Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Depending on a Stranger ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Ashna glared at the figure in shadows.

"This was not part of the deal!!" She snapped at the person. A low snicker was heard from the figure.

"And what deal was that?" Ashna's eye twitched slightly in annoyance.

"You told me that if I showed you where the garage was, then you'd pay me 60 thousand!"

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is, you're now telling me that I have to steal a whole transport full of cars before I can get it!!"

"Well, you shouldn't have let that acursed Kai join up with Rei. Now Rei will have enough money to pay me back my debt, and I will no longer have any leverage over him." Ashna growled darkly as she stalked out of Evana's place.

"I'll get you for this, Kai. NO ONE screws ME over. I'll get my money, and more, and then I'll make you wish you'd never set foot in this town."



Rei leaned back against the counter, reading over the slip of paper with all the cars, shaking his head.

"I still don't understand how we're going to manage this." He muttered, looking up at Kai, who was currently cleaning a shot gun.

"Don't worry; I specialize in nearly impossible assignments." He said, winking at Rei, not noticing the blush that spread over Rei's face at this action. Rei looked up at him after a moment.

"Kai? Why are you helping me? Not that I'm not thankful or anything; It's just.....I'm some thief who lives on the money he makes from stealing, and you're a rich guy who boosts cars because he gets a charge out of it. So why do you care what happens to me?"

Kai quickly looked down at his gun, just in time to hide the blush that rose up.

"I'm not sure. I guess.....I guess it's because I know what it's like, having a lot of pressure on you to get a job done. I didn't get this well off the fair way, that's for sure, and it certianly wasn't easy. So, I suppose I'm helping you because I feel it's the right thing to do." Rei nodded slowly.

"I see." *Though that's not the answer I was hoping it was.* Rei thought sadly, staring down at the list until the words became a blur.

He looked up at Kai after a while. "You say you didn't get this well off the fair way?" Kai shook his head. "Well, what was your life like before you started boosting cars?" Kai stopped cleaning the gun, staring at his reflection in the barrel of the weapon.

"My mother was a street child who died a year after I was born. My father stuck around until I was five, then left. I grew up on the streets with all the other homeless people, living on petty theivery like pickpocketing and robbing department stores. One of the drug addicts I hung out with taught me all about the electronics in cars, and all the tricks to boosting vehicals when I was around 10, and by the time I'd turned 13, I'd been along on several boosts.

"I found out that people were wiling to pay a lot of money for some decent cars, so I started working as a booster. By the time I'd turned 15, I'd earned a very nice sum, as well as a good name." He finally looked up at Rei. "What about you? Exactly why was that gang chasing you?"

Rei pushed away from the counter, walking over and sitting beside Kai on the couch, folding his hands together and staring down at them for a moment before beginning.

"My mother died, like yours, only she died while giving birth to me, so I never met her. I also never met my father, since he left before I was born. I grew up in a small orphanage a few blocks from here, and for as long as I can remember, that place has always been very badly off. Not in spirit, since the people there are extremely kind, but the building is barely standing, and there's not a lot of food.

"Ever since I was able to walk, I've been around cars, since the woman who owned the orphanage was married to a mechanic. He taught me how to fix engines, and I found out on my own how to hotwire a car, shocking myself countless times in the process. My first boost was at 12, and I stole a small motorcycle, another thing I've had a passion for since forever.

"When I found out that I could sell the bike for a few thousand, I instantly gave the money to the orphange, saying I'd found it. I continued to steal vehicals, slowly working my way up. They found out eventually how I was really getting the money, but they didn't ever tell me not to, since it was that or starve all the little kids to death. I still give the money to the orphanage these days, and it's a lot better off then the one I grew up in. The gang was chasing me because they felt the car I gave them wasn't good enough, and wanted a refund, but I'd already given the money away, so...."

Kai nodded, looking up at the clock after a while.

"It's late. We should get some sleep; We have a busy day tomorrow." Rei nodded his understanding. "There's an extrta bedroom down the hall you can sleep in, and a bathroom next to it; You should clean your arm again." Kai suggested, a hint of guilt in his voice.

Rei looked down at his arm to see the blood had shown through the bandage.

"Alright." Rei said quietly, nodding, then turning away to the room Kai had referred to.

Kai watched him leave, then sighed, running a hand through his hair before leaving for his own room. Closing the door behind him, he pulled his shirt off, climbing into bed wearing only his pants.

Folding his arms behind his head, he stared up at the celing, studying the posters of vehicals he'd placed on it above his bed. His eyes lingered on the black and red motorcycle, then he blew his grey bangs out of his eyes, turned over and fell asleep.

Rei sighed as he stood in the bathroom, peeling the bandage of his wound slowly. *What have I gotten myself into?* He wondered, wincing and cursing mentally as he pressed an alcohol saturated cloth to his wound. *I don't even know this guy, and yet, I'm staying in his house, and he's helping me to steal cars. I must be going insane.*

Kai's face flashed through his mind, and Rei couldn't help but sigh again. *If insanity IS staying here with Kai......* Rei smirked slightly as he rewrapped his wound. *.....then I welcome it with open arms.*


Kai woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee drifting into his room, and almost moaned in delight. Coffee was like his lifeline. He needed his morning coffee, or else he could not function properly for the rest of the day.

Forcing himself out of bed, he dragged himself into the kitchen to see Rei standing at the stove cooking breakfast, and a steaming mug of coffee sitting on the table with milk and sugar beside it.

Rei looked up at him, smiling. "Hey. I didn't know how you liked your coffee, so I just left them out for you." Kai looked at him in surprise, then sat down at the table, pouring the milk and sugar in, then taking a drink. He watched Rei cook breakfast, one of the meals he has few chances to eat.

After a moment, Rei layed a plate in front of him, which had golden-brown bacon, fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs, and lightly buttered toast, as well as a glass of orange juice. Rei sat down across from him with a plate holding the same contents as his own, and began to eat.

Kai just stared. His usual breakfast consisted of some dry toast that tasted like cardboard, and 4 cups of coffee. This....this was almost like a feast for him. He shook his head after a moment, and began to eat as well.

Rei looked up at him halfway through. "I hope you don't mind me maiking breakfast without asking. I was kind of hungry, and didn't want to wake you up to ask." Kai shook his head as he took a bite of one of the pancakes.

"It's alright." He said shortly, continuing to eat. Rei blinked in surprise, then looked down at his plate, beginning to eat after a moment. Kai noticed this change, and felt a wave of guilt come over him, but shrugged it off and kept eating.

Rei finished and stood, carrying the dishes over to the sink.

"So what are we going to do today?" Kai finished as well, walking over to the sink as well and setting his dishes inside.

"Today, we're going to visit an old friend of mine."



"The boss? Oh, he's in back." A young boy told Kai, wiping grease off his cheeks. Kai nodded to him, walking through the garage he and Rei had entered, and stepped into a room in the back. There were two boys in the room, playing some racing game on a video game system.

"Damn it, Max, stop passing me!!" The navy blue/grey haired one snapped to the blond beside him, who only laughed.

"Well, if you'd drive faster, I wouldn't."

"Yeah right, you're just saying that so I'll crash into the cliffs on the turns!"

"That is not true!!"

"Still getting your ass kicked as usual, I see, Tyson." The greyish blue haired boy turned at that, and grinned at Kai.

"Hey Ka- Ah, damnit!" He snapped as he ran into a building at this distraction, blowing up his green Corvette. "Look what you made me do!" Max just laughed.

"Hey Kai, where have you been?"

"Around. Listen, I need your help. I need you to tell me where I can find all of these cars." Kai told them, tossing them the paper. Tyson caught it, and read through, Max reading over his shoulder.

"Wow, there are some sweet cars on here! Nissan Maxima, Pontiac Firebird, PT Cruiser, Sunfire, 66 Charger?! Wow....." Tyson looked up at Kai and Rei. "You guys are going to have a hell of a time findig these." Max looked up at them as well, his gaze fixed on Rei.

"Another one, Kai? Geez, what is that, 7?" To Rei's shock, Kai blushed, glaring at Max.

"He's the one getting the cars, Max. I'm just helping him out." Max grinned, winking at Kai.

"Just making sure." Tyson blinked.

"Kai? Helping someone?" He grinned. "What were you smoking?"

"Don't know. It was something out of your stash."

"Hey, I quit a long time ago!!" Tyson defended, blushing. Max shook his head.

"I'll get an address for all of these cars as soon as I can, Kai." He said, sitting down at the computer.

"Thanks, Max." Kai said, turning to leave. Rei looked over at Kai.

"What was that all about?"

"Max and Tyson were two of the boys I grew up with that boosted cars as well." Kai explained. Rei shook his head.

"No, I mean what Max said. About 'another one'?" Kai looked away at this.

"I've gone through a lot of relationships." He said shortly, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"Oh." Was all Rei said in response. Glancing over at the black haired boy, Kai saw once again that Rei had gone silent, staring down at the ground in front of him as he walked, and once again, the guilty feeling had come back up. But he pushed it back down.

"Max will have the addresses for us in a few hours. We'll wait at my place." Rei nodded, lifting his head.


Around half hour later, they were back in the apartment, Kai cleaning another gun, and Rei asleep on the couch. Kai was trying to concentrate on his gun, but he couldn't help but glance at the raven-haired boy when he was laying stretched out on his couch like that.

It was hard for him to tear his gaze away for even a moment. And, to make matters worse, Rei would shift in his sleep every now and then, causing his shirt to ride up slowly, inch by inch, revealing a well toned broze stomach.

The fax machine started beeping suddenly, startling Kai out of his daze. Sighing, whether in annoyance or relief, he didn't know, he got up and grabbed the list that was sliding out slowly. Kai walked over to the couch and nudged Rei in the side with his foot, frowning when Rei only groaned in his sleep and rolled over, his back now facing Kai.

Blowing his bangs out of his eyes, Kai grabbed Rei's shoulders and shook him. "Hey, come on, wake u-" His order was stopped short as Rei latched onto his arm, bending it back and forcing Kai to his knees, and Rei all but leapt off the couch, standing over Kai with death in his eyes.

"What the hell do-Kai? Oh, Jesus, I'm sorry!" Rei cried, letting go of Kai's arm and pulling him up by his wrist. "I'm really, really sorry; It was a reflex!" Kai rubbed his arm, eyeing Rei.

"It's alright, just....try not to do it again." Kai said softly. He then handed the list to a flustered Rei.

"Are these..."

"Yeah, those are the addresses. Come on, we'd better get started."