Leaning up against the bike rack, her cowl up, Michelle checked the time on her watch. Seven o'clock. She glanced up and to her surprise found Tyson sprinting towards her with the rest of the team coming up behind him. On time? This is a first. I guess I should be flattered. Michelle thought sardonically.
"I want answers and I want them now," Tyson demanded between gasps.
"Really?" Michelle raised an eyebrow, but it couldn't be seen underneath the cowl of her cloak. She waited until the rest of them and caught up to Tyson and was looking at her expectantly. Sighing, she pulled back her hood. "Where do you want me to start?" She looked purposefully at Rei.
"Tell them what you told me," He replied simply.
Michelle nodded. "Okay," She went into detail on everything she had told Rei the day before, even Tyson stayed quiet, but not until the part where Michelle explained about Black Dranzer.
"Black Dranzer! BioVolt!" He exclaimed.
"Hey! Wait a second!" Hillary interrupted. "What's this Black Dranzer and BioVolt?" Rei then explained to Hillary the whole deal with Boris and the plot to take over the world using Black Dranzer, but he did of course left out some details dealing with Kai and his past.
"But you can't serious!" Tyson continued his argument after Rei finished the recap.
Michelle locked a cold glare on him. "I'm dead serious. But there's more, I told you about our ability, Unity, well I found out the reason why Amara is acting strange… It's because of Perfect Unity. She has achieved it to a certain extent."
Kai spoke up, "What do you mean by 'a certain extent'?"
"You see, she is at the point where she should be able to use it, but she forgot that in order to be in harmony with your bit beast, you have to be in harmony with yourself. Amara forgot that and that's why she's the way she is now."
Amara hadn't moved from her spot. She still lay upon the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Finally sitting up, she stretched out her cramped muscles. Stopping in mid-stretch, she glanced around. Tiamat, something's wrong. Do you sense it as well?
Yes.
Amara got to her feet and looked about. The nearby window shattered and Amara took a step back as she saw what had broke through. A black blade with red markings that when it spun it seemed to be on fire appeared before her. Her eyes widened, recognizing the blade.
Dark flames shot forth from the blade. Searing at Amara's skin as she tried to get away from the growing fire. Walls of flame had sprung up behind her; the heat was unbearable, leaving her trapped in the fast burning house.
Tiamat!
"Why is it that?" Tyson asked.
Michelle shook her head. "I really don't know if I should be telling you this, but if it will help, I will. You see Amara is from America and the first time I met her was at the orphanage eight years ago. We're both orphans. I lost my parents a few years before and you could say that my living relatives don't know or care that I exist, and I'm not going into detail on that." She added with a cold glare directed at all of them. "When we met we made a pact not to ask each other of our pasts. However even now I still wish, I didn't make this promise, it would make things so much easier to understand."
Michelle! Something is wrong! Bahamut's voice rang through her mind.
"Bahamut?" She asked aloud startling the BladeBreakers. She shook her head and replied, What is it? What's going on?
I can't feel Tiamat's presence. It's as if it just completely blinked out of existence.
What! Michelle asked shocked.
"Michelle, what is it?" Rei asked taking a step towards her, but she made no reply to intent on the conversation between her and her bit beast.
The last place you were able to sense them in was still at the house, right?
Yes.
Try finding them again.
There was a pause and then pain exploded through Michelle's head causing her to stagger back into Rei who had caught her. Bahamut! What's happening?
The house is burning!
Michelle pulled herself away from Rei and started sprinting off, but was caught by a strong hand.
"Michelle, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned covering his face.
"Let me go!" Michelle commanded as she pulled against him, trying to break from his grip. "Amara's in danger!"
At that statement, Rei immediately let go and watched Michelle bolt off. With no more than a second of contemplation he followed, with Kai at his heels and the rest trailing behind.
Although Kai and Rei were sprinting, Michelle was still pulling away from them. They weave through the streets heading towards the outskirts of the town, which in the distance a red and orange lighting up the darkening sky over the tops of the buildings. It was toward the luminescence that they were heading for and it wasn't the setting sun.
Michelle kept on running as she saw the glow of flames on the darkening skies. Her chest ache as her breaths came in gasps. Skidding to a stop, she saw the inevitable. The house- their house- was burning. The tongues of flame whipped about in a blaze, taunting her, telling her that there was nothing she could do.
Michelle wasn't going to take the taunts anymore. She bolted off towards the blaze but only to be caught again by Rei's hand.
"Michelle, don't. You'll be throwing your life away if you even tried to get in there!"
"I don't care! Amara's in there!" She cried, trying to pull away from Rei's tight hold. But he wasn't about ready to let her go. Giving up in her efforts, she sank to the ground.
Rei knelt down next to her, placed an arm about her shoulders, and was startled when she buried her face into his chest. He helplessly looked up at Kai.
Kai watched the burning building. The flames were familiar to him. Flames of crimson with the hottest part of the flame burn ebony; they were Black Dranzer's flames.
The rest of the team finally caught and neared them in complete silence, already having an idea of what was happening. They hung their head in despondency.
An explosion sounded and everyone looked back up at the house, except for Michelle. The door had been thrown off and inside the flames burned obsidian. Silhouetted against the flames was a figure with wings that stretched out behind them. The figure walked out of the house towards them.
Michelle pulled away from Rei to see the figure nearing them. "A-Amara?" She stammered.
It indeed turned out to be Amara. Her green eyes burned with amber and she made her way closer. She stood before Michelle, Rei and Kai and her wings folded back and disappeared. Letting out a shaky breath as the amber fire in her eyes died. A small smirk curled up her thin lips. "Someone better catch me." Was all she said her voice was raspy and hoarse from the inhalation of the smoke. Her eyes closed and she fell forward.
Kai was the first to react. He caught her and carefully lowered her to the ground. With his arm wrapped around her back, he felt the warm slick blood the coated her tank top around the area of her shoulder blades.
In the distance, the siren of fire trucks could be heard.
Michelle carefully got to her feet; looking in the direction the sirens were coming from. "We have to leave."
"But the fire trucks, they can help-" Tyson started.
"No," Michelle replied curtly. "They ask to many questions at hospitals."
"You're not being rational, Michelle," Hillary accused.
Michelle turned a cold glare at Hillary. "I'm being perfectly rational." She replied icily. "'Cause like I said, hospitals ask too many questions. We have to get back to Headquarters." She looked over at Kai who was still supporting Amara. "Could you carry her?"
Kai glanced down at Amara's limp form and nodded. Keeping his right arm behind her shoulders he slipped his left arm underneath her knees and lifted her up. Being as tall as she was, which was the exact same height as himself, and having a strong physique she was surprisingly light.
"Follow me," Michelle said and took off, the BladeBreakers following closely at her heels. They had left just as the trucks had pulled up.
Michelle led them to the warehouse where she had been only a few hours before and opened the door, swiftly walking in. "This way," She said as she led them down a hall to an area of the warehouse that had many different rooms. Coming to the end of the hallway, Michelle opened the door on the right and walked in.
It was a medium sized room, a bed in the corner, a bookshelf opposite of it full of books, there was a desk that had papers covering it a lot of them with a small script upon them.
Kai didn't need to be told what to do. He walked over to the bed and carefully laid Amara upon it.
"I'll be right back," Michelle said as she exited the room.
"Hey! Wait!" Tyson called after her. He ran out the door and saw Michelle knock on another door that was few rooms down.
Michelle waited for a moment and the door opened.
Ari answered. "Michelle? What's wrong?" She didn't receive an answer. Instead Michelle grabbed her by the wrist and led her to Amara's room.
Reno stuck his head out of the room that was across from Ari's. "Huh? What's going on?"
Michelle pushed past Tyson, pulling Ari into Amara's room. Reno had followed the two. "What are the BladeBreakers doing here?"
"Ari, can you heal her?" Michelle asked.
Ari looked over Amara and noted the blood from her back that was starting to stain the sheets and the slight burns she had. Looking back at Michelle, she nodded but than cast a glance over at the rest of the group, or more pointedly, the guys.
Kai, Rei and Reno understood and exited the room. Max caught on a few seconds later, cleared his throat to get Kenny and Tyson's attention, and pulled them out of the room.
"Hillary, you can either stay or go, it matters not to me," Michelle stated sharply.
Ari expertly tied her long hair back from her face and carefully turned Amara over onto her stomach. The wounds on her back still bled, so that now her tank top was soaked with it. Ari examined the stripes with an adept eye. She left the bed and looked about the room for something. She spotted what she was looking for on the bookshelf and grabbed it.
The object was knife still in its sheath. Ari carefully pulled it out of its sheath and gazed momentarily at the blade. Taking the blade, she carefully cut through the blood soak material. Placing the knife aside, she pulled out her beyblade.
"Unity!" Ari said aloud. Pure white angel wings unfolded from her back and she now appeared in armor that was as white as newly fallen snow. She closed her eyes in concentration and tightly gripped her blade.
Ark, I need your help to heal Amara's wounds.
I understand, m'lady.
Hillary watched wide-eyed at the spectacle that was happening right in front of her. Ari's gloved hands held her blade over Amara's form. A light gathered in her hands that spread out to engulf the whole room.
Reno led the group to a lounge area, where Kenny promptly sat down in a chair and opened his laptop. Rei and Max sat down on the sofa, while Tyson made himself comfortable on the floor and Kai remained standing, leaning up against the wall.
Reno sat down in the chair that was across from Kenny and was slightly caught off guard when the laptop suddenly spoke up.
"So this is the highly acclaimed Headquarters of Wingz Corp." Dizzi remarked.
"D-Did your computer just talk!" Reno asked aghast.
"I'm not just a computer!" Dizzi replied indignantly.
Kenny sighed. "Dizzi is actually a bit beast, but instead of being trapped inside a beyblade, she got trapped inside my laptop." He explained.
"Oh… I see," Reno replied.
"So, what exactly is that girl doing?" Rei finally inquired.
"That girl is Ari," Reno retorted. But before anyone could give an apology for their lack of knowledge he continued, "also known as Ari, Angel Wing. She is healing Amara by unifying with her bit beast."
"I still don't quite get this whole Unity thing." Max commented.
"Unity is a technique that Amara and Michelle created, unifying the blader with the beast. By using Unity, the blader can do things that would be impossible, like healing wounds without the aid of any type of medicine for instance."
"So this is where the whole Perfect Unity comes into play? Amara was trying to master her own technique, but it backfired." Max analyzed.
Reno blinked. "She what?"
"You mean you didn't know?" Tyson asked. Reno shook his head in response.
"That just goes to show how much they didn't want to tell us." Kai spoke up. "If they wouldn't even tell their own subordinates."
Reno stood up in rage, his hand clenched tightly in a fist. "Who are you calling a 'subordinate'?"
Kai didn't even bother to look up at the enraged Reno, whose face was now as brightly colored as his hair.
"Hey, calm down." Rei said. Surprisingly, Reno did back down and flopped back down into his chair, but he did not stop glaring at Kai.
"I've been wondering, what's the deal with your guys' nicknames? I mean like Ari, Angel Wing." Tyson asked.
Reno seemed a little irked by the fact that Tyson had used Ari's name, to him, it seemed like an insult. "It's just something that we just happen to do. It goes by what type of wings our bit beast has or by its traits. Ari is Angel Wing because her bit beast, Ark, is practically an angel you could say. Damian is Demon Wing because his bit beast is a demon. Haru is Metal Wing, Amara is the Death Wing and I'm Reno the Hell Wing."
"What about Michelle?" Rei asked.
Reno opened his mouth but then decided against what he was going to say. Instead, he replied. "She doesn't have one. Her bit beast is different, there is basically no name fit to describe, I guess." He shrugged.
The room lapsed into silence. The only sound was the ticking of a clock, which now read 9 o'clock.
"You guys can stay in the extra rooms we have if you want." Reno said unexpected.
Rei glanced over at the rest of his teammates and saw no objections, returning his gaze to Reno he nodded his thanks.
Ari's brows came together in a frown, but she didn't open her eyes and continued to keep her concentration. A small growl escaped her lips and she opened her eyes, the armor faded leaving only her wings to remain, but they soon disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Michelle asked.
The burns were gone and the wounds on Amara's back were no longer bleeding but they weren't closing either.
"I've been able to clean out any infection and halt the bleeding, but there is block not allowing me to close it. Something keeps pushing me out, not forcefully, but more like rebuking." Ari shook her head. "It's like it doesn't want me to close the cuts." Hillary stood a few feet behind them, at a loss for words of what just happened.
Michelle looked down at Amara, trying to figure out what the deal was. She let out a defeated sigh. "Well, looks like we've done all we can for tonight."
Ari nodded her agreement and turned to face Hillary, a slight smile on her face. "I assume that you will be staying the night. We have plenty of room, so don't worry about it." She walked past her and continued to the lounge.
Michelle just inclined her head and walked by, leaving Hillary in the room, before she decided to follow.
Amara's eyes opened once Hillary, thankfully, had enough mental capacity to turn off the light and close the door behind her. She sat up carefully, wincing slightly as she moved to a sitting position, pulling the blankets close around her. She shivered, thinking back to what happened.
"Tiamat!" She had screamed. The comforting darkness enveloped her and Amara felt the weight of her armor upon her body and the appendages of wings from her back. Her armor protected her from being burned but it did not keep the heat from affecting her.
Black Dranzer had come out of its blade and was now eyeing her with amusement. Without warning, the beast charged forward with its blade and flew right over Amara's head, into the flames above.
The whole house groaned in protest. Fiery debris of the roof broke loose threatening to crush Amara beneath it.
Amara dove to the side, using her dragon wings to propel her away from injury. The debris crashed on the floor where Amara was only a few seconds before. However, it seemed that Black Dranzer was one step ahead of her and anticipated her evasion. Already having another trap set, the supports began to collapse and fire surrounded her on all sides. Her eyes widened, as everything seemed to slow and then stop. Soon darkness enclosed everything.
The heat was gone; in fact, everything was gone. Amara looked about her, only to turn around to face herself.
"What the hell?" Amara asked. She was indeed looking at herself in a mirror. Her reflection was her and then again it wasn't. The reflection's eyes were amber in color and her pose was relaxed, with one hand on hip and weight resting to one side. "Who the hell are you?"
The reflection smirked. "I thought that was obvious. I'm you."
"You are not me."
"Yes I am. I am you and you are me. It's not that hard to comprehend." She held up a hand to stop Amara from saying anything. "I am a part of you, I am who you would've been if you've chosen the other path instead of the one you now walk. You always wondered what you would be like if you took the other road, but I shouldn't say 'wondered' but 'knew'. So you created me as sort of a remembrance of what you promised yourself that you wouldn't become. But in so doing, you became me anyway, by trying to achieve Perfect Unity. That is why you can't become fully unified with Tiamat, because you had forgotten me. So it's your own damn fault for forgetting."
"Then how do I get rid of you?"
"Never thought you would ask." The reflection's smirk grew wider. "The only way to get rid of me is to accept me."
"Two words: Hell no." Amara retorted. "It's some sick form of reverse psychology that I made you as a remembrance to forget. The reason why you're enjoying this so is because that it sickens me to think that I could've- no would have, become you."
"Exactly. It doesn't matter anymore anyway."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well this little chitchat of ours is happening inside your subconscious mind. So as soon as you 'wake up' you're dead anyway."
"And let me guess, the only way to save myself is to accept you, complete the Perfect Unity and forever have you nagging in the back of my mind along with Tiamat's antics." Amara stated.
"Precisely."
"Fine."
The reflection blinked. "What did you say?" She surely had not expected that.
"I said 'fine'. I will accept you for now in order to save myself. And I can tell that this isn't what you expected from me." It was Amara's turn to smirk, and hers matched the one that had faded from the reflection's face.
"You're right, this isn't what I expected. Why the change of heart?"
"I have unfinished business and you should know what, since I'm assuming you saw what I saw when we almost achieve Perfect Unity."
"Ah, that." The reflection said in understanding. "You know, Tiamat is right. That may not have been reality." She than shrugged. "But since I'm you, I also know that there is no way that that could've not been reality."
"Tiamat knows as well, but he just doesn't want to believe it. Now, one thing before I 'wake up', this chat isn't over, and when Perfect Unity is activated no one becomes more in control than the other. This includes Tiamat. We work as one, understand?" Amara asked.
Her reflection nodded and placed her hand up against the mirror. Amara did the same so their hands were pressed against each other with only the glass to separate.
The mirror became liquid-like around the two palms. Amara could actually feel her reflection's warm hand against hers. Amara took a step closer to the mirror as did her reflection, and the two mirrored each other's move as they stepped into the glass, becoming one.
The heat returned but it no longer bothered her. The collapsing roof fell upon no one; it was stopped in mid air above Amara's head. Her ebony wings stretched out and Amara could actually feel the muscles beneath her shoulder blades that allowed the wings to actually belong to her. They weren't shadows of Tiamat's wings that he had bestowed upon her in Unity, they were her own.
Black Dranzer emerged from the flames, scowling. Tiamat became corporal and stood beside Amara, glaring up at the dark phoenix he spoke. "You are a virus that needs to be destroyed."
Black Dranzer growled. "You are still too weak, Death. Another time will come."
"I will destroy you here and now," Tiamat and Amara spoke as one.
"I doubt it." Black Dranzer retreated into the blade and the blade disappeared into the flames. The fire suddenly became hotter and it started to effect Amara again.
Tiamat disappeared and Amara tightly clutched her blade in her hand. Raising her power so the flames wouldn't burn, she made her way to the door. It refused to open. Amara's eyes started to unfocused, maintaining what was left of her energy was starting to take its toll. She stretched out her hand, palm facing toward the door. Black aura surrounded her, turning the flames to ebony and the door was blown off.
"Michelle," She whispered seeing the kneeling figure. She walked towards her without staggering, which was surprising after all her energy was completely drained. Reaching them, she felt the muscles contort and fold as her wings sheathed themselves under her shoulder blades. Amara smirked as she felt her reflection leave and move to her subconscious. "Someone better catch me." She was surprised to hear how torn her voice was from the smoke, but it didn't matter now. She closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness. She couldn't be sure if it actually was the darkness that had wrapped its arms around her or something else.
"I hope that this is worth it…" Amara spoke aloud.
You mean accepting your past. Tiamat reasoned.
Yeah, that's exactly what I mean.
Don't you think that maybe you're holding to tightly to your past. I mean, you can't stand to think about it and yet you just can't let it go. Tiamat stated.
Amara was about to respond but she stopped herself. Maybe you're right… Maybe I am in a way overreacting to something that has no significance here in the present.
Of course I'm right. Tiamat replied.
Starting now, I won't worry over something that happened in the past, but that doesn't mean I won't completely wipe it from my mind, I'll just use it to my advantage. I believe I found a way in which my 'reflection' will come in handy. Amara replied with a smirk that made its way to her lips.
Whatever works. Tiamat answered, amused, already knowing what she was thinking.
Amara retained her smirked as she laid back again closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Everyone looked up as Michelle entered. She looked over at Reno. "Show them to the empty rooms, since they're probably spending the night."
"Michelle, is Amara-" Reno started to ask, but Michelle cut him off. "She's fine." He nodded and turned to the BladeBreakers. "This way."
The troupe got to their feet and followed Reno. Rei was the last one to leave. He looked at Michelle before saying, "G'night," and headed off after Reno.
Ari and Hillary had already retired and Michelle was now the only one left in the lounge. She turned off the lights, immersing the room in complete darkness. Not needing to wait for her eyes to adjust to the lightlessness, she headed off to her own room, never once did she stumble since she knew the place so well.
Flinging herself upon her bed, she gazed up at the ceiling before standing up again to change. After changing she slipped under the covers and fell into a restless sleep. She didn't know how many times she had woke up, since she gave up counting after seventeen.
After what had to be number twenty-nine at least, Michelle sighed as she stare up at the ceiling. At five minute intervals she would glance over at her bedside clock and let out another sigh seeing how little time had passed. Three o'clock, three five, three ten, and so on until finally a half-hour passed.
Giving up on any ideas of falling asleep again, Michelle crawled out of bad. Clad in cotton shorts and a baggy tee shirt she made her way to the lounge only to find that she wasn't the only one who couldn't get to sleep.
"Can't sleep either?" Rei asked from his spot on the couch.
"How could you tell?" Michelle inquired back.
"You're awake, aren't you?"
"Good point." Michelle chuckled and made her way over to sit next to him.
"Do you guys live here or something?" Rei asked. "I know you don't have parents to go home to, but what about the others?"
"Well, truthfully we're all orphans. Even Damian, but he's living with someone, I'm not sure if he's his adoptive father or something like that." Michelle answered.
"Another question, then," Rei continued. "Why do you have so many left over rooms here?"
"What is this? Twenty questions? But to answer your question they were the rooms for the trainees. We did have at least five, but it seems they have all finally dropped out. So now, Wingz Corp only has six members, the five on the council and Damian."
Silence passed over the two as they sat in semi-darkness. Rei spoke up again. "You should get some sleep for your match tomorrow."
"You mean today." Michelle said glancing at the clock, which now read four o'clock.
"Will Amara be able to battle?"
Michelle laughed slightly. "Amara would still battle even if she was dying. She can be quite hardheaded when it comes to beyblading."
"I think the same could be said for you," Rei stated off-handedly.
Michelle glared at him but her gaze held no malice. "That was low…"
Rei hid his mouth with his hand to hide his amusement.
Michelle stood up and stretched. "Well I should at least try and get a little more sleep in." She said with a yawn.
Rei stood up as well. "I think I might do the same. Well, goodnight I guess," He said with a shrug since it probably wasn't the right thing to say since it was already morning.
"G'night to you too," Michelle said with an incline of her head and went back to her room.
A/N: Another part finished… whew… Anyway, I feel like I should give you some background info on Ari and Reno. Ari, despite her sweet sounding self and the nickname of Angel Wing, she's really not all that sweet. Put it this way, if you find some way to piss her off, she call forth her archangel Ark kick your ass and send you straight to Hell, where Reno resides. Reno will then kick your ass for even thinking about hurting Ari in any way. A lose-lose situation. And if you can't tell the two of them are a couple you should say. They're only minor characters but to me they're so much fun to write.
Fushicho Hime: Both of our senses are correct. Heh. Yeah Amara and Kai sure want to battle, but don't worry they get it soon. gringrin
Frankie the Spunky One: I'm glad that you're enjoying this and that you think my work is good!
Review, comment, flame, do whatever you like, just let me know what's on your mind relating to my stories, thanks! See you in the next part!
