Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade. However, my original characters and the plot line belong to me.
Family Ties
Chapter Three
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Hilary leaned over to Kenny, shoving a small folded paper in his direction. He quickly glanced in the teacher's direction, and seeing that she was distracted by something, he unfolded it.
k- Ty's blade was off center yesterday. need fixing?
She watched him scrawl a sentence involving an 'of course,' and an 'upgrade.' He slid it to the front of his table and Hilary stealthily snuck an arm back to grab the piece of paper. Satisfied, she wrote another response about if any of the others needed anything looked at.
'You know, mistress, you should pay attention, it's not good to wander off in the midst of class.'
'I've been through this one before. I know, I've done this stuff a million times over, and I got it on the last try, last year. Remember? This whole quadratic formula thing is bogus, but I know it, so I'm fine zoning out over here in the corner.'
'Say that now, and when you miss that question on the exam I will surely laugh.'
'I will surely laugh at you because there is no exam on this math course.'
'Fine, Xi, don't come crying to me if you need help.'
'That's why I have the Chief, a.k.a. the young genius prodegy. I'll take my chances.' Xia looked back up at the blackboard, and the numerous numbers and letters that accompanied it. 'Ugh. I don't like this at all.'
'So I've noticed.'
'Quiet, you. Aren't you the one who says that I should be paying attention?'
'You wouldn't even if I wasn't here to keep you company, now would you?'
'Touché.'
"Miss Tate, why don't you come and do this next problem up on the board," The teacher said, with a small look in the girl's direction. She nodded, trudging foreward.
'Now remember, x equals negative b, plus or minus the square root, of b squared minus four ac, all over two a.'
'Way to get that incredibly horrendous song stuck in my head.'
'Of course, Xi. I'll sing 'Pop Goes The Weasel' anytime.'
'Brat.'
She scribbled in her bubbly cursive, a bit of math. Then, taking the calculator left up there by the last student, she worked out the problem's steps on the small screen. "There."
"Good job, Miss Tate. You may return to your seat now." Once she was seated, she received a nod of approval from Kenny, who was shocked. Not many of his friends could grasp this stuff in their heads.
Leaning over, she must've read Kenny's mind. "I've done this stuff for the past three years in Saint Joe's," she whispered. "That's the only reason why I get it."
Kenny smiled triumphantly, still asuming his rank as the smartest one of them.
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The gang tromped through the park, stopping somewhere close to the center, but an area still visible from the road. They assumed battle stances, all five centered around a strategically placed beydish. The three non-bladers stood nearby, one holding his computer, and the other two looking on.
"Three... two... one... Let it rip!"
Five beyblades hit the dish with a speed barely comprehened by the spectators. They collided together in a flurry of sparks as Kai began to put them through their paces, between crazy intricate patterns and flips, leading to a battle combination that was pure insanity.
Xi watched with a deep sense of concentration. Max would turn and look at her every once and a while, sending her a confident smile and a quick victory sign. She smiled back before turning her attention toward the Chief's stats and taking her own assessments into account.
It was about an hour later when Kai broke the group's togetherness for a five mile run, and for Tyson, who had drank his last Monster energy drink, eight mile run. Xi trotted over to the boy and offered some company. "I'll run with you," she said, calmly.
"Are you sure? It's a long way," Hilary reminded. "Three miles more than anyone else."
Xi shrugged, running up, launching into a cartwheel, followed by a few handsprings. "I'm pretty athletic, I don't mind. I run with Maxy a lot.
"Please," Tyson said. "Company is appreciated."
She smiled, her red pants making swooshing noises as she passed by, but causing the group to catch a glimmer of the yellow gold pin stripe on side. "Come on, let's go, slowpoke!"
"Yeah yeah. This is going to kill, I can feel the burn already."
Xi stopped a few lengths in front of him. "Come on, if you don't stop, I'll buy you a sub later."
Tyson jumped up, cheering. "You're on sister!"
"Catch me if you can!" She said, with a smirk, taking off at a sprint.
"You're cheating!"
Kai smirked. "She's still beating you. And how does she know if you've stopped or not if you're behind her?"
"She doesn't," Tyson said, the gears grinding in his head not comprehending.
"You dolt," Hilary said, "If she can't see you, she doesn't know if you stopped or not, so no sub for you."
"Oh." His expression changed. "OH! Gotta go guys!"
The group, including Kai for a change, laughed. Max watched until the duo disappeared from their sight. "She's fitting in alright," He said casually.
Hilary nodded. "She's great, Max, absolutely wonderful."
"She's good at the stats, she catches stuff faster than I do."
Kai hummed thoughtfully. Ray looked at him. "Dude, something on your mind?"
"She's alright, Maxy, but for someone who doesn't beyblade, she knows quite a bit about blading. It's a bit too much for someone who doesn't, if you know what I mean."
Max nodded. "I know, Kai, I know. She said she used to blade. My Mom knows, at least that's what she says. And she said that it was fine. She's not a threat to us unless you feel threatened by another female entity."
"And you had damn well better not," Hilary said, with a threatening shake of her fist that caused Daichi and Kenny to back away, "Because this female entity will kick your asses."
After scaring the group into submission, she couldn't help but laugh. It was rather funny, and even Ray joined in, with Max, knowing that neither of them were threatened by that statement. Kai knew when to shrug things off, and that left Daichi, Kenny, and Tyson, all of whom had something coming to them by Hilary one day. Kai had taken off as they laughed, announcing that he was finished with them for the day with nothing but curt body language.
Moments later, they stopped laughing, only to be surprised.
"So," A sneering voice pressed, from out of seemingly nowhere, "Which one of you is Max?"
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"Come on, only three more miles," Xi said, falling into step with Tyson, who lagged just a few feet behind her. "Think of the sub, think of the-" The sound of clashing beyblades alerted her senses and she looked at Tyson, stopping.
"Oh no, I'm not stopping, I want my sub."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't you hear that? It's definitely the sound of beyblades. Someone's fighting."
He stopped, listening. He nodded, pressing a finger to his lips as they headed into the forest that was the shortcut off the trail they ran on, back to their starting point. "Yeah, it sounds like it's coming from the direction we came from."
"Well now, I thought you'd be better than this, Maxy, where's the flare? Or are you too weak to overcome?"
A growl from Tyson's left indicated Xi's position. "Don't worry, the guys will help him out," Tyson reassured.
"I know that voice," she whispered faintly. Tyson either hadn't heard, or wasn't listening to her enough to register it.
They jetted back toward their training ground, going as fast as possible while avoiding numerous natural road blocks. Tyson noted that Xi's face radiated pure determination and just a hint of concern. Personally, to him the girl was just fine, it could go either way. She made no real distinction to the group, but she seemed to enjoy being included, just like Hilary, though she was a bit more self-motivated. Hilary was only self-motivated when someone told her that she couldn't.
When they broke through the final edge of the brush, the sight before them was a bit shocking. Pieces of Max's beyblade lay strewn throughout the dish, while his opponent's was fully in-tact, as if it hadn't been attacked.
"Max? You okay?"
The blonde blinked and looked at his sister and Tyson. "When did you get here?"
She sensed the way he was off, and bit her lip. Tyson spoke. "We just got here, man, stay focused on the battle."
"I'm trying."
Kenny looked flustered, his face pale except for the slightest of pink tinges. A trickle of sweat ran down his face. "Uh, that may not be good enough. This guy hasn't called out his bit beast."
The boy with the sneer laughed satanically. "Bit beast, no bit beast, it doesn't matter. What does is that your friend Maxy is just," Their beyblades collided, "about," he recoiled and struck again, causing Max to cry out, "finished."
To prove his point, he knocked the green beyblade out of the dish, sending the user careening back into the dirt, both blader and beast knocked out.
Tyson picked up Max, holding him in his arms, concern expressed on his face. A dark rage was present on Ray's face. "Was that necessary?" The tiger asked, his arms crossed.
"Very," The boy said, his eyes flickering at Xi, whose face was twisted in both horror and anger. "He is weak, and he has no idea how to control the power he has. There are others who deserve that power." The boy recalled his beyblade, the orange top spinning gracefully back to his hand. "That leaves one other thing to take care of."
He loaded his orange beyblade back into the launcher, slid in the rip cord and held it out in front of him, in a launching position. The group looked like a deer in headlights, all except one. One who stood next to Ray, and as he pulled the rip cord, she knocked Kai to the ground, stealing his launcher and charging ahead.
"Hey!" Ray yelled, more shock than anger apparent.
She looked back at him, shut her eyes and whispered an apology before locking in the rip cord and launching her beyblade, no thoughts of hesitation present, despite her apology. As the rip cord left the launcher and the blade was set free, a shock wave sent everyone who was still standing off their feet.
"Holy shit," Ray said, staring at her.
The boy who had just launched laughed. "I was hoping you'd do that."
"Go get Kai," She said desperately, looking back to him with fear in her eyes. Ray took off.
"What're you doing here, Ashton?"
Gasps sounded from behind her. "You know him?" Hilary asked.
Xi said nothing.
"Afraid to tell them?"
"I chose not to," she said defiantly.
He laughed. "You were afraid."
"So were you," she responded, her blade colliding effectively with his, only to result in pieces of hers to be scattered around the dish like Max's. "What changed that?"
"Power."
"Power is nothing."
"Still believe in the power of the underdog?"
She shrugged, and Ashton's blade came after hers. Hers flipped behind his, only to get caught and sent skidding. Her mind was pulsing a mile a minute, fear present, but being overwhelmed by the blader half of her, who would show no fear. "I believe I'll beat you, if that's what you mean."
"Well, when I beat you, I'll be taking your bit beast."
Murmurs behind her indicated that they hadn't known that she harbored the power of a sacred spirit. She smirked. "I highly doubt that."
"You would. Gorsaw, attack!"
Kenny stared at the stats displayed on the computer. "She's doing pretty well, guys. Rather well for someone who hasn't bladed in years."
Tyson snorted. "Yeah, I don't think that's the truth."
Ashton laughed again. "No, don't worry, that's the truth. She's not a liar. She doesn't say everything, but she doesn't lie when she says what she does."
"Be quiet."
"What? Afraid that your secrets might spill out?"
"Oh, that's to be expected," she said, a confident streak rushing to meet her opponent's. "I'm just saying that you should shut up and fight me so we can finish this. If you haven't noticed, my brother's going to need a doctor."
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Ray sped toward the dojo as fast as his feet would take him. He opened the shoji and nearly took out Kai, who had just taken off his shoes.
"What's going on?" The captain asked, fully aware of the boy he had just side-stepped.
"Max," the Chinese boy panted. "Someone took him out."
"Is Tyson-"
Ray shook his head, cutting him off. "Xi. She stepped in, and the first thing she did was tell me to get her. Stole my launcher then nearly knocked me off my feet with this launch. Kai, there's something wrong with this. Very wrong."
Kai hesitated not in getting his shoes back on. "What are we waiting for, Kon? Let's go."
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The two beyblades collided, and above her, loomed a spiked tyranosaurus-looking creature, who roared and slammed along with the orange beyblade into her own. She grunted and pushed them off.
"Call out your bit beast!" Hilary called.
Tyson nodded. "Just do it."
"I can't," she called. "Not yet."
Her mind was still racing, her heart was in her throat, and she knew she was probably shaking just a little. 'I don't want to hurt you,' The creature in her bit said, 'if you call upon me, I don't know what will happen.'
'If we-'
'We still have to do something.'
'We need to make up our minds, now.'
Her blade took another hit, and a silver glow engulfed it, sending Ashton's blade away.
'We can't beat him without you calling on me. But then you-'
'I know. They enhanced his Gorsaw, for sure.'
'Don't let me force you. If you want to, let's do it, if not, Kai will be here soon. It's up to you.'
'I trust you.'
'I hope I don't let you down.'
'You won't.'
Her head was bowed, her almost blonde hair shielding her eyes. Without warning, her body straightened, her head lifted high, so that proud aqua eyes were facing his own golden ones. "You've got one chance," she said evenly.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
He smiled triumphantly. "There's the Xia I know."
"That's not the Xia you should want to see," she growled. "You've obviously changed."
She heard footsteps behind her, and was immediately aware that Kai was there, with Ray. "What the hell is going on?" He roared, obviously angered.
"Xia stepped in," Tyson said. "This freak show took out Max."
"She knows him," Hilary said fearfully, pointing at Xi.
Kai growled defensively. "Explain."
"Slightly busy here," she said, her voice strained. "I kind of have my own issues to deal with here, in case you've been in a coma for the past few minutes."
"That's right. I only took out her pathetic brother," Ashton smiled, "So that she'd come out to play."
All eyes turned to Xi. "I don't want to hurt you," She said to Ashton. "Don't do this."
"And why not?" His beyblade charged into hers, sending it back. She bit her lip, chewing on it a little before sobering up.
"Because, in case you haven't noticed, I'll beat the shit out of you."
"You don't have much of a beyblade to beat the shit out of me with."
She toyed with a smirk. "Since when has that mattered, Ashton? It hasn't at any time that I've remembered."
"Only an underdog would say that."
"Call me what you will." She allowed him to keep his beyblade pressed against hers, but not for long. Within seconds, the spectators and competitors alike heard a sound the equivalent to a gear activating in one of the blades.
Kenny jumped up in surprise. "It sounds like the mag cores you guys used to have!" A feminine outburst of just a small laughter proved him wrong.
"Not quite, but you've got the general idea." The beyblade opposing her had been sent back, and a piercing roar was heard opposite her, from both beast and blader.
It had caught him rather offguard, that was for sure. Her eyes met his, and she noted that any trace of emotion in them was gone. She tipped her head over her shoulder, and gave them a meaningful glance. "You need to get him out of here. Hell, you all need to get out of here. Things could get bad. I really just ticked him off."
She knew they wouldn't listen, but at least they were warned. Ashton glared at her, his eyes void, but his voice dark and hazed, like the beast from within was speaking. "You think you're going to beat me, do you?"
"Yes."
"Then take a bite out of this!"
Without a second's hesitation, his bitbeast seemed to double in size, the brown and orange dinosaur towering like a skyscraper over her head. Clouds had begun to form overhead, and she swore that the sun was about to be blocked out. She felt familiar power began to churn inside her, the adrenaline in her veins being doubled and tripled. This was new, they'd never done this to a bit beast before.
"What the hell is going on here?" Ray asked, his temper awakened. It took a lot to rile the tiger, but she figured all this was definitely the equivalent of rattling his cage. "Whose side are you on?"
"Yours," she answered strongly, as another wave of attacks via beyblade came at her. She noted the dinosaur's movements as well, not liking where things were headed. "And I don't like this either, trust me."
"You know what I'm going to do?" Ashton asked her, his voice smoother now. "I'm going to beat you, take your bit beast, then carve your brother and his little friends into tiny little pieces. With my blade."
She growled, her anger there. "You, will not, touch, any of them."
"Is that so?" He asked arrogantly. "I don't believe that, when you're teetering on the brink of defeat."
"I'm not down, or out," She retorted viciously.
"Gorsaw, Direct Assault!"
The dinosaur came directly at her, head first. She closed her eyes, knowing full well that the time had come. When they opened, they were hard, but full of silent passion, calm, waiting, and compassion. "I am sorry for you, my old friend, but times have changed. Eden!"
The single tear that spilt had no idea what would be left in its wake.
"Oh man."
Tyson had that one right, as silver light rose up far beyond their viewing capabilities. It widened, engulfing the creature that was to rise from her bit. It's head was turned as it rose, viewing the people behind her with molten metal eyes that had no distinct pupils. It's form was marked by a white light that stood out brighter than the steely silver that rose to the sky's limit. The piercing form, complete with glowing mane and crown, jumped from all fours at a sprint, charging directly through the dinosaur, who was anything but defeated. It roard and clawed at her, but a pulsing shock wave ripped through the area, with a vengeance. Following that was a vicious wind, an attack similar to Bryan's stroblitz. However this one was viewable, as it descended upon the blader.
A gasp from behind her told her that the group was absolutely shocked. She couldn't go back now, though. Once the beast was released, it had to finish what it started. "I won't back down," Ashton said, his eyes demonstrating how mad he truly was. "Gorsaw, we have to win this!"
"You're afraid, aren't you?" She asked, her voice venomous. "You're afraid that I will do just what you said you would do to me."
Tyson gasped. "Y-you wouldn't-"
"No, I wouldn't," She responded carefully. "But I may not have a choice."
Ray beared his fangs. "Then that would mean you would!"
"No. That would mean- well, you'll understand shortly." Her eyes flickered for a moment before she felt more adrenaline leak into her system. She knew the second attack would start shortly. So far, so good. But she wasn't bloodied up yet, which meant she wasn't finished with him.
'You realize that things will quickly become out of control, don't you?'
'My friend, I've been bound to you for far too long to not comprehend that this day would come, and this day would be a hell of a lot more destructive and bloody than it is right now.'
'I may be able to harness the destruction.'
'How will that help?'
'I can take us to a different dimmension. But there is a price-'
'If it's to me, we'll take it.'
'I won't be able to control who gets attacked!'
'You couldn't control that in this world, in another, I'm sure I'll manage. Like I said, if it's to me, we'll take it. It's better than blowing this place sky high.'
'People can see this light, they will come to it.'
'And it will do them no good.'
Xi sighed and drew up a hand, her middle and index fingers pointed upward, the rest of her fingers held into her palm with her thumb. She used her other hand to brush tresses of her golden brunette hair behind her ears. Her eyes were closed, her mind numb in concentration on a few principles.
First: the blades. She could hear them spinning, and she could sense Gorsaw's impending attack.
Second: her opponent. He was completely out of his mind at this point, laughing to himself and reassuring himself that he possessed the strongest bit beast.
Third: the people behind her. Her brother; his friends. Those were the ones whom they had to protect. From both sides.
"I call upon the eternal mirror!"
Ashton growled. "I don't think so. Attack, Gorsaw, Sickle Undrum!" The beast charged at the light, whose shape was in that of the four-legged beast of Xia's beyblade. She let it hit it's mark, the piercing light causing her beast to let out a shrill, but majestic roar.
"If you prolong my inevitable attack, it will only get stronger. Watch it." Her eyes were still shut, her concentration not wavering, but remaining fixed on her goal. When the time came, her well being would be left by the wayside. Right about...
"Attack her pathetic friends!"
Now.
"Eden," she called, and the creature sprung into action, tendrils of golden white and silvery light surrounding them all, taking them into another dimension. She spoke to Ashton, whose attack on her friends had been thoroughly interrupted. "Just so you know," She said placidly, "I never planned on attacking you there. Here it will destroy much less than it would've had I destroyed you two minutes ago."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Daichi asked.
"We aren't in the regular dimension," Kai said, a bit surprised. "Where did you take us?"
She wouldn't answer him, instead, she let the dimension take shape, it looked just like where they had been. "To let you see what would happen, this is just like the place we have left." She paused, her right hand still up in front of her face. Without warning, tendrils of light came toward her, and she opened her eyes. They were a bright aqua, filled to the brim with emotion. "Heaven's Mirror!" The ground shook, and from behind Ashton arose a huge mirror, five times their height, with golden trim. Ashton turned around and gasped, staring at it. In it, the group behind Xia saw nothing but black pulsing energy for his reflection. For their own, they saw light, in the color of their bit beasts. However, Xia saw different. She saw the true light in all of them. Their souls.
"You're going to look into my soul?"
"I don't need to use the mirror to do that," she said sarcastically. "You're about as readable as a book."
"Puh-lease," He said, annoyance present. "She's as worthless as those losers behind her. Gorsaw, destroy her."
Xi looked at him, her eyes now deadly serious. "Don't piss me off."
"Let's see what you've got."
She closed her eyes, squeezed them together, and tried hard to focus. But the focus was gone. She had concentrated so hard that now it didn't work. The familiar sensation of anger ran through her as well as the steady flow of adrenaline. She felt her position, she felt the elements around her. And she felt the numbing sensation all over that signaled that she was about to lose complete control of Eden as she called her attack. But it was worth it. She'd stop him.
"Eden!" Her right hand moved like a dagger, rising up higher above her, her other hand locking over her thumb, pinkie, and ring finger. The creature behind her moved like a flash to her side, looking to her, carefully examining her. Xia nodded and received one in reply.
"Gorsaw!"
She said nothing as the beast charged toward her. It knocked Eden back, so she lay sprawled out near her partner. The simplest explanation for what occured next would be best understood by watching one of Kai's beybattles. Light began to seem almost unbearable as the mirror behind him cracked from the bottom up. Fragments of glass were caught in mid air about a foot behind Ashton as though time had stopped.
"What the hell?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Kenny responded to Kai.
"It's like watching you battle," Hilary said to the stoic Russian.
"Hn."
"Alright, let's go Eden!" Her eyes were still shut, and when she opened them, the fragments parted, the mirror behind it still completely in tact as if another sheet of metallic glass had been placed there upon the previous one's destruction. Instantaneously, the gang could see her reflections, of themselves, their bodies, as opposed to the light they had seen before.
Her eyes opened.
She heard them gasp, looked up and knew it to be so. Her eyes had whited out to the bright light that her bit beast emitted, however, it's eyes were of complete molten metal, it's bright shine completed by the light surrounding them. "W-what's going o-on?" Ashton asked, slightly frightened.
"You have hurt my brother and for that," Xia said, "You shall pay."
Her voice had a serious edge that frightened them. She was vicious, her decapitated beyblade beginning to spin as though it were new. Another wind ripped through the dimension, a frigid one that caused them to shudder.
"I hardly think you stand a chance, bit beast or not."
Her glowing eyes blinked not as she moved her hands so that her two skyward fingers had been rotated ninety degrees, so they now faced her opponent. Not before so, however, did a streak of lightning come down from the sky. She could feel their fear, and it was for that reason that she lingered no more. Her attack was swift, but it seemed to last forever. A cyclone of wind and light covered their playing field, steam rose like a foggy mist, and all seemed warm, as opposed to the once cold wind. She felt the corner of her mind register pain.
Ashton screamed. She bit her lip, refusing to scream, though her bit beast did not only attack her opponent, but herself as well. She registered that she was getting beat up, but when the tendrils of light that enclosed them in the dimension they were in began to fade, she slowly began to wake to the consequences her actions would have upon them all.
It had all begun, there was no doubt about that.
She immediately recognized this domain as the one she was born into, not some parallel dimension. Before they could see, she blinked, and the mirror had broken again, shards of glass left in the air as if gravity did not exist. They said nothing as the shards rained down around her.
Ashton was sprawled out on the ground, the dust and a few scattered chunks of beyblade littered before him. Eden looked at her, her own molten eyes turning to stare at her master. They turned into a faint color, lighter than gold, but golden all the same. The creature padded toward Xi. She, in turn, blinked and her aqua eyes were back. Eden seemed to surprise the spectators by roaring. With shock, they noted that in Xi's hand was a beyblade with a series of curved blades that protruded between her fingers. Xi held it up in front of her, while the creature that had come from her bit still released a shrill roar, shaking it's head and acting like a wild beast.
With her blade extended, the light that stretched skyward began to cease as Eden deteriorated into a series of sparks and light. She blinked. The shards of glass rained to the ground around her, staying cleanly away from her opponent.
"Oh my God," Hilary whispered, "Is he- did you-"
Ray sprung across the way to the fallen boy, pressing two fingers to his neck and waiting. "He- he's alive, but how could you?" He asked accusingly of the golden brunette.
She said nothing, and looked down at her beyblade.
Daichi looked on. From what they could see, there was not a mark on her. "He didn't even hurt you!" Tyson yelled. "What makes you think that you're better than him that you needed to knock him out?"
Kai hushed them with a step forward. Xia released a shaking breath as she heard the sound of a car's brakes screech behind her.
"Where's- oh my word! Max!" Judy's voice was easily recognized.
The second voice was also easily distinguished as Mr. Dickenson's. "We saw the light," He explained. "Where is Xia?"
Kai tilted his head in her direction, and the B.B.A.'s owner rushed toward her. She stared straight ahead now, sending Kai a premonition of a destroyed Wyatt, whose bit beast had more power than he was capable of controlling.
"Xia?" Kai asked, before the rest of them had the chance. He came up to her, and she turned around.
They all gasped again.
For the back of her not being beaten up, the front of her was more than justified for the rest of her. Her pants were sliced from the thigh to the middle of her shin on both legs. Her shirt had been ripped up a bit, and both her torso and her legs were bleeding heavily. She trembled a bit, then shut her eyes, tears silently spilling down their cheeks.
The man who had just arrived on the scene took off his suit coat and draped it over her shoulders, while Tyson explained that to Judy that Max would be fine and that he had just been beaten and knocked out. Mr. Dickenson looked to Kai, who looked at Xia.
His glare was deadly, but she looked at Dickenson. "I don't want to ruin your-"
"It's fine. Don't you worry about it." He pulled her into him, and she continued to cry.
Kai growled. "What game are you playing? I know you had something to do with my Grandfather. The Tate's don't deserve to be betrayed."
She noted that Dickenson gave him a disappointed look, as if he expected the Russian to catch on that she was on his side. The B.B.A.'s founder was about to speak when she cut him off.
"Don't you dare accuse me of anything." Her voice was anything but steady when she began, but it was determined, it was sincere. "You are not the only one whose past haunts them day in and day out." Mr. Dickenson slowly guided her toward the road and the car that both he and the girl's mother had come from. It was at this point that he noticed her steady limp.
Judy looked up from where she was, stroking Max's hair as he had yet to wake up. "Xia?!"
She looked at her mother sadly, eyes overflowing with tears. "I had to, they didn't know what he was capable of- I'm so sorry, Mom."
"Don't be sorry," Judy said sympathetically.
Dickenson's look was very grave. "She needs to get to the hospital. They both should. Something is wrong with her left leg, I don't know what, but she can't put pressure on it-"
"Alright."
Judy allowed Ray and Tyson to lift Max into the van they had brought to the park, before the four took off en route for the hospital, leaving the rest of the team in their wake. It would be a long night.
Moments after they had left, Kai felt a long forgotten memory tugging at his mind. He processed this thought, despite the fact that it was one of the ones he had tried hard to forget. He went to the dish near which she had dropped her beyblade. He picked it up and examined it. It was slashed in ways he had never seen, not to mention it had no frame left, not to mention a defence ring. Her attack ring was shattered in place, but somehow still attached.
"They weren't trying to steal her bit beast," The captain said suddenly. "They were trying to kill her. That- that thing," He continued, referring to Eden, "Attacked her instead of Ashton. That's why she's beat up. That bit beast can't control its actions, and no blader ever will."
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Author's Notes: Okay, so that was long and horrendous.
Stick with me, please!
Distant Storm
