DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THIS IS JUST A FAN-MADE STORY!

The following morning, the train arrived in Moscow and once again, Yu's face was fixed to the icy window pane which had become hazy with condensation. He eagerly stared at the tall, withered trees that lined the railway, each one wearing a wig of white frost as delicate snowflakes floated onto the ground from the silvery sky.

"It's beautiful, huh?" Tsubasa said as he went to stand next to Yu.

"It awwweeesooooome! It's soooo cooool!" the boy exclaimed as he giggled excitedly at the enchanting view.

"Let's go guys, train's about to arrive!" Madoka called out cheerfully, gathering her suitcase and backpack.

Together, the six friends made their way down the train's staircase and out into the freezing air, the wind biting at their cheeks.

"Hey Kendra!" said Masamune.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Now you've got the perfect excuse to ask Tsubasa for a hug, huh? Hehehe," he giggled as she clobbered him on the head, blushing crazily.

"Pardon me," a masculine voice said from behind them. The group turned to see a trio of teens standing behind them, all about their same age, but each particularly distinctive. The one in the middle (who had apparently spoken) was the tallest, with chocolate brown hair in a straight, silky bob. He had a pair of bright amethyst eyes behind neat spectacles, and he wore an orange and white spacesuit. The girl next to him was around Madoka's exact age, with sharp pink pigtails gathered above her head and bright green eyes. She wore a light orange spacesuit with black sleeves, and she appeared to have a very high-and-mighty attitude judging by the way she held herself. The last one was particularly weird. A boy in an enormous white spacesuit complete with a helmet beneath which only his face could be seen, or half of it since his black fringe concealed his eyes.

"Can I help you?" Gingka asked.

"I recognised you, you're Gingka Hagane aren't you?" the brown-haired teen asked.

"That's me!" he answered promptly.

"Ahh, yes, then you must be team Gan Gan Galaxy!" the teen said.

"Yep! That's us alright!" Masamune said happily.

"My name is Alexie, and me and my two friends here make up the Russian team, team Lovushka," the teen explained, gesturing at his mates.

"Wow! So you guys are team Lovushka! That means we'll be facing you tomorrow afternoon!" Madoka said excitedly.

"Er-hem! My name's Lera, an' I'm totally gonna crush you dweebs with my Rock Scorpio tomorrow!" the pink-haired girl said in a snide voice.

"Pleased to meet you too..." Masamune sighed.

"I'm...um...uh-well uh..." the boy in the white spacesuit stammered, pressing the tips of his index fingers together in a nervous manner.

"He's Noagume and he wants to say that he's gonna crush you guys too!" Lera squeaked as Noagume gasped, evidently indicating that that was far from what he wanted to say.

"Geez, no need to be rude y'know," said Madoka.

"Does it matter, nerd girl? I've heard of you, the team's useless one huh? You've never even spun a bey yet you pretend to know more than us bladers! Well I got news for ya, you can stuff up your data 'cause we're kicking you outta the tournament faster than you can put on those nasty glasses, four eyes!" Lera yelled spitefully.

"Ahh! How dare you?" Madoka gasped as Alexie shouted: "Lera! That was entirely uncalled for! Apologise now!"

"As if! Like I'll give her the satisfaction," Lera blew a raspberry at Madoka and spun around, her nose in the air.

"Forgive us, please," Alexie sighed: "Lera takes beyblading very seriously and it can kinda make her turn a bit nasty. My sincerest apologies, I am truly sorry for the rude greeting."

"Aaww it's okay," said Gingka: "It happens."

"Yeah...sure," Madoka murmured, obviously miffed at the array of insults she had received.

"We must leave now, our training awaits. I look forward to our battle tomorrow, and once again, please forgive us," said Alexie.

"We look forward to it as well! Better train hard then fellas! You're gonna need it!" said Masamune.

"I think that's MY line, porcupine-head!" Lera jeered.

"Huh? Hey! You're one to talk pal! You and those pair of radars on your head!" Masamune retorted in annoyance.

"At least we're gonna win tomorrow! You guys'll be licking' dirt!" Lera shouted angrily as Alexie desperately pulled her away.

"Man...what a girl! Such difference from Mei Mei!" Gingka exclaimed.

"I'll say," said Madoka, her lips pursed in frustration.

Once they arrived at their hotel, the friends engaged in their own separate work. Gingka and Masamune went off to practice their beyblading skills for their upcoming match; Madoka stayed in their room downloading data about Team Lovushka (whilst fuming at the lip Lera had previously given her); Kendra stayed with Yu in the outside garden, playing with the boy and occasionally beyblading as well.

And Tsubasa left on his own, walking around the streets of Russia in a long, dark purple coat that Kendra had bought for him back home. He liked it very much, it was comfortable and it kept him warm. But most importantly, it reminded him of her.

Dammit...stupid nightmares, stupid dark side, stupid bad memories! Why can't I ever escape from them? I just don't think I can take much more of this...He thought miserably as he circled around a nearby park, his boots crunching in the snowy ground.

Kendra...I need you, but I'm afraid, afraid that someday I'll hurt you. This dark side scares me...makes me do things I don't want to do. I don't want any of you to get hurt...

Suddenly as he was walking, he heard a strained mew coming from somewhere to his left. It didn't sound too far away, so he decided to follow the sound, his instinct telling him that it was probably a cat in some sort of pain or danger. As he searched around a couple of trees, his keen sight fell on a small ginger tabby, huddled up beneath an thick, upturned tree root that jutted out of the ground. The creature was evidently freezing, and it had probably tried its best to find some shelter.

"Unh, hey there," Tsubasa said gently as he kneeled down before the tiny animal. At the sight of him, the kitten meowed fearfully, but Tsubasa slowly extended his hand towards it and said: "Shhh, it's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm here to help you."

As gently as possible, Tsubasa slowly curled his arms around the trembling kitten and raised it up, bundling it next to his chest. As he softly stroked its tiny head, the kitten closed its blue, beady eyes contentedly and pushed its head against him in a desperate attempt to get warm.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder and a sweet familiar voice said: "Hello, my angel."

He turned around to see Kendra smiling back at him, her cheeks slightly red from the cold. As soon as she caught sight of the kitten wrapped up in his arms, she gasped and said: "Oh my gosh! What a cute, cuddly kitten!"

"I found it freezing underneath that tree so I tried to warm it up a little," Tsubasa explained.

Kendra gushed happily and crept up to him, snuggling against his coat. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed happily as he kissed her softly on her cheek.

"I love you, my princess," he whispered sweetly.

"I love you too darling, I love you," said Kendra. She reached out and tenderly stroked the kitten's fur, relishing its soft touch.

"You like cats, huh?" said Tsubasa.

"Yeah. They're my favourite type of animal," said Kendra: "But I never had one before 'cause mum doesn't want pets in the house."

"I see. Too bad," said Tsubasa, noticing the look of longing on her face as she cooed softly at the curious kitten.

"You're not gonna leave it here, are you?" she asked.

"Of course not. But, to tell you the truth, I really don't know where we can take it. D'you have an idea?" Tsubasa asked.

"Hmmm...Let's say I do..." Kendra grinned mischievously.