Disclaimer - If you recoginize anything, then sadly I do not own it.

Summary - Today is Kai's special day. It's his birthday, will he survive it?

Thank you to Tai Ishtar, Butterfly Ishida, lallyzippo, Kai's kitty, The Goddess Azure Thunder, Corn - The OTHER White Meat, shrouded-obsession, Miako6, Demon TK, famous4it, cmquietone, Angel-Gina, Nezrin, AnimeKairi, . . .Blood MasCarA. . ., AnimeKairi, FlamesOfFury, animpie, mattitudeandrkofollower, Mad Scientist Minx, Kimkizna, gliitch, Tadase-chan, angela, Shadow, Ma.anda, fluffys-sidekick & StZen for reviewing.

I apologize for taking so long to update this fic but I lost interest in my stories & recently decided to get back to them. Well, that is only part of the problem since I got a Wii last Christmas & I've been obsessing over two swordsmen from Brawl. Hopefully, it won't take me another year & a half to update this fic again.

The chapter is dedicated to Demon TK but you all need to give a bigger thank you to Rae TB, who kindly agreed to be my Beta. If not for her, I doubt this chapter would have been posted. Thank you ever so much! You're a godsend, Rae!

Chapter 25 - Kai's Special Day

Today was supposed to be his day. It was his special day but it didn't feel like it to the dual-haired chibi who was sitting on top of a slide with his legs swinging over the side, arms crossed over his chest. He knew Tala would not approve of his sulking but he wasn't the only one. Mystel was in one of the tunnels crying because Rei had not come to the park with them.

Tyson on the other hand was having fun playing with his father and trying to teach Cosmo how to catch a frisbee. Even Brooklyn had deserted him in favor of Hiro. He was contently sitting in Hiro's lap as they swung on one of the swings. He could hear his laughter from where he sat and it only made him feel more sad and lonely.

"It suppose ta be my day," Kai mumbled with a sad sigh, "and nobody wants ta play with me. Even Tala broke his pwomise."

Kai's thoughts turned to Tala, who had stayed home while they had been forced to visit the park. He was certain that the red-head remembered that today was his birthday. He knew that he had told him once but he had not mentioned a word about it since. Kai sighed heavily again but decided to make the best of it. After all, he had an uncanny feeling that no one had remembered his birthday before so why did it matter now?

He slid down the slide and landed on the soft ground as he looked at his options. Did he want to play with Tyson, Brooklyn or Mystel? He did not like that his choices were so limited and wished that Tala was still his age. He had been fun to play and conspire with. Tyson was rolling around on the grass with Cosmo as his father laughed at the display. He wasn't too crazy about the puppy - he preferred his kitten.

Brooklyn was still swinging with Hiro and yelling:"higher!" Kai sighed and decided to find Mystel. Maybe misery loved company he thought as he climbed into the yellow tunnel to find the Egyptian still sniffling and wiping his nose on the sleeve of his white shirt. Kai plopped down beside him and drew his knees to his chest as the blond looked up briefly.

"What ya want?" he asked, quietly, "me not in the mood ta pway."

"Me either," Kai admitted, "Tala forgot what today is."

"It Saturday," Mystel replied with a slight smile, proud that he knew what day of the week it was.

"Well, yeah," Kai added, quietly, "but today my birthday too."

"It your birfhday," Mystel stated as his eyes went wide and he cheered up slightly, "Happy Birfhday, Kai!"

"No, it not," Kai snapped back, his eyes glowing with anger, "everyone forgots. Even Tala don't remember."

"Oh," Mystel sniffled, burying his face in his knees, "that sad if everyone forgots. Why don't ya tell 'em?"

"I don't really care," Kai shrugged, "it not that important."

"It important," Mystel protested as the argument stopped his crying, "birfhdays are suppose ta be your special day when ya get all the attention."

Mystel got frustrated from Kai's indifference about the matter but didn't get the chance to argue his opinion further due to the arrival of a certain elder.

"What has got your knickers in a twist, my man?" Grandpa asked as he squatted at the tunnel's entrance and looked in since he could not climb into the equipment, "your long faces are sending out some major bad vibes. So what is wrong, little dudes?"

Kai went mute and crossed his arms in defiance as he gave the elder a pointed glare. Mystel ignored Kai's mood and jumped at the chance to tell someone why he was so miserable.

"Rei-Rei didn't come ta pway with me," he explained with an adorable pout and whine, "that why me so sad but Kai gots a bettah reason ta be upset. Today is his birfhday and everyone forgots."

"Mystel," Kai growled as he glared intently at the younger that Mystel actually shivered, "I said I don't care."

Kai tackled Mystel as they fell and started to playfully wrestle. Kai wasn't going to hurt the blonde, he only wanted to scare him for tattling. Since the two of them were preoccupied with each other, they didn't see the grin that spread across grandpa's face.

"I sorwy," Mystel squealed as Kai tickled him, "I sorwy for tattling, Kai."

"That better," Kai stated as he crawled off of Mystel, who quickly ran away to join Tyson.

Grandpa masked his grin since he did not want to spoil the surprise the others had planned for Kai. If the poor chibi thought that his best friend had forgotten, he was sorely mistaken. The elder couldn't wait to go home but they had to wait until Judy called.

"Don't be bummed, little dude," Grandpa comforted, putting a hand on Kai's shoulder after he had climbed out of the tunnel, "everyone forgets things at times. I'm sure that Tala did not forget that today is your birthday."

"I don't care," Kai huffed with anger as he slapped away Grandpa's hand and stalked off.

Grandpa was not offended by the gesture, knowing how much pain the dual haired boy had suffered over the years and the fact that he would never admit his feelings of hurt or neglect. It was the way that he had been raised. The elderly man cursed Voltaire under his breath for making Kai's life so hard. It seemed that they would never get him to open up completely. Kai went to a nearby tree and easily climbed into its branches. He leaned back and sulked as the others continued to play except for one.

Brooklyn had seen the exchange from Hiroshi's lap and had looked about to jump from the swing to comfort his friend. Hiroshi then whispered something in his ear. Brooklyn's head turned back to Kai but he stayed in place. He bit down on his lip and seemed torn over what to do. Obviously Hiroshi thought that Kai needed some time alone. His attitude would change when they got home or so everyone hoped.

Mystel had got over his sulking and was playing with Tyson and Cosmo while Bruce joined Grandpa, who was now sitting on a bench.

"What was that all about?" he asked as he motioned to Kai and Mystel.

"Mystel was upset that Rei didn't come to the park," Grandpa informed in a serious tone that was unusual for him, "but my man Kai told Mystel that everyone forgot his birthday including Tala. That is why the little dude is bummed."

"Well, there is an easy solution to his problem," Bruce stated with a smile, "he is going to be quite surprised when we return to the house. Mystel's problem is not as easy to solve, however."

"I think it will work itself out when he returns to his normal age," Grandpa remarked with a grin as he set his chin on his shinai, "but it is going to be the motherload of confrontations between the three."

Both men laughed at the thought but a vibration and familiar jingle coming from Bruce's pocket interrupted the moment. He pulled out a small cell phone and smiled when he looked at the number. When Grandpa mouthed the word 'Judy' he nodded as Bruce answered the phone. It seemed that they had finished their party preparations and now it was time to return to their temporary home.

"Time to go!" Bruce called as Tyson and Mystel answered his call and started running to him. Hiro got off the swing and settled Brooklyn on his hip. Kai on the other hand remained where he was, forcing Bruce to fetch him personally.

"Kai, it is time to leave," Bruce stated, standing under the tree, "it is time we met the others for dinner."

"Don't wanna," Kai pouted as he stuck his bottom lip out at the thought of Tala and his forgotten promise, "I staying here."

Bruce sighed with frustration - Kai was going to be a bit of a problem. He needed to get him out of the tree but he couldn't reveal the secret yet. Everyone wanted the party to be a surprise. Bruce quickly thought over his options. He could climb the tree and bring Kai down by force or he could make Hiro do it. However, he didn't want to upset the birthday boy anymore than he already was.

He felt sorry for Kai at the moment but Brooklyn wormed his way out of Hiro's grip and ran to the oak tree. Maybe he could get the temperamental chibi out of the tree without a problem.

"Kai, come down pwease," Brooklyn begged as he pouted cutely, "let go home. Other fwiends are waiting for us and dey gots a sur-"

Hiro clamped a hand over Brooklyn's mouth since he had almost told Kai about the party they were trying to keep secret. Bruce looked at his oldest son and raised an eyebrow. Hiro just smiled nervously and shrugged in return. It was stupid of him to tell Brooklyn about the party. He could never keep a secret at his age and that was the reason why they had not told Tyson or Mystel. It was best to keep it from all of them.

With his father glaring at him, Hiro could almost kick himself for telling Brooklyn about the birthday party but he had his reasons. Kai was looking at them with suspicion instead of his usual glare. Hiro knew that he suspected something due to his sudden actions toward Brooklyn.

"Whatevah," Kai shrugged as he jumped down from the branch and landed on his feet, "Let's go."

Kai started stalking toward the bus as the others followed. Hiro took the opportunity to glare at Brooklyn.

"Don't say a word, Brook," he stated as the chibi nodded and he removed his hand slowly, "It is suppose to be a surprise."

"Sorwy, Hero," Brooklyn apologized as they walked to the bus, "didn't mean too. Me forgots."

Kai sulked during the ride home. When Brooklyn jumped into the seat beside of him to offer his company, he gave the younger such a glare that Brooklyn scurried back to the safety that Hiro provided.

"If ya don't chill," Grandpa advised, looking at Kai, "your face might freeze like that, little dude."

Kai just frowned even more as he picked at a loose thread on his pants. He couldn't help the mood that he was in at the moment. He was sad and upset and the only way that he knew to deal with it was to be angry. He hadn't meant to glare or snap at the others. They were only trying to make him feel better but he did not like pity. Being pitied made him feel weak and he did not like that feeling.

After about the twentieth rendition of the 'Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round' by Tyson and Mystel, they finally arrived at the house. Kai was the first to jump down the steps of the bus. Their off key singing had given him a slight headache, making his mood worsen. All he wanted to do was eat dinner and go to bed since he was in no mood to play or even pull a practical joke. He was walking to the front door when Brooklyn scampered in front of him as the adults walked past with Tyson and Mystel in tow.

"Kai, wanna play?" Brooklyn asked as he giggled, "might have time for game before dinner."

"Not in the mood," Kai replied with a scowl, "Just wanna eat and go ta bed."

"Come on," Brooklyn protested, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the house, "I wanna play Bryan's Wii and the game no fun without someone else playing with you. I'll even let you be Marth."

Kai knew that he was talking about Super Smash Bros. Brawl but he was not in the mood to play the game. Brooklyn was too insistent however and he pulled him into the den that appeared unusually dark. It was fortunate Kai wasn't afraid of the dark because Brooklyn pushed him in. The lights then came on as everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!" then "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAI!"

Kai looked at the group gathered before himin shock. Hanging above them was a huge banner that had "Happy Birthday Kai!" in big red letters. Everyone was wearing a party hat including Tala, Bryan and Spencer who were at the front of the group with Judy. There was a stack of presents near the couch in a variety of colorful wrapping papers. Kai found he could only stand there with his mouth gaping open and look stunned. Brooklyn squealed with happiness as he launched himself at Hiro.

"Swee," he shrieked as he glomped Hiro's legs, "me did it. Told ya me could. Didn't let it slip."

"Is he okay?" Kevin asked as he walked forward and waved a hand in front of Kai that made him blink, "he's not responding to anything."

Judy walked forward and kneeled in front of Kai.

"Kai, are you all right?" she asked as he blinked again and looked around the room.

"Is this for me?" he inquired in almost a whisper as she nodded with a big smile, "why?"

"Why?" she repeated, looking surprised by the question, "why not? It is your birthday and it is a day to celebrate. The surprise party was Tala's idea."

Tala then knelt to Kai's level, making Judy move aside.

"You didn't forget," Kai remarked in a small voice as tears leaked from the corner of his eyes.

"I could never forget your birthday, my little phoenix," Tala stated with a wolfish grin as he wiped away the tears, "you are way too important to me."

"Really?" Kai questioned as Tala nodded. Tala wasn't prepared when Kai jumped into his arms and started crying on his shoulder.

"Can we have a few minutes alone?" Tala asked as he stood up with his chibified boyfriend in his arms, "I know that he would not want all of you to witness this."

The rest of the bladers nodded as they left with the adults. Brooklyn lingered for a moment, looking between Kai and the departing Hiro.

"Don't worry, Brook," Tala reassured with a rare smile, "I'll take care of him."

Brooklyn nodded then giggled as he ran from the room, leaving the pair alone. Kai sobbed quietly for a few minutes before pulling away from Tala and wiping his eyes with his fists.

"Are you ready to join everyone for dinner?" Tala inquired as Kai nodded, "you are lucky because Oliver cooked a meal especially for you. He thought you deserved it for your birthday."

Tala was about to leave the room with Kai when the small boy tugged desperately on the collar of his shirt. Tala turned to look at the chibi in his arms and was surprised when a set of small lips pressed against his own. It was an innocent kiss and he stared at Kai, who grinned with mischief since he had made the older blush and feel very uncomfortable by the gesture.

"That is my twank you," Kai explained with a grin, "for remembering my birfhday. I never forget this."

That remark made Tala cringe a bit since he was considering what normal Kai would say about the birthday party later. He just hoped that he didn't kill him when he returned to his normal age. Kai squirmed out of Tala's arms, landed on his feet and ran to the dining room where the others were waiting.

--

"It's Kai choice," Judy remarked as some of the teens groaned, "It is his birthday so what do you want to do first?"

Kai smiled as he looked over his options. Since they had just eaten a wonderful dinner that had been prepared by Oliver, he decided that he wanted to open his presents next. He didn't want to eat his cake yet since he was full from Oliver's delicious dinner and he hated playing party games.

"Open presents," he said, simply with a smile that made him look like a carefree and innocent child, "I wanna open my presents but need to thank Oliver for dinner first. It was great. Twank you Ollie."

Oliver blushed from the compliment and the following hug but Kevin looked upset.

"No one calls him Ollie except me," Kevin protested with a whine but changed his mind when Oliver ruffled Kai's hair as a sign of affection. He couldn't bear to say anything else since the display was quite cute and Oliver seemed to enjoy the attention Kai was giving him.

"Very well," Judy replied as Kai then dove headfirst into the stack of gifts. Everyone was surprised by the action as the adults grinned and the teens looked baffled. It was a monumental moment in history to see THE Kai Hiwatari grinning from ear-to-ear and acting like a normal child.

"Are we sure that is the real Kai?" Garland asked Bryan, who was standing beside him taping the event so he could blackmail Kai at a later date, "maybe he was replaced by a clone since I've never seen him behave in such a manner."

Bryan looked at him as though he had grown a second head. That made Garland decide to keep his opinions about Kai to himself or at least tell someone other than one of Kai's teammates.

"Open my pwesent fiwst," Brooklyn demanded as he held up a flat present in wrapping paper that he had obviously made, "pwease Kai."

"Sure," Kei replied with a smile as he took the offered gift, making Brooklyn squeal with happiness. He tore off the brightly colored paper to find a picture frame. Inside the frame was a picture that Brooklyn had drawn for the occasion since the background was decorated with balloons and confetti. It contained not only Kai, Tala, and Brooklyn but their bit beasts as well. At the bottom, the words "Friends Forever" were written.

"Hero help with words," Brooklyn explained with a grin as Kai smiled and replied, "I love it. I hang it in my room."

"See Hero he did wike it," Brooklyn squealed as he glomped Hiro's legs, "me glad."

"So am I, tenshi," Hiro remarked as Kai grabbed a bigger, much heavier present. He ripped off the card and looked a bit confused since he could not read it.

"This gift is from Robert," Judy informed with a smile as she took the card and read it aloud. Kai turned to look at the European team captain oddly but a slight smile from Robert made Kai eagerly rip into the paper. When he finally got to the gift inside the box of mostly tissue paper, he found a large leather bound book. He ran a small hand over the cover that had the imprint of a phoenix. Tala seemed more surprised by the gift than his receiver though.

"Where did you find it?" Tala asked, looking at the purple-haired teen, "Kai has been searching for a copy of this book for ages. He even lost an auction on eBay for one."

"I have my sources," Robert smirked, "besides, I deduced that he would like it since his bit beast is a phoenix. The book consists mainly of stories about the legendary firebird. There are only a few copies in existence and I happened to own one of them."

Tala understood that this book had come from his private collection and nodded as Kai held the book gently as though it were made of glass and would break. His eyes looked a bit glassy from unshed tears since this gift meant a lot to him. He gently laid the book down on the table.

"Twank you, Robert," he said with a bow before the German teen, "I don't know what else ta say. I love it."

"I know that it is in good hands then," Robert replied with a smile as he kneeled in front of Kai, "enjoy it."

Robert wasn't prepared for what happened next as Kai jumped and grabbed him around the neck in a hug. Robert tried to stand with Kai hanging from his neck but found that he could not unless he returned the gesture. Gustaf dropped the tray of tea that he was holding when he saw Robert hugging the small phoenix. Lei was smiling broadly from his side as Enrique took picture after picture of the two together. Johnny was laughing so hard that Michael had to hit him on the back to stop him from choking.

After a few minutes, Kai let go of the German teen as Robert regained his composure but not his dignity. He was not accustomed to showing such emotion in front of others. The smile would not leave his lips as he straightened the shirt that Kai had crumpled but regained his ability to glare when Enrique mocked him. If Lei hadn't grabbed and calmed Robert, Enrique might have suffered a bloody or broken nose from the glare on Robert's face.

The book was probably the most thoughtful gift that Kai received but he got plenty of other presents as well. Kenny was predictable and gave him a new upgraded beyblade for Dranzer. Emily was as predictable as her boyfriend and had given him a new launcher that she had designed. It would give his blade more power and spin from launch. Some of the older bladers were looking forward to Kai returning to normal as they eyed the launcher. If Kai had been formidable before, could they imagine what he would be like later?

Max and Judy went in together and gave him a personalized and homemade scrapbook. It mostly contained pictures of their second childhood together including the picture of the five of them curled up around each other on the bed. Tala was grinning at first since he couldn't wait to see older Kai's reaction to some of the pictures especially the ones with Brooklyn. His glee faded when he saw the embarrassing pictures of himself but a very formidable threat from Judy made him decide not to burn it. If he was that embarrassed, he couldn't wait to see Kai's reaction. At least he had someone to tease about it.

He received some cds from Rick and a small wooden statue of Dranzer with her wings spread from Kevin with Oliver looking proudly on since he had watched him carve it. Johnny presented Kai with a complete set of the Harry Potter series signed by the author herself. His gift started a loud and heated exchange with Daichi who had given Kai four copies of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series that the shorter red head claimed was better than Harry Potter. The adults were forced to silence the two bickering red heads that were causing a debate between the other teens as well. Hiro remained quiet since he agreed with Daichi. Brooklyn had persuaded him to read the books and like his boyfriend he preferred Percy's adventures over the other.

Grandpa gave him a certificate for free kendo lessons while Tala had bought him a new crimson Nintendo DS with the latest Zelda game. His former handheld had been broken before their chibification and he knew that his boyfriend would miss it once he turned back. Bryan gave him a few more DS games while Spencer's gifts were grabbed by Judy before Kai could even look at the cases. It seemed that Kai liked horror movies and Spencer had bought him several: Ju-on, Ringu, the Resident Evil trilogy and the Saw set. She was going to put them up until he returned to his normal age to make certain that the chibis did not watch them accidentally. Brooklyn would never sleep again if he laid eyes on them.

Miguel and Raul had gone together for their gift. They had discovered during their time spent together as chibis that Kai liked to draw and paint. It seemed he had a variety of interests that none of the bladers had known about except his Russian teammates. The pair had bought him a box full of art supplies that included paints, brushes, sketch pads, charcoal and various pencils.

Many of the others however opted to buy gift certificates. They knew that his time as a chibi was short and didn't want to buy presents that would be useless after he returned to his normal age. By the time, everything was unwrapped, there was a mass of wrapping paper on the floor that Cosmo was tearing into smaller pieces along with the help of Mai and Driger, who were playing with the colorful ribbons. The adults and teens ignored the display since the vacuum cleaner would be able to pick up the small pieces of paper.

Kai went from each of the bladers to give a proper thank you for his presents. He might have been raised by a hateful old man but at least he did possess manners.

"How about some party games?" Max shouted with excitement as those close to him fearfully backed away. They could tell he had gotten into the punch and sugary treats already due to his jittery movements. "I have several," he added with a smile, "how about pin the tail on the donkey?"

"NOOOOOOOO!" shrieked Kenny as everyone turned to the computer nerd, who was holding his rear with his hands. That made several of the bladers look at him oddly.

"Kenny has a phobia of party games," Hillary explained with a sigh, "and you can't blame him. Tyson once used him as the donkey in 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey'."

That made several of the bladers cringe and shout "No!" to the question as well.

"Me agree with them," Kai replied as he plopped down on the rug and opened his new DS, "not interested. Don't want a tail."

Max looked like he was going to burst into tears and argue but since it was Kai's party, his word was law. Judy made her son back away from the small Russian who was eagerly looking at the Zelda case and humming the main theme from the game.

--

"Time to blow out the candles on the cake, Kai," Judy stated as he looked at the huge cake that sat on the table. She set a chair for him to stand on so he could reach the edible masterpiece. When Tala tried to help him into the chair, Kai brushed away the offered hand.

"I can do it," he protested as he climbed into the chair using his own power. He stood up in front of a cake that had white icing with "Happy Birthday Kai!" in big red letters along with gold flowers around the border.

"That pwetty," Brooklyn added as he climbed into the chair beside of him, "make wish and blow out candles. Me wanna piece."

Kai closed his eyes for a moment as if in thought. He then grinned as he looked at everyone and leaned forward. He managed to blow out one candle on the cake before Brooklyn in his excitement slipped in his chair. He went sideways and bumped into Kai, who lost his footing and was sent head first into the sugary treat. Fortunately Spencer had helped blow out the rest of the candles before he landed face first in the cake.

"Oopsie," Brooklyn remarked as Kai raised his head and wiped the icing from his eyes. He turned to glare at Brooklyn, who was being held by Hiro. Everyone else burst into laughter as several flashes from cameras followed.

"I have to have a picture of this," Bryan added in-between his howls of laughter as Rei joined in from his side, "this is going to be the wallpaper on my laptop."

"Sorwy, Kai," Brooklyn apologized as Kai growled but then grinned. Instead of getting angrier, he grabbed a fistful of cake and smeared it in Brooklyn's face.

"Watch it," Hiro cried as he dropped Brooklyn since he did not want to be involved in the upcoming food fight, "I didn't do anything."

"Kai," Brooklyn squealed as he spat out the sweet substance and glared at his friend, "dat not nice and dat not the way me wanted it."

He too grabbed a handful of the cake making a mess of it and smashing it into Kai's hair. Kai growled as he grabbed more and threw it at the younger boy who squealed, snatchedmore and threw it back.

"I wanna piece," Mystel protested with a whine but then regretted his choice of words. A handful of the birthday cake was thrown in his face by a grinning Brooklyn. He wiped the frosting out of his eyes and then threw a handful at Tyson, who was laughing at his misfortune.

Most of the teens and adults had abandoned the dining room by then to watch the food fight from a safe distance. Gustaf brought an identical cake from the kitchen for them to enjoy in the den. Oliver had had the foresight to make two since he had figured that something of this nature would happen.

"I told you that it would be wise to make two cakes instead of one," Oliver reminded everyone over the squeals and screams of the four chibis in the nearby room, "normally I would be upset that one of my beautiful creations is being treated in such a disrespectful manner but if it makes Kai smile and laugh then who am I to complain?"

"The room will be a mess," Hillary sighed but then smiled, "but seeing Kai smile and hearing him laugh is worth the effort of cleaning it up. After all, you are only a chibi once."

"Not true in our cases," Tala added with a smirk, "some of us were given a second chance and I for one am glad especially in Kai's case. Now, everyone raise your glass because I have a toast to make. May we all remember our time together and keep the relationships we formed. To our bit beasts. I think we owe them one."

A clinking of glasses followed from the toast as the teens sipped fruit juice, absorbing Tala's words thoughtfully. The more astute among them couldn't help but note that more sincere words had never been spoken by the redheaded teen.

R & R

AA