Chapter One - Broken

The rain poured from the sky in rods, soaking everything in its path. Grey clouds shadowed the Japanese city. Not many people were out, the rain forcing them inside.

A seventeen year old boy stood in the cemetery at the foot of a fresh grave. The wind ruffled his red jacket and his blue hair was sticking to his face as he slowly got wetter. Tears leaked from his stormy eyes, mingling with the raindrops on his face. His blue eyes were full of dark grief as he hazed on the headstone before him.

Heiji Kinomiya

Sensei, parent and friend

You’ll always be missed

Tyson Kinomiya felt his brow crease and his lip wobble in an attempt to contain his grief. He fell to his knees, mud splattering his jeans as he choked on his sobs, remembering how it happened…

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Heiji Kinomiya swung his katana in his hands. “Little dude! Pick up some speed!”

“Gramps, I’m seventeen, I’m hardly little anymore,” Tyson sighed. He continued the exercise and finished with a flourish as the rest of the class in the dojo watched.

“Better?” he asked.

“Sure was, little dude!” His grandpa grinned and swung towards him. “Time to put it into action!”

Tyson smiled slightly – he would never change. He turned to his grandpa and stood ready.

His grandpa did nothing.

“Gramps?” asked Tyson. His grandfather made a choking noise and fell to his knees. “Grandpa!” Tyson yelled, catching his guardian. His skin was rapidly chilling and his lips were going grey.

“Someone call an ambulance!” he ordered. One of the students quickly ran out. Tyson felt his eyes fill with tears – what was wrong with his grandfather?

xox

Tyson waited in the relative’s room, cradling his head in his hands. Hilary was with him, her arm across his shoulder. None of his other friends were there. Max was in America, Kenny was at university (Harvard, no less), Ray was in China, Daichi back in the forest and Kai… well, he was probably training somewhere.

A doctor opened the door to the room. “Mr Kinomiya?”

Tyson jumped up, Hilary gripping his arm.

“What is it?” Tyson felt his voice crack. “Is he okay?”

The doctor swallowed. “I’m sorry. Your grandfather passed away a few minutes ago.”

The world seemed to freeze as Tyson’s mouth hung open in disbelief. There was a roar of wind in his ears. “No…” he whispered, before collapsing to his knees. “No!”

Hilary wiped her eyes. “Oh Tyson… I’m so sorry.” She knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him.

“He wasn’t supposed to leave like this!” Tyson cried, his tears splashing on the floor. “He wasn’t supposed to die like this!”

Hilary hugged Tyson closer. “I know,” she whispered. “I know.”

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Tyson had cried so much, in the dojo, in the park… but at the funeral he found he couldn’t shed tears. Now he was crying again.

“Why did you go? You should have held on! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!”

“Then how was it supposed to be?” asked a voice.

Tyson looked up. “K… Kai?”

The dual-haired blader looked down at Tyson. “People don’t live forever, Tyson. You’ll have to accept it.”

Tyson gripped the earth in his hands. “I can’t!” The next part was a whisper. “Not alone.”

Kai suppressed a sigh. “I can’t help you.”

“I figured as much,” Tyson snapped bitterly. He stood up and brushed himself off. “See you, Kai,” he said as he turned away.

Kai watched with softened ruby eyes as Tyson walked away. He had to help Tyson somehow

But how?

xox

Tyson’s visits to the graveyard became daily excursions. Sometimes he just stood and stared, other times he just cried. And each time he was silently observed from the trees by ruby eyes.

Kai felt his heart tear each time he saw his friend. No… more than friend. Love. But Tyson didn’t know that.

And he doesn’t need to.

It had been nearly a fortnight since the funeral and Tyson didn’t seem to be getting better. In fact, it only seemed to get worse.

One evening Kai was watching from the trees, his scarf dripping as the autumn rain fell from the skies. Tyson was standing by the grave side again. Once again, he fell to his knees, a katana in one hand and Dragoon in the other. Dragoon’s edge was cutting into his hand. But Kai couldn’t help him.

((Why not?)) asked a female voice.

Kai narrowed his eyes. ((Dranzer. You know why not. I’ll only mess it up, make things worse. I always do.))

((Oh, ye of little faith.))

Kai ignored his bit beast.

“Tyson!” shouted voice.

Kai’s head snapped around. Had they finally come?

“Tyson!” There were footsteps and two people ran up to their friend. A blonde skidded in the mud and pulled Tyson closer and a long haired neko-jin rested a hand on the bluenette’s back.

“Max?” Tyson whispered in disbelief. “Rei?”

Max nodded and Tyson let out a sob, throwing his arms around his old friend. Max pulled him closer and let his own tears come, hugging his friend tightly.

Rei scanned the trees and frowned. Ruby eyes met golden and he nodded to Kai in acknowledgment. The dual-haired one didn’t respond, but turned on his heel and left. Tyson was in safe hands now.

Kai lay on his bed in his small apartment, darkness descending over the room as night fell. His face was merged into a frown as he thought about how he felt when his grandfather died.

Nope… nothing. If anything, he felt relief. No pity, no grief… but then he was never close to his grandfather. Not like Tyson…

Tyson. The name brought a leaping feeling to Kai’s chest as well as constricting his heart. He could never be what Tyson wanted – he was the cold, heartless captain of the team. All he brought was pain and mess. He’d make it worse.

There was a frantic knocking at the front door. Kai scowled and ignored it. The knocking got louder and Kai suppressed a growl, pretending to be out.

“Look, I know you’re in there, Kai. Stop pretending.” It was Rei.

“What do you want?” snapped Kai as he stood up and opened the door. Rei frowned.

“I’ve come to see an old friend. Is that a problem?”

Kai turned away and sat on the bed. “You should be with Tyson,” said Kai, looking out of the window. It was still raining.

“Kai… why won’t you admit what’s in front of your nose?” said Rei.

Kai scowled. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean. About Tyson.”

“What makes you think I’m gay?” Kai snapped, too quickly.

“You said it, not me.”

Kai scowled and hunched his shoulders. “Fine. I’m gay. And I like Tyson. Who doesn’t?”

Rei sat down next to Kai. “It’s more than liking Tyson, isn’t it?”

“How the hell would you know?”

Rei tapped his head. “Bit-beasts gossip, Kai. And Driger’s such a tattle-tale.”

Kai pulled out his blade and glared at it. “So is Dranzer, it seems.”

“Cut her some slack, Kai. She didn’t know what to do; she hasn’t coped with this emotion in your head before…”

“Well neither have I.”

“Let me finish. Like you, she hasn’t coped with this emotion before, but unlike you she asks for help with her problems.”

“Is that supposed to be a fault?”

“Yes, because it highlights your stubbornness.”

Kai grunted. “Look, what is your point exactly? I need to get packing.”

Rei blinked. “Packing?”

Kai stood up. “I’m going away for a week.”

Rei blinked again. “Well at least you’re giving a period of time now. Before you’d be like “I’m going away” then just bugger off for a few months… other times you’d just piss off and not let anyone know.”

Kai grunted and clenched his fists. “I know, Rei. There’s no need to tell me.”

“Tyson was heartbroken the last time you did that.”

Kai faltered at the dresser. “Rei, I’m going away for Tyson. There’re things I need to do.”

“What, going away because you don’t think you’re good enough? Because you don’t think that you’ll help him enough because you feel you’re not capable of helping him?”

“Sweet Jesus, Dranzer how much did you tell Driger!” Kai shouted.

Rei smirked. “She didn’t tell him, I guessed.”

Kai scowled. “Alright. So I do feel that. But that’s not why I’m going away.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“You’re attitude it really pissing me off.”

“I know.”

Kai sighed. “I’m going to Egypt. To tell Hiro and Mr. Kinomiya.”

Rei’s mouth dropped open. “You really do love Tyson, don’t you?” For Kai to risk going anywhere near Hiro and his boyfriend Kai was risking a hell of a lot.

Kai pulled out a rucksack and slung on the bed. “Yes. I do.”