Disclamer: I do not own beyblade or the characters, but I do own the plot.

A/N: This takes place two months after the BEGA tournament. Hope you like the story review and comment. Please be nice, it's my first story published here. :D

It was a seemingly peaceful day for the inhabitants of Bakuten, but nothing was calm for a young red head. He stared at the clear water in the lake, yet his eyes were not looking at the water. To any onlooker he appeared to be at peace, yet nobody could see the inner turmoil he endured. Flashes and images came to him about the last Beyblade tournament. He was not proud of how easily he succumbed to his own inner darkness, and almost killed everyone at the arena, starting with Tyson Granger.

Brooklyn knew that Tyson didn't resent him for his failure but he was sure that everyone else did. He didn't miss the look of horror and fear that people sent his way. A monster, that's what they called him. Yet, Brooklyn couldn't find it in him to resent them. They had every reason to fear him. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever really fit in. He had always been considered a freak, an anomaly.

"There you are Brooklyn my boy," Brooklyn's morbid thoughts were interrupted when he heard the voice of a kind old man, Mr. Dickenson. He looked up to see the plump man that took him in after the whole BEGA fiasco, which had occurred two months ago.

"Mr. Dickenson," Brooklyn acknowledged him. Mr. Dickenson sighed as he took in the young man's appearance. He knew all too well what he was feeling. He had seen that look on Kai, Tyson, and the rest of the Bladebreakers. It was the look they all had when they had lost all hope and had given up trying. But Mr. Dickenson would have none of that.

"Come my boy," he waited for Brooklyn to get up as he walked towards his limo. Brooklyn followed without a word. Mr. Dickenson couldn't help but compare him to the energetic Tyson. Where Tyson would have been shooting millions of questions per minute, Brooklyn quietly stared out the window.

They entered the BBA building and sat in silence. Brooklyn stared at the fish tank that Mr. Dickenson now kept in his office. He serenely watched as the fish swam without a care in the world. He then saw as the fish approached 3 other fish and they all swam together. Somehow he envied the fish, it had friends whereas he had nobody. He was an orphan, and the only people he could really call his friends would be Garland and Mr. Dickenson. However, Garland had left soon after the beyblading tournament to find something he could excel at.

"We have received an invitation to go to a small cookout today at the dojo," Mr. Dickenson started. Brooklyn turned his attention on Dickenson and nodded to indicate that he listened. "We are going so I suggest you get dressed for the occasion. It's a bit humid outside, so I would dress comfortably. Be ready in an hour."

"Yes Mr. Dickenson," Brooklyn's voice sounded so robotic that Mr. Dickenson had to contain a sigh. Maybe a day at the dojo would help out the quiet boy.

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"TYSON!" A loud voice boomed through the entire dojo. Some birds flew away and the occupant in the house froze in fear. A young brunette angrily lifted a table and growled angrily. "Where is he!?" she asked a bespectacled young man as he clutched his precious laptop close to his chest.

"T-there," he stuttered as he pointed at the kitchen. Hilary smirked evilly as she stalked towards the kitchen. Kenny gulped as he noticed her murderous aura.

"Tyson," said young man froze in terror when he saw the angry glint in Hilary's eyes. "What happened to the refreshments for today's cookout?"

"Uh," Tyson sweat dropped as he looked for a plausible excuse. He could always play dumb and pretend that he had no idea what she was talking about. That wouldn't work, Hilary knew him well. "Daichi helped," he said lamely as he pointed at the young red head that was gobbling down a large bowl of ramen.

Daichi chocked on his food as he angrily glared at Tyson. It was true that he helped, but it had all been Tyson's idea. Last night they had a contest to see who would drink the most cups of lemonade, and let's just say the competition was pretty intense.

"I need you both to go to the store…now," both of them nodded. Happy to have an excuse to escape the deranged teenager in front of them.

Once they were gone Hilary sighed and sat on the dojo floor. Minutes passed, yet without the constant bickering between Tyson and Daichi, the dojo was very quiet. Normally she would have embraced the silence, yet with Max, Ray…and Kai gone, everything felt wrong. Hilary felt lonely and abandoned. Yes, she had expected they would leave sooner or later, but it didn't make it any easier to be without them. Kai hadn't even said goodbye to her and that stung.

Perhaps, he never really reciprocated her feelings, yet she had always hoped. Now, there was concrete evidence that he didn't even consider her a friend. He said his goodbyes to everyone except to her. She should have known he only saw her as a nuisance.

"What's got you so gloomy home girl?" Hilary jumped as she turned to look at Grandpa Granger. He wasn't smiling and his expression held genuine worry. Hilary shook her head in hopes of shaking away her depressing thoughts.

"Just missing the guys' grandpa," Hilary answered. It wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Hilary lived at the dojo now since her parents were always away on business trips.

Grandpa Granger didn't feel right to leave such a beautiful young lady alone without any protection. They had plenty of room at the dojo, so he offered her to live with them, and she eagerly accepted. She did the cooking and most of the cleaning in the house, and was currently looking for a job.

"You should get ready for the cookout. I will finish taking everything outside." Before she could argue, he left. Hilary smiled sadly and went upstairs to get ready. The dojo had been expanded after the tournament, and now had a second floor.

Hilary picked up a yellow sundress and smiled sadly. Last time they had a cookout was with the entire team the day before they left. They had all been so happy and had cherished their last moment together. They all knew it would be years before they saw each other again, but that night they all forgot about that fact. They ate, joked and laughed together, but now they were gone.

Hilary smiled sadly as she brushed away a few tears. Today there would only be one half of the Bladebreakers attending the cookout.

She forced a smile on her face, she was supposed to be the strength of the group and she intended to keep it that way. She would maintain her composure for the sake of Tyson, Daichi and Kenny.