Author's Note: Alright, this is the 2nd installment in my 2nd story. It is a spin off from the first. I hope you like it…and we're just some more chapters away from finding out what really is 'teenage heartbreak'…till then, enjoy!

We Were Once Bladebreakers

Kai stood rooted to the spot – staring hard at the place Tyson and Hilary shared their little affection. His eyes were burning like a pair of coals and he looked so murderous. He knew he had to get away, runaway, walk away from this…this nightmare. Now. Now.

Maybe if he left the country, he'd never have to come face to face with Hilary again. Would never have to grudge Tyson for taking even the love he had away from him. Yes. He'd leave…. He jumped down from the tree and melted into the night….

One month ago. The fatal day Katherine and Hiro planned to runaway together. Family was seated at dinner. Nathan, a rather handsome young fellow, was there with them. Anyone would have seen that Katherine was in love with him, but was against marrying him. Behind him stood two thugs – one of them was Nigel.

"Hiro – I want you to meet my would-be son-in-law, Nathan" smiled Katherine's dad "He and my Katie were betrothed last week. The wedding's scheduled for day after next."

Hiro smiled and greeted Nathan civilly. Nigel watched him from close quarters.

"So, Hiro what do you do?" asked Nathan.

"Well, I'm a blading coach. And I work for the BBA Revolutions" said Hiro

"Does that pay much?" asked Nathan pointedly "I work in an export company and don't have enough to till the land!"

"Rubbish" scoffed Katherine, in spite of herself and then went deep crimson.

"Well, I'm not too bothered about the fee" smiled Hiro, but with a hint of coldness in his voice "It's just that I love this work."

"Hm" said Nathan "We should battle sometime"

"Can you blade?" asked Hiro

"Oh, Nathan's a wonderful blader" protested Katherine, earnestly

Hiro looked at this girl mystified. She said that she loved him, but it was clear she adored Nathan.

"Hiro, wake up" cried Tyson's voice from faraway. There was an almighty crash, and Hiro crumpled into a heap on the floor.

"Tyson – what did you do that for?" asked his brother, angrily.

"It's 10 o'clock….do you realize how much you have overslept?" he asked.

"Yea…who cares?"

"That's just like you, Hiro" said Tyson, in disgust "Kai gone, Coach gone off sleep, Chief too busy, no bonding time with Dragoon and Hil-"

He caught himself right in time. He was about to blurt out the fact he did indeed love Hilary a lot but never realized it. But now he found having a girlfriend to be a really tough thing for him.

Hiro watched his brother, slight smile playing at his lips... Tyson recognizing the look went out of the room, making excuses about having forgotten to have a spot of breakfast.

Tyson's losing it, thought Hiro, I wonder if I influenced him somehow!

Out of Hiro's sight, Tyson lay on his back in the garden. It was really stupid and cruel, he felt, he could no longer confide in his friends all that he felt. He was so sure that even two weeks back they would have understood his problems and sympathized with him…but now all of them were so wrapped in their own worlds, that they hardly hung around after their training was over! Only if Grandpa made them stay for the food, did they stay. Tyson felt they had drifted away after he and Hilary came together.

Had this been a day from the past, by now Max, Ray, Kenny, Kai would have all been here…

Kai: why did he have to leave again? Tyson thought bitterly, staring into nothingness.

Max had woken up early that day. For some reason he didn't feel like getting ready to go Tyson's house for practice that day. He sat next to the window, and gazed at the beautiful sun shining outside…it was a heavenly day.

Max let out a deep breath. "Lucky Tyson" he murmured.

Max had been feeling really left out of things ever since Hilary and Tyson realized they belonged together. Sure Hilary spoke to him, but not a word about him. All she cared to discuss with Max was the supposed love triangle she was caught up in. All Tyson cared to talk about with Max nowadays was the latest form of Beyblade Championships.

Well, Ray's still there, Max thought reasonably, but lately he's feeling all changed! And me, I should have stayed on with PPB All Stars. Why did I come back? Kenny's too bothered about the Draciel-Jules-James or whatever bit-beast those are…connections! And even Hiro. He says that it's nothing to do with his failed wedding but I think that he never quite got over it!

Max's mood began to fail as he brooded over the changed nature of his friends. He knew he'd have to smile and laugh and fake it all the time just to blend in. no one would ever believe that good-natured Maxi could ever have a bad time! He felt something desperately missing from his life…but he couldn't exactly put his finger on the spot.

He got up and dressed half-heartedly for practice.

Ray, on the other hand had a new worry. A letter had come all the way from China. It was from his old team, White Tigers.

The letter was in particular from Mariah.

Dearest Ray, she wrote

I am sorry if this letter is bothering you. I know you have a lot on your mind. But I must ask you one last time if what you did is what you really want? It seems strange here without you….after spending most the last year with you…it seems cold and empty here. I wish you would come back. But I know I can never influence your decisions.

I hope to see you soon sometime. Maybe in the Beyblade Championships – if we come face to face for battle. Or maybe never. Whatever is the case, I hope you come and we can meet one last time. There is something you must know. I can't put that in writing. Flash a message with your Drigger and then…when the right time comes. You will know.

Yours truly,

Mariah.

Ray crushed the letter in his right hand. His eyes were glassy and he stared ahead. He had feared for this moment most of his life. He knew he was deceiving only himself…he knew exactly what Mariah wanted to say to him. He too wanted to tell her the same thing, but still…it seemed too soon to him.

"I wish I could talk stuff out with the guys" thought Ray, miserably "But all of them are too wrapped in their own affairs to spare time for me…god, what am I gonna do now?"

The female member of the Blade breakers team too wasn't in any hurry to get to training session early that day. She walked at a leisurely pace…thinking about herself, Kai, Tyson, Jules, the team, herself, Hiro, Eric, the strange connection, and herself again. Hilary could never get over concentrating solely on herself. She was not well at all. She had hoped confessions would have sorted out everything. But as Kai, had left (she figured because of her) she was burdened with this overwhelming feeling of guilt. She knew she could confide this thought to anyone. Not even the team's best friend: Max. She could almost see those blue eyes looking at her widened either in horror or narrowed into slits to show her exactly how much he disapproved of the entire thing.

'I wish everything would go back to being normal again' she thought 'Back when we all were blade breakers!'

But no one can control time. She'd have to go through this entire phase when the guys would slowly drift apart and then come back together (hopefully) sometime soon. She knew she was losing them – the only way to hold onto them was by a thread. And that would snap any day. It already had with Kai. Max, Kenny, Ray and Daichi…well, she didn't think the friendship could survive anything as colossal as a break-up between herself and Tyson. She would probably be ostracized from the team. She was stuck as Tyson's beau forever. What if something happened and they were forced to part ways? Her link-less thoughts and fancies made her rather unhappy. In a way, the blade breakers were losing one another. But that was their own fault. None of them actually knew what to say and how to break the ice.

Max wasn't the only one who was forced to do play acting. Hilary, Tyson and Ray were already in the club. Hiro seemed to be their head.

"Hilary?"

Hilary turned and saw Ray hurrying up behind her. She stopped to let him catch up with her.

"Hey, going to Tyson's house?" asked Ray, trying to start up a conversation with her.

"Yeah" said the girl "its practice day remember?"

Ray nodded.

"I was going there. We'll go together."

"We already are" pointed out Hilary.

They had started walking towards Tyson's dojo as soon as Ray had caught up with her. Ray was lost again. He didn't know what to talk about with Hilary. A few days back both would have chatted all the way to the dojo and not finish even when they reached the place. Now they seemed to run of the topic even before they had started.

"Oh hey, did you guys find out some more about that bit-beast mystery?" asked Ray, his mind landing on this topic as he tried to grasp a topic to talk about.

"Not yet. Eric said there are two more: Janise and Jasper. He's got Jupiter and I got Juliet. If we find the two missing pieces, we're supposed created the awesome force ever. Max's bit-beast is our controller. Something goes wrong with his beast – we're all doomed" said Hilary, glad she could talk about something.

"Didn't Kenny come up with any extra info?" asked Ray, concerned and glad he could take his mind off Mariah's letter.

"No go" said Hilary, gloomily "But we've been trying really hard. I really need a lap top!"

"You go, girl" smiled Ray, his mind wandered back to the letter from home. He found it impossible to concentrate on anything for long.

"Hilary, do you mind me asking you: is it very had to be a blader and a lover at the same time?" he blurted out suddenly.

They were quite near the dojo now. Round the corner, their destination would be reached. Hilary stopped walking abruptly.

"Yes and no" she replied, her eyes were alit with a fire of quite sadness "It's not difficult at all…but yes, stuff gets complicated….it's annoying. But hey, I still have a lot to learn. Even from you!"

Ray knew instinctively that Hilary had guessed about him and Mariah. How do girls do that? He wondered to himself. Somehow her words gave him the impetuous he needed to tell Mariah the truth. Resolving to himself, that he'd flash a message to Mariah the moment he got alone-time he walked into Tyson's house feeling extremely cheerful.

When the finally arrived in Tyson's dojo, Hilary and Ray found the rest of the team already there, waiting for them. Hilary sat down beside Tyson. They didn't exchange any fond and foolish greetings. However, Tyson shifted slightly so that his hand rested on Hilary's. She looked at him straight in the eye. His eyes seemed really bright. It assured Hilary there wouldn't be any break-up melodrama today at least.

Hilary noticed for the first time today that even her Maxi seemed upset by something. All of them felt the coldness and fakeness their talk contained. But none knew how to get the better of the situation.

"So Kenny" said Daichi, the only one clearly unaffected by the new changes "Who have you lined up in battle for today?"

"Well, since we're temporarily one-member short, I'd had to make some changes in the plan. Tyson and Ray go first in their battle. Followed by Max and Hilary, then it's gonna be Daichi and me."

The entire team groaned loudly. Hiro wasn't with them. As the others watched Tyson and Ray prepared to battle, he came out of the dojo.

"Hey guys…come inside and check out the news" he called "It's Mr. Dickenson on air again!"

Hiro had to by-step the mad crowd which rushed inside. He dimly registered his brother calling over his shoulder out to him. Once his duty had been done, Hiro stood transfixed in one place. He had just remembered from the word 'news' the news of Katherine's apparent missing story….

Right after they had run away.

Katherine's cell phone would go on and off every single day. She refused to tell Hiro who still kept in touch with her. They found out from the local newspapers that Katherine Hudson has been reported missing by her father, an Australian billionaire. But still the pair of them under various disguises managed to sneak into Japan…Hiro couldn't fathom whether she liked Nigel or Nathan.

But she claimed she loves me! He convinced himself…

Then the truth hit him like a bullet.

Katherine had never been in love with anyone in all her life. She never loved Hiro, they way she had Nathan. But Nathan seemed cold hearted to her and didn't give a damn about her.

I'd rather be with someone who loves me, she had said. So she chose Hiro and even agreed to marry him.

But then came along Nigel – the hunk of a security guy. He was rich alright and he was an Australian. The risk of her being disowned by the family was minimum now. And the guy did have a decent income. Katherine never showed any interest in blading…unless you count the time she claimed Nathan was a brilliant blader.

'Whatever' thought Hiro 'Now I know why she left me. Not because I'm incompetent but because she wanted to stay near home. Fair enough. Next time I snog a girl, I'll ask her if she's got anything against Japanese men!'

He laughed at his own thought and went inside the dojo.

The guys were all staring at the television as though it had just announced the world would come to an end in 24 hours.

"What's up with you all?" asked Hiro, sensing some sort of trouble.

"Hiro, they've changed the format" said Tyson, hearing himself talking after the shock.

"So? We knew it would change" Hiro tried to calm them.

"Well, they've given up the tag-team format" said Hilary, in a mild voice. She couldn't tell if she ought to be happy about this or sad.

"So, what happens this time?"

Ray answered him, "The final chosen teams are made to battle altogether in the blade dish…showdown's gonna be between the final four who can stay there till the end."

"And this means…"said Daichi, slowly.

"This means there will be no such team as Blade breakers, White Tigers, PPB All Stars, etc in the International Championships level" concluded Kenny "It'll be totally individual effort…"

The silence which descended amongst the Blade breakers team was eerie….it made the hair on one's head stand on its end….

Author's Note: Okay, there it is. Next chapter's gonna be more interesting hopefully. I can give you a few spoilers if you want. Just mail me or write it in your reviews. I'm eagerly awaiting for your feedback…until next time, Misty Elizabeth.