The Dranon Heiress
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade
A/N: I can't believe that that ^ up there is my very last disclaimer for this story! This is also the final chapter of The Dranon Heiress and after I finish this, then a sequel will be put up in a few months. I just have to make time to finish off some of my other fics before I continue. A preview of the sequel will be at the bottom of this chapter (partly to remind myself of what's going to happen when I get back to it) and also a brief summary of it.
So, after a chapter of sap, the final instalment of The Dranon Heiress is under way and there will be partings, heartache, angst and a BLOODY MOTHERFUCKER CALLED KAIKA to cause a bit of trouble. Not to mention some sap and romance (only a little) and a bit of a strange occurrence between Kai/Chika. Might be shorter compared to chapter 19, if you don't include the sequel preview.
ENJOY!
---- Chapter Twenty ----
If someone had asked her if she had ever considered sacrificing something for someone else, Chika Dranon would have replied with a firm 'no' and also beaten the living daylights out of that person. She was selfish back then and somehow still was now, though not as much. As she stirred from sleep now, however, and caught sight of where she was, Chika was sure that she could give up everything just for him to be safe.
Him. Hitawari Kai. She could give up everything for him and not regret it, because he was worth every bit of it. He still annoyed her endlessly sometimes, with his stubbornness and temper that was able to rival hers at points, so much that she would want to knock him out just so he would shut up. But then he always managed to make her reconsider.
Now that was over. There was no more time for her to be with him, to argue, to battle and to escape. It was all over now, as soon as the sun came up it was a new day. The day she had to leave. She reached into her pocket and produced an envelope. With a trembling hand, Chika placed it on the table and stood up.
"I'll be waiting," she whispered.
Leaning over him, she poured all of her emotions from her heart into a single tear, which fell onto her open palm. With the help of Dranon, it solidified into a red, tear-shaped crystal. Now, when she looked at him, there was none of the feelings she had to suppress before. But the crystal itself glowed brighter and brighter.
"I'll leave this with you," she continued murmuring to him. "If we ever get to see each other again, you can return it to me. I won't feel the same way about anyone else."
He frowned, as if hearing what she'd said. If she still had the feelings she'd given up, maybe her heart would have broken. She really didn't want to hurt him, but it was the only way they'd both survive. Or, at least, he'd survive. She didn't know how long she could last back in England and the pressure of it all would surely break her.
"Chika . . ."
She bit her lip as he reached out and instinctively grabbed her hand. He was still so weak and she had to go, before it got too suspicious. In a swift movement, she took her hand away and put the tear-shaped crystal next to the letter. He would find it when he woke up and by then she would be long gone.
"It's for the best."
--------
They were all there, except Miyuki and Naoko. Rika stood some distance away from the count and countess, while Kaika stood on the count's left side. Light had only just started to appear over the buildings and yet Chika was standing on the roof of one of the tallest school buildings, just about to board a private plane.
"Come on, Chika," her mother said.
Countess Yukimi (A/N: made it up on the spot, sorry) looked like an older replica of her daughter, only that her skin was more of a golden colour than Chika's pale. She was also only the girl's height too, despite her being at least twenty years older. Chika hesitated, before gritting her teeth and walking forwards towards her father.
"Get on," he snapped, without waiting.
"Yes father."
Without a backward glance, she boarded the plane. When she reached the top of the ramp, a hand grabbed her elbow. Kaika was only inches away, practically breathing down her neck and in her ear. She stopped, but didn't seem affected by his closeness, though her skin crawled at his touch.
"What do you want?"
"You're mine," he said softly. "No one else's."
"That's just idiotic," she replied huffily. "I don't belong to anyone."
With that, she flung his arm away and continued walking. Picking a random seat by the window, she sat down and stared out of it. With permission from the count, Kaika placed himself in the seat next to her, much too close for comfort.
"Keep your distance," she warned dangerously, still facing the window.
"I know."
//And when you rise in the morning sun,
I feel you touch me in the falling rain
And the moment that you wander far from me
I wanna feel you in my arms again//
--------
Kai woke up to silence. A thought struck him and he sat up, too quickly, and his muscles screamed in protest. He was alone again. For a moment, he had hoped that he would wake up and find that today WASN'T the day he had been dreading for the past two months. Unfortunately, life sucking as it did, today WAS the day.
A glint caught his eye. Shifting to face the beside table, Kai saw an envelope and a tiny, red crystal the size and shape of a teardrop. A mix of fear, pain and dread filled him as he reached out for them. The crystal glowed brightly as soon as it was in his hand and he felt suddenly very warm and secure. He opened the envelope.
'Kai.
When you read this, I'd have left for a few hours already. I wanted to say goodbye in the most painless way possible. Even though I don't act like it, I really don't like pain and I hate being forced to stand it. I always choose the easier path, thus making me a coward in some people's eyes, right? If I were still here, you'd probably be calling me that now.
I don't know how long it will be until I come back to Japan. Probably a long time - a decade, give or take, if I ever survive that long. I took the time to write this letter yesterday, before I came to visit you. Don't worry about me because I can take care of myself. Kaika Woodrow never stays with anything for long and he won't bother me after he gets sick of seeing me around. I'll just annoy the hell out of him for that space of time.
You'll find there's a crystal with this letter. I think it's time to tell you about what I've done. With Dranon's help, I've turned my feelings for you into a solid object. It's like taking out part of my soul of love - the strongest part, what I feel for you - and turning it into something that you can hold. I won't be able to feel the same way for anyone else.
What I want you to do is keep this with you until the next time we see each other. I won't guarantee how long it will be, but I'm willing to take the risk. If - no, when - we do see each other, return this to me. When I merge with it again, the feelings will return. Until then, I can't feel what it's like to love someone like you. Strange, huh? I only realised I could do that when Dranon told me.
Again, don't worry about me. I'm a fighter, remember? I'll survive. I want you to know that, no matter what things are like the next time we meet, as long as you carry that crystal, everything's going to be all right.'
He could almost hear her laughing.
'Do I sound like myself right now? I guess this really affects your brains. I haven't been myself since - I don't know - forever maybe.
I'll miss you.
Chika.'
He folded the letter up again. So she'd gone, huh? Well, at least she'd left a letter. He realised something else in a sudden. Looking down, he discovered that most of his wounds had healed completely, if not at all, only that it was his muscles, which were extremely angry at having survived such a horrible beating. Still, he already started to miss her.
//And you come to me on a summer breeze
Keep me warm in your love, then you softly leave
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love//
//I really need to learn
Cos we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me//
--------
//I believe in you
You know you're the door to my barest soul
You're the light in the deepest, darkest hour
You're my saviour when I fall//
She looked out the window and remembered the first time they had had a conversation. She had been sitting on the loft of the top level of the school library, reading about the McGregor family history, when he suddenly interrupted the silence. Her lips twisted into a smirk as she recalled how annoyed she'd been. Though she couldn't feel the emotions connected to her love for him, she could recall past feelings towards him.
//And you may not think I care for you
When you know down inside that I really do
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love//
//I really need to learn
Cos we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me//
Sometimes she really wished she hadn't been born into the Dranon clan. Only then would she be able to love freely and not resort to sacrificing her feelings to keep the one she loved safe. On the outside, her actions would have been cold and uncaring, but only she and Kai would know just how much pain was underneath it all. They both experienced similar situations before and both made painful decisions in the past. This was just another issue to sort out to really get what they wanted.
Perhaps he wouldn't come at all. Time could do many things to feelings, including simmering down love until it disappeared. What if he got over her and forgot about her? What would she do then? But she had to believe, because it was her only chance. He wouldn't let her down because she knew he loved her.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Get lost, Kaika," she growled, anger bubbling.
"I don't want to," he replied amusedly, touching her arm.
She whipped around to face him, eyes a fiery blood red, and hand at his throat. He smirked at her, eyes glinting from under his sandy fringe. A low, dangerous voice sounded from in front of them, where the count and countess were seated.
"Chika . . ."
Chika hissed furiously, sounding a lot like Rika when she was talking to snakes, but withdrew her hand from his neck. Taking the opportunity, he seized her by the shoulders and leaned close to her, foreheads touching, but no more contact. She glared, eye colour rippling dangerously between red and silver.
"I'll make you forget about him," he vowed. "I'll make you forget everything."
"Nothing will make me forget," she spat.
"You'll see," he replied softly.
He closed in all contact and kissed her hard - and roughly. She realised just how different he and Kai were. Where Kai was gentle towards her, Kaika was rough and unrelenting. He treated her no better than a servant, but Kai loved her. She started to regret ever giving up her soul of love, so she could just remember how much she really loved Kai, just to get her through this. She could do nothing when her father was against her.
All she could do was bear it.
--------
"Kai, what are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"
"You're all recovered!"
"What the hell happened?"
The last was from Takao, who noticed something was wrong, but whose tongue was too fast for his own head. Kai sat down in the senior common room and stared moodily out the window. Because of everything that was happening to them, Mr Dickenson had given him the week off from schoolwork and training, to relax and recuperate. Not that he really needed to.
Rei, who was almost equally as moody but definitely NOT so much as to ignore his friends, motioned for the rest of the team to quieten down and leave the captain in peace. Silence reigned for about fifteen minutes, before Takao couldn't take it any more.
"Kai, say something!" He yelled. Several heads turned to look at him.
"Something."
"That's not funny!" Takao cried as some people snickered.
"Sure it isn't."
"Be QUIET, both of you!" Rei said loudly, getting to his feet. "Takao, leave Kai alone. He doesn't have to talk if he doesn't want to. And Kai - never mind."
The Japanese teen had shot him a dangerous glare from the corner of his eye. For some reason, seeing those blood red eyes narrowed and glinting maliciously unnerved him. Takao grumbled and sat back down, no doubt to dream up ways of getting back at Kai for making such a fool out of him. Kai never turned from looking out the window.
"She's gone," he said finally.
"Pardon?" Rei asked, surprised that he was actually speaking.
"She's gone," Kai repeated quietly. "I found this letter on the table. They're both gone."
Rei noticed then that Kai wasn't looking entirely moody. No, he looked crestfallen, broken and incredibly drained. Not that Rei blamed him. Kai was very sensitive and could be provoked very easily when one knew exactly how to - provoked, or hurt. While Rei's obsession with Ketsueki Rika merely wanted to know her power, Kai and Chika shared something different and having it ripped apart left him uneasy and feeling lost.
"I'm sorry," Rei apologised. "I didn't realise."
"Well, you didn't get your match with Ketsueki either."
"There's always later," the Chinese replied, a little more cheerfully. "I seriously don't think that I would have been able to take her on right now. She's too much for me. But YOU however - Kai, why didn't you stop her?"
"I couldn't," Kai muttered. "She left in the middle of the night."
"What are you going to do?"
"Wait, I suppose," he said heavily. "She said she'll come back."
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky
Starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight//
"It's not like you to wait."
"What else can I do?" He demanded. "I don't know where she is."
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
I have so many wishes to make, but most of all, this one I state:
For just one girl that I've been dreaming of I wish that I could have all her love
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the dream I dream tonight//
He clutched the crystal in his pocket and felt it warm under his fingers. What did it mean, when it warmed up like that? He cursed himself for being paranoid. The crystal wasn't a NORMAL crystal - it was a soul. Chika's most prized and precious soul to be exact. Of course it would things that other crystals couldn't.
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
I want a girl who'll be all mine, the one to say I'm her guy
Someone sweet, that's for sure, I wanna be the guy she's looking for
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the girl I wish tonight//
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky
Starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight//
He hated waiting and was known to be impatient. But that was the only thing he could do, especially when he didn't know exactly where to look for what he was trying to find. England, perhaps, but that was too broad. He needed to know where she was EXACTLY. And he didn't know, that was why he had to wait - for information, or for her to come back by herself, though the latter seemed highly unlikely.
"How long do you plan to wait?"
"Until I find her," he said firmly. "Or until she comes back. Whichever first."
---- End of Chapter Twenty ----
A/N: Okay, so that was a crappy ending, but I needed SOMETHING to ready you all for the sequel. I'm gonna list all the problems that need addressing from the plot:
Kai and Chika aren't together (duh!)
Rika hasn't gotten her souls and her heart back
Naoko and Miyuki (and the Majestics) are still in the process of getting their Beyblades back from the count.
Rei hasn't battled Rika yet
The bastard (meaning Kaika, of course) still hasn't been wiped out by a natural phenomena - neither has the count, so I'll have to fix that. Too bad natural disasters don't occur when you want them to [sigh]
THE SOUL OF LOVE! Kai has to give that back!
Kaika and Chika are due to get married 'when the time comes' - meaning as soon as she's legally an adult (which, according to Australian law, is eighteen and I'm using that age) - which ALSO means in THREE YEARS TIME. Oh dear.
So, then I'll give you the preview.
~ In the Sequel ~
"How long has it been?"
"Ten years."
"I wonder how much has changed between us."
~
Two little children, just under five years old, running around. Supervising them was a young woman with jet-black hair down to her waist, plaited loosely and with a single streak of brilliant blue through them. The young woman was wearing a dark blue skirt and champagne coloured blouse. She looked up at the children.
"Alexander, Alethea. Come on, time to go home."
"Yes, mother."
He froze in mid step. The voice sounded so familiar - and the woman, she looked vaguely familiar too. Was it too much to hope for if he thought that it might be her -? But then he realised something else. The children had called her 'mother'.
The young woman stood up and turned around. Then the colour drained from her face as she saw who was standing behind her.
~
The hand was pushed away gently.
"I don't want it back."
~
A damp, dingy bar with crappy music and dim lighting was where the information led him. Behind the counter, mixing up drinks with absolutely no emotion whatsoever, was a tall and albino-skinned young woman with jet- black hair.
"I've found you. Now I want to challenge you."
"I gave up Beyblading a long time ago."
~
"I'm not going to worry about getting my Beyblade back. It's probably been destroyed and my bit-beast will have to find someone else. I'm giving up Beyblading."
"Then will you marry me?"
~
"THEY'RE NOT MY CHILDREN!"
The sounds of something metal crashing against wood. A frustrated yell followed by a child's cry ripped through the silence. A wild war cry tore itself from his lips as he charged forward, the knife in his hands. A dull thud followed by a distraught cry.
"No! STOP IT KAIKA!"
"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
"NO KAIKA!"
~
It was a mildly windy day. The sky was a dull, lifeless grey and it looked like it was about to rain. Amidst the rows of stone tablets, stood a lone person, clad entirely in black and a slight slump in the shoulders. Wisps of black and blue hair escaped from the loosening French plait and blew around the pale, ashen face.
"What are you going to do now?"
The newcomer came up behind her quietly. She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. He tentatively put his arms around her, half-expecting them to be pushed off, but instead she stifled a quiet sob.
"I don't know," she choked. "They were all I had left."
"You still have me."
She began to cry in earnest, falling to her knees and taking him with her. They stayed like that for a long time, she sobbing brokenly into his shoulder and clutching him to her. He complied, letting her draw comfort from him.
"I can't - it's too hard . . ."
"I'll be here," he said. "Don't worry. You won't need to cry any more. Promise."
He drew something from his pocket and showed it to her. A single, red glint came from his palm. She hesitated, before taking the hand in hers.
~ End of Preview ~
Tune in to the sequel 'Breathe Again'!
Ja ne, for the last time . . .
Bittersweet Angel Chika
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade
A/N: I can't believe that that ^ up there is my very last disclaimer for this story! This is also the final chapter of The Dranon Heiress and after I finish this, then a sequel will be put up in a few months. I just have to make time to finish off some of my other fics before I continue. A preview of the sequel will be at the bottom of this chapter (partly to remind myself of what's going to happen when I get back to it) and also a brief summary of it.
So, after a chapter of sap, the final instalment of The Dranon Heiress is under way and there will be partings, heartache, angst and a BLOODY MOTHERFUCKER CALLED KAIKA to cause a bit of trouble. Not to mention some sap and romance (only a little) and a bit of a strange occurrence between Kai/Chika. Might be shorter compared to chapter 19, if you don't include the sequel preview.
ENJOY!
---- Chapter Twenty ----
If someone had asked her if she had ever considered sacrificing something for someone else, Chika Dranon would have replied with a firm 'no' and also beaten the living daylights out of that person. She was selfish back then and somehow still was now, though not as much. As she stirred from sleep now, however, and caught sight of where she was, Chika was sure that she could give up everything just for him to be safe.
Him. Hitawari Kai. She could give up everything for him and not regret it, because he was worth every bit of it. He still annoyed her endlessly sometimes, with his stubbornness and temper that was able to rival hers at points, so much that she would want to knock him out just so he would shut up. But then he always managed to make her reconsider.
Now that was over. There was no more time for her to be with him, to argue, to battle and to escape. It was all over now, as soon as the sun came up it was a new day. The day she had to leave. She reached into her pocket and produced an envelope. With a trembling hand, Chika placed it on the table and stood up.
"I'll be waiting," she whispered.
Leaning over him, she poured all of her emotions from her heart into a single tear, which fell onto her open palm. With the help of Dranon, it solidified into a red, tear-shaped crystal. Now, when she looked at him, there was none of the feelings she had to suppress before. But the crystal itself glowed brighter and brighter.
"I'll leave this with you," she continued murmuring to him. "If we ever get to see each other again, you can return it to me. I won't feel the same way about anyone else."
He frowned, as if hearing what she'd said. If she still had the feelings she'd given up, maybe her heart would have broken. She really didn't want to hurt him, but it was the only way they'd both survive. Or, at least, he'd survive. She didn't know how long she could last back in England and the pressure of it all would surely break her.
"Chika . . ."
She bit her lip as he reached out and instinctively grabbed her hand. He was still so weak and she had to go, before it got too suspicious. In a swift movement, she took her hand away and put the tear-shaped crystal next to the letter. He would find it when he woke up and by then she would be long gone.
"It's for the best."
--------
They were all there, except Miyuki and Naoko. Rika stood some distance away from the count and countess, while Kaika stood on the count's left side. Light had only just started to appear over the buildings and yet Chika was standing on the roof of one of the tallest school buildings, just about to board a private plane.
"Come on, Chika," her mother said.
Countess Yukimi (A/N: made it up on the spot, sorry) looked like an older replica of her daughter, only that her skin was more of a golden colour than Chika's pale. She was also only the girl's height too, despite her being at least twenty years older. Chika hesitated, before gritting her teeth and walking forwards towards her father.
"Get on," he snapped, without waiting.
"Yes father."
Without a backward glance, she boarded the plane. When she reached the top of the ramp, a hand grabbed her elbow. Kaika was only inches away, practically breathing down her neck and in her ear. She stopped, but didn't seem affected by his closeness, though her skin crawled at his touch.
"What do you want?"
"You're mine," he said softly. "No one else's."
"That's just idiotic," she replied huffily. "I don't belong to anyone."
With that, she flung his arm away and continued walking. Picking a random seat by the window, she sat down and stared out of it. With permission from the count, Kaika placed himself in the seat next to her, much too close for comfort.
"Keep your distance," she warned dangerously, still facing the window.
"I know."
//And when you rise in the morning sun,
I feel you touch me in the falling rain
And the moment that you wander far from me
I wanna feel you in my arms again//
--------
Kai woke up to silence. A thought struck him and he sat up, too quickly, and his muscles screamed in protest. He was alone again. For a moment, he had hoped that he would wake up and find that today WASN'T the day he had been dreading for the past two months. Unfortunately, life sucking as it did, today WAS the day.
A glint caught his eye. Shifting to face the beside table, Kai saw an envelope and a tiny, red crystal the size and shape of a teardrop. A mix of fear, pain and dread filled him as he reached out for them. The crystal glowed brightly as soon as it was in his hand and he felt suddenly very warm and secure. He opened the envelope.
'Kai.
When you read this, I'd have left for a few hours already. I wanted to say goodbye in the most painless way possible. Even though I don't act like it, I really don't like pain and I hate being forced to stand it. I always choose the easier path, thus making me a coward in some people's eyes, right? If I were still here, you'd probably be calling me that now.
I don't know how long it will be until I come back to Japan. Probably a long time - a decade, give or take, if I ever survive that long. I took the time to write this letter yesterday, before I came to visit you. Don't worry about me because I can take care of myself. Kaika Woodrow never stays with anything for long and he won't bother me after he gets sick of seeing me around. I'll just annoy the hell out of him for that space of time.
You'll find there's a crystal with this letter. I think it's time to tell you about what I've done. With Dranon's help, I've turned my feelings for you into a solid object. It's like taking out part of my soul of love - the strongest part, what I feel for you - and turning it into something that you can hold. I won't be able to feel the same way for anyone else.
What I want you to do is keep this with you until the next time we see each other. I won't guarantee how long it will be, but I'm willing to take the risk. If - no, when - we do see each other, return this to me. When I merge with it again, the feelings will return. Until then, I can't feel what it's like to love someone like you. Strange, huh? I only realised I could do that when Dranon told me.
Again, don't worry about me. I'm a fighter, remember? I'll survive. I want you to know that, no matter what things are like the next time we meet, as long as you carry that crystal, everything's going to be all right.'
He could almost hear her laughing.
'Do I sound like myself right now? I guess this really affects your brains. I haven't been myself since - I don't know - forever maybe.
I'll miss you.
Chika.'
He folded the letter up again. So she'd gone, huh? Well, at least she'd left a letter. He realised something else in a sudden. Looking down, he discovered that most of his wounds had healed completely, if not at all, only that it was his muscles, which were extremely angry at having survived such a horrible beating. Still, he already started to miss her.
//And you come to me on a summer breeze
Keep me warm in your love, then you softly leave
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love//
//I really need to learn
Cos we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me//
--------
//I believe in you
You know you're the door to my barest soul
You're the light in the deepest, darkest hour
You're my saviour when I fall//
She looked out the window and remembered the first time they had had a conversation. She had been sitting on the loft of the top level of the school library, reading about the McGregor family history, when he suddenly interrupted the silence. Her lips twisted into a smirk as she recalled how annoyed she'd been. Though she couldn't feel the emotions connected to her love for him, she could recall past feelings towards him.
//And you may not think I care for you
When you know down inside that I really do
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love//
//I really need to learn
Cos we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me//
Sometimes she really wished she hadn't been born into the Dranon clan. Only then would she be able to love freely and not resort to sacrificing her feelings to keep the one she loved safe. On the outside, her actions would have been cold and uncaring, but only she and Kai would know just how much pain was underneath it all. They both experienced similar situations before and both made painful decisions in the past. This was just another issue to sort out to really get what they wanted.
Perhaps he wouldn't come at all. Time could do many things to feelings, including simmering down love until it disappeared. What if he got over her and forgot about her? What would she do then? But she had to believe, because it was her only chance. He wouldn't let her down because she knew he loved her.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Get lost, Kaika," she growled, anger bubbling.
"I don't want to," he replied amusedly, touching her arm.
She whipped around to face him, eyes a fiery blood red, and hand at his throat. He smirked at her, eyes glinting from under his sandy fringe. A low, dangerous voice sounded from in front of them, where the count and countess were seated.
"Chika . . ."
Chika hissed furiously, sounding a lot like Rika when she was talking to snakes, but withdrew her hand from his neck. Taking the opportunity, he seized her by the shoulders and leaned close to her, foreheads touching, but no more contact. She glared, eye colour rippling dangerously between red and silver.
"I'll make you forget about him," he vowed. "I'll make you forget everything."
"Nothing will make me forget," she spat.
"You'll see," he replied softly.
He closed in all contact and kissed her hard - and roughly. She realised just how different he and Kai were. Where Kai was gentle towards her, Kaika was rough and unrelenting. He treated her no better than a servant, but Kai loved her. She started to regret ever giving up her soul of love, so she could just remember how much she really loved Kai, just to get her through this. She could do nothing when her father was against her.
All she could do was bear it.
--------
"Kai, what are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"
"You're all recovered!"
"What the hell happened?"
The last was from Takao, who noticed something was wrong, but whose tongue was too fast for his own head. Kai sat down in the senior common room and stared moodily out the window. Because of everything that was happening to them, Mr Dickenson had given him the week off from schoolwork and training, to relax and recuperate. Not that he really needed to.
Rei, who was almost equally as moody but definitely NOT so much as to ignore his friends, motioned for the rest of the team to quieten down and leave the captain in peace. Silence reigned for about fifteen minutes, before Takao couldn't take it any more.
"Kai, say something!" He yelled. Several heads turned to look at him.
"Something."
"That's not funny!" Takao cried as some people snickered.
"Sure it isn't."
"Be QUIET, both of you!" Rei said loudly, getting to his feet. "Takao, leave Kai alone. He doesn't have to talk if he doesn't want to. And Kai - never mind."
The Japanese teen had shot him a dangerous glare from the corner of his eye. For some reason, seeing those blood red eyes narrowed and glinting maliciously unnerved him. Takao grumbled and sat back down, no doubt to dream up ways of getting back at Kai for making such a fool out of him. Kai never turned from looking out the window.
"She's gone," he said finally.
"Pardon?" Rei asked, surprised that he was actually speaking.
"She's gone," Kai repeated quietly. "I found this letter on the table. They're both gone."
Rei noticed then that Kai wasn't looking entirely moody. No, he looked crestfallen, broken and incredibly drained. Not that Rei blamed him. Kai was very sensitive and could be provoked very easily when one knew exactly how to - provoked, or hurt. While Rei's obsession with Ketsueki Rika merely wanted to know her power, Kai and Chika shared something different and having it ripped apart left him uneasy and feeling lost.
"I'm sorry," Rei apologised. "I didn't realise."
"Well, you didn't get your match with Ketsueki either."
"There's always later," the Chinese replied, a little more cheerfully. "I seriously don't think that I would have been able to take her on right now. She's too much for me. But YOU however - Kai, why didn't you stop her?"
"I couldn't," Kai muttered. "She left in the middle of the night."
"What are you going to do?"
"Wait, I suppose," he said heavily. "She said she'll come back."
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky
Starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight//
"It's not like you to wait."
"What else can I do?" He demanded. "I don't know where she is."
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
I have so many wishes to make, but most of all, this one I state:
For just one girl that I've been dreaming of I wish that I could have all her love
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the dream I dream tonight//
He clutched the crystal in his pocket and felt it warm under his fingers. What did it mean, when it warmed up like that? He cursed himself for being paranoid. The crystal wasn't a NORMAL crystal - it was a soul. Chika's most prized and precious soul to be exact. Of course it would things that other crystals couldn't.
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
I want a girl who'll be all mine, the one to say I'm her guy
Someone sweet, that's for sure, I wanna be the guy she's looking for
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the girl I wish tonight//
//Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky
Starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight//
He hated waiting and was known to be impatient. But that was the only thing he could do, especially when he didn't know exactly where to look for what he was trying to find. England, perhaps, but that was too broad. He needed to know where she was EXACTLY. And he didn't know, that was why he had to wait - for information, or for her to come back by herself, though the latter seemed highly unlikely.
"How long do you plan to wait?"
"Until I find her," he said firmly. "Or until she comes back. Whichever first."
---- End of Chapter Twenty ----
A/N: Okay, so that was a crappy ending, but I needed SOMETHING to ready you all for the sequel. I'm gonna list all the problems that need addressing from the plot:
Kai and Chika aren't together (duh!)
Rika hasn't gotten her souls and her heart back
Naoko and Miyuki (and the Majestics) are still in the process of getting their Beyblades back from the count.
Rei hasn't battled Rika yet
The bastard (meaning Kaika, of course) still hasn't been wiped out by a natural phenomena - neither has the count, so I'll have to fix that. Too bad natural disasters don't occur when you want them to [sigh]
THE SOUL OF LOVE! Kai has to give that back!
Kaika and Chika are due to get married 'when the time comes' - meaning as soon as she's legally an adult (which, according to Australian law, is eighteen and I'm using that age) - which ALSO means in THREE YEARS TIME. Oh dear.
So, then I'll give you the preview.
~ In the Sequel ~
"How long has it been?"
"Ten years."
"I wonder how much has changed between us."
~
Two little children, just under five years old, running around. Supervising them was a young woman with jet-black hair down to her waist, plaited loosely and with a single streak of brilliant blue through them. The young woman was wearing a dark blue skirt and champagne coloured blouse. She looked up at the children.
"Alexander, Alethea. Come on, time to go home."
"Yes, mother."
He froze in mid step. The voice sounded so familiar - and the woman, she looked vaguely familiar too. Was it too much to hope for if he thought that it might be her -? But then he realised something else. The children had called her 'mother'.
The young woman stood up and turned around. Then the colour drained from her face as she saw who was standing behind her.
~
The hand was pushed away gently.
"I don't want it back."
~
A damp, dingy bar with crappy music and dim lighting was where the information led him. Behind the counter, mixing up drinks with absolutely no emotion whatsoever, was a tall and albino-skinned young woman with jet- black hair.
"I've found you. Now I want to challenge you."
"I gave up Beyblading a long time ago."
~
"I'm not going to worry about getting my Beyblade back. It's probably been destroyed and my bit-beast will have to find someone else. I'm giving up Beyblading."
"Then will you marry me?"
~
"THEY'RE NOT MY CHILDREN!"
The sounds of something metal crashing against wood. A frustrated yell followed by a child's cry ripped through the silence. A wild war cry tore itself from his lips as he charged forward, the knife in his hands. A dull thud followed by a distraught cry.
"No! STOP IT KAIKA!"
"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
"NO KAIKA!"
~
It was a mildly windy day. The sky was a dull, lifeless grey and it looked like it was about to rain. Amidst the rows of stone tablets, stood a lone person, clad entirely in black and a slight slump in the shoulders. Wisps of black and blue hair escaped from the loosening French plait and blew around the pale, ashen face.
"What are you going to do now?"
The newcomer came up behind her quietly. She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. He tentatively put his arms around her, half-expecting them to be pushed off, but instead she stifled a quiet sob.
"I don't know," she choked. "They were all I had left."
"You still have me."
She began to cry in earnest, falling to her knees and taking him with her. They stayed like that for a long time, she sobbing brokenly into his shoulder and clutching him to her. He complied, letting her draw comfort from him.
"I can't - it's too hard . . ."
"I'll be here," he said. "Don't worry. You won't need to cry any more. Promise."
He drew something from his pocket and showed it to her. A single, red glint came from his palm. She hesitated, before taking the hand in hers.
~ End of Preview ~
Tune in to the sequel 'Breathe Again'!
Ja ne, for the last time . . .
Bittersweet Angel Chika
