Silvan Arrow: Um…wow…it's been forever since I updated! I'm so sorry for taking so long, and I really don't have any excuses other than classes have been absolutely brutal lately.
Eri: Yeah yeah…that's what you say every time.
Silvan Arrow: Hey, YOU try to be a sophomore biology major in college! It's not easy!
Hina: She does have a point.
Silvan Arrow: Thank you, Hina! And in return for making me feel better, you get to do the disclaimer!
Hina: I'm never sticking up for you again… Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs, one of which unfortunately happens to be me.
Silvan Arrow: Wow, feel the love. While I overhaul Hina's personality, here's the next chapter! This one's dedicated to developing the romance between the characters, so there's plenty of humor. Enjoy! Don't forget to review!
Chapter 9: Pounding Hearts and Heated Emotions
"Okay, ladies, this is going to be our toughest challenge yet, and it's going to take all of our combined skill and cunning if we are to be successful," Eri declared, looking each of her teammates in the eye. Her stern, focused expression easily conveyed the seriousness of the matter at hand. "However, I have the utmost faith in your abilities to accomplish this task." Sonja, Nakia, and Hina each replied with a serious nod.
"Ladies, what is our destination?" Eri shouted like a drill sergeant.
"The dress store!" her team mates shouted in unison.
"And what is our objective?"
"Find dresses for Enrique's party!"
"Exactly! And what will we do at the party?"
"KILL ENRIQUE!!!!"
"Then go forth and conquer! Charge!" Eri exclaimed, punching a fist in the air.
"CHARGE!!!!"
Two hours later…
"Agh! This is so hard! I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for!" Nakia wailed in frustration.
It had taken the Temporal Knights the better part of the morning to find a dress shop that wasn't crawling with the rest of the BBA girls. But now came the hard part: actually finding a dress.
"Oh Nakiaaaaa…I think this would look great on you!" Hina exclaimed teasingly, pulling out a frilly, pink dress from the rack.
Nakia's eyes widened in horror. "If you know what's good for you, you'll put away that…thing…before I rip it apart…"
While Nakia and Hina bickered on one end of the dress rack, Sonja kept muttering curses under her breath in Greek as her search continued in vain. "This isn't getting me anywhere. I don't even know what size I am." On the other side of the store, Eri was looking through another rack of dresses. "Hey, Eri, you having any luck over there?" she called.
Eri didn't answer but simply kept rummaging through the dresses, an emotionless stare on her face. Finally, after about five minutes of silence, she spoke in a murderous tone, "The next time I see Enrique, I'm going to wring his neck…slowly and painfully…" Sonja cringed. Enrique was going to be lucky to leave Italy with all four limbs still attached to his body. Finally Eri's temper snapped. "HINA!!!"
Hina's head snapped to attention. "Yeah?"
"In case you haven't noticed, the rest of us are failing miserably! Make with the girly stuff and help us!" Eri shouted.
"I would have sooner, but you guys had me afraid for my life last night!"
"You'll have one foot in the grave if you don't help us!"
Two hours later, after many curses, death threats, and thoughts of building a bonfire to burn all the rejected dresses, the Temporal Knights all managed to find ones that they at least tolerated. Eri got a strapless forest green dress to bring out her eyes with black sequins stitched into the bodice and slits ending a few inches above the knee. Sonja's was cobalt blue with spaghetti straps and silver embroidery. The slits came up to her knees. Nakia's dress was bluish-violet with thin straps that criss-crossed in the back and slits just below the knees. Hina chose a light blue halter top dress with white sequins, and, being the most feminine of the four, had slits up to her mid-thigh.
However, if they thought finding dresses was tough, the next task would put all their training and skills to the ultimate test.
Shoes.
"Whoa…I can't walk in these!" Nakia stammered as she tried to walk in a pair of heels, arms flailing wildly in a futile attempt to keep her balance. "I think I'm gonna…WAH!" CRASH! The poor girl ended up a sprawled mass on the floor, the skirt of the dress tangled haphazardly in her legs. Sonja, being the nice one, rushed to help untangle her.
"You'd better stick with flats, just to be safe," Hina advised as she tested out a pair of 2 ½ inch heels. Her team mates looked on in awe as she walked in them as easily as if she were wearing tennis shoes. "What?" she asked as she saw their shocked expressions. "I swear you guys are pathetic."
Next, Eri tried on a pair of 2 inch heels. "Sheesh, these things make me taller than half the guys," she muttered. She hadn't even taken a step, and already she could feel her ankles buckling inward.
"Try kitten heels. They'll give the same effect without the extra height," Hina said.
"Maaaaan…I'm gonna look like a midget if you all wear heels," Nakia pouted, now safely seated in a chair after her little mishap.
"No offense, but you've always been the midget on the team," Sonja remarked.
"If I weren't still wearing these horrendous shoes, I'd come after you right now," Nakia grumbled.
In the end, Eri took Hina's advice and settled on some black kitten heels. Sonja got silver 1-inch heels, Nakia got brown flats, and Hina got white 2 ½ inch heels.
Later that evening…
"Nakia, you're going in there whether you like it or not. You're not going to be the only one who gets off easy," Sonja said in a dangerous undertone. Normally, she did not get annoyed easily, but tonight she was on her last nerve.
Nakia whimpered quietly and slowly got out of the car, looking more dejected than a prisoner on death row.
"I still don't get why you guys are so against this," Hina said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, it's a party for crying out loud. You're supposed to have fun. And think of it this way: there's way more guys than girls. The gender ratio is definitely in our favor."
"Any guy that even looks at me the wrong way is going to get a black eye," Eri said crossly.
Hina smirked and countered, "You're just saying that because you want to be available for Tal—" She immediately shut her trap at the death glare she got from her team captain. "Um…yeah, I'm gonna stop talking now."
"Good," Eri replied. "Come on, let's get this over with." Eri was exceedingly thankful it was dark outside so no one could see the blush rising in her cheeks at the mention of Tala's name. 'Not a word, Pyrix,' Eri warned, sensing that her bit beast was about to go off on another teasing spree.
You always ruin my fun, Pyrix said with a dejected sigh.
Enrique looked up from a check list for the night's events upon hearing the door to the ballroom, which had been decorated for tonight's party, open with a slight creak. The Temporal Knights were the last team to arrive, save Omega Platoon. He turned to his butler Winston and asked, "By the way, do you know if Omega Platoon is coming?"
"I received a message from them earlier today that they would not be attending due to…personal matters," Winston replied.
"WHAT?! But that leaves just ten girls!" Enrique exclaimed, getting more and more bummed by the minute at the gender ratio, which was certainly not in his favor.
"I'm…terribly sorry, Master Enrique, but there's nothing more I can do," Winston apologized. He resisted the urge to sigh. How did he get stuch with a master that insisted on flirting with every girl he saw?
Meanwhile, the Blitzkrieg Boys were standing off to the side, keeping a safe distance from the food tables, where Tyson and Daichi were currently stuffing their faces while Hilary and Kenny tried and failed to curb their teammates' unhealthy eating habits. "Man, this party sucks," Ian grumbled in Russian so Enrique couldn't overhear. "There's nothing to do, and this suit itches like crazy!"
"Heh, if you want something to do, you could always try dancing," Bryan said with a smirk, nodding towards the dance floor. Enrique had hired a small live orchestra that played music for waltzes and foxtrots. Oliver, Robert, and Johnny were waltzing with Julia, Mariah, and Mathilda, Oliver because he enjoyed the dancing, Robert because he felt obligated, and Johnny probably because otherwise Robert would launch into one of his "uncouth" speeches. Enrique, meanwhile, was flirting with Hilary, earning a jealous stare from Tyson, who had taken his eyes off his food to notice her distress. The song ended, and Robert escorted Mariah back to her team. Rei wrapped an arm around her waist, subtly warning Enrique to stay away.
"Bleh, dancing's for wimps," Ian stated.
'I wouldn't be so sure about that,' Kai thought, already concocting a plan in his head. He had noticed how Tala kept sneaking glances at the Temporal Knights, most notably their captain, and wasn't about to let his observations go to waste.
"I know that look in your eyes, Kai." Said Russian turned to Tala, who was giving him a guarded expression. "What are you planning?"
"Hn, nothing," he replied quietly, knowing Tala didn't buy it. "I was just thinking how to liven up this party."
"Oh really? And what, pray tell, do you have in mind?" Tala inquired, raising one eyebrow suspiciously.
"Well, for starters, you're going to ask Eri to dance."
"WHAT?" Tala asked in a raised voice, drawing the attention of anyone that was standing nearby.
Kai switched to Russian so keep his words private. "Hn, don't play dumb. I've noticed how you keep glancing at her. I'm actually surprised no one else has noticed." Kai ignored Tala's nasty glare and glanced behind him at the team in four girls were talking quietly amongst themselves in the corner, completely oblivious to the party going on around them. The band was taking a short break, so the sound system was playing a faster-paced song. The other BBA girls were dancing in a group, laughing and enjoying themselves, much to the amusement of their male teammates.
"And what if I say no?" Tala asked, keeping his voice low this time.
A devilish smirk played across Kai's face. "Then I'll be forced to tell everyone about that time at the bar in Switzerland last fall."
Tala's eyes widened. "You wouldn't…"
"Try me."
Tala growled low in his throat. His team had been in Switzerland competing in a tournament, and they had gone to a bar one evening to celebrate their victory. Kai had bribed the bartender into spiking Tala's drink, which made for a rather entertaining night, considering Tala had absolutely no alcohol tolerance. The last thing the redhead remembered of that night was passing out on the karaoke stage after singing to "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. Spencer had been forced to carry him back to the hotel. "Fine, I'll do it," he relented.
'That was too easy,' Kai thought.
I never knew you were one for plotting and scheming, Master Kai, Dranzer remarked.
'Hn, Ian must be rubbing off on me,' Kai replied. 'Besides, I have to do something to pass the time for three more hours.'
As for Bryan and Spencer, they had other things to worry about, like how they were going to kill a certain Italian beyblader. Enrique was currently hitting on Nakia and Hina, and the two girls kept spewing various threats of bodily harm and death glares in a vain attempt to get him to leave.
"You've got that murderous look in your eyes again, Bryan," Spencer remarked. Bryan just grunted in response. "How about this: I hold him down, and you throttle him?"
Bryan gave Spencer a smirk that would send anyone else running for the nearest nuclear fall-out shelter. "I like the way you think."
Hina snickered to herself. As soon as Eri had seen Enrique flirting with her and Nakia, Sonja had been forced to physically restrain her from beating the poor boy to a pulp. She hadn't missed seeing the angry looks Bryan was throwing his way either. 'My my, looks like another of the Blitzkrieg Boys has a little crush.'
"Dare I ask what's so funny?"
Hina turned to see Spencer standing beside her. "Hehe…oh nothing…" she replied cryptically.
"Fine, keep your secrets" Spencer replied teasingly. He stuck by Hina's side for the rest of the night to make sure Enrique didn't try anything else. In the meantime, he took the opportunity to talk with her in more detail and was pleased to discover that she could be perfectly sociable and friendly in spite of her team's anti-social reputation. In fact, she was really quite charming. Spencer found her feminine, refined personality to be very appealing.
Looks like someone's feeling overprotective, Seaborg teased. Spencer ignored his bit beast's comment.
Meanwhile, Nakia was standing by the food table, willing her heart rate to go back to normal after her little run-in with Enrique. It had taken all of her mental willpower to keep Uskadu in check, and right now the panther was fuming in a corner of her mind.
"You okay?"
Nakia turned to see Bryan standing behind her. However, she thought she caught the faintest glimpse of worry in his normally emotionless eyes. "Yep, no need to worry about me!" Nakia chirped, putting up a cheerful front.
"Good. Let me know if I need to beat him up. I've been looking for an excuse to work off some frustration," Bryan replied with a smirk.
'Whoa, that's gotta be the longest I've ever heard him talk in one breath,' Nakia mused.
'Might as well get the humiliation over with,' Tala thought grimly as he made his way across the ballroom to where Eri was. Much to his surprise, she had been watching the other dancers rather intently, paying careful attention to the footwork. 'I wonder why.' In any case, he could use that to his advantage.
Eri was so absorbed in watching the others dancing that she didn't notice Tala standing beside her. "I take it you're interested in ballroom dancing?"
'I didn't even notice his approach. He's better than I thought,' Eri mused thoughtfully as she turned to regard her visitor. Tala was wearing black slacks with a light blue dress shirt and a tie that was just starting to come loose. Needless to say, he looked downright sexy. 'Not bad. He cleans up pretty well.' However, she managed to keep up her calm façade and replied, "You could say that."
To her utter surprise, Tala extended his hand and asked, "Care to give it a try?"
Eri raised an eyebrow. "You dance?"
"There are plenty of things that you don't know about me," Tala replied cryptically. "So what's it gonna be?"
Eri thought for a moment. "Well, for starters, I'd like to see if you can back up your claim," she finally said, taking his hand.
Eri struggled to hold down her blush as she felt the eyes of just about everyone in the BBA look on in shock as she and Tala took the dance floor. 'Hehe…bet they didn't see this one coming. I know I didn't.' Tala took her right hand in his left and placed his left hand on her shoulder blade, taking up a proper waltz frame. As they started to dance, Tala was surprised to find that she followed his lead perfectly without missing any of the steps.
"Looks like you've been keeping secrets too," Tala remarked with a smirk. "You knew how to dance all along."
"Heh…looks like you caught me," Eri replied. "I took lessons for several years." It was true. After settling down in Russia, Eri took up dancing originally to help with her balance, which she incorporated into her training, but she enjoyed it so much that she continued dancing for a hobby. Tala led her in a progressive step down the floor and gave her a twirl. Eri couldn't help but smile. She hadn't had this much fun dancing in a long time.
'She's cute when she smiles,' Tala thought.
"Okay, it's my turn to ask a question," Eri started, getting Tala's attention. "Where in the world did you learn to dance?"
Tala smirked again. "Sorry, but that's my little secret." He suddenly had to switch directions in order to avoid Garland, who was dancing with Ming-Ming, and Eri caught the briefest of glares passed between the two males.
'I think I know at least why he decided to learn,' Eri mused. However, she noticed that, in the process of avoiding Garland, Tala had pulled her a little closer. "Um…Tala? Isn't this a little close for a waltz?"
Tala looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe, but I don't see you complaining," he remarked, pulling her even closer so that her hip brushed lightly against his. Eri caught a glimpse of her reflection in his clear, blue eyes, and for a moment, she felt as if she could let lost in them.
'Gah! Snap out of it, Eri!' she told herself frantically, trying not to blush yet again. Luckily, Eri was saved from further embarrassment because the song ended. "T-thanks," Eri stammered.
"Not a problem," Tala replied, giving her a genuine smile this time before offering his arm and escorting her off the dance floor. He returned to his teammates and noticed that Kai bore a very smug expression.
"I'm impressed, Tala," Kai remarked. "That was more than I expected from you."
"Hahaha…Tala's a regular twinkle-toes," Ian teased.
"You just earned yourself an extra hour of training tomorrow," Tala retorted, earning a groan from the shorter blader.
'Finally…I thought Tyson and Daichi would never leave the food tables,' Sonja thought, hoping no one had heard her stomach, which had been growling non-stop for the past half-hour. She filled a plate with food and headed over to the punch bowl. Now came the tricky part: pouring a glass with one hand while juggling the full plate.
"Here, let me get that for you." Sonja turned to regard Oliver, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "It would be a shame for you to spill punch on such a beautiful dress," he said while pouring a glass of punch. Sonja struggled not to blush at the compliment.
'He has such a nice smile,' Sonja thought. 'I never noticed before.'
"Oh, where are my manners? I should have introduced myself first. I'm Oliver," he said, extending his free hand.
"I'm Sonja. It's nice to meet you," she replied.
"Likewise," Oliver said, flashing a charming smile. "Where are you sitting? I'll carry your punch."
"Um…just over here," Sonja replied somewhat uncertainly. Oliver's display of chivalry had certainly caught her off guard, but she found it hard to complain. After spending years under the rule of a sadistic madman, running into a member of the opposite sex that actually treated her kindly and with respect was a welcome change of pace.
Kai looked up from talking with Rei…well, more like listening to Rei talk and offering a couple of words every now and then…to see Oliver accompanying Sonja to a table and sitting down with her. Worse than that, she was smiling and laughing, as if she was enjoying talking with him.
Oh my…the woman troubles are escalating… Dranzer remarked worriedly.
Thanks to her mental link with Kai, Dranzer could literally see red as soon as Oliver offered Sonja his hand and led her out to the dance floor. Master Kai? Are you okay?
'…I'm fine.' Of course, Dranzer didn't buy that for a minute, but she chose to keep her opinions to herself.
Later that night at midnight…
"FREEEEDOM!!!!!" Nakia cheered as she skipped through the parking lot back to her team's car.
"Oh please, you sound like you just got out of jail," Hina teased.
"You sound unusually cheerful, considering you got hit on by Enrique," Nakia retorted.
'Heh…I kinda have Spencer to thank for that one,' Hina mused privately.
Nakia turned around to face Eri and Sonja, who were bringing up the rear. "So…I noticed you two seemed to be hitting it off with Tala and Oliver," she began, a mischievous glint in her eyes. At the mention of the two males' names, Eri and Sonja's heads snapped to attention, and a faint blush started creeping up their cheeks. "Ooooh…you've got it bad."
'I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I, Pyrix?' Eri asked.
I'm afraid not, she replied dryly. But I've just got to know one thing.
'What?'
Is he a good dancer?
Eri barely managed to keep from doing an anime fall. 'Greeeeeat…as if things couldn't get any worse.'
End chapter 9
Author's Note: Hehehehe…that chapter was so much fun to write! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Once again, I'm really sorry it took so long to update. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Reviews keep me motivated to write!
