Chapter 35: Water Moon

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Tala quickly got up from where he sat, and made his way back down to the floor where the other 'bladers were leaving. "Well, we'd better go and fill out that registration form…or whatever it may be," he said in a deep, husky voice. We all nodded in agreement to him, and followed him without any hesitation. 'What am I going to put in this registration form? Do I need to lie or anything? And suddenly…I'm really looking forward to this 'tournament'.'

Continued Story:

We waited tolerantly for the rest of the teams to grab their registration papers, and go back to where the benches were in the lobby. I surveyed the rest of the teams with perceptive wintry eyes. 'They seem to perform this as if it were habitual. Is this like some altered version of an army camp? Their virtually like soldiers; I mean, what kind of person writes down and takes papers at the same time like that?' I thought with a bit of repugnance.

I watched Tala walk towards the front desk quietly, and gather our papers in a rather nippy motion. 'He seems as if he was vexed with this whole situation. I mean, he almost drowned yesterday, he got up today just so that he could come to the tournament, and now he's learned that it was cancelled, and that he had basically got up for nothing; wow, that would really be unpleasant.' Bryan, Spencer, and Ian looked as if this was normal as well; did they always think of the things that could impede on us?

Tala quietly returned to us with five white sheets of paper, and an unreadable look pasted onto his face. With a single nod, we followed him wordlessly and with no dissent as he led us over to where a clear table was located. We sat down upon it inaudibly and almost in synch. Tala handed out black, ball point pens, and we set to work on filling out all of the blank spots on the platinum paper. 'Name...they don't know my name? What on earth...oh...they don't even know me...'

I began filling out the questions: 'Gender...Girl...Name...Kiko Wieler...Bit beast...Edragore...Team name...Neoborg...Beyblading history...I was on the Canadian team for a while, we won the Canadian Championships, and I sometimes 'blade on the streets...Age...16...Main attack...Vortex of darkness.' There were several others, but their not worth mentioning. I quietly looked up after I was finished, and stole a glance at Tala's answers; he sat beside me.

'Gender...Boy...Name...Tala Valkov...Bit beast...Wolborg...Team...Neoborg team captain...Beyblading history...I was in the first World Championship, and made it to the finals; I've 'bladed on the streets...Age...18...Main attack...Novae Rog.' His glacial irises wandered over to glance back at me as I peered over his shoulder in a calm manner. A low growl seemed to come forth from deep within his throat, which made me back off rather hurriedly. I sat motionless as I waited for the rest of my team to finish. 'What do Bryan's answers sound like?' With the same slow movements, I casually glanced over his shoulder in an attempt to figure out his answers. My eyes widened when he quickly turned his paper up-side down and glared at me with his deep, teal eyes. 'Fine...why is my team being exceptionally cold right now? I mean, did they just not want me knowing about them? Or did they find it bothersome to have me looming over their shoulders? I'm not really sure which right now...they just suddenly did a one eighty on me; did I do something wrong?' My face was warped into one filled with worry as even more anxiety filled my life.

An unexpected lurch in my stomach caused my eyes to widen; now what? I quickly got up from the isolated table that we sat at. My footsteps quickened till I was practically running across the lobby floor. I threw open one of the stall doors, and shut it behind me rapidly. I hurriedly knelt beside the pearled toilet, and pulled back all of my hair that might get in the way as I puked into the toilet. The burning sensation made me want to hurl even more, even if it did only make my sickness worse. 'This isn't new for me...I usually puke on tournament days, either after or just before. But, I've never puked because of my team...What they said a long time ago...They said that I might not be cut out for this team, maybe they were right.' I remained there for around 15 minutes, and finally got up from the dirty floor when I figured that I was alright. I stood up, and with a shake of my head, I flushed away all evidence of my nausea.

I quietly opened the stall door, and stepped out uncertainly into the empty bathroom. In front of me were very large mirrors. They reflected the pain within my crystalline eyes, and the way my face seemed so forlorn. I quietly walked up to the sinks, and turned on the hot water. It cascaded in such a manor, that it helped numb my mind as I watched it intently. The sound of a million waterfalls crashing speedily filled up the area. I glanced back up at the mirror, and let a sigh escape my lips. 'My hair is so messed up...Might as well fix it,' I gradually lifted my hands up to where my pony tail was, and quickly pulled my hair down to just beneath my shoulders. It's black, silky surface left me transfixed for a moment or so, and then I remembered why I had it down in the first place. I brought my hands up to my hair, and began running my fingers through it. Why I felt this way all of a sudden, was just as confusing to me as the rest of my team was to my emotions right now. In five minutes, steam started to come forth from the scalding water below me. The mirror rapidly fogged up, and I could no longer see my replication in the mirror. I calmly wiped away the fog, and quickly pulled my hair back up, into what it was before.

'It looks too hot...The water might be too hot for me to wash my hands in...Oh well, like my team would care anyways.' I slowly dunked my hands into the scorching liquid. My mind immediately screamed for me to pull my hands back, but my heart wanted my hands to stay; I chose to keep my hands where they were. The water flowed over my hands like there was no tomorrow; it felt so unbelievably good. By the time I pulled my hands clear of the substance, they looked like red tomatoes. The first layer of skin seemed to be yelling derogatory things at me because I had intentionally harmed it. "Heh, there's nothing better then burning your hands...Well, the only thing better than that feeling, is the feeling of belonging," I managed to whisper to myself before I closed my subzero eyes.

A knock on the bathroom door brought me back to reality; it reverberated against the white walls. I quickly turned my head to listen for something else to follow the hollow sound, "Kiko chan, are you alright?" It was Spencer's deep voice this time; like Bryan or Tala would ask that to the bathroom door, they're much to prideful, and they're probably still mad at me...

I quickly turned off the sink, and with one final glance at my features, I left the area. I pushed against the bathroom door with my back as I speedily pulled on my longer gloves in a last ditch attempt to hide my burnt hands. My frosty eyes met Spencer kun's, once I had gotten out of the bathroom safely. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine Spencer kun, thank you for asking," I said in my utmost sweetest voice. A small smile finished the facade as my steady gaze passed from Spencer, to Ian, to Bryan, and finally to Tala. 'Wow, they all came; that's got to be one of the most surprising things that has happened to me today!' I thought almost bitterly, 'still though, Spencer kun probably made them have a guilt trip or something to get them to come over here.'

"Okay, Kiko chan, if you say so...but Tala sir wishes to speak to you in private, is that alright, right now?" Spencer's polite, and deep voice asked. I nodded, and smiled sweetly at them all. They returned with a single nod, and the rest of the team left Tala and I alone. Tala's eyes connected with my own, and then he motioned for me to follow him; I did so like an obedient dog. He led me out of the beyblade stadium, and kept on walking silently. There were no words between us as I continued to trail behind him in thought. 'Where is he taking me? This looks like the trail to the park...But why would he bring me here?'

Tala's footsteps stopped which made me look up into his icicle like irises. I waited for him to speak, not really noticing that it was getting late outside. "Kiko chan," he sighed, "why did you suddenly run off like that?" His voice seemed sincere enough, so I decided to answer him truthfully.

"I felt like I was going to puke...So I left and ran to the bathroom to do so," I shrugged my shoulders slightly as if it weren't that big a deal, and waited for him to reply. 'He's probably going to yell at me for telling them that I was fine; but what do they expect? They just glared at me for looking over their shoulders, and then they followed me to the bathroom like the creepers they are.' But, surprisingly, he didn't yell at me, he just gazed at me with his vibrant, gorgeous, tundra eyes.

"You could have just told us that, but was there another reason for you to suddenly take off like that?" He sounded so quiet, and so sure that there was something wrong; which of course he was right, but that also doesn't mean that I'll let him know that. His voice sounded so gentle, like that of a worried friend. 'Why does he sound so vexed? It's not as if he's treated me like a friend today...Well at least for the past little while he hasn't.' I kept my eyes lowered, and waited for my nerves to calm down before I decided to answer his question.

"Yeah, kind of, it's just that the look you gave me, made me feel so unwanted and stuff, so my already high anxiety rose considerably. I know that you never intended for that sort of thing to happen, and it was partially my fault, but it didn't really-"He cut me off with a single icy glance, but he didn't seem mad at me. We remained there in silence as we waited for either to speak. I felt so weak and so vulnerable because I told him of my vomiting in the bathroom, and I told him of what had been bothering me; something I rarely do. In my opinion, my emotions are mine alone, and nobody else should have to take care of me or my turmoil.

I had my head lowered and thought of all the things he could say to me because of what I had just told him. 'He could ostracize me, or treat me so differently...He could use this little bit of information against me in an attempt to throw me off of the team so that he had extra beybattling time...' While I continued to think that and more, I failed to perceive Tala's approaching footsteps. I quietly began to enfold my body with my small, skinny arms. Any sign of weakness to him is a sure way to rejection; why must I be so weak? He wouldn't like me if he knew all of my fears, and all of my weaknesses in my overly weak self.

I awoke from my hallucination by the strong arms that suddenly enveloped me. My body relaxed greatly as I felt my head hit his chest gently. 'Why is he hugging me? And why is he doing it so tightly? It's as if he's afraid to let me go...' I exhaled as we stood there underneath the lamp post that showered us with yellowish light while we stood in the dark in silence. "Kiko chan...I'm sorry if I made you feel that way; I never intended to make you assume that you didn't belong here, with us. However, I did warn you about that, though," he sighed in a defeated fashion, and then finished off his sentence by saying, "But please know, that when you see me as the snow, my feelings for you are always going to be feelings of summer." His voice was so soft, and so gentle, that I didn't comment on his metaphor. 'He used the seasons as an example of how much he cares for me...That is so smart.'

I leaned against him slightly, and I slowly brought my arms around his own petit waist. We remained like that for some time, just listening to each others breathing and to the beautiful sounds of the night; crickets chirping and the whisper of the wind as it sifted through the trees surrounding us. The night sky was ordained with tiny stars, and the blinding platinum light of the moon. Tala's cologne filled my nose strongly; so that was what they used all of their cologne for, they used it for tournaments! His jacket was soft and smooth as I let my hands clench the fabric.

In a few moments, we let each other go and resumed staring at the moon's glow. I turned to him slowly, and gently tapped his shoulder in which he turned to face me like what he had done before. "Tala, thank you for...talking to me about this; it means a lot to me." My voice was quiet, but the way that his frostic eyes changed made me know that he heard me, even if I was so close to being inaudible. A light spark entered his eyes when I had only whispered his name; did that mean that he didn't want me to call him by his first name? "Uh, I'm sorry if I angered you because I used your forename." My voice lowered immensely as I said this to him.

"No, it's alright if you only say my name," he quietly replied to me. A small smile threatened to emerge on my pale face, and the look that he gave me afterwards said that he knew that he had the power to make me grin sheepishly. I quickly looked away, and an almost silent chuckle exited his lips as he switched his gaze as well. We were there for a while before we both felt like it was time to leave. With a single nod from the crimson haired Russian captain, we left in silence, but this time it was a comfortable silence.

At the Hotel

Tala silently opened the door for me as we walked into the dim lighted room. A small smile laid across my face as we watched with great amusement as our other team members sat at the table, doing the homework that they had received the past week. 'I'm glad Tala talked to me...I feel so much better now. I was actually going to say something later in the day if he didn't say anything then...I hate being in this confusing type of argument. If I've done something wrong, or if somebody has wronged me...I want to work it out then and there, but the other said person usually doesn't want to...' I closed my subzero eyes, and waited patiently for Bryan's snide remark, or Ian's irritating voice that seemed way too low for his age, or Spencer's idiosyncratic gems of wisdom. However, all they did was look up from their white papers, and nod at us; did they think that something was up?

I stood beside Tala rather uncomfortably; the silence was grating on my nerves. "I, uh, I'm going to...My side of the...Room, is that okay?" Tala nodded down at me, and I swiftly walked over to where my mahogany bed was located. With a small tug on the curtain, I walked over to my bed with light foot steps, and sat down on my bed. 'Today was so stressful...I wonder when we can beyblade...?' I closed my eyes once again, and fell back into a resting position.

-Neoborg's POV-

"Tala sir...How did it go? She seems a lot...calmer than before." The team leader nodded his head to the inquiring voice that belonged to Ian. Tala pulled out a black chair, and proceeded to sit at the table with his team. His tundra colored eyes remained closed, and his arms were crossed over his chest. He sat with a straight back, and his ankles were crossed; but not in a girly fashion.

"The conversation went very well...Spencer san, how did you know that something had been wrong?" Spencer shrugged his shoulders slightly at their leader, and resumed writing down answers to his homework; Spencer doesn't really talk to his team that much, only when he deems it necessary. "Hn..." was all that had been said before they went back into yet another inaudible conversation.

"Spencer san...I owe you...You may have told me just in time to stop her from leaving the team..." Tala's voice said lowly in Russian. Spencer quietly looked up with his grey eyes, and a small smile creased his lips. He then received a nod from Bryan, and a smirk from Ian.

"Anyways...What are we going to eat?" Ian asked to no one in particular.

"Mm, maybe anything in the fridge..." Bryan's voice said in a half muffled and bored expression. Tala's cold glare sent shivers up everyone's spines if they dared look up into his icy irises. He quickly got up from where he sat, and stormed over to where Kiko's room was.

Bryan's cobalt blue eyes remained fixated on the homework that was set in front of him. "Nice, Bryan...Thanks for making him angry...Now we'll have to eat garbage or nothing at all!" Ian's hand collided with Bryan's head after he was done speaking to the now angry dove grey haired Russian doing his homework beside the violet haired imp.

"Watch it, shrimp, or I'll beat you like you've never been beaten before!" Ian san calmed down after that, and Bryan continued in a more composed manner, "Besides, I don't even know what I did this time. How was I supposed to know that any comment on food that was even a little bit reasonable would get him infuriated? Why should I feel any kind of guilt about getting him angry when I didn't do anything wrong? It's not like this is new or anything, I mean, that man gets angry almost every-"He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed Tala and Kiko walk by. Tala still had the same frostic glare on his face as he left the room. He quickly slammed the door behind himself as he and Kiko stormed out into the cold of the night.

All was quiet except for the sounds of the door slamming as they continued to reverberate throughout the room. All eyes rested on Bryan, and all were soaked in irritation, "nice...Now we're going to go hungry for a week! And poor Kiko chan, she's going to have to deal with him and his so called emotions!" Ian then received a powerful smack in the back of his head from Spencer.

"Ian...It's not his fault that he sometimes doesn't have any emotions," the tall Russian said strongly.

"But, Tala san did want to get mutated!" Ian persisted.

"Ian, that's enough, we should respect ourselves enough to stop talking about him...If he found out you know that he'd kill us," Bryan replied before Spencer could retort to the previous comment given out by the imp. They all nodded in unison, and continued to do the remaining content on their homework.

-Kiko's POV-

I waited expectantly for any reason as to why I was dragged back outside with Tala. 'I shouldn't ask him...That might anger him more. But, I'm still not sure why I'm out here! It's slightly cold out...Actually, I think its freezing! I'm hungry, too...I was going to just skip dinner tonight and fall asleep before I got hungry again; guess Tala has other plans for me.' The streets weren't crowded, and the moon was still shinning brightly over us. The stars twinkled softly beside the great mass of rock and stone. The wind lightly washed over my face and body, which made me shudder from the cold.

I stopped when I noticed that Tala had ceased walking a head of me. 'Oh no...Did I lose him? How could I lose him here? There's almost no people in this area; but...Maybe he wanted to lose me...Did he ditch me on purpose?!' I looked frantically around for any sign of my team captain; but it was only in vain. Worry encased my mind as thoughts of what I'd do now that he's gone. I didn't even know where I was! I quietly began walking again in hopes that maybe I'd find him.

A robust hand came down on my shoulder. It startled me so much; I screamed and jumped out of my shoes. The other hand belonging to the same person who held my shoulder covered my mouth with the same amount of strength that he held my shoulder with. "Kiko chan, calm down...It's okay, it's Tala," I quickly turned back around and rested my eyes on the fiery red haired Russian. "I'm sorry that I took off without you, but I thought you knew where I was..." His voice was so soft and calming, "I'm also sorry for my sudden anger, please know that it is not directed at you. I...Can I make it up to you by buying you dinner?" My eyes widened incredibly 'dinner...alone...with...Tala?'

I smiled softly up at him as he let go of my mouth when he thought that I had calmed down enough. My eyes were electric blue, with soft pearl streaks embedded into them. "Where do you want to go then?" He smiled back at me as those words parted my lips and reached his ears. He gently took my hand, and led me away rather quickly.

"I'm only holding your hand so that you don't get lost again..." I nodded in response to him, but in a slightly downcast way; I guess I really wished that he was holding my hand because he had wanted to...Not that the reason changed the fact that the man of my dreams was leading me to some eating place (it could just be Mc. Donald's) where we would eat alone!

We stopped in front of a not-to-showy restaurant; the kind that you can get away with just wearing sneakers, jeans, and a sweater. I smiled slightly nervously up at Tala, and calmly waited to see if we were moving on, or just staring at the window blankly, "Is this okay, Kiko chan?" I nodded up at him and he gently led me inside of the brick walled building.

The chiming of the doorway was really the only thing that made noise in the room. It was almost empty except for a few other people eating farther away from where we stood. Tala loomed over me in a protective manner and continued to scrutinize the waitress long after she had came to give us our table and to gather our orders. "Um, Tala...You don't really have to glare at her like that. I'm sure she means us...No harm..." I said softly while drinking some of my coca cola (heh, not quite sure on how to spell it...But at the risk of sounding like it's some kind of drug, I must put in 'a cola'. Yes, oh, and disclaimer note: The drink is not my own, it's some rich dudes). He casually looked over at me with his frostic eyes.

"I know that...Anyway, do you think that you're ready for the tournament?"

I nodded faintly at him and replied softly, "I don't really know, Tala. It wasn't really a 'tournament' today, and that made me sick,"

"Maybe you were just ill because of us...?" He asked after my previous comment. I shrugged slightly, and smiled across at him again. "I'm sorry about...Bringing up the work part of things...But I really don't know what to say," his subzero eyes seemed to almost beg me to change the subject.

I nodded at him, and sighed contently as the silence between us increased. 'What does one say on these types of things anyways? I mean, it's not like it's a date or anything, but it is still rather awkward! I mean...What should I say? I guess I can ask him random questions about himself, and hope to eventually spark up a conversation that we can both take part in; it is worth a try.' "Um, so, uh, Tala what are you...Uh, what is your favourite color?" 'Oh yeah, such a typical question; smooth Kiko, very smooth,' I thought in a sarcastic manor.

He glanced up at me quickly after gazing out at the window beside our table. He raised an eyebrow questionably, and made no sudden urge to answer me. "I haven't thought about that before...I guess its red...What about you?"

"Oh, it depends on what you call a color," I then quietly brought my drink up to my lips, and drank a bit more of the addictive liquid. Tala shrugged across at me, and proceeded to drink some of his coca cola. It was a while before either of us spoke. Tala kept on gazing through the window as if there were no tomorrow, and I stared at my lap hoping for something to happen to make the night a little less awkward. A soft tap against the polished wood brought me back to my senses. 'Is Tala that dense? I mean...He should know by now that taping your fingers against something to get a girl's attention will only back fire on him.' I quickly lifted my crystalline eyes and tilted my head in a perplexed sort of way; it wasn't him who had hit the table so gently.

"Hey, Kiko; what are you and Tala sama doing here?" I glanced up into frosty irises, with a ring of navy surrounding them. Her jet black hair hung loosely in a pony tail with her bangs covering her forehead; Rin. The other girl beside her gave a small, shy nod, and an equally shy smile. Her amethyst eyes appeared calm, but content. Her violet hair was wrapped up in a black and white cloth, and much like her companion, her bangs hid her forehead too; Kiyoko.

"Uh, hey you guys! What...Are YOU doing here, eh?" I retorted in an attempt to evade the question that had been thrown at me. They shrugged, and Rin closed her eyes with a sigh. She then placed her hand on the table and leaned tiredly against it. 'So, are they here alone?' I thought, 'it's rare to see them out like this...Kiyoko must have really persuaded Rin to come...Who knew she could.'

"Tyson invited the White Tiger's to eat with him and his team...So we had to tag along. I'm so glad that we found you though...It was getting kind of boring," The purple eyed feline replied, "so...Can we join you two, or should we leave you be...?" I quietly moved over and so did Tala. I smiled reassuringly at him, and he responded by rolling his icicle like eyes. 'I guess our night got ruined...Well at least it isn't too awkward.' Rin sat beside Tala and Kiyoko beside me. 'Rin still doesn't trust Tala...Will she think of him as a threat to me?' Worry showed in my eyes, but otherwise, I remained the same.

'They're both so different...We're all so different. Rin isn't human...Kiyoko isn't human...Marissa is human...But, do I count as being one, too? Kiyoko doesn't trust that many people...Rin doesn't trust anybody except for her friends...Marissa...Well I'm not sure on that...I don't trust anyone really, there's always a chance that they could back stab me. Well, maybe we're not that different...But how can people like us stay together for so long? We're all cold...We've all had bad pasts with family and friends...With Boris and Voltaire. Rin and I both have dragon bit beasts, and some of our attacks use the same elements...But still...I think of me as the better 'blader. Nobody has truly seen Edragore...Kiyoko shows Drameena too quickly...And Rin has shown Oceanna to some. I'm not even sure if they've seen Edragore; and if that is the case, I hope they never do.'

An Hour Later

-Rin's POV-

As I walked back with my 'team', I caught a glimpse of the appearing sun as it showered us with its blinding snow white light. Why does it have to be that way? Why does it have to be so...So...Pure?! Yeah, it has craters and other marks on its surface, but no body pays attention to those imperfections...But as soon as a person changes their clothes, or grows up, people see that as an imperfection, and they judge them for that; leaving them to rot away within the chambers of their own hearts. 'In shadows, her soul was molded from ashes; porcelain masks of stone and crystal and there she waits...'

'Why does she have to be around him all of the time? Doesn't she know that boys will only harm you in the end? She's a fool for believing that he's 'normal', no, he's exactly like me! He...Will only cause her pain...and yet she does not head my warnings, and goes after him like a fish does a hook. What does she see in him? But...If he is just like me...then what does she see in me? Why does she stay, when I've told her many times to go? Why did she not ignore me when she learned of my 'condition'? I'm a hollow shell that has no emotions what-so-ever...so then...What does she see? Why did she stay? Why me...I don't deserve this...I don't deserve what this thing called love.'

My eyes are now cold and bitter as I walked silently through the deserted streets of Tokyo. My ears are filled with the constant bickering between Mariah and Kevin. The only feeling I have is the wind softly swirling around in front of me, and the only thing I see is the darkness being broken into segments from the Moon's glow. Will my darkness be broken up so easily like this? Is the thing to bring me back...the thing that has made me run?

-Kiko's POV-

I left the restaurant shortly after our food came; we kind of stuffed it into our mouths quickly. We had already made it back to our hotel room, and Tala had long since fallen asleep. 'Why does the Moon have to be RIGHT outside my window; great, now I can't sleep...and tomorrow I'm going to be so hyper...I really hope that we can beyblade tomorrow; I'm looking forward to beating every last team in this place! Then people will know my name...But, if it is international...Then we might go back to Canada...Or one of my brothers might have entered this tournament! Then I'll definitely be making sure that I don't battle.

I exhaled softly, and got up from my mahogany bed; might as well watch TV or something while I'm awake. I carefully pulled back the curtain, and muted the TV before I turned it on. I sat cross-legged in front of it, and waited for the news to come on. 'I wonder if they'll have the beyblading teams now...Would they even show that stuff this late?' I waited in silence as the news lady talked about pointless events that were happening down at the coast; who cares if the light house's light bulb burnt out? And then the 'blade statistics came on. I watched with steady eyes as the teams were listed across the screen, and then the name of a team came up; Heishi, why did that sound so familiar?

I quietly turned up the TV volume, and listened closely for the team names. "The team captain is Alvaak Soichiro," it then showed his picture; it was the same guy who had slammed the door on my face not to long ago! "His team is: Rika Sorijou," she had silver and grey hair that came down to her back, "Nobara Hakado," he had black and crimson hair that came down to his shoulders, and piercing red and black eyes, "and Lithian Suguru," no picture showed up for him. I switched off the television, and sat there blankly; there's only 1 girl on that team? She must be really strong...Alvaak...Why does he sound so familiar? I know that I met him in the lobby...But why does his name sound familiar? My eyes widened and my face grew as white as the snow; Alvaak...I know him because he...Works at the Abbey...He was the one that threw me to Viridian...He was also the one that killed Vermillion.

AN: Yes, it has been a while since I posted...The next chapter should have actual beybattling in it, but I'm not promising anything! Please review me!