Disclaimer – I do not own Beyblade, or any characters along with it. Those belong to Takao Aoki. Tegan, Suki, Fallon, Devlin, and any other characters introduced later on belong to me.

Allu readers! I hope I can restore your faith in me with a better story. The others are once again underway to being finished, so I hope you like what I've got going. beams

a/n – I use a slightly bigger cast because it's realistic. Count how many different people you speak to in a day

…1…

The dorm rooms at Terrence-Wade Academy held two students. The dorm building itself has two wings with several floors. Separating the wings on each floor is a common room, except the main floor, where there is a lobby. In the second floor common room, there's a commotion being caused by a petite girl with chin-length, dark blue hair and moss-green eyes.

"What do you mean, 'you can't'? I fail to see how this is your decision, Kai, you big jerk!" Tegan fumed. Her brother was being unreasonable.

"Listen, I wont have you running around with some guy who'll only want you for one thing!" Kai yelled back. His sister was being so foolish. Almost everyone knew that Tala only dated girls until he bedded them.

"Gee, thanks for that little tidbit, Kai. He's your best friend! Can't you give him some credit?"

"Only where credit is due. He's been like this for two years, Tegan. You're not going to date him and that's final. After all, I'm sure he won't mind. There's lots of other girls on campus." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. That was his way of telling Tegan that the discussion was over.

Her face scrunched and her gaze fell. "You really think I'm that replaceable, huh?" She mumbled.

"What was that?" He tried to catch her gaze.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Kai. See you later." She rose from her chair and walked back to her dorm.

A girl with platinum hair, with a layer of black underneath let her fierce pink eyes settle on Kai. She punched his arm, which was shortly followed by another punch from a tan, Chestnut-haired, deep green-eyed girl.

"What was that for?" He eyed Suki and Fallon.

"How could you be so callous?" They chimed.

He sighed. "You guys wouldn't understand. Everything Tala's told me about the girl's before Tegan. It's not what I want for her."

"You know she'll probably end up doing it anyway," Suki buzzed, "You know how she's so adamant and all, she's probably just.." Kai tuned out. Suki may very well be talking for the next five minutes. He knew what she'd say anyway. That he was being unreasonable, and that Tegan will do whatever she wants whether or not she has his approval. This one thing was something he absolutely could not tolerate her doing.

Suki drifted off and scowled when she noticed that Kai wasn't listening. Fallon's gaze drifted to the ceiling, thinking.

"Maybe," She started, "You should ask Tala what he thinks, and see if it's any different than usual. Then maybe if he answers according to your liking, you can make Tegan happy after all." Fallon stood and retreated to the dorm she was staying in, thinking she might get to set up her things. She left Kai and Suki still bickering.

When she got to her dorm and walked in, she was appalled to see a pink-haired tart making out with a black-haired neko-jin she recognised as Rei.

"I'm sorry guys but could you please move your little get-together elsewhere? I need to set up my things." She avoided looking at them.

The pink-haired, blushing teen stood up and held out her hand. "I'm Mariah, your new room-mate!" She giggled, "And this is my super-hunky boyfriend, Rei." He waved sheepishly, obviously slightly put-off by the title given to him.

Fallon looked at Mariah's hand a moment before actually shaking it. "Fallon. Fallon Munro. This is my kitten," She motioned to the small, grey kitten with a white muzzle and toes on her bed, "his name is Cyd."

"ohmigawsh, I totally thought it was a stuffed toy or something! Oh she's so pretty. Can I pet her?" Mariah gushed.

"He, and maybe later, he looks like he's sleeping." She sat at her desk and started unloading her things. She was unpacking books, notebooks, pens and pencils, sketchbooks and other art supplies.

"Oh, and these," She motioned to her collection of sketchbooks and art supplies, "are completely off limits. No touchy, comprendé?"

Mariah nodded numbly, and she and Rei left the room.

She began sorting her art things into one desk, school books in another, and her writing things were just getting started when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she muttered numbly.

A boy named Devlin marched in and plunked down on her bed. "It that any way to greet your brother?" He started playing with Cyd, who was jumping around Devlin and acting foolish.

"Listen Devlin.. I'm really sorry, I just don't have time." Fallon sighed.

Devlin approached her from behind and took one of her hands in his own. "Listen, little sis'… if you keep shutting people out like this then Morpheus will never learn to open up either." He pat her head before leaving her to her thoughts.

Fallon's gaze was fixed on Morpheus, a bit beast inside her navy blue blade. Her eyes welled with tears. "I thought Morpheus was the god of dreams… But I can't escape this nightmare."

Her mother's tearstained face flooded her mind and she blacked out, seeing the past yet again.

"Mother!" Fallon screamed.

"Fallon, honey, concentrate! I know you can do this, honey. Please. For me." Her eyes were stable again… for now.

Fallon concentrated on her blade, but right when she got where she needed to be her mother's scream pierced the air. It was a horrifying sound that chilled her to the bone. When she looked for her though, she couldn't find her. She started screaming, "Mother! Mother, where are you? I need you, come back! Please.. Mother!" She was shrieking now, and all she could see was the dark blue haze that announced her bit beast, Morpheus. He glanced over his shoulder, his yellow panther eyes connecting with Fallon's, glimmering amidst the blue haze.

She knew it was over, then. He wouldn't help her save her mother. He wouldn't help her at all. He was just watching, he was twisted, and she hated him.

As his lithe, wildcat form drifted back into the blade, her mind cursed itself.

"What am I thinking? Morpheus, I don't hate you, I couldn't! Please believe me! Please save my mother!"

She blacked out in the memory while waking up in a cold sweat.

Cyd was pawing at her cheek, and licking her nose. She sighed.

"Not now, Cyd. I've got work to do." Taking one last look at the blade that failed her; she flipped to a blank page in her sketchbook, and again went through the painful process of sketching her mother. Same as she did every time she saw this memory.

When she was finished, She inscribed her mother's name at the bottom of the page, and that day, almost a year ago.

Brooke Munro, October 31st.

...1...

Kai's mind registered Fallon's faint voice, 'You should ask Tala what he thinks, and see if it's any different than usual.'

He knitted his brow together and looked at his counterpart in crime. The images of the other girls that Tala has toyed with flashed through his mind, but he shook them out and took a breath, determined to take the advice she gave him.

"Hey Tala?"

"Hn?" Tala's face barely flicked up from the magazine he was reading. Although, by the look of the girl on the cover, Kai decided it wasn't so much reading as it was gazing in heat. He pretended to ignore the flag that went up in his head.

"What do you…" he paused, unsure of how he would sound. What if Tala thought he was being ridiculous? 'Well, then that would solve my problem..' He continued with a sigh, "What do you think of my sister?" His eyes bore into Tala's, which has been pried from the magazine. Hope?

Tala's eyes flickered, but then returned to the magazine. "She's alright. Kinda scrawny, not very chesty, really nice ass. Great personality." And he acted as if it had never happened.

Kai's flicker of hope died. She's just another piece of ass to him. Coming from Tala, "great personality" usually meant she was a sex kitten, or otherwise curious. Tala fed off of the curiosities of hot girls. Kai shook his head, and told himself no way would Tala ever date his sister.

'I hope he didn't see me pause,' Tala hoped, 'I've got it bad for his sister… but I can't let him know. He'll never even let me consider it. I may have to call it off with Tegan... But she's so… breath-taking.' He thought that suited her perfectly. But he knew he shouldn't. Kai wouldn't approve.

At the same time, Tegan was thinking the same as Tala. Except, She was doing it verbally, and to Suki.

"Sukiii…" She moaned, "K-kai is n-n-ever going t-to see r-r-reas-son" The racking sobs had her stuttering and wailing.

"Oh honey," Suki soothed, "Don't cry.. it'll be okay, Hon. Kai will take Fallon's advice and all will be well. And if those two don't behave themselves I'll have to give them a pounding for making you feel this way, I mean honestly, they're just being jerks! That's all boys are, jerks. My father always told me that rule number one is that men are pigs, and I always believed him because—"

Tegan interrupted, "You're wrong about them!" Suki's eyes widened. "They always watched out for me, always! They took care of me, no matter what. They'd even save me from..

/flashback

"That's mine!" yelled a four-year-old Tegan, "Give it back, come on guys... That's not funny anymore! My grandfather is gonna get really, really mad if anything happens!" She started crying. At four, she'd had a very low tolerance for tears, just like every other four year old.

"Like this?" One of the boys asked, Ripping one of her books in half.

"No, you can't! That's my— Ouf!"

"Something like that?" Another boy said, finishing off a punch in Tegan's stomach. She was bawling now, for her books, and for her stomach.

"Hey! What you doing?" A small pair of boys, red and blue came marching up to the other boys. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, bully?" Tala was feisty as a five year old. Though, if you asked him, he was five and three quarters.

Kai punched the boy who punched Tegan in the mouth, and Tala started beating up the boy that ripped her book. Together, they had defeated the bully. Tegan hugged them both, still bawling.

"Tegan," little Tala asked, "You aren't hurted, are you?" She shook her head and wiped her tears on his sleeves.

"I love you guys."

"We love you too."

/end flashback

"I love them, and they love me back. They're all I've got now, except you and Fallon. But even she's been acting strangely."

…1…

First day of class, the boring assembly numbed their brains so that the hours of intros with new teachers and, "get to know each other" games might not be too agonizing. Too bad it was still painful. They were all way too happy to be having a lunch break. The mid-afternoon was balmy, with a slight breeze. It made everyone excited that there was only two hours of class left.

"Here, we should go have fun!" Tegan grinned. Having open campus lunches wouldn't be so bad, with different cafés and cafeterias to visit.

"Okay!" Suki agreed, "Head count! We've got Tegan, Kai, Tala, Bryan, Max, Rei, Mariah, And bringing up the rear, Fallon!" Suki looked around. "Uh, Fallon? Any time, deary, the train is loaded and ready to depart. Faallon?" She scratched her head, puzzled. "Anyone seen Fallon?"

Max stuck up a hand. "She was in my second period math, but she got up halfway through and didn't come back."

Everyone stood in silence. "Well," Devlin started, "Better not waste a perfectly good lunch hour then. Let's go guys." He looked back at everyone, frozen in place. "What are you waiting for, and earthquake? Fallon isn't coming, let's go."

After the last two classes of the day, everyone wanted to go out for ice cream in celebration. Even Bryan was smiling, so it must have been a tough day. First days usually are.

"Listen guys," Tegan started, gulping, "Fallon still hasn't turned up. Maybe we should—"

"We shouldn't do anything." Everyone looked at Devlin, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, and arms crossed. He cracked open an eye, "Call me crazy, but maybe she can't be found because she doesn't want to be?"

"Hn." Kai looked at Devlin, "And what if she's really in trouble?"

"Then I'd know. Now are we going, or what?" He glanced around to the room. "Fine. But if she turns up, just be careful. She likes her space when she gets like this."

Everyone looked at his retreating form, bewildered. "What does he mean, 'like this'?" Tegan voiced the thought on everyone's mind. But no one knew what exactly 'this' was.

"Okay well, let's just go then. We can walk. And if we don't see her, then let's just pick up some damn ice cream." Suki grinned.

Everyone nodded, ad headed out, but Kai took one last look at the building. Fallon…

…1…

Downtown, the buildings were lit golden orange with flecks of ochre and tinges of pink. The sky was painted beautiful goldenrod, scarlet, and at the opposite end, violet. It was a sight to behold with no clouds in sight, but Fallon couldn't see it at all. All she could see was the navy blade spinning 'round in the dish, and the failure it presented in front of her.

Suddenly, she was so angry. Like before, in second period. She just felt like screaming, and almost did. Her eyes burned, boring holes in her blade. It wobbled.

"Stop it!" She cried, "Just do what I tell you! Why can't you ever do it right!" Her eyes filled with tears. "You can't fail me again. What if something else happens, and I need you, huh? What then?"

A cool voice said behind her, "You'll just need to know how to call on him then, wont you?"

Fallon searched around her for the source of the voice, and looking over her shoulder saw a tall, slender boy with ginger hair.

"Who are you, What do you want?"

Across the park, everyone stopped to watch. Kai was ready to run to Fallon if she needed help, but Tegan held him back. "Just wait," she said, "Be patient."

Fallon's eyes fixed on the boy and her blade stopped spinning.

"You have a very special blade, you know. When you stop concentrating, you lose it. Which is why it is so important to pay attention." His eyes flickered to the immobile blade.

"Your anger is a vulnerability. Just let it happen."

"I can't very well do that when he's not listening, can I!" Fallon turned around and jumped into the dish, retrieving Morpheus.

"Have you ever tried getting a dog to do something by angrily yelling at it until it does?"

She hopped out of the dish and froze. "What's your point?"

"My point is," he said, sweeping up behind her, "that just maybe," he turned her face to his, and bowed down to whisper in her ear, "he is just as afraid of failure as you are."

Fallon's eyes widened. She blinked and he was gone. She turned around frantically, looking for him, yelling, "What do you know about failure? What sense have you got to call me that?" But he was nowhere to be found. "Damnit!" She cursed, and once again launched Morpheus, wobbling, into the stadium.

…1…

Kai watched what looked like a kiss, and his veins burned anger. And then the guy just turned around and left her there. What a rogue, what a load. And then it hit him to see if she was alright, but Tegan's hand was ever present, holding him back.

"Hey, shouldn't we—"

"You heard what Devlin said." Tegan looked into Kai's eyes. "He's her brother. I think he knows what he's talking about, don't you? Now come on. Let's not stare longer than we have to."

Her gaze held his, knowing she can't let go until he's turned around and accepted it. Taking one last glance, he walked away, and everyone was silent until arriving back at the dorms.

But as soon as he lay down, Kai couldn't help but wonder who that boy was, and if it had really been a kiss.

"Hey Kai, I'm going out for a bit," Tala grabbed his coat and left Kai to his thoughts. But elsewhere in the dorm, other minds were at work.

Fallon just couldn't stop thinking about that boy. What did he know, anyway? It's not like he knew about last Halloween. And she was certainly not a failure. His words were burned in her skull.

"My point is," She remembered feeling his cool breath on her neck, "that just maybe," His eyes had been the perfect mix of blue and green." He is just as afraid of failure as you are." And the tingles that ran down her spine.

She had never been so simultaneously confused, thrilled and almost afraid at the same time. 'He didn't even tell me his name…'

…1…

On the roof, Tegan was sitting and watching the beautiful stars above. She was glad that there wasn't much light surrounding the campus. Especially not up here. She heard the door creak and her heart started pounding. She heard footsteps on the gravel. Thud thud. Getting louder, nearer. Thud thud. And then..

Tala bashfully came out from the sheath of darkness and pecked her on the cheek.

"I brought a blanket." He smiled sheepishly, "Wanna share?"

She smiled softly and the curled up under the blanket together, looking at the stars.

"A shooting star!" Tegan pointed.

"Hurry, make a wish." Tala smiled at her again, and he gazed up to his face.

"Bet you can guess what I wished for."

Tala pretended to think, "Golly gee… well I don't know. Is it a pony?"

"No, better." She beamed.

"I'm happy to hear you think so. Generally this is where I make a crack about me being more fun and harder to ride, but I want to do better with you."

She just smiled, and curled up, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I hope Kai changes his mind. Soon"