"Both Haru and Reno are gone. They said they had some training to do and probably wouldn't be back until this afternoon, then shower and leave again to get our clothes." Max was explaining as they made their way back to the room. "Tyson is actually up already and it's only 7:15. It's pretty amazing. Anyway, let's hope they haven't gone through the article before we even get there."
They walked past the room that belongs to the girls. Kai couldn't help but spare a glance at the closed door. Would she have really told me herself? He asked himself.
Who knows? Dranzer countered. She might've. I have reason to believe that Tiamat was pressuring her as well to just tell someone.
Max opened the door to their room and Kai followed silently.
"What took you?!" Tyson exclaimed. "We've been waiting forever!"
Rei offered a shrug of apology at the eccentric blader's expense. "We haven't looked it over yet. While we were waiting Dizzi and Kenny tried to see if they could find anything else."
Max let out a small gasp. "What about Hillary?"
"She can find out later." Tyson remarked quickly. "She's probably still sleeping." With that statement, Tyson yawned widely.
The BladeBreakers crowded around the boy and his laptop.
"Ready, Chief?" Dizzi inquired.
"Go for it, Dizzi." Kenny replied.
The bit beast stuck in the computer opened a window that bore an old news article, while explaining, "This was the only thing I found that mentioned the name 'Rafe'."
Fire Destroys Family
Feb. 21st
At the scene there is nothing left but a charred memory of what was a young family. The Rafe family had only been living in the house in a suburb of New York for a year. James Rafe worked at the local fire department while his wife, Arisa, was a medical consultant. They had two children; Syneon, age nine, and Amara, age seven.
Police are still baffled by what could have caused the fire that destroyed this family in the late hours of the evening. There is no evidence to arson and neither do they believe that it was caused by a gas leak.
An eyewitness states, "There was no warning. One minute it was calm, clear of smoke, then the next the house is a blazing inferno."
The fire department also found the blaze irregular. They commented that they never had encountered a fire that intense or hot. Many believe they had saw black flames amidst the fire; authorities have no comment on that.
The investigation of what caused this tragedy is ongoing.
"Whoa, that's…" Tyson trailed off.
"She was only seven when it happened." Max remarked. "No wonder she's secretive, she doesn't want anyone to know the pain she went through."
"I think…" Rei trailed off for a moment before continuing. "I think we already pried enough into Amara's past."
"You can't be serious!" Tyson exclaimed. "You know that she'll probably never tell us!"
"It's not our right to know in the first place." Rei countered. "The only reason we had to search was because of the grave markers. If Max never saw them, we wouldn't have done this."
"Just drop it." Kai said lowly.
"But, Kai!" Tyson pressed. "It was you who ordered the search in the first place!"
"We searched the family and found what we were looking for, there's no need to dig further." Kai elaborated.
"I'll have to agree with Kai." Max said quietly. "Now I wished I never saw Amara at that cemetery."
"Well, Chief, you heard the man." Dizzi remarked and Kenny, without question, went about closing down searches.
Tyson huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I still don't like this." He stated defiantly.
"I know Tyson," Max placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's still a good chance that later on all of Wingz Corp will fully trust us."
Michelle watched every step Amara took, from when she entered the room with no greeting to going straight to the bathroom to shower off. She could read the lines of tension like an open book. She wasn't the only one either.
"Something is really bugging Amara." Reno commented once he heard the water running.
"That's obvious." Ari remarked, sipping at her coffee. She sat next to Reno on the couch.
Haru silently agreed from his seat in the chair.
"I thought you guys were going to do your own training today?" Michelle suddenly inquired of Haru and Reno.
"We decided to do that later tonight." Reno answered. "What about you?"
"Already did my workout." Michelle replied and slumped back in her chair, opposite of Haru.
Ari let out a small sigh. "Hopefully Amara will calm down before we leave. We don't want her to get all defensive when we're trying to pick out a dress."
The door to the bedroom opened and Hillary stepped out, dressed and ready to start the day. "Morning!" She greeted cheerfully.
"Morning Hillary." Ari responded in kind. "There's some coffee in the kitchen and Haru and Reno were kind enough to bring up some bagels from the continental breakfast if you're hungry."
"Thanks" She smiled and went to prepare her own breakfast.
"She's cheery." Michelle remarked, a delicate eyebrow cocked.
"She's probably just excited." Ari said with a shrug.
Hillary exited the kitchen and plopped down next to Ari on the couch, munching on bagel with cream cheese spread. "Do you have any idea of what type of dress we should look for? Especially for Amara, since I can tell she's not too thrilled about the whole idea." She asked Ari.
Ari put on a contemplative look. "Well, you're right about Amara, she'll shoot down every suggestion we give. At least Michelle has some sense, despite how much she doesn't like the idea of dressing up."
"I am sitting right here, you know." Michelle commented indignantly. "And I don't know whether I should take that remark as a compliment or not."
"Take it as a compliment." Ari replied casually. "I don't really know what style for Amara, I'll have to see her in a dress first."
"I almost wish I could come along, just to see the spectacle of forcing Amara into a dressing room." Reno commented. "You should take a camera, Ari."
"I wouldn't do that to Amara!" Ari exclaimed. "I can get all the pictures I want at the banquet, when she's in the finish product."
Michelle listened to Ari and Hillary toss each other ideas for Amara, her own, and their dresses. Reno threw in teasing comments about some of the ideas. Haru just sat there, half listening, half in deep thought.
Amara turned off the water with probably more force than was needed. Grabbing the towel off the nearby rack, she wrapped it around her and stepped out of the shower. Wringing out her hair over the sink, she glanced up at her reflection.
There was a flash of amber behind her green eyes.
Amara found herself looking at Arama in the mirror.
Surprised? Arama taunted.
You're still bound. You can't do anything. Amara snapped, her eyes narrowing in a glare.
For the time being. Arama answered. So, are you finally admitting that you love Kai? If so, I'll just have to make sure to kill him in the worst way possible.
You won't be able to, Arama. Amara answered. She was gripping the edge of the sink so tightly that her knuckles started to turn white. She leaned closer to the mirror. You can't hurt him.
You haven't denied that you love him! Arama laughed. So you do! Were you jealous?
Amara slightly recoiled at the sudden question. What?
A flash of a memory; Arama battling Kai for the tournament finals. The words; 'Watch Amara…'as her hands clenched in his scarf before pulling him close.
Amara had tried to wipe that memory away and for a while she had succeeded, but now it raged back in her mind with a vengeance.
So you were jealous! Arama let out another laugh. This will be so much fun!
Enough, Arama! Tiamat roared and Amara flinched as the command resounded through her mind. The laughter slowly faded and soon Amara was looking at her own reflection. Amara?
Where were you? She asked softly.
Arama is growing stronger. Even bound, she was able to put a block on our Unity. But, it wears her out. She won't be able to pull that off again for a while. Hopefully we'll grow stronger ourselves. Tiamat said, trying to be reassuring.
Amara didn't answer as she changed into the clothes she left before going on her run. Through the door she heard Ari's light laughter along with Hillary's voice. Toweling down her hair, she pulled it up into a wet ponytail before walking out of the bathroom.
Ari, Hillary, Michelle, Reno, and Haru were all sitting in the living room, discussing clothes for the banquet. Amara cursed under her breath at that thought.
Michelle discerned that Amara seemed even tenser then before she took a shower, but she did a better job of hiding it. "Food and coffee in the kitchen." Michelle remarked.
Amara gave a slight nod of appreciation.
"What time is it?" Hillary suddenly inquired, looking about the room for a clock.
"8:00." Haru was the first to answer.
"I wonder if they're up yet…" Hillary said more to herself.
"They probably are." Michelle replied anyway. "Except maybe Tyson. Then again, if he heard about the breakfast…" She trailed off at that, not needing to elaborate further.
"True." Hillary stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm going to go see what they're up to. See you around noon." She gave a small wave and headed out the door.
Amara came back into the room as Hillary was leaving. She took the spot that Hillary had vacated and was met with the gazes of the others.
"You're tense." Michelle remarked, leaving no room for argument.
I told you she would worry. Tiamat said.
She's not going to let me slip out of this one… Amara sighed, wrapping her hands around the mug of coffee.
Then just tell her. And might as well let Reno and Ari hear, they are, in a way, your family.
"Arama." Amara said simply after a moment of internal debate. She already knew that Haru understood, leaving once less person to explain things to.
"What's up with her?" Reno asked.
"She's growing stronger, isn't she?" Michelle had a worried look on her face.
"Yeah, she was able to block Tiamat from me."
"Isn't she bound, though?" Haru reasoned.
Amara nodded. "Tiamat was able to break through the block, eventually. He said it weakened Arama and she won't be able to do that again for a while."
"But there's still the problem that she could do that in the first place." Ari commented.
"I'm running out of options…" Amara bowed her head.
"We'll just have to find new ones." Michelle stated firmly.
Good luck with that. Bahamut remarked sarcastically. Michelle was surprised at the amount of venom in his tone.
What's up with you?
It's just that this whole situation is just infuriating. Bahamut amended in apology.
I know. Michelle sighed.
"I do not doubt that we can find new options, it's just the matter of time." Amara said.
"We'll be here, Amara." Ari said with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, we'll help you in anyway we can." Reno readily agreed.
Amara glanced over at Haru. He nodded and she thought she saw a small smile on his lips.
"You just have to tell us when something is up." Michelle remarked. "No more hiding. We all remember what happened last time. We don't want a repeat of that."
"And, Amara," Ari placed a hand on the Death Wing's arm. "I know you don't like sharing everything with the rest of us, but just as long as you tell someone you trust, I can live with that."
Amara nodded. She knew that she would always keep secrets from them and would never tell them the full truth. As they say, 'Old habits die hard'.
But, maybe, when all is done, she can tell them- her family- the whole truth.
The BladeBreakers had decided not to tell Hillary about what they had found. So when she came by and asked how the search was going, they replied in the negative.
For their training for that day, they decided to go to the training room where a few small bey dishes were set up.
They did basic training and light battle. Probing each other, watching for weak points and forming tactics. They stayed there from 8:30 to 11:00, moving from the dishes to the weight machines.
Hillary, Kenny, and Dizzi 'continued' the search. Come 11:00 they had a pretty good workout and by 11:45, they all had showered and were down in the dining hall for lunch. Five minutes later, the Wingz Corp came down for lunch as well.
By 12:15, they had all finished and were waiting in the lobby of the hotel for their rides to come around.
"You guys all set?" Hillary asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Ari asked.
Amara and Michelle stood in back of the group. Amara discreetly nudged Michelle in the side and whispered. "How the hell are we to pay for these dresses?"
Michelle gave a slow blink. "Umm… I have no idea."
Amara let out a groan as the limos that brought them pulled up.
"I don't see why we have to shop," Tyson said the word with disgust, "for clothes as well."
"It's expected of you, Tyson," Hillary remarked. "You're the World Champion, so you're obligated to go and you have to make a good impression."
"Haru, keep on eye on Reno." Ari said to the quiet blader.
"I don't need a keeper!" Reno crossed his arms over his chest.
Rei and Kai had already headed out and were waiting by the limo; Kenny and Max were dragging Tyson over. Reno and Haru said or nodded a goodbye and followed the BladeBreaker team out.
"Wow, Tyson makes just about as much as a fuss as Amara." Ari commented.
"Ari, not funny." Amara stated.
"Hey, Hillary?" Michelle walked along side the brunette as they walked out the hotel to their ride. "How are we paying for all this?"
"Not to worry!" Hillary smiled. "Mr. Dickinson is providing the money for expenses." She pulled out a debit card from her purse. "He gave Kenny and I one of these for any expenses we might have."
"Why didn't we get one?" Amara asked.
Hillary gave a small shrug. "Don't know. Maybe he figured that we would hang out to together or something… Then again, we're kind of stuck together anyway with the way things are set up."
"Oh." Amara opened the car door before the driver could do it for her. The other girls climbed in after her and soon they were on the road.
The seven boys sat in silence. Even Tyson remained quiet. Finally, Reno decided to break it. "So, you guys have any idea of what Hillary expects us to get?"
"Not a clue." Max replied.
"It probably would have been easier if Hillary and or Ari came with us." Reno remarked.
"They have their hands full with Amara and Michelle." Haru spoke up.
"Why's that?" Tyson asked.
Reno laughed. "Neither of them, for as long as I've known them, has ever worn anything that came close to a dress or skirt."
"Plus with the mere mention they cringe or flinch." Haru added.
Rei chuckled. "That's almost the complete opposite of Hillary."
The driver pulled up into a parking lot and turned back to the group. "Here's your stop." He said. "I'll be around so just call me. You have the number, right?" Kenny rattled off the number and he nodded in affirmation. "Just some advice. Stick to the stores around this block, they know their stuff even if you don't know what you need. Just explain your situation and they should be able to take care of you."
"Thanks!" Kenny replied and they climbed out of the limousine.
"The sooner we get going, the sooner we can be finished." Tyson mumbled.
"The sooner we get going, the sooner we can be finished." Amara mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "So just pick a goddamn store!"
Ari and Hillary completely ignored her. They were looking about, wide-eyed at all the buildings, peering through windows to get a look at the wares before moving on to the next store. Michelle and Amara were lagging behind only when they got too far behind would the other two girls turn around and drag them by the arm.
"Can't let you escape." Was Ari's explanation.
Finally they were pulled into a store. Everything in the store was either a dress or something that was supposed to go with a dress.
"Welcome ladies!" One of the clerks came up to them. "My name is Sean. How may I be of assistance?" He gave a small bow, showing the top of his balding head.
Ari handled him like a pro. "We need dresses, of course, but these two," she motioned to Amara and Michelle behind her, "need to be measured as well. Us four want something formal, but easy to move in."
"You've come to the right place." Sean said. "Let's measure these two first, and while we're measuring you two can look around for something that you like or maybe something for your friends." He held out his arms to Amara and Michelle.
Amara resisted the urge to try and rip off his arm. He's begging to be murdered…
Amara, play nice. The dragon sounded vastly amused.
Tiamat, shut up.
Michelle stared at the offered arm with an upraised eyebrow. What does he want? He doesn't honestly believe that either of us would take his arm and be lead like sheep to the slaughter?
He's just probably use to dealing with the type of girls who would giggle and find his whole demeanor amusing and charming. Now, dealing with two girls who probably have the power to destroy the whole city together probably doesn't register on the 'oh-shit-back-away' meter. Bahamut remarked.
Your humor never ceases to amuse me.
"Just lead the way." Amara practically growled.
Sean dropped his arms and back away slightly. "Er… Right this way then." He turned on his heel and led them to the back of the store.
Ari and Hillary browsed through the many dresses.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" A shout came.
"Just hold still!" Came a frazzled replied.
"Hell no!"
"I need to measure you!"
"Came within five feet of me and I will shove that tape measurer-"
"Amara, maybe you should calm down…"
Ari let out a sigh. It was going to be a long day.
"Hey, Ari!" Hillary called. "I think I found a dress for you."
Ari walked over to where Hillary was looking and when Hillary pulled out the dress her eyes widened. "Wow…"
"I knew you would like it." Hillary smiled.
There was a crash and the two cringed slightly.
"I hope Sean's okay…" Hillary remarked. After a moment she started looking through the rack of other dresses, holding the one for Ari over her arm. "What color do you think for Michelle?"
"Something silver, maybe. And Amara, maybe something green or black."
Hillary nodded in agreement. "Let's just hope we don't get kicked out or something."
There was another crash.
By dinnertime both groups made it back to the hotel. They all had purchased something for the next day's banquet and had managed to make it through the day without too much incident.
Amara had slung the bag, which held her dress over her shoulder as she stalked to the elevator, heading back to the room.
"Hey, Am-" Max began a greeting as she walked by him.
"Shut up." She snapped, giving him a sharp glare before continuing on her way.
The boys watched her disappear into the elevator.
"She's in a bad mood…" Reno remarked. He turned to the other girls as they walked up to them. "So, what happened?"
Ari gave a meek chuckle. "Let's just say, one of the dressers is going to be scarred for the rest of his life."
"I take it things didn't go so well then?" Rei asked.
"I wouldn't say that." Michelle remarked. "Things went okay. We got our dresses and that's all that matters."
"And we didn't get kicked out of the store either." Hillary added.
"Can't say the same for us." Max let out a sigh.
Kai and Haru and joined the group in silence. They both had cast a glance back at Kenny and Tyson, carrying their bags in.
"Tyson caused a small disturbance." Rei explained. Kai didn't bother to bite back a scoff. "I think it shall be left at that…"
"Hey, Michael!"
They looked over to see Tyson greeting a taller dark-blonde haired boy.
This Michael was wearing a baseball cap with the BBA logo on it, an unbuttoned baseball jersey with a shirt underneath and a pair of jeans. "Tyson, good to see you." He replied before turning to the group. "Hey, Max, your mom says 'hello'. She'll be at that banquet tomorrow, since she's the one who organized it."
"I kinda figured she would be busy and everything." Max answered. "And I'm not surprised she's the one organizing it."
Michael walked over to the group. "Yeah, Judy wanted to start the Championship Tournament off without too much mishap." He finally glanced over the rest of them, specifically the Wingz Corp minus Amara. "Sorry, I don't believe we've met."
Michelle stepped forward. "We're the other team sent from Japan; Wingz Corp. I'm Michelle Katsumonu. This is Reno, Ari, and Haru. Amara is up in our room at the moment."
"So, you're other team…" Michael studied them for a moment. "I'm Michael captain of the All-Starz. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of your battle from Japan's tournament. Your technique is very interesting."
"Likewise." Michelle answered. "You still use a baseball to launch?"
He nodded an affirmative. "If we should battle, it might prove to be interesting. I would very much like to face either you or your partner. Well, nice meeting you." Michael nodded before turning and heading back on his way.
"He seems like a decent opponent." Reno commented.
"He's a good guy." Tyson remarked, lacing his fingers behind his head. "A bit of a show-off if you ask me though, but a good guy nonetheless."
"You're one to talk Tyson." Rei commented.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tyson was about to argue the point but Kenny butted in.
"Tyson, your showing off got us kicked out of that one store." The mechanic said with a sigh.
"We should probably put our stuff back in the rooms." Hillary spoke up. "We wouldn't want anything to wrinkle or anything."
"Good idea." Ari paused a moment before adding. "It might be a good idea also to make sure that Amara didn't try to set her dress on fire or something."
"She's not that vindictive." Michelle stated.
"Think about what you just said…" Haru walked past her.
Michelle gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah, you're right."
Amara, in fact, did not try to destroy her dress. She did hang it up on the door and gazed at it. I can't believe they talked me into this…
I think it looks nice and it seems to suit you. Tiamat commented. But I am a dragon and a male one at that so what am I suppose to know about these things?
Indeed. And what am I suppose to know about these things? Amara countered.
You humans are strange. Especially you females.
Even I have to agree with you. Amara let out a sigh. I want tomorrow to be over and done with. She looked up at her purchase again but smiled slightly this time. For some unexplained reason, she felt giddy and she didn't know if she liked the feeling or not. It almost felt like come tomorrow, nothing could go wrong. As an added bonus Arama still has been recovering her energy and has remained passive.
Amara's smile widened.
"Are you sure that you don't want to go, Syn?" Ryld asked, walking along side the taller and older teen. They were already in the hotel that was hosting them for their stay during the tournament. Luckily for the BladeBreakers and Wingz Corp, they weren't in the same hotel.
"I don't do well in crowds." Syn remarked, taking out the keycard to their room and unlocking the door. "Besides, I think Damian will cause enough trouble."
"It would've been even more interesting if Boris allowed Tala to go with him. Imagine if Kai saw him there." The two walked into the room and Ryld shut the door behind him. They didn't bother with the lights, keeping the room immersed in shadow.
"Damian is also on a mission, he's going to sow the seeds of chaos."
"Damn, Syn. You went poetic there." Ryld chuckled, his rusty eyes gleaming mischievously. "Well, have we decided on how we're going to capture Bahamut?"
Before Syn could answer, there was a knock at their door. Ryld waved Syn off, indicating that he would answer.
"Ryld." Damian greeted once the door opened.
"Hey, welcome, Damian!" Ryld grinned. He opened the door further and motioned Damian into the dark room.
"Syn." Damian nodded to the teen standing next to the window. The lights from the street casting shadows on his face, but the green eyes remained dark and blank.
"So, what's up, Damian?" Ryld questioned, leaning against the door. "Your partner giving you trouble or something?"
"No, it's not that." Damian answered calmly, his arms crossed over his chest. "I think I know a way to lure Arama out of Amara."
"Ah, so that's what you meant when you said he was going to sow the seeds of chaos, Syn." Ryld tilted his head back. "So, let's hear this plan of yours."
"Corruption calls to corruption." Damian said cryptically, a smirk spread across his face.
It is my corruption against that of Amara's. Black Dranzer's voice echoed through Damian's mind.
If the corrupt phoenix could smirk, no doubt it would mirror Damian's.
A/N: "Another chapter over and done with. Whew! So what does Damian have planned? Well, you'll just have to find out.
"So, about this chapter, is seems that it was a little longer than normal and it probably was, but there just wasn't a good place for me to stop. I hope that I got all the spelling mistakes as well... Anyway, I am completely surprised at how long this has gotten. I have it saved on my laptop and I'm like 800 more words from the 100,000 mark. And I haven't even gotten to the tournaments! So is it because I'm just dragging this out too much or what? Please tell me if I am!
"Is it just me, or does my Kai seem a little, I don't know, flat? He's just so hard to write when you have him in the company of characters like Tyson, Max, and Rei, but when I write him on his own he seems fine. Is it just me?
"Well, NaNoWriMo is coming up, but don't worry I'll have the next chapter up before November 1st! Wish me luck!
See you next chapter!"
Death