Prelude: Who Needs You??
"Well who needs you guys?" Kevin yelled, throwing the door open, and turning his head to glare at Li, and Mariah out of his one visible eye. "I don't even know why I ever put up with you in the first place! All you ever do it yell at me when I'm trying to help, and I never even get to battle!"
"Where will you go?" Li asked, glaring at the boy arms crossed over his bare chest; he maintained his calm, even though fury burned in his eyes. "The last time I checked, the only place you could possibly go is back to the village, and you know they won't like it if you go back without us."
Kevin just smirked, and said, "Oh, I've got someplace to go, where they're just waiting for me to come back. You haven't been keeping up Li. You never paid attention at all, when we were kids, did you? Or, did you really think we'd forget?"
Then he was gone, the door slammed shut. When Mariah opened it, to yell at him to come back and explain himself, he was already gone, leaving nothing but a strange rune drawn on the ground which none of them recognized in his wake.
Okay, so neither Mariah or Li recegnized it. Gary did. As they say, an elephant never forgets. But he didn't speak up. He just smiled, knowing Kevin would be happy, if he were telling the truth. Alot happier then he was with the White Tigers.
Chapter One: And I Thought Gary Was The Slow One
Several weeks later, Kevin was yet to return to the White Tigers. Mariah had expr-essed her concern. Li didn't want to admit it, but he was worried, too. He knew Kevin wouldn't betray them- he was, in truth, less likely to do so then Rei had been. Less likely then Gary, even.
Then, Mariah decided to call Rei, to see if maybe Kevin had gone to him. As the phone rang her hopes rose. Kai answered on the fourth ring.
"Hello?" he said, sounding grumpy. But he always sounded grumpy. "Hey, Kai? It's Mariah." she said. "Is Rei there?" "Hang on."
There was some background noise, before Rei picked up. "Mariah?" he asked. "Is there something wrong?"
She bit her lip, thinking of how to best phrase is. Dancing around it for a moment, or saying it out-right? She decided that, sence she'd never danced around a problem before, she wasn't going to start now.
"Kevin ran off a few weeks ago." she said. "After me and Li got mad at him over something, and we haven't heard from him sence. I thought you might have."
Rei seemed puzzled. "You mean you guys haven't heard?"
Mariah blinked. "Heard what?" she asked.
"Look," he said. "do you remember who Kevin hung out with when we were all blading when we kids, before he got his?"
Mariah thought breifly. "No, no really." she said. "I was always to busy trying to become better then Li to think about that much."
Rei sounded frustrated. "Well I do." he snapped. "She was /only/ the person who looked up to you like you were her big sisters for years on end, after her own sisters moved to the city. I can't beleive you don't remember her. She was born on the same night as Kevin, had dark purple hair, and black-green eyes... Never tanned... Ringing any bells here?"
Mariah though for a moment, then it hit her. "Oh my goddess." she said. "I must be a total idiot. How could I forget her? But wait-" she paused. "Don't tell me she and Kevin stayed in contact all these years!"
"They did." Rei said. "And remember how much she hated BeyBlading without her sisters? Well, she hasn't changed. They started their own team. She wrote me a while back, telling me they were entering the Asian tournament this year, as the BladeGod-desses, but needed a fourth person."
Mariah nodded, then, feeling foolish as she realized there was no possible way Rei could see her, she said, "Okay. But what does that have to do wi- oh, my goddess. I can't beleive this. Rei, are you serious?"
"A bit slow, are we, Mariah?" he asked, sounding a bit more cynical then he probobly meant to. "Yes, I'm serious. Mr. Dickinson told us a few days ago that Kevin had entered as a starter for the BladeGoddesses. That's all I know right now, aside from that they have a major following from the city they moved to."
Mariah, now getting voer the initial shock, said, "He- betrayed the White Tigers? For some child-hood freind he hasn't seen in years?"
Rei muttered something inaudible, and said, "Look, Mariah, it's not his fault. It's not as if you guys were that nice to him to begin with. I always knew it was just a matter of time before he left you. Nothing personal, it's just the truth. Anyway, I gotta fly. We have a crisis of our own."
"Okay." she answered. "Talk to your later, Rei. Hey, what's the problem?"
Mariah could almost see Rei shrugging. "We'll manage. Just like I'm sure you guys will. Let's just say, we're on the same boat. Bye."
She didn't bother asking for more information, as she knew she wouldn't get any, but said, "Okay. Good luck. Bye, Rei."
As they hung up, Mariahs eyes wandered to the doorway, where she saw Gary standing, looking quite happy about something. "Figure it out?" he asked.
The girl blinked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, a bit surprised
Gary just kept smiling. "I figured out where he was the minute I saw the symbol." he answered. "It's hers."
Mariah realized what he meant. "Oh." she said. Then she realized the implications of what her freind was saying. "You mean you knew all this time, and you didn't tell me and Li? What's /wrong/ with you??"
Gary just kept smiling. "You never asked me." he answered. "You never asked Kevin anything either." Then, still smiling, he walked past her, and out the door.
Gary came back a few hours later, looking happy, agein. Li confronted him, having heard the whole story from Mariah. He didn't answer any of Lis queastions, but only smiled, and waited for him to finish.
"I just talked to them." he said, when it was clear Li was waiting for a response. "He said he was happy, and he wasn't betraying us. He was just doing what he felt was best for all of us. She said she was just glad he was happy. Her sister said she'd take care of him for us, for however long he wanted, and her other sister said she was going to kill you if she ever got her hands on you."
Li looked taken aback. Then Mariah spoke up, reciting what the girl had said once, when they were just children. It was Rei the words had been spoken to, and he'd never said anything negative about Kevin agein, in the girls presence.
"'Whatever hurts my Plushie hurts me. Whatever hurts me, hurts my sisters. They don't like being hurt, and the Pope gets even.'" she said. Then she translated, seeing confusion evident on Lis face. "Whatever hurt Kevin, hurt her. Whatever hurt her, hurt her sisters. One of them always got even when they were hurt."
Li blinked. "Am I the /only/ one who doesn't remember this girl?"
"You probobly do." Mariah said. "You just don't realized it. She never battled without her sisters, or Kevin. She never used her bitbeast, except once, ageinst Rei, becouse he was making fun of one of her sisters. Even then it wasn't at full power, so he beat her, but she still got even, by stealing all his clothes, and dropping them in a vat of honey when he was taking a bath."
Li blinked, then realized what she was talking about, and smiled. "I remember that. I think I remember her, too. Oh, shoot. What was her name agein? The Pope.... That was her sister Alyssa, right? And the other one.... The Almight Great One.... That was her sister Eve, the oldest. She was the youngest and.... Goddes, what /was/ her name?"
Mariah loked puzzled, as did Gary. Then a voice spoke up from the doorway. It was the very last person they'd expect to see there.
"Her name was Jin." Kai said, not looking at them. "Jin Lane."
"Well who needs you guys?" Kevin yelled, throwing the door open, and turning his head to glare at Li, and Mariah out of his one visible eye. "I don't even know why I ever put up with you in the first place! All you ever do it yell at me when I'm trying to help, and I never even get to battle!"
"Where will you go?" Li asked, glaring at the boy arms crossed over his bare chest; he maintained his calm, even though fury burned in his eyes. "The last time I checked, the only place you could possibly go is back to the village, and you know they won't like it if you go back without us."
Kevin just smirked, and said, "Oh, I've got someplace to go, where they're just waiting for me to come back. You haven't been keeping up Li. You never paid attention at all, when we were kids, did you? Or, did you really think we'd forget?"
Then he was gone, the door slammed shut. When Mariah opened it, to yell at him to come back and explain himself, he was already gone, leaving nothing but a strange rune drawn on the ground which none of them recognized in his wake.
Okay, so neither Mariah or Li recegnized it. Gary did. As they say, an elephant never forgets. But he didn't speak up. He just smiled, knowing Kevin would be happy, if he were telling the truth. Alot happier then he was with the White Tigers.
Chapter One: And I Thought Gary Was The Slow One
Several weeks later, Kevin was yet to return to the White Tigers. Mariah had expr-essed her concern. Li didn't want to admit it, but he was worried, too. He knew Kevin wouldn't betray them- he was, in truth, less likely to do so then Rei had been. Less likely then Gary, even.
Then, Mariah decided to call Rei, to see if maybe Kevin had gone to him. As the phone rang her hopes rose. Kai answered on the fourth ring.
"Hello?" he said, sounding grumpy. But he always sounded grumpy. "Hey, Kai? It's Mariah." she said. "Is Rei there?" "Hang on."
There was some background noise, before Rei picked up. "Mariah?" he asked. "Is there something wrong?"
She bit her lip, thinking of how to best phrase is. Dancing around it for a moment, or saying it out-right? She decided that, sence she'd never danced around a problem before, she wasn't going to start now.
"Kevin ran off a few weeks ago." she said. "After me and Li got mad at him over something, and we haven't heard from him sence. I thought you might have."
Rei seemed puzzled. "You mean you guys haven't heard?"
Mariah blinked. "Heard what?" she asked.
"Look," he said. "do you remember who Kevin hung out with when we were all blading when we kids, before he got his?"
Mariah thought breifly. "No, no really." she said. "I was always to busy trying to become better then Li to think about that much."
Rei sounded frustrated. "Well I do." he snapped. "She was /only/ the person who looked up to you like you were her big sisters for years on end, after her own sisters moved to the city. I can't beleive you don't remember her. She was born on the same night as Kevin, had dark purple hair, and black-green eyes... Never tanned... Ringing any bells here?"
Mariah though for a moment, then it hit her. "Oh my goddess." she said. "I must be a total idiot. How could I forget her? But wait-" she paused. "Don't tell me she and Kevin stayed in contact all these years!"
"They did." Rei said. "And remember how much she hated BeyBlading without her sisters? Well, she hasn't changed. They started their own team. She wrote me a while back, telling me they were entering the Asian tournament this year, as the BladeGod-desses, but needed a fourth person."
Mariah nodded, then, feeling foolish as she realized there was no possible way Rei could see her, she said, "Okay. But what does that have to do wi- oh, my goddess. I can't beleive this. Rei, are you serious?"
"A bit slow, are we, Mariah?" he asked, sounding a bit more cynical then he probobly meant to. "Yes, I'm serious. Mr. Dickinson told us a few days ago that Kevin had entered as a starter for the BladeGoddesses. That's all I know right now, aside from that they have a major following from the city they moved to."
Mariah, now getting voer the initial shock, said, "He- betrayed the White Tigers? For some child-hood freind he hasn't seen in years?"
Rei muttered something inaudible, and said, "Look, Mariah, it's not his fault. It's not as if you guys were that nice to him to begin with. I always knew it was just a matter of time before he left you. Nothing personal, it's just the truth. Anyway, I gotta fly. We have a crisis of our own."
"Okay." she answered. "Talk to your later, Rei. Hey, what's the problem?"
Mariah could almost see Rei shrugging. "We'll manage. Just like I'm sure you guys will. Let's just say, we're on the same boat. Bye."
She didn't bother asking for more information, as she knew she wouldn't get any, but said, "Okay. Good luck. Bye, Rei."
As they hung up, Mariahs eyes wandered to the doorway, where she saw Gary standing, looking quite happy about something. "Figure it out?" he asked.
The girl blinked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, a bit surprised
Gary just kept smiling. "I figured out where he was the minute I saw the symbol." he answered. "It's hers."
Mariah realized what he meant. "Oh." she said. Then she realized the implications of what her freind was saying. "You mean you knew all this time, and you didn't tell me and Li? What's /wrong/ with you??"
Gary just kept smiling. "You never asked me." he answered. "You never asked Kevin anything either." Then, still smiling, he walked past her, and out the door.
Gary came back a few hours later, looking happy, agein. Li confronted him, having heard the whole story from Mariah. He didn't answer any of Lis queastions, but only smiled, and waited for him to finish.
"I just talked to them." he said, when it was clear Li was waiting for a response. "He said he was happy, and he wasn't betraying us. He was just doing what he felt was best for all of us. She said she was just glad he was happy. Her sister said she'd take care of him for us, for however long he wanted, and her other sister said she was going to kill you if she ever got her hands on you."
Li looked taken aback. Then Mariah spoke up, reciting what the girl had said once, when they were just children. It was Rei the words had been spoken to, and he'd never said anything negative about Kevin agein, in the girls presence.
"'Whatever hurts my Plushie hurts me. Whatever hurts me, hurts my sisters. They don't like being hurt, and the Pope gets even.'" she said. Then she translated, seeing confusion evident on Lis face. "Whatever hurt Kevin, hurt her. Whatever hurt her, hurt her sisters. One of them always got even when they were hurt."
Li blinked. "Am I the /only/ one who doesn't remember this girl?"
"You probobly do." Mariah said. "You just don't realized it. She never battled without her sisters, or Kevin. She never used her bitbeast, except once, ageinst Rei, becouse he was making fun of one of her sisters. Even then it wasn't at full power, so he beat her, but she still got even, by stealing all his clothes, and dropping them in a vat of honey when he was taking a bath."
Li blinked, then realized what she was talking about, and smiled. "I remember that. I think I remember her, too. Oh, shoot. What was her name agein? The Pope.... That was her sister Alyssa, right? And the other one.... The Almight Great One.... That was her sister Eve, the oldest. She was the youngest and.... Goddes, what /was/ her name?"
Mariah loked puzzled, as did Gary. Then a voice spoke up from the doorway. It was the very last person they'd expect to see there.
"Her name was Jin." Kai said, not looking at them. "Jin Lane."