Title: Walk the Line
Association: Beyblade
Pairing: Enrique/Julia, EnriJuli
Short Summary: She owned the show from the center ring. EnriJuli, current two-shot. Inspired by the song Circus by Britney Spears.
Full Summary: For his birthday, Enrique had only one desire: To see Europe's finest traveling carnival. But when the circus comes to town with Raul and Julia running the show, will things go according to plan? It appears that there's going to be a slight change in the line-up.
AN: Hey guys, what's up? This is PD back with the EnriJuli story I've been promising. If you've bothered to read, I've been updating my profile almost daily. I've had this idea lying around for quite some time, and finally decided to give it a go. And if this fails, I'm really sorry. I lost the motivation to pull this together not long after I came up with it. The main issue? I never could decide if it would end up being a one-shot like I wanted or if I would be forced to make a longer story of it due to the pairing.
Meh, I tend to wing it most days anyway, so we'll see what happens. Honestly though, I have no flippin' idea if this is decent or not. Sue me. But just to be safe and in-character, I'll have you all know that I went back and watched several episodes with these characters in them.
Before I begin, just wanna give a quick shout-out to Persephone Oswald Oleesen, my real-life bestie, for volunteering her time to beta this. CHECK HER OUT.
Disclaimer: What? Just look at 'em, they obviously WANT to be owned by me.
Walk the Line
Enrique had never been afraid to go to the extremes.
He had assumed that it was his highly impulsive nature that had led to this low-point. Here he was, one of the richest bastards in all of Italy moping around a dirty fairground amongst the locals. He scowled when he noticed that the bright white tips to his brand-new sneakers were now coated with a fine layer of dust as he continued to kick at the small pebble before him. He must've kicked the damn rock around the perimeter of the fairground for over an hour now. The sun was nearly at its peak, signaling a somewhat miserable afternoon. The Italian blader muttered harsh words to himself as he continued to wander about aimlessly.
Fuck, none of this was going according to plan.
Enrique had spent thousands so that Europe's most esteemed traveling carnival could be brought to his hometown of Rome in time for his seventeenth birthday, even though they were scheduled to come in another two months anyway. He'd always had a love for the performing arts, but his initial reason for the expenditure was to impress a girl he'd set his sights on. He'd only been seeing her for three weeks now, but had quickly picked up that she was of the artistic variety and wanted to go all-out for her affection. Unfortunately, he hadn't been necessarily fooling around with her as much as he'd been wasting his time trying to make an impact on her. He wasn't used to girls like these. The girls he'd previously chased were all money-mooching whores, the types that would lock lips and sleep with any guy for a fair amount of euro. But this girl was special, he thought, and so he felt the need to do something unique.
Too bad his boisterous endeavor had gone ignored.
Too bad he was always trying too hard to notice that he'd been trying too hard. Allegria, his date of sorts, had been un-phased by his attempts to buy her fascination and had long since run off with a local concessionaire who had been manning a milk-bottle booth somewhere between the line for the Ferris wheel and the ever popular Tilt-O-Whirl. The poor billionaire had been brooding ever since.
Enrique sighed and ran his fingers through messy blond locks. Some days he fought to understand what had gone so wrong with his life that no girl would ever bother sticking around. What, was he not handsome enough? Or not rich enough, perhaps? No, that certainly couldn't be the issue. Clothing too hideous? He didn't think a red blazer and puke green t-shirt were all that bad, honestly. Or maybe it was his hair. He'd always thought it was a little too wavy for his liking. Was he just so skinny that the girls were jealous? Hey, it wasn't his fault that he looked so damned good without trying. The hopeless romantic scoffed at that thought.
"Toda la Fuerza!"
"Fuerza Valiente!"
Enrique's ears immediately picked up the familiar voices amongst the swarms of people. His sulky temperament was quickly replaced by a swift gust of giddiness and moderate apprehension. Those foreign words could only be coming from two very particular people. Having wandered far past the kiddy rides and the food stands, the blond blader found himself just outside the large red and white tent where Europe's top performers would be executing their skills later in the day. Enrique shielded his baby blue eyes with a pale hand to peek into the tent without being blinded by the lights. Sure enough, there they were. Spain's top two beybladers, and the world's number three beyblading team suspended over the far ring from where he stood. He could faintly see Raul like a dull flame in a dark cavern, his body poised as his feet remained steady nearly fifty feet up in the air on a tightwire.
And then there was her.
Oh yes, how could anyone ever forget about her now? She'd had the entire damn beystadium chanting her name in the World Tournament finals last year in Japan. And why wouldn't she? She was strong, beautiful, and ferocious in battle. Easily the toughest female blader in the history of the sport. Hell, even her looks alone could kill. At the moment, her sharp orange hair smoldered and snuffed out her twin brother's darker red flame, emanating from the opposite side of the tent like a raging forest fire; vibrant, deadly, and intense beyond words. She too was stabilized upon the tightwire, and for the first time since peering inside, Enrique could now see the twins' blades centered between them, their magnificent bit-beasts making it hard to see anything other than light blotches in his field of vision. Thunder Pegasus had just unleashed its attack upon Torch Pegasus, creating an impact that not only momentarily blinded the Italian, but also threatened to shake the entire tent to the ground as the fabric walls rippled from the force impressed upon them. Nearly frightened to death by the amount of power being unleashed, Enrique swallowed a thick lump in his throat and found his way in.
The ground was entirely dirt save for the area inside the 3-ring where the performers would be staged. Enrique checked his watch.
'Thirty minutes 'til showtime. Guess they're just warming up?'
Enrique sauntered his way across the tent and climbed up the wobbly metal bleachers taking his seat on the top row, dead-center of the arena. From there his gaze shifted up once more to the magnificent bit-beasts looming near the roof of the stadium. Thunder Pegasus and Torch Pegasus clashed a final time before the flaming stallion took a nose dive toward the net waiting below. It dematerialized as soon as its semi-digital form made contact with the netting and the beyblade itself shot down further in flames, making a boosh! sound as it collided and nestled its way into the ground. The gears and attack ring had severed right through the white tarp covering the dirt, and Enrique took note that this new burn hole was one of several preexisting ones that littered the filthy excuse for a cover. From above, he could hear Julia's malicious laughter.
"Well, little brother, I guess we know who's gonna be six feet under first! This would certainly make for an interesting new stadium to use at the next World Tournament, don't you think?" Julia, graceful as ever, recalled her blade to her hand and crossed her arms with satisfaction, still maintaining her perfect balance on the thin wire as she spoke.
Raul had already retreated to the short platform at the opposite end of the ring and leaned against the wooden post that shot through the back of it, stabilizing the flimsy layer of plywood he stood on with a short beam that connected beneath it. It all looked awfully terrifying to Enrique, who dreaded the day that the BBA came up with a stadium this extreme. His eyes widened at the suggestion as he imagined signing his death wish in the back of his mind. It'd be a cold day in Hell before he'd ever agree to a match like this.
Ever the dramatic one, Raul tossed his dark bangs out of his eyes before sitting down on the plywood and glaring at his sister. "Ha ha, very funny. Death's not much to joke about, you know. But if the other bladers had the experience in here that we have in the beystadium, then maybe Mr. Dickenson would be willing to consider it. It's a unique format since the tightrope pretty much makes it a sudden-death match."
At this, Julia smirked and hopped—literally hopped— back to her side of the ring, having done a backward flip to the platform. She clutched her beloved Thunder Pegasus in hand and mirrored her brother's image, taking a seat and crossing her legs as they dangled over the edge. "Hmm, kinda makes you wonder how a blade like Kenny's might do up here. The damned thing bounces around like a pogo stick! That might make it more agile than other blades up here and therefore give it an unfair advantage. Thoughts, little bro?"
Raul scoffed. "Feh, no way, that stupid blade would lose its balance the moment it jumped out of harm's way. Even if it could succeed the jump, it would never make the landing."
"Touché, little brother. An excellent point."
"Speaking of excellent points," Raul nodded his head toward the audience side of the tent. "Wouldn't you say that guy over there looks kinda familiar? I swear I've seen him somewhere before..."
"What? What nonsense are you babbling on about now?" Julia looked toward the bleachers where her brother's gesture had signaled. Her emerald eyes had fallen upon what could've easily been one of the most handsome devils she'd ever laid eyes on. "Oh, I...I see."
"Do you know who that is, Julia?"
"I-I might have a pretty good idea," Julia swallowed hard, trying not to feel unnerved by the familiar face down below. Not that he could see her facial expressions from such a height, but she had perfect vision and if her eyes weren't deceiving her, it appeared he'd been staring at her the entire time. She quickly broke the long-distance contact and looked to Raul, who had an odd look of confusion and concern on his face.
"And?"
Julia bowed her head, concealing her furious blush from her brother.
Of course she knew who that was.
She'd had her sights on him for a long time, remembering back to three and a half years ago when his team had faced off against the former Bladebreakers for the chance to take their place in the finals in Moscow. She couldn't help but be entranced by the older blond boy who had swarms of females rushing to his sides. His eyes were that gorgeous shade of sky blue, so clear and innocent that it was impossible not to see what had so many girls throwing themselves at his feet. He was rich too, Julia told herself, but there was a certain charm to a boy like him. Not just his looks, but something much more...elusive.
He'd captivated her long ago, way back when he was only fourteen and she only twelve. Her heart had gone out to the Majestics as they faced off against the Bladebreakers, her cheers interrupting her roommates in the hotel she'd been staying at the time as she watched the battles on television. Obviously she'd wanted Europe to beat the pants off the Asian team, but she knew deep down that her silly infatuation for the blond playboy of the Majestics had played a part in her favoritism. Funny how even he was beneath her now.
In more ways than one.
"Are you completely blind, Raul?" Julia asked, full-well knowing her little brother would soon be getting glasses and was attempting to burn a hole in her soul with his eyes. "That's Enrique of the Majestics. Don't you remember him? His team lost to Barthez Battalion last year in the European Preliminaries. Not to mention that it's his money that has us here now instead of in May."
Raul ran a hand casually through his two-tone hair. "Oh, so we're a for-hire traveling circus now? Whatever, either way he still sounds like a chump to me. Why remember someone who doesn't even have the talent to make it past the preliminary rounds?"
"Now Raul, don't be immature. You and I saw firsthand the kind of power that team had when Barthez was actually leading it. And besides, I heard somewhere a long time ago that Enrique once beat the world champ."
"You're kidding, right?" Raul raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "You're telling me that joker actually stood up to Tyson? Ha, could've fooled me." He stood once more. "C'mon sis, we've gotta get changed and ready to perform. We'll take care of that nuisance down there later."
Julia, who had been biting her thumbnail with intense thought, merely nodded and climbed down the ladder to the floor of the tent.
'Silly Raul,' she thought. 'Always trying to act tough now that we've got some sort of status. But a match against a competitor like Enrique might actually be worth my time. Maybe, just maybe, I can work something out...'
The tall girl grinned as she dropped the last few steps of the ladder to the ground, her long brown hair in the back scattering in all directions as her orange hair in the front fell in her eyes. She was certainly a sight for the awestruck blader waiting in the stands. More people had began filing in the tent, the audience growing immensely as Enrique found himself surrounded by streams of color on all sides. He crinkled his nose as the scent of the locals surrounded him and crowded his area, but he knew better than to get up and leave. After all, if it hadn't been an illusion or a farfetched dream, he could've sworn on his life that Julia had laid eyes upon him earlier. He couldn't exactly hear what the female had been saying to her younger twin brother, but there was little question in his mind that the conversation had revolved around him.
So he waited it out. He withstood the horrid stench of the locals and the way his stomach growled at him for not going to purchase a bag of popcorn, a funnel cake, or any of the other delicious foods that were seen throughout the bleachers. He just had to be patient and wait for her to come out. It wasn't long before the show had begun. And much to the surprise of the Italian blader, it was none other than Julia who was playing her part as the ringmaster.
Always one to put on a show for her audience, Julia had changed into one of her many costumes, standing now on a raised platform in the center ring wearing a glitzy gold dress that extended to the floor. Her gauntlet launcher remained on her arm, foreboding as ever as she cleared her throat and began to speak. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! It is with great honor that I stand here today before the lovely citizens of Rome. My fellow performers and I have a few new acts to be displayed, and for those of you who got the chance to see us last spring when we came through, we hope to bedazzle you with our newest set of techniques! We've all been working hard to step up our game and I am pleased to say that I think we just might've outdone ourselves this time. Without any further ado, I present to you our first act! If you'll all just direct your attention toward the ring to your left..."
Enrique had zoned out for most of the show. His eyes were dead-set on Julia, watching as she returned time and time again from her dressing room in one stunning outfit after another. The only time he was paying attention was when her voice came over the speakers, her normally sharp tone made playful and excited by the thrill of an audience, the challenge of winning their hearts over her only priority. She normally would've been behind the scenes getting ready to perform, but decided to steal the spotlight for the duration of the show and volunteered to take the lead as MC for the day. Enrique watched her drift in and out announcing the different groups as they performed; the sword swallowers, the knife throwers, the gymnasts and acrobats, the ever-present groups of clowns rotating throughout the rings and filling the pause between acts, and so on. There had been lion tamers as well, along with many other popular circus theatrics that swarmed beneath the big top. Before too long, the blond was feasting his sights on an act that he would've never predicted seeing that day.
Julia had retreated to the dressing room one last time as the official ringmaster stepped out in her place. "Alright everybody, we're just about done here for the day, but before we say our farewell, we've got one more performance in store for you devoted circus-goers. Behold!" The ringmaster aimed his finger dramatically toward the ring on his left, of which contained one lone performer. That performer was none other than Raul Fernandez, raring to go with his long-awaited fire techniques. Raul had a passion for his work that far exceeded that of his troupe, and he'd been working on this routine for over a year now. It was time to see if his training had finally paid off.
In one hand he held six torches and in the other a gourd filled with paraffin. Without a word, the audience held its breath as Raul launched his blade from his gauntlet into a miniscule beydish and unleashed Torch Pegasus. Taking his cue, Raul ingested a mouthful of fuel and raised a now empty hand into the air, signaling his bit-beast to take the stage. Torch Pegasus' mane offered the slightest hint of a flame to its master, allowing the blader to unleash a massive fireball from his mouth. He then turned around to the obstacle course behind him and set the structure ablaze. With another quick motion, Raul tossed all six torches into the air and unleashed the last amount of fuel from his mouth, lighting all six in one breath and catching them each between his fingers. The crowd made oohs and ahhs from all ends of the bleaches, and even Enrique found himself gaping at the sight.
Torch Pegasus soon took a knee and allowed Raul to climb aboard, tossing the now flaming torches toward the sky as he did so. His bit-beast pranced about as he got his handling on the blazing objects, now juggling them even as his stallion bit-beast trotted slowly about the ring. The two of them circled around a couple of times before they approached the obstacle course and dashed through it, leaping through rings of fire to bound over top scalding hurdles. They were earning themselves quite an uproar from the crowd in the process. Raul had no control over what his bit-beast was doing, but trusted it to not let him fall. There was no saddle, no stirrups, and certainly no choke on the scorching beast, and so Raul rode about bareback with zero support. Chances of a certain accident were surely a million to one.
But no miscalculations were made as the torches flew up higher and higher into the air, creating a greater spectacle as an assistant tossed more unlit torches to the blader. He quickly breathed fire on those as well, and soon there were at least twenty mallets being juggled about. After reaching the end of the obstacle course, Raul proceeded to catch and extinguish all but the six original torches and quickly stood atop Torch Pegasus, juggling the remaining ones as soon as he'd found his footing. His grin at the audience was priceless as he continued to cycle the flames, not even bothering to look up to ensure his own safety. The entire audience was on its feet, the cheers and flowers being thrown before him and several enthusiastic fans blowing him kisses. Enrique slowly rose to his feet as well, a bitter thought rampaging as he applauded the hard-working Spaniard.
'Hmm, looks like I need to take up a career in the entertainment industry. I guess this isn't the worst way I could be spending my birthday, even though Allegria isn't here...'
The Italian couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of training and dedication that had surely been put into the routine. Raul may've been trumped by his older sister numerous times in the beystadium, but he found little doubt that she could top a performance like that in the ring.
Or could she?
Raul put out the last of the mallets and hopped off Torch Pegasus, recalling his blade and bit-beast to his hand. He caught the assortments of flowers being tossed his way and blew kisses back to his admirers, male and female alike. Enrique took note of his humbleness as he flirted back with his audience, which he did with a slight blush. The shy little blader had certainly done a lot of growing up since last year's world tournament. The blond in the stands gave him a small smile from his seat in the top row. This smile was immediately replied to with a vicious smirk and a swift wink. Enrique had been unsure if it had been for him or not at first, but as the spectators settled down and took their seats, it had been obvious that the expression had indeed been for him.
Oh yes, there was just one more surprise in store for the aristocrat.
Raul strode his way to the ringmaster and snatched the microphone from him, his eyes bright with ardor as he stood off to the side of the center ring. The arena was pitch-black, despite the dozens of lights emanating from the nearby staging areas. There wasn't a thing to be seen by anyone in the audience.
"And now for our real final act," Raul drawled, "We request the assistance of one Enrique Tornatore! Enrique, are you still out there?"
'Do what?'
And so Enrique stood.
And without ever batting an eye, he hopped down from the bleachers and came to Raul's side. The Spanish juggler had been slightly shocked, but it appeared that the older boy understood exactly what the Fernandez siblings were planning when Raul had looked his way earlier. A short hmph came from the partial redhead and he addressed the crowd again. "Well, if it isn't the man of the hour! If you'll just follow me here into the center ring, we can get started."
Raul grabbed Enrique's hand and dragged him into the darkness. The blond could see nothing, but soon the lights over the surrounding rings went out and the ones above the main arena came to life. Enrique and Raul were standing before a beyblading dish, a large red steel one traditional of most standard professional matches. On the opposing side stood Julia, now dressed in her usual red and yellow matador outfit with a look of determination smeared across her face. Raul raised the microphone to his lips and spoke once more.
"Folks, Enrique here is our guest of honor and is the one who paid us to change our travel route and come here to the fine city of Rome, the home of our arts. To pay homage to our roots in the performing arts as well as beyblading, which I know some of you here are fans of, we've decided to include Enrique in a last-minute addition to our line-up. We figured it was the very least we could do for the birthday boy! Julia?"
Raul tossed the microphone across the dish and Julia caught it expertly, never doubting her ability. "Enrique, if you would do me the honor, I challenge you to a beyblade match!"
A good portion of the audience got to their feet and cheered, many of them being fans of not only the Spanish duo, but also of the stunned Italian. Signs were seemingly pulled out of nowhere by the spectators and chants of Blade! and Battle! and Happy Birthday! immediately surfaced, causing Julia's grin to curve into a smirk.
"Well? Do you accept?" The tenacity in Julia's eyes hit Enrique like a bullet, piercing straight through his shattered heart so thoroughly that the pieces Allegria had left began to conform rather than spread further apart. The wound closed around itself and with one steady beat of his pulse, Enrique sprang to life.
"I could never refuse a lady," Enrique replied as he bowed before Julia, bringing the bright flush back to her darker skin.
Raul was already prepared as he took back the microphone and stood behind the beydish, the rest of the performers now standing around the back half as well to witness their peer in action.
"Well everybody? You came for a show, right? What better display of true talent and mastery than a beybattle! Bladers, take your marks!"
Enrique reached behind his back for his blade and launcher, having abandoned his gladiator outfit for the time being. He took his stance and Julia took hers, their eyes never leaving one another for even a second.
"Are you ready? Three! Two! One!"
"LET IT RIP!" The competitors cried out simultaneously.
Their blades hit the dish with an intense amount of force. The rpm rate for both beyblades had to be well above the norm as they circled the bowl, with Julia trailing Enrique by no more than an inch or so. There were no obstacles in this stadium, which meant that neither blader had an advantage. It was a matter of just sixty seconds before the Europeans unleashed their bit-beasts.
"Amphilyon, come forth!"
"Thunder Pegasus!"
The red, duel-headed bit-beast towered over the static stallion above the beydish, but Julia's blade was grinding hard against Enrique's, causing sparks to surface as they clashed. Enrique's blade had been the more attack-heavy of the two, but Julia had a fine blend to hers, a mixture of attack, endurance, and defense. Even still, Julia gauged her strength and fought with caution, not wanting to lose face to her long-time crush. No, she had to win this match, birthday or no birthday.
"Ha, you really think your My Little Pony can stand up to Amphilyon?"
"Oh, so you're that type, huh? No wonder you're here without a girl, too damn cocky for your own good. At least I'm not battling with some wannabe Gyarados!" Julia's blade backed off momentarily before slamming full-throttle into Enrique's. "How about we make this match a little more interesting, hm? A...wager of sorts. If I win, which I undoubtedly will, you have to treat me to dinner at the finest restaurant in Rome."
"And if I win?"
"That's for you to decide, rich-boy."
Enrique pondered thoughtfully as Amphilyon let out a roar that filled the entirety of the tent. "Okay, if I win, then you have no choice but to spend the rest of my birthday with me. Deal?"
'Hmm, guess I win either way then.'
"Deal," Julia stepped back from the dish a bit as her bit-beast began to charge energy, smirking all the while with the knowledge that she had this match in the bag. "Just try to look worthy of my time over there, m'kay?"
Enrique winked at her with all the charm in the world. "I'll do my best, princess."
AN: Okay everybody, I decided to end it here for the time being. Fret not; I'm already working on a follow-up chapter, knowing that I couldn't possibly begin to end this with ideas still fresh in mind. Best to milk it for all it's worth, no? I guess this isn't much as far as a cliffhanger goes, but hopefully all questions will be answered in the next chapter. Toodles!
Oh, and an R/R would be appreciated. If you're going to take time to review it, however, please be sure to add it to your faves as well!
-PD