Dark: Hey… I'm alive. I'm alive!! 8D Wait… NO, I'M NOT! That way u'll kill me.. Hn. Rite… Well, just… read, yeah. & review

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

Italics' thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

Chapter 10… Winners and Losers

The dark and golden blade landed smoothly on the top of a rock, followed soon by a cobalt blue one. They both met at the middle and circled each other, before separating and keeping their distance off each other.

Tiffany, in her end of the stadium, changed her weight to her other foot. Damn it. He's bloody copying me. Though I don't blame him; he's trying to get data on me, like I'm trying to do. Thing is, he's managing…

A bit off to the side and a few steps back, Iris rolled her eyes discreetly. So hot-headed… If she was patient, Tiff could still pull it out. Should, at least. But water-based attacks were rather nasty coming from Spencer. Hence, she knew they were, they had battled more than once. Not to mention she bases herself on Fire. Which was a problem. In a "hand-to-hand" battle, so to speak, Spence was obviously the strongest, having the oldest bit beast and keeping a clear head while battling. The complete opposite to the blond girl, by the way…

Another strong clash, perfectly synchronized, almost had Ignisithar flying clear out of the bey stadium. Bleh. I didn't want to release you if I could help it, but as it seems… "Ignisithar, arise."

All colours from yellow to bright red on the radiation spectre appeared brilliantly as the mighty unicorn stepped forth, a distant, yet loud neigh sounding. Spencer's obvious advantage, due to the bigger weight of his defence ring and patience, was quickly and efficiently destroyed as the black top pressed forward.

"Rui."

The male Portuguese glanced over at his second in command in an inquisitive way. "Hm?"

The Praeceptrix walked up to his side, lowering her voice. "Don't hold back when it's your turn, 'k? You have the element of surprise on your side. If you waste it, I swear…" her eyes narrowed, "I'll break your shins in so many places you'll never be able to play as a striker in your football team ever again."

A half amused, half scared smile crossed the other's lips, "Err… sure, vice-captain Blanchett. It'll be mine and Zephyrus' pleasure."

"I sure hope so." He was the one having one of the best shots. Tiff was a rather careless choice to be honest. She won't last. Denzel based himself on Wind; Iris knew Ian stank against Bryan, so it was good. And against Bryan himself… well, it would be hard. Harsh. Very… windy, as a matter of fact. But maybe he could do it. Heh, we shall see if you're truly worth it, Mário Rui… We shall see.

True to the black haired girl's analysis, it didn't take much for Ignisithar to fly clear out of the dish. Though the childish pout coming from her so called best friend was rather idiotic. And Tala's smirk made her grit her teeth, although she didn't take it seriously. She knew he was trying to rub it; the fact that his team was stronger. Ah, she knew that, she didn't need him to prove it.

The fact remains: if I make a few well-planned plays, I will still be the one saying check-mate, Wolf. "Who's your second player?"

Bryan took a step forward before Ian had the chance to. "I am."

So they do want to secure their advantage. Iris merely nodded. "Rui's your opponent." But the hand on her arm made her look over at said person.

"He's the one who fought Ray in the World Championship, isn't he?" no fear was in his voice, or resentment, and neither in his eyes. Just a mere question that wanted an answer. At her nod, he simply smiled. "I always did wonder how he did his attack. Guess I'll find out first hand, ne?" just like that, he turned to face the lavender-haired boy waiting.

Rui was rarely afraid. It took a lot more for him to even admit it. Adrenaline, he felt it many times. He loved the feeling of it, rushing through his bloodstream. And it was starting. Somewhere, it started on his chest and hastily covered every muscle till the very tips of his fingers. His mid section contracted in response and his legs, for the nanosecond that passed just before the hormones passed through them, felt numb.

As he reached for his launcher and blade, he couldn't help but crack the knuckles of his left hand. It was a habit of his. If on the field before an important game, he'd lean down, touch the grass and cross himself. But while running, that passed unnoticed. Not here. Tch, I have a reputation to keep…

Both boys readied launchers and beyblades and adjusted their poses while the countdown was quickly made. The tops were released at full speed, landing hard and fast on the stadium.

It was obvious the all-Russian team would go immediately for the kill, to secure their advantage. The blond knew that much and, following his line of thoughts, Falborg invested towards his own top, fast and unforgiving, when he was near the edge of the dish.

But he wouldn't have any of it. Despite his personality being very similar to Tiffany's, when battling, it was not. At all. His head tilted to the side and seconds later, Zephyrus jumped and landed back on the middle of the stadium without a scratch. The lavender coloured blade did a nasty sharp turn, but did not fall either. I didn't think it would either, heh.

Across from him, Bryan lifted an eyebrow discreetly. I'd swear he wouldn't be much different from his team-mate. Guess I underestimated him. A quick lock of eyes and a quirk of female lips, Iris told him silently this latest realization was correct. I won't do it again. "Falborg."

The large, winged bit beast rose, screeching loudly to the heavens above, watching the blond boy carefully. Its feathers ruffled out of reflex. It did not recognize this Holder, but Zephyrus was another thing. A Wind Wolf. This wouldn't be the easiest battle.

:: Should we. ::

A low growl was his answer and the effects of Falborg's attack ceased. It wasn't visible to the naked eye, no. But a barrier had been erected all around him. He did not worry with Shauna and the rest of his team; they had all taken a few steps back. Good. They know how… extravagant I can end up being. A grin crossed his lips, "Sorry, but your Stroblitz ain't gonna work with me. I'm Wind as well, ya know."

Just like that? His opponent frowned fully. I know he bases himself in Wind, but is his bit beast that strong? A larger wave of energy did nothing other than ruin a few tree's canopies. No slits appeared on the blond. Refocusing his stare on the white and blue top's perfect shape, Bryan changed tactics.

Just when Rui was preparing to finally counter attack (while making sure that Shauna had her attention on his own moves), Falborg advanced and hit his attack ring harshly. Mismatching eyes widened as his blade wobbled and slowed down a considerable bit. Said hues locked with the Russian's.

"Your bit beast is stronger than mine, I admit that much. But the way your beyblade is built leaves much to be desired, if you want my honest opinion." Proof to that was the not so small crack on Zephyrus' side. The Portuguese couldn't help but frown at the mention.

"Rui…" Shauna's soft call caused him to look her way even while Falborg kept grinding against Zephyrus' side. She gave him a small smile, "Just be careful, alright? You only have one shot."

I know. It hadn't been in his plans to use this attack. No, a weaker, but equally efficient one would do. But with that kind of damage, he couldn't afford much more time beybattling. And I'm not even sure if I can battle in our next match. "Disenchanted Wind." He kept in mind that he needed to be fully concentrated. He did, keeping his eyes on the glowing silver bit chip of his blade as it slowed down. Rui made it his objective to keep it spinning no matter what happened.

Bryan caught on to his attack a few seconds too late. Nice naming… But it was done now. A smile crossed his lips as Falborg stopped completely long minutes later. "I didn't think that possible. Making the very air disappear. The acceleration is zero. You don't let me spin faster or slower for a moment. And all you need to do-"

"-is wait for you to tire yourself out. Yeah. A proof of endurance." The other grinned in return, albeit tiredly. "Though you're a hard bone to chew, I'll give you that. But since you didn't know what the attack would do, you were at my mercy."

"Guess so." Theyboth retrieved their tops, exchanged looks again and parted ways.

"Tch. Not your style at all, Bryan." On the sidelines, Ian commented, eyebrow lifted.

"Let it go." That curt sentence gave Bryan's possible reply a premature death. Their captain took a step forward, "We're tied, there was no loss. Now, we shall see."

"Indeed, Wolf." Iris took Rui's previous place as well, opting for a relaxed pose. Even if her body was very nearly tingling with the awareness of the imminent battle. And I'm sure it won't be as short as the previous two, heh. Making a show of taking out her launcher and rip cord, then the bit chip held on her necklace, she flashed him a grin, one they usually shared when they were younger.

Much to her pleasure, he lightly grinned back, even if it looked to be a playful, wolfish one. Ah, she knew neither would come out unscathed. But that was just fine for them.

"3!... 2…………… 1!!... Let it RIP!!"

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"What the bloody fuck are you doing?"

Aleera's piercing eyes made her dear sweet sister shut up soon enough, the grip on her wrist still tight and strong, "It's not the time. Not yet."

The younger of the two looked rather sour, but did not complain. On the other hand, she did wonder why they were paired up.

"Shush now. Don't bother. Our task is almost done." The other's voice cut through her mindless muttering though, "Some more time and it will be our turn to act."

"Hn." Marishka ran her tongue over her canines, "We'll have to take her beau, correct?"

"We shall see who goes back and who will attend the finals." They locked stares, "Then, we shall mould the plan given to us accordingly. Any more unnecessary questions, sister?"

She sobered right up, "Non…"

"Excellent. Keep it that way. And ignore the urge to feed off the human's neck while the ritual is not done and over with."

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Tyson and Kironi's battle was, for lack of a better term, boring. And left much to be desired from the so called World Champion. It also ended in a blink of an eye.

"But you took advantage of me!! You did!" Still, the navy haired young teen kept saying it simply wasn't fair.

As her two remaining team-mates snickered among themselves, the Korean girl narrowed her eyes, "Tch. Since you have such a high status worldwide, you should perfectly know that one mustn't, under any circumstances, look away from their beybattle. It's the most basic of all rules."

It had started with the boy's blabber about girls and beyblading, if one was to tell the truth. But according to Ten's personal point of view, it was rather well done when Kironi used her Ice Crystals attack on the younger blader as he turned his head when Chief happened to call him for advice. Ah well… One less combat for us, I guess.

Max changed places with a still sulking Tyson, patting his back as he went while flashing a large, contagious smile towards Forest. The older teen blinked at the sudden motion, but couldn't help smiling back to the joyous boy.

Once the countdown was done and both tops landed on the dirt stadium, Forest sneaked a look over the hyperactive youth. Shame to see part of that happiness dampen and go to waste… But there was nothing she could really do; her team would surely need this victory. We can't be sure if Ten will be able to defeat Kai or not. By what she told us, they're well balanced. Still, better safe than sorry. She had full confidence in her captain (if someone on their team managed to beat the Fire Phoenix, it would surely be her), but fate was a rather odd thing to consider. That was why she preferred to play safe above all. Besides, if we win now, we're in the finals.

She had to be careful, though. Max Tate was a master at defence, no matter how friendly and harmless he might look. But she was no rookie at it either. There were three rules one had to have in mind during beyblattles: if we are stronger, we will most likely win if we hid any weak spots; if we are weaker, we must find the other's own weakness; if we have no clue, we simply have to be creative. And she was very creative; she was creative when she hated, and she was even more creative when she loved. And she loved battling.

Let's go then. A low hit from below did nothing; his defence ring even absorbed the energy she used. Wouldn't do it better. Hmm, what to try next… Her beyblade performed a tight turn, heading straight to the darker green one. The attack rings grinded against one another, not giving in and producing sparks everywhere. 'k, so we're balanced. No amount of brute force will allow me to win. Time to be creative then. One glance at the other beydish told her she was not being analysed, so she could use her attacks with no holding back. But did she really have to?

Sky blue eyes widened, My speed dropped quite a lot. A drifting comment from Dizzy and Kenny's reply only confirmed this. Max turned his attention to his opponent. Her style wasn't like her previous team mate's and she held a strong defence. We're on par. And he needed to be careful. The all-female team was nice and friendly, but strong. If he wasn't careful enough…

He's starting to understand it as well. Smart kid. Even if it wasn't fast enough. Like I said, better safe than sorry. I won't risk anything at this point. And besides, truth to be told… She was in her environment. Forest allowed a smirk to curve her lips upwards as the single word sounded, "Earthquake."

A dark glow shined from her bit chip, gone in the next moment. A familiar trembling beneath her feet was her warning, but instead of faltering, she smiled. It wouldn't hurt her, she knew. No matter how good Max was with his defence, he couldn't fight nature like that. And indeed, it didn't take long for the dark green blade to tumble over the cracks that formed and stop spinning all together.

Tyson honestly looked dumbfounded, while Max merely seemed sad. Even if it didn't take long; after it sunk in fully, he smiled and congratulated her, saying it had been the attack he was expecting the least. The Viscera Nigror were in the finals.

"NO FAIR!!!" A chorus of "Shut up, Tyson!"'s and more colourful versions of the same sentence followed.

"It's a mere formality, I know…" a pale hand reached into a pocket, taking out a navy blue beyblade. Its bit chip gleamed with a bright red colour. Kai smirked lightly, "Nevertheless, I still want that battle."

The female captain smirked back, merely amused, "Certainly. I'd love to." At the same time, they both dropped into their battle stances as Max immediately took his place in between them.

"3!... 2…………… 1!!... Let it RIP!!"

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Lugiohan and Wolborg touched in midair practically as soon as they were launched, descending in a spiral while grinding non-stop against each other's attack rings. If there was any damage, it wasn't seen and neither blader gave anything away.

No, no, they wouldn't. They wouldn't call forth their bit beasts. That would just be too fast and over in an instant. This… this would be decided by endurance, well-timed attacks and strong defences. Just like it had been when they were younger, during the first few years when they could not control them well enough to afford releasing them.

With a small movement of her chin, Iris was determined in not losing neither energy nor time as she urged the black top into an attack. But a smirk on Tala's part kept her on edge in the next nanosecond. That's never a good sign… At the last moment, Wolborg fell to the ground, using the momentum the spinning on his side offered to get just behind her. The grey blade righted itself and charged in, increasing the black's speed even more, right towards the direction of the edge. "Net!"

The black beyblade's chip glowed with a faint white light for a brief instance, before it abruptly changed direction, back to the safety of the centre of the stadium.

In response, Tala furrowed his eyebrows deeply, strong arms crossing over his chest, "Che. I thought we had agreed not to use our bit beasts." His own bit chip gleamed to mirror his mood.

"Instinct. Bad habits die hard, you know me, Yuriy." She grinned his way nevertheless. "I'll make it up to you." Lugiohan increased her speed in the blink of an eye, keeping her distance from the other blade, but staying close enough that, if Wolborg tried to escape, they'd collide. With just the adjustment of the angle within the close circle, a metallic screeching noise was heard and her opponent now held a nasty gash all along the weight disk. Her top widened the circle, now using the very edge of the dish as the other tried to regain the balance in vain.

One of Iris's corners of her mouth quirked up. A jagged line along your weight disk, the one that gives you your balance, is the worst you could hope for, Wolf. And he knew it, if the glare thrown at her was any sign of it.

If I slow down any more, it's over. So, he did the only thing he could. He increased his speed as bright eyes looked around for something to use against the girl.

But she was having none of it. Her top advanced once more, hitting Wolborg yet again and causing him to spin a bit out of control for a moment. But that also put her vulnerable in a certain way.

Tala smirked to himself. Heh. It was risky, but if he let her keep doing her moves and stand by due to the damage inflicted on his blade, he'd surely lose anyways. He waited as Lugiohan delivered a few more blows, scrutinizing every little movement and turn. Right there. Right now.

Wolborg's attack ring hit the base of the black blade in one smooth move, easily sending it flying into the air. Without her bit beast, her strength isn't that much of a problem. Her energy must be low.

"So gullible, Yuriy." In half surprise, he glanced her way, catching sight of her smirk that had been born the moment he started paying close attention to her moves. "How come you got so strong in the first place, I'll never know."

Although, Lugiohan did not fall up straight and spinning full force. Quite the contrary, Tala's own attack seemed to have done what it was meant to do in the first place.

Thing is, that last movement took away quite a bit of energy out of the red head. And he had been slowing down before and used his lasting energy to keep on spinning.

Result? It would now take a lot of patience to see who would be the one giving in first when it came to endurance. They both strived to specialize on that area after all. And both tops kept spinning. Saving their energy.

And spinning.

And spinning some more.

And Rui was honestly bored out of his mind as he imagined himself poking both beyblades with a stick just for the heck of it. Zephyrus' own growl at such an atrocity made him snicker silently to himself. And that was when he heard it.

Better saying, didn't. There was something missing. The spinning. He glanced over at the stadium, realizing both blades had stopped and were now resting against each other. Meh!! I didn't get to see who won after all this time!

Iris wriggled her nose somewhat childishly, eyebrows furrowed. "Tch. I didn't think it would end like that."

"Oh? Thought I'd be an idiot and send myself out of the stadium?" her opponent lifted an incredulous eyebrow, throwing back Lugiohan at her and pocketing his own blade. "Still, I admit it. You're an excellent training partner, Blachett."

A satisfied smirk made its way to her lips and her right hand covered the area where her heart was, "I'm touched, honestly. Anything else to say, Wolf?"

"Da." The corner of his mouth went up, "Congratulations for winning."

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Deathscythe had a slightly bigger diameter than Dranzer. Their weight was probably similar, but that part, even if not overly noticeable, was fact. And according to a few Physics's laws, that little detail will cause her to land after the navy blue top. It also allowed her to throw the first attack.

The difference of landing was not much. Scarce fractions of a second, but that would be enough. It allowed her the time she needed to make her blade land right on top of the other.

What she wasn't expecting was that both beyblades spun out of control. Crap, I always forget that since I'm used to train with Forest… A fond memory found its way to the surface, reminding her how exactly had she learned that basic, easily discarded lesson.

««Flashback»»
The black and silver blade toppled over, coming to a stop. Of course, the glaring of its seven year old owner would not make it restart spinning. "Ack, it works with Ian!!"

The young red head in front of her immediately lost his smug look, downright pouting. If he could, Tala would be bristling, "Are you comparing me to that midget?!"

"Why didn't it work?" but Ten was now confused, noticeable by the biting of her lower lip. "It should have!"

Her training partner sighed in return. "You forget the simplest things, don't you?" he pointed her way. "Deathscythe has left spin." Then his. "Wolborg has right. And Ian has left. It's normal that you lose control every time you use that move on me. It's the exact contrary of your gear, so you can never know how the beyblades will react. Better to only use it on people who also have left spin, you know."

The confusion was cleared. The little girl scratched her head. "Meh… Guess you're right. For once."

"Yeah- Oye!!"
««End flashback»»

At her order, the black blade landed on the secure ground of the makeshift dish, regaining its balance, slower than its opponent.

"I thought you wouldn't make that mistake when you landed." Kai lifted an eyebrow, an amused glint in his eyes. "All the better for me, I guess."

Both Russians ignored the confused expressions of the rest of the Bladebreakers as both tops seemed to vanish before their eyes. A short game of cat and mouse started, each taking turns and reappearing when those changed.

They would forfeit the need to see which one of them was strongest. They were both raised at the Abbey, they were both strong and it would take an awfully large sum of energy to figure that out. Which would be a waste. Better to just be direct and get on with it.

"Deathscythe."

"Dranzer."

Both bit beasts rose, judging one another silently. Maybe it would be their last move. Or maybe, it would only be the first out of many attacks. But it didn't matter.

Neither needed to speak for said attacks to be launched. Without any hesitation. No procrastination, no nothing. Neither considered the other a close friend, or just a simple acquaintance. But they would not hold back due to their mutual respect.

Their trademark attacks clashed and mingled together in a wide melting of bright reds and darker flashes of colour, causing the remaining bladers watching to cover their eyes. Once it faded, all orbs were back on the match.

Eh? Kironi lifted an eyebrow, glancing sideways to the other captain. So it's not only talk, I see. Good to know.

Both tops seemed not to have suffered a scratch. Seemed. If one cared to look closely, a few nicks and cracks were seen, but their speed was barely affected. Barely, but it didn't mean it wasn't.

Both attacks were indeed repeated a fair amount of times, most with the very same result. During the last one, all breathing stopped, all action was paused. Even a certain spinning.

"Well, that was… disappointing."

Ten sent a look over to the Korean girl, clearly saying "Thanks a lot". "I'd like to see you do better, oh great one."

"Tch!"

Not even glancing back, her pale fingers wrapped around the familiar metal of the black top once it was thrown back her way. She finally turned around, a serene smile on her lips, "Thanks for the match. I hope it was up to your liking."

"You were worth the energy." The bluenette climbed back up from the stadium, blade back in its rightful place in his pocket. "The proof of that was our draw. Good luck for the finals."

"I guess." She winked in return, "Thanks."

"You done?" Rui crossed the several feet that separated both stadiums, walking up to them.

"Yeah." Forest gave him a shallow wave as he approached. "We won. What about your team?"

The blond male gave her a dazzling smile, mismatching eyes glinting. Ignoring the girl's blush (and not noticing Shauna's partial glare), he nodded. "We're in the finals. Guess we'll be opponents, ne."

"Thing is…" the Korean girl approached them both. "Are we meant to battle here too, somewhere else..? We weren't given any directions about this part, ne Ten?"

"True." Violet eyes ran over the letter given to all teams, finding no information still. "So what should we-"

Axel's tall, lithe form crouching on the ground after letting himself fall off of one of the nearest trees startled them all. Eyes perfectly blank, he wriggled the envelope between his index and middle fingers. "It was up in the trees."

There were no words this time. There was just a map, the logo of BBA, a copy of Brazil's flag and a last good luck, written by hand, by their host possibly. But paying more attention, the sentence "The two defeated teams are to make their way back by contacting the Organization in the nearest communicator." was clearly there as well.

"Bleh, we won't be able to watch the finals!?"

"For once, I'll have to agree with Tyson." Ray wrinkled his nose slightly, "We should be able to watch."

"Rules are rules though. Don't know if they're actually watching us, but it's better if we do as they say." A collective nod was given afterwards.

"Well…" Iris smiled at both the defeated teams, eyes lingering on a pair of mahogany depths. "Guess this is a short-term good bye that will last for a couple of hours."

"Yeah, I'll be bashing and mocking you in no time once you're back and defeated." A thumbs up and Ian grinned up at her. Like usual, she would not be hearing a normal "Good luck." from the midget.

"Sure thing." She turned to the direction the map had pointed before, the uneven path that was currently being hidden from view by her captain, since he wasn't really see-through.

"Let's get going, then!"

The trip wasn't too long. They had reached their destination in roughly two hours. This time, the clearing was rather wide and the dish was a real, dark metallic one, even if oval-shaped. It was rather big too, perfect if one battle got a bit out of hand. Which was probable.

"'k, 'k, 'k…" Tiffany looked around the place, slid down the dish for the heck of it and climbed it back up again, standing on the other side. She grinned. "Who'll be battling?"

In perfect unison, Iris and Ten stepped forward, both locking eyes. "Ack, we both battled a while ago, but I'm ready to-"

"No, you're not. Lugiohan's damaged. Shauna will fight Forest and Tiff will face Kironi. As for me…" For the second time in the same day, all eyes were set on the dark haired, dark eyed captain, who seemed to be trying to lock eyes with the other remaining captain and failing. "Let's battle first, shall we, Ten?"

His blade was leisurely taken out, thrown a few inches up in the air, then caught by nimble fingers. For some reason, her violet hues followed the movement with apprehension. Something is of… Ten also took out Deathscythe out of resignation. Bloody hell, it wasn't supposed to be this way! She would battle Iris and the latter would not be forbidden to do so by her own idiot excuse of a freaking team captain.

:: Hush, mistress. :: she found the creases growing on her forehead start to relax as her bit beast's voice soothed her. :: It will be fine. As long as you still trust me to fight beside you. ::

Always.

Reluctantly (she also couldn't help but notice an almost pleased glint in Axel's dark orbs among his expressionless mask), she fell into a comfortable stance, both legs slightly apart and tendons tensed, waiting for Shauna to begin the countdown. One more look into the now slightly intimidating eyes of her opponent, the "Let it rip!" sounded far too fast and too soon and in the next instant, both beyblades touched the field, made the first contact and released a harsh, raw wave of energy that even caused the spiky, unruly endings of her hair to tousle.

This is bad…

Ten only noticed she was actually shaking when she looked away from the (seemingly one sided) battle and at her own hands. How could it have reached such a peak? How did this happen? How come he hated her with such passion? When had this sudden hatred sprout from? But in her whirling mind, there was only one question (she could not bring herself to think of more): "Why?"

The older, supposedly more mature teen glanced her way, the anger rather clear in his usually calm, friendly, even if bored stare. "Why?" he repeated the question. Such one worded inquiry was clearly not enough to explain this whole situation. Its simple-ness was actually confusing him. "Why am I battling you? Why am I so angry? Why did you use me for such a meaningless act? Please reconsider your choice of words and ask me something concise, Rosa. I'm not a mind reader."

Each question, each word sounded loud and accusing, like thousands of fingers pointing her way, blaming her for an unspeakable, unforgivable crime. It wasn't my fault… You were just.. just there and I… It wasn't my fault.. I felt horrible, I… I needed the contact. I needed to feel, I needed to know.. that I was also a human being. It wasn't my fault! But she could not bring herself to just say it. Instead, she harshly bit her lip, the sudden metallic and coppery taste in her tongue snapping her back to reality.

Dromme, Axel's blade, was strong, that was her first realization once she focused on the battle once more. Due to her distracting thoughts, Deathscythe was moving back and forth listlessly and carelessly and a great deal of speed and stamina had been lost from her adversary's previous attacks that she had failed to evade or defend herself against because she was simply ignoring the whole thing. Unconsciously, she shuddered. Memories of such mistakes weren't many from the Abbey, but the few of them were all harsh, disturbing and extremely painful.

Refocusing once more, her top's wobbling movements stilled just as a thin cloud of dust rose due to the increasing of speed and energy. And even if it wasn't in her heart to do it, Deathscythe hit the silvery white attack ring head-on.

"Speak to me already!" the shout startled them all, despite not causing Ten's total distraction, since their beyblades kept spending sparks everywhere, neither relenting. "Why did you ask that, why did you even open your mouth!"

Gathering her wits, she finally got the courage needed to lock eyes with him. And nearly flinched for it. "I… I'm sorry.. Axel. Really, I am. I can't say what came over me, I myself am not completely sure.. But please try to under-"

"Try to understand?" his anger was almost palpable and the fact that most part of it was being channelled to Dromme made her own bit beast's strength pale in comparison. "What the hell do you think I've been trying to do up till now?" she did not know that much about him, but she was sure swearing wasn't one of his normal traits. "But what I seriously don't get it is how do you say those words so easily to a person without meaning them!"

'Those words' was the shy, quiet 'I love you' she had uttered to him that night. But like him, she had no answer to that. Guess it is true… I really was pretending that he was Yuriy. And now, she honestly did not know what else to tell him. Her next sentence was a meek whisper, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry is just not enough. It never is." Again, the raw pain in his voice was clear, unmistakably clear.

There's nothing… I can't.. Net. This is absolutely horrid. Ten's guilt was already far too much for her to even bring forth her defensive move when Dromme's bit chip glinted and then sent a full attack. With no sort of fighting back, Deathscythe flew out of the stadium and passed by her left cheek, leaving behind a shallow, thin cut on the skin. "T-Time.." a part of her smiled when he looked her way. Good, she needed his attention on her now. "Time will heal it, Axel. I know it sounds unfair, I know. I know you've waited ever since you were little, but.. there's nothing else I can say that will ease your pain. It wasn't right for me to use you like I did. And I feel guilty for that, I really do. But please… accept my apologies."

Her fragile smile was almost breaking. The young man ahead of her seemed to be just ready to strangle her. And everyone else around them kept their silence as if breaking it would kill them all and start the Armageddon.

And just then, Axel reciprocated her little, hesitant smile. "Yeah… I guess I do accept them." He shrugged. "You're right. No matter what you say, I won't listen." When she was about to open her mouth, he was the one locking eyes with her. "It's alright. I merely have to thank you for trying to comfort me. Even if you still failed. So…" He walked up to her and reached over, wiping away the small amount of blood from the cut. "Thank you."

Feeling a lot more accomplished than she ever would if she had won the battle, her smile grew. "No. Thank you for taking such an unbearable weight off my shoulders."

"So glad you've worked this out at last." Shauna piped up innocently, Nevola sitting across her lap in a light doze as the beautiful girl scratched it behind its furry ears. "The atmosphere was really getting a rather nasty pressure upon it and that's never good for anyone. Now, could we continue please?" her free hand came up, running over and along her round, slightly-tousled-but-still-perfect ringlets of light brown and golden locks. "My hair has gotten lighter due to the sun and all, but it's not smooth anymore; I need a long bath and a longer scrub on it." The apparent arrogance in the speech was completely lost when one took in the dazzling smile, perfect white teeth and glinting warm brown eyes. So, what could have sounded rather rude in even Forest's nice tone was not considered at all when Shauna was speaking.

Exchanging a look with Kironi to tell her she'd go first, the green eyed beyblader stepped up to Ten's former place. "Sure. Let's start."

"Great!" the other girl cradled the half-asleep small wolf, placing it down on Rui's lap, which was the nearest. The latter clearly wanted to protest against the new arrangement (it was well heard every time the little fur ball gnawed on one of his limbs, he blond always said the "thing" had an evil obsession with him after all…), but whatever he saw on the hues of his team-mate quickly and quietly made him shut up. The other nodded to herself and turned around, standing across from her opponent. "Shall we?"

In return, Forest smiled politely. "That the best wins. 3, 2, 1."

"Let it rip." Shauna finished in a light tone, even when Ariana hit Lacuna's base with no resentment or sorrow in her eyes with a harsh, clean blow.

The younger girl narrowed her bright eyes, She specializes in attack? Is it? The low base and rather intimidating weight disk told her to keep her defences up though; Tch, my speciality is in defence. And her design is too. It would honestly be a risk to just pretend to be a master in defence by making your beyblade like so when one is a master in the attack. It would probably compromise one's performance. Does she think she's that strong to actually dare to do that? Or is she that strong?

The softly coloured blade did a sharp curve, easily running over the thin edge of the dish and charging towards her own at full speed. In return, Lacuna's bit chip glowed with a faint emerald tinge for the briefest instant and the other barely grazed its side. Using raw energy as shield was also a good defence. Don't underes-

"Ah, sorry. I did underestimate you, didn't I?" both girls locked eyes, light with dark, but just as bright. The latter smiled pleasantly. "I was just trying to figure out your speciality, don't take it the wrong way. Glad to know you're into defence as well, ne."

Forest blinked in half surprise. The supposed lady across from her had just accomplished what she had been trying to do. "Yeah…" She felt a new respect for her, as well as astonishment. This one is not as she may look…

A bright golden colour seeped from the other chip, in contrast to the beige and light pink tones of the beyblade. From it, a long tail, then sharp claws were seen. A gleaming coat of darker and lighter spots could be distinguished, as well as the furry pair of ears. Finally, a beautiful, feline head and long fangs were visible. Casually, the large jaguar licked one paw, wriggled its whiskers, then growled at the other blade, which glowed in return. Its gleaming, groomed tail made to curl itself around its mistress, who tilted her head to the side, "So… Cat and mouse game?"

The other grinned. "Not quite." The emerald glow became more intense as her own bit beast rose, dark and ominous for all to see. One, two, four, seven, nine tails brushed over the air, tousling lightly due to the wind and causing the streaks of bright green on them to catch the light and the attention. Its dark fur did not gleam like its opponent's, true, but it did not make it less striking either. Dark legs were placed wide apart, the threat of claws just barely visible. Its eyes, so much like its Holder's, glinted and lips curled from sharp teeth. A responsive low growl sounded from the black canine. "Cat and dog is more like it."

"Oh, I see." Shauna looked up, observing the foreign beast with a seemingly cool stare, but the Canadian girl could swear it was, in fact, calculating. "Alright, the rules are all the same anyways!"

Without warning, the jaguar stepped forth and jumped in the dog's direction in one smooth, fluid move. But Lacuna would have none of it; his growl becoming more pronounced, he jumped out of the way easily and landed a clean bite on one of Ariana's back legs. The big cat sputtered in indignation and swatted at the other with its claws out, creating four long gashes on the dog's head: one almost catching its eye, other two on each side of its ear and another shallow one. Both creatures withdrew and stared on opposite sides of the stadium, measuring their chances silently.

This happened a few more times, causing silvery blood to seep from several wounds on both bit beasts, both deep and light, wide and small. But both beyblades kept going and spinning fast despite any damage sent to each other.

She wasn't the one underestimating me. Not as much as I underestimated her. Forest took a half step back, biting the inside of her lower lip. In fact, her girly opponent was proving to be much stronger than many other machos had been. Well, one would wonder, with the high heels, mini skirt and top… She shook her head. Ack, focus. If she's not as what I expected, she may have checked out my attack when I was battling Max even if she didn't look like it… Damn, why did I even use it?

:: Or not, mistress. :: the pain Lacuna was feeling was also felt by her every now and then, a faint aching over the right side of her face, neck and a bit all over her sides and limbs. Her energy was also starting to run low and the occasional wobble on her blade was starting to become more common. :: This has to end soon, you know that. Lady Ariana seems to be strong, but she feels the same. We will only have a few more chances. ::

I know that… And a glance towards the Portuguese girl also let her know that she was aware of this as well.

:: You do seem to be keen on wining, do you not?. ::

Shauna smiled inwardly. Heh. What if I do?

:: It's just not normal, mistress. The Praeceptrix is always complaining about that to you. Yet, you're nearly out of energy and you keep going. Is there… a personal reason?. ::

Hmm. Her light brown eyes trailed over to the sleeping, snowy white wolf and the boy holding it gently. Rui had given it after a few minutes and was amusing himself by gently pulling a few furs here and there and snickering when the pup shivered in response.

:: Ah. I see. :: Despite her injuries, the girl felt Ariana's feline-like smile. True, Rui may never find out about her feelings, but still, she could try.

Alright… On her side of the beydish, Forest took a deep breath. Fingers twitching as she gathered the last few remains of her lasting energy, she focused on her now glowing green top. Go on. A big one, just one, one last time. The familiar word was whispered from her parted lips as usual.

The once perfectly neat stadium's metal groaned, faintly at first, then quite audibly and once the first crack was formed, many more followed. But much to everyone's amazement, Ariana gave a last growl and disappeared back into her beyblade, which flew out of the stadium, easily escaping the still forming cracks and into the awaiting hand of Shauna. "Nice battle." The blond grinned whole-heartedly. Despite her aggressiveness, she acted all but that.

Forest sweatdropped. Sheesh, I really can't understand her… "Ah.. Thank you, I guess. I didn't expect that, since you seemed so intent on victory in your first movements."

The other just waved a hand. "Nah. It depends on the opportunity and chances one has." She winked playfully. "I had more openings for those, I admit that. I'm usually defensive, but once I'm attacking, I still have many flaws. That's why Rui's my training partner, usually. 'nyways, congrats!"

"Uh.. yeah. Thanks…"

As she came back, the blond easily ignored Iris's glaring and sat back down near Rui, taking back Nevola. The cub whined at the change of positions, but soon settled down once more once the girl's fingers scratched it behind its ears.

"Nice battle."

She blinked, glancing back at Rui. "Huh? You were watching?"

"'Course I was." His usual flirting smile was in place, but there was a look in his eyes she couldn't quite place her finger on. "You're my sparring partner, ne. Shame you forfeited, though. Ah well. It was good while it lasted. If you had more energy, Romano wouldn't have stood a chance."

In reply, she grinned. "Yeah. Thanks." The peck at the corner of her lips did not surprise her, Rui was just like that. But it made a tingle run up and down her spine nevertheless.

"Tch!" Tiffany stepped forwards, legs spread in a perfect tomboyish pose. "Kironi, isn't it? Let's blade then."

Said girl grinned, pleased. "Sure thing." At least this one was straight forward, slightly cocky, but not annoying like the World Champion. This battle might just be fun, just maybe.

Once the countdown was done, both tops landed smoothly on a different part of the structure that was the dish, evading the large gashes done by Lacuna's previously attempted attack. For once, the blue and black top stayed back for a moment, while its opponent went up and down along the valleys towards it, already attacking.

Tiffany ran her eyes over the girl standing in front of her. She looked confident, calm, a steady beyblader. But the way she spoke with an always sharp tongue spoke of an attack type, not endurance or defensive one.

Yet, the baby blue top kept evading and even absorbing what Ignisithar threw at it.

Well, it wasn't overly unusual. Axel was relaxed, smooth and rarely gave in to the more… primitive emotions, so to say. Yet, his speciality was endurance and attack; he did not stay back and waited to be attacked. Even if he does usually tire out his opponents, but still. Another good example was Ray.

Ah, well, not my fault. She won't fool me. A smirk crossed her lips. I do want to win this after all. "Ignisithar!"

A distant, yet near neigh was heard as the black and golden unicorn stepped forth. Its dark mane and tail waved in an unknown breeze and its long, twisting horn glinted dangerously in defiance. One of its massive golden hooves pawed once, twice, then the stallion cantered forth.

In reply, a pale blue light emanated from the remaining bit chip, which took the form of a phoenix. Quickly, its talons curled around the unicorn's horn to stop its fast galloping, being victorious in its task.

"Another phoenix, huh?" one hand found its way to her hip. "Fine by me."

Kironi lifted an eyebrow. Not taking me seriously, are we? "You should be careful. I'm not what you'd call predictable, you know."

"Neither am I."

A golden gleam, a resentful screech and Ignisithar was freed easily. It kicked out viciously at the other bit beast, who flew up to escape its anger, then circled in a slow trot around the dish. On the ground, the light beyblade's tip smacked straight into one of the small dark edges that made Tiff's attack ring.

Her turquoise eyes widened. Shit, that was a bloody attack and I didn't even see it coming from a supposedly master in defence. Three of her specially made edges were broken, beyond repair. And even if that alone did not put her balance in immediate danger (she had tried again and again for that not to happen no matter what after all), the pressure and force with which she had taken the blow, causing her top to also smash into the dish, had made her speed drop quite a lot. Can I continue attacking even? If she-

:: Hush now, youngling. Calm down. Think one thing at a time. :: a warm presence made itself known. From its position, Ignisithar neighed softly before striking Hailey again with full force. :: I will try. If we lose, we lose together, mistress. But do not get distracted now. ::

Yes… Yes, he needed her energy after all. She needed to relax. Her eyes closed and her breathing calmed down. Her hands also relaxed from being turned into fists. Once she was finally ready, her bright eyes snapped open. Alright. Let's do it.

Kironi was not known by her patience. More like her short-temper, but in this case, she'd make an exception. She's a hot-headed one, she is… May work for some, but not really for me. Your experience pales in comparison to mine, I'm afraid. Despite what she was known for, she was observant. Very much so. Hailey?

:: Your theory is correct, mistress. ::

A smirk played on her lips. Excellent. The energy levels of the equine bit beast rose till they reached their peak and, in one go, it was all released against her own beyblade. And Hailey took it all, receiving her own amount of damage, but still spinning.

The blond tomboy closed her eyes for a moment to let it sink, a small smile on her lips forming afterwards. "Ah. You catch on fast, don't ya?"

"It was just a guess." The other grinned, catching her own top. "I noticed the subtle changes in your energy levels depending on how you attacked. You are extremely vulnerable after that."

"Yeah." She scratched behind her head, the lightest blush on her cheeks, "I'm always getting scolded by Iris for that…"

But Iris barely took any notice of it all. The fact that her team had lost, that they did not win the tournament, that Rui was now shaking Tiff and Tiff was growling and warning him, all in humour's name, that Nevola's muzzle was nudging her ribs, that the small cub was whining, knowing there was something terribly, horribly wrong, that Axel's wise, dark orbs were suddenly on her and the concern entering them, all of it was lost to her.

She only saw her surroundings blurring in a big, unfocused splodge of various green and brown tinges and the ground suddenly coming up to meet her face in a not so gentle greeting. Ten's sudden gasp also did not register.

And then, there was darkness.

Thanks 2:
Tenebrae Rosa: 9 bloody matches. Sheesh, I'm tired, ya kno. But there, it's done & it's ready! xP hope u enjoyed it 2

kia himatari Ole, welcome 2 my world! Thank u 4 taking ur time & reviewing all chaps, hun. It really is wonderful n.n 'nyways, u got that rite on chap 8, hehe ;)

Dark: AH, & even after a retreat of half a year, I give you a cliff hanger!! xDD How evil. Tch, not. It's 18 pages long! & it had to end there, I liked that last sentence X3 Anou, plz review! x)