(A/N) Firstly, thanks to the 2 people who reviewed my first chapter :D

I said to myself that before I upload this chapter I will continue with 'A Different Kind of Love Story', but unfortunately, though I have all other chapters planned out, I've managed to get writers block on the second chapter of it rolls eyes so there's not much progress there…

Thus, I am continuing this story until an idea comes to mind.

Disclaimer- I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters.

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Suddenly it was as though my life had been given a jump-start. The girl I had been before, the girl that the whole nation had seen beside the Bladebreakers, was ready to take on the World. Or, Moscow, at least. But regardless, I was eager and ready. A keyed up girl, anxious with anticipation. The excitement of knowing, after all these years of thinking your life would stay the same, that a massive change is near. I will never forget that feeling.

But more importantly, I was determined. There was a reason my brother had fallen sick and been unable to leave. I was meant to go instead. This was an opportunity that I just had to take. At the time, I still had no idea of the reason, the real reason for my brother's interest in Moscow. I did not know why Tyson had made such a face when I had mentioned the city's name. I didn't know what the letter said. I did not know what Liam would have been doing in Moscow. I did not know what I had saved him from. I still don't know if I really saved him at all.

When I said goodbye to my parents, the strange feeling I got was a mixture of sadness and relief. My mother sobbed bitterly into her handkerchief and my father kept a brave face, as always. Liam had stumbled down the stairs to say goodbye to me. I could tell he was still miffed over his misfortune. But nobody could understand that more than I. Had it been me, I imagine at that age I would have refused point-blank to leave my bedroom.

'Well, I'll see you, Hil.' He looked as though he was going to pull me in for a hug, but then he remembered his condition and pretended he had been stretching.

Ignoring his condition and his reluctance completely, I threw my arms around neck dramatically, with a painfully ironic suggestion that I was never going to see him again. But it was not in the least upsetting. I had a tremendous smile on my face as I broke away from the hug. 'Bye Liam. I'll miss you.'

'Oh, Hilary!' My mother was positively weeping at the thought of losing her little girl. She threw her arms around me as I had just done to my brother, and squeezed me so tightly I thought my head would come off. When she released me, I rolled my eyes, though I was smiling all the same.

'Mom, stop it!' I snapped with impatience, though the smile contradicted my tone. 'It's not as if I'm leaving for ever!'

I chuckle slightly with the memory of what I said to her. Of course, it was true; I did not leave for ever. But my life had a tremendous split down the middle, some three years or so afterwards. It seemed to me that for ever ended there, and another for ever began. In a sense, it feels as though I went back on my word.

I was taken by a cab to the train station. While I sat in the station, the warm sun began to set over Japan. The cool evening would soon become a frozen morning when I would awake to find myself in the heart of Russia. The sky began to turn a beautiful shade of pinky orange, and while I had my book open on my lap, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the beautiful view that surrounded me. It made me think of all the times when we used to sit on the hill-side, or on the beach, when training was over and we had nothing else to do. We thought it was our destiny. We allowed our petty problems to get to us as though we would never be able to fix them. We had it all planned out. I wondered where they all were, now that all was said and done. But I didn't have much time to ponder over this matter, because a loud puff had indicated to me that my train had arrived.

Stepping up into the carriage, I turned back to the gorgeous sun-set. 'Sayonara' I whispered to my home town, before stepping further on-board.

I found an empty compartment and was fortunate enough to remain alone for most of the journey. I threw my luggage on the bunk above my seat, and sat down, removing my coat and making myself feel at home. It was to be a long journey.

As I gazed out of the window at the other passengers on the platform, I noticed a large number of people appeared to be taking extended journeys. For several large families were gathered around some of the doors, while some young children had half their bodies out of the windows, holding on to their mother's hands. Many of these boys looked to be about the same age, and I assumed that it was some sort of school they were being sent off to. I smiled down sadly as a little girl cried against her mother's large coat, watching her big brother depart from his family. Had the circumstances been different, I could have been that girl, watching my brother leave.

As the train began to depart, a brawl outside my compartment caught my attention. I listened in closely, trying to catch what the boys were saying.

'You can't expect to be admitted in with that thing!' I caught one boy say, and several others mumbled in agreement.

'I'll bet it's ten times better than yours!'

'What, now he can't even speak for himself, Nikita?'

'I can speak for myself…'

'It doesn't matter, you're both worthless, and there's no way either of you will get accepted using those pieces of plastic.'

It finally dawned on me what they were talking about. Some poor boy was being taunted by his peers over, unless I was mistaken, a beyblade. I physically shook my head in disbelief before I remembered how seriously people could take the whole sport of beyblading. To my best friends it had meant everything once. After so much time, it was easy to forget that some people saw it as more than simply a game.

I threw the compartment door open to step in and quell the bullying, to find that the group of boys had taken off. I looked up and down but didn't see anybody, so I shrugged and closed the door. It was not my place anyway to get involved, and I was exhausted. The sun had set by now and the deep blue sky was laden with tiny bright stars. There was not a cloud in the sky that night. I pulled a cushion down from the bunk where my bag sat, and rested my head on it, sprawling myself over the long seat, ready to fall asleep.

The first time I woke up, I forgot for a moment where I was. I couldn't see a thing for the lack of light, and fumbled around stupidly until I realised that I was on a moving train. The lights outside the compartments had all been turned off so that the passengers could sleep, so I found myself encased in ebony. Once my eyes had adjusted, I could make out the stars from outside the window, and the faint ripple of water, reflected against the silver moon. I sighed, noticing my breath in the form of condensation. It was then that I realised how cold it was. My body had probably woken me up to alert me of the sudden temperature drop. I reached up to the bunk and pulled down the thin blanket. It was slightly pathetic, but it would have to do. I pulled my coat over me as well and lay down.

I was not aware that I fell asleep, but I must have done, for the next time I opened my eyes, dawn was approaching. A faint orange line formed on the horizon, and everything looked a little lighter. I wondered for a moment what had woken me this time, when I suddenly heard a faint whimpering. As I sat up, it stopped abruptly. I found myself looking into the face of a young man. He might have even been older than me, but I was alarmed to see that he was in tears. He looked petrified at having woken me, but I gave him a kind smile to ease his nerves. He made a hurried attempt to clean himself up, but he continued to sob.

I attempted to help. 'Why are you crying?'

He froze and looked even more astonished, and I guessed that he did not understand the language. I assumed that he must have boarded the train in one of the other countries we had stopped in on the way. Before I could say anything more, he scampered around in a mad panic, picking up all his belongings. I had no time to object, or offer him any words of comfort before he had fled from the compartment entirely. He did not even pause to slide the door closed.

I closed it for him and returned to looking out the window. The sun was rising, but I could sense the temperature was even colder than it had been during the night. I knew that we must have arrived in Russia, and a sense of excitement rushed over me. I beamed out of the window. I was out on my own now. There was nobody here to protect me. I was on a mission, an adventure, for a reason still unknown, to prove myself.

After a while, the snow-covered trees cleared and I could make out the faint trace of civilization in the distance. As the train pulled up nearer, the station came into view in the distance. My eyes grew wide and my mouth involuntarily fell open. I breathed heavily for a few moments, as if it had been years since I had used my lungs. I was suddenly struck with fear. Although I had been waiting on the train all night, I had not expected to arrive just yet. Although I had been preparing for a month, it all seemed to be too soon. With shaky hands, I wrapped myself up in my scarf and put on my warm coat, before reaching for my heavy bag.

As I shuffled on to the platform, I almost gasped out loud at the biting cold. My breath rose up in front of my face, as I tried my best to remember why I was there. Ignoring the urge to jump back on a train going in the opposite direction, I made my way towards the exit. Standing just outside the door, I took a look around. The station was conveniently located near the outskirts of town, so I was able to walk. I could feel my confidence coming back to me, and I gave a small satisfactory smile to myself.

I had arrived.

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(A/N) Hehe, I know, the first few chapters tend to be tedious, but by the end it will get so much better, that's a promise!

I'm hoping to make frequent updates, but in the meantime, please R&R :D