AN- Okay, massive apologies for the delay in posting, but RL is really trying to kill me with all these stupid exams right now. Updates might be far and few for the next couple of weeks. And apologies for the crap ending to this chapter and title for this chapter, my muse has decided to bugger off, again. In the meantime, enjoy and please review.
Disclaimer- see first chapter.
Snow Secrets
Fighting The Darkness
Rena and Lea skidded to a halt as the passage split into two corridors. Tamara almost ran into them but managed to grab a hold of a tapestry at the last minute. She breathed a sigh as she noted that that was one apocalypse avoided. And now for the other one.
"Which way?" Lea asked, turning to look at Rena.
"How am I supposed to know?" Rena told her, her voice rising and bouncing around the corridors.
"Well, where the hell is Paine!" Lea tried, wazing her arms anxiously.
"I don't know!" Rena yelled back.
"Hey, hey, hey," Tamara said, stepping between them before they started a catfight. "Break it up." Even though she would gladly pay to watch. Lea tried to reach behind Tamara to slap Rena but Tamara's hand was much quicker. She grabbed Lea's wrist and then grabbed Rena's when she tried the same thing. "That's it! Break it up right now!"
"What!" The two shouted in unison, both centimetres from Tamara's face.
"Now is not the time for fighting." Tamara said calmly, even though her eardrums were killing her. Slowly, she let them both go and pushed them back a few steps. Once satisfied they wouldn't attempt to kill each other, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her beyblade. Mindful of the sharpened attck ring, she tossed it up into the air and let the dark brown and red colours catch the light before catching it again and holding it up for the other two to see. "Let's just see what Amethyst has to say, eh?"
Lea rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her breasts. "Fine."
"Whatever." Rena spat, sending a glare back the way they had come.
The howling stopped.
"Er.. Tammy, I think you better hurry up," Rena whispered as a cold breeze drifted towards them. All of them turned to where the corridor split, but couldn't see or hear anything. There was only silence, and darkness, the only light source came from a torch next to Lea's head.
"Okay, Amethyst," Tamara muttered and placed her beyblade on the floor where the corridor parted. She managed to smile down at the nine-tailed fox bitbeast. "Let's do it."
Keeping her hand over the blade, Tamara began to mutter something under her breath that the other two couldn't hear. Her beyblade began to spin, faster and faster and Tamara summoned her bitbeast. "Amethyst!"
With a joyful bark, the fox leapt out of its seal and the other two jumped back to avoid the deadly tails. One touch and they knew that they could have been set on fire or thrown several feet threw the air.
"Amethyst!" Tamara's voice caught the fox's attention, and it turned to face her. Slowly, Tamara stood until she was face to face with her bitbeast and she raised her hands up to cradle it's face. The glowing red eyes bored into her own as she muttered. "Let me see what you see. Let me hear what you hear. And let me feel what you feel."
The fox bowed its head and the tails came up to wrap around Tamara's legs, arms and head. She closed her eyes as the fire enveloped them both, and when she opened them again, her eyes were completely red and her pupils were slits of black, just like the fox's. She could feel the vibrations of footsteps from all over the castle, could hear the sound of a door creaking shut far away. She could even hear the sound of snowflakes gently tapping the windows.
Slowly, she turned her head and looked left, but couldn't see anything except for a line of armour and paintings that lead off into another passageway. When she looked right, the first thing she saw was a suit of armour that had been destroyed.
"This way!" She said to the her friends, running down the corridor to the right. The other two followed and Rena frowned at the broken as she passed it.
"Let me guess…"
"Yeah, I went a little O.T.T. but…" Tamara trailed off when she caught the scent of blood on the air. She sniffed and turned round, sniffing again. The other two paused as well. Sensing nothing though, she headed further down the passage and rounded a corner. "Over here."
Ray and Max turned to look at the three of them as the Rena and Lea joined Tamara at the corner. Kenny was propped up against the wall, apparently unconscious. He was bleeding from a scratch on his ankle and his left foot was beginning to swell.
"What's going on?" Rena asked as she crouched beside the two boys.
"A beyblade attacked us," Ray explained, and pointed further down the corridor. "Then that one showed up out of nowhere and started to howl. Tyson and Kai attacked it."
Tamara looked at the corridor. Several suits of armour had been knocked over and the pieces were lying all over the floor. There was a chunk of ceiling missing as well, it had fallen not far from where Ray and Max were huddled. Further on, the dust had been kicked up and swirled in a dark brown and grey cloud. She peered through the dust, pupils narrowed, and managed to catch a glance of Tyson's red jacket and Kai's scarf. Behind them, she saw a glimpse of blue fur through the darkness.
"Sawyer's there." She told the girls, ducking as a piece of tile went flying her way.
"How is he?" Lea asked, as she pushed Max aside and checked on Kenny.
"Injured," Tamara replied, then frowned. "But I can't see much else."
Rena cursed under her breath. "How much injured?"
"Who's Sawyer?" Max asked, confused. The girls turned to look at him before glancing to each other.
"It's Raine's beyblade." Rena replied at last. "After you guys didn't follow us, she decided to send him to look for you – he's good at that – and…" Her eyes widened in realisation. "That means…"
Tamara nodded in agreement, knowing what it was that Rena was thinking.
"That means what?" Ray asked, his gaze going from Rena, to Tammy, to Lea. "What is it?"
Rena stood and looked at each of them in turn. "Lea, take Kenny and get him to some medical supplies. That leg of his looks bad. Ray, Max, you two go with her. Lea, check them out as well, just in case. Tammy and I will catch up in a minute."
Tamara nodded, then frowned. "Great. And what are we gonna do?"
"We are gonna stop this fight." Rena replied, glancing at Lea as she lifted Kenny and began to head off down the passageway. Ray and Max followed after frowning at the girls as Rena continued, "We can't let it go on much longer."
"That er…. might not be necessary." Tamara replied, peering once again, down the dark corridor.
"Why not?"
"FOREST TALYN!"
Kai and Tyson both braced themselves as a powerful wind blasted through the corridor, almost knocking them off their feet. Both Dranzer and Dragoon retreated to defend as a new beyblade appeared.
A crow swooped out of the shadows and attacked both bitbeasts, knocking them down the passageway. Tyson was pushed backwards by the gale and fell onto his back. Kai tried to lean into the wind but the pressure was too much and he ended up being pushed back as well.
Now that the dust had been cleared, Kai looked up and saw Paine standing in from of the new beyblade, the crow resting on his shoulder. Kai felt a shived envelope his whole body at the look on Paine's face. His pink and green eyes were cold and heartless, a glower of intense rage emanating from his whole body. His lips curled back and the crow, sensing it's master's anger, began to rise.
"PAINE!" A shout came from down the passage where the others were. "Stop the damn wind or we'll get blown away!"
The anger on Paine's face vanished in an instant and the wind stopped, the crow fell back onto the teenager's shoulder. Kai fell to his knees, exhausted as Tyson sat up next to him and heaved a sigh of relief.
"That was a bit close," he said with a grin. Kai resisted the urge to strangle him.
Paine carefully reached down and picked up his beyblade and held it up to the crow. In a blaze of green light, the bird disappeared into the blade. Stuffing the blade into his pocket, he headed over to where the blue blade was and gently picked it up.
"Your bit-beast is powerful." Kai remarked. Paine's eyes narrowed at him, but he made no reply and passed them to join the two girls.
"Where're the others?" he asked them.
"Lea took Kenny back to the kitchen to get him patched up," Rena replied as she brushed dirt off of her trousers. "Ray and Max went with her.
"You spoiled all of our fun," Tamara pouted. "I wanted to kick the crap out of them."
Paine chuckled at his friend. "You'll have to wait until next time."
"Maybe then we can use our full powers!" Kai called to them.
Paine froze and turned around very slowly to glare at Kai with stone cold eyes. "What. Did. You. Say?"
"We'll use our full powers the next time, you freak!" Tyson yelled, grinning at Paine.
"What did you call me, you insect!" Paine shouted back, clearly offended.
"I called you a freak." Tyson stated calmly, as though he was talking about the weather.
"You think you're strong, do you?" Paine replied coldly. "Well, you are not even half as strong as I am."
"Wanna bet?" Tyson growled, shaking his fists in anger.
Rena rolled her eyes at their childish antics and stepped between them when they moved closer to each other. "Okay, boys…"
"Puh-leeze. You are so not that strong!"
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"LADIES! Can we not have a catfight in the middle of the corridor!"
Both boys quietened down for a moment before they both pointed fingers at each other. "He started it!"
Tamara wisely hid behind Kai as Rena snapped. The two watched as Rena's hands flew out, one grabbed Paine by the ear, the other latched onto one of Tyson's ears and she proceded to drag them both along the passageway towards the kitchen, much to their dismay.
Shrugging at Kai, Tamara followed, keeping a wise distance. With a glance at the carnage that the boys had created, Kai followed her, determined this time not to get lost.
Tbc…
