I'm back, everyone! Did you miss me? I know it was a long break...but, hey, writing is harder than reading. Also, my internet was wor. I've left a hint about Ren's beyblade so see if you can catch it.
Previously:
"Gou Hiwatari," said a soft, deadly voice.
Standing before him, with his black mantled trench coat flowing, his messy scarlet hair grown so that it reached mid-back, and his wine-red eyes glowing ominously was none other than Ren Katsuragi.
Gou stepped back, trembling, eyes wide with shock. Markus's words rang in his mind.
" Well…his red eyes are kinda hard to maintain eye contact with, and his voice can send shivers down your spine, and…it's almost as though he can…s..sense fear."
His wine colored eyes pierced him, his voice was a spine-chilling whisper and…
"My, my, is the great Gou Hiwatari actually scared?" he asked mockingly.
Yup, he could sense fear.
"Unfortunately, I'm here for some very important - and rather painful - business." He said, taking out a black blade. Gou could swear that blade was emitting an evil aura.
'Kenji made me nervous,' Gou thought. 'And he's making me scared.'
Knowing it was all a part of Ren Katsuragi's plan, Gou took out his blade. "I'll crush you and make you pay for what you did, Katsuragi."
"Just Ren is fine," he said, as though his last name was an insult. "And if you're talking about the thing with Kenji, he was a fool."
With Gou glaring and Ren smirking, the two took out their launchers and got into position.
"Let it rip!"
x.x.x
The two blades clashed in mid-air with startling ferocity and landed on the ground.
"Not bad," Ren remarked, before his eyes glinted with mockery. "For a sheltered little kid."
"What did you call me?" Gou asked though gritted teeth. You can't call Gou Hiwatari a 'sheltered little kid' and get away with it that easily.
"I called you a sheltered little kid, of course. Daddy makes sure you don't get in trouble, and if you do you have Big Bro to get you out of it." Ren said cruelly. "You'd be surprised to find the measures Kai takes to keep his little Gou safe from harm."
"If you're trying to piss me off, Katsuragi, it's not working."
"It's working wonders, Little Emperor."
"Drigelle, Attack!"
Ren smirked as Drigelle hit his blade, which exerted a mass of dark energy.
"Keep attacking like that, Gou, and we'll be here all night." Ren said softly.
"Drigelle, Flame of Victory."
Flames erupted from the crimson blade, but Ren looked almost…disappointed.
"That was pathetic," Ren said and Gou stepped back in surprise to find the blade completely intact. In fact, it was spinning faster than ever.
"D..Drigelle, Wing Attack."
"Oh, come on," Ren said, once again, in that spine-chilling voice. "Even Kenji put up a better fight."
"Drigelle, Blazing Gig!"
Gou stared at the black piece of spinning metal in horror. The blade looked as though it hadn't felt a thing.
'What is this?' he thought desperately.
"You have such interesting emotions, Gou," Ren said with a laugh. "Fear, anger and fear again. I can almost feel you trembling."
Gou glared at him, fists clenched.
"And there it is again," Ren said triumphantly. "Anger. I love it."
Ren looked at the clump of trees around him. "Somewhere out there, Kenji will be running about aimlessly, trying to find you and protect you from suffering the same fate as him."
If it were possible, his voice turned even deadlier as he said, "Of course, you should know it's inevitable."
x.x.x
"GOU!" Kenji yelled, rushing through the trees. "Where are you?" he asked desperately in a lower voice.
He took out his phone and typed a message: Emergency. Come quick. Kinda hard to explain.
But he hesitated before sending it.
'Can I really trust Kai?' he thought with a pang. 'No time to think. I really need answers and someone needs to find Gou fast. I'll ask Kai when he comes.'
As Kenji pressed the 'send' button, memories rushed back to him.
Flashback:
'Katy Hiwatari' Kenji typed furiously and pressed the 'search' button. He waited for a moment for the search engine to work but no results appeared.
"What?" he mumbled in exasperation. Gou was somewhere upstairs doing who knew what but Kenji was glad for once to be relieved of his presence. It meant he could dig around in peace.
He typed 'the Hiwataris' and results flooded the page in an instant. But all they said was that the Hiwataris owned a company called Hiwatari Enterprise and something about Voltaire.
With an exasperated sigh, Kenji typed 'Kai Hiwatari' as a final attempt.
Results filled the page. At the top was a link titled 'Kai Hiwatari's Known Relatives'. It had just been put up so Kenji guessed that the person who had been erasing details of Katy's existence hadn't seen it yet. Kenji clicked it and found something like this:
Voltaire Hiwatari: Kai's grandfather, died after 9 years in jail.
Susumu Hiwatari: Kai's father, deceased
Amayo Hiwatari: Kai's mother, deceased
Katy Hiwatari: Kai's sister. She disappeared - and died - aged 13.
Sophie Hiwatari: Kai's wife, deceased.
Gou Hiwatari: Kai's son, aged 14.
Kenji shut the computer off, breathing hard. Whoever had written that had obviously known Kai in his childhood but didn't know him now or Kenji's name would've been on the list. But Katy had…died at the age of thirteen. If that were true, then she obviously wasn't Kenji's mother.
Kenji stared at the blank computer screen before thinking 'What are you hiding, Kai?'
End of Flashback
x.x.x
"Is that all you've got, Little Gou?" Ren asked. His eyes glinted with a cruel kind of mockery, as Gou's attacks bounced off as though it hadn't felt a thing.
His wine-red eyes glowed menacingly, making Gou gasp. "Scared, Little Hiwatari?" Ren asked.
"In your sorry dreams, Katsuragi!" Gou said, seething with rage.
Ren's eyes narrowed with anger. "I thought I told you not to call me that!"
Fear enveloped Gou, more...frightening...than he had felt since the fight had begun. Ren's black blade emitted a purple aura and charged towards Drigelle. It collided with almost unimaginable strength and Drigelle fell back, shredding the ground with it as it went. Gou screamed in pain.
"What is this?" he asked in agony.
Ren laughed, eyes glinting mercilessly. "Your punishment."
Gou screamed even more as Ren's blade attacked Drigelle from all sides at unbelievable speed, leaving Gou oozing blood all over. He fell to his knees.
"Aw...down already?" Ren asked. "But I've barely begun."
"Stop it!"
Ren smirked devilishly. "But I'm having so much fun! Your screams are most entertaining. Did you know that, Gou?"
"Katsuragi!" Gou said, hauling himself up. "You are going to be so sorry!"
For the first time since their battle had begun, Ren glared. "You really don't learn, do you?"
"What do you...aaahhh," Gou screamed yet again, as Ren's blade unleashed another barrage of terrifying attacks.
"What's wrong, Little Emperor?" he asked, laughing at Gou's (admittedly) pitiful efforts to get back up. "Weren't you going to make me sorry?"
"D...Drigelle, hang in there," Gou said weakly.
"You look pathetic, Gou," he laughed.
"Drigelle, Attack! Burn it to cinders!" Gou yelled, biting his lip.
"Burn it to cinders?" Ren repeated mockingly. "That's a new command. Well, then, Little Emperor. Give it your best shot."
Flames escaped the crimson top and attempted to engulf Ren's blade. It was enough to turn any ordinary blade to scrap metal.
"I think you should know that my blade isn't ordinary," Ren said. He looked at Drigelle with distaste. "Yours, on the other hand..."
Drigelle wobbled.
"Pathetic," Ren said. "You know, with the right owner, Drigelle can be so much stronger. If I didn't need you as much as I do, I would throw you in the trash where you belong."
Gou gasped as cracks appeared on Drigelle. "N..no."
Ren smirked. "Yes. I think one attack should be enough to break it beyond repair."
"Why do they call you The Jade Dragon?" Gou asked. It was entirely out of the blue but it had just struck him.
Ren looked at him, slightly surprised at the suddenness of the question. "I guess it's kinda like how they insist on calling me Katsuragi."
Gou gave a questioning gaze.
"My father threw me out when I was...fourteen, I think. All because I failed to meet his expectations."
"Oh," was all Gou was able to manage.
"He legally disowned me, you see," his eyes gained a maniac look and he smiled madly. "And it was the best thing he'd ever done to me."
"That look," Gou said to himself. "You were possessing Kenji!"
Ren laughed. "Finally got there, have you?"
Gou had 'gotten there' as Ren put it, shortly after the match with Kenji. But now, he had no doubt.
"Possess isn't the word I'd use. I'm not an evil supernatural spirit in a horror movie." Ren said. "I merely changed his views."
"Drastically," Gou muttered.
"And that's what I'm about to do to you."
Gou's eyes widened. "You're lying. No one can convince Kenji to turn into a monster."
"All right, fine," Ren said, with a hint of exasperation. "I didn't just change his views. I manipulated him into thinking what I wanted him to think."
"What about the Jade Dragon."
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Well, my first bit beast was a jade dragon."
"Your first?" Gou asked.
"Uh huh. It was almost as pathetic as Drigelle, so I replaced it."
"Y...you replaced...your bit beast?" he was so shocked he almost forgot the fact that Ren had just insulted Drigelle.
"You look like a younger Kai." Ren said. "That reminds me. I have to destroy your blade."
"What - why?"
"Because it's too weak to exist," Ren said cheerfully.
"You sadist!"
"Thank you."
"Drigelle," Gou began, but before he could finish, he sunk to the ground overcome with pain. He looked to see Ren's eyes glowing just like Kenji, his blade attacking Drigelle relentlessly.
More cracks appeared on the crimson blade.
"Stop it!" Gou said, panic evident in his voice.
"Attack," Ren said softly, smirking.
"No, don't!" Gou said. "Drigelle!"
The blade wobbled.
"You know," Ren said. "There is a way to get out of this."
"How?" Gou demanded. "Tell me! Don't do this...please."
"Kenji was smarter than you," Ren said. "You think you've saved him, don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're so easy to distract. A moment earlier you were pleading me to stop. Now you're asking me questions about your beloved big brother." Ren said. "Well, I'll tell you. Kenji's power is just buried deep within him. You pushed it down but you didn't save him, Gou."
"How can I save him?" Gou asked.
"I'm not going to tell you that."
"I hate you," Gou said.
"Funny. That's what the others said."
"What do you mean?"
"Time to finish you off!" Ren announced, stretching his arms. "King of Darkness!"
Darkness appeared behind Ren, closing in on Drigelle and Gou in spirals.
"You look just like your dad, Gou." Ren said, voice soft but deadly. "Though, this time I won't lose."
It was agony unlike anything Gou had ever felt before. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain, clutching his sides.
"Stop it! Leave us alone!" Gou yelled.
"Look at me, Hiwatari."
Gou looked up and saw Ren smirking cruelly, his mid-back length scarlet hair flying dramatically, his wine-red eyes glowing.
Those glowing eyes...
Gou stared right at them and for a second, it felt as though he had been pulled out of the world. His pain ceased and all stains of blood disappeared. He saw the Flame Empress Drigelle at her fullest, weilding an unimaginable amount of power. Gou barely had time to take it all in, before he was pushed back to reality.
"You have two options," Ren said. "You saw what great power Drigelle has. All that's needed to unlock it is a powerful owner. I can grant you that power."
"And...if...I refuse?" Gou asked with difficulty.
Ren smiled coldly. "You - and your precious Drigelle - face total annihilation."
Gou gulped. "What happens if I accept?"
"You become my pawn. And you win all your fights."
"Basically, you want to turn me into you."
"If you say so," Ren said. "But I don't think you have a choice."
Gou screamed again.
"Time's running out, Gou. Tick tock."
"Fine!" Gou yelled. Ren smirked and snapped his fingers. His blade stopped attacking and the wobbling Drigelle stopped spinning.
"I...lost?" Gou asked himself. He hadn't expected to win but losing still came as a surprise.
Darkness engulfed him and his blade. Gou felt new found energy surge through him. Ren called his blade and put his hands in his pockets as he watched in amusement.
Gou got up, a maniac smile on his face, crimson eyes glowing ominously. Drigelle started spinning, gaining speed by the second.
"Well done," Ren said. "You're taking this a lot better than Kenji. He tried to resist it."
Gou did not answer. He was too busy admiring his new found strength. He raised his hand and Drigelle flew to it.
Gou smirked. "Excellent."
"Well," Ren said. "My work here is done. You won't stay consious for long, though."
Gou was already showing signs of passing out. His eyes were shut tight as though he was trying not to cry out. He opened his eyes and Ren saw that they were not glowing. Darkness engulfed Gou yet again and he screamed.
"You can't resist it, Flame Emperor." Ren said coldly, turning around. He muttered something like, "I speak from experience," and with that, he blended into the shadows and disappeared.
Gou fell to his knees, finally giving in. The darkness swallowed him and he lost consciousness.
x.x.x
Kenji grasped his knees gasping for breath.
'Where is he?' he thought in panic, looking around wildly. His eyes rested on a body lying in the grass.
"Gou!"
He ran to the teenager lying on the ground, and scanned the area for Drigelle. He found it near Gou, lying in the grass andemitting a strange dark energy.
"Oh no," Kenji said. "Why on earth did you run off like that, Gou?"
He stuffed the blade in his pocket and tried to pick up the other teen.
'Heck. Why couldn't you be a little less heavy, Gou?'
"KENJI!"
Kenji turned to see Markus and Makoto running towards him.
'How did they find me so quickly?' he thought.
"We left Kouren at home since we were pretty sure she wouldn't be any help and Rin had to stay because Kouren was scared." Makoto explained.
"Scared of what?"
"The ghost!"
"Uh...Makoto," Markus said, poking his friend in the back. "I'm pretty sure he was only joking."
Makoto looked at Kenji with surprise. "You can joke?"
"My brother is unconscious and more injured than he's ever been," Kenji reminded, glaring at the two as though it was somehow their fault.
With a lot of struggle, the three took Gou back to the house where Kenji wrapped him up in every bandage he could find.
"Gou looks like a mummy," Markus whispered in Makoto's ear.
"Oi, Kenji! Markie here thinks Gou looks like a mummy."
"Makoto!"
"What?" Makoto asked innocently.
"I'm not going to," Kenji began, before stopping to think for a moment. "What do you think I'm going to do to you, exactly?"
"He's scared of anyone who can do that eye glow-y thingy," Makoto explained.
"Because Ren can do it?" Kenji asked.
"You know about that?" Markus asked, evidently surprised.
Kenji gave a bitter smile. "More like...I was told."
"Told?" Makoto asked. "How?"
The icy eyed teen gestured toward his brother who was lying unconscious. "Something like that."
"Ren did that?" Markus asked. "What's he got against Gou?"
"He hasn't got anything against him. He wants to use him. And he's done a darn good job too." Kenji said with a weary look at Gou.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Makoto said. "How are you two on first name terms with Ren Katsuragi?
"He really hates it when you use his last name," Markus said with a shudder.
"No kidding," Kenji added, unintentionally rubbing his arm.
Ding dong!
"Who's that?" Makoto asked.
"Kai."
"Uh..I'll go," he offered.
"Why?" Kenji asked, eyeing the navy haired teen skeptically.
"Uh...because I want to."
Ding dong!
"COMING!" Kenji yelled.
He took off before Makoto had time to call him, jumping the entire flight of stairs at once.
By the time Kenji had reached the entrance hall, the bell had rung twice more.
'Gou's impatience is definitely inherited,' Kenji thought as he went to open the door. As soon as he pulled the door inside, a bucket of water crashed to the ground. Kenji's fast reflexes kept him from drowning and he jumped back just as the bucket hit the floor.
Feeling his temper rising, he yelled, "GRANGER!"
"Sorry!" Makoto yelled from upstairs. "It was for Gou!"
"What was that?" Rin asked.
"Makoto, who did you prank now?" Kouren asked.
"I already told you," Makoto said. "It was for Gou!"
"Speaking of Gou, where is he?" he heard a familiar voice. Finally bothering to actually look at the new arrivals, Kenji looked up, only to see not one but two men standing at the gate.
There was Kai, his grey bangs messier than ever, black hair...well, as it always was. He was wearing a black business suit with his coat unbuttoned.
Standing behind him in a yellow shirt, red jacket and navy blue hair was none other than Tyson Granger.
"So..uh...how do we get inside?" Tyson asked.
"Jump," Kenji said as though it was the most obvious thing in existence.
"I'm not exactly young, kid." Tyson said, wearily rubbing the back of his neck.
Kai smirked and jumped, landing beside his eldest with a soft thud.
Tyson's jaw dropped. "And you're telling me you're forty?"
"Thirty-nine," Kai said defensively.
"You coming or what?" Kenji asked.
"How? I can't jump," he added as Kenji opened his mouth.
The fourteen-year-old looked around, thinking deeply before his eyes lit up momentarily. He dug beneath his coat and produced a blue blade. His blade. Kai's eyes narrowed in suspicion as the icy-eyed teen launched his blade right into the puddle.
"Brigelle, do your thing."
The blade spun faster than your average blade and before they knew it, was sucking up all the water within its reach.
Kai gave Kenji a suspicious look before saying, "Come on, Tyson, and stop wasting my time."
~In Gou and Kenji's room~
"What have you done to him?" Kai asked as soon as he reached the room.
"What? I'm not a doctor!" Kenji protested.
"We need to take him to the hospital," Tyson said.
"We do?" Rin asked.
"Yes, Rin." Tyson said. "We do."
"He's not gonna like that," Kai said.
" don't you think his safety is more important than what he likes, Kai?" Tyson asked.
"Ugh! Fine!"
x.x.x
"Kai," Kenji said. "Who were my parents?"
Kai stared at him. They were in the hospital. The doctor had asked them to leave the room so they were waiting in a corridor.
"Kamito Akagawa and Katy Hiwatari." Kai replied. "Do doubt it?"
"Well…yes, actually."
"Why?"
"I…kinda found out that Katy died when she was thirteen."
Kai's eyes widened. "Who told you that?"
"No one," Kenji said, slightly alarmed at Kai's shock. "I found it on the internet."
"Oh," Kai said, breathing a sigh of relief. "What did it say, exactly?"
"Well…uh…something like 'she disappeared - and died- aged 13?'"
"Right," Kai said. "That."
"Well?"
"You know we grew up at the abbey, right?"
Kenji nodded.
"When I was eleven, I lost my memories in the Black Dranzer incident." Kai began. "Katy was getting pretty depressed those days because life in the abbey was getting tougher than ever. So…when she found that I'd lost my memories and couldn't recognize her, she felt that she'd lost her only family. Grandfather took me to Japan and Katy was left alone in that hellhole. So…she ran away. Voltaire was outraged. He knew that if the kids in the abbey found out that someone had succeeded in escaping, they would try to do the same. So…he told everyone that Katy had tried to escape and died in the attempt. The person who provided the content for that website is probably a former abbey victim. That's how they know," he concluded.
"So…Katy died when she was…" Kenji started.
"Twenty-six," Kai answered. "You were one."
Kenji stared ahead, eyes unfocused, apparently deep in thought.
"What inspired this little research of yours?" Kai asked pulling the boy out of his thoughts..
"I had a dream," Kenji said. "And..I was you."
It felt weird telling Kai that he'd had a dream from his point of view.
"You were me?" Kai asked. It didn't take a genius to realize that Kenji wasn't the only one feeling weird.
"Uh huh. In the abbey. Katy was there too. They were doing something to her, I think. There was this weird purple haired guy called Boris and Voltaire was there as well." The icy eyed teen explained.
"I remember," Kai said, clearly not wanting to be reminded of the not-very-good times.
"What bothers me is the fact that Ren was there," Kenji said.
"Ren? No. he couldn't have been. He's too young!" Kai exclaimed. "Where did you see him?"
"Behind Voltaire. Kinda like a projection of him, actually."
"That is definitely weird."
x.x.x
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the semi-finals of the Beyblade World Championships!" Daichi announced as several fireworks exploded in the air.
"Whoa…the Bladecrushers have actually submitted a battle order. What a surprise, folks!"
Makoto sweat-dropped. "Seriously?"
"Let's welcome the teams!" Daichi yelled. "Representing Japan, give it up for The Bladecrushers! Representing Russia, let's welcome The Demolition Girls!" Daichi announced. "I wonder how Gou will react when he finds out he has to face his old teammate."
Much to Daichi's dismay, Gou was absent from the team and the stadium.
Tessa gritted her teeth, "Where's that arrogant Hiwatari?"
"That doesn't concern you," Makoto said, stepping forward.
"Yeah," Kouren joined in. "There's no rule that says the team captain has to be present at all times."
"What?!" Tessa asked, outraged.
"Isn't that right, Daichi?"
"Well…" Daichi said, scratching his head. "I guess so. But don't you think…"
"No we don't!"
As his teammates exchanged glares with the Demolition Girls, Markus happened to look at the audience, hoping their reactions weren't all that negative, but something else caught his eye. A mop of flaming red spikes, a high collared dark red trench coat with black trimmings, along with black jeans, milky skin and startling green eyes. The guy was at least two years older than him and around the same height as the Singaporean beyblader Luke Cardew, if not taller. He was leaning against the wall, something Markus had seen only Kai do, and he was staring at Markus. His face betrayed no emotion, though his eyes held a certain ferocity.
Unable to keep his penetrating gaze, Markus looked away only to find that Daichi had gotten yet another surprise.
"This is unbelievable, folks! The Bladecrushers have actually bothered to submit a battle order. And you can be sure to see some epic battles today 'coz our first players are…."Daichi gave one of his dramatic pauses and yelled, "AUBREY VERSUS MAKOTO!"
The bladers stepped forward.
"On your mark," Daichi said as the teens took out their equipment.
"Get set."
"And…Let it rip!"
The blades landed in the dish and circled each other as Daichi yelled. Makoto was disgusted to find that Aubrey's blade was pink.
"Of all the colors you choose pink?" he asked with distaste. "I'm guessing you're a lipstick and make-up type of girl?"
"What if I am?" Aubrey asked. Makoto was right. Her lips were pink with lip gloss and her eyelashes dark with mascara. It suited her.
"You'd be wise not to underestimate girl power, kid."
"Who're you calling a kid, Girlie?"
Aubrey simply smiled and said, "Mariposa, attack!"
"Ah…Dreslogia, run!"
"Oh dear, whatever made the big bad boy run away from the harmless little girl?" she asked mockingly, placing a delicate stress on the word 'harmless'.
"Dreslogia, attack!"
"Dodge it, Mariposa!"
"Dreslogia, Wave!"
Water began to fill the stadium but before it could reach Mariposa, Aubrey ordered, "Mariposa, fly."
"Hey!" Makoto protested "No fair!"
"Actually, Makoto, there's nothing in the rules against flying." Daichi put in. "You should know that. I mean, Drigelle can fly."
"Drigelle can fly?" the Bladecrushers asked in unison.
"Well, duh!" Tessa said. "Perhaps you noticed Drigelle has wings?"
"Well…ducks have wings but they don't fly." Makoto reasoned lamely.
"Mariposa, attack!"
The blade swooped down.
"Dreslogia, now!"
The water rose above Dreslogia in a massive wave that would make surfers itch for their surfboards. Mariposa collapsed right into the water, causing Aubrey to curse out loud. Makoto didn't hide his surprise. He wasn't expecting foul language from a pretty face.
The water cleared off and Aubrey gave another command. "Mariposa, Camouflage!"
And just like that, the pink blade seemingly vanished into thin air.
"Where did it go?" Makoto asked, looking around the dish.
Makoto glared at a very amused Aubrey.
"Show yourself, you coward!" he yelled.
"Who're you calling a coward, Dragon Boy?" Aubrey asked. "But, okay. If you insist. Mariposa!"
At that moment, an invisible force hit Dreslogia, sending it backwards. In a blur of pink, the spinning top came into view.
"Dreslogia, attack."
The two blades clashed and Mariposa was pushed back.
"Now's the time, Mariposa!"
The blade shone and a beautiful pink butterfly emerged.
Makoto's jaw dropped. "You bit beast is a butterfly?" he asked incredulously.
Aubrey simply smiled. "Pretty, isn't it."
"Uh…I guess."
"Right, then, Mariposa. Take flight!"
"Wait - what?" Makoto asked as the butterfly took off.
"Flap your winds, Mariposa!"
As the bit beast did so, a huge wind blew and for a second it seemed as though Dreslogia was bound to lose balance.
"MAKOTO!" Kouren yelled. "Remember! What goes up must come down!"
Makoto's eyes lit up. "Right! Of course!"
"Dreslogia, hang in there!"
In a few short moments, Mariposa was back on the ground and Makoto grinned.
"Right, then," he said, rubbing his palms. "I've been perfecting this move for quite a while, but I'll thank Kenji for letting me borrow it."
Tessa's eyes widened. "Oh no! Aubrey, be careful!"
"Dreslogia….Tsunami!"
A massive ten foot tall wave crashed into the stadium and Aubrey let out a highly girly scream.
"Whoa…" Daichi said (I'd forgotten about Daichi). "Folks, Makoto Granger has borrowed Kenji Akagawa's famous Tsunami! And, honestly, he seems to be doing a lot better than the last time."
"Hey!" Makoto protested. "I heard that!"
"Mariposa!" Aubrey yelled to her blade, but she was…well, too late. The wave had not only thrown the blade completely off-balance, it had carried it out of the dish, where it landed gracefully at Aubrey's feet.
"And it's over!" Daichi announced. "The winner is Makoto!"
Makoto jumped, fist in the air. "Yay! I won! I won!"
Markus glanced at the audience and found the red haired teen glaring. By this point, it was pretty obvious to Markus that the boy was rooting for Russia.
"Makoto! You won!" Rin said, running towards the boy as the rest of the team followed, beaming.
"The next match will take place between Tessa Ivanov and Rin Kon!" Daichi announced.
Tessa stepped forward and Rin did the same.
"I was hoping to fight Gou, you know." Tessa began. "But, I guess I'll have to make do with you since he obviously isn't considerate enough to show up himself."
"Then, why don't I give you a display of uncharacteristic consideration and crush you right here, Tessa?" a male voice said.
The Bladecrushers spun around to find none other than Gou Hiwatari standing right behind them, one hand in his pocket the other one gripping Drigelle. There was a bandage on his right arm, but other than that he looked perfectly fine. In fact, he was smirking devilishly, his crimson eyes glowingly alarmingly.
The red haired teen in the audience smirked with amusement.
"Let's do this, Ivanov," Gou said, his smirk widening, eyes glinting dangerously.
"Bring it, Hiwatari!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Daichi yelled. "Gou makes a dramatic entrance and challenges Tessa! How will this end?"
Daichi's statement seemed to create commotion in more than just one place.
In the hospital, Kenji walked into Gou's room only to find it empty.
"Oh no!" he gasped.
In the gardens of the EBA a certain sixteen year old redhead lay, as a butterfly landed on his finger. He opened his wine-red eyes and stared at it with a smirk.
"Destroy her, Flame Emperor."
x.x.x
Gou smirked. "I'll beat you so bad, Ivanov, you'll never be able to spin a blade again."
And that's it! I'm pretty sure this is the longest chappie yet. So what do you think? Do you think Ren was too much? Is K+ fine or should I rate this T, considering the amount of blood Gou loses in his fight with Ren.
So…who caught the hint?
Right, then. A few things I need to clear. Number one: Mariposa means 'butterfly' in Spanish. Number two: Rin's eye color has been changed to golden. Number three: Ren Katsuragi was inspired by the Cardfight! Vanguard character Ren Suzugamori and looks exactly like him (if you exclude the half-skirt Suzugamori wears). Katsuragi is around the same height as Garland or Brooklyn during the BEGA tournament. I would've mentioned this sooner but I didn't want to attract any attention toward him until now (since the secret is out in the open).
Leave a review, guys!
Until next time,
~Ar-chan (I'd almost stopped using my nickname)