Chapter 1: Sowing the Seeds

"I really don't see how this will work," Kotone said as she and Tsubasa walked towards the B-Pit.

"You don't, do you?" the senior agent replied in a "duh" tone.

It was the day after the team had been finalized and Tsubasa was already tired of his teammates. They were just too loud and brash and reckless and argumentative and obnoxious. Couldn't they at least try to stop shouting all the time? It was like working with a newbie Kotone all over again. Honestly, that alone would be a good enough reason to quit his job and—

Wait, what was he thinking about? Right, his teammates.

On their own, he could deal with them just fine — well, except maybe Masamune. He was still getting used to the new blader's exuberance.

"Well," the rookie agent said, breaking his train of thought, "I don't envy you for having to travel with them. They're so troublesome." Tsubasa didn't dignify that with a response. "By the way, not that I'm complaining, but how come you suddenly decided you need a vacation?"

As they rounded at the corner of the street, the shop came into sight. "Hades Inc. entered a team in the tournament, the American one. I'd rather not have a repeat of the Battle Bladers."

Hades Inc. had been in contact with the Dark Nebula and although it could mean nothing, Tsubasa would rather err on the side of caution.

Kotone sighed. "Figures you'd only take a break to do more work." She folded her arms behind her back. "Still, can't say you're wrong. Seriously, why did they keep the Battle Bladers going until the end? People were being thrown into a coma left and right."

Tsubasa's mind flashed back to his battle with Ryuuga. The sensation of having your life sucked out of you… It was torture. What was it like on the other side? He had seen the footage of Ryuuga being turned into a human-dragon hybrid. His stomach twisted with a mixture of nausea and pity.

Even before the shop's door opened, Tsubaa could hear shouting and sighed. His teammates were indeed, to quote Kotone, troublesome. She probably didn't hate Naruto as much as she let on for her to use that word almost like a catchphrase.

Masamune scoffed at something Yuu had just said. "Yeah, right! Aren't you forgetting that me and Tsubasa beat you? There's a reason you're the sub, you know."

There it was, the word that had become the bane of both Yuu and Tsubasa's existence. The taunt was getting idiosyncratic.

"Don't call me a sub! And there's no way I'd lose to you again!"

"Like I'd ever get beaten by a sad sack of potatoes like you!"

Sack of potatoes? Just what went on in Masamune's mind?

"Who're you calling a potato?! I'M NOT A STINKING POTATO!"

And of course, that was what Yuu cared about.

"Guys, calm down." Of course, neither listened. To his credit, at least Gingka tried. "Arguing like this won't solve anything."

Masamune swiveled to face Gingka, who was slouched on the couch, obviously fed up. "I don't want to hear it, especially from you. You bailed out on our battle in the Qualifiers!"

Immediately, Gingka stood up with a glare. So much for all the expectations Tsubasa had. "Hey! I had no idea Dad had already entered me, okay! Quit whining about it already!"

"Don't ignore me!" Yuu shouted at both.

And so, their shouting match became three-way, the uncivilized swines. Tsubasa rubbed his temple with a sigh. Why did he decide to come here again? Right, Kotone had practically begged him to. Between her and Yuu's puppy dog eyes, Tsubasa would surely lose all his reputation and resistance. Well, that and someone had taken his wallet. Tsubasa was sure it had been one of them.

"Yup," the younger redhead next to him said, watching the spectacle with a surprising calm Tsubasa hadn't expected from his junior. "Not going to work."

Before Tsubasa could reply, the door that led to Madoka's workshop slammed open, cutting through the argument with practiced ease. Madoka marched out with a livid expression and the arguing trip went from silent to terrified.

Madoka didn't hold a candle to Tsubasa's academy instructor.

"CUT IT OUT ALREADY!"

She was still scary in her own right though.

Next to him, Kotone rubbed her ear with one eye closed, as if in physical pain. "Wow, she sure can yell."

He spared her a side-glance. "And this is coming from you?"

As Madoka lectured the three and they presented their alibis, Kotone sighed and muttered, "I'm so done with this."

She marched forward and began to push the arguing trio to the workshop, ignoring their startled yelps. "If you go out in the world like this, it'll reflect badly on Japan as a whole. Let's just say I won't let you tarnish the reputation of our beloved country."

Tsubasa couldn't help but snort. Euphemism at its best.

After dumping the three in, Kotone ran back and grabbed Tsubasa's arm and Madoka's hand, dragging them towards the door.

"What?" Tsubasa asked. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You joined the team. I'm just helping you get used to all the headaches you're going to get in the future."

That said, Kotone dumped them in too and slammed the door shut before locking it, ignoring their protests. Inside, Tsubasa could hear the sound of wood scraping the marble floor.

"Is that… Is that my table?" Madoka asked.

"Yup!" came the chirpy response from outside. "Now picking the lock won't be of much use, Tsubasa!" That was followed by footsteps which were nearly drowned out by the combined yells of all four of his teammates.

Tsubasa was going to kill the redheaded brat.

o-o-o-o

A while and a killer headache later, Tsubasa remedied his statement. He was going to torture and then kill the redheaded brat. Masamune kept banging at the door and Yuu kept whining throughout the past hour and a half, with Gingka and Madoka snapping at them to pipe down. The brunette had tried to work but the combined annoyance of Yuu, Masamune and, for a while, even Gingka, made it impossible.

"Ugh, I'm so bored, I could scream! AHHHHHHHH!"

"Gingka, I really hate your cousin right now," Madoka said.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Gingka winced, putting a hand on his ear. "Me too."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"SHUT UP, MASAMUNE!" Even Tsubasa yelled along with the others.

"But I'm bored! BORED TO THE POWER N!"

"Alright, alright!" Madoka said. "We'll play something like Truth and Dare, okay? Just stop yelling."

Yuu folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "Boring!"

"Well, we can't exactly beyblade in here!" Madoka snapped.

Gingka hummed and Tsubasa turned to him. The redhead had his eyes closed and was sprawled over the floor, staring at the ceiling. "You know, this kind of reminds me of the punishments Dad would give us back in Koma."

Tsubasa raised an eyebrow. "By "us", you mean…?"

"Ryuuga, me and Kotone."

Yuu leaned forward suddenly, eyes wide and glistening. "You mean Ryo-yo punished Ryuuga?"

It had gotten Masamune's attention too. "The same Ryuuga from the Battle Bladers? The one who was turned into a human-dragon hybrid? And your Dad locked him in a room?" He paused for a second. "Wait, that means you knew him as a kid!"

Gingka turned to him, looking as though a sudden thought hit him. "Oh, yeah. We grew up in the same village. It's kind of easy to forget you don't know a lot about us, you know."

Masamune scratched his cheek. "So, you grew up together. In the battle I saw, it kind of seemed like you were mortal enemies or something." He gasped exaggeratedly and Tsubasa rolled his eyes. Even Kotone could act better. "Is he your arch nemesis?" His tone was hushed, as if it was a secret.

Gingka gave him a confused look. "What? No. He…" The redhead thought for a moment, looking for the right words to articulate their unique condition. "He kind of killed my father. I was still angry about that."

Masamune blinked. "But… Your father's alive."

"So he is," Yuu replied. He was enjoying Masamune's confusion, if the giddy expression on his face was any indication. Tsubasa couldn't blame him. He loved the whole "I know something you don't" shtick too.

"How's he alive if Ryuuga killed him?" Gingka made to reply but Masamune cut him off by snapping his fingers. "I got it! You're adopted!"

"Wha— no! How did you even…?" Gingka shook his head. "He didn't actually die, he—"

Masamune cut him off once again. "Then why'd you say he was killed? Are you trying to make a fool out of me?"

Yuu rolled his eyes. "We don't need to try something for that."

Tsubasa sighed. Just when things were becoming quiet.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Gingka cleared his throat, stopping the argument. "Masamune, he wasn't killed, he was just gravely injured. And I said "killed" because I thought he was killed."

"Oh."

"Anyways," Gingka said, "I was saying that we used to play a game when we were punished like this. Basically, we all get to ask a selected person one question each and they have to answer truthfully."

Yuu crossed his arms. "And what if we don't want to?"

"It becomes really boring when you don't. Besides, most of the time, you kind of forget to lie when you get into it."

Masamune shrugged. "Okay, I'll start. I have nothing to hide."

They all shared a look. "Okay, then," Gingka said. "How come you weren't in the Battle Bladers if you want to be Number One so much?"

"I was in America. I grew up there with my aunt."

His aunt, not his parents. Tsubasa filed that information away for later.

"My turn." Yuu leaned forward with a wicked grin, making Masamune gulp. That look meant nothing good. Tsubasa knew it from experience.

"Chocolate ice cream, or vanilla?"

Tsubasa smacked his face. Seriously? He really should have seen it coming.

Masamune's tense shoulders relaxed and he replied, "Chocolate's life."

"What's the deal with the whole Number One thing?" Madoka asked.

Masamune shifted, Tsubasa noted. "Long story short, I kind of promised a friend I'd become the best and I'm gonna be soon. You see, Toby had to give up beyblading because he suddenly became sick, and since he can't be Number One, I'm gonna be for the both of us."

Madoka hummed. "Must be a pretty good friend for you to travel all the way to Japan."

Masamune grinned. "Yeah. Toby and Zeo are the best." His nostalgic tone matched the look in his eyes.

"Looks like it's my turn," Tsubasa said. "Were you the one who stole my wallet yesterday?"

Masamune blinked and mutely shook his head. Tsubasa scrutinized him for a moment. He seemed sincere enough. Besides, Masamune couldn't like or hide things that well.

Tsubasa turned to the rest. "Alright, which was it?"

Yuu shifted and Tsubasa fixed his eyes on the kid. "Uh… Sorry?"

Tsubasa studied him for a moment and Yuu shifted some more. Let him be uncomfortable for a while, some part of his mind spoke. Finally, Tsubasa decided You had had enough and spoke, "I'll deal with you later."

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Madoka said. "Who's next?"

Discomfort forgotten, Yuu spoke up, "Me. Me, me, me!"

"Yuu, where are your parents?" Yuu froze at Madoka's inquiry. Tsubasa couldn't deny that he was curious. Yuu had never mentioned anything about them.

Yuu seemed to have shut down for a while but then, in a low and serious voice totally uncharacteristic of him, he said, "I don't know. No one's ever told me about them and I never met them."

Tsubasa… hadn't known that. He made a mental note to check the WBBA records later. There was bound to be something there.

"My turn to ask," Masamune said. "Chocolate or ice cream?"

Yuu shrugged and grinned, although there was still an undertone of sadness in his eyes. "I'm allergic to chocolate so ice cream."

"How come Libra doesn't have a constellation?" Tsubasa asked. It was something that he had wondered about before but hadn't asked about it.

Yuu shrugged. "No idea. It just doesn't."

The questions soon turned to embarrassing memories and as Tsubasa laughed along with the rest of his team, he forgot that he was annoyed with them. Suddenly, their loudness and uncivilized nature didn't matter anymore. Before Tsubasa knew it, it felt like they were one and the same, a true team.

o-o-o-o

Just as Madoka finished reciting the story of Chi Yun's challenge, Yuu burst out laughing and Tsubasa shook his head, unable to help the fond smile that formed on his face. "Seriously, you guys are truly unbelievable."

"You thought… it… was an invitation?" Yuu managed to gasp out between his hysterics.

Gingka rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, not our best moment."

Masamune crossed his arms. "You would've done the same." His tone lacked any real bite, Tsubasa noted. It was just friendly teasing now.

Between all that, no one else seemed to have noticed that Kotone had long since opened the door and was leaning against the doorframe while watching them, bemused. She cleared her throat and they all turned to her. "So, it worked, didn't it? Looks like I saved Japan's reputation."

"Ah, man, I'm sore," Masamune said as he stretched after getting up.

"Yeah, me too," Gingka said, mirroring his actions.

Tsubasa himself wasn't really affected. Certain missions required you to sit still for hours, so it wasn't anything new to him.

"By the way," Kotone said. "Madoka, I used one of your equipment on Wolf. Sorry, not sorry."

With that said, Kotone ran off and an angry Madoka chased after her, yelling at the same time. As usual. After complaining and punishing them for fighting, it would be just like Kotone to start a fight. Tsubasa had long since gotten used to her hypocritical nature.

Masamune watched the spot where Kotone had been, blinked with bemusement. "Is this normal?"

"You have no idea," the rest replied.

o-o-o-o

A/N: Guess who decided to rewrite a story after being halfway done? This genius -_- Sorry for disappearing for so long without a word. You see, during that time, I started my academy — which, for those who don't know, is evening school — with my usual morning school and it let up at eight o'clock. Along with that, I had a huge writer's block and just didn't feel like writing anything. Then, my never ending exams started which ended on 6th of May.

So... Yeah, updating wasn't my top priority.

That said, during that time, my writing style changed a lot and the old draft I had written for chapter 24 — along with the rest of the story — made my head spin. I must say, for a while I considered discontinuing Kaleidoscopic but the 143 reviews on the old story made me think again — by the way, thanks for sticking with me for so long.

I need to explain a few things here that are not in accordance with the canon — did anyone notice?

1) The other teams were formed long before Gan Gan Galaxy, but I find it hard to believe that they were formed only hours before they had to leave for China, especially considering that Ryo and Hikaru are two of the executives for the tournament.

So, for the sake of what I believe is realism, formed the team a week before they had to leave for China so they could get used to each other a bit. Honestly, they were lucky in the canon that they were all friends. Imagine if someone like Reiji or Ryuga had won. Which gives me an idea, Reiji on the same team as the ten years old he terrified.

2) Kotone. Those who remember the old version, would most likely remember Kanade, the ten years old agent. I've changes her name and age so now, she's Kotone Kisaragi, WBBA's thirteen years old special agent and Gingka's cousin.

3) This reminds me, I'll be changing the ages a bit.

Gingka, Madoka and Masamune — 15

Kotone — 13 (Mostly because I got a few reviews about a ship between Kotone and Masamune, but the age gap in the original made me a bit uncomfortable.)

Yuu — 7

Tsubasa — 17

5) I've decided to make a few spin-offs for the Kaleidoscopic series to explore things from different perspectives. The one I'm currently going to work on will be about Tsubasa's assignment in the Dark Nebula fiasco. Maybe one from Yuu's point of view in Fusion or one about Masamune's past...

6) I don't own the cover image. A friend on Wattpad made it for me :)

Anyways, that's all for now. See you guys in the next chapter — I hope.