Since Kai insisted it was either sneak onto a cargo ship that night of pull together something fast, Max's irritated mother suggested that if he was set on being an idiot, he might as well call some friends of hers hitching a ride on a freighter for some affordable research. She even bumped Max off to give Kai an earful about waiting just one damn week instead of being an impatient, head strong teenager who believed his fellow head-strong teenager's conspiracy theory, but once Kai had the number he simply walked away from the computer.

Tyson slid in on his socks just as Kai found a quiet corner of the kitchen to make his call.

"I'm going with you, the end."

He just looked at him, mostly out of amusement. The short stack didn't have to give him his battle glare. Kai figured Tyson would be riding his tail out for adventure.

"Fine, but for God's sake, try to keep the recklessness to a minimum."

Max's mother's friend turned out to be a Physics and Marine Movement professor at the local community college. He had plans to leave in the wee hours of the morning on a freighter shipping across the pacific to take samples of ocean water and read the currents. Since freighters were no passenger carrier, the professor did quite a bit of sputtering about lack of bunks and rooms, but when Kai insisted he was fine sleeping on whatever space of floor he could throw a sleeping bag, that he'd stay out of the way, and that he had a passport, the professor uneasily agreed to talking to the captain about bringing on some helpers for his research. He did insist on calling Max's mother first for verification of Kai's identity.

Kai only grew uneasy when Kenny insisted on coming along with them. Ayah Kai expected, even planned, on taking along, but Kenny...

But it was Tyson who gave the refusal.

"Look, man, space is tight, you get awful seasickness anyways, and if they start drafting like crazy over here in Japan your asthma will keep you out of that. Besides, we need someone to keep a look out for Hillary and Gramps for us."

Kenny was more surprised than angry. "That actually sounded mature. Are you okay, Tyson?"

"I think you're confusing my playful, fun loving personality with immaturity, Chief. I'm plenty mature. I'm a full grown man!"

Kai laughed. That irked the Dragon, as he knew it would, and he walked away to the sound of Tyson's roars for battle.

"I have to go home and pack, moron. Make sure you grab some sleeping bags."

He gave Aya a nod on his way out. She had a hand twisted up in her own feathers.

Back home, he found a small box waiting for him on his kitchen counter and he opened it like one would a bomb. Inside, however, he found a silver beyblade with a thin attack ring like a long-toothed saw blade. He cursed as he stuffed it into his cargo jean's pocket. It wasn't made of the same dark, glassy substance of the assassin's blades, but that's why Kai liked Tala's blades more and had always settled with an attack ring of his making; they were a happy medium between the durability of a tournament blade and the deathly speed and edge of an assassin's blade. This way it could slice flesh while being able to shatter any assassin's blade he met, while holding its own against the everyday beyblade for as long as it took Kai to call it back and switch out rings.

This, however, was the first time he had a blade entirely of Tala's making. The wolf had gone above and beyond, and Kai knew for a fact that the payment he had sent Tala didn't cover even half of it. It even came with an extra defense ring made of a heavier, high-durability alloy rather than the light reinforced aluminum alloy favored for speed.

Friend.

"Idiot. If you were nearby you could have just told me all that shit in person."

He thought he might understand why his own lone wolf attitude pissed off his teammates so often. Tala was driving him up the wall. But, then again, there was no guarantee that Tala would be any safer with Kai then he would be on his own. Still, it would have eased Kai's conscience a good deal more.

For the first time in a month, he once more snapped on his beyblade utility belt. He hadn't realized how naked he had felt without it, but he had been reluctant to see how bad his launch had become since his muscles had been eaten away. He had hoped to build up his strength before taking up his blade once more.

Since Tyson's Grandfather hadn't bothered to get Tyson another cell phone after he lost the first one when he was 15, he decided to head over and supervise Tyson's and Ayah's packing and departure himself. A part of him wished Hillary was coming along to hen pick Tyson for him.

Grandpa Granger met him at the gate with an uncharacteristically grim expression. Kai gave a polite bow of his head.

"Mr. Granger."

The elder Granger crossed his arms. "Hey. Thought you'd be by soon enough. Up for a talk?"

Kai inwardly frowned at the senior's unusual lack of slang, but nodded and adjusted his knapsack on his shoulder so it wouldn't be hanging over a wing bone.

"Now, I won't go pretending you lot aren't almost adults, nor will I try to stop you because I understand there's some pretty powerful things at work that I can't control...but it doesn't make me any happier about this. And so soon after Ayah's come to us..." Grandpa Granger closed his eyes for a few seconds, then open them to give Kai with the same stormy, steely glance that Tyson had so often given him in the heat of battle when nothing would move him. At least Kai knew who he got it from.

"I know you've survived a lot more than you let off, kid, and I know that's made you older than you care. So I'm telling you, man to man, take care of them. Bring them back to me in one piece, you hear?" Grandpa Granger hesitated. "Please."

It was as though a prickling, invisible weight came down upon him, stretching out like clay across his shoulders, arms, torso, legs—almost as though he himself had been the one to grow heavier. At the same time, a familiar steely reserve rose up in response to the weight. It wasn't unfamiliar to Kai, after all. He was the captain, and a part of him always would.

So he gave another nod. "Yes sir."

Grandpa Granger gave a whiskery smile and gave Kai's unladen shoulder a squeeze. "All that 'you're grown up' talk aside, Kai, you're one darn good kid. Better than anyone has the right to expect of you."

Unexpectantly, those words moved something within him; something he had almost forgotten about, but which burned alongside his pride and ambition every waking moment. To his alarm, his throat abruptly tightened and his eyes started to burn with tears he hadn't shed since he was small. He ducked his head to hide the embarrassing, uncontrolled wave of emotion and simply gave another bow.

In a very Tyson-ish manner, Grandpa Granger barked with laughter and gave Kai a thumping pat on the shoulders.

"Head on in, you've let me embarrass you enough."

Kai did so with great relief.

To walk straight into Hillary.

She staggered back and Kai reflexively caught her arm to stop her from falling. He tugged her back to her feet, which somehow brought her uncomfortably close to the point her face filled up his entre view. Before he could get away—wait, should he apologize? No, it had just been a pointless accident—her face was suddenly much closer, closer than he thought it could get, closer than ANYONE'S face should ever get to his.

When her lips touched his, every ounce of his almost forgotten revulsion to human flesh returned to him with the sensation of millions of ants rocketing up his skin.

He shoved her back, hard. Poor Hillary didn't just fall down, she flew, sliding down the hall on her butt a few feet.

The guilt wrenched him before her big, hurt brown eyes looked up at him, brightening with tears.

"I-I-I was surprised," he choked out. Reasons first, apologies always last. Things worked out better that way—how the hell was this suppose to work? What the hell just happened? "I don't—touching, I don't do touching."

Her chin jerked down as she moved to hide the obvious tears. "No, I'm sorry, I should have remembered. I knew that. Idiot I...but I guess it's worth it to see you all flustered—wait, scratch that, did you have to push so hard? Jerk." But her words didn't have the force she meant them to have. Her voice was already burbling up with the water dripping down onto her shirt.

He should do something. He should help her up, he should—why the hell should he do that? She was the one who had invaded his space and just kissed him, you don't just assault someone like that! But even as he thought that he remembered Ayah's kiss to his newly healed lips and how it had overturned every nerve in his body with the softness. He hadn't thought of disgusting, squishy flesh then. Just the softness and the warmth. Hadn't Ayah surprised him?

No. This was different, he told himself. Hillary had come out of nowhere.

Still, while saying such blunt things to anyone else wouldn't have phased him, even if they were bawling at his feet, Hillary was different. He had always respected Hillary.

So he stepped forward and reached out. But she didn't even see his hand and pushed herself to her feet.

"I guess that answers my question," she mumbled, and stepped passed him. Without another word she slid open the door and stepped out. He stared at the closed door for a minute before slipping off his shoes and making his way up the stairs where he could here Tyson and Ayah shuffling about. His heart was doing a weird squiggly sort of beating he didn't quite understand, but then, he was never one to closely examine his feelings unless they pertained to a potential threat.

C_