Disclaimers: I don't own Beyblade; I'm simply using the characters for my and my muse's entertainment.

Mika didn't want to wake them, with as peaceful as they looked and all, but she knew the rain was only going to get worse from here and she knew how much Rei despised storms. She knew that they'd get better rest if they were inside and on a bed rather than sitting up on some worn in car seat.

So she decided to let Kai do the waking.

She gently shook him a couple times before his head rolled this way and that and his crimson eyes slowly fluttered open.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Mika smiled as she crouched down in the open car door. "But could you get Rei inside? It's going to start storming soon."

Kai nodded, still trying to blink the sleep away from his eyes. "Sure thing."

And with that she stood and headed up the sidewalk towards the house.

'Since it's the first time he's slept in a couple days, I don't want to wake him,' Kai thought as he somehow managed to maneuver himself with Rei in his arms out of the open car door and then shutting it behind himself without dropping the neko-jin male. 'Rei wasn't kidding when he said I'd like it here…'

As he slowly walked up the sidewalk in the drizzle, he took in the lush flower gardens on either side of the sidewalk and the tall shady trees all around the two story house, secluding it from the world.

Mika had left the front door open for them, and so he entered the threshold, careful not to bump either Rei's feet or head against the wooden frame.

"Follow me!" Kalli grinned, beckoning for the bluenette to follow her. And follow her he did up the stairs, looking from picture to picture on the walls, inwardly smiling at how cute of a child Rei was. "This is his room."

And with that, she pushed open the door before disappearing back downstairs.

Kai laid Rei down on his bed before turning to close the door, the neko-jin mumbling something while reaching an arm out in Kai's direction, still asleep. He couldn't help but smile.

He took off his shoes and Rei's before climbing onto the bed next to the amber eyed teen, slowly and carefully removing the black leather collar from around Rei's neck; he didn't want to be scraped by the buckle when the other started to cuddle with him, as much as he liked it on Rei.

After setting the collar aside on the nightstand, Kai scooted himself over a little ways and sat up, closer to the center of the bed while lifting Rei's upper back and head, resting his head on his chest and stroking his bangs while he looked around the room. And he nearly choked out a laugh at seeing the giant panda sitting on his bean bag chair.

His crimson eyes floated from picture to picture and from nick-knack to normal objects. So this is what Rei is really like?

After finishing his examination, he turned his gaze back to the boy pawing at his shirt, Rei's eyebrows furrowing as he dreamed.

Somehow he managed to kick the blanket out from under them and lay fully back down while covering himself and the raven haired teen up, all the while Rei still curled up against him.

And for hours they slept, late into the night.

It was around 11:30 at night when Rei's eyelids began to move, bleary amber eyes focusing on his 'pillow', a smile spreading across his lips as he met a pair of crimson eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" Rei asked as he pushed himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Kai shrugged. "A while."

"Then why didn't you wake me up? You didn't just have to sit there and let me use you like a pillow."

"I don't mind. Besides, you needed the sleep."

"I know."

"So, enlighten me now; why couldn't you sleep while I was in Russia?"

Rei blushed, frowning as he stared at his bed sheets, his legs tucked beneath him.

"Is it that embarrassing?" Kai knew all too well what had happened seeing as he instantly fell asleep in his arms; he wasn't too worried about him to lose sleep, no one was ever that worried about him.

"Shut up!" Rei hissed softly before sighing.

Admitting that he needed Kai wasn't something he wanted to do. It was embarrassing.

"Can I brush your hair?"

Rei hesitantly looked up at the blunette, unsure exactly what Kai was trying to prod out of him. He nodded.

"You wanna watch TV while you're doing it?"

"No," was the simple response while he waited for Rei to position himself. "You're hair's plenty entertaining."

Once Rei was where he wanted to be, Kai unwrapped the hair tie and slowly unbraided the boy's hair, running his fingers through it, noting that it was still slightly damp from where either the boy had showered earlier that day and put it up while it was still wet or he had been playing in the rain. And Kai knew he wouldn't have played in the rain.

"Why do you grow your hair out?" the crimson eyed teen asked as he started gently running the brush through the raven locks.

Rei shrugged, playing with a stray lock of hair as he stared ahead into nothingness. "I've been told since I was little that I had really beautiful hair, and so I guess I just wanted to show it off. Why, do you not like my hair this long?"

For that stupid question, he received the back of the brush upside his head.

"What was that for?" he yelped as he rubbed the now sore spot, turning slightly to glare at Kai.

"What do you think it was for? If you ever even think of cutting your hair, I'll personally kill you."

Rei then laughed. "You like it that much?"

"No…I'm just practicing for when I get a girlfriend with really long hair," Kai replied sarcastically.

But those words stung Rei, even if he knew Kai was joking. And he couldn't help letting a tear or more slowly trail down his cheeks and off his chin, and he didn't understand why his feelings were so strong that it brought him to tears.

'He's just a really close friend!' he tried to reason with himself.

But the shuddering shoulders didn't go unnoticed by Kai, who sighed and sat the brush down before wrapping his arms around the other from behind.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," he sniffed and he angrily rubbed the tears away with his shirt sleeve. Then more tears welled up in his eyes as Kai abruptly pulled him downward by his shoulders to lay Rei's head in his lap.

"Why are you crying?" he asked again, looking straight down into watery amber eyes.

"Because I'm scared!" he managed before covering both his eyes with his hands.

"Scared of what?"

Rei couldn't bring himself to say it, that he was afraid of losing Kai to someone else. But he wasn't in love!

"Rei."

"I can't!"

"Rei."

"No!"

Kai smiled as he removed the teen's hands from his eyes, holding them by the wrists.

"Are you afraid of losing me?"

Rei's eyes widened considerably, the tears momentarily stopping. 'How did he know what I was thinking?'

"Because I refuse to give you to anyone."

At hearing this, Rei's heart pounded in his chest as he quickly sat up, drawing his arms tightly against himself, confusion upon his features. He didn't want to hear it.

And all Kai did was stare at him. Patiently waiting for something, anything.

Kalli couldn't hold it in anymore and she nearly squealed from her hiding spot in the closet, instantly drawing both pairs of eyes to the closed, slotted door across the room.

Knowing that she'd been discovered, she came out and tried to make a dash for the exit, but Rei caught her easily.

"What are you doing in here?"

"What does it look like? I wanted to see it for myself!"

"See what?"

"How deep you two are connected."

"I told you earlier to stop with that!"

"Why are you denying what you feel?"

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

And as the pair argued, all Kai could do was listen.

"Rei," he then suddenly cut in, drawing his attention away from Kalli long enough for her to escape. "Mika already told me."

"Told you what?" he asked, horrified. His mother had turned on him like that?

"That you can't sleep without me. That you don't understand your own feelings and are denying them."

Rei was torn. His mother really had told him.

"Do you know how many nights I've just laid there and smiled while running my fingers through your hair while you slept, hoping and praying that you would stay by my side forever? Do you know how much I want these rumors about us to be true? Do you understand that I drop my mask only for you, Rei? You've dealt with emotions your whole life, so you shouldn't be denying what you feel. I'm just learning to feel again, and I've come to face with the fact that I'm falling for you, Rei!" Kai said as he hung his head. If only he knew how to express himself better, to make Rei understand…

Rei didn't know what to do; he didn't know if he should be comforting Kai or running away. He didn't want to hear the things coming from his friend's mouth. He didn't want to believe them! He couldn't face himself yet, let alone face Kai's emotions as well.

The neko-jin suddenly jumped, his eyes terrified as lighting illuminated his room, leaving everything after in total darkness.

"Rei," he heard the quiet voice call to him. "If you want me by your side during the storm, I'm here. I'll always be here for you, and only you. And if you don't want to hear it, then tell me now. I can't deny my feelings any longer."

"I…don't…" he began to sob as he sank to his knees on the floor. "I don't know what I want anymore, Kai. I'm so confused!" he said as he hugged himself, closing his eyes tightly against the lighting outside.

"Do you want me by your side, Rei?"

"Yes," he breathed, shaking from trying to hold back tears.

His eyes snapped open as he felt Kai's warm arms wrap around him as the other teen joined him on the floor.

"What's there to be confused about?"

"Everything," he breathed softly.

And if Rei wanted to elaborate any further, he didn't get the chance.

Kai had, in one swift motion, gently grasped Rei's chin and pressed his lips to the neko-jin's.

Rei didn't know what was going on, didn't understand why it felt so natural for Kai's lips to be on his, for it to be so natural that he willingly returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around Kai's neck, pulling him closer as he whimpered against his mouth, wincing from the storm howling outside.

"Don't ever leave me, Kai!" he cried once they slowly broke apart a few wonderful moments later, his head falling to rest on Kai's shoulder as he held him for all he was worth. "Don't leave me…"

With that one kiss, everything made sense. He couldn't understand anything because he didn't want to understand anything. He wanted to turn everything inside out with questions instead of wondering what would happen if it were true.

With that one kiss, he knew why everything seemed so natural. He had already fallen, long ago.