Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to me.
Voltaire received a phone call from Boris right after the match. Though very irked that only one bit-beast was collected, he did not yell.
"Do not think over too much over it, Boris." He commanded in cool, indifferent tone, "There will be plenty chances a head. And do not treat that kid Bryan to rashly. Get the tech team to build him a new beyblade. His hatred will come in handy one day."
Voltaire hung up the phone and turned around. To his surprise, a thin, tall man now occupied his large armchair with comfort. The man was extremely pale. His face was flat, and his nostrils were nothing but slits. His eyes were red and snake like. The man had an expression upon his face that could almost be called amused, though it did nothing but twist his already monstrous look even more.
"How did you get in here?" Voltaire asked in annoyance.
"I have my ways." Said the man easily, twirling a thin rod of wood with his long fingers.
"Why are you here then?"
"To speak of business, of course." The man said, "I have seen the latest development of your little game on television today."
"You watch TV? What a surprise." Said Voltaire with amusement and disgust at the same time.
"I surprised even myself." Replied the man, "But it proved useful. I see that you failed your latest task again."
"I did not fail, Tom!" Voltaire rebuked sharply, "It is a mere unfortunate incident. Our opponents have forfeited the game, we could find no more excuses to obtain more bit-beasts."
"Now, now, my good man." The man hailed as Tom replied calmly, "Of course it is not your fault. But you boy lost the second match on the verge of victory, and that surprised me."
"I do not know how that happened." Said Voltaire, "It is very unexpected. But you must know, they boy who helped to claime victory today belongs to the Blade Breakers. They are very skilled."
"I know how it is." Tom waved his hand impatiently, "I am not as ignorant as you tend to believe, Voltaire. My men had done research for me, and I believe I know more about this sport you call beyblading more than you will ever do."
His hand dropped, and he sounded a shade more serious now, "That is why I am here. I am here to tell you this: you need an alternate plan."
"What?" Asked Voltaire, a little irritated, "For what reason?"
Tom sneered, "I would punish you for even questioning my decision. But seeing your ignorance, I will enlighten you. Your original plan will never work. You can not possibly defeat that group of children and gain their bit-beasts."
Voltaire replied indignantly, "Why is that so? Those children maybe skilled and have powerful bit-beasts at their command, but my own team is not weak either. Those children maybe strong, but they are not invincible!"
Tom laughed mockingly, "Fool! Those children are indeed invincible! They are much more than what meets the eyes. I would not give you the specific information here. But I can tell you that much: those children are hardly human. You can never defeat them."
Voltaire looked at him incredulously, obviously unconvinced, "Hardly human? How is that possible?"
Tome grew impatient again, "I have told you, they make look like normal children to you, but they are not human! You would not understand such things, there is no need telling you that."
Voltaire asked, "Then what do you suggest I do?"
Tom turned and slashed the air with his hand, "Kill them."
"And then take away their bit-beasts?" Voltaire asked.
"You can do that, but I tell you it's not much use." Tom said, "Their power would never work for 'evil purposes', and foolishly our goals are categorized under that name. "
Voltaire asked, "Then what is the purpose of killing the children? Perhaps you do not think much of it, but in my world such actions are under heavy persecution."
"So that they will not use their power against us!" Tom replied intolerantly, "Your stupidity is extraordinary, Voltaire. Those children are the only ones who can use that power, and their death would ensure our safety."
"You speak in riddles, Tom." Voltaire replied after a moment of thought, "I do not understand much you speak of, but I will believe your decision here. You do not need to worry yourself over this matter. My men will be on it."
"Good then." Replied Tom, regaining his ease, "I will be glad to see the end of those tiresome children. They post a larger threat than you would believe, Voltaire."
Then with a popping noise Tom was gone, as if suddenly vanishing into thin air.
"Of course." Mutter Voltaire. He picked up the phone and barked some orders. In the city almost a world away, the Blade Breakers had no idea that someone had just ordered their death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Blade Breakers and the White Tigers walked together down the street lined with green trees. An unusual silence hung around them. Mariah walked between Lee and Ray mechanically. There was no expression on her lovely face, and her eyes were dimmed.
"Mariah." Lee said in a voice that almost sounded exasperated, "Please talk to us."
There was no reply. Mariah halted but she didn't say anything.
"Mariah." Lee's voice was with a shade of warning now.
Receiving no reply still he seized Mariah's bandaged arm tightly and glared at her. The girl winced in pain and wrenched free. She turned and avoided the almost angry look from her leader.
"Lee." Ray stopped Lee from reaching for Mariah again and spoke in a low voice, "I will talk to her."
Lee looked hard at Ray, finally he answered, "You have one hour then. Get her to wake up."
Ray nodded slightly and took Mariah's hand in his own. The two of them walked away from the rest of the group, heading to nowhere in particular. Mariah was still silent, her head bowed, and Ray made no attempt to talk to her.
They walked through layers of trees and grass slowly and silently. Finally they reached a cliff beside the sea. The cliff was bare and stony, devoid of all decorations save for the few grass and flora that grew between cracks on the face of the cliff. At the bottom of cliff waves upon waves of green water crashed against the rocks, roaring and sending white foam flying everywhere. Far away, on the boarder of the sky and sea, a few lonely gulls flew between the clouds. They sat down on the rocks and watched the clouds sail by.
Ray watched Mariah silently, finally he said, "You blame yourself, don't you?"
Mariah jerked, as if startled. She turned slowly to look at Ray, but seeing Ray's intent eyes she turned away quickly.
Ray continued, "I know what you think. You blame yourself for letting your team down; you blame yourself for being so weak; you blame yourself for giving up to fear. Is it not so?"
Finally Mariah spoke. She said bitterly, "And are you going to tell me that I am wrong? Are you going to tell me I don't need to be so harsh on myself, and that none of this is my fault?"
Ray said quietly, "No, Mariah. I don't think those words would make you feel any better. But I do want to tell you something."
He gathered the girl in his arms and whispered beside her ear, "Look at the sky."
Mariah raised her head and looked. The sun was setting, slowly dipping behind the horizon. Light spilt across the western sky, casting a golden hue on everything. In the dusky blue sky, one could almost catch a glance of a silver star that is Venus.
Ray said quietly, "You see? The sun is setting, and the day is almost over. What happened had already happened, it becomes history, and you cannot change it. Look a head to tomorrow, that at least you can will it to your intentions. I can't promise you tomorrow will be better than today, but at least we can try to make it better."
Mariah said nothing. She leaned her head on Ray's shoulder and closed her eyes. She pondered over the words silently, reading between the lines. Then she understood, and she smiled. All the brooding emptiness left her.
"Thank you, Ray." She said softly.
Ray laughed and replied, "That is much better. You look so lovely when you smile; melancholy does not suit you well."
No more words passed between them, for it was not needed. They leaned together and watched the sea and the sunset in silence. Far away, the gulls are calling.
A/N: Ok I know, this chapter is weird. The first part is too intriguing, almost like something out of a Bond movie; and the second part is too melancholic. I am afraid the characterization of Ray and Mariah is a little off in this chapter. Too philosophical??? Or maybe too serious. Oh well, please blame the plot bunnies for this. But do tell me if you think the characterization is just wrong.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you all!
Voltaire received a phone call from Boris right after the match. Though very irked that only one bit-beast was collected, he did not yell.
"Do not think over too much over it, Boris." He commanded in cool, indifferent tone, "There will be plenty chances a head. And do not treat that kid Bryan to rashly. Get the tech team to build him a new beyblade. His hatred will come in handy one day."
Voltaire hung up the phone and turned around. To his surprise, a thin, tall man now occupied his large armchair with comfort. The man was extremely pale. His face was flat, and his nostrils were nothing but slits. His eyes were red and snake like. The man had an expression upon his face that could almost be called amused, though it did nothing but twist his already monstrous look even more.
"How did you get in here?" Voltaire asked in annoyance.
"I have my ways." Said the man easily, twirling a thin rod of wood with his long fingers.
"Why are you here then?"
"To speak of business, of course." The man said, "I have seen the latest development of your little game on television today."
"You watch TV? What a surprise." Said Voltaire with amusement and disgust at the same time.
"I surprised even myself." Replied the man, "But it proved useful. I see that you failed your latest task again."
"I did not fail, Tom!" Voltaire rebuked sharply, "It is a mere unfortunate incident. Our opponents have forfeited the game, we could find no more excuses to obtain more bit-beasts."
"Now, now, my good man." The man hailed as Tom replied calmly, "Of course it is not your fault. But you boy lost the second match on the verge of victory, and that surprised me."
"I do not know how that happened." Said Voltaire, "It is very unexpected. But you must know, they boy who helped to claime victory today belongs to the Blade Breakers. They are very skilled."
"I know how it is." Tom waved his hand impatiently, "I am not as ignorant as you tend to believe, Voltaire. My men had done research for me, and I believe I know more about this sport you call beyblading more than you will ever do."
His hand dropped, and he sounded a shade more serious now, "That is why I am here. I am here to tell you this: you need an alternate plan."
"What?" Asked Voltaire, a little irritated, "For what reason?"
Tom sneered, "I would punish you for even questioning my decision. But seeing your ignorance, I will enlighten you. Your original plan will never work. You can not possibly defeat that group of children and gain their bit-beasts."
Voltaire replied indignantly, "Why is that so? Those children maybe skilled and have powerful bit-beasts at their command, but my own team is not weak either. Those children maybe strong, but they are not invincible!"
Tom laughed mockingly, "Fool! Those children are indeed invincible! They are much more than what meets the eyes. I would not give you the specific information here. But I can tell you that much: those children are hardly human. You can never defeat them."
Voltaire looked at him incredulously, obviously unconvinced, "Hardly human? How is that possible?"
Tome grew impatient again, "I have told you, they make look like normal children to you, but they are not human! You would not understand such things, there is no need telling you that."
Voltaire asked, "Then what do you suggest I do?"
Tom turned and slashed the air with his hand, "Kill them."
"And then take away their bit-beasts?" Voltaire asked.
"You can do that, but I tell you it's not much use." Tom said, "Their power would never work for 'evil purposes', and foolishly our goals are categorized under that name. "
Voltaire asked, "Then what is the purpose of killing the children? Perhaps you do not think much of it, but in my world such actions are under heavy persecution."
"So that they will not use their power against us!" Tom replied intolerantly, "Your stupidity is extraordinary, Voltaire. Those children are the only ones who can use that power, and their death would ensure our safety."
"You speak in riddles, Tom." Voltaire replied after a moment of thought, "I do not understand much you speak of, but I will believe your decision here. You do not need to worry yourself over this matter. My men will be on it."
"Good then." Replied Tom, regaining his ease, "I will be glad to see the end of those tiresome children. They post a larger threat than you would believe, Voltaire."
Then with a popping noise Tom was gone, as if suddenly vanishing into thin air.
"Of course." Mutter Voltaire. He picked up the phone and barked some orders. In the city almost a world away, the Blade Breakers had no idea that someone had just ordered their death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Blade Breakers and the White Tigers walked together down the street lined with green trees. An unusual silence hung around them. Mariah walked between Lee and Ray mechanically. There was no expression on her lovely face, and her eyes were dimmed.
"Mariah." Lee said in a voice that almost sounded exasperated, "Please talk to us."
There was no reply. Mariah halted but she didn't say anything.
"Mariah." Lee's voice was with a shade of warning now.
Receiving no reply still he seized Mariah's bandaged arm tightly and glared at her. The girl winced in pain and wrenched free. She turned and avoided the almost angry look from her leader.
"Lee." Ray stopped Lee from reaching for Mariah again and spoke in a low voice, "I will talk to her."
Lee looked hard at Ray, finally he answered, "You have one hour then. Get her to wake up."
Ray nodded slightly and took Mariah's hand in his own. The two of them walked away from the rest of the group, heading to nowhere in particular. Mariah was still silent, her head bowed, and Ray made no attempt to talk to her.
They walked through layers of trees and grass slowly and silently. Finally they reached a cliff beside the sea. The cliff was bare and stony, devoid of all decorations save for the few grass and flora that grew between cracks on the face of the cliff. At the bottom of cliff waves upon waves of green water crashed against the rocks, roaring and sending white foam flying everywhere. Far away, on the boarder of the sky and sea, a few lonely gulls flew between the clouds. They sat down on the rocks and watched the clouds sail by.
Ray watched Mariah silently, finally he said, "You blame yourself, don't you?"
Mariah jerked, as if startled. She turned slowly to look at Ray, but seeing Ray's intent eyes she turned away quickly.
Ray continued, "I know what you think. You blame yourself for letting your team down; you blame yourself for being so weak; you blame yourself for giving up to fear. Is it not so?"
Finally Mariah spoke. She said bitterly, "And are you going to tell me that I am wrong? Are you going to tell me I don't need to be so harsh on myself, and that none of this is my fault?"
Ray said quietly, "No, Mariah. I don't think those words would make you feel any better. But I do want to tell you something."
He gathered the girl in his arms and whispered beside her ear, "Look at the sky."
Mariah raised her head and looked. The sun was setting, slowly dipping behind the horizon. Light spilt across the western sky, casting a golden hue on everything. In the dusky blue sky, one could almost catch a glance of a silver star that is Venus.
Ray said quietly, "You see? The sun is setting, and the day is almost over. What happened had already happened, it becomes history, and you cannot change it. Look a head to tomorrow, that at least you can will it to your intentions. I can't promise you tomorrow will be better than today, but at least we can try to make it better."
Mariah said nothing. She leaned her head on Ray's shoulder and closed her eyes. She pondered over the words silently, reading between the lines. Then she understood, and she smiled. All the brooding emptiness left her.
"Thank you, Ray." She said softly.
Ray laughed and replied, "That is much better. You look so lovely when you smile; melancholy does not suit you well."
No more words passed between them, for it was not needed. They leaned together and watched the sea and the sunset in silence. Far away, the gulls are calling.
A/N: Ok I know, this chapter is weird. The first part is too intriguing, almost like something out of a Bond movie; and the second part is too melancholic. I am afraid the characterization of Ray and Mariah is a little off in this chapter. Too philosophical??? Or maybe too serious. Oh well, please blame the plot bunnies for this. But do tell me if you think the characterization is just wrong.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you all!