Chapter 14- Games Begin!

It was my turn. Max and Rei had gone first against the… was it F Dynasty? Yes, that's who it was, and it was decided that, for the third match, Julia and I would battle. I was… actually nervous. I had never battled with so many people watching me before. DJ Jazzman, as always, was over-energetic in announcing my stats, which didn't seem all that impressive compared to hers. She scoffed at me, and I did my best to not let her see that I felt like my feet were going to go numb and have me fall flat on my face.

"So, you're the one the Bladebreakers chose, huh? Pardon, but you look like a pathetic little schoolgirl/model wannabe, not a World-class beyblader," she laughed, flipping her golden mane back over her shoulder as she readied herself. I said nothing. I was supposed to be careful; these people, just like Johnny, were bladers that had been to the Championships and back. And according to oniichan, they were one of the three finalists from that year's line-up.

"3… 2… 1… let it rip!"

We launched, though Julia seemed a little surprised by the hidden katana that was my launcher. I couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong about this match… or was it just me? My clothes didn't set against my skin properly. My blade, Nightwing, seemed to be moving erratically, her movements not quite as fluid as they usually were. Something was missing, but what could it have been…?

I could hear my opponent calling me, trying to taunt me more than likely, but my mind was busy going through a mental checklist of things trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with me. Was Mama sick? No. Were one of my teammates or brothers hurt? No, again. Had I forgotten to do something that morning? Nothing that came to mind. Julia continued to try and get my attention. I could see nothing about the match to be alerted about; at the moment, I was defending more than anything else, but it wasn't as though I wasn't putting up a fight, or was letting her win. What could have possibly been the matter…?

"Hey you! The one who's standing there staring into space! Where's my opponent, huh? Why won't you fight back?" Julia called at the impassive teen. She was completely unresponsive; was it that she was merely analyzing her technique for use at a later date if she were to win? The performer was hardly a patient woman, and the mere glazed-eyes slack-jaw I-am-practically-in-a-trance look that was gracing the girl's face was driving her absolutely batty. In frustration, she decided to turn up the heat. "Thunder Pegasus!"

The sparkling, bright winged-being emerged from her blade with a great call, it's hooves pounding the air as it charged Koriya's blade again. The trance did not lift, so it seemed, but her head did tilt back a ways, looking up into the very electrical current of the beast's mane as though it were nothing that surprised or alarmed her. Impassive as ever, her blade did more fighting then she did. With the mare's sudden, vicious attack, the lavender and silver beyblade had dodged just as it was about to collide with her, leaving her blade to spin completely out-of-control. Though only a couple of seconds later she was completely poised once again.

Kai watched silently, his face cold per usual, but on the inside… he was quaking. What was wrong with her? Why hadn't she finished it off yet? It seemed that with how the crowd was torn and confused Julia wasn't getting as much energy and help from the needed applause, as there was hardly any there. The match was confusing to even Jazzman, so it seemed. The opening round was strange for a tournament, that there would be such a struggle between a newcomer and a veteran player so early on.

It was barely noticeable… but she blinked, and the mist seemed to drift away from her eyes subtly. Her mind cleared, deciding to think on the problem another time. With the magnificent Pegasus before her, rearing its majestic head in frightful glory with an angry scream rising from its throat, she saw at last that her opponent had attempted to make her fight more than a mere defensive battle. She blinked again.

Attack…

And two moments later, the dish was half-demolished and her opponent's blade lying, badly damaged, at her feet.

Koriya was in a mist for the rest of the day, her mind trying futilely to identify what was wrong with her. The world seemed to have faded, and voices were no more than background noises barely perceptible to her ears. Touch no longer lingered on her skin, but was merely a wind that was there and gone again. Then… a different touch… a different voice…

Rei pulled Koriya away from the group and into an alley-way. He wasn't sure… but she had been like this ever since she saw him with Mariah that morning. He spoke her name softly, and she seemed to respond to it, so he called her by her nickname. The miasma disappeared from her eyes, and she looked up into his golden orbs as though awaking from a distant dream. He was so stunned that it was only when she slightly cocked her head to indicate she was listening that he realized he'd been about to say something.

"Are you feeling ok? You… started acting really weird… right after you dragged me away from Mariah this morning…"

She looked stunned, then thoughtful. Was that really what had been bothering her? Was she really jealous of that cat-girl? Her eyes widened.

Oh, no. She was absolutely, positively NOT going to fall in love!

AN: ... See? I'm HONESTLY MAKING AN EFFORT THIS TIME. I finished my SAT yesterday, so I'm now officially a himajin~! At least for a little while. Starting... probably Tuesday, I'm going to take writing my book serious again, and treat it like a second job. As it stands, there are only a handful of chapters left on this story, so I'll hopefully get them up pretty quickly.

Be sure and look at my profile; I post for a lot more than Beyblade. My best works are actually in the Naruto category. ^^; (That's only because they're the most recent, though~)

R&R~!