Friendly Enemies
Prologue:
Liz stared down at her shoes as the realization began to hit her. She had spent the last two years waiting for this moment, dreaming of it, but now that it was here she did not want it. It was not worth what she was about to sacrifice to have it. But looking around the dimly lit room, she knew there was no turning back, and that once she started that her life would be changed forever ... in a bad way.
" Come on, Elizabeth. You said you wanted the honor, now hop to it! " Glancing across the room her gaze locked with the steel gray eyes of her boyfriend, Damien. " We don't have all night, ya know. "
Yes, she knew. She knew that when the rest of Phoenix found out that their leader had been replaced without their knowledge, that there was going to be hell to pay. And it was all going to be her fault. This was not about honor or victory -- Damien was using her. And she had set herself up like a perfect little puppet!
Nervous, she continued to glance around at the group of guys who were eying her expectantly, until her gaze met that of the one she was about to challenge. Their leader -- her friend -- Kai. For a moment she debated telling Damien that if he wanted to be leader he could challenge Kai himself. " Well, Liz? Are you going to go through with it, or are you leaving with him? "
Uh-oh. This was worse then she had originally thought. Phoenix had become her life ever since her parents had died when she was 14, and she could not bare to be without it. Corrupt or not, it was all she had left. Sighing, she cleared her throught and began to speak. " Kai, I challenge you for the position of leader within Phoenix. "
*+*+*
Kai looked up at the girl standing in front of him, awareness hitting him like a bolt of lightening. The traitor he had sensed within his gang's midst had not been a figment of his imagination. Oh, no... Much worse then that, it seemed. How could he have allowed himself to be betrayed by his best friend? He felt as though his heart was becoming a stone as he looked at the girl standing in front of him, unable to recognize her anymore. Of all the people, why did it have to be Liz?
" You know the rules, Liz. " Kai said, his expression becoming blank, " One match, no holding back, and the winner decides the loser's fate. "
" Exactly. " Liz said, pulling her beyblade from the clip she kept it on that was attached to her belt, " I'm ready when you are. "
Kai nodded, preparing his own blade. When he was certain that Liz and he were both ready, he counted down, " 3...2...1... Let it rip! "
And in that instant, the beyblades were released. They flew out toward each other in a brilliant swirl of colors, flashes of red and blue, silver and lavender. They crashed once, twice, a third time, then parted ways again, spinning in one spot for a few moments. It looked almost like a dance. But then the silver and lavender blade broke the pattern and little flecks of light began to shoot from it. Sweet music filled the air, so beautiful it rivaled a choir of angels, but filled with such a sadness that it nearly made Kai weep. The sound made the earth beneath Kai's blade roll and shake convulsively while the silver and lavender blade continued to spiral around at a break-neck speed.
And it was too much. Kai called out to his blade, giving it instructions, but it could do nothing but what the music coming from Liz's blade commanded. Its momentum began to wane, causing the patterns on it to become more visable, and then with a cold sounding click it stopped, landing on its side on the cold cement.
" And the winner is Liz! " Damien said, raising her arm in the air when she did not do so herself, " Great job, sweetie. Now you go have a good night's rest, okay? The boys and I will take it from here. "
" She has yet to decide how to deal with her first issue of business -- me. " Kai said, turning his anger toward Damien. Why did he get the feeling that he had put Liz up to this? " So what shall it be, Liz? "
Returning his gaze to where she was standing, Kai found that she had her eyes closed and that her hands were rubbing against her temples as though she had a really bad headache. His heart ached for her. " Damien, you are the one who ought to be leader, and so I hand these responsibilities over to you, and bid all here a good night. "
Almost. Any sympathy Kai had felt toward Liz vanished in that instant, and he felt threads of steel being sewn into his heart. No matter what happened tonight, he vowed that he would get even with her if it was the last thing he did. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he watched her walk away.
*+*+*
As soon as he knew that Liz was gone, Damien put his plans into action. First he snapped his fingers, and without a second thought two of the other boys who had been watching the match stepped forward, grabbing Kai's arms and pinning him against the wall, " You won't get away with this, Damien! Not you, and definately not Elizabeth! "
" Got the ink ready, boys? " Damien asked, giving a cold little laugh at Kai's comment, " You won't be coming back with us, pretty boy. And we're gonna mark you so that anyone who knows anything about gangs will know you were an absolute failure as a leader. "
Damien accepted the needle that one of the boys handed him and then returned his attention to Kai. Jabbing it into his face, Damien drew three pale blue lines down each of Kai's cheeks, gritting his teeth in frustration at the fact that the he would not cry out. " Three strikes, three stripes... Get it, Kai? That'll teach you for trying to steal My girlfriend! "
*+*+*
From where she watched in the shadows, Liz felt knots forming in her stomach. They were hurting him, the bastards, and it was all her fault. She was the only one who could have beaten him, that was for certain. What had she been thinking doing that? Kai had trusted her with everything ... His secrets, his strengths and weaknesses as a blader, and most importantly, his heart. And she had thrown it all away.
Tears filled Liz's eyes and she ran back toward the warehouse that Phoenix used as a hideout. She knew she would never forgive herself for what she had done this night, not as long as she lived.
Prologue:
Liz stared down at her shoes as the realization began to hit her. She had spent the last two years waiting for this moment, dreaming of it, but now that it was here she did not want it. It was not worth what she was about to sacrifice to have it. But looking around the dimly lit room, she knew there was no turning back, and that once she started that her life would be changed forever ... in a bad way.
" Come on, Elizabeth. You said you wanted the honor, now hop to it! " Glancing across the room her gaze locked with the steel gray eyes of her boyfriend, Damien. " We don't have all night, ya know. "
Yes, she knew. She knew that when the rest of Phoenix found out that their leader had been replaced without their knowledge, that there was going to be hell to pay. And it was all going to be her fault. This was not about honor or victory -- Damien was using her. And she had set herself up like a perfect little puppet!
Nervous, she continued to glance around at the group of guys who were eying her expectantly, until her gaze met that of the one she was about to challenge. Their leader -- her friend -- Kai. For a moment she debated telling Damien that if he wanted to be leader he could challenge Kai himself. " Well, Liz? Are you going to go through with it, or are you leaving with him? "
Uh-oh. This was worse then she had originally thought. Phoenix had become her life ever since her parents had died when she was 14, and she could not bare to be without it. Corrupt or not, it was all she had left. Sighing, she cleared her throught and began to speak. " Kai, I challenge you for the position of leader within Phoenix. "
*+*+*
Kai looked up at the girl standing in front of him, awareness hitting him like a bolt of lightening. The traitor he had sensed within his gang's midst had not been a figment of his imagination. Oh, no... Much worse then that, it seemed. How could he have allowed himself to be betrayed by his best friend? He felt as though his heart was becoming a stone as he looked at the girl standing in front of him, unable to recognize her anymore. Of all the people, why did it have to be Liz?
" You know the rules, Liz. " Kai said, his expression becoming blank, " One match, no holding back, and the winner decides the loser's fate. "
" Exactly. " Liz said, pulling her beyblade from the clip she kept it on that was attached to her belt, " I'm ready when you are. "
Kai nodded, preparing his own blade. When he was certain that Liz and he were both ready, he counted down, " 3...2...1... Let it rip! "
And in that instant, the beyblades were released. They flew out toward each other in a brilliant swirl of colors, flashes of red and blue, silver and lavender. They crashed once, twice, a third time, then parted ways again, spinning in one spot for a few moments. It looked almost like a dance. But then the silver and lavender blade broke the pattern and little flecks of light began to shoot from it. Sweet music filled the air, so beautiful it rivaled a choir of angels, but filled with such a sadness that it nearly made Kai weep. The sound made the earth beneath Kai's blade roll and shake convulsively while the silver and lavender blade continued to spiral around at a break-neck speed.
And it was too much. Kai called out to his blade, giving it instructions, but it could do nothing but what the music coming from Liz's blade commanded. Its momentum began to wane, causing the patterns on it to become more visable, and then with a cold sounding click it stopped, landing on its side on the cold cement.
" And the winner is Liz! " Damien said, raising her arm in the air when she did not do so herself, " Great job, sweetie. Now you go have a good night's rest, okay? The boys and I will take it from here. "
" She has yet to decide how to deal with her first issue of business -- me. " Kai said, turning his anger toward Damien. Why did he get the feeling that he had put Liz up to this? " So what shall it be, Liz? "
Returning his gaze to where she was standing, Kai found that she had her eyes closed and that her hands were rubbing against her temples as though she had a really bad headache. His heart ached for her. " Damien, you are the one who ought to be leader, and so I hand these responsibilities over to you, and bid all here a good night. "
Almost. Any sympathy Kai had felt toward Liz vanished in that instant, and he felt threads of steel being sewn into his heart. No matter what happened tonight, he vowed that he would get even with her if it was the last thing he did. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he watched her walk away.
*+*+*
As soon as he knew that Liz was gone, Damien put his plans into action. First he snapped his fingers, and without a second thought two of the other boys who had been watching the match stepped forward, grabbing Kai's arms and pinning him against the wall, " You won't get away with this, Damien! Not you, and definately not Elizabeth! "
" Got the ink ready, boys? " Damien asked, giving a cold little laugh at Kai's comment, " You won't be coming back with us, pretty boy. And we're gonna mark you so that anyone who knows anything about gangs will know you were an absolute failure as a leader. "
Damien accepted the needle that one of the boys handed him and then returned his attention to Kai. Jabbing it into his face, Damien drew three pale blue lines down each of Kai's cheeks, gritting his teeth in frustration at the fact that the he would not cry out. " Three strikes, three stripes... Get it, Kai? That'll teach you for trying to steal My girlfriend! "
*+*+*
From where she watched in the shadows, Liz felt knots forming in her stomach. They were hurting him, the bastards, and it was all her fault. She was the only one who could have beaten him, that was for certain. What had she been thinking doing that? Kai had trusted her with everything ... His secrets, his strengths and weaknesses as a blader, and most importantly, his heart. And she had thrown it all away.
Tears filled Liz's eyes and she ran back toward the warehouse that Phoenix used as a hideout. She knew she would never forgive herself for what she had done this night, not as long as she lived.