowly drop his bag and take a step forward, and I tensed, bracing myself
for the fight.

�� But instead of coming at me, he
froze in place and looked over my shoulder.�
I relaxed slightly as a sleepy, annoyed Tyson came up behind me and
pretty much used me as a prop to hold him upright.� His arms came around my waist loosely, and
his chin dropped down onto my shoulder.�
He yawned loudly in my ear and blinked blearily across the room.� �What�s got you so worked up this early,
Kai?�

�� I leaned back into his arms
unconsciously, welcoming the weight and comfort of him gratefully.� And submissively.� I wanted to drive home the point that I was
here because Tyson wanted me there,
not because of something I
wanted.� Big brother Hiro was
ridiculously protective of Tyson (when it came to me, at least), but if he
understood that Tyson wanted me, welcomed me, then chances were he would back
off out of love for his little brother.�
And I could be civil � its as easy as not
saying a word, something I have great skill at.

�� You have company, Tyson.�� I replied quietly.� �Your brother is here.�� I still didn�t take my gaze off Hiro as I
spoke, watching him as neutrally as I could.�
Oooh he was not pleased to see me with Tyson.�
Not at all.�
Tyson�s chin lifted off my shoulder and he straightened, waking up
enough to send a warm grin across the room to his brother.

�� Hiro!� I didn�t know you were back in the
country!� Is Dad with you?� Have you gone to see Gramps, yet?�� I couldn�t help the faint smirk at the rapid
fire questioning.� Neither could Hiro.

�� Little bro�� Yes, Dad�s out front getting his stuff from
the car, and no, not yet.�� Hiro flicked
his gaze between me and Tyson.� �What�s he doing here?�

�� Tyson frowned and gave him a rather
pointed glare.� �He lives here, Hiro, and
don�t give me that condescending look!�
Ah!�� He held up a hand.� �Don�t you dare.� You know nothing about it, so just leave it
alone.� He�s here, and he�s staying here
no matter what you or anyone else have to say about
it.�

�� That fierce protectiveness gave me
warm tingles all over.� But I wasn�t
going to be the cause of a family rift.�
No way could I do that to Tyson.�
I heard a �Don�t be stupid, Kai.� as I
turned to leave the room, just as he caught my hand and held on.

�� I�ll�go make coffee and
breakfast.�� I said, squeezing his
hand.� �I�m okay.�� I added mentally.� �Talk to him, and your father.� I�ll be in the kitchen.�

�� We�ll be along in a minute,
then.�� Tyson agreed, letting me go.� I nodded and padded away.� When I was out of sight, I stopped and leaned
against a wall for a moment, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out
slowly.� How embarrassing that I had
needed rescuing.� Me.�
From Hiro!� Someone I was quite
capable of standing up to all on my own.�
It was ridiculous and I was quite happy to flog myself with my own
stupid pride while I went about preparing a very light, basic breakfast for
Tyson and his family (should they be inclined to eat).

�� I could barely hear their voices
from the kitchen, but when those voices rose I could hear quite clearly the
outright fight going on between the two siblings.� I closed my eyes and braced myself against
the counter, leaning over it with my head hung as I listened, however unwillingly, to them argue in full voice over me.

�� a big risk in letting him back
here, Tyson!�

�� What part of �I love him� do you
not understand, Hiro?� You�ve known for
years how I felt about him!� How he�s
felt about me!� And neither he nor I have any obligation to
explain to you why he didn�t come back sooner.�
That�s between us and nobody else!�

�� I don�t know what sort of sob story
he could have possibly told you to have made up for all the pain he�s caused
you all these years, Tyson, but you really need to give your head a shake and
pull it out of your ass!� He�s never been
good enough for you, and now you have Makoto to think about!� You can�t just expect my nephew to accept
someone like Hiwatari into his home and life without even��

�� There was a loud smack! of sound and I winced.�
Oh, that�s not going to go over well��
I was pretty sure that Tyson had just thrown a punch, if not a
bitch-slap.� And I knew from bitter
experience that he was quicker than lightning, particularly when he was
righteously pissed off about something.�
Not even Hiro could have dodged or blocked it in time, for all his
training and experience.� Waves of
outrage and sorrow were pouring down the link and it was all I could do not to
fall over and burst into tears.� I could
do nothing except send him my love and strength and whatever support he needed,
even though it was tinged in sadness and regret that I was the cause of such
disharmony between Tyson and Hiro.� He
had always been Tyson�s hero and idle, had looked up to him since he was a
toddler, and now I was a wedge of contention between them.

�� I can�t believe you would dare,
Hiro.� I have reason enough to pound you
into the dojo floor for maligning Kai, but to question how I raise Makoto?� Who, by the
way, absolutely loves and adores Kai to pieces, not to mention being on cloud
nine being able to live with his best friend who is closer than a brother to
him.�

�� You can�t tell me Hiwatari��

�� He has a son the same age as
Makoto, Hiro.� And I love Gou as much as
I love my own son.� He might as well be
my son, just as Makoto might as well be Kai�s.�
We love our children and we love each other.� There is nothing more or less between us, but
you never could understand that.� I don�t
know why you hate Kai so much, but as long as you can�t put it aside and at
least try and be civil, at least try to accept that he�s everything to me, then you are no longer welcome here.� You are no brother of mine if you can�t let
the past stay in the past and get over this childish dislike for someone you
hardly know.�

�� I swallowed, my eyes going
impossibly wide.� There was no way I
could let him do that!� I was down the
short hallway and in the room before I realized what my intentions were.� �Tyson, don�t��

�� Kai.�� He turned to me and before either Hiro or I
could say anything more, Tyson was pulling me into his arms and kissing me
stupid.� Helpless to resist, helpless to
deny the surge of emotional chaos drifting back and forth between us, I went
completely compliant and kissed back willingly, my hands moving of their own
accord to his face and the back of his neck.�
He didn�t let me go until my mind was totally blank of anything but him
and I was dizzy and breathless.� With a
whimper I buried my burning face into his neck and curled my arms around him
snugly.� I felt his lips trail over the
shell of my ear and heard him whisper, �I love you.� And you�re not going to go all tragically
noble on me and offer to leave.� No way
in all hells.�

�� But��

�� No.�
Now shut up.�

�� I clamped my mouth shut and remained
where I was, tucked against his side with my head resting on his shoulder.

�� Well.� If that was a show meant to somehow convince
me of�I have no idea what, then I don�t know what you want me to say.�� Hiro�s face was
stony, and I could see a flicker of pain in his eyes before it was quickly
dosed in anger.� I couldn�t really bring
myself to feel much sympathy for him, though I did regret that his relationship
with his little brother was in tatters.

�� Tyson sighed deeply, emotionally
exhausted.� I rubbed a hand up and down
his back soothingly in support.� �Hiro�I
don�t want you to say anything.� I just
want you to move on and accept us as we are.�
I haven�t changed, and Kai,� he turned his head with a rueful grin to
look at me, �hasn�t changed a whole lot either.�
He�s just let himself be more open than he could be in the past, that�s
all.�

�� Hiro stayed silent, studying us as
though the answers he was looking for could be seen, some sort of clarity or
insight that would be visible to him about us.�
After a long moment, he closed his eyes and I saw him seem to wilt, as
if he�d been drained of whatever energy had been holding him upright all this
time was suddenly just gone.� His
expression was still hard, still wary, but it softened considerably as he
finally nodded at Tyson and sighed.

�� I�m sorry, Tyson.� I know you�re old enough to deal with all
this on your own, and perfectly capable of deciding what you want to do with
your life.� I guess�I still haven�t
gotten used to the fact that you don�t need me anymore.�

�� Tyson�s eyes filled, though he
didn�t let the tears fall as easily as he once did.� �Hiro, you�re still my big brother.� I still love you and look up to you, and
you�ll still be there if I need you.� But
I won�t put up with you interfering in my decisions any longer.� Just�know that Kai and I have worked out our
issues, and we�re happy.� Together.� Can that be
enough?�

�� Hiro finally turned his gaze on me,
and I saw the clear, unspoken message in his eyes.� Hurt
him again, even the littlest bit, and I will kill you
myself.� I nodded minutely,
getting the message loud and clear.� I
hoped he could see in my gaze that I�d kill myself before I hurt Tyson ever
again, but I wasn�t sure exactly how good I was at telegraphing subliminal
messages after so many years of keeping everything to myself.

�� I won�t make promises, Kid, but I
will try.� I think I�ll need time to get
used to the idea.�� He answered Tyson
with a slight smile.� He wasn�t smiling
when he looked at me, but he wasn�t hostile anymore, either.� �Is that coffee ready?� It was a long flight and drive from the
airport, and I think Dad and I could use a few cups full.�

�� It was an offer for a truce, and I
accepted it as graciously as I could.

�� I�ll go get it.� Bring your stuff in, while I get everything
ready.�

�� Tyson watched me go with a relieved
smile on his face, and I heard him say, �I�ll go help Dad bring in the rest of
your stuff.� Just throw it over there for
now and we�ll set up the spare sleeping rolls and everything later.� as I left
the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

�� After that initial rollercoaster
ride of emotion, dealing with Tyson�s elders eased significantly.� Hiro was really making an effort to get over
whatever it was that put him off our relationship, and Tyson�s father was as
jovial and accepting as he�d always been.�
I hadn�t seen him, myself, since way, way back in those early days of
the first year of the Bladebreakers, back during our
first World Championship tournament.� But
he seemed to know everything that happened to Tyson (and subsequently me) from
then until we�d all retired from competitive blading and I basically disappeared
from the blading world completely.� I was
absurdly grateful that he was wise enough and accepting enough to not want to
pry and find out where I�d been these last ten years.� Who knows?�
He probably does know where I was and what was going on.� It wouldn�t surprise me.� He did, after all, have connections in
unexpected places, not the least of which was with the BBA (at first with Mr.
Dickenson, and later probably with Kenny).

�� When I collapsed face down onto the
bed much later that night, I was completely exhausted.� It was like I�d been blading with Tyson in
preparation for a big tournament for 24 hours straight.� I felt muscles complain in places I didn�t
know existed on my body.

�� I let out a deep, heartfelt groan of
appreciation when a well-known, beloved pair of strong, calloused hands grasped
my shoulders and began to knead, while Tyson�s weight pinned me at the waist.� �God�that feels good.�

�� Hmm�I thought it might.� You hoard all your tension in your muscles,
Kai.�� Tyson dug his fingers into the
muscles around my shoulder blades, my breath whooshed
out on a deep sigh.� I swear I
purred.� He was straddling my hips with
his legs tucked right up along my flanks, giving him a good angle to put some
real effort into working out the stiffness in my body.� I let my eyes droop shut and simply lay there
boneless, enjoying his talented hands as I had wanted to for so long.� I still wasn�t comfortable with touch, but
Tyson was so much a part of me now that he could often move under my radar, so
to speak, as if he belonged in my personal space � which of course he did.� And then there�s the times like this, where I
am completely focused on him and his touch, and
nothing else in the world can penetrate that.�
I quite literally wallowed in his attention.

�� I don�t know how long I drifted
off.� Suddenly the warmth of his body
heat left me and I protested, rolling over half-way to glare back at him. �He chuckled at me, patting my thigh fondly.

�� You�re adorable when you pout,
love.� Lie on your back, okay?�

�� Obligingly, I flipped myself over
and tucked my hands behind my head on the pillow.� �What are you planning, Tyson?� You�ve got that gleam in your eyes��

�� Who, me?�� He blinked innocently at me.� Then he drew his shirt off over his head and
wiggled out of his sweatpants, flinging both in the direction of the laundry
basket.� He practically prowled his way
up the bed toward me, stormy azure eyes pinning me in place with a predatory
glint.� Oh.� Well that would certainly be interesting.� Bring it on, lover.

�� I reached up and curled my arms
around his shoulders, pulling him down to me.�
Tyson grinned and settled himself against me.� It never ceases to amaze me how well we fit
together.� His lips brushed across mine
briefly and fingers threaded through my hair.�
I sighed and tried to keep the contact, but he pulled just far enough
back to make me grunt in frustration.� I looked
up at him and blinked fuzzily at the soft smile he was giving me.� �What?�

�� Nothing.� I just love you.�� Tyson shrugged and traced my cheekbone with
the back of a finger.� �You okay?�

�� I tilted my head at him
curiously.� �Fine.� Really!�� I almost laughed at the disbelieving expression
on his face.� �Tyson, love, I�m just
fine.� I just got a little shocked this
morning when Hiro walked in.� I wasn�t
expecting it and I got thrown off a bit.��
I shifted uncomfortably in embarrassment, glowering when Tyson gave me a
raised eyebrow.� �Stop that.� Okay so I was panicking.� A little.�

�� And�?�

�� With a huff, I looked away.� �And he�s your brother, Tyson.� I know how close you are to him, and I hate
that I should be the cause of any bad feelings between you.�� Damn him for knowing I still wasn�t entirely
at ease with my place in his life.� He
wasn�t going to let me pretend otherwise, either.

�� Kai, what can I possibly say or do
that would knock some sense into your head?�
You know here,� his palm flattened over my chest, right where my heart
is, �how much I love you, how much I need you.�
But you can�t seem to accept that up here.�� He kissed my forehead tenderly.

�� I�don�t know, Tyson.� I guess�� I nudged him on the shoulders to
get him to move off me.� If we were going
to have one of those soul-searching type conversations, I wanted to sit up and
be able to think clearly � which I wouldn�t be able to do with his body pressed
against mine in all the right places.� I
guess he got the message because after giving me a thorough searching look, he
rolled off to the side and sat up, leaning against the headboard of the bed.� He scrubbed his face with both hands as I sat
up to join him, bringing my knees up to my chest and hugging them loosely.� �I love you, Tyson.� You know that.�

�� He slid his arm around behind me and
wrapped it around my waist, pulling me against his side.� That I could handle, so I snuggled in
comfortably and dropped my head to his shoulder.� �Yeah, I do.�
Is there some reason you can�t let yourself accept it?�� I frowned to myself, though not because I
thought he was angry or something (since I obviously could feel quite clearly
he wasn�t).� He was only trying to talk
me through it.

�� I�yeah.� I think�maybe I�m just not used to getting
what I�ve always wanted.�� I stared off
across the room, mind whirling.� �I
thought everything was good and that finally things were settling for me.� But��

�� Tyson captured my hand with his free
one, lazily threading our fingers together.�
�But you�re basically waiting for the other shoe to drop?�

�� Why does that make me want to
cry?� �Yeah.� Pretty much.� On my head, most likely.�� I grumbled, knowing my luck was just that
crappy.

�� Snickering, Tyson turned toward
me.� �Kai, we�ve already gone through so
much to get here.� We love each other, we have the two most awesome kids in the universe�� I had to smile at that.� ��and now we�re making our own life
together.� Of course things aren�t going
to be perfect, and we�re bound to run into roadblocks along the way��

�� Feeling rather ridiculous about it
all, I snorted and rolled over, burrowing into him in self-disgust.� �I�m being an idiot.� Why you don�t just slap me when this happens,
I�ll never know.� It�d be much easier and
quicker.�� I mumbled against his skin.

�� You�re not being an idiot.� Of all the people in this world, I think you
have all kinds of reasons to be a
little wary of happiness after all the things that have happened to you in
life.�� Tyson slid down and pulled me
down with him.� We lay on our sides,
facing each other, just watching each other and lightly caressing whatever
parts of each other we could reach.� �So
I�ll ask again: you okay?�

�� I smiled, actually feeling pretty
damn good now.� He always does know how
to clear the air when I seem to have the need to brood and mope about
something.� �Yep.� Perfect.�

�� That�s better.�� He grinned that
ridiculously sappy grin of his and leaned into me, his mouth covering mine
enthusiastically.

~~~~~~~~~~

Between
The Lines

�� Looking back over the years, I
sometimes wonder if all those infinite possibilities, those �what ifs� and �maybes,�
were even really possible.� I don�t think
about fate or destiny or stuff like that.�
I believe in my own choices, my own options and the consequences I face
for them.� There were so many times where
I fought temptation in all the forms that could be used against me in some way,
and I think � in the end � I�ve overcome them and become someone truly worthy
of one Kinomiya Tyson.� �The path of true love�� and all that.� I learn new lessons every day, and I keep
following Tyson wherever each lesson should lead.

�� The only regret I have is that I
didn�t see what was really there the whole time.� Tyson tells me that now I�m being stupid, because obviously everything we went through
was something that needed to happen in order to get us to that point where we
could look at each other and finally just�be.�
But, deep down, I still think that if I could have been a little more observant
I would have seen the deep, abiding love between us, that shining golden chord
that tied us together in endless, infinite knots.� I�m getting better at it, though.� Sometimes, I actually understand what he says
before he says it � and it has nothing whatsoever to do with that metaphysical
bond we share.� It�s like learning a new
language, in many ways.� Learning to read
between the lines of the things Tyson says, the things Tyson does, and learning
to accept that he loves me � and that I deserve it.� All I can ever do is love him back�

�� Because the ultimate skill Tyson has
in dealing with me is that he has always
been able to read between my lines.� And still love me soul-deep, unconditionally.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kali Notes:� And thus ends the epic.� Or should I say�so the real story
begins.� Thank you everyone for reading,
and for all the wonderful comments along the way.� I hope anyone who reads this can see and
understand what I�ve seen in the relationship between Tyson and Kai, and I hope
none of us ever forget the wonder and joy these two characters have brought to
us fans.

Please R/R!

Special
thanks to TechnoRanma, for all her insight and
encouragement.� I love you!
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Between the Lines