Kali Notes: So I was sitting around one morning waiting for my doctor's appointment, when Dryad came along and whacked me over the head with a plot mallet disguised as a fluffy bunny. Basically…this is an unmitigated heap of fluffiness. There's no occasion, no real reason for it. It just happened. It was…a moment. Of course, TyKa is one of those pairings that inspires such things all the time, so that's not surprising, is it? XD Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Kali and muses do not own Beyblade. We just borrowed it because we love it so much.

Warnings: WAFF, shonen-ai, language, etc.

Pairing: TyKa (and various mentioned others)

THE MOMENT

Having talked to many people over the years about the subject, Tyson had come to realize that they all knew exactly when and where it happened. They knew all the little details that went along with it, about themselves and – maybe more accurately, mostly about – the other person, and about what was going on around them in their environment at the time. They knew what they were wearing, whether the sun was shining or the wind was blowing, whether they were alone somewhere or in a crowd, what perfume or cologne they were wearing, what time of day it was (often down to the minute), and other such little tidbits of information that at any other time would be completely forgotten in the next second.

Something else people seemed to remember is what triggered the sudden startling revelation and/or realization. Rei once told him that he'd always known how much he loved Mao, but he still had a moment when it had hit him that he was in love. That she was the One and he would happily spend the rest of his life adoring her. Mao had blushed and agreed, though she had added that the defining moment for her was one when Rei wasn't even present. Then they got all lovey-dovey and Tyson had left, shaking his head and rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Hilary and Max had given the bluenette strange looks when he'd asked them about their Moment, as if they didn't know what he was talking about…and was he on any medication they should know about? Then it dawned on Hilary (leave it to a girl…) what he meant.

"Oh! He means when we figured out that we loved each other." The brunette batted her eyelashes at Max, who chuckled and tilted his head curiously at Tyson.

"It was kind of a sudden thing, really." Max mused, glancing at his girlfriend fondly. "I always thought she was pretty and smart, and that she was incredibly strong and courageous to put up with us all the time…" his infamous grin flashed briefly. "And we even dated quite a while before it even occurred to me." His face went thoughtful, then apologetic as he shared a look with Hilary. "Actually, I told her I loved her before I actually realized I meant it. It just sort of…slipped out, but at the same time I came to the conclusion that I meant it. Very much."

Hilary sniffed, squeezing his hand wrapped around hers. "It was very sweet. He went all red and spluttered for a minute until I kissed him and said, 'I love you, too!' I had a pretty good idea how he felt up to then, anyway, but it was still wonderful to hear it for the first time – and so spontaneously, too!"

Tyson had left them all lovey-dovey, too. That was something he noticed. Whenever couples thought back on their Moment, they tended to become absorbed in each other – more than the usual. He asked Kenny if he'd ever had a Moment, and the Chief had studied him carefully (making Tyson feel like a bug under a microscope) before replying, "Yes, and it's none of your business, Tyson." Which ended that conversation no matter how the bluenette tried to wheedle it out Kenny.

"Why do you want to know, anyway?" Kenny asked.

"Because! Everyone I've talked to so far remembers exactly when it happened and all this stuff about it, but…"

"But?"

Tyson was silent for a second. "I'm trying to figure out when exactly my Moment was."

Kenny's expression became one of muted surprise. "You mean you don't know? Tyson…"

"I know, I know. How horrible is that?" Tyson began pacing back and forth across Kenny's bedroom floor. "There should be one! I know there was one!" He looked at Kenny with an almost pleading tone. "Wasn't there?"

"Tyson…" The Chief sighed. "I'm sure there was. But I wouldn't know, would I? That's something only you and the other person would know."

Dejected and depressed, Tyson went home. There was only one other person left to ask about it, but it was the one person Tyson couldn't ask because it meant revealing that he himself didn't know. And that would just be something he'd rather Kai didn't find out about.

The same evening, Kai had pulled him outside and down to the beach – ostensibly to have a battle and get some training in. In reality he was attempting to pry the reason for Tyson's blue mood out of him. He'd come to know that whenever something truly bothered Tyson he tended to hoard the problem to himself and not talk about it. All the whining and complaining and quick temperedness the bluenette usually emoted was all smoke and wind. And tonight was one of those times when Tyson was obviously trying to pretend everything was alright when it wasn't.

Since the easiest way to get it out of him was to work through it with a beybattle, Kai didn't waste time doing so after supper. Tyson's emotional defenses went down during his battles – his emotions are what gave him a large part of his power and the force behind his skill. If there was something there, Kai would be able to find it. After all…he knew Tyson's blading better than any other blader on the planet, knew through some intuitive radar what was going on in Tyson's head during a battle.

One large crater in the sand later, Kai picked up his blade and dusted the sand and grit off it before pocketing Dranzer and walking over to where Tyson was sitting, staring at Dragoon in his hand like it held all the answers to life. He'd lost, big time, and he knew Kai was going to be digging for reasons why.

"You lost." Kai stated, neither smug nor accusing. "You were highly distracted and all over with your moves. If I hadn't held back your blade would be severely damaged right now."

Smoldering, Tyson scowled at the ground. "You held back." He put Dragoon away and hugged his knees. He was angry at himself, but taking it out on Kai instead. "What? You felt sorry for me or something?"

"You're an idiot. And don't shift your sore-loser tendencies on me, Kinomiya." Kai stared out at the sea in the fading daylight. "When you don't pay attention, you lose. Simple. I held Dranzer back at the end so as not to destroy your blade. You'd have hated me if I had let that happen."

Unable to argue with that, Tyson buried his head in his arms, letting out a frustrated growling screech. Kai raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

"I've got a lot on my mind, okay? I wasn't thinking about the battle like I should have been. I'm sorry I was such a waste of your time." Tyson rolled onto his knees, making to get up, but Kai reached out and curled his hand around Tyson's arm, holding him in place.

"Hey." Crimson eyes studied Tyson in real concern. "If there's one thing you are not to me, it's a waste of time. Don't ever say that, Tyson."

The bluenette slumped, remaining where he was on his knees in the sand. Kai's hand loosened its grip and slid down to turn Tyson's hand over and thread their fingers together. He tugged lightly and Tyson obediently shuffled closer, eyes turned away in shame. "Sorry. I know that." Kai heard him whisper.

Kai sighed. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or do I have to resort to drastic measures?"

Tyson looked away, staring off down the expanse of empty beach to avoid meeting Kai's piercing gaze. "I've just been thinking about…things."

"Is it…about us?" There was a slight hesitation in Kai's tone, as if he already knew the answer and it was something bad. "Did I do something? Say something?"

"What? No!" Tyson's head whirled around and he quickly disabused Kai of that notion. "No, it's not you at all!" He situated himself as close as he could next to Kai and wrapped one arm around Kai's waist, the other hand gently pushing the hair out of Kai's eyes. "I just…there's something I should know, something I should remember, but for some reason my mind's completely blank."

Kai tilted his head, a slight nuzzle of the hand on his cheek. "It must be something important if you're this bent out of shape about it. Can I help you jog your memory somehow?"

Tyson, to his surprise, blushed darkly and shook his head frantically. "No! No, no! That's alright. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually!" He tried to smile, as if everything was okay, but Kai wasn't buying it.

"Kinomiya, spill it." Kai reached out and pulled him into his lap, wrapping his arms around the youth who had given him the world. The one he loved most. "Please." He murmured, his lips ghosting over the shell of Tyson's ear.

"I…If I tell you, you'll be mad because I don't remember." Tyson shook his head minutely. "Let's just…forget about the whole thing. It…doesn't really matter now anyway."

"I won't be mad." Kai frowned. He couldn't think of anything that would be so important that it would make him angry with Tyson. Not even missed anniversaries or birthdays or something. Everyday was an anniversary, as far as he was concerned, so it didn't matter about the "official" one. "If it's bothering you enough to throw your game off, then it's important enough that I'll drag it out of you kicking and screaming."

Tyson groaned and turned slightly in his lover's arms, burying his face in Kai's shirt and one hand clutching a fistful of the material at Kai's back. "The Moment." He said finally, voice muffled by Kai's chest because his face was pressed so firmly into it. Kai blinked, managing to figure out what he said anyway.

"The what? Moment? What moment?"

"THE Moment. You know, the one that all couples seem to remember like it was a minute ago."

Utterly confused, Kai denied understanding. "I haven't got a clue what you're going on about."

"The. Mo-ment." Tyson spoke slowly and deliberately, emphasizing the words by syllable. He sat up and stared into Kai's eyes from a few inches away. "The moment we figured out that we loved each other and all the details about it, and how we told each other…"

Kai blinked slowly, that 'I'm pretending I understand but I really don't' kind of blink. "I don't think I've ever thought about it, honestly." He said, an odd expression passing over his face. "Did we have such a thing?"

That made Tyson pause and think really hard. Maybe he couldn't remember because they hadn't had a Moment. "I…we must have. I talked to Rei and Mao, Max and Hilary, and even Kenny – even if he wasn't much help for once – and they all had perfectly clear memories about where, when, what, and how! I mean…"

"Well, yes…but they all came together in normal, everyday sorts of ways. You and I…our relationship is highly unconventional in so many ways." Kai pointed out, feeling a tad upset that he couldn't remember any such thing either. "Ours built up from all kinds of experiences and events."

"Yeah, but..." Tyson fiddled with the end of Kai's scarf. "Wasn't there just some time where you just went 'I'm in love with Tyson, holy crap!'?" He asked, reenacting the supposed moment dramatically. "We didn't date or be all lovey-dovey or anything until after the whole BEGA thing, after all. We were friends, we were rivals, and teammates, but when did we just suddenly start being…together?"

"As I recall, we were battling for practice once and you accidentally knocked that hanging flowerpot hanging off the roof, almost hitting me with it. You got so upset that you nearly gave me a concussion and…"

"And I sort of kissed you. I remember that, yeah. But…I don't remember having a sudden epiphany that I loved you with all my being or remember any crystal clear details like the others seemed to be able to." Tyson huffed in self-annoyance.

"Okay, then what sorts of things do you remember?" Kai wasn't about to admit that he didn't remember either, the best he could do being that he was far to preoccupied with kissing Tyson back to worry about the emotions that went with it.

"I remember," Tyson's eyes went hazy as he dug through his memories. There were so many important 'Kai' moments, as he thought of them, that he wasn't sure where to begin. "…the first time you and I met, how you trashed my blade and wrote me off as a rookie loser with no talent. The sun was setting, and you were standing on the hill all imperious and holier-than-thou with your scarf waving like a flag in the breeze."

Kai smiled a little. He remembered that, too. He didn't like how he'd been then, a punk with an agenda that wasn't even his own, but he still cherished the memory because it had brought him to Tyson. In apology for that, he dipped his head and pressed a light kiss to the bluenette's lips, earning a brief smile.

"I remember our first official tournament, how I barely won, and how excited and thrilled I was when Mr. Dickenson announced the formation of the Bladebreakers." Tyson continued, sifting through his memories. "I remember all our tournaments, all the hardships we went through to learn how to be a team and to still keep our friendships when things didn't go well for us. And I remember…" he looked at Kai, a little sliver of pain still shining through in his gaze. "…how devastated I was when you left and didn't come back, only to discover that you'd gone over to the dark side."

Shivering, Kai leaned his forehead against Tyson's and ran his hands up and down the younger teen's arms soothingly. "Tyson…"

"No. I know why you did it, and that's all over now. I'm just saying I remember how it felt. And I remember how you came back, and how strong you were then. I remember how I reached out to you on the ice and was so afraid that you wouldn't forgive yourself enough to reach out and let me help you." A sniffle. "God you scared me, Kai. You're the only one who has managed to scare me like that so many times."

"I scared myself." Kai returned wryly, trying not to think about it. "I remember how amazed and guilty I felt for how I'd treated you guys, and how much I wanted to be accepted back. That scared me, too." He smiled then. "But I also remember how I felt when I grabbed your hand and you held on so tightly to it…"

"I was afraid I'd lose you if I let go. Either you'd drown or you'd leave again." Tyson chuckled, wiping away a stray tear. "Which you did. But it wasn't like you were going off to do evil again, so it wasn't so bad."

Kai rolled his eyes. "I came back, didn't I?"

Tyson smiled, brightening considerably. "Yes, you did." He sighed. "I remember all kinds of battles we both fought against bad guys and rival teams, and I especially remember the battles we fought against each other."

Kai grinned. "So do I. Every one."

"Heh. But there was one battle in particular…" Tyson sobered, and he didn't say another word. He didn't have to. Kai knew which battle he was talking about. Their third World Championship had been the Beybattle of the century. And only they knew what had happened in that moment between moments when time had stopped and their world was the entire universe spread out at their feet in a star-filled panorama of peace and pure joy and contentment.

"I think we knew then, Tyson. I think we knew that our relationship was beyond rivalry and friendship."

"I knew something, anyway." Tyson nodded slowly. "Wherever that place is, I wanted to stay there with you, forever." His hand wound around the back of Kai's neck and his fingers threaded through the dual-shaded locks of Kai's hair. "And I'd never seen a more beautiful sight than when I was battling Brooklyn and you just appeared out of nowhere, like some avenging god of battle."

Kai shuddered. He hadn't had a lot of fun when he was battling the off-kilter blader himself. He'd nearly died, after all.

"Maybe…" Kai thought aloud. "Maybe it's not one moment that we have, but all those moments together. I don't believe in fate or destiny or stuff like that, but I've come to believe in us." His eyes burned fiercely, the heat of them drawing Tyson close. "What we are together…"

Tyson's eyes widened a little. That was it. Kai was right! It wasn't one single moment, but an endless string of moments in time – good and not so good – that resulted in them. A smile inched across his face, the worry and melancholy fading out of his eyes until he was back to his usual exuberant self. "You're right! You're brilliant, Kai!" He launched himself forward and tackled the older youth to the sand, sprawling out over top him.

"Ooph! Of course I am." Kai's attempt at sounding imperious sounded weak even to him, not that it mattered when Tyson was enthusiastically kissing him senseless right then. His fingers tangled in Tyson's midnight blue hair, his omnipresent hat dropping off to the side somewhere, while Tyson's hands were deftly sneaking up under Kai's shirt searching for bare skin. Heat and passion rose up in a storm and bowled right over them.

After the initial swell had ebbed away and they could think coherently again, Tyson rolled off to the side, but snuggled up close against Kai, resting his head on the phoenix's heaving chest with a purr of contentment.

"Thanks, Kai." He said quietly, admiring the sea and the stars and the moon hanging above them.

"What for?"

"For making this another moment I'll never forget."

Kai closed his eyes and hugged Tyson closer. No, he wouldn't forget this moment either. Just as he hadn't forgotten any minute he'd ever spent with Tyson.

Because every moment he was with the one he loved most was a Moment.

Kali Notes: Murrrhhh… Yeah. My teeth hurt. I don't know what came over Dryad. How badly do your teeth hurt? Feed the muses! Please R/R!!!!

Yami FireKali