Author's Notes: Gwahahah! Now that my classes are over for now, I get to write! My fellow authoress did a wonderful job on the last chapter, and I seriously hope I can rise to the challenge of doing as well. ^_~
To answer jacet Munku-JGSPTV's question (thanks for the nice reviews, by the way!).. Rika and Parley are siblings. We thought it'd be amusing for Rika to have a little brother, and who else but Parley? He's such a cute little brat. ^_~
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Chapter 4: Temper, Temper
'Ah, shit', was all Kai could think of when he saw the sky brighten, as if a neon billboard lighted it up. He was paralyzed by the rich gold and amber illuminating the night – that is, for all of two seconds, and then he turned to his teammates and Rika. She was trying to stand stubbornly, growling under her breath.
"Got to stop," she muttered incoherently, wishing she hadn't had quite so many drinks. She listened dimly as Kai snapped out an order to follow him, not waiting to see if he would be accompanied. 'Hell, he sure barks out those commands.' She let out a slight, hysterical giggle. 'Dogs bark, but they're the ones being controlled. That means he can't do anything, so suck it up and follow him.' With an effort that made her stomach contents raise to her throat, and her vision swim, she managed to straighten and start walking after Kai. Well, sort of. Ray watched her stagger and nearly fall, muttering under his breath as he reluctantly followed his captain and the mouthy blond. Kenny, Max, and Tyson all shared three-way glances.
"I don't know what's going on, but I think Kai's gone insane," Kenny ventured, his voice quavering slightly.
"I think this whole thing's insane! But if we don't go, they'll mess things up," Tyson said, offering an encouraging grin to the other two before jogging after the three. Heaving identical sighs, Kenny and Max went after them. Kai just reached the corner of the street entering into an alleyway when it hit him. He shut his eyes against the painful chill, and it felt as if the sidewalk under him dropped away. He nearly fell over as the sudden headache blossomed right between the eyes, but as soon as it came upon him, it left.
Ray blinked as Kai stopped, body swaying to the side, his hand flinging out against the wall to keep himself from falling. "Kai?" As soon as the word left his mouth, he could feel it, a cold wave that drained him, and then it passed. 'What was that?' A low moan distracted him from dwelling too much, and he reached out just in time to keep Rika from collapsing. She was pale, and looked like she had finally passed out.
"Stay with her," Kai directed, and then strode into the alleyway, his moment of weakness gone for now. His mind was too busy thinking to worry about how suddenly exhausted he was. 'The same as Black Dranzer. Except when I used him, he only borrowed my energy, and he didn't steal it. This is different.' Followed by Tyson, Kenny, and Max, he hurried down the alleyway, guided by the golden light that seemed to be glowing brighter, and then turned the corner. The pulsating blinding glare made Kai cover his eyes with his arm, and he squinted ahead. He could barely see anything, until the light dimmed a little.
The little thief that had stolen Ray's blade was propped up against the wall, his eyes closed, blood all over his face and sweatshirt. Five other boys, dirty and older, lay on the ground, unconscious or….'Let's hope they aren't dead, okay?' The last one standing was wavering; pain and fear clear on his face. Two beyblades spun in a dish created in the concrete, but it was obvious that the dark red one was in completely control – toying with the other. Fragments of other beyblades lay littered over the ground.
Kai noticed all of this within a few seconds, but two other things grabbed his attention and held it. The source of the amber and gold light rose from the dark red beyblade, hind legs balanced, the whip-like tail thrashing as if alive. Spikes rose from its back up between two bat-like wings, ending around its head, with two large horns. The two front legs bore wickedly curved claws, and the fangs in its mouth, snout long and tapered, echoed them. Kai recognized the bit beast. It was a dragon. A classic European dragon, complete with large, diamond shaped scales.
For all that he could recognize what the bit beast was, Natayla was a different story. Her short, curly red hair twisted in the air, writhing like snakes, except that there wasn't a breeze. Her gloved hands were balled into fists, and her eyes burned with an inner fire. Her face was a frozen mask of anger; Kai could almost feel the rage emanating from this young woman. There was no sign of secret amusement or cheerful smile.
"Whoa," Tyson exclaimed, taking a step back. 'I've never felt anything like this before! And here we thought these things would be like Black Dranzer!' He almost lost it, feeling a deep rooted fear but, taking in a deep breath, he managed to calm down. Deep down, he was aware of the awe, fear, and anger, but he could push them away for now. "C'mon, let's get the kid and the other five," he said, trotting forward. It was hotter closer to the bit beast but fortunately he wasn't noticed; Natayla's eyes were on her opponent's, and they weren't moving. Kenny and Max went to Parley to pick the little kid up.
Kai saw this with approval, but he knew the solution wouldn't last too long. Natayla needed to be snapped out of the frenzy. He didn't know her, and he didn't really care, but she was causing damage, and he couldn't let it continue. He strode forward, skin burning as he got closer to the bit beast. He knew it hadn't been so bad for his teammates because they weren't approaching it head on, but he went ahead anyways. It was no worse than being quite close to Dranzer.
Natayla's arms rose, and her voice screamed out above the dragon's roar, "Solaris! Finish it!" But before the dragon could do anything, Kai whirled the teen around and slapped her, hard, his eyes determined. He held onto her upper arm, the glare nearly blinding him, and so he couldn't see her fist until it connected painfully with his jaw. The next thing he remembered was the ground at his back, his beyblade dropping out his pocket and rolling over the ground, and Natayla standing over him, green eyes darker with a power not her own as Solaris, the dragon bit beast, dived down at him from above.
He was utterly defenseless. If he had Dranzer, he might've been able to get away, but it was too far out of reach now. If it had been Natayla attacking him, he could've fought back. But it was the dragon, and, instinctively, he knew that if he touched the bit beast he would probably die. 'If if if. There's nothing I can do now. So long, life. It's been interesting.'
Kai shut his eyes tightly and waited for the blow to fall.
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Ray watched his teammates turn the corner, and then turned his attention to Rika, who was propped up against his shoulder. But not for long. She stirred almost immediately and tried to straighten on her own, but he held onto her waist. She opened her eyes and stared at him, then snarled.
"Let go or I break your arm," she hissed out. He scowled and dropped his arm quickly, stepping away. Without the support, she nearly fell again, but narrowed her eyes and, through willpower alone, stood on her own. Her violet eyes daring him to say anything, she turned and started walking down the alleyway, towards the light.
"What are you trying to do? I know you're stubborn, you don't need to prove it," he said, trailing after her. 'Why am I following her? She's the biggest bit – uhh….' She had whirled around to face him, eyes glittering with wrath.
"First, you don't know a damn thing about me, so lay off. Second, that's my friend doing the freakin' light show, and if I don't get to her, worse things will happen. So either shut up or leave me alone." With that, she turned again and stalked down the alleyway. The only thing he could do was jog after her. They came onto the scene just as three other colors joined the dark gold. Dragoon and Draciel surrounded a larger bit beast, and Ray thought at first that they had the advantage, but for every strike they managed to hit, they seemed to dim. It was as if the dragon took their energy every time there was contact.
Rika's eyes narrowed as she took in the situation, and then turned to her best friend, who hardly looked like the Tayla she knew. She could sense another wave of power that would drain them all building, and she knew she had to stop it. Rika cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed over the roars of the bit beasts, "Tayla! Damn it, STOP!"
Sudden silence. Natayla paused, and, suddenly, the dragon vanished. Tyson and Max called their beyblades to them, and darkness fell once again. Rika's ears were ringing, and little spots of light danced in her eyes, but she could finally see why the two had called their bit beasts. The teen with the light blue hair lay on the ground, a spectacular bruise already forming on his jaw. He was practically at Natayla's feet.
She stared down at him, uncomprehendingly, wondering what had happened. She remembered phoning Parley and then – 'Oh…..no.' The stranger's dark eyes met hers and held her in place, when otherwise she would've run. She couldn't handle the grim accusation that was clear in those cold eyes, though, so she looked downwards and saw the bruise. 'Oh, no. Nonono. I did that – how could I – what else have I….' She felt very sick all of a sudden, hand clenching around the dark red beyblade, meeting his gaze again. She trembled under his knowing look, wanting to step away, or at least say something, but she couldn't.
Their locked eyes were interrupted when Tyson stepped in between, arms crossing. "Don't you dare get any closer. I don't know what's going on, but you're trouble." Natayla swallowed hard and stumbled back, shivering.
"Tyson…." Kai murmured, shaking his head slightly as Tyson turned. He stood, backed by Ray, Max, and Kenny. Rika went to Natayla's side, her arms crossing, eyes threatening any of them to come closer. Kai straightened, still watching Natayla. What he had seen in those brief seconds when she realized she had done made him reconsider just what was going on. Guilt and shame he had noticed and sort of expected, but there was also fear and confusion, which didn't make much sense. He decided to lay all of his cards down.
"We know where you got the bit beasts from," he stated calmly. Natayla visibly paled, her green eyes dropping to the ground, shaking further, but from what, Kai couldn't tell. Rika merely snorted.
"Yeah, so?"
"You need to get rid of them!" Kenny exclaimed, gesturing to five street kids, and the other slight figure. The one that had been left was already gone. "They're dangerous. What if the next time this happens, people die?" Rika briefly looked them all over, but stopped once she saw Parley.
"What in the hell did you do to him?" she shouted, taking a step forward.
"We didn't do a thing, so stop assuming!' Tyson yelled back, glaring at the blond.
"They're telling the truth," came a whispered voice from beside her. Natayla made a slight gesture with her hand towards the five. "I saw them beating up on Parley, and I – I was just so angry…." She trailed off, concentrating on the ground.
"We need to get him home," Rika muttered, passing by the Bladebreakers and picking up her brother gently. He stirred a little, but soon dropped back off into an exhausted sleep, his head resting on Rika's shoulder. Without looking back, she strode off, turning the corner. Natayla gave the teens a wide berth, but as she passed Kai, she gave him a swift sideways glance.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled out, and before any of them could say anything, ran off fleetly.
Kai fingered the bruise on his jaw gently, staring down the alleyway. Tyson muttered under his breath, and then said louder. "So now what do we do?"
Ray shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? We managed to find them this time, but can we again? I don't think so. We follow, see where they end up."
Max made a face and glanced down at his shoes, which really weren't made for extended walking, and then yawned. "Alright, but if we're going to do that……I want some coffee! I can't keep this up much longer."
With a firm plan in mind, they set off. Well, all except for one. Kai glanced over the concrete dish, frowning at the furrows dug into it, presumably by the dark red beyblade. The littered remains of the other blades lay by the walls, and on the brick structures, he could see scorch marks. Now knowing just how much power the dragon had, he turned to leave, but one thought chased its way through his mind. 'Do we really want to find out what else these bit beasts can do?…..'
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The two teenage girls and the younger boy entered the apartment building, unaware that they were being pursued – by more than one group, at that. After they had walked in, an older man hit one of the buzzer's randomly, and replied to the resident's query, "Pizza here. It's a special delivery, already paid for. Your address won our third prize."
"Oh, wow! I've never won anything before!" came an excited voice, and the man was buzzed in. Giving a cruel smile at how easily these people were tricked, he tucked his completely empty hands into his pockets and made his way to the stairs.
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"Ugh! If we ever run into those idiots again, remind me to punch those fake fangs out of that guy's mouth!" Rika vented as they took the elevator up to their apartment. Parley had woken up, but felt really dizzy and sick, so Rika still carried him. 'Not that I mind. He doesn't weigh too much.'
"I'll steal his beyblade again, if you want," Parley mumbled, managing to grin impishly. A lot of the damage was superficial, but he did have one really angry looking cut over his cheek. 'He's a resilient little bugger,' she thought affectionately, and then glanced to Tayla, worried. She hadn't said very much so far, and her face was still pale; green eyes dull. Shaking her head, she moved out of the elevator and waited for Natayla to unlock the door clumsily. They came into the apartment, but a figure leaning against the wall made Rika curse, Parley gulp, and Natayla to drop the key.
"And where have you three been?" the tall older teen drawled out. His red/gold hair fell over his forehead in a few gentle curls, while his dark blue eyes stared at them, amused.
"Darien! I thought you were studying at the college late tonight," Natayla stammered out, leaning down to pick up the metal object. She straightened and eyed her brother warily, aware that he could probably tell if something was wrong right away. He always had been able to read her.
"I thought I'd come home early to see my lovely sibling, my young blond friend, and our pet pig," he said, eyes drifting from Tayla, to Rika, and then to Parley. "But imagine my surprise when I came home to an empty apartment."
Rika thought about lying, but knew that wouldn't get them anywhere. Besides, she really, genuinely hated lying to Natayla's brother. He had offered them a place to stay when things looked bad; had helped them out when they needed it the most. He tried hard to take care of them all, but with his studies at the college, he couldn't be around all the time. There had been a small amount of money that Darien and Natayla's parents had left to them before they died, and when Darien finished high school, Natayla had insisted that he finish his education and become a doctor, just like his childhood dream. They managed.
So instead of lying or trying to worm their way out of this sticky situation, she turned Parley towards the older teen. As expected, he dropped the interrogation and hurried forward to pick up Parley.
"What happened?" he asked the two girls as he carried the boy to the bathroom to clean out his cuts and scratches. Rika glanced to Natayla, who dropped her eyes with a slight shake of her head. 'So, we keep him out of the loop again. I wonder how long she can keep up this charade for. Well I'm tired of it.' Opening her mouth to explain the entire situation, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Natayla breathed silent thanks and rushed to it, looking through the peephole to see who was there. Rika, Darien, and Parley came out of the bathroom just in time to see her reach up – and lock the door.
"What's going on?" Darien asked, confused. Rika's eyes narrowed as her friend turned around, even more pale, if possible, fear dominant on her face.
"It's Boris again, isn't it?" Parley suddenly piped up, the bruises clear now with all the blood washed off.
"Boris? Again?" Rika snarled. "Explain. Now."
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Author's Notes: Well…..this was fun!! Action packed. ^_^ Okay, done for now!!! Passing on the stick back to Dark Dragoon (or whatever name she's going by now….. o_O)