YAY! My first fic! -Does the happy first fic dance-.
Hi, I'm Soi. Well, I'm acutally Spirit Of Innocence, but Soi for short. Like soy milk, soy cheese or soy chocolate (which by the way is disgusting) except with an I instead of a Y and a capital. But that's entirely beside the point!
I'd tell you what my story's about but that's what the summary's for and I'm presuming you've already read that so instead I'll fill you in on what's left out of the summary! Like the fact that this is no ordinary tournament story, I assure you it's unlike any you've read. And this is no ordinary romance either.
The entire story will be about 30 chapters long and there will probably be a sequel, not sure yet. I know this chapter is long (about 8000 words), the next one is about the same but they will get shorter, promise. I'm not a big fan of the short chapter so mine will, for the most part, be longer than 4000 words. If everyone hates this then I can shorten them further, but I'd prefer not to.
By the way, the first name you hear my OC called is Kay. This is not her name, it's just a rarely used nickname. I wouldn't make the pairing Kai and Kay. That's just weird. For the moment I won't tell you what her real name is, you'll just have to read and find out. Evil, aren't I?
I do not own Beyblade, any of its characters, settings or concepts. I do, however, own my OC.
So with out further ado...
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The Girl, The Tournament and The Boy Who Was Late!
A young blader walked along the street, his shoes tapping on the pavement. His green blade was nestled deep within his pocket and a launcher was strapped to his belt. He had blond hair, clear turquoise eyes and wore a green and yellow t-shirt and orange pants.
He was whistling a merry tune as he walked and marched his footsteps to the rhythm, swinging his arms to and fro. Overall he had a very carefree air about him.
"Yo, Max," someone called from across the street. Max turned and spotted a familiar face.
"RAY!" Max exclaimed, thoroughly surprised to see his old friend. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, I guess." supplied Ray with a smile, running across the street to where his friend waited with a hand out stretched. Ray grabbed it in a firm shake.
"Guess you've heard about the tournament then?" asked Max though it was hardly a question. Ray grinned and his golden eyes shone playfully from beneath his black bangs. His hair was very long but tied at the back and wrapped with cloth. He wore a traditional white Chinese top over black baggy pants.
"Yep, and I've come to join with the BladeBreakers."
Max gawked at him. "No way. Me too." Ray laughed.
"Your team kick you off too?" he asked.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. They said they 'needed to know they could make it to the finals without me.'" Max told him.
"Same with the White Tigers," Ray explained' "but that's okay. I've really missed blading along side you and Tyson."
"Yeah! BladeBreakers Reunite!" cried Max happily.
"Yeah." Agreed Ray, though he was somewhat more hesitant.
"You okay buddy?" Max questioned his friend.
"Yeah, I'm fine Max." Ray told him, smiling. "But it won't be a proper reunion without Kai. And I doubt he's planning on coming back anytime soon."
"Oh…right." Max sighed. That was true, the Russian blader had left the BladeBreakers after their success at the BEGA Big Five Tournament. He had told no one where he was going and no one had thought to ask. Max waved it off and grinned stupidly. "Ah well, his loss, right?"
Ray grinned.
"Yeah"
And so they continued on their way to Tyson's dojo
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The conversation continued as the two made their way down the familiar streets. They were discussing the upcoming tournament when the rounded the corner and spotted Tyson's dojo.
"Home sweet home." Cried Max happily. He began running towards the gates.
No one knew very much about the tournament. It had been advertised as "A glimpse at the future of BeyBlading" and "A revolutionary tournament" but that was all that BBA had said. Of course there were many rumours flying about. Everything from "No Bitbeasts" to "Great battles on the top of sky scrapers with giant anvils suspended above the players to come crashing down on the person who lost". There were too many for anyone to say which were true and which were not. Some people said that it was the BBA themselves spreading rumours just to keep people guessing. Only one thing was known for certain. The winner would be crowned "World Champion!"
Ray laughed at his over-joyous friend.
"Hey Max, slow down. It's not a race!" he exclaimed, running to catch up with the blond.
"Says you!" shouted Max over his shoulder but he slowed to a jog and let the Chinese boy catch up. They were beside one another as they entered the gates of the great dojo.
"Just the way I remember it." Ray reminisced, a smile on his face
"Yeah." Max glanced around taking in all the familiar sights. "Should we go through the back or the front?" He asked.
"How about the back, for old time's sake." Ray suggested and began walking without waiting to be answered. Max followed. They passed the pond and stepped up onto the wooden walkway that joined the two main sides of the dojo and ran along the outside wall of the large room where the boys slept during their stays at Tyson's.
Just as the boys were about to enter through the back door a curious noise reached their ears and they stopped to listen.
HIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYAAAAAAA!
HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Along with this came the sound of feet moving quickly on wood. Shuffling forwards and backwards, dodging and attacking in an intricate dance. That and the sound of wood on wood as kendo sticks connected. The occasional grunt came from one of the fighters as a result of strenuous attacks.
Then a different sound.
THUD!
"OUCH! TYSON!" an enraged feminine voice cried from inside.
"Oops, sorry. OW, HEY, what was that for!" and that was the familiar voice of Tyson, long time friend and World Champ.
"Snooze ya lose, buddy." Replied the voice of the female but this time her voice was wrapped in amusement instead of anger. And she added quietly "Loser." But the boys heard and exchanged glances. It was a girl sparing with Tyson, that much was certain. However it was no girl Ray or Max knew. It was not Hilary that was for sure. For one thing the brunette cheerleader didn't know kendo but her voice was also distinctly different. Plus there was no way that the stubborn World Champ would ever apologise to her.
But this left a very interesting question. If it were a girl, and not Hilary, fighting with Tyson, then who was it? And how did Tyson know her? They were obviously fairly well acquainted for her to calling him a loser. It couldn't have been just someone who had randomly challenged him to a match and who he barely knew. Someone like that would be more polite to the World Champ.
Of course Ray and Max had to keep in mind the fact that they had been away from Japan for almost a year and it had been six months since either had seen Tyson. He could have easily met and befriended someone in that time. He could even have a Girlfriend, it was possible.
"Who's that?" asked Max.
"Dunno." Replied Ray. "Lets go in."
The boys walked inside and across to the training room. The large room where the boys slept was dark but lit by a sliver of light flowing from the training room where Tyson and the mystery girl were sparring. In the light of the door a figure stood. The boys came closer to see none other than Hilary standing open mouthed watching what ever was going on inside.
Her eyes were wide which seemed to exaggerate her gaping mouth. But it was not out of shock, surprise or even amazement but more of a kind of hypnotism. Like the way some people become after watching too much TV.
"Hey, Hilary." Max called to the girl who immediately jumped and turned to see the two standing in the light of the door.
"Maxie!" she squealed, delighted to see her old friend. However she covered her mouth almost instantly. When she uncovered it she repeated his name but this time so quietly that it couldn't be heard over constant yelling coming from the ongoing fight. Then she saw Ray and in turn mouthed his name. Her eyes shimmered with excitement and she threw her arms around the boys. One arm around each of their necks with her head between theirs.
"Aw…Hilary." Ray wrapped an arm around the girl as did Max. She pulled away after a moment blushing slightly and shushed them by bringing a finger to her lips. She was obviously trying not to disturb the fighters in the other room. Maybe she didn't want them to know she was watching. She gestured towards the doorway with her head and then walked to it herself, crouching on the ground so that the boys could peer in over her head.
No one made a sound.
The training room was as the boys remembered it. A plain room fashioned the same way as the rest of the dojo. It had two head-high windows and many racks on the walls where assorted weapons hung.
Facing them was Tyson. Both fighters were taking a breather. They were standing a few feet away from one another panting heavily. Tyson had his navy blue hair back in its usual ponytail but without his trademark hat, obviously discarded for the fight. Instead of his usual outfit, jeans, yellow t-shirt and red jacket, he wore a dark navy gi. The top half was lighter. His brown eyes were sparkling excitedly from beneath his bangs. (1)
The girl had her back facing the door so it was quite impossible to see her face. However from the back you could see that she sported the same kind of gi as Tyson although the top half was even lighter, almost white, probably so that you could tell the female from the male gi. She had a slender figure with the right amount of chest and hips. Of course this was observed through the lose gi. The front of her hair could not be seen but the back was beautiful. It flowed down a ways and then turned inward finishing in a point at her hips. It was midnight black but highlighted, it appeared, naturally with dark blue.
Suddenly Tyson launched forward with the kendo stick raised in attack. The girl noticed only in the nick of time and dodged. Tyson, now behind her, turned quickly to lunch another attack but the girl was ready. She turned on the tip of her toes and hurled herself forward with the kendo stick held horizontally. The hilt in her right hand, her left hand providing support to the end of the kendo stick. She held it in a defensive position. But now she was facing the door and the boys could see her clearly.
Their first good look at her had come as she turned. She had been graceful, turning on the tips of her toes instead of shuffling her feet like Tyson. Her beautiful hair flowed out behind her and now they could see the front. Two fairly large bangs flowed from a central part. They finished at around her collarbone and pointed slightly inward. They were highlighted blue also.
As she turned, her mouth was set in an open smile of pure joy. Her cheeks were flushed from the battle and were gleaming with sweat. But her most stunning facial features and possibly her most stunning features of all were her eyes. Like Tyson's they were shining with excitement and happiness for the fight but instead of brown, her eyes were blue with flecks of silver. And the most spectacular sapphire blue they were.
She held him off easily when the attack came, bending her knees a little to support the weight. Then she pushed him off and the fight continued. This time Tyson's attack came from the side and again the mystery girl blocked it. For a while they continued in this way neither gaining an obvious upper hand. With one last WHAM Tyson stepped back to catch his breath. The girl followed suit.
"Is that all you've got Tyson?" she asked.
"Not even close." Tyson bragged although he was panting heavily. He laughed and the girl took that moment of weakness to launch her attack. She hurtled forward with the intent of bringing the kendo stick into his side but Tyson was too fast. He ducked and turned. His kendo stick hit her behind the knees causing her knees to buckle and her to fall to the ground with a surprised squeak.
The girl brought up her kendo stick to ward off his attacks but Tyson paid no mind to it and instead made a perfect beeline for her neck with his own kendo stick. The girl yelped and closed her eyes, the kendo stick useless above her head. No impact came. She opened her eyes slowly. Tyson had stopped his attack mere centimetres from her exposed neck. He looked down on her with a very 'un-Tyson-like' look and then threw his kendo stick to the side of the room.
He held his hand out for her but to everyone's surprise she swatted it away angrily.
"YOU ALWAYS WIN!" she yelled in his face.
He grinned at her as if saying 'Yeah, isn't it cool?'
"I can't stand it. You beat me at kendo and running, you can do more sit ups than me, you're even a better cook than me!" She cried almost hysterical. "Is there nothing you can't do Tyson?"
"Um…" poor Tyson had no idea what to say. "Well you're smarter than me." He ventured feebly. She snorted. "Aw…come on Kay, you did really good. I was nearly spent. I just had to take you out fast or you would of got me. You're getting much better. Really."
'Kay' grinned at him "Thanks Tyson." She said.
Tyson put his hand behind his head and laughed. "Yeah, whatever." He walked over to where he had thrown his kendo stick and picked it up, putting it on the rack in front of him. The girl's kendo stick went in the rack below his.
"So…where were you and Hilary today? I haven't seen either of you since this morning," he said the last two words bitterly and shuddered, "although I was trying to put that out of mind."
She laughed remembering the rather wet wake-up call they had subjected Tyson to that morning. As cruel as it had been, it was also hilariously funny. "Why do you ask Tyson? Were you worried about us? About Hilary?", she asked him with a sly grin.
Tyson turned a deep shade of red. "OF COURSE NOT! I was just asking…"
The girl laughed at him. "Sure Tyson and just so you know, we were shopping."
"So why didn't you tell me? I would've come."
She gave him a sceptical look. "I think not…or have you forgotten the last million times we've asked you to come with us and had to basically drag you out the door?" she rolled her eyes, "You hate shopping Tyson. And besides I thought it was probably better for my health to stay far, far away from you after the whole 'Water, in bucket, over sleeping Tyson" incident. Thought you might want revenge…"
"Ah, but I've had my revenge. I just beat you, again." She growled at him, and if looks could kill… he laughed nervously. "So…wanna get ice cream?"
"If that was an attempt to avoid my wrath…then you've done very well my friend." She said, patting his shoulder in mock praise. "But you're buying!"
"Aw man!"
- - - - -
Outside the training room, Hilary watched the two converse. She had forgotten that Max and Ray were waiting to see Tyson for whatever reason they had come. 'Why had they come?' This thought brought her back to reality.
She was about to turn around and ask them that same question, but instead the perfectionist side of Hilary kicked in. They had come here to see Tyson, and see Tyson they would but it would be improper just to walk in with them unannounced. Hilary smirked. This would be fun.
She turned to the boys motioning for them to stay and keep quiet. She opened the door and walked in.
"Wow Ru, that was really impressive. I thought for sure you'd won!" Hilary said with a smile. The girl smiled back.
"Thanks Hil!" she said.
"Aw, come on Hilary, how many times have I told you 'You can't watch us when we're sparing!'" Tyson complained.
"But I didn't make a noise! You didn't even know I was there, did you Tyson? Admit it!"
Tyson growled.
"I really don't see what you're problem is Tyson. I don't mind Hilary watching." Said the girl. "I bet you're just afraid you'll get embarrassed and trip over you're feet if Hilary's here." Tyson and Hilary both turned several shades of pink.
"I WOULD NOT!"
"So prove it and let her watch next time." She smirked in a way that said 'I win!'
"Fine," he sighed in defeat and turned to Hilary, "you can watch some time. Whatever."
The girl laughed and high-fived Hilary who was laughing also. "So, you up for ice-cream Hils?"
"Sure. Oh, but first," she moved over to Tyson and held him by the upper arm moving him into place in front of the door. He let her.
"Um…what are you doing Hilary?" He asked.
"Just wait a sec would you. Now close your eyes and hold out your hands like this," She ran her hands down his arms and into his, lifting them and holding them at right angles to his body. She let go, "great. Now just wait and I'll go and get your surprise. No peeking now." Hilary giggled. It felt as if she were instructing a two year old.
"What kind of surprise?" asked an over excited Tyson, opening his eyes.
"TYSON! I said no peeking! Now close your eyes and KEEP THEM CLOSED! Don't worry it's a good surprise, but you wont get it unless you're good."
"Okay!" He grinned childishly and closed his eyes once again.
He heard Hilary walk away and he heard the door open. The next thing he knew there were two dry hands in his sweaty ones.
"What are you doing Hilary?" he asked, naturally presuming it was her holding his hands considering that she was the only one there who wasn't sweaty from the fight. He opened his eyes.
"MAX! RAY! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?" he shouted joyfully grabbing said boys in a tight squeeze. Max laughed.
"Tyson…choking…not…breathing…" gasped Ray.
"Oh, right, sorry!" Tyson laughed, letting them go and scratching the back of his head stupidly. "So, um, why are you guys here?"
"To join the BladeBreakers of course!"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" Tyson's mouth was hanging open and his brown eyes were as wide as dinner plates.
"TYSON! IT'S A MIRACLE! IT'S PERFECT! WE HAVE 4 BLADERS! WE CAN ENTER THE TOURNAMENT!" Hilary was as in as much shock as Tyson with the exception of the fact that her brain was functioning properly. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him for all that she was worth! "It's just perfect!" she mumbled into his hair.
At this stage Tyson began to function again. "HA! YOU GUYS ROCK!" He catapulted himself out of Hilary's grip and towards his friends. He grabbed them both around the neck in a headlock. "YOU ALWAYS HAVE MY BACK. AW…I OWE YOU GUYS BIG TIME FOR THIS ONE!"
"What are you talking about Tyson? What's all this about needing 4 Bladers to be able to enter the tournament?' It was Max who spoke.
"Yeah! And why weren't our old teams told?" Ray added his two cents.
"Huh? You guys didn't know? I guess the Champion team has privileges! Cool!" Tyson grinned.
"Yeah I guess. But why 4 bladers and what do you mean by you 'Owe us'?" Ray asked.
"Well I thought you two had come to help us out cause we only had two bladers, me and Daichi, but I guess not. Well it doesn't matter anymore does it? You guys are here and we're gonna win!"
"For sure, but since when do we need 4 bladers, huh?" Max was still confused and the champ was doing little to clarify.
"Oh, right. Well I don't know exactly. Just that the minimum is 4 and the maximum is 8."
"8?" Max gaped. "But isn't that a lot?"
"Look, how about you guys come get ice-cream with us. You can tell us why you came to join the BladeBreakers and we'll tell you what we know about the tournament. Okay?" Hilary was getting quite annoyed with them all just standing around talking.
"Sure, that sounds good." Said Tyson. "You guys in?"
"Sure, but, er, before we go, who's that?" Ray asked pointing to the girl who was standing behind Tyson.
"Oh, yeah. This is Kaoru." The girl walked to stand beside him. "She's my best friend from when I was just a kid."
Kaoru stepped forward and held out her hand. Max took it.
"Nice to meet you." She said shaking his hand warmly. "Max, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's right. Nice to meet you too."
"And Ray? I've heard about you two. The original BladeBreakers. It's nice to finally meet you both!" Kaoru smiled brightly and her blue eyes shone.
"Nice to meet you too." Ray exchanged his pleasantries.
"COME ON GUYS! I'm HUNGRY!"
"You're always hungry Tyson!" Hilary whacked him in the back of the head. Laughter burst forth from the three lookers-on.
Home Sweet Home Indeed!
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"ARE YOU DONE YET HILARY?" Tyson yelled.
They had been standing outside the house for about 20 minutes waiting for Kaoru to finish changing and apparently, for Hilary to do her hair.
"Since when did Hilary care about her hair?" asked Max.
"Since Kaoru came. See Ru's really good at doing hair and makeup so Hilary's just kind of taking advantage of that I guess. I mean she's never had another girl around here so she's just lapping it up while it lasts."
"What do you mean 'while it lasts'?" asked Ray.
"Well, we're not really sure how long she's gonna stay. Maybe five years, maybe a month. She doesn't know and there's nothing I can do to keep her here. She loves travelling. Just being free and doing her own thing." Tyson sighed sadly.
"Oh, so she's not here to stay. Dam." Max sighed. It would have been nice to have another girl around.
"Hilary, I'm hungry…" Tyson whined and his stomach rumbled as if agreeing with him.
"FINE! I WON"T HAVE MY HAIR FRENCH BRAIDED! ARE YOU HAPPY TYSON!" she appeared at the door glaring angrily at Tyson. "FOOD IS JUST SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE ISN'T IT?"
" WELL IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN FRENCH BRAIDS! THAT'S FOR SURE!"
Hilary was wearing a brown skirt with pink lace trim. Around the belt area there were chains on which hung charms. She wore a mostly pink spaghetti strap top. It hung loosely over her bust then became tighter and wrapped around her stomach area; here it varied becoming different shades of pink and orange. She also wore pink strap sandals with a single silver heart in the centre of each. Black and pink heart earrings and a large pink bead necklace accessorized the look, along with two blue hair clips.
Her hair was down. "OF COURSE! BECAUSE YOU'RE MORE IMPORTANT THEN EVERYONE ELSE AREN'T YOU TYSON! WELL EXCUSE ME FOR LIVING!" she stormed past him.
"DON'T YOU THINK THAT ME STARVING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAIR?" Tyson turned and walked after her.
"YOU'RE ALWAYS STARVING!"
Max and Ray watched the two storm down the side walk, arguing all the way. Behind them Kaoru appeared at the gates of the dojo and laughed as she watched Tyson and Hilary walk away. The boys turned to her.
"Do they still fight a lot?" asked Max.
"Yeah I'm afraid so. You'd think they'd give it a rest now and again wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, I can't believe they're not at least friends by now." Ray agreed.
"Well they are friends, I guess. They actually get along pretty well when they're not fighting, although it's hard to believe. Personally I think they really like each other."
"Yeah. You know I always thought those two would get together." Max spoke, "If for no other reason then because they can already fight like an old married couple." Kaoru laughed.
"I know what you mean. But I agree. They'd be perfect for each other. They'd just never admit it. I don't think Tyson even knows. Though its possible he's just in denial. Hilary I'm not so sure about."
"You think Hilary likes him? I mean knows she likes him?" Max looked at Kaoru with one brow raised.
"I think. But she hasn't told me so it's really just a guess." Kaoru sighed.
They three walked in silence for a few minutes.
"So, tell me, how do you know Tyson anyways? I mean a few years ago Tyson hated girls and you mean to tell me his best friend was always one?" Ray asked. Kaoru laughed.
"I think I was an exception. Besides we became friends when we were really young and Tyson had no problem with girls back then." Kaoru smiled, reminiscing. "But it's actually a bit of a long story."
"We have time. Shoot" Max smiled.
"Well…there weren't too many kids who lived around here 15 years ago and Tyson's always been a people person so he was always trying to make friends. But since there were no kids his age he couldn't really. So he used to come to the orphanage and sneak in and hide in the cubby house because all the children there loved having visitors no matter how young or old. And that's how he met me.
The first time he came over the fence it was just the end of recess but I didn't want to go in so I was still in the yard and I saw him. I told him he would be kicked out if he didn't hide so he ran to the cubby house and waited until lunch…I didn't have any friends at the orphanage. I was different to them. More distant, more mysterious. I didn't tell anyone where I was from or anything about my parents. Not that I knew anything. But Tyson was different too. None of it mattered to him and we were just friends. Just like that. So he kept coming every second day. And he helped me make friends with everyone. Then when I was 5 his family adopted me. So yeah."
"That's really cool." Ray was surprised she had just opened up to them like that. She had told them that she was an orphan and that she had had no friends. And she had only known them for about half and hour. "But if you're part of Tyson's family, or whatever, then why weren't you here all the times we came to stay and how come Tyson never told us about you?"
"I'm afraid that that is a longer story again." She sighed.
"Well you might as well start it." Max urged.
"Oh, alright. Well…I know this sounds a little strange but I never liked just being confined to one place. Just living in one house or even one country. I always had to get out and run around and I always longed for the summers when we travelled away from Japan."
"I don't think that's strange. I'm a bit the same way myself." It was Ray who spoke and then smiled at her. Of course she had heard this from Tyson. The way the nekojin would travel to Japan then back to China then to Japan again. Never able to stay comfortably in just one place. She nodded.
"Well, anyway." She continued. "I was 3 when I met Tyson and, like I said, 5 when his family adopted me. So I suppose I'm really his sister but I never thought of us that way. We were always just friends. Best Friends. But when it came to the rest of his family it was different. I hadn't known them very well but Tyson had told them all about me. We all became so close. Hiro was just like a brother. He treated me like his sister too. We fought sometimes but we always made up. Sometimes he was so cruel, just like an older brother, and I couldn't have cared less if the ground had opened up and swallowed him in those moments. But later on I'd realize just how much he did care for me and then I'd feel bad for thinking like that. There was this comfortableness between us. It was weird, I don't know how to describe it…"
"Never mind, just go on." Max said.
"Right. Well you guys never met Tyson's mum did you?" Both boys shook their heads. " Well I did. She was the nicest person I've ever met. The most beautiful too." Kaoru closed her eyes, sweet recollection softening her features. " I can remember her so clearly. It's like she's standing right next to me. I can see every detail." She smiled happily.
Tyson never talked about his mum and it made the boys uncomfortable wondering if that was because he didn't want them to know. They wondered if Kaoru telling them would be like betraying his wishes and glanced nervously at one another. Kaoru, though, seemed to sense their distress.
"Tyson never told you, did he?" She asked in genuine puzzlement.
The boys shook their heads. Kaoru sighed, smiling in almost a sad way.
"Don't worry." She tried to reassure them. "I know Tyson. It's not that he doesn't trust you, more likely he doesn't trust himself." She smiled at their puzzled faces. "He loved her so much, he's probably afraid that if he tries to tell you he'll cry."
Both boys gaped at her. 'Cry' seemed like such a foreign word when speaking of Tyson. All of these years, through all the pain and anguish, not once had they known him to shed a single tear. Kaoru laughed at their stunned faces.
"Lighten up, he's only human." She said happily. "My point is, it's not that Tyson doesn't want you to know but simply that he can't tell you. However…I can. Which only leaves one question. Do you want to know?"
Max and Ray looked at each other in silence and then back to Kaoru. Ray nodded.
"Ok. She had hair the exact same colour, as Tyson's except it was way longer. It came down around her knees in light natural curls but she always had it held back. In a loose ribbon or a plait. She left it out for special occasions. And her eyes were a deep crimson like Hiro's only prettier and more heavily lashed. Her skin was pale but it had a natural glow about it and her lips were peach coloured. She had the most beautiful smile…" Kaoru trailed off a little. "She never let me call her anything but mum, even when we first met and Tyson introduced us. I said 'Hello Mrs. Granger' but she just laughed and told me never to call her that again."
Kaoru stopped talking completely and the boys had a sickening suspicion as to what was coming next. Kaoru stumbled on, choking slightly on her words. "She passed away," the boys winced "I was eight and Tyson was nearly nine. Hiro was twelve…It happened so fast." Her voice cracked and she was forced to stop.
Ray rubbed her shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to go on if you don't want"
"But I do! You're some of Tyson's closest friends. He told me so! You have a right to know!" she coughed and continued. "No one really knew what happened. One day she was fine and the next over-come with sickness. A week later it claimed her. That's all I know. There might be more…if so, I wasn't told."
They walked in silence for a while though their destination was all but forgotten.
"So is that why Hiro ran away?" Max asked.
"Hmm…" Kaoru mumbled breaking free from her thoughts. "You know about that?"
"Yeah, Tyson told us." Max confirmed.
"Oh," she was surprised, "Yes, that's why Hiro ran. He wanted to believe he was just on vacation and that when he came back she'd be here looking after us."
"He was only twelve." Said Ray sadly.
"Maybe, but he was also strong and mature. We knew he could look after himself." She sighed. "And he came back every once in a while to check on us. He never came in but we all knew he was there.
It was just the way he dealt with it. We all had different ways. I felt as if I was an orphan again. Of course the rest of my family was always there but I was so blinded by my grief that I couldn't see them.
And dad was devastated too but he never showed it. His children were more important than his tears and he immediately began looking for a job that would support us all. He would have worked two jobs if he had needed to but opportunity came knocking and he had to accept. The job of working in Egypt was all expense paid for him, which meant that every extra cent could be for us. We begged him not to go but we also knew he had to. So he left us with Grandpa. Perhaps that was another reason Hiro left. One less mouth to feed." She stopped talking.
"What about Tyson?" asked Max slowly and received a disapproving look from Ray.
"Tyson? He was the worst. I had known he loved her more than I had but that much? He changed. He became cold and desolate. He didn't talk to anyone. It was almost as if he had separated his self from the world."
The boys glanced at each other. The description was far too similar to their cold, un-talkative Russian friend. Who would have thought Tyson to be just like Kai?
"That's why I was never here when you came. I turned ten and nothing had changed so I decided that instead of waiting for the change I would make it. When dad returned to Japan for my birthday I told him that I was coming with him when he left. At first he refused but I explained it to him. Tyson and I needed something to happen. If it didn't we would just stay this way forever. Tyson would be cold and distant and I would be afraid and alone. If I came with him I could travel and learn and enjoy myself again. And if I left Tyson would meet new people, happier people, and they would make him happier as well.
Dad knew I could look after myself and after seeing the way Tyson had become he agreed that it was the only way. Tyson begged me to stay when he found out but I told him I couldn't. He yelled at me and said he hated me, he tried everything to get me to stay but I wouldn't. Then at the airport, after ignoring me for a week, I asked him to say goodbye and he cracked. Me knelt before me and cried and begged and begged me not to go. He told me that he loved me and that he couldn't live without me and it broke my heart to have to leave him and not to even be able to say that I'd be back soon." A tear ran down her cheek, not unnoticed. "And so I traveled." Kaoru paused to catch her breath.
"Where." Max asked attentively. In the back of his mind he wondered if Kaoru had meant Love as in Love or Love as in the friendship kind. He guessed the later was more probable.
"Oh, everywhere." Said Kaoru brightening. "Just everywhere. For three years anyway. I came back when I was thirteen to watch Tyson in the Beyblading Pre-lims." She waited for realization to sink in.
"You were here!" Max realized first.
"Then you saw us too?" Ray soon after.
Kaoru laughed. "Yep, you guys were good. Max, you nearly beat Tyson. That was impressive. And Ray, you nearly beat Kai."
"So you know Kai?"
"Not personally, but I've seen him in action and heard about him from Tyson. He's pretty hot." She added as an after thought.
Both boys facefaulted. What an undeniable girlish response!
"Right." Max drawled unsure how to take this girl who had been so open in revealing her past to them and then so upright as to state that one of their closest friends was 'hot'. However true it may be. "So if you were at the Pre-lims why didn't Tyson introduce you?"
"He didn't know I was there. I just came to watch him. I was going to say a quick 'hi' afterwards but he was different and I was afraid he wouldn't remember me. Also he was surrounded by all of you and I didn't want to interrupt." A small smile crossed her features. "I should have. I always regretted that. But anyway. After that I went to Russia. I herd Kai was from there so I thought I'd check it out." The boys each raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes. "Not because Kai was from there. I'm not some fan girl. I'd just never been to Russia. But I had been to China and America." The boys blinked at the mention of their home countries. "So I stayed there for a while. Made friends and learned a little of the language. Afterwards I went to China because I heard the first round of the tournament was being held there…"
"You mean you were there too!" Max cut her off. She sent him a look that said something along the lines of 'Let me finish or else'. Max laughed nervously and quietened.
"I was too late. So instead I went to America for the second round but I only got to see the finals. Tyson was horribly jealous of your mum Max." He looked at her in surprise. "But I didn't think you'd noticed. Well obviously I was right. Then I followed you through Europe. That was so cool. I was like a professional BladeBreakers stalker." She laughed.
"Professional stalker." Ray echoed her, eyebrow raised.
"Obviously." Max said sarcastically.
Kaoru calmed down. "Oh but it was sooo fun! Once I had to mingle with this travelling fan girl group. They were all so completely taken with Kai. Every single conversation was devoted to him. And I had to act just like them." She shuddered. "They had this chant right, something like…
Kai I love you,
Marry me today.
Kai I love you,
You blow me away!
And we sung it every time we got within ear shot of him." Kaoru broke off into uproarious laughter.
Max and Ray remembered that chant distinctively. One day it had got on Kai's last nerve and he had given them double training. It was the boys' turn to shudder.
"Anyway, after that I went to Russia with you guys. It was even better the second time. You all did so well in the tournament. I was cheering all the time. Really loudly too, I almost got thrown out. Then I was going to go and see Tyson after the tournament but the same fears took over and I just couldn't." She sighed. "So instead I went to travel around Africa for a year. But close to five years of traveling will really tire a girl out and I just needed some place to crash.
I made some really good friends in Australia and they invited me to stay so I couldn't really decline. I kept posted on your progress. The BladeBreakers won twice while I was living there. When I heard about BEGA I had to come back. I watched them with all their gusto trying to tell you they were going to win but I always knew it was just empty threats. No way they were going to beat my boys!" she exclaimed and giggled a bit.
The two boys found themselves laughing with her. Kaoru had a very uplifting air about her and it was…interesting to be called 'her boys'. When their laughter subsided she finished her story.
"After that I went with Hiro. It was something to do with business. I didn't really ask. We travelled up to Hokkaido and then all the way back down to Kyushu. It was a pretty long trip but I loved being with Hiro again and that made me want to be with Tyson. I missed him so much. Then one night Hiro and I were talking about before Mum died and how Tyson was and I just started crying for him. But Hiro's so wonderful he didn't ask any questions just hugged me and skipped our trip back to Hokkaido so I could go straight to Tokyo. And he didn't let me back down. He said I had to go back no matter what. So I did. Apparently one month after you left." She finished with a sigh. "And so here we are today." (2)
"Yep."
"So why did you guys come back? I thought you were with your other teams." Kaoru asked them. Tyson had told her about their past teams, the White Tigers and the All Stars and of course she had seen them in action when she had been travelling.
"Oh, right, well…" Ray was cut off.
"HEY KAORU!" Tyson shouted, running up to her, three dripping ice creams in hand. "Me and Hilary got you a Chocolate, Caramel Ribbon, that okay?"
"Ooooo…THANKS TYSON!" She said happily, taking the ice cream out of his hand and licking it enthusiastically. "Mmmm."
Tyson sweat-dropped. Kaoru's slight obsession with ice cream was somewhat disturbing at times.
"Uh…is she alright?" Max asked unsurely.
"She'll be fine." Tyson sighed and laughed.
"RUUUU!" Hilary came barrelling back from the toilet blocks at that moment with one thing on her mind. "What top did you wear!" She spotted Kaoru, who was looking at her blankly, and let out an exited squeal. Kaoru smiled at her and spun around on her toes.
"You like?" she asked the happy girl. Kaoru was wearing a hot pink top with low cut neck and spaghetti straps. Under the bust was an inch thick strap of paler pink, which crossed in the centre to form a thinner band of pink above. The straps were also the lighter pink. She wore three quarter army print pants with folded up cuffs. The cuffs, pockets and belt were all a lighter green. Kaoru had light pink sneakers with blue trim and white tongues. She also wore three bangles on one arm, a pink band on the other and an anklet on one leg.
"Yay! You wore the good one. The white really didn't go." Hilary told the girl critically.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Kaoru said her dismissively, her focus back on her ice cream.
Hilary rounded on the unsuspecting Tyson with sickening sweetness "Tyson…GIVE ME MY ICE CREAM!"
Tyson huffed. "Here." He shoved it back at her and turned to the others. "If you guys want an ice cream there's a kiosk over there. We always come here, they have great stuff." He punctuated the comment by taking a large lick of his blue ice cream.
"Thanks Tyson." Ray spoke and made his way to where Tyson had pointed. Max followed eagerly
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Tyson and gang had made their way to the ever-popular river. All had finished their ice creams save for Ray, who had gotten his last and wasn't quite rude enough to gulp it down the same way Max had.
Now they sat on the embankment. Kaoru and Tyson lay beside one another with Hilary inevitably on Tyson's side. Not that he complained. Max sat a little further down in front of Kaoru, and Ray found himself sprawled out somewhere in the middle.
"So, we still don't know anything about the Tournament, care to fill us in?" Ray began the conversation getting right to the point.
"We don't know anything either," Hilary spoke, "Mr. Dickenson just warned us to start looking for some new members because this Tournament calls for a minimum of four bladers. Though he did say that having even more would be an advantage but I can't see any logic in it."
"That's right, it doesn't make sense, how can more bladers mean an advantage? You can't have two on one battles so its just plain stupid. If we had our four bladers go up against a team of six bladders they'd just have to take off two of their members so it would be fair." Tyson obviously didn't think much of these new rules.
"All the same if Mr. Dickenson said it's an advantage then it is. We should probably try to recruit a few promising bladers." Ray said.
"Yeah, I thought you might say that. Before you came we were planning to have a Mini Tournament to suss out the local talent. What do think?" Hilary asked.
"I'd say it sounds like a plan." Max spoke up for the first time. "But what kind of tournament? We don't have enough money for an all out Blading Bash."
"That's the beauty of it." Kaoru joined the conversation. "It's not big. Tiny in fact. It pits blader against Blade Breaker and you guys are the judge. We've got four people as it is, so just pick four more who impress you and we'll be set."
"So, you want us," Ray indicated himself, Tyson and Max, " to have beybattles with champion wannabe's?"
"Not my exact choice of words but, yeah, pretty much." Kaoru looked at him hopefully.
"I think it sounds really cool." Max said with starry eyes.
"Yeah, I guess. It could work." Ray was still a bit sceptical of the idea. "But how exactly do you plan for us to judge them?"
"Oh, that's easy. We'll have two BladeBreakers up at a time and each of you will face one of the competitors. If they beat you then they're automatically in, if not then it's you who gets to say if they're any good. If you found it hard to beat them or even if their Beyblading style just impressed you. The rest of us will be watching and if they impress both you and us, then they're in. Simple." Hilary rattled off the plan. It was pretty straightforward.
"Okay, I'm in." Max happily agreed.
"Yeah, me too. It could be fun." Ray added.
"Alright then. We have a game plan."
The group sat in silence for a few minutes. Ray finished off his ice cream and stood to throw the napkin in the bin.
"Hey Tyson, wanna battle?" Ray's shadow fell over Tyson as the boy opened his eyes curiously.
"A Beybattle?"
"No Tyson, I meant the kind with robots and light sabres, of course a Beybattle!"
"And what about me?" Max sat up looking pointedly at Ray. "I'm a Beyblader too!"
"Why not have a three way battle? That ought to be fun!" Kaoru spoke up, eager to stop the argument.
"YEAH!" Tyson exclaimed.
"That'd be AWESOME!" Max agreed.
"I bet you won't be saying that when I cream both o' you." Ray smirked.
"I'd like to see you try!"
All three boys raced down the hill to the flat plain of land that joined the river and grabbed their blades.
"Hilary, get down here and do the count down." Tyson ordered.
"You want to try saying 'PLEASE'?"
"Hilary…" Tyson said in a whiney voice and looked to Kaoru. "Kay…?" His voice was now hopeful and questioning.
The girls laughed.
"Come on then." Kaoru started off towards them with Hilary following slowly behind.
"Ok, ready?"
"Yep" came the collective reply.
"3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"
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The dojo was deserted.
"Hmm…they're not here. Then where?"
There was barely even any sign of habitation. Apart from the fact that the fridge was stocked and the drawers in the bedrooms were full of clothes there was no other indication of life in the vast dojo. The Kitchen was clean and the dishes done. The large central room was untouched. No futons or pillows or anything on the floor. Even Tyson's room was tidy. (3)
"Hn."
The guest room was the only thing that looked any different. It too was spotless, but there was a purple suitcase in the corner.
An eyebrow was raised in contemplation of the object. To open or not to open, that is the question…Open!
"A Girl? This is different! Very different."
The floorboards creaked eerily beneath the weight. Slowly the newcomer made their way to the hall. Next to the door was a message board and on it, conveniently, a note.
"Grandpa,
Gone for Ice-cream, prob back late
See ya then
Ty."
The note had obviously been rushed.
"Great, like I haven't already travelled far enough. Now I've got to find that annoyance. Pft…I bet he planned this. Where would he go? The river or the park. Well at least it's not too far. Then again he never was any good at planning things."
There was a chuckle and the sound of a slamming door.
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"Right, GO DRAGOON!" Tyson exclaimed, calling forth his Bitbeast.
"GO DRIGGER!"
"DRACIEL!"
The three Beasts all emerged from their blades. The Dragon, Tiger and Turtle colliding and grazing against one another as each Blader fought for the upper hand.
Suddenly there was a CRASH and surge of dust as something was hurled into the midst of the battle. Three Beyblades were sent flying out of the cloud and it was all the boys could do to catch them as they coughed and choked on the dust.
"Whoa! What was that?" Asked Kaoru as the dust started to disappear. Tyson coughed.
"Dunno, pretty powerful though."
As the last of the dust vanished the group saw the cause of the upset. In the centre of the battlefield was a tiny crater and in it, still spinning, there was a blue blade.
"No way…" Max began, gaping at the little thing. "It couldn't be."
"Oh, but it is." An equally astonished Ray was now staring at the bridge. The others followed his gaze and Kaoru felt her jaw drop.
"OH MY GOD!" Was all she could manage at this stage.
"But I thought…" Hilary trailed off.
"Kai." Tyson's gaze was fixed on the lone figure standing on the bridge wall.
It was Kai. Two toned hair, white scarf, open black top with a purple one underneath, red belt and purple baggy pants. The same Kai that had left six months ago.
His scarf was blowing in the wind, as he held out his hand in a silent command for his blade to return. It spun for a few moments before speeding back to him. He caught it and jumped, landing in front of the stunned group.
Tyson was the first one to recover his voice.
"You know what? You're Late!"
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So...what do you think. Good, bad?
I know there wasn't much romancy stuff in that chapter, actually there wasn't much of anything, but fear not, the story will get going shortly. This chappie was really just an introduction to the basic tone of the story.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the numbers (eg. (1)) that come after some paragraphs are there because I don't like writing Author Notes in the middle of a chapter. I feel they disrupt the reading (no offence to anyone who does this.) So I have put my Author Notes at the end. They should basically explain anything you didn't understand or anything I wasn't quite sure about.
Here they are...
(1) - Gi - Gi are the kendo outfits that fighters wear. Normally they are worn with a headpiece but not if you're just practicing like Tyson and Kaoru. As for the top half being lighter and the female top bit being nearly white...I have no idea sweatdrop . I just added that because its easier for a reader to visualise things if they're different. At least it seems to work for me... If you know more about Kendo and Gi, or if this is wrong (which is highly likely) then please tell me. Thanks.
(2) - Hokkiado and Kyushu - Hokkiado is the northern most island of Japan and Kyushu is the southern most island. So basically Kaoru and Hiro went up and down and up and down. Oh, and Tokyo is in the middle of the largest island (which I don't know the name of) in case you didn't know. Once again tell me if it's wrong.
(3) - Futons - (We're talking about the Japanese version here by the way.) These are the flimsy mattress things that go on the floor and you sleep on. You see them a lot in Beyblade when the boys are over at Tyson's.
I do accept flames but just be warned if you want to send one, I'm not a person who takes offence very easily; I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you flame me don't expect me to stop writing, I won't. So there really isn't very much point.
Reviews, however, I would LOVE! I may not take offence but I love compliments! (Who doesn't! ) Plus, creative criticism and whatnot would be greatly appreciated.
So now I'll leave you to press that little blue button and...R&R!
Soi.