Hello! It's March! And it's almost been two years since I've been here! I won't say my gratitude speech now. I'll mention my best fans and why I love you all in about one month.

Oh yeah, like I always do, I warn you about upcoming trips at least two weeks in advance. Well, guess what? I'm going to JAPAN! From the 21-29!!

Tohru: -cough- for the second time -cough-

Sakura:...don't you have something to do? Like stop deleting valuable things? Like your Gaia Online avatar? Which now has strange red eyes and brown hair and it nearly made me fall off my chair because it almost scared the crap out of me?

Tohru: It wasn't my fault ok?

Sakura: Say that to KiKi! -holds up shih tzu- I nearly killed her! Apologize!

Tohru:...


Chapter 3: First Stage

"..." Chaos looked at the moon from the balcony of the old mansion. She couldn't see why anyone would abandon it like it was, but it was a good lookout point for the realm of light. Her true home, if it could be called a home, was on the other side of the dimension—the dark. She let out a sigh as her long blue-black hair blew in the night wind. As soon as she stepped into the realm, memories that were hers but not hers, came into her mind. In vexed her and aided her at the same time. She now knew her other half's weaknesses, but she had to be careful that that half wouldn't step into the other dimension. She also had a third memory. When she stepped into BEGA, a memory of 'dying' for her other half came into her mind. She let out a small growl. She was stronger than that 'former self'. She would never die for anyone's sake. She was her own, and no one else's.

"Chaos?" Rhett's voice was heard behind her. She let out a deep breath. "Were you in thought?"

"Not that deep." She replied. Rhett took this as his clue to come closer, but not completely. It didn't take long to know what news Rhett had. "Let me guess. Kaji's gone again?"

"Yep."

"And...you didn't stop him."

"Nope." The nonchalant reply earned Rhett a quick smack on the head. "Ow." Chaos sighed and leaned against the broken ivy-covered railing.

"I swear, if you weren't useful." She stated, narrowing her eyes. "Did it even cross your mind to stop him?"

"...Should I lie?" Rhett asked, making Chaos bury her forehead in her hands.

"Don't kill...don't kill..." she muttered audibly to herself. Rhett chuckled and walked to the side of her.

"So...I heard 'you' got arrested today. Did someone get caught on the big screen?" he teased. Chaos looked up with an apathetic look in her brown eyes.

"She's not dead. If she was, I wouldn't be here." He stated. "And it's better if she's out of our way."

"Ah-ah. She's not in jail. 'Jin' bailed her out."

"Tch. The police here can't do anything right."

"And that means it's a cakewalk for us."

"Exactly." With Chaos' last word spoken, Rhett turned her chin to face her and kissed her lightly. When he separated, Chaos' brushed it off with her usual aloofness, making Rhett laugh a bit. "...what?" Chaos' didn't like being laughed at, so Rhett quickly shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Hmm...Now...go get Kaji." Rhett looked like he had just found out he was an alien.

"What?! Why should I go get him? I'm not a babysitter."

"No, but I'm making you do it anyways. Unless..." Chaos looked at Rhett and smirked. "You're not capable of doing that." Rhett glared at Chaos.

"You're such a slave driver." He growled. Chaos chuckled and made a wider smirk.

"Just for that I'm adding a time limit." She said in a strangely sweet tone. "You have two hours. And every minutes that goes by, I'm deducting another one as well."

"T-that just means an hour!"

"Better get to work." Chaos smirked.

--30 minutes later—

"Why do I bother with that woman?" Rhett muttered to himself, but already knew that answer. Despite her attitude, which Rhett still was attracted to, Chaos was amazing. Only she could get a group of completely different guys to work together, whether they hate each other or not. This was especially true because the fact that he was searching for the one guy whom he hated most at her command had to mean something, right?

Kaji, on the other hand, was in the forest. He had been for a while, really. He was there since his other half had gotten his attack in the forest. He was reassured that no one would find him, and if he were found, it would be by Chaos.

The light side of the world seemed to make Kaji uncomfortable to a degree. Spare darkness was always around and would put beings like him at ease, as the laws that the 'light' decreed weren't as strong in that dimension. It was probably much harder for his light half to exist in a world like this. He too, felt uncomfortable and out of place, more so than in the dark side. He only felt in place when he was alone with Chaos. With that, he found himself almost wishing that she would come.

Kaji was taken out of thoughts with a crinkling of the leaves. He was impartial to whether it was anyone from his team or anyone who knew his light half. But, on cue, Kai appeared in the forest, breathing heavily. Kai took a deep breath, and leaned against a tree. Kaji was impressed his light half could travel so far in his condition, but he wasn't compelled to help him. Chaos had stated not to confront their other halves until the right time, and as long as Kai wasn't dying it wasn't his concern how much pain he went through.

"Rrrgh..." Kai grunted, a headache approaching, even stronger than before. "Why is it happening now...?" he asked himself. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a chain with a symbol necklace. There were a few cracks in it and it seemed like another was forming. "Dammit...you couldn't leave me with something more durable, Father?" The symbol glowed a bit as a new cracks formed, and Kai's headache went away.

It doesn't have that much left in it...it can't hold back the darkness any longer. Kai's next thought was to go to Russia, and seek council from his grandfather, but he immediately shook his head at that. No! I won't go to him with my tail between my legs! I just need to hold out until 'it' gives up! For now... Kai then shuddered as a chill went from his spine. A dark gas wrapped around his wrist and extended to a nearby tree where Kaji was hiding, and latched on to his arm.

You're kidding! Kaji growled, having already thought that a: he had suppressed his darkness low enough to not be noticed and b: that Kai had not matured to that state.

"Who's there!" Kai demanded. Kaji gave a low growl, knowing now that it couldn't be avoided any longer. He emerged from his hiding spot, fearing Chaos' wrath if she found out. Needless to say, Kai was surprised an exact copy of himself came out. "...Who are you?" Kaji narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I'd like to say 'I'm you', but that seems to be equivalent to 'I'm pathetic'. You still haven't mastered your other half?"

"You're...you're not me."

"Those headaches must have slowed your brain, so I'll catch you up. I'm you, but I'm not you. I'm Kaji Sekitan. I could be considered your 'dark half'. The 'yin' version of yourself, in a philosophical terms."

"Why are you here?"

"Like I would tell you. We may be copies down the molecular level, but I feel no allegiance with someone as pathetic as you." Kaji lifted his chained arm. "Now, release me. If I do it myself, I may hurt you more."

Before Kai could say anything, the chain of dark gas dissipated.

"Wait!" Kai yelled as Kaji walked away. His Dranzer beyblade was taken out. "No one calls me pathetic and gets away with it!" Kaji snickered to himself.

"You can't seriously think you can beat me?" Kaji asked, but he knew the answer by looking at his face—stubborn and convinced.

--5—4 minutes until Rhett's time runs out--

Rhett growled to himself as he walked through the forest. When he had more time he'd cut down all the trees, but he had other things on his mind. Like finding Kaji before Chaos kills him--

A flash of dark red light and a bird call attracted Rhett's immediate attention.

"Or before he destroys something..." Rhett muttered, finishing my sentence.

Kaji looked at Kai's unconscious body as the Dranzer beyblade wobbled and fell. It was too easy, but he wasn't going to count Kai out yet. He had gone unconscious by himself when another headache struck him. Kaji shook his head, he himself unable to think of a reason Kai would do that.

"There you are!" Rhett growled, surprising Kaji to some extent. Rhett looked furious, a face that would probably never be seen on Ray (on second thought, Tysa wouldn't time him like that...or would she?).I hate trees...

"...Don't get a job as a lumberjack."

"I don't want one! And Chaos' wants you to come back!" Kaji almost considered staying put, just to annoy Rhett, but didn't want to annoy Chaos. That would be a life-threatening mistake.

"First...I hate to ask you this, but where's Chaos' light half's house?" It was then that Rhett noticed Kai, dark sparks crossing his arm.

"...If I don't care about you, why should I care about him?"

"Well, if he dies like this—I die. Before you say you don't care, Chaos will." That reason was enough for both of them.

"..." Chaos looked at the moon in the silence before Rhett came back. The time limit was truly a bluff—it was really until her patience went out, so he had about ten more minutes (actually, five). The half-moon reminded her of that night when that man approached her. The man claiming to be from the heavens—whatever heaven was considered to be. He claimed he had not cast away the darkness the way his comrades did. He believed that the dark should be dominant, despite what heaven did. He gave her the dark beyblade parts that were able to open the light dimension unto them.

He didn't need to tell me about taking over this dimension. Chaos thought, as a wind gusted through. I will take the dark out of its shadow. And myself...


So we have a first look into Chaos' mind. Always fun. And, since I'm in a good mood because I've almost been here for two years entertaining you all, I'll give you a preview into the next chapter: Dev and kissing.

Enjoy that hint :3

Mizuki Sakura