Fire Within Those Crimson Eyes
Storms-Winter

Disclaimer: The making of Beyblade belongs to and is copyright of Aoki Takao, any unfamiliar OC's are mine

Chapter ThreeRace Disaster

Checking her bike quickly, she braced herself, waiting, focused on the man standing up ahead. He held a flag and a traffic light hung beside him. The red light shone in the darkness, then it turned green. Tires screeching, Tala's vehicle shot forwards at the same time as Adrienne's. They picked up speed at a mad rate and turned onto the road to disappear around the first bend.

The race was on.


So far, racing down the road neck to neck with Tala had proven fun. The curves and various dips within the hills were interesting; it made her blood surge, fuelled her adrenaline drive. They were halfway finished when Tala dangerously took a corner with more speed, shooting past her and taking the lead.

Watching as he pulled ahead, a smirk touched Adrienne's lips, before she noticed a sudden light flare up ahead.

What the hell is tha—

"Shit!"

The gathering of teens and older adults stared at the screen as Adrienne's bike suddenly swerved sharply. The equipment picked up the sound of a bomb exploding, the cameras shaking at the force, as Adrienne avoided the spray of shrapnel. A group of girls screamed as another explosion ripped through the speakers, and the motorcycle veered dangerously.

Isoruko grabbed a walkie-talkie, jabbing the button with a panicked finger. "Tala! What the hell's going on?"

The redhead came through. "I have no fucking idea! Someone's shooting, or something!"

On the screen, they could see Tala slowing, but the girl lifted her visor and stared at him. Whatever the redhead saw, it made him pick up speed again, and just in time as another blast tore up the road behind them.

"I can't see anyone. Whoever is doing this must be in the hills," Tala reported grimly. "I don't know whether they're just shooting at her or if their aiming at me and missing."

"Sei, can we do anything?" Ruko asked helplessly, turning towards an older man at the computer controls.

"What's the general direction?" The other asked calmly, eyes intent.

Repeating the question to Tala, Ruko waited on edge.

"North by north-west." The Russian responded after a moment.

As Sei tapped on a keyboard nearby, Kai walked over with Kanae, still eying the screen. "Here. It's half a kilometre into the Forbidden Hills," Sei frowned. "It's a small group, judging by the sensors."

"Who would want to kill her?" Kanae whispered, paling as she saw her cousin's vehicle spin wildly to avoid a blast directly in front of her.

Ruko fretted, biting the tip of his thumb. "Would it help if she turned around?"

"Possibly. But then leave Tala? Tell them both to turn around," Sei ordered.


"Tala, you have to turn around! Both of you!"

Hearing Isoruko's voice on the walkie-talkie, Tala chuckled grimly. As if he hadn't thought of that already.

"Right," he replied.

He spied a curve in the road ahead and gave a cool smirk.

Perfect.


Tala's car shot forwards, driving directly towards a looming rock face, and smoothly operating his vehicle, he abruptly spun it in a 180-degree turn, punching the gas with perfect timing as to head in the opposite direction.

The shrill screeching of the car's tires drew Adrienne's attention, and she glanced over in time to see him turn back. Her eyes narrowed, seeing the rock face he'd used as protection, and gave an edgy smirk. It was probably best to turn, but it wouldn't be long before the enemy would be in pursuit.

Tala zoomed past her, causing dust to rise up. Timing it, she hit her brakes hard and braced as the back of the vehicle came up dangerously over her head. Twisting with the momentum, the bike turned on its front before it fell back to the ground. Adrienne reached out to adjust her mirrors then gunned the engine, and the motorcycle raced forwards, catching up to Tala swiftly.

Eying the road, Adrienne pressed a button on her handle and with a small whirl, one part of the bike's metal body before her opened, revealing a number of weapons within. She hadn't been on the run for this long without learning to carry her own protection. She held the bike steady with her knees with practiced ease and pulled out a handgun, checking it over out of pure habit.

Hearing a noise rise up behind her, she looked in her mirror. Coming up fast were two motorcycles, and above them…

Aw, hell.

A helicopter.

Grimly, she smiled to herself. Well, well… this might be fun, after all. Her focus returning to the road, Adrienne grimaced, remembering something.

"Cameras," she muttered, annoyed, her voice lost in the rumbling of the engine beneath her. This whole party is going to be recorded.

But... they shouldn't be all independent cameras. It would be too much of a hassle, so if I'm correct, they should be all connected. If I destroy one...

She heard popping sounds from within her helmet and cursed, bending down low. Her pursuers were shooting at her. Increasing her speed, she swerved to avoid getting hit and watched grimly as they closed the space.

Bastards.

The chopper flew silently along, as though in no hurry, and curious, Adrienne tilted one mirror to put the vehicle in full view.

She swore in Russian, seeing machine guns trained on her.

She knew she couldn't run for much longer without boosting her power levels. She liked to leave those until the last minute, but at this point, her choices were getting rather limited.

Her best option would be to avoid their attacks and wait until she could take them out. But those damn cameras…

/Do you require help, little one/ Faeryhx asked, tensed for battle.

Not at the moment, Fae, but—

She was distracted as a bullet hit her bike, bouncing off the rear metal. She snarled.

Assholes better not scratch the paint! It's a damn pain finding the right shade of red for the paint job.

/Really, Adrienne, you worry more about that machine than you do about yourself./ Faeryhx commented, exasperated.

Bite me, Adrienne retorted as her dragon retreated into silence, but stayed alert, in case her mistress needed her assistance.

A commanding voice echoed over the thumping of the helicopter and the motorcycles' engines, one she didn't recognize.

"Wildblood, you have no option left. Surrender to us, or we will be forced to take measures to bring you down."

She rolled her eyes. Did they really think that she was going to just surrender?

Streaking down the road, she smirked as they entered a straight stretch. She engaged the autopilot with the press of a button, then grabbed out her weapons and spun in the seat to face her pursuers.

Raising her visor, she smirked at the two bikers and raised her gun in a mocking salute. She shot them with calm precision, catching them both on the shoulder, causing them to fall off their motorcycles and the unmanned vehicles to crash into the nearest rock face.

Coolly, she placed the safety back on her gun and looked up at her only opponent, and with a nasty smirk, chucked a grenade up at it. The projectile exploded in the air and the chopper veered to avoid the shards. Laughing darkly, she turned around again.

There's your answer. Hope you like it.


Tala saw the two motorcycles go down. A moment later, a grenade went off, directed at the chopper.

What the hell is going on?

Seeing Adrienne coming up beside him as the chopper straightened, he slowed fractionally. Adrienne came up beside him and snapped: "You get back to the others and tell them to clear out! I'll lead these guys off!"

"You can't go by yourself, Adrienne!" He yelled back, clutching the walkie-talkie impulsively.

She glared as the wind whipped past. "Dammit, Valkov, forget me and get to the others! Get Kanae to safety! That's a fucking order!"

Her voice was sharp, cold, holding no room for objections. He instantly complied and nodded curtly.

As they arrived at the beginning of the course, Tala turned sharply right, towards the crowd, and Adrienne snapped down her visor, driving into a nearby field and disappearing into the tall grass, the chopper following close behind.


Kai had heard the two talk as Tala had unknowingly held the button on the walkie-talkie. Ruko gazed momentarily at his surprised look, then looked back to the screen where the two teens had separated and one camera picked up a thrown object landing by it. A moment later, an explosion caused the screen to explode with white light before going blank.

"It's time to go," Kai snapped to the others.

Nodding, Sei started to gather up his supplies, barking out orders to those still frozen in shock. As people slowly started to move, Tala sped in, screeching to a halt and getting out swiftly. His ice blue gaze swept over the group as they moved past him, avoiding him. A change had come over him, reflected in his step and the clipped quality of his movements and the cold calculation in his eyes.

Kai recognized the look instantly as the redhead walked over. Tala met his gaze, perfect understanding between them.

"Kanae," Tala called to the petite girl still staring at the screen. "We have to go."

He glanced to where Kai was snapping at groups to clear off.

"Kanae …"

"Will she be okay?" Kanae whispered numbly.

Tala gritted his teeth. "I'm sure she will be. We have to go."

Seeing Kai glance over and nod curtly, the redhead returned the act, watching as everyone left them behind. Kanae bit her lip but reluctantly followed him, getting into his car, momentarily forgetting that she hated driving with him.

Tala remembered, however, and drove much more carefully than usual. When he thought they were safe, he pulled over and watched her.

"Kanae?"

Startled, she looked at him in silence. He tried to keep his face void of emotion, but for some reason it was much more difficult given the paleness of her features.

"Where are you staying? Your uncle's?"

He tried to keep his voice bland as well. The mere mention of her uncle made him want to punch something. He'd pulled the reluctant information out of Kai, one day, when Kanae had arrived at school with a black eye. The man was a total bastard, a drunk and not to mention a woman beater.

"No..." Kanae answered finally in a tiny, trembling voice. "I was staying at Ari's."

She looked away, hugging herself, shivering. She tried to hide her tears, but one slipped down her cheek and Tala spotted it before she could wipe it away.

Screw it, he thought as he reached over and picked her up, setting her in his lap. Awkwardly, he hugged her as she silently cried and curled into a ball, pushing her face against his shoulder.

Murmuring in Russian, he tried to comfort her, feeling uncomfortable, as he rested his cheek on her head and held her close. He had never known that she could be so vulnerable...

Sighing, he smoothed his hand over her back, looked up at the night sky and closed his eyes wearily. Too many things going on, he thought, tired and uneasy. It reminded him too much of Biovolt's past activities.

"Tala…?"

He looked down. Kanae rested her head on his shoulder, keeping her gaze averted. "Can you take me to Adrienne's apartment?" She asked softly.

Nodding, he let her slip from his lap then drove to the apartment according to Kanae's instructions, parking in the street. There, he saw Kai waiting. He joined the two silently and they made their way up to Adrienne's home.

Entering, Kai glanced around briefly, as Tala convinced Kanae to go lie down. She was reluctant, wracked with worry, but as she looked like she was about to fall over with exhaustion, Tala insisted.

The two boys sat in the living room afterwards and waited, exchanging few words as they reflected on the strange situation. Suddenly picking up a noise, Kai looked to his right as a soft, inquiring meow was heard. Scarlet moved tentatively into view and stared up, mewing at the intruders with a sort of glare in her crimson eyes.

Tala stared back. "Jesus..." he muttered. "I've heard of familiars, but that... it looks just like Adrienne."

The tiny cat scooted around the furniture, leaping into a chair and curling up, watching them intently for a few more seconds before abruptly yawning, showing her fangs, and closing her eyes. Apparently, she had deemed them harmless.

Time ticked slowly by, seconds turning into minutes and minutes into hours. Still, Adrienne did not return. Restless, the two made themselves familiar with the apartment and even made coffee.

Around midnight, a cry came from Kanae's room; Tala went to her immediately, giving Kai an inexplicable glower as he tried to follow. It made the other teen vaguely amused, but after seeing Kanae was merely having a nightmare, he left them alone.

Tense with worry, he lay on the couch and stared blankly up at the ceiling until he fell into a light slumber.


Finally, in the early morning hours, the apartment door opened with a quietclickand a small shadow slipped in. Adrienne paused, then sighed mentally as she shut the door, wincing with every movement.

She slowed. Something was different in her apartment...

/Adrienne, you need to be healed. /

Fae, please, I'm too tired, she returned unenthusiastically, but her bit beast wouldn't hear of it. Warmth spread through her, igniting each of her wounds with a stinging pain. Hissing, she bared her fangs, closing her eyes, and sank to the floor with a soft moan as her injuries healed into barely noticeable white scar tissue.

/I'm sorry, mistress/ said Faeryhx, sounding anguished.

Adrienne held her waist were the majority of the pain was concentrated. "Finish it, Fae," she gritted out, gasping sharply.

Out of sheer will and stubbornness, she remained silent, trembling through the painful ordeal as a golden dusting of light covered her wounds, fading gently as the pain subsided and Adrienne heaved a sigh of relief.

When it was done, she weakly shifted and stiffened. Someone was holding her, someone she knew.

Her voice came out tired and low. "What are you doing here?"

Kai studied her impassively. "Kanae," he said simply.

Accepting that, she pushed herself roughly out of his arms and rose unsteadily, grimacing as she stretched her newly healed flesh. She was going to have to take it easy for a while.

Kai rose as well and regarded her neutrally, but the blankness of his features soon morphed into a frown. Blood soaked her clothes and the material was torn in several places, showing numerous wounds on her arms and body.

He remembered hearing her tight command, 'Finish it, Fae,' when he'd dropped to her side, lifting her slightly as she had braced herself. Though her body had been shaking in convulsions, she'd remained silent, and Kai had watched as her wounds had been covered with a strange golden light before they had been sealed closed, leaving her skin unmarred. It was something he'd never seen or experienced before; it intrigued and confused him.

Scarlet meowed audibly and skittered over to Adrienne, purring. The small girl scratched her behind her ears with a sigh.

"Tala?"

"He's with Kanae. She was having nightmares," Kai added at her narrowing gaze. Her expression smoothed and she nodded.

Tiredly, Adrienne dragged herself to her bathroom. She gingerly peeling off her ruined clothing, then turned on the shower and stepped under the flow of heated water. The sudden immersion soothed her, and she let the liquid run down her body, washing away the blood, sweat and grime that had accumulated from the chase.

Ten minutes later, petite body wrapped firmly in a towel, Adrienne trudged into her adjoining bedroom and slipped into a tank top and flannel pyjama pants. Her damp hair hung heavy against her back and she flipped it carelessly before emerging into the living room. Tala and Kai were both seated on the large couch, halting in their conversation as she came forward. They stared at her without a word.

Uneasy, Adrienne snapped. "What?"

"Nothing." Tala replied quickly, shrugging. "Just surprised, that's all."

Frowning at his mysterious answer, she decided not to pry and moved into the kitchen. She smelled coffee and scrunched her nose in disgust. Personally, she preferred warm milk. Why in hell do I even have that stuff, anyway?

She lazily slapped bread and cold cuts into a sandwich, and when Scarlet strolled in, meowing hopefully, she shared a bit of it with her familiar, petting her gently until she scampered away again. Tala came in and poured himself more coffee, eying her. Irritated, she glared.

"Quit staring at me," she growled.

"When did you get back?" he asked, sidestepping her previous demand.

"About twenty minutes ago," she mumbled between bites.

Promptly turning her back on him, she warmed up a tall glass of milk, waiting impatiently. When it was done, she reached to open the microwave, but Tala beat her to it and snatched her milk away.

"Tala!" She hissed and tried to grab it, but he moved away smoothly, spilling neither her milk nor his coffee.

"Give that back!" She ordered, scowling.

He grinned at her.

"Follow me."

He held up the glass, teasing her, and backed away into the living room. Wanting her milk, Adrienne followed with a growl of aggravation, watching intently to make sure he didn't spill any of the precious liquid.

"Give me my milk,Valkov," she snarled.

"C'mon, kitten," Tala insisted, grinning widely and waving the glass gently.

"Arrgh!Valkov!"

Kai looked up curiously at the two. Huffing at the pet name, Adrienne scowled.

"All right, I'm here! Milk," she demanded.

Reaching up for the glass, she let out a sound of ire when he tilted it. "You're gonna spill it!" She shrieked. "Gimme!"

Tala laughed, than blinked, surprised, as the milk was suddenly taken away. Adrienne snatched the glass offered from Kai, clutching it tightly and glowering towards the redhead.

"Kitten," Tala smirked, then reeled as Adrienne landed a punch to his jaw.

He fell to the couch and grunted, then reached up to feel his face. Somehow, he had imagined that a punch from Adrienne would hurt a lot more.

"You're lucky, Valkov," she said pointedly, carefully burrowing into an armchair with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm bone tired, so you get off easy."

He raised a brow at her but she was already ignoring him, drinking the milk in gulps. Licking her lips, she let out a sudden purr of satisfaction.

Tala, bewildered, glanced at Kai, who was watching her as well.

"Neko?" He questioned.

The other nodded absently. Adrienne purred softly as she finished her milk, feeling much better. She placed the empty glass on the low coffee table before her, then curled back against the chair, snuggling into her blanket and closing her eyes with thoughts of sleep filling her mind.

Tala and Kai looked at each other, unsure, then Tala spoke.

"Adrienne?"

She opened an eye.

"Whaaat?" She groaned.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?"

"No. Go home. G'night."

She was lost to them as she burrowed deeper still into the blanket. Tala stared, bemused, while Kai rolled his eyes.

"Little one, what happened?"

"Go away."

"Not until you tell us what happened."

Mutterings could be heard before she fell silent. Tala glanced at Kai. "Did you catch any of that?"

The two-tone haired teen frowned. "Something about never having to worry about that happening again."

"I don't suppose we're going get much else out of her," Tala mused. "Well, I can wait until tomorrow."

He rose, downing the rest of his coffee before he, once again, pointedly ignored her command and retreated into one of the spare bedrooms.

Kai sat back, feeling restless. Something didn't feel right. Sighing, he looked to where Adrienne was hidden in her blanket. He considered waking her, but soon gave up the idea. Stretching out on the couch once more, he closed his eyes, and to the soft, continuous purring of Scarlet, fell asleep.


Silently, she watched, and held back a sigh. It would be hard to hide now. Thankfully, she had tracked down whomever had held the cameras and had destroyed the footage taken. If only she could do the same with memories...

A trip was required, soon. This would need to be forgotten. This time, a soft sigh escaped her. Why was it so complicated? Why couldn't...

Questions with numerous, unclear answers were best left alone. Wait until it's over; wait until the time is right.

Then, she would be free.


"Snake is dead, sir."

Silence, stony, cold and penetrating. It stretched out before a figure stirred in the shadows, and a match was lit, the flame flaring brightly to show the shadowed face before smoke blew out as a cigar was puffed.

"Report." Came a cold, harsh voice.

"Tokyo, Japan, sir. It was Demon. She was with someone and he joined. Signs of a fight occurred, and Snake was stabbed in the chest with his own knife."

"Other news?"

"Yes, sir. There was a failed attempt to capture her. Two are down, wounded with gunshots to the shoulders. The helicopter has been retrieved and our men are searching over it. The two pilots are dead."

"These are our men?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's the group's name?"

"Recovery, sir."

Hesitation.

"Sir, there's another organization looking for them."

Silence. A smoky haze had filled the room, causing the reporting officer's eyes to water.

"Find out who they are, and why they are interfering. Bring in the two surviving for questioning. I want to know why the mission was a failure."

"Yes, sir."

The man left hurriedly, glad to be rid of his commander's presence.

From behind the desk in the shadows, smoke blew out. A large, scarred hand reached out and picked up a photo that sat on the edge of the desk. Cold, shaded eyes glared at the picture, staring at one person in particular.

Hatred and something akin to possessiveness flickered within him.

"Soon, Demon. You can't hide from me forever. I'll have you and the other Wildbloods back here soon."

He smirked.

"And then, we'll get reacquainted."