Takao couldn't believe what he was SEEING. And HEARING.

"Wow…you've ACTUALLY bumped into Asaya Ninomiya at the MALL?!"

"Uh…yeah." Lei blinked. "Why, is something the matter?"

"Not REALLY." Takao gave a long sigh. "She is just about the most beautiful girl studying over at St. Mathilde Senior High School. Of course EVERY respectable guy knows that. And not just THAT. She's also the perfect little housewife."

"Huh?"

"I can't believe you've ACTUALLY met the 'Cherry Tree Goddess' and befriended HER! I mean…what more could you probably ask for?! She's beautiful, she could COOK…and to top it all off…she's SO unbelievably friendly and warm and VERY kind. Any guy would kill each other just for her to be able at smile at them."

"OK. So…uh…where IS St. Mathilde?"

"It's a few blocks from our school, Sendouji Senior High School. In your travels, you might have heard of prep schools and boarding schools. St. Mathilde is just like that, but with another touch of 'elegance', so to speak. All kids who go there have GOT to be children of CEO's or nobility. And they have to be intelligent, too. So we're not talking of mindless bimbos and super jocks here." Takao stretched out on the shiny wooden floor up front the main dojo. "And if the rumors are true…she could also Bey, big time. I'm told she's the best of the women's league, eventhough she's only 16 years old."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've still got to see her in action, though, those are just RUMORS." Takao became quiet.

"She's 16, eh…gosh, I thought she ws only 14…"

"She may look frail to you, but as they guys by the riverbank Bey used to say, she's one heck of a terrific Bey Blader. A full 5' weapon of Bey mass destruction." Takao sighed again.

Lei blinked, then looked up at the moon.

***It's not her talent for Bey Blading I'm on for. I wonder…why did she look a little sad a while ago? Hmm…is she worried about something? I do hope she would be fine…***

"…" The uniformed butler lightly knocked at her door. "Miss, I have your dinner as requested."

"It's open."

The butler opened the door and went in, pushing a trolley in front of him. He was unflappable.

"Sole amandine as requested, Miss. And a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice."

"Thank you." Asaya was just quiet.

Her room was huge and airy, done in the manner as the rest of her mansion, late 19th century Victorian. Heavy rosewood furniture abound, from her dresser down to her antique 4 poster, and there were curtains at every floor to ceiling window available throughout its entire length. A crystal vase of fresh shell pink roses was on her small table at the foot of her bed, and there were several priceless paintings hung on the walls.

She held her teddy bear Mr. Ferris closer to her, her clearest amethyst eyes sad and thoughtful. The rest of her stuffed toys floated about her slowly, held up by some strange, invisible force and surrounded by a faint cream-colored light.

"The moon is unusually full and beautiful tonight, Miss." The butler was quiet. "It's been a full 8 years, and still you can't seem to will yourself not to think much about it."

"…" Asaya looked up at her butler, her eyes pained. "It still frightens me terribly. And yet…"

"Are you planning to head over to the World Bey Championship? It's going to be held at France."

"France…" Asaya became terribly frightened again.

Flashbacks.

A small girl of about 3 with her hair done in stubby pigtails was crying hysterically on the operating table. Several people with white lab coats in a huddle not too far from her, and one of them inserted a 20 inch long syringe up her frail tiny arm.

"Please be careful…Sigismund is reacting to you again."

"…" Asaya held Mr. Ferris closer to her. The stuffed toys started to whirl about her a little faster, and the cream-colored Bey Blade right on top of her bedside table started spinning up on its carrying case.

"Are you frightened?" The young girl asked her Bey.

The Bey Blade Sigismund, just blinked its curious cream-colored light several times at her. Asaya's eyes became sad.

"I know. They're calling to us. I don't want to go, but I have to." Tears pooled in her eyes.

"I just HAVE to."