"How is he taking it, Takao?"

"He said he'd be going back to China."

"But…isn't that a little too dangerous?! What if it's a TRAP?" Professor asked Takao the next day. "I understand if he won't be attending the World Bey Blading Championships in France, but…"

"Who said he'd be going there alone?" Takao gritted his teeth. "I can't let him go back there alone. He's bound to get himself killed. Those people who decimated the ENTIRE White Tiger Clan village aren't just any ordinary assassins."

"And get YOURSELF killed in the PROCESS?" Tsukiyo shook her head. "Takao, are you listening to what you are SAYING?"

"No matter what Lei says, I'm coming with him. I'm to HELP him. Any which way I can."

"Why don't you start by making yourself scarce for a change, Kinogu?"

Takao looked up to find Kai standing there, glaring at him. Takao glared right back at him. "What, am I supposed to let him go off to KILL himself?! Kai, he's the LAST surviving member of the entire White Tiger Clan, and if they manage to KILL him too, then they would be entirely annihilated!"

"Don't you think I didn't know that? Look, if you get yourself KILLED instead of HIM, aren't you being cruel? He doesn't need another innocent person slain. You'll just drive him over the edge."

"But he's MY friend." Takao still glared at Kai. "He's OUR friend. We just can't leave him to suffer alone. If he died, it would weigh very heavily on our own consciences. Not that YOU have a conscience, Hiwatari. We want to help him, right?"

Kai's deep red brown eyes narrowed. A very tense silence followed, and Professor gulped. "H-hey…"

"Not that I HAVE a conscience." Kai sighed. "Now if you ALL died, you would be a very heavy load to take up on MY head. I'm not exactly that evil enough, Kinogu. In fact, that was what I wanted to hear from you while listening to your mindless ranting a while ago." He slowly nodded. "I'm coming with you. I wouldn't want the Twinkies troupe to die without actually knowing what hit them in the first place, eh, Kinogu?"

Takao blinked. "Kai?"

"Besides, I've been eyeing 'that' group for a long while now. My client, aka, MY conscience, thinks that they have gone a little too far. I'm planning to serve them the Hiwatari Blue Plate special ever since the Bey Blade spinning fiasco."

"?!" Takao was surprised. "You mean…"

"They MIGHT be." Kai bit his lip. "So when would you be leaving?"

Asaya was fixing her things in time for dismissal time that afternoon, her mind whizzing with anticipation. ***The Championship's just next week, Monday. I'm to fly out to France to meet 'them' again. I can't wait!***

She had just slung her ice pink Jansport over her shoulders, flipping her lightest brown hair in glorious tresses down her back, when she caught snippets of what her classmates were whispering about the whole day.

"Pretty creepy. Somebody died…"

"Uh-huh. It was in the news last night. I wonder how that poor guy's taking it. I mean, she LITERALLY died in his arms."

"She didn't! She died on the operating table!"

"Oh whatever. I'm just glad it didn't happen to me. I just wouldn't be able to take it if my boyfriend died because I didn't see him for 4 years, right? He'd haunt me till I die, too."

"…" Asaya was quiet. Yes, she did hear about what happened at Takao's house yesterday.

It was cruel and heartless. Who could do such a thing? She felt terribly sorry for Lei's loss.

***They're innocent. They don't deserve something like THIS.***

She felt Lei's pain as searingly as if it was her own last night. She fell down to her knees when her butler was administering her heart medication.

***Would he head back to China?*** Asaya shook her head. ***Of course, silly, he has to find out some answers.***

***Well, you DO want to find some answers too, right?***

"…" She went down the steps of her school then stopped. The cherry blossom petals swirled about her as she stood there and thought long and hard.

***I'll…ask him. Wait a minute! I'll just head over to Takao's house and see if there's anything I can do to help him. That would be for the best, I guess. I want to know if they have gotten him involved in their little experiments. Maybe…I'll come with him to China?***

She ran down the steps.

***OK. If he asks me. If he wouldn't…uh…what the HECK am I saying?! I'll still go on ahead with it anyway. I want to know if they're involved. They can't toy with other people's lives for their own personal amusement. Besides, France is just a plane ride away from China. OK. I'll DO it.***

Lei wasn't exactly pleased with the idea Takao was telling him, and he was skeptical.

"Lei, we'll ALL be going with you. We just can't let you go on your OWN."

"You still have the Championships to think of, Takao. This is a personal matter, and you really don't need to help me with this."

Max shook his head. "Lei. What if it's a trap? You can't defend yourself from all of those murderers all at once. Besides, we've already talked with Chairman Daitenji (Mr. Dickinson! :P). He personally wants to extend his deepest condolences for your loss and he wants to help you track down those killers."

"But…"

"Look, I don't care if we all die out there. What matters most is that we're STUCK till the end. Hey, I didn't wait for 4 years just to be able to read about how you died without at least saying goodbye to us. I'll make sure to raid Heaven just to be able to get to you and punch you full strength right in the face." Takao nodded. "You're our friend, Lei. Besides, when the Blade Breakers team should go down, at least we'd all go down with a bang. Don't worry, we have Mother Hen Kai with us. We'll be fine."

"And me, too."

They all looked over their shoulders. Asaya was looking at them, standing at the gateway of the dojo.

She nodded. "Don't care what you say, I'm coming right with you. All the way to China. I want to know why they did those horrible things. I want to know WHY."