Demi: this may not be the best of my ability and i apologise if it ain't. I'm not exactly in the best of health myself. But please enjoy, if you can.
Bryan and Enrique – the most unlikliest of allies – glanced at each other.
"You find the girl and I'll grab that bird."
Enrique nodded and went off, and Bryan strode toward the girls. As soon as he was spotted, the biro fell out of Michael's beak and he tried to fly away but the Falcon grabbed onto the eagle's tail feathers.
Michael squawked and continued to flap his wings as Bryan carried him along the hallway upside down by his legs.
The girls glanced at each other before shrugging. "Wanna go to the mall?"
"Sure! I saw this really cute red dress that…"
The girl's words were lost as they walked around the corner.
Enrique banged on the door for the millionth time. "C'mon Trace." He whined. "A hug makes anyone feel better! And I'm full of huggable-goodness!"
The front door to the suite opened and Tiger-Ray scampered in, followed by Lee.
"What's going on? Ray wouldn't leave me alone." The Lion said to Bryan and Kai.
Enrique noticed Lee and waved him over. "Michael was an utter jerk," he told him when the Lion was near, "and she saw him-"
"Wait, 'saw'? She can see again?"
"Clear as night." Enrique said (incorrectly). "That's the problem. She saw Michael with a group of girls – still as an eagle-baby, mind – and he scribbled things down and all that jazz and Traci heard and saw…"
Lee's eyes narrowed and he moved Enrique out the way, knocking delicately on the door. "Traci? It's me – Lee. Let me-"
The door swung open quickly and a manicured hand grabbed the Lion by the jacket, pulling him in. The door slammed shut again.
Enrique's hair finally swung in the breeze that was caused by the lightning-quick actions a few seconds later. "Jeez…" He murmured. "Now why didn't I think of that?"
Back in the lounge, upon the branch of a floor lamp, a shape hidden beneath a sheet moved. 'What's going on?'
"Oh shut the fuck up, you excuse for a parrot." Bryan snapped when he heard the squawks, flicking a page of his novel, Ray curled up on his lap contently.
'No! You purple-haired bastard!' Michael screeched back.
'Hey!' Ray called back. 'It's lilac! Not purple! What are you, colour-blind?'
'No, but I can't exactly see a thing with this stupid sheet over me, can I?'
'Well, now you know how Traci felt! Oh, you do remember Traci, right?' Ray asked sarcastically. 'You know… your girlfriend? Pah, you'll be lucky if she stays with you! Come to think of it, I think that Lee will treat her much better… don't you agree, Tala?'
'Whole heartedly.' The Wolf replied sleepily from Kai's lap.
'Shut up. He doesn't deserve her!'
'If he doesn't, then neither do you.'
'Shut up, Kon.'
'Make me.'
'Oh, you'll regret those words…'
The sounds of tearing cloth and rope reached everyone's ears and all the room's occupants turned to look at where they had hidden and tied the eagle.
Six pairs of eyes widened as their vision landed upon the solitary being. Where Michael had been sat a large… very large… golden Eagle…
A very large, angry golden Eagle.
"Traci, come on, I'm gunna drown if you keep crying and hugging me like this." Lee reasoned, but nonetheless, he continued to rub the American's back. "Sh, Trace…"
"How could he do it?" Traci murmured in between sobs. "How?"
"It could've been Circe controlling him or something." Lee reminded.
Up above in the clouds, Circe snorted.
"I did nothing of the sort." The green witch muttered. "What could possibly make him accuse me…?"
"It could've…" Traci mumbled, drawing back.
Lee gave a reassuring smile and wiped away her tears. "We'll just have to wait until Circe turns him back into a human and then we can interrogate him."
Traci nodded, her expression still sad, but inside, her stomach did somersaults and her heart fluttered… she felt like she had done when she had first met Michael…
But a loud screech made them freeze.
"That sounded like an eagle…"
Traci's chocolate eyes widened. "Michael…"
"Stay here. I'll go check it out."
The eagle screeched in anger and flew straight at Bryan and Ray. The Falcon grabbed the kitten and rolled onto the floor. Razor sharp claws swished through the air just where Ray had been a millisecond before.
Bryan growled but realised he still had his book clutched within his grasp. Still on the floor, he hurled the heavy novel right at the flying eagle. It hit target, sending Michael right into the sliding doors.
Everyone, despite what the American-eagle had done, winced as the golden bird slowly slid down the glass, the friction making noises. It was actually quite comical…
But when Lee emerged from the corridor, Michael was once again angry.
If it was possible, he was even angrier.
He flew straight at the Lion, although, luckily, Lee ducked…
But unfortunately for him, Michael's claws sliced along his back. The Chinese captain collapsed on the floor with a pained yell, jacket shredded and back bleeding.
Ray snarled and roared… but it sounded like a grown tiger roaring… not a kitten…
Turning round, they all noticed that where Ray had stood now was a grown, white tiger. And just like Michael has been, he was very irritated. How dare he attack his friend?
The white tiger leapt at the eagle, knocking it out of the air and onto the floor. Ray continued to growl, even as the eagle struggled off the floor.
'Stay down, parrot.'
'Make me.'
Michael looked up and his eyes glowed yellow…
Nearby, Moon Child shuddered, retreating to behind Cha'tima.
"He's possessed." Kai muttered. He looked at Bryan. "Circe?"
The elder shook his head, eyes trained on the golden Eagle. "Her aura is green. This aura is yellow… though something is telling me that it would be better if it were Circe…"
"But how do we stop him?"
"I guess killing him is out of the question."
Kai gave him a 'spare-me' look.
"Just asking."
But his humour-streak was cut off, when a yellow light surrounded the White Tiger. Both Bryan and Ray let loose a growl. The Falcon slammed his blade into his launcher and fired it straight at the golden Eagle.
Falborg exploded out of the Russian's blade and torrents of air slammed into the possessed-Michael.
Ray was dropped to the floor and true to the feline-word, he landed on all fours.
But the power seemed to want to throw someone around because a second later, Bryan was enveloped within the yellow aura and flung back against the wall.
He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Kai cried out but snapped to it and brought out his beloved Dranzer-
But it was dropped as he too was picked up by the mysterious yellow power. The blue beyblade was dropped upon the floor, the almighty phoenix unable to be unleashed by her master.
Like Bryan, Kai was thrown back by the ethereal power.
Unlike Bryan, the surface he hit was not solid, as such.
He hit the sliding glass doors and went through them, the glass cutting his arms, sides and back mainly. The strange power seemed to dull all his senses because he didn't react by trying to grab onto something or readying himself to land upon a balcony. He just fell backwards, head first…
But another light took hold of him – another force. A pure sensation… relaxing and warm. And unknown to him, it was green…
He was lifted back up to the suite and gently laid down on the floor, the glass shards all brought back and sealed into place.
Ray was about to advance on the Eagle, but something walked past him – something white.
At first, he thought it was Oliver – who had transformed to look like Unicolyon to shield Enrique– because of the radiant light that the French was using to protect Enrique, but it wasn't.
Thick, white fur coated the being. It was a white so pure that the angels would have been put to shame because their robes weren't as white and it was a fur so thick that all beds in this world would also have been put to shame... if beds could feel anything, that is...
Ice blue eyes bore into the glowing yellow ones of the Eagle.
It was Tala.
He had transformed into a huge wolf, similar to his guardian in everyway – looks and personality.
'They say a dog's bite is worse than its bark… let's see, shall we?'
Tala stopped and raised his head before snapping back at Michael with a huge roar. Icy wind also cascaded from his mouth, hitting the Eagle.
But the Wolf never allowed him to recover, darting forward to clamping his jaws down on golden feathers. He did no fatal damage. His teeth only punctured the excess skin on the side of the Eagle's neck.
But the white wolf hurled Michael away, letting the golden eagle slam to the floor.
Circe, in all her glory, stood suddenly beside the now-unconscious Phoenix, sea green eyes glaring.
"Leave!" She snapped at Cha'tima, who was advancing on the golden, yet unconscious, Eagle. The black wolf did so. "Your task is done!" She cried.
"Tala Ivanov, holder of the white wolf. Your love for Kai Hiwatari is a pure as the fur of your guardian." She looked down at Kai. "And your partner's love is as untainted as the holy fire of his winged companion. I do not doubt your devotion for each other."
'Spare us the crap, Circe, and get the hell on with it.' Tala growled, eying Ray's exhausted state – it wasn't easy on any of them to stay in this form…
Circe smirked. "Fine. The Wolf and Phoenix, Tiger and Falcon, and Dragon and Unicorn all are wholesome with each other."
Ray paused. 'And Traci and Michael…?'
Circe shook her head. "The Eagle is too wild for her. She needs something… softer and docile… like a cat…" She smirked. "I feel we shall see more of each other, boys. Watch your backs…"
Everything went white.
In the wise words of Troublesome Aries-
Break it, buy it.
Read it, review it!
In the not-so-wise words of moi-
Reviews make me grin like an idiot - but flames make me laugh... hm, i won't tempt you, though...