Hey and sorry for the wait. It actually took me not a lot of time to write this (literally) but typing it was a different story. Ha ha…gomen nasai. Most of this chapter (towards the end) is a flashback.
Our Hearts of Ice
Chapter 11: The Tournament Begins
"That was a great job, really, it was Suna," Amora smiled at her teammate who was on the bed, watching TV. Her long black hair reached halfway towards the bed, her amber eyes stuck at the screen.
Two days ago, the All Starz had challenged them to a match. The prize? a date with Michael Parker, an eligible bachelor and the leader of the All Starz. Of course, this challenge was directed at Yuri. The first three matches were victories for the Blue Dragons. The last battle was Suna against Michael. A sure 20 minutes went by, and they were still at each other. They each did a high power move, the collision causing sparks. Once the smoke had cleared up, the victor was obvious. It was Suna who had won! The girls gathered round her hugging and cheering. Even some of the other teams did too. That night, a celebration of food, food, and MORE food had come.
"It has been announced that warm weather will strike in the States starting today…" the announcer said in her usual fake-yet-somehow-interested voice. "Now on Sports and Special Events…" a loud booming voice called as the picture changed to the title. Another picture came up of what looked like the BBA. "The ever famous game of beyblade has skyrocketed with more and more purchases of parts and accessories in the last month." the man announced as if it were the rising of the dinosaurs.
"That reminds me," Suna sat up. "Do we need more parts for the tournament?"
"I doubt it." Kana replied, on the next bed. "If we add and switch the parts, it'll take some time to get used to them. And that's not what we need at the moment."
"Where's Yuri?" Amora asked. It was only 8 in the morning but they were awake as ever.
"She's with the Majestics." Kana replied.
"Why?" Suna asked.
"Beats me."
"Special Events in Beyblading…" the voice called once again. "The tournament on Shimabara Island, which decides the two very lucky teams to qualify for the African tournament is in 5 more days. Please call the number below to order tickets now. Also, the BBA committee has decided to change the current location of the four-month training ground of Shimabara Island---"
There was a knock on the door that brought their attention from the TV to the doorway.
"Hey!" Tyson Kinomiya greeted happily to the 3 girls. Max and Rei were also there with smiles on their faces.
"Hey!" the girls smiled, turning off the TV.
"What're you guys doing here?" Suna asked, her amber eyes on Rei's.
"Well, we do share the same wing." Rei replied, smiling shyly.
"So we decided to acquaint ourselves with you beautiful ladies." Max added, making Amora blush badly.
"Where's Kai?" Kana asked the guys.
"Oh, he went somewhere, but he'll meet us at breakfast." Rei replied.
"It seems like your captain is gone too." Tyson remarked, looking around their room.
"Yeah, she's with the Majestics for some reason. Johnny invited her over for something." Kana replied. The guys sat on the bed, the girls next to them: Tyson with Kana, Rei with Suna, and Max with Amora.
"So breakfast's in half an hour. What do you wanna do?" Max asked, holding Amora's hand, making her blush again.
"Hey, let's explore! I'm pretty sure we can see most of this stuff before breakfast." Kana suggested as she looked at Tyson as if he was Superman.
"Shall we then?" Rei held out his hand, like a prince, as Suna accepted it happily.
"We shall." The girls smiled as they locked the door before leaving.
Yuri and the Majestics
"So…" Johnny talked. "This is Robert Jurgen." He pointed to the quiet purple haired boy. Robert nodded in acknowledgement as she did the same.
"We've met, Johnny," Robert told him. She was at the Majestics' room, watching TV and talking.
"Oh, right." Johnny seemed slightly embarrassed. "Have I introduced you to everyone else?" he asked her as he got her a cup of coffee. Yuri accepted it as she sat snugly on one of the vacant beds.
"I think you have," Yuri replied. "That's Enrique." She pointed at the blond who was watching the news. "And Oliver, right?" she pointed at the nice looking boy with green hair.
"Right." The two she had just named replied with smiles on their faces.
"See," Yuri gave him a face, "told you so."
"He he he…" Johnny absentmindedly scratched his mop of red hair," sorry about that."
"It's ok." Yuri replied. She hadn't shown any emotion but she tried to smile to make him feel better, which it did.
"So Yuri…" Robert asked. "What do you think of the teams entering the spots for the African Tournament?" Yuri thought about it for a while.
"I haven't seen the other teams besides the ones here." She replied. "I just hope everything is interesting."
"Ha! That's true!" Enrique laughed and then returned to watching TV.
"So…have you bonded with your teammates across your rooms?" Yuri asked them; Robert shrugged.
"How about you?" Johnny asked. "Probably not cause of Hiwatari right?"
"Let's not talk about it." Yuri replied, wanting to change the subject.
"C'mon Yuri," Johnny smiled. "What's so bad about Kai? He can be a little moody sometimes and I have to admit I hate him. Well, only once in a while I do." Yuri's anger rose up inside her, venting out through her icy stare. Johnny froze and so did Robert as she stood up, put the cup down and left without saying a word.
"Huh. I guess she really does hate him." Johnny replied after she left.
"Got that right," Robert smiled. "It seems that Kai has the same problem too."
Others
"Hey! It's 8:20, let's go and eat!" Tyson grabbed Kana's hand, pulling her our of the gift shop.
"But—"
"I'll buy it later!" Tyson replied.
"The stuffed puppy dog was what she wanted right?" Suna asked Amora.
"Yeah." Amora smiled.
"Okay then," Suna took the animal and paid for it at the register, "this is for her. I'll give it to her at breakfast."
"You're such a good friend." Rei said. "Sorry about Tyson."
"Yeah, he gets really excited with food." Max added.
"Oh, don't worry," Amora giggled," so does Kana."
"Well, shall join the two?" Rei asked.
"Let's!"
Yuri
Yuri left the wing, walking around the ship so she could vent off everywhere.
'Why? Why did Johnny have to say that?! Ah, dammit! I'm getting myself pissed off because of that bastard, 'kuso!' Yuri thought over and over as she found her way to breakfast, finding her teammates and sitting next to them. The room was humongous with long buffet tables.
The bladers' seats were arranged around a large circular table with a laced light blue tablecloth. Each team had designated seats with their names on little white cards. Yuri had accidentally stumbled upon her own seat. She felt someone sit next to her, but she didn't know who. As she was about to turn to her right to get a good look, Amora had already pulled her up to get breakfast with the rest of the team. Yuri got two pancakes with butter and syrup. She went back to her seat to place the food down, and then went back up to pour herself a cup of coffee with cream and sugar. She lost her will to drink when she was with Johnny and the Majestics. When she sat down at her seat, she leaned to her right to read the name of the person she was sitting next to. Unfortunately, the card was not found and so she waited for her teammates to come back to join her and the mysterious person.
A few minutes had passed, and the room had become loud and noisy with everyone talking, laughing and silverware clanging against the plates. She finally saw movement at her right side and so she turned her head slightly; her eyes went wide…REAL wide. It was no other than Kai Hiwatari, her enemy. Anger boiled up inside her once again. She turned back to her plate and ate her food, scarfing it down like a hungry wolf.
'I now officially curse fate! Why HIM of all people?' she angrily thought as she drank down her coffee. She turned to face Kai who was busy talking to Rei, glaring at him. Her anger began to vent as her icy stare on his side caught his attention he stopped in mid-sentence.
"You bastard…" she muttered as she glared at him with her icy blur eyes that could pierce anyone's soul. Kai fought her glare with his sharp, fiery cinnamon eyes. Their faces showed no sign of emotion as they continued glaring. Hatred had replaced their anger as hatred erupted in their stares, quieting the other bladers.
"This is not good," Johnny whispered to Robert as he bit into his waffle. Robert nodded in agreement.
"Oh no Yuri," Amora stood up taking Yuri by the arm, "Let's go." She pulled Yuri. Rei and Max helped Kai, since Tyson was eating, pulling him up as well.
"We're not done yet." Kai replied harshly.
"You got that right." Yuri retorted as they left. Tala and Kayla had watched the whole thing play out, smirking.
"Shikazawa and Hiwatari…interesting…" he said to himself .
The next few days had been nothing special to any of the bladers. Most of them stayed in their rooms watching TV or eating. Others trained in different areas of the cruise ship. Yuri did wanderings on her own, to think to herself, or to find ways to kill Kai. Sometimes the Blue Dragons got the training room and battled with each other. One thing was certain: from one team to another they knew that the Blue Dragons were tough. Before anyone knew anything, they had arrived at Shimabara Island, one step closer to the African Tournament.
The bladders got out, carrying their own luggage with them. They were greeted by Mr. Dickinson, who explained to them the rules.
"Greetings! As you know, the tournament will begin tomorrow since your group was late. We will be escorting you to the place you will all be staying in. Now please follow me as I tell you about the tournament tomorrow." He waved at them, motioning them to follow and walk with him. He abruptly stopped. "Oh please leave the luggage here since our employees will carry them to your rooms." They dropped their luggage and proceeded to the walk. After a 10 minute walk, they arrived at the bus station.
"This is the bus station that will take you to the building. There, you will register." Mr. Dickinson informed them. "Please pay attention. You MUST be at the bus stop by 7 am sharp. The tournament starts at 9 am."
"Question." Lee asked. "Are you saying this for our group or every team participating?"
"Every group," Dickinson replied. "There will be several buses there to pick everyone up. It is an hour drive. Once arrived, register ASAP. Long lines, you know," he reminded. "Well let's head back to show you your rooms, ok?" They nodded, turning back around making a different way, heading towards a hotel. The bladders marveled at its elegance as they entered, stepping onto the expensive carpet.
"Sugoi ne Amora!" Kana whispered. "Kirei desu."
"Yep," Amora smiled as she looked at Yuri's serious face. "What do you think of this place?"
"Nice," Yuri replied, looking around, vaguely interested. She was more interested in the teams she would face off tomorrow. She looked around some more as they followed Mr. Dickinson to the rooms. As some of the people came in front of her, she noticed Kayla and Tala. Their backs were towards her, and they were holding hands, fingers intertwined. A little pain seized at her vulnerable heart, causing it to ache. She had been with him for a little over half a year, and they were considered a happy couple. She flinched a little, letting the others go ahead of her. It hurt to love. Once in love, your barriers would be taken down, vulnerable to any type of attack possible.
Flashback…
"Hey," a voice called out to Yuri as they were battling a team in Russia. Yuri, red cheeked from the cold, turned around looking into Tala's turquoise eyes.
"What?" she answered him rudely. She stared at him, captivated by his intense eyes.
"You're pretty good," he smiled. If Yuri was a regular girl, she would have fallen for him. But, of course, she was able to resist that .
"So what?" she retorted, walking up to him. He was at least 5 more inches taller so she looked up. Two long strands of reddish orange hair fell over his face. He smiled once again while she just scowled.
"Tala Valkov, hi." He held out his gloved hand. Yuri folded her arms, frowning even more. Her teammates had gone off to talk to the team but kept a close watch on what was happening. When Yuri didn't respond to his introduction, Tala stood there, like a statue, his hand held out like before. Irritated, Yuri gave up since it got colder and colder, and her teammates and herself were only wearing a jacket and a scarf.
"Yuriko Shikazawa." She finally replied, her frowns changing into a straight hin line. Tala smiled once again, taking back his hand.
"Can I call you Yuri?" he asked.
"Whatever," she pulled way from the conversation but was caught by his arm.
"Wait." She turned to glare at him. "Why don't you and your teammates stay for the night at my place? Hey, you'll even get to meet my teammates."
"Your teammates?" Yuri arched an eyebrow, slightly interested.
"Yuri, you ok?" Kana asked as the three girls approached Tala and Yuri.
"Who is this?" Amora asked.
"Oh. Tala Valkov." Tala smiled. The girls immediately smield and introduced themselves. "I was just wondering if you'd like to stay for the night at my place. Don't worry; it's with my teammates and of course, Mr. Valkov himself.
"Well…I guess so." Suna replied, looking at the girls. "What do you guys think?"
"Hey sounds cool." Kana replied. Amora looked at Yuri who still frowned.
"Well, what do you think?" Amora asked. All eyes were on her decision. Amora would only go if Yuri would. Yuri looked at everyone, even Tala. Something stirred inside of her as she caught his eyes. She didn't know what it was but she felt that he was so trustworthy. Besides, maybe if she went, she'd figure out the curious feeling awakening inside of her. She gave a slight nod. Immediately, Tala's face brightened up.
"C'mon, follow me." He beckoned them to follow him. They arrived at the large Valkov Abbey. They followed him inside, greeted by Boris Valkov.
"You're back, Tala." he smiled, looking at the guests. "And you've brought guests."
"Yeah, this is Yuri Shikazawa, Amora Ozuki, Kana Tagami and Suna Jiri." He introduced.
"Well come in. Tala, show them to the living room while I make dinner." Boris gave one last look at the team and disappeared. He led them to a large room with leather sofas and armchairs and a large flat screen TV. He turned on the lights, telling them to sit.
"Sit tight while I get my brothers, but relax." He told them disappearing upstairs.
"Brothers?" Suna asked, confused. "Didn't he say teammates?"
"Maybe his teammates are his brothers." Kana answered. All four of them sat on one of the long leather sofas. The heater was on, warming them from head to toe. Across them was another sofa, and in between was a wooden oval table with a glass statue of a wolf as the centerpiece. To their left was the large TV and to their right were the armchairs.
"So Yuri…" Amora asked her quiet friend. "So do you like Tala?" she smiled. Yuri was utterly shocked at this question. She didn't know what to say; she didn't like him, but she didn't NOT like him either.
"No." Yuri repied. Trithfully, Yuri had never been in love so she didn't know how it actually felt.
"Aww, come on." Suna urged, "Tell us!"
"They're here." Yuri remarked. The girls turned their heads to find a group of boys including Tala.
"Hey, so these are my brothers..." Tala told them, introducing the boys. "This is Bryan," He pointed to the tall guy with the stone cold face and lavender hair, "Spencer,"--- the boy with the blond hair and green head gear, "and Ian." The girls looked but saw no one. They looked slightly down at the boy with the overly large nose. "And my TEAMMATES." Tala added.
"We are the Blue Dragons." Kana told them as they, too, sat across from them on the empty sofa.
"The Demolition Boys." Spencer said in a deep voice.
"So you do blade, Tala." Yuri finally said. "That's how you knew."
"Of course, I did. Nice job, by the way." He gave her another smile, which made the curious feeling rise up again.
'Oh please' Yuri told herself settling the emotion inside.
"Oh shit." Tala stood up immediately. "I forgot to take your jackets and scarves!" he rushed to their sides.
"Geez, Tala…" Ian replied, continuing the phrase in Russian.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"Um…what did he say?" Amora asked, confused.
"He said Tala was an idiot." Yuri spoke again. The boys froze especially Tala.
"You know Russian?" Tala asked as he collected the jackets and scarves. Yuri took off hers and gave it to him, accidentally touching his arm. A little jolt coursed through her and made her feel jumpy.
End of Flashback…
Yuri stopped as she let the others in front of her. She rested herself against a wall and got out of the crowd, going outside the hotel. Heartache coursed through her chest as she began to take a walk. She needed some time to think about everything that was going on. She had fallen in love with Tala ever since the day she met him. She let her strong barriers slowly disintegrate, eventually leaving her vulnerable, where Tala made his move. Yuri sat on a bench, empty inside. She couldn't cry anymore for the hatred and anger dried it all up. Her face remained still and serious. Her barriers were building once again; this time she would fortify them so no one could hurt her anymore. But deep down, she still hoped for the day Tala would take her back.
