"…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I haven't seen anything quite like it."

"Heh heh. It's as we have 'planned'."

"Shall I ready everything for 'her' return?"

"Of course. We can't keep 'her' waiting, right?"

"…" The white coated man bowed. "Of course. I shall make the necessary preparations." There was a hiss, and the man seated on the high backed office chair was alone soon enough.

"…" He pressed a key on top of his holographic keyboard in front of him. "Llewelyn? You have heard…"

There was a hiss of pure static, then a young man appeared on the floating holographic screen right above him.

"Yes, sir."

"Do not worry, you shall all be meeting soon. I know you are looking forward to that day."

"…"

"So. 'She'll' be coming back after 8 years. Are you feeling excited?"

"Not as excited about the upcoming World Bey Blading Championships."

"Of course, you are saying that. I shall tell you more about the preparations when everything is complete. You may shall take leave of me."

"Yes, sir."

The screen fizzed into the static. The man on the high backed office chair took a puff of his Cuban cigar and laughed. His laughter echoed through the entire office, drowning everything in its curious cold shroud.

Everything was falling exactly right into place.

Lei was fixing things up in his student locker when a bunch of girls came on by, giggling as they stopped behind him.

"Mr….Kon?"

"Yes, how may I help you?" Lei asked them with a small friendly smile on his face.

3 of the girls were short of hyperventilating, and one was sensible enough to answer him, although not without a tremor in her voice. "Uh…we were kind of wondering…if you could…uh…" She handed him a notebook. "Please sign this!"

"O-OK." Lei blinked. "Where exactly do you want me to sign?"

"Any page would do!"

Lei blinked, then nodded. "O-OK."

The girl handed him a pen, then Lei wrote his name with a flowing, graceful Chinese script on the first page, right below the girl's name. "Is this alright…Miss Yamagata?"

"Y-yes! Thank you!" The girl bowed. "Thank you very much!" So saying, she and the rest of her girl friends zoomed off down the hallway, shrieking and hyperventilating all the while.

A huge sweatdrop appeared above Lei's head. "Alright…I guess that's fine now…"

Seevral guys who hung out around and about Lei whispered among themselves. "Isn't he the STUD. All girls are fawning after him everywhere he goes, he's just about as awful as Hiwatari."

"At this rate, all the available girls' population would be decimated by the end of the WEEK!"

"…" SD Lei chibi neko shut his locker door then went down the hallway. ***It's not my fault they're doing that sort of thing. Besides, they don't know how much I don't like girls fawning over me…I've been almost crushed by lynch mobs A-PLENTY…***

He was changing into his regular school shoes by the shoe locker on the entrance of the main senior high school building for 3rd year levels when somebody snuck up from behind him.

"Hey, you're going home already?"

Lei blinked. Kai was standing there, looking back at him.

"Uh…that's the IDEA." Lei was puzzled. "Umm…"

"Takao sends word that he won't be able to walk home with you, he's at kendo club practice with the little microbe." Kai nodded. "Max is waiting for you outside."

"T-thanks." Lei knew it was a stupid idea, but he went on with it, anyway. "How about you?"

"I'm fine by myself. Besides, I'm going the OTHER direction." Kai turned and walked off. "See you tomorrow, Lei."

"Y-yes. See you." Lei had several question marks on top of his head.

Max was laughing a little while later. "Hey, don't let that bug you. You know Kai's been acting pretty ODD lately. Ever since that Bey Blade spinning incident. Get used to IT."

"O-OK. It's just that…Kai's not just ODD. It's as if he's disturbed by the whole thing." Lei was frowning. "Aren't we supposed to feel disturbed, too? Why would Driger…and in your case, Draciel…start spinning on its own accord? It's like some sort of warning. An OMINOUS warning."

"You've been watching so many splatter flicks lately, Lei." Max grinned. "How about me treating you to an all-afternoon binge over at the Baskin & Robbins shop in uptown Tokyo, my treat?"

"OK. If you say so, Max." Lei smiled, but he was now thoroughly disturbed. Max was, too although he's not showing it.

Why were the Bey Blades spinning?