Chapter 11: Unbreakable?

The teams had all piled into Tyson house and were sitting cross legged around his large rectangular table, each glancing discreetly at Tyson as he sat down at the end. Tyson was looking at his feet, his hands, a piece of the floor, anything apart from his friends' faces. He jumped slightly as he felt something wet and warm touch the cut on his neck.

"Calm down." Hilary said in a voice barely above a whisper, grabbing his shoulder with her other hand to keep him still.

Her voice was quiet and hoarse, probably from crying. It took a moment for Tyson to realize that she was cleaning up the blood on his neck with a damp cloth. He turned his head to try and see her face only to have her push it back and continue dabbing around the cut.

"I don't understand why you didn't tell anybody." Max said quietly, sounding a little hurt.

Tyson sighed, "It's nothing personal Max; it's just…it's my problem to deal with, not yours."

"Well would you mind filling us in on what the problem is?" Rick asked impatiently. He winced as Mariah jabbed her elbow sharply into his ribs.

Tyson looked back down to the edge of the table, "I don't know." He mumbled.

"You don't know what?! Your problem?! If you can trust us? Because this room is full of people who want to help you and you're just sitting there- Cut it out Mariah!- you're just sitting there pretending your alone and giving up!"

"Rick." Max said warningly.

"No! The Tyson I know isn't a quitter. The Tyson I know doesn't bow down to a threat. He never gives up! So what exactly don't you know Tyson?"

"Rick, that's enough." Ray said standing up.

"No, Ray its okay." Tyson said tiredly.

He looked up from the table to Ray, waiting for him to sit back down. As Ray complied, his gaze caught on Tyson's. His eyes were different. There wasn't the usual warmth or fire blazing in them. The fight had gone. Instead, they looked worn and tired. They were old eyes, broken eyes. Ray stood back up, alarmed.

"Tyson, what happened to you?!" he said louder than he had intended; almost accusingly.

Not only Tyson was shocked by Ray's sudden outburst. Ray wasn't one to raise his voice often, much less in such a sensitive situation and with so much blame in his words. But only Ray knew that it wasn't blame but fear that had overwhelmed him. At the moment, the Tyson he had grown to know and even admire, seemed so far away and lost. Those eyes didn't belong to any friend of his. What scared him was the thought of never getting the real Tyson back.

"I-" Tyson started, shocked "I don't know. I can't do this." He said getting up abruptly and walking quickly but shakily toward the door.

A hand grabbed onto his wrist tightly, "Tyson stop. We won't leave you alone again." said a voice torn with guilt. It was Hilary, "Just tell us what happened. We can help you." she pleaded.

"You can't." he said, tearing his hand out of her grip and continuing out the door.

He kept on going out through the front door and toward the gates. Unfortunately, a few people had made it there before him. Miguel, Raoul, Julia, and the White Tigers stood blocking the gate with Kai in front, his arms crossed.

"Tyson, you're not going anywhere until you tell us what's going on." Kai said firmly.

"What do you want me to say?" Tyson said. He didn't have enough energy to try and make a run for it. He hadn't eaten or slept properly since his grandfather had died. "Nothing I tell you is going to change anything."

Nobody responded.

"Get out of my way." Tyson said weakly.

"You can't push us away Tyson." Max said, walking up behind him.

"Please! Can't you all just leave me alone!" He yelled, looking around at each of the teams. Strength returned to his voice as desperation took hold, "I can deal with this by myself! Go enjoy the tournament. Trust me, you don't want to know. You can't do anything."

"How can we be sure if you won't tell us anything?!" Kenny yelled back.

"Because…I just know!" Tyson responded lamely.

"We just want to help!" Emily interjected, stepping up beside Kenny.

"I already told you, you can't!"

"We already told you, we aren't going anywhere until you-" Julia was interrupted.

"Fine! You really want to know?! You want to know the truth?! You want me to tell you that my entire family is dead?! Hiro and my dad died in a collapsed tomb! Grandpa died of a heart attack and probably could have been saved if I wasn't so damn stupid and selfish! And my mother?! I watched her being stabbed to death and just ran away, okay?! She was trying to save me, and I abandoned her. Now the killer's back and he's coming after me again! So, you really want to know why I don't fight back, Rick?! Because I don't care anymore! There's nothing left here for me and I'm not worth it! Does that pretty much sum it up for you?!"

No one said anything. There were only a few light sniffles coming from different directions. Tyson took a few more heavy steps toward the front gates.

"Get out of my way." He said more strongly this time.

"You have to tell the authorities." Kenny piped in uneasily.

"I can't." Tyson said bitterly, "The police mean nothing to this guy. This is a game to him. Don't get in his way. Now move."

"What are you saying?!" Hilary said hysterically, "Don't get in his way? You're telling us to let him kill you!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"How can you want that?!"

Tyson turned around swiftly to face Hilary, "Look at me! I'm nothing but a coward, Hil! I let my family die, hell I as good as killed two of them! I don't deserve t-"

"DON'T say it!" Hilary yelled, "None of that's true and you know it!"

Tears were streaming down her face and many of the team mates around looked to be in the same state or had their faces buried in their hands. No one had been prepared to see Tyson, their number 1 rival, happy-go-lucky, hard-headed, strong-willed leader slip so far over the edge. Tyson had always been…unbreakable.

"But it is." Tyson said in barely a whisper.

He started to tremble and Hilary took a slow step toward him. He turned back around, facing Kai.

"Get out of my way." He tried one last time, his voice fragile again.

"No." Kai said a little more softly.

Tyson felt Hilary's hand land gently on his shoulder. He shook it off and pushed Kai out of the way. Kai's hand caught Tyson's collar as soon as passed him and he began to struggle to free himself. Ray broke off from the line of bladers blocking the front gate and told a firm grasp on Tyson's arm.

"Let go!" he ordered even more angrily than before.

"We're not leaving you, Tyson." Max said as he grabbed Tyson's other arm.

His eye's starting stinging as tears gathered in them but he fought to hold them back. He struggled harder but more and more people were restraining him. His anxiety grew and he worked harder and more desperately to free himself.

"Please, let me go!" he said desperately.

Hilary stepped in front of him and the group of beybladers keeping him held back. There were still tears glimmering in her eyes and down her cheeks and as she walked quickly toward Tyson he knew she would just be another person he would have to fight off.

"Stop." He said, even though he knew she wouldn't.

He was surprised when she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"It's okay." She whispered sadly.

It was strange how it only took those two words for Tyson to completely fall apart. He lets the tears lingering in his eyes fall and stopped struggling against his friends. A muffled yell escaped him as he fell down to his hands and knees. All at once he was robbed of air and started taking deep, shaky breaths. Hilary was on her knees still holding on tightly, now with one arm around his head and the other stretched across his shoulders.

By this point, even Lee had tears threatening to fall. Only Kai, Rick, and Julia had managed not to tear up but still had looks of grief, and in Rick's case guilt, plastered to their faces.

Tyson. The one person who could never be brought down, had been broken in the worst possible way and, for all they knew, he could never be brought back.

Wow…okay I'm sorry this one was so late…and tragic. I had a tiny bit of writer's block. I had no intentions for this chapter to come out so depressing. It'll be okay! I promise! Thanks to all my reviewers so far! I love all the support and helpful hints! Keep'em coming :D

-Kinabee