NOTE! NOTE!
PLEASE READ THE A/Ns OF THIS CHAPTER CAREFULLY, STARTING WITH THE CATEGORIES (the order in which they are placed gives a hint of what is to come), BEGINNING AND END OF CHAPTERS TOO.
Title: Shadows of the Past, Memories for the Future
Authoresses: foxfire flamequeen and phoenixfire thundertiger
Rating: T/pg13
Categories: Fantasy/Angst/Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance
Summary: See first chapter
Disclaimer: See first chapter
Warning: Spoilers, mild yaoi
THERE'S A NEW WARNING!!
We think it's become obvious now, so the added warning from now on is that THIS STORY IS GOING TO CONTAIN MILD YAOI
Chapter 10: An Offer Refused
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Review Replies:
Kavbj: How did you imagine it to turn out like?
Jenova-chan: We made it up, using the advantage of this being fiction. We do think there's something out there the natives use but we're not really sure what.
Nooser: We can't answer that question yet, but stick around, you'll find out. We'll let you know about the pairings when they actually come into play. And when you can guess them anyway.
Thanks to darksaphire and everyone who reviewed.
Now on with the chapter.
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I need some faith now
To trust you somehow
The footsteps echoed deafeningly through the hushed corridors. Boris enjoyed making his entrance known. It made things so much better, to see their faces reflecting nothing but devotion.
Opening the door at the other end of the corridor, Boris saw the four teens training as they were supposed to. At his arrival they all whirled round and saluted him as one, as if it was all rehearsed. Through the dim light, Boris saw just what he had expected in them. Fatigue was evident, but so was the fear which provided them with the energy to go on.
"I hope you've been training hard." Not a question, yet an answer was expected.
"Sir yes Sir!" The answer was monotonous, mechanical.
"Good –" A small beep halted him. Interruption would have to be paid for. It was something Boris refused to accept.
"– Sir!" an icy voice glided through Boris' communicator, one of his many own creations.
"Yes, report." This time an interruption could be made an exception for.
"I've reached the location." The voice at the other end of the communicator held nothing to suggest disloyalty, but the teens in the room noticed how it held a commanding air, the slightest hint of arrogance and control. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to concern Boris. He was much too excited with the newly received news.
"You know what to do." The communicator went out. For a few seconds, Boris' face was lit up with excitement, like a little kid who just managed to steal candy. But composure was quickly regained. Without glancing back, Boris said, "I hope you realize that you will serve me a great purpose once everything has been set up. So train hard, for your own sakes." The last phrase dripped with malice, daring the four to do otherwise.
As the door closed the adolescents turned around to resume their training. Wordlessly, they launched their blades. The automatic launcher, which had turned off at the Director's entrance, started again.
The simultaneous assault from the automated blades left no room for talking. Yet all had the same thing on their mind.
I will fight, to be the very best.
All this suffering would refine them, strengthen them. It already had, and they knew it.
This place will make it happen.
And they accepted the Abbey.
Life is said to be a journey from darkness to light, but what if the path to follow is lost?
And they accepted this dark fate.
………Exhausted, without the strength to search
People vanish into infinite darkness……………………………………
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"You could help you know."
It was the Bladebreakers' everyday challenge. For Tyson, it was the struggle to stay asleep as red hot peppers were popped into his mouth, he was thrown into a wall, a bucket of cold water was poured over his head, soon to be replaced by ice down his back and the worst and most challenging, the Call of Breakfast. For the rest of the Bladebreakers, well they just did everything mentioned above to wake Tyson up. Tyson's chances were always slim, after all it was three against one, plus his weakness was so clearly displayed.
"No, I think I'll stick to the sidelines for today." Tala grinned.
Without further words, Ray walked out of the room.
"Hey Ray get back here! We can't have you giving up. You come up with the best ideas!" Max yelled after his retreating back.
"He's getting breakfast." Succinct, guess who.
"What? But what about Tyson?" And this kid was supposed to be the brains of the 'Breakers.
Idiots.
"You have to stop talking like that with them Kai. Maybe you were trained for it, but they weren't trained to interpret it you know," Tala's smooth arctic voice sailed through the room.
The look on Kai's face immediately alerted him of his mistake. He needed to be more careful.
"How did you know?" Kai's voice was daring, suspicion manifesting itself.
"Know what?"
Hn, the innocence act.
"Ray, you're back. I thought you gave up." Tala sighed inwardly, grateful to have escaped Kai.
"And here I thought you guys knew me well enough to understand I don't back down from a battle, and definitely not one I know I'm gonna win." Ray flashed a smile, baring his fangs. In his hand was plate with an omelet and something they didn't quite recognize. Advancing towards Tyson, the neko-jin spoke very softly, "Tyson, breakfast."
Nothing more was needed. Moving back a step to avoid Tyson from flipping the plate over when he jumped out of bed Ray watched with a satisfied grin as the dragon surrendered.
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It was a slip. A mistake.
One more slip and everything will be foiled.
It can't happen.
They can't know.
They won't know.
From what I see so far, Max, Tyson and Kenny will be a piece of cake. They believe anything and everything they're told. They don't question, and when they do, they don't wait for an answer. Bottom line: they're too gullible.
Ray is a different matter, opposite the trio. Quieter, at the same time deadlier. He will question, eventually, and when he does I will need a reasonable answer. But… he can be handled.
As for Kai, well I knew he was going to be difficult. Kai is after all, the reason I'm here. Every task I have been assigned to has been… challenging to say the least. Kai will just have to be dealt with. After all, I succeeded with everything. Kai will definitely not be my first failure.
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"I don't see the point of all these guides."
"You seriously want to get lost again?"
"No… but Tala's with us and why do we need soooo many guides?"
"They're just getting in the way."
"And I bet you're getting in their way."
"But I'm not doing anything!"
"Then you better start 'cause I think Kai's starting to notice."
"What? I'm confused."
"Just train."
"But I'm tired."
"We just got here. What do you mean you're tired?"
"We had to walk all the way here."
"It isn't that far from town."
"Argh! Why won't this stupid blade spin?"
"Maybe it'll start spinning when you stop calling it stupid."
"Very funny."
"He's right."
"Huh?"
"Have more faith in your blade."
"More faith in my blade?"
"Does this pig understand anything?"
"Hey!"
"Concentrate will ya?"
"How can I concentrate with people calling me a pig?"
"Exactly."
"Huh?"
"How can Dragoon spin if you keep calling it stupid?"
"Oh."
"Um Kai, aren't you supposed to be resting or something? That poison left you pretty weak."
"…………"
"You know Mr. Dickenson won't like it when he hears about this."
"So you will make sure he doesn't find out, for your sake."
"Yes sir!"
Tala laughed suddenly, making the 'Breakers (minus Kai) jump and glare in his direction. All their blades dropped to the sides, and they had just been getting the hang of it, too.
"Are you guys always like this?" Tala wanted to know.
"You have a problem with it?" Ray threw back, annoyed at the interruption. Tala held up his hands in defense.
"Not saying anything."
"Please keep it that way." With that, Ray sat down on the sand and picked up his blade, gazing intently at Driger's Bitchip.
"What'cha doin'?" Max began curiously.
"Max get back to it!" Kai barked.
"Sure Kai," Max pulled at the ripcord, and the launcher promptly soared out of his hands. Tyson watched it fly by his ear unblinkingly.
"I don't think it's supposed to do that."
"Where's Draciel?"
Tala suppressed another laugh, gazing around at the training area, bordered by at least twenty Tuaregs standing in a loose circle. After the first time, the BBA really was not taking any chances. It was only because Kai had insisted on finishing their training that they were still in the desert at all.
If you asked him, this was overreacting. The 'Breakers did not enjoy being babysitted, and Kai especially liked his freedom.
Ray dusted himself off as he stood, facing Tala. He held out the stormy grey blade. On an unspoken command Driger flashed out in an intimidating spark.
"Care for a battle?"
Tala smirked, "I'm just here to supervise."
"You're here to help us train," Ray corrected. "I'd like to see you in action. Or are you too chicken?"
Tala snorted. The oldest trick in the book. The sole reason it was still used at all was that… well, it always worked. "You're on."
The boys readied themselves and Kenny quickly turned Dizzi on. She had been kept close this while, since they couldn't afford to have her power down for anything important (the town did not have enough electricity supply). This fell into the category of important: she would be recording data on a new blader.
"Three!" Tala chanted monotonously.
"Two!" Ray's voice held suppressed excitement.
"Onewaitdon'tgo!" Tyson screamed in a rush, followed by, "Heh, just kidding. Let it rip!" making both boys stumble.
"Wolborg, go!" Tala began an immediate assault, his blade threw sand everywhere as it sped towards its target, Driger.
Ray, on the other hand, was having serious trouble. "Driger, dodge it!" But all the blade could do was spin weakly, thrusting the yellow particles around in a futile attempt to maneuver. Wolborg's attack hit the mark.
Ray fell back, whirling Driger around in its path. I forgot about the sand.
He still doesn't know how to control his blade in there, Kai thought scornfully.
There has to be a way of doing this, Ray scanned the area for want of better idea. Tala's doing it. I just have to focus.
Driger meanwhile was taking a serious beating as Tala mercilessly continued, knowing Ray's weakness. Ray looked at his eyes.
There was no emotion but resolve.
It was just like what he saw when Kai battled.
For some reason that stung Ray, same as the first time he had seen the scarlet orbs like that. And that was his fortitude.
Driger, he lowered identical citrine gems to his blade, allowing his Bitbeast to emerge.
Tala followed suit, for an unknown reason, disturbed by the pain protruding from the piercing orbs.
Kai noted it too, to him it radiated from the boy in waves, unfamiliar, and unwelcome, for it just seemed so wrong.
"Driger rush!"
With a deafening roar Driger crashed into Wolborg, whose frosty wings were giving it no advantage as they became a kind of barrier which the tiger shielded itself with as the wolf tried to twist around and attack. But Driger's own armor was becoming a problem for such close combat.
The other 'Breakers had dropped their training to watch the Beybattle.
Twin rubies observed carefully each of Tala's moves, they seemed to be a combination of defense and offense. A lot like Ray, but Tala's defense came from pure endurance, while the tiger used speed and agility to escape attacks.
A muffled howl drew his attention to the beasts, where Tala's Wolborg had Driger by its throat, the former howling in victory. The wolf was no ordinary Bitbeast, that was for sure. The blue-white color of the spiky fur matted with hard frost, the frozen wings, and blue eyes eerily matching its owner's were enough for intimidation, but it was not all show. The wolf was powerful.
Then again, Driger was no less.
"Alright Driger, take it easy," Ray muttered, not only for Driger, but for himself, though his eyes showed the pain channeling to him from his partner. "We can do this."
A fierce jolt, followed by a growl of pain, and a soft groan from its human partner, Driger tore away from Wolborg's tightening grasp and faced it one on one.
"Talk about a cat-dog fight," Tyson commented from his place at the sidelines.
"Literally," Max added with a giggle.
Driger's elegant tail swished slowly, gracefully, deliberately, from side to side, while Wolborg's shaggy one stood erect, straight, stiff, the tip reaching just between its hind legs.
A feline and canine's ultimate positions, the final warning.
A burst of energy on either side.
"Novae Rog!"
"Tiger Claw!"
Wolborg and Driger turned effortlessly into two balls of light, one a blinding white, the other a faint blue, as they raced at each other for the final blow.
The sand flew up from the wind generated by the rush, whirling around in a round shield, or blanket, preventing the others from seeing or hearing anything but choked coughs coming from within it.
The particles settled, the others seeing both grey blades in their owners' hands. Of course, there were also the green sparks flickering along the frozen sand, a giant mound with a thunderous fissure splitting it into two halves, from which numerous smaller and less deep cracks branched out on both. The frozen sand dune had obviously cracked from the voltage.
Unacceptable, was the only word spinning through Tala's head, as he took in the fact that he had not won, but tied. He raised the blade in his hand to his eyes, taking in the unfamiliar feel, then the blue stripes, and the tiger in the Bitchip which proved it not his.
A similar blade knocked the other gently, with a slight metallic clink, held by a tanned hand. Tala cursed himself: why had he not heard the other approach? Azure orbs lifted to meet gold pools.
"Good battle," Ray said, exchanging the blades. He straightened and stretched his arms with an uncanny feline resemblance. "You gave me a run for my money alright."
Tala found himself smiling back and nodding. "Back at you."
The tiger turned to Kai, speaking smugly, "Can I skip the rest of training today, then?"
Kai sighed, "Do I have a choice?"
"I did learn to control the blade in the sand," Ray said innocently. Kai dismissed him with a wave, returning his concentration to the other two. Ray smiled, though he knew Kai couldn't see him, then grabbed Tala's arm before the redhead could pull away.
"C'mon Tala."
"Wait!" Tala sputtered, hopping on one leg as Ray proceeded to drag him off. "I'm supposed to be supervising!"
"You need a rest too." After that Ray would not accept any more feeble protests.
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"Juice?"
"No, water please," Tala drummed his fingers on the table, brows creased into a frown.
Ray tipped the plastic jug over, allowing the crystalline liquid to fill the glasses. He brought them over to the table, placing one in front of Tala and sitting down opposite him with his own glass.
Tala traced his fingers over the rim of the glass, hearing Ray finish his drink, and the clink of glass on wood as it was placed down.
"So?" Tala asked.
"So what?" Ray asked back brightly.
Tala sipped his water like it was tea. "Why did you drag me back to the hotel?"
"Weren't you tired?" Ray wanted to know.
"That is beside the point."
Ray took both empty glasses to the sink and dropped them, coming back to take his place. Lacing his fingers together and placing them on the table, he leaned onto it. He locked eyes with Tala, who couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably under the scrutinizing stare.
"Tala," Ray paused. "What are you doing with us?"
"………………"
"How could you control the blade on the sand?" Ray went on, not stopping for a reply. "I didn't see you blading since we saw you yesterday, and I heard you just got here then."
"……I can't tell you," Tala tilted his head with a smirk.
"Why not?"
"Ever heard of curiosity killing the cat?" Ray stuck out his tongue, making Tala laugh. "Real mature, Kitten."
Ray blinked at the reference, Kitten?
"I am not a cat," Ray bit the inside of his cheek immediately, realizing he sounded like a stubborn kid. Not that that action wasn't childish.
"No, you're an adorable kitten," Tala smirked at the irked flush on Ray's cheeks.
"Don't call me that!" Tala merely grinned, grinding the tiger's nerves. "I – whatever." Tala pressed his lips together to stifle more laughter. "Anyway, as you were saying…?"
Damn, he still remembers!
As if confirming his thoughts, Ray smiled, "You were hoping I'd forget, weren't you?"
"I don't hope," Tala's hand clapped over his mouth as the gold orbs clouded over, not only in surprise, but…
Recognition.
"Ray?" Tala asked after a good few minutes of silence, slightly worried. "You alright?"
"Huh?" Ray blinked a few times. "Oh, yeah. You still didn't answer my question."
"You're persistent."
"Yeah well, that's what I get for being around Kai too much."
Tala leaned his head on his hand, eyes thoughtful. "It pays off… being persistent around him?"
"That's the only way to get him to talk. Why do you keep sidetracking?"
This time Tala scowled, "I said I can't tell you!"
"Then can you tell me about yourself?"
"I said – wha?"
Ray closed his eyes and sighed dramatically at the reaction, "We know nothing about you. You showed up out of nowhere, and Mr. Dickenson wants you to stay with us. So I want to know the usual. Where are you from, what you're doing here – no, scratch that – what do you wan – not that either – fine, just the first one. Tell me about yourself."
"What do you want to know?" Tala leaned back, tipping his chair over on two legs.
"Let's start with where you come from."
"Russia."
"You're Russian?" Ray eyed his pale complexion. "North, yeah. Didn't imagine Russia."
A fine red brow rose, "Didn't Kai tell you he's Russian too?"
"Kai's Russian?" Ray took a while to digest the new piece of information. "Unexpected."
"How much do you know about Kai?" Tala questioned. I have to be careful not to reveal anything else.
"Not much, that's for sure," Ray grinned. "That's the third time you've brought Kai up without me saying a word. What's up with that?"
Tala made a meaningless gesture, "Just that – well, you don't see Russians too often. It's nice seeing your own people once in a while." Not a believable excuse, but Ray took it, apparently satisfied.
"Alright, next question –" Tala lifted a hand to stop him.
"How about I tell you all I can. I'm twenty, Master Beyblader," – Ray rolled his eyes – "Russian, now under the BBA."
"That's it?"
"Yup."
As predicted, the question came. "Why can't you tell me more?"
"We barely know each other, Kitten."
"If you don't start talking how am I supposed to get to know you?"
Tala played with one of his wayward bangs, unable to answer, seemingly ignoring Ray, who looked straight back, self-assured and ready for the kill. He nodded at the neko-jin. "I like your confidence."
"I like you."
Tala was caught off guard. He stared incredulously at the other, and immediately Ray located what he had been trying to find in the icy orbs. The tiger held out a hand.
"So… friends?"
Tala took it, still unsure, though even that left him as he looked at the gold orbs. "Friends."
As they both sat back down, Tala grinned at the other, "How'd you know I was a blader?"
"Driger alerted me of your Bitbeast."
"China next, huh?" Tala felt uneasy; had Ray's face suddenly paled? The tiger quickly regained his composure and smiled back.
"Yeah."
A door slamming made them both jump.
"Where are the glasses," it was obviously Kai, the commanding statement directed towards Ray, who pointed wordlessly. Kai quickly drained some water and made to leave.
"What about the others?" Ray asked. "Aren't they thirsty?"
"They can get it themselves," Kai replied offhandedly.
"Where are they?"
"Outside."
"Where are you going?"
"Room."
Tala frowned. Those were questions that could easily have been answered much more rudely, or not at all. Was Kai softening? On the other hand, Ray noticed the barely bi-syllabic words Kai used with him. That was how it had been since the previous day.
"Fine." His own response was real long, too.
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Ray closed the door as quietly as he could, though there was no one he could be disturbing. Taking out his blade, he traced the Bitchip at the center.
"My life's getting more complicated by the day, eh Drig?"
His answer was a low rumble, like thunder, which could be heard only in his head.
He sighed. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. The situation between him and Kai was more awkward than ever.
He knows I'm hiding something.
Ray had his own suspicions of what Kai might be hiding from his team, and it was much serious than what he refused to tell. Kai had given them his share of food and water. How did he manage without any and still appear perfectly alright? Rattlesnakes can strike so fast that even the most agile creature on earth has trouble avoiding their bites. How did Kai, who was standing behind Ray, not only get to Tyson in time, but push the dragon away and get in front? He was no neko-jin, such speed was impossible for any average human. The way he kept going and coming in and out of the cave, staying for an impossibly long time in the smoldering heat, while wearing a dark blue – note: dark colors absorb heat – leather jacket, and then not even shivering at night, when temperatures must have dropped well near zero. How could he stand such temperatures without even flinching?
The tiger just hoped the remaining 'Breakers and Tala hadn't noticed the tension between him and their captain. What a perfect predicament.
Gold orbs dimmed. Tala had something akin to Kai spread all around him, but the former was much more approachable. There were a lot of things distinguishing Tala from Kai, but some basic similarities remained. A conversation, which could have been long forgotten, returned, carrying with it the same sadness that he experienced the first time.
"I'm saying without hope there is no meaning in life. How can you enjoy life without any hopes or dreams? You must have at least one yourself."
"No. I don't."
And they were both Russian, too. What a coincidence.
There's no such thing as coincidence.
And how would Tala know that about Kai when his own teammates didn't? And why lie to him?
You don't see Russians too often my ass. Why's he so interested?
He'd seen something in those eyes. Unlike Kai's expressionless crimson orbs, Tala's held expression, only unfortunately even that was unreadable. But there he had identified at least one.
Insecurity.
Tala had felt unsafe for some reason. But why? He was sure it hadn't been there before.
So… was it him? Had he been prying too much?
The raven-haired teen absent-mindedly fiddled with the blade in his hand, hoping to get the same comfort from it as always.
I can't go to China and leave without seeing her. I promised.
A sharp knock sounded on his door. Ray could tell it was Kai. Unlike most people, who knocked twice in one go, Kai knocked only once, loud and sharp. Ray could always discern Kai from others.
Ray opened the door, closing it after an irritated phoenix, who sat down on the bed, slate brows furrowed. Ray took his place on the edge of the table. He knew exactly what Kai wanted to talk about.
"I don't like it," Kai began tersely.
The Chinese teen chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. It often went like this. Ray was the only person on the team who Kai considered okay enough to talk to, though usually it was Ray who went to Kai to discuss such matters.
The tiger sighed. It was as before? No. Kai sounded terse and uneasy, and that was how he felt as well.
"We can't do anything about him," the raven-haired teen finally answered, changing Kai's 'it' to 'him'. "Mr. Dickenson wants it, and it's not like he minds."
"He knows things he's not supposed to," Kai crossed his arms over his chest, crimson orbs searching gold ones.
"Yeah. Why didn't you tell us you were Russian?"
"He knows that?" Kai growled.
"He's Russian too, I suppose he can tell?" Ray questioned. "Could you tell?"
"……………………Yes."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ray lowered gold pools to the hands lying on his lap.
"It wasn't important. And you never asked." The last sentence was so quiet the tiger's sensitive ears barely caught it.
"You would have replied if I'd asked?" Ray asked incredulously.
"That redhead can stuff –"
"Kai," Ray interrupted with an amused smile. "He's a suspicious character, but he's okay."
Kai fell silent for a few moments, then spoke with an almost alien uncertainty in his voice, "Well… if you trust him…"
"I trust him." Did that make a difference?
Kai nodded, running a hand through his hair and sighing, "Better go and check on Dumber and Dumberer."
"Hey Kai?"
"Hn?"
"Who's Dumb?"
Kai half-turned in his departure, letting Ray see the tiniest hint of a smile on the stoic bluenette's lips.
"Not you."
After a good ten seconds of processing the fact Kai had smiled at him, again, despite the uncomfortable aura between them which hadn't dispersed yet, Ray regained enough sense and realization to yell after the retreating figure, who as usual didn't bother with closing the door to another person's room.
"YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!"
What is with everyone today??!!
Yet as the white tails of the long scarf disappeared from sight, a terrible sense of loneliness washed over his entire being, the tiger shivering as he sat on the table, hand clutching onto his blade like Driger would disappear too, had it not been gone already.
He failed to observe how cold it had grown in the room, how cold the blade in his warm hands had grown.
How the tiger in the center did not glow as his finger ran over the edges of the chip.
TBC
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PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE FOLLOWING A/N:
Chapter 11 will be posted on the 3rd of June, delayed due to exams, and celebrating quite a few things, very special to both of us, and at least one thing important for you readers too.
To make up for the long wait, an oneshot will be posted in ThunderStar SolarEclipse account by Tuesday next week, in 'Shadows of the Past, Memories for the Future' universe. It is the first of a series of oneshots that will be posted at no regular intervals, because we couldn't find a proper position for the scenes in the fiction itself. We will inform you of such posts beforehand. We recommend them, since references to them might be made now and then in the fic.
Ahh, Tala's here. Finally. And he and Ray are becoming friends too, how nice, only Kai doesn't seem to like it. Too bad.
Thanks for reading and please leave a review. It'll cheer us up as we enter the horrible world of Final Exams.
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