One True Team
~ I just want to thank you all those who reviewed my last chapter! Anyhow, yep, this is NOT the FINAL chapter of this story, but it might be the last few chapters before this story ends. So enjoy and review!
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"This way," the nurse said as she led Solo down a hall. "Your sister is recovering." Solo quietly followed her. Everyone else (the Bladebreakers, Majestics, Wildcats, Howlers) were all waiting in the lobby room of the hospital.
People passing by stared at the large crowd, noticing Tyson's loud remarks, Ruth and Julie's conversation with Oliver and Enrique, Saber's card game with Gwen, Wen, and Raven, and Kai and Johnny's sullen stares. Everyone else was sitting back, thinking about what had happened with Howler the other day.
The nurse had asked Solo to go see Leslie first since she WAS her sister, and so, she followed her. The nurse opened a door, and then led her into the room. Inside was a bed with hangings, windows, and a small table next to the bed. Leslie was sitting up in bed, and had turned her head from the window when Solo had walked in with the nurse.
As soon as she entered the room, Solo immediately stormed up to Leslie, and with one fast motion, hit her across the face. Leslie gasped in surprise, a mark starting to fill in her face. The nurse immediately gasped and tried to block Solo from going to Leslie.
"Miss, I'm afraid you're not allowed to go hurting patients! Kindly step out or I'll call security." Solo turned to go.
"No, don't worry about it," Leslie replied. "I deserved that and I don't blame her for it."
"But-"
"She won't do any harm. I'll just like to talk to her privately for a moment. Then you can send in my other friends."
"Are you-"
"Please excuse us. I'm fine." The nurse looked as if she had something else to say, but closed her mouth and left the room, closing the door behind her. The door closed with a click. For a moment, there was complete silence. Neither one said or made a sound. Finally, Solo broke the silence.
"Do you have any idea that you would have been DEAD if Bengalion hadn't destroyed Howler's bit-piece?" she spat out angrily. Leslie looked blankly down at her bed sheets. When she didn't respond, Solo continued.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," she snapped as she turned around, her back facing Leslie. "Starting with how the heck you met Howler to why you wanted to kick us out of the championships." Silence again filled the room. The clock slowly ticked, the second hand ticking away the seconds as they became minutes. Finally, Leslie spoke up.
"When Mom and Dad died that fateful day, everything changed completely. We were forced to abandon our house, not even a penny was left for us because their death happened so unexpectedly, and worst of all, nobody, including the orphanage, would take us in. At that time, the sport called "beyblading" had just been invented. The beyblades that they made back then wasn't as good as today's modern spinning top. But they were good enough for me. I was desperate at that time because we already had not eaten for two days. We were saving our emergency pocket money, and since you were much smaller back then, I decided to spend our emergency money on two beyblades. It was pretty stupid back then, but it seemed to be the right thing to do at that moment. Right after I bought them, the sport became more popular, and soon, kids were battling all over the streets. We practiced day and night, street-style, living off scraps of food from restaurant dumpsters, and then finally battled. We battled for money instead of for popularity and fame, since we were desperate. We would earn a couple of dollars a day before we finally mastered the sport. By then, we raised up the stakes, and won enough money to provide ourselves with a couple of meals." Leslie paused to catch her breath. Her eyes shimmered against the sunlight. Solo sighed. Both have remembered what their past was so clearly.
"I still can't believe we survived on the streets like that for so long. It seemed such a long time ago," Leslie added, before continuing. "Then one day, I felt that we needed to get something more powerful, like a bit- beast. I felt that we needed it to guarantee a definite win, even though hardly anyone defeated us. I soon began to worry what would happen if someone DID defeat us. What if they took EVERYTHING from us? What if they destroyed our beyblades, the only thing at that moment which kept us alive? We wouldn't stand a chance at that rate. So I decided that we need a bit- beast. But how do you expect a 12 year old to find a bit-beast? I just kept hoping that a bit-beast would come to me one day. Then, one day, as I was going back to where we lived in the alley, I heard something. I thought it was a drunk or a cat wandering around again, so I ignored it. But as I continued to walk, I heard it again. I turned around, and found at my feet, this snake-like creature. It was very weak and wasn't very big, but it could talk. It was begging me to let it live in my beyblade. I found it rather strange for a snake like creature to ask if it could live in a spinning top, so I asked if it was a bit-beast. It replied that it will be my bit-beast if I allowed it to live in my beyblade. Foolishly, I agreed to the deal, and so, Howler entered my beyblade."
"Why didn't you tell me about the deal between you and Howler?"
"Howler told me not to tell anyone. I was a better sister back then than I am today, and was more loyal to you. Howler, after helping me win so many battles through that year, grew stronger and more demanding. It betrayed me and it threatened to kill you unless I ditched you somehow, and forget about you. I was forced to obey it for you own life. It somehow had a link to me and I couldn't destroy it. So during those two years, I joined the roughest gang, which we later named the Howlers. I was the only one with a bit-beast at that time and we won many battles with it. You started to drift away from me at this point. You no longer smiled and stayed strangely quiet. When we decided to rob the bank, I made you our driver. I was hoping that you would leave the Howlers afterward, not wanting to be involved in stuff like this. Then Howler wouldn't kill you because you left yourself. What I didn't expect was that you would abandon me." The tone in Leslie's voice dropped and sounded harsh. Solo looked down at her feet.
"I don't blame you though," Leslie mumbled. "I mean, I deserved it, and that maybe I should have explained everything to you and all-"
"So did Howler make you do all the 'so-called accidents' to our team?" Solo cut in.
"Yeah. Howler wanted to compete in some silly tournament and make everyone fear it. In order to win, Howler told me to get rid of the strongest teams: the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats. I didn't know you were in that team, and was forced to stop you from competing. It was until I saw you during that time Terri had got poisoned and collapsed in front of everyone publicly did I recognize you. I suddenly realized what I was up against and send threats to scare YOU off the tournament. Howler would have destroyed you if it ever knew YOU were my sister. Luckily, it didn't know who you were until we battled." Leslie sighed.
"How did you and your friends ever get out of the battle dome yesterday?" Leslie asked. It had been one day since the incident had occurred. Solo looked up in surprise.
"After howler was destroyed, Mr. Dickinson had a rescue crew, as well as firefighters and police, help us out. Luckily, we didn't get really badly hurt. Raven was the only one who actually got hurt among the rest of us. Her leg got pretty bruised and scarred. But the rest of us just got bruises, cuts, and yeah, that's it." Solo turned around.
"Leslie," she said as she walked towards her. "Do you. . . . do you think. . . that we can start over?" Leslie nodded, then extended out a hand. Solo drew out her own hand and shook it.
"I'm just sorry for all the bad things I did to you, your friends, and my friends," She sighed. "I just wish they'll accept my apologies and allow me to start over."
"We did," said a voice. Turning around, Solo spotted Tyson. He and the rest of the gang had opened the door to the room and was standing in the room. Enrique walked forward and handed Leslie a bouquet of flowers, along with a card.
"These are for you," he said smiling. "We all chipped in."
"Thanks," Leslie replied. "I'm just so happy to realize how much you all care about me after all that's been happening."
"Say," Max said. "Would you mind telling us what exactly happened yesterday and how?"
"Yeah," Robert agreed. "We're all a little curious as to the real story behind this whole incident." Leslie looked at Solo.
"You explain this time," she said. "I've just about lost my mind thinking about it."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * * ~ * ~ *
"Wow!" Saber exclaimed. "I can't believe Robert was nice enough to invite us to this club along with the Howlers!"
"I'll say," Gwen said. "Are you sure you don't mind if we stay in your hotel room until we can find one by ourselves?" The Howlers and the Wildcats were all cramped into the girls' hotel room, changing and getting ready for that night.
"Of course we don't mind," Terri spoke up before Solo could roll her eyes.
"Just as you don't cause chaos in the room," Lexis smiled weakly. Mats, blankets, and pillows were scattered all across the floor.
"Now, what shall I wear?" Rochelle wondered out loud, looking into her small suitcase.
"Is it one of those formal 'Formal' clubs or just an ordinary one where you can dress casually or a very WILD club with styles of clothes to the . . . . Uh . . . . . extreme?" Ruth asked in embarrassment.
"It WON'T be a WILD club," Leslie insisted.
"Just wear something . . . . nice. Casual like, but not very VERY formal," Julie recommend.
"Like?" Wen and Saber asked at the same time.
"A casual dress," said Julie. "Maybe something like this." She held up a light purple dress with a ribbon around the waist. The top part and the bottom edge of the dress had very pretty and small flower designs that were also purple. It reached just above the knees. Both Saber and Rochelle's eyes went wide.
"OH WOW! That is so pretty!" Rochelle exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh NO! I can't wear something like that!" Saber exclaimed in horror. "It won't suit me!"
"Come on Saber!" Julie said. "It's just a CASUAL dress. It's not even formal!"
"To me, a dress is formal enough as it is!"
"Will you stop being such a tomboy for once and wear something nice?"
"Are you saying my clothes suck, Solo?"
"No, I'm not-"
"Then I don't see YOU picking something like that!" Saber pointed to Julie's dress.
Solo grunted and looked out the window. "I might not choose something as nice as that, but at least it will be a bit more formal than what I'm wearing right now."
"Hmph!" Saber puffed up her cheeks, then released the air from her mouth in one quick WHOOSH!
"Would you do it for Ray?" Saber's cheeks turned pink.
"Well, only if Solo wears one too." Saber crossed her arms. Solo frowned.
"Fine. This will be your challenge."
"Well," Lexis sighed, rubbing her head. "You know Saber."
"Anyhow," Raven replied. "Why don't we just dress casually and comfortably?"
"Yeah. I get first dibs in the shower!" Gwen yelled.
"No you don't!" Wen yelled after her. Then, as the two sisters raced for the bathroom, everyone else starting searching for stuff, yelling and talking throughout the whole time.
"So what are YOU wearing, Kai?" Tyson asked.
Silence was heard.
"Uh. . . . Max, what are you wearing?" Tyson asked instead.
"Huh? Oh, just a shirt and black pants. You don't want Terri to see how informal I am at a club and on our last night together, do you?" Max smiled as he buttoned his shirt button.
"Well, at least you're dressed casually! I thought I had to wear a tux or something!" Tyson exclaimed, looking down at his white shirt, tie and black pants.
"Just make sure those pants of yours are stretchable! We don't want you getting a stomachache after you finish your dinner," Ray advised. He looked at himself, dressed in a white shirt, tie and black pants. He still wore his headband, but looked a bit more mature in his clothes than usual. Kai, meanwhile, was dressed in a dark blue shirt, black pants and tie. Kenny was dressed in a white shirt with his usual green tie, and black pants.
"Well," Kenny smiled. "Do you think we ought to go out and wait for the Howlers and the Wildcats?"
"Yeah." The boys stepped outside of their rooms just as the telephone rang. Kenny picked it up.
"Hello?" he said. "Oh hello Robert. Yes, we're ready, well at least the boys are. We're still waiting for the girls. . . . no don't worry, I'm sure Mr. Dickinson won't be concerned about us. So should we go down to the lobby once we're ready? . . . . okay. . . . . . . okay. . . thanks." Hanging up, Kenny faced the boys.
"Robert says that he's on his way here." Just then, the door opened. The Wildcats and the Howlers walked into the room. All of them looked very nice and rather more formal than usual.
"You all look great," Ray managed to stutter. The rest of the guys nodded.
"You too!" replied the Howlers and the Wildcats.
"Let's go now," Kenny smiled as he opened the door. "Ladies first."
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"Wow! This is a great club!" Lexis exclaimed as she held Tyson's arm. She was dressed in a very simple dress with a ribbon around the neck collar. The dress was blue. "Thank you very much for the wonderful hair clip you gave me." Lexis' usual long hair was pulled back in place by a blue sparkly fish-shaped hair clip. Tyson just grinned when she kissed him on the cheek.
"Let's rock!"
Tyson and Lexis went to the dance floor as the DJ spun Nelly's "Hot in Herre". Grooving among them were Ray, Saber, Gwen, Raven, Johnny, Enrique, Leslie, Kai and Solo. Wen, Kenny, Oliver, Robert, Rochelle, Max, Terri, Ruth and Julie were sitting near a table, eating and chatting politely.
"I'm so happy," Saber smiled at Ray. "Even though I AM stuck in a skirt." Saber was wearing a black high-collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a black skirt. She also wore black shoes and her braid was held together with a black elastic band.
"What are you talking about?" Ray grinned during 50 Cent's "In da Club". "You look terrific! I've never thought I'll see you looking so formal already!"
"You'd wished!" Saber laughed.
"Thanks for taking us here, Enrique," Gwen replied. She was dressed in a black shirt with sleeves up to the elbows, a leather vest over that, a black skirt, and black boots that reached up to her knees.
"No prob," Enrique answered, dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and black pants and shoes. They danced for three more songs before they one by one sat down at a table. Then they ate dinner and chatted politely with each other, many people looking at them curiously. Much to say, the buffet table had to refill their food four times before Tyson could finish his dinner. Rochelle was dressed in a dark blue dress with her hair tied back. Julie wore the same purple dress she had shown to the others that day. Ruth was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and a purple skirt. Wen was wearing something somewhat similar to her sister's dress, but her vest was white and she was wearing white boots instead of black.
After eating dinner, Tyson, Lexis, Max, Terri, Robert, Rochelle, Enrique and Leslie got up to dance again. Saber, Ray, Gwen, Wen, and Oliver were talking about the day Howler had been destroyed. Solo and Kai were surprisingly having a conversation, even though the two of them hardly said more than a word. Raven and Johnny were gazing into each others eyes as they talked. Ruth and Julie listened in onto the conversation Ray, Gwen, Saber, Wen, and Oliver were talking about as they ate their ice cream.
Then Gwen, Raven, and Johnny got up to dance and Max and Terri sat back down.
"This is a great club!" Max said enthusiastically. Terri smiled, dimples showing on her face. She had clipped her hair to one side with a simple looking purple clip that Max had given to her and was wearing a black dress with a white collar and white sleeves.
"Oh Max," Terri sighed. "I can't bear to ever leave you!"
"Same here!" Max agreed. "If only we didn't have to go away this soon. . . ." Terri rested her head on his shoulder as he rested his head on hers, both looking glum.
"What's up with you guys?" Ray asked as he walked past them. "Is something wrong?"
"No. It's just that. . . ."
"Just snap out of it Max," Ray said, understanding their face expressions. "You're supposed to have fun!"
"Right!" Max agreed. Taking Terri's hand, he smiled. "We'll worry later. Now's time to have fun before it's all over."
"I'll agree with you on this one," Terri replied, then kissed him on the lips. Ray walked off, leaving the couple behind.
"Hey!" he called out to Robert. "Do you know where Mr. Dickinson is? He said he would come to the club a bit later and I need to talk to him about something important."
"Oh. I saw him over there." Robert pointed across the room. Ray nodded, and then walked a bit faster.
"Say, Wen?" Max called, catching her attention. "Why aren't you dancing like your sister? I thought that since you are twins, you'll enjoy doing the same things as each other." Wen looked up in surprise.
"OH! Um, you see, I'm kind of different than my sister in some ways. She's more out-going than I am, and I'm kind of more on the shy side than she is. So what I'm trying to say is, um, I don't know how to dance and dancing isn't really my type." She blushed slightly.
"Did you ever dance with anyone?" asked Terri.
"N-no. A lot of people had asked me but I don't know how to respond. I mean, what if I made a fool of myself?"
"Don't worry," Oliver said. "You won't. Shall we?" He held up a hand to Wen, who blinked and stuttered. Trembling slightly, she took hold of Oliver's hand and stood up.
"Now," Oliver said as he led her away. "This is how you respond. . . . ."
"That sure was nice of him," Saber grinned.
"Hmm. . . . ."
As the night slowly passed, Kai looked at Solo. She was dressed in a turtle necked black shirt with long sleeves and a black skirt with a thin red edge and black boots above her ankles.
"Um. . . .Solo?" Solo looked up. "There's something I want you to have." Fumbling in his pocket, he took out a small black box tied together with a simple ribbon and placed it in her hands. Solo looked at it, dazed.
"For me?" Kai nodded.
"Open it." Solo slowly untied the ribbon, and then opened the box. Inside was a necklace with a red pendant on it. It was shaped like a firebird and looked a bit like Dranzer. Solo took it out and clasped it around her neck.
"K-Kai. Thank you." She kissed him on the mouth as he kissed her back. Then she hugged him, never wanting to let him go. Kai smirked to himself. The slow song by Christina Aguilera ("Beautiful") was playing. Kai looked down at Solo, who looked up at him.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked softly.
"I'll be glad to," Solo said. She wrapped her arms around him as they settled on the dance floor. Among them were Johnny and Raven, Terri and Max, Tyson and Lexis (Tyson FINALLY got the point of slow-dancing this time), Enrique and Leslie, and Oliver and Wen. Meanwhile, Kenny was dancing with a girl he had met at the club and was having a great time. Gwen was dancing with another boy that had asked her and Julie, Ruth, and Rochelle were just singing to the music.
"Say," Tyson said, breaking the moment. "I wonder where Ray and Saber are. They're not dancing right now."
"They haven't broken up, have they?" asked Lexis desperately.
"I don't think so."
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Ray walked out to the balcony. Saber was there, leaning against the railing and looking up to the moon. Ray took a deep breath and walked up to her.
"Hey."
"Oh hey."
"Where did you go? I couldn't find you."
"Oh, I was just looking at the moon." Saber sighed.
"What's wrong?" asked Ray. "It's not usual seeing you looking so upset. Can you tell me what's the matter?" Saber took in a deep breath, not looking at Ray as she spoke.
"It's just that. . . . .that. . . . .that. . . . . . .I might never see you again. . . . . this is the last time I'll ever see you since the championships are over." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Ray wrapped his hand around her shoulder.
"Saber, there's something I've been thinking about and I want to tell you. It's important."
Saber turned towards him, her eyes glistening, which shocked Ray. He hadn't thought that she was THIS emotional since she was always smiling.
"Saber. I just talked to Mr. Dickinson. He says that you're right now living under the BBA's facilities along with Solo, Lexis, and Terri. Well, how would you like to live with me?" Saber gaped at him, dazed.
"Are you seriously being serious at this moment?"
"Yes."
"This is for real right?"
"Yes."
"Pinch me!"
"SABER! I'm asking for real. Would you like to live with me?"
"I. . . . .yes. I would love to, but the BBA won't let me leave until I'm 18 and until I've finished school. That won't be for another 3 years."
"I'll wait."
"You will?"
"Yes. I give you my word."
"Oh Ray." Saber hugged him tightly, nearly suffocating him. "Are you sure you've thought of this? I might be too much of a responsibility for you and your family."
"No you won't."
"I'm still a total tomboy."
"You'll grow out of it someday, but I like you just the way you are."
"I'm not exactly the smartest person-"
"Saber. I love you. That's why." Ray leaned towards her and kissed her on the mouth. Saber felt tears roll down her cheeks, but didn't show any sign of it.
"Let's go in. There's a slow song playing."
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Well, how did you like this chapter? REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry I haven't updated for quite a while!
~ I just want to thank you all those who reviewed my last chapter! Anyhow, yep, this is NOT the FINAL chapter of this story, but it might be the last few chapters before this story ends. So enjoy and review!
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"This way," the nurse said as she led Solo down a hall. "Your sister is recovering." Solo quietly followed her. Everyone else (the Bladebreakers, Majestics, Wildcats, Howlers) were all waiting in the lobby room of the hospital.
People passing by stared at the large crowd, noticing Tyson's loud remarks, Ruth and Julie's conversation with Oliver and Enrique, Saber's card game with Gwen, Wen, and Raven, and Kai and Johnny's sullen stares. Everyone else was sitting back, thinking about what had happened with Howler the other day.
The nurse had asked Solo to go see Leslie first since she WAS her sister, and so, she followed her. The nurse opened a door, and then led her into the room. Inside was a bed with hangings, windows, and a small table next to the bed. Leslie was sitting up in bed, and had turned her head from the window when Solo had walked in with the nurse.
As soon as she entered the room, Solo immediately stormed up to Leslie, and with one fast motion, hit her across the face. Leslie gasped in surprise, a mark starting to fill in her face. The nurse immediately gasped and tried to block Solo from going to Leslie.
"Miss, I'm afraid you're not allowed to go hurting patients! Kindly step out or I'll call security." Solo turned to go.
"No, don't worry about it," Leslie replied. "I deserved that and I don't blame her for it."
"But-"
"She won't do any harm. I'll just like to talk to her privately for a moment. Then you can send in my other friends."
"Are you-"
"Please excuse us. I'm fine." The nurse looked as if she had something else to say, but closed her mouth and left the room, closing the door behind her. The door closed with a click. For a moment, there was complete silence. Neither one said or made a sound. Finally, Solo broke the silence.
"Do you have any idea that you would have been DEAD if Bengalion hadn't destroyed Howler's bit-piece?" she spat out angrily. Leslie looked blankly down at her bed sheets. When she didn't respond, Solo continued.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," she snapped as she turned around, her back facing Leslie. "Starting with how the heck you met Howler to why you wanted to kick us out of the championships." Silence again filled the room. The clock slowly ticked, the second hand ticking away the seconds as they became minutes. Finally, Leslie spoke up.
"When Mom and Dad died that fateful day, everything changed completely. We were forced to abandon our house, not even a penny was left for us because their death happened so unexpectedly, and worst of all, nobody, including the orphanage, would take us in. At that time, the sport called "beyblading" had just been invented. The beyblades that they made back then wasn't as good as today's modern spinning top. But they were good enough for me. I was desperate at that time because we already had not eaten for two days. We were saving our emergency pocket money, and since you were much smaller back then, I decided to spend our emergency money on two beyblades. It was pretty stupid back then, but it seemed to be the right thing to do at that moment. Right after I bought them, the sport became more popular, and soon, kids were battling all over the streets. We practiced day and night, street-style, living off scraps of food from restaurant dumpsters, and then finally battled. We battled for money instead of for popularity and fame, since we were desperate. We would earn a couple of dollars a day before we finally mastered the sport. By then, we raised up the stakes, and won enough money to provide ourselves with a couple of meals." Leslie paused to catch her breath. Her eyes shimmered against the sunlight. Solo sighed. Both have remembered what their past was so clearly.
"I still can't believe we survived on the streets like that for so long. It seemed such a long time ago," Leslie added, before continuing. "Then one day, I felt that we needed to get something more powerful, like a bit- beast. I felt that we needed it to guarantee a definite win, even though hardly anyone defeated us. I soon began to worry what would happen if someone DID defeat us. What if they took EVERYTHING from us? What if they destroyed our beyblades, the only thing at that moment which kept us alive? We wouldn't stand a chance at that rate. So I decided that we need a bit- beast. But how do you expect a 12 year old to find a bit-beast? I just kept hoping that a bit-beast would come to me one day. Then, one day, as I was going back to where we lived in the alley, I heard something. I thought it was a drunk or a cat wandering around again, so I ignored it. But as I continued to walk, I heard it again. I turned around, and found at my feet, this snake-like creature. It was very weak and wasn't very big, but it could talk. It was begging me to let it live in my beyblade. I found it rather strange for a snake like creature to ask if it could live in a spinning top, so I asked if it was a bit-beast. It replied that it will be my bit-beast if I allowed it to live in my beyblade. Foolishly, I agreed to the deal, and so, Howler entered my beyblade."
"Why didn't you tell me about the deal between you and Howler?"
"Howler told me not to tell anyone. I was a better sister back then than I am today, and was more loyal to you. Howler, after helping me win so many battles through that year, grew stronger and more demanding. It betrayed me and it threatened to kill you unless I ditched you somehow, and forget about you. I was forced to obey it for you own life. It somehow had a link to me and I couldn't destroy it. So during those two years, I joined the roughest gang, which we later named the Howlers. I was the only one with a bit-beast at that time and we won many battles with it. You started to drift away from me at this point. You no longer smiled and stayed strangely quiet. When we decided to rob the bank, I made you our driver. I was hoping that you would leave the Howlers afterward, not wanting to be involved in stuff like this. Then Howler wouldn't kill you because you left yourself. What I didn't expect was that you would abandon me." The tone in Leslie's voice dropped and sounded harsh. Solo looked down at her feet.
"I don't blame you though," Leslie mumbled. "I mean, I deserved it, and that maybe I should have explained everything to you and all-"
"So did Howler make you do all the 'so-called accidents' to our team?" Solo cut in.
"Yeah. Howler wanted to compete in some silly tournament and make everyone fear it. In order to win, Howler told me to get rid of the strongest teams: the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats. I didn't know you were in that team, and was forced to stop you from competing. It was until I saw you during that time Terri had got poisoned and collapsed in front of everyone publicly did I recognize you. I suddenly realized what I was up against and send threats to scare YOU off the tournament. Howler would have destroyed you if it ever knew YOU were my sister. Luckily, it didn't know who you were until we battled." Leslie sighed.
"How did you and your friends ever get out of the battle dome yesterday?" Leslie asked. It had been one day since the incident had occurred. Solo looked up in surprise.
"After howler was destroyed, Mr. Dickinson had a rescue crew, as well as firefighters and police, help us out. Luckily, we didn't get really badly hurt. Raven was the only one who actually got hurt among the rest of us. Her leg got pretty bruised and scarred. But the rest of us just got bruises, cuts, and yeah, that's it." Solo turned around.
"Leslie," she said as she walked towards her. "Do you. . . . do you think. . . that we can start over?" Leslie nodded, then extended out a hand. Solo drew out her own hand and shook it.
"I'm just sorry for all the bad things I did to you, your friends, and my friends," She sighed. "I just wish they'll accept my apologies and allow me to start over."
"We did," said a voice. Turning around, Solo spotted Tyson. He and the rest of the gang had opened the door to the room and was standing in the room. Enrique walked forward and handed Leslie a bouquet of flowers, along with a card.
"These are for you," he said smiling. "We all chipped in."
"Thanks," Leslie replied. "I'm just so happy to realize how much you all care about me after all that's been happening."
"Say," Max said. "Would you mind telling us what exactly happened yesterday and how?"
"Yeah," Robert agreed. "We're all a little curious as to the real story behind this whole incident." Leslie looked at Solo.
"You explain this time," she said. "I've just about lost my mind thinking about it."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * * ~ * ~ *
"Wow!" Saber exclaimed. "I can't believe Robert was nice enough to invite us to this club along with the Howlers!"
"I'll say," Gwen said. "Are you sure you don't mind if we stay in your hotel room until we can find one by ourselves?" The Howlers and the Wildcats were all cramped into the girls' hotel room, changing and getting ready for that night.
"Of course we don't mind," Terri spoke up before Solo could roll her eyes.
"Just as you don't cause chaos in the room," Lexis smiled weakly. Mats, blankets, and pillows were scattered all across the floor.
"Now, what shall I wear?" Rochelle wondered out loud, looking into her small suitcase.
"Is it one of those formal 'Formal' clubs or just an ordinary one where you can dress casually or a very WILD club with styles of clothes to the . . . . Uh . . . . . extreme?" Ruth asked in embarrassment.
"It WON'T be a WILD club," Leslie insisted.
"Just wear something . . . . nice. Casual like, but not very VERY formal," Julie recommend.
"Like?" Wen and Saber asked at the same time.
"A casual dress," said Julie. "Maybe something like this." She held up a light purple dress with a ribbon around the waist. The top part and the bottom edge of the dress had very pretty and small flower designs that were also purple. It reached just above the knees. Both Saber and Rochelle's eyes went wide.
"OH WOW! That is so pretty!" Rochelle exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh NO! I can't wear something like that!" Saber exclaimed in horror. "It won't suit me!"
"Come on Saber!" Julie said. "It's just a CASUAL dress. It's not even formal!"
"To me, a dress is formal enough as it is!"
"Will you stop being such a tomboy for once and wear something nice?"
"Are you saying my clothes suck, Solo?"
"No, I'm not-"
"Then I don't see YOU picking something like that!" Saber pointed to Julie's dress.
Solo grunted and looked out the window. "I might not choose something as nice as that, but at least it will be a bit more formal than what I'm wearing right now."
"Hmph!" Saber puffed up her cheeks, then released the air from her mouth in one quick WHOOSH!
"Would you do it for Ray?" Saber's cheeks turned pink.
"Well, only if Solo wears one too." Saber crossed her arms. Solo frowned.
"Fine. This will be your challenge."
"Well," Lexis sighed, rubbing her head. "You know Saber."
"Anyhow," Raven replied. "Why don't we just dress casually and comfortably?"
"Yeah. I get first dibs in the shower!" Gwen yelled.
"No you don't!" Wen yelled after her. Then, as the two sisters raced for the bathroom, everyone else starting searching for stuff, yelling and talking throughout the whole time.
"So what are YOU wearing, Kai?" Tyson asked.
Silence was heard.
"Uh. . . . Max, what are you wearing?" Tyson asked instead.
"Huh? Oh, just a shirt and black pants. You don't want Terri to see how informal I am at a club and on our last night together, do you?" Max smiled as he buttoned his shirt button.
"Well, at least you're dressed casually! I thought I had to wear a tux or something!" Tyson exclaimed, looking down at his white shirt, tie and black pants.
"Just make sure those pants of yours are stretchable! We don't want you getting a stomachache after you finish your dinner," Ray advised. He looked at himself, dressed in a white shirt, tie and black pants. He still wore his headband, but looked a bit more mature in his clothes than usual. Kai, meanwhile, was dressed in a dark blue shirt, black pants and tie. Kenny was dressed in a white shirt with his usual green tie, and black pants.
"Well," Kenny smiled. "Do you think we ought to go out and wait for the Howlers and the Wildcats?"
"Yeah." The boys stepped outside of their rooms just as the telephone rang. Kenny picked it up.
"Hello?" he said. "Oh hello Robert. Yes, we're ready, well at least the boys are. We're still waiting for the girls. . . . no don't worry, I'm sure Mr. Dickinson won't be concerned about us. So should we go down to the lobby once we're ready? . . . . okay. . . . . . . okay. . . thanks." Hanging up, Kenny faced the boys.
"Robert says that he's on his way here." Just then, the door opened. The Wildcats and the Howlers walked into the room. All of them looked very nice and rather more formal than usual.
"You all look great," Ray managed to stutter. The rest of the guys nodded.
"You too!" replied the Howlers and the Wildcats.
"Let's go now," Kenny smiled as he opened the door. "Ladies first."
~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Wow! This is a great club!" Lexis exclaimed as she held Tyson's arm. She was dressed in a very simple dress with a ribbon around the neck collar. The dress was blue. "Thank you very much for the wonderful hair clip you gave me." Lexis' usual long hair was pulled back in place by a blue sparkly fish-shaped hair clip. Tyson just grinned when she kissed him on the cheek.
"Let's rock!"
Tyson and Lexis went to the dance floor as the DJ spun Nelly's "Hot in Herre". Grooving among them were Ray, Saber, Gwen, Raven, Johnny, Enrique, Leslie, Kai and Solo. Wen, Kenny, Oliver, Robert, Rochelle, Max, Terri, Ruth and Julie were sitting near a table, eating and chatting politely.
"I'm so happy," Saber smiled at Ray. "Even though I AM stuck in a skirt." Saber was wearing a black high-collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a black skirt. She also wore black shoes and her braid was held together with a black elastic band.
"What are you talking about?" Ray grinned during 50 Cent's "In da Club". "You look terrific! I've never thought I'll see you looking so formal already!"
"You'd wished!" Saber laughed.
"Thanks for taking us here, Enrique," Gwen replied. She was dressed in a black shirt with sleeves up to the elbows, a leather vest over that, a black skirt, and black boots that reached up to her knees.
"No prob," Enrique answered, dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and black pants and shoes. They danced for three more songs before they one by one sat down at a table. Then they ate dinner and chatted politely with each other, many people looking at them curiously. Much to say, the buffet table had to refill their food four times before Tyson could finish his dinner. Rochelle was dressed in a dark blue dress with her hair tied back. Julie wore the same purple dress she had shown to the others that day. Ruth was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and a purple skirt. Wen was wearing something somewhat similar to her sister's dress, but her vest was white and she was wearing white boots instead of black.
After eating dinner, Tyson, Lexis, Max, Terri, Robert, Rochelle, Enrique and Leslie got up to dance again. Saber, Ray, Gwen, Wen, and Oliver were talking about the day Howler had been destroyed. Solo and Kai were surprisingly having a conversation, even though the two of them hardly said more than a word. Raven and Johnny were gazing into each others eyes as they talked. Ruth and Julie listened in onto the conversation Ray, Gwen, Saber, Wen, and Oliver were talking about as they ate their ice cream.
Then Gwen, Raven, and Johnny got up to dance and Max and Terri sat back down.
"This is a great club!" Max said enthusiastically. Terri smiled, dimples showing on her face. She had clipped her hair to one side with a simple looking purple clip that Max had given to her and was wearing a black dress with a white collar and white sleeves.
"Oh Max," Terri sighed. "I can't bear to ever leave you!"
"Same here!" Max agreed. "If only we didn't have to go away this soon. . . ." Terri rested her head on his shoulder as he rested his head on hers, both looking glum.
"What's up with you guys?" Ray asked as he walked past them. "Is something wrong?"
"No. It's just that. . . ."
"Just snap out of it Max," Ray said, understanding their face expressions. "You're supposed to have fun!"
"Right!" Max agreed. Taking Terri's hand, he smiled. "We'll worry later. Now's time to have fun before it's all over."
"I'll agree with you on this one," Terri replied, then kissed him on the lips. Ray walked off, leaving the couple behind.
"Hey!" he called out to Robert. "Do you know where Mr. Dickinson is? He said he would come to the club a bit later and I need to talk to him about something important."
"Oh. I saw him over there." Robert pointed across the room. Ray nodded, and then walked a bit faster.
"Say, Wen?" Max called, catching her attention. "Why aren't you dancing like your sister? I thought that since you are twins, you'll enjoy doing the same things as each other." Wen looked up in surprise.
"OH! Um, you see, I'm kind of different than my sister in some ways. She's more out-going than I am, and I'm kind of more on the shy side than she is. So what I'm trying to say is, um, I don't know how to dance and dancing isn't really my type." She blushed slightly.
"Did you ever dance with anyone?" asked Terri.
"N-no. A lot of people had asked me but I don't know how to respond. I mean, what if I made a fool of myself?"
"Don't worry," Oliver said. "You won't. Shall we?" He held up a hand to Wen, who blinked and stuttered. Trembling slightly, she took hold of Oliver's hand and stood up.
"Now," Oliver said as he led her away. "This is how you respond. . . . ."
"That sure was nice of him," Saber grinned.
"Hmm. . . . ."
As the night slowly passed, Kai looked at Solo. She was dressed in a turtle necked black shirt with long sleeves and a black skirt with a thin red edge and black boots above her ankles.
"Um. . . .Solo?" Solo looked up. "There's something I want you to have." Fumbling in his pocket, he took out a small black box tied together with a simple ribbon and placed it in her hands. Solo looked at it, dazed.
"For me?" Kai nodded.
"Open it." Solo slowly untied the ribbon, and then opened the box. Inside was a necklace with a red pendant on it. It was shaped like a firebird and looked a bit like Dranzer. Solo took it out and clasped it around her neck.
"K-Kai. Thank you." She kissed him on the mouth as he kissed her back. Then she hugged him, never wanting to let him go. Kai smirked to himself. The slow song by Christina Aguilera ("Beautiful") was playing. Kai looked down at Solo, who looked up at him.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked softly.
"I'll be glad to," Solo said. She wrapped her arms around him as they settled on the dance floor. Among them were Johnny and Raven, Terri and Max, Tyson and Lexis (Tyson FINALLY got the point of slow-dancing this time), Enrique and Leslie, and Oliver and Wen. Meanwhile, Kenny was dancing with a girl he had met at the club and was having a great time. Gwen was dancing with another boy that had asked her and Julie, Ruth, and Rochelle were just singing to the music.
"Say," Tyson said, breaking the moment. "I wonder where Ray and Saber are. They're not dancing right now."
"They haven't broken up, have they?" asked Lexis desperately.
"I don't think so."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Ray walked out to the balcony. Saber was there, leaning against the railing and looking up to the moon. Ray took a deep breath and walked up to her.
"Hey."
"Oh hey."
"Where did you go? I couldn't find you."
"Oh, I was just looking at the moon." Saber sighed.
"What's wrong?" asked Ray. "It's not usual seeing you looking so upset. Can you tell me what's the matter?" Saber took in a deep breath, not looking at Ray as she spoke.
"It's just that. . . . .that. . . . .that. . . . . . .I might never see you again. . . . . this is the last time I'll ever see you since the championships are over." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Ray wrapped his hand around her shoulder.
"Saber, there's something I've been thinking about and I want to tell you. It's important."
Saber turned towards him, her eyes glistening, which shocked Ray. He hadn't thought that she was THIS emotional since she was always smiling.
"Saber. I just talked to Mr. Dickinson. He says that you're right now living under the BBA's facilities along with Solo, Lexis, and Terri. Well, how would you like to live with me?" Saber gaped at him, dazed.
"Are you seriously being serious at this moment?"
"Yes."
"This is for real right?"
"Yes."
"Pinch me!"
"SABER! I'm asking for real. Would you like to live with me?"
"I. . . . .yes. I would love to, but the BBA won't let me leave until I'm 18 and until I've finished school. That won't be for another 3 years."
"I'll wait."
"You will?"
"Yes. I give you my word."
"Oh Ray." Saber hugged him tightly, nearly suffocating him. "Are you sure you've thought of this? I might be too much of a responsibility for you and your family."
"No you won't."
"I'm still a total tomboy."
"You'll grow out of it someday, but I like you just the way you are."
"I'm not exactly the smartest person-"
"Saber. I love you. That's why." Ray leaned towards her and kissed her on the mouth. Saber felt tears roll down her cheeks, but didn't show any sign of it.
"Let's go in. There's a slow song playing."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Well, how did you like this chapter? REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry I haven't updated for quite a while!