Chapter 9
"So there you are. Where have you guys been? We've been out searching for you for two for hours," Ray jumped up as the door to their hotel room slammed open, and in staggered his missing teammates.
"W..we..found the.. Angel team," Tyson panted, exhausted from the trip from Susaku's mansion to the hotel. He collapsed to the floor, joining Kenny and Max.
Ray quickly ran to the sink and poured three glasses of water. "That's great. So what did they say? Here." He handed the water to the boys.
Max finished his glass, wiping his mouth on his arm. "Thanks. They told us to all to head over there right away. It turned out that Robert forgot to phone them ahead of time. Can you believe it?"
"All right you guys go on out first, I'll tell the All Stars and the White Tigers, and then we'll meet you at the front of the hotel," said Ray, stepping over Tyson and heading out the door.
Tyson raised up a weary hand from his spot on the ground. "W....wait! Can't we rest a little more first? We had to run here to tell you the news."
"Quit wasting time, and let's get going." Kai stood up from his spot on a nearby chair and dragged a groaning Tyson to his feet and out the door. Max and Kenny followed reluctantly. Ray laughed and shook his head, then took off for the other teams' rooms. Together, the group checked out of the hotel and started for the Fallen Angels.
"Can't you guys walk faster?" Michael yelled to Tyson, Max, and the Chief, who were way behind the rest of them.
Kenny shouted back with as much energy as he could muster, which wasn't much in his condition. "Don't..mind us...we'll catch up," he paused to take a breath. "..in a second."
"We'd love to not mind you guys, but unfortunately we need the directions to this mansion." Michael joked.
"Ha.ha.." Tyson muttered dryly. The group of friends finally made it to Susaku's, after pausing every now and then for the trailing three to catch up. The gate was opened, so they walked up to the front door, but before any of them could ring or knock on the door, it opened, and there stood Susaku and Cassie.
Cassandra smiled. "Hey there strangers," she greeted Max. Kenny, and Tyson. Turning away from the three boys, she noticed the others. "Come on in." She and Susaku stepped aside welcoming their new guests. Everyone gasped in amazement at the size and beauty of the house, as their two hosts led them to one of their many rooms. They entered a brightly lit room with several soft, comfy sofas and chairs scattered about.
"Have a seat," Susaku said, choosing one of the sofas and plopping down on it. The rest of the group followed suit. "Well Tyson? Aren't you going to introduce your team and friends?"
Tyson stuck his tongue out at her, but did introduce everyone. After they got to know each other, the butler knocked on the door. "Excuse me miss, but dinner is ready for you and your guests."
"Thank-you Charles." He nodded, bowed respectfully, and exited. Turning to her guests, Susaku announced "I hope you guys are all hungry, cause I've asked the chef to prepare an extra big meal."
"Yeah, I'm totally starving. I can't believe I missed out on lunch today." Tyson exclaimed. "Lead the way to the dining room!"
Smiling, Cassandra opened the door and took them down a wide hallway, took a turn at the left, walked past several more rooms and finally arrived at the enormous dining room. In the center of the room was a long table covered with all kinds of food. There were chicken, steaks, peas, corns, mash potatoes, stuff potatoes, salads, spaghetti, and just about everything else imaginable.
Tyson's eyes went wide, "Wow! Oh my gosh, there's...there's so much food! Yeeaah!" Rushing past Susaku and Cassandra, he took a seat and began scooping everything within his reach onto his plate. Laughing at his excitement, Cassandra and the others too, took a seat and began their dinner.
As soon as everyone was seated, the door to the dining room opened and a young girl stepped in. She had short blue hair tied into two low pigtails. She wore a loose soft green T-shirt and brown shorts. Blinking, she looked surprised to see so many people in the room.
Turning around in her seat, Susaku grinned at the girl. "Aqua, you're late. Sorry we didn't wait for you." She apologized.
Shaking her head, she said "It's all right." Aqua took a seat at the dinner table beside Cassandra and began to scoop some mash potatoes onto her plate. "So, are these your guests?" She asked Susaku.
Susaku and Cassandra introduced the All Stars, White Tigers, and the Bladebreakers to their friend. "The Bladebreakers are the ones who want to challenge us." Susaku told Aqua.
"That's great, it would be quite a match against the world champions." She smiled at Tyson, Max, Kai, Ray, and Kenny.
Cassie cocked her head to one side. "Aqua, I thought you and Jo went shopping. Where is she?"
Aqua started to reach for the steaks. "We were, but then halfway through it, she remembered she had to do something and left." She took a bite of the steak. "And Jo said if she couldn't make it back tonight she would spend the night at a hotel. She didn't want you guys to worry about her."
"I wonder what Jo had to do that was so important. She never even mentioned it to us." Cassie thought out loud.
Susaku, unlike her friend, wasn't worried at all. "Jo can take care of herself, no point worrying." The others agreed and continued their dinner. The Bladebreakers told the Fallen Angels team all about their travels to the Asian, American, and World tournaments and the people they had met. The girls then told their friends about themselves. Before long, the group were laughing and having fun as if they were old friends.
As the teens continued their discussion into the late evening, they grew sleepy and tired from all the excitement. Susaku asked the boys if they would prefer to sleep in separate bedrooms or together in one of the larger rooms. They chose the second choice. Cassie invited Mariah and Emily to have a sleepover in another room with her, Aqua, and Susaku, and the two girls too agreed.
Silence settled upon the mansion as all the bladers drifted off into sleep, all except one. Kai was out on the porch; he stood there, enjoying the quietness and the beauty of the stars above. Sighing, Kai put his hands in his pockets, and thought about his past. He tried to remember what his life was like before he was taken by Boris and was trained to be the greatest blader of all. This question had plagued him ever since the World Championships when Boris brought back memories of his past. Kai didn't know how long it was until he heard a noise coming from inside the house. The lights weren't turned on, but Kai could still hear someone moving around. From his spot on the porch, he had a direct view of the living room, although it was still hard to see anything. A dark shadow was walking through the room and just as the mystery person made it's way past the couches, he or she knocked into a low coffee table and let out a muffled cry of pain.
"Ugghhnn"
The shadow sat down on the floor and began to hold his/her leg, wincing in pain. Seeing that the person might need help, Kai walked into the living room. "Who's there?" the person asked in a soft voice. Kai realized that the person speaking was a girl.
"Listen, you've hurt your leg. Do you need help?" Kai asked gruffly, making his way towards the huddled form on the ground.
"Yes, thank-you." She said gratefully. Kai didn't bother turning on the lights, he was able to make out the objects in the room just fine, plus, it would wake the others up. He helped her up, putting an arm around her waist to support her as she shifted her weight on the other foot. The girl told Kai where her room was located and he helped her there. As they entered the room, Kai turned on the light and closed the door, not wanting to disturb the others that were sleeping not too far away from the girl's bedroom. Settling down onto her chair, the girl saw her rescuer for the first time, she gasped. Kai looked at her; there was an indescribable look on her face. The girl realized that the boy was staring at her and started to pull herself together. "Thank-you for helping me. I would never have made it up to my room otherwise." Kai nodded and was prepared to go back out. "You can call me Jo." She smiled. "I'm sorry and you are..?"
"Kai," he answered turning back to the door again, missing the look on Jo's face. He opened the door and just before he stepped out, she called to him again.
"Kai?" He stopped. "Good night."
Kai grunted and closed the door behind him. Jo glanced at her leg; a bruise was already starting to form. She half limped and half dragged her feet into the bathroom; and took a bottle out of the drawer and began applying it to her bruise, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. When she was done, she brushed her teeth and went to bed. 'Kai.'
"So there you are. Where have you guys been? We've been out searching for you for two for hours," Ray jumped up as the door to their hotel room slammed open, and in staggered his missing teammates.
"W..we..found the.. Angel team," Tyson panted, exhausted from the trip from Susaku's mansion to the hotel. He collapsed to the floor, joining Kenny and Max.
Ray quickly ran to the sink and poured three glasses of water. "That's great. So what did they say? Here." He handed the water to the boys.
Max finished his glass, wiping his mouth on his arm. "Thanks. They told us to all to head over there right away. It turned out that Robert forgot to phone them ahead of time. Can you believe it?"
"All right you guys go on out first, I'll tell the All Stars and the White Tigers, and then we'll meet you at the front of the hotel," said Ray, stepping over Tyson and heading out the door.
Tyson raised up a weary hand from his spot on the ground. "W....wait! Can't we rest a little more first? We had to run here to tell you the news."
"Quit wasting time, and let's get going." Kai stood up from his spot on a nearby chair and dragged a groaning Tyson to his feet and out the door. Max and Kenny followed reluctantly. Ray laughed and shook his head, then took off for the other teams' rooms. Together, the group checked out of the hotel and started for the Fallen Angels.
"Can't you guys walk faster?" Michael yelled to Tyson, Max, and the Chief, who were way behind the rest of them.
Kenny shouted back with as much energy as he could muster, which wasn't much in his condition. "Don't..mind us...we'll catch up," he paused to take a breath. "..in a second."
"We'd love to not mind you guys, but unfortunately we need the directions to this mansion." Michael joked.
"Ha.ha.." Tyson muttered dryly. The group of friends finally made it to Susaku's, after pausing every now and then for the trailing three to catch up. The gate was opened, so they walked up to the front door, but before any of them could ring or knock on the door, it opened, and there stood Susaku and Cassie.
Cassandra smiled. "Hey there strangers," she greeted Max. Kenny, and Tyson. Turning away from the three boys, she noticed the others. "Come on in." She and Susaku stepped aside welcoming their new guests. Everyone gasped in amazement at the size and beauty of the house, as their two hosts led them to one of their many rooms. They entered a brightly lit room with several soft, comfy sofas and chairs scattered about.
"Have a seat," Susaku said, choosing one of the sofas and plopping down on it. The rest of the group followed suit. "Well Tyson? Aren't you going to introduce your team and friends?"
Tyson stuck his tongue out at her, but did introduce everyone. After they got to know each other, the butler knocked on the door. "Excuse me miss, but dinner is ready for you and your guests."
"Thank-you Charles." He nodded, bowed respectfully, and exited. Turning to her guests, Susaku announced "I hope you guys are all hungry, cause I've asked the chef to prepare an extra big meal."
"Yeah, I'm totally starving. I can't believe I missed out on lunch today." Tyson exclaimed. "Lead the way to the dining room!"
Smiling, Cassandra opened the door and took them down a wide hallway, took a turn at the left, walked past several more rooms and finally arrived at the enormous dining room. In the center of the room was a long table covered with all kinds of food. There were chicken, steaks, peas, corns, mash potatoes, stuff potatoes, salads, spaghetti, and just about everything else imaginable.
Tyson's eyes went wide, "Wow! Oh my gosh, there's...there's so much food! Yeeaah!" Rushing past Susaku and Cassandra, he took a seat and began scooping everything within his reach onto his plate. Laughing at his excitement, Cassandra and the others too, took a seat and began their dinner.
As soon as everyone was seated, the door to the dining room opened and a young girl stepped in. She had short blue hair tied into two low pigtails. She wore a loose soft green T-shirt and brown shorts. Blinking, she looked surprised to see so many people in the room.
Turning around in her seat, Susaku grinned at the girl. "Aqua, you're late. Sorry we didn't wait for you." She apologized.
Shaking her head, she said "It's all right." Aqua took a seat at the dinner table beside Cassandra and began to scoop some mash potatoes onto her plate. "So, are these your guests?" She asked Susaku.
Susaku and Cassandra introduced the All Stars, White Tigers, and the Bladebreakers to their friend. "The Bladebreakers are the ones who want to challenge us." Susaku told Aqua.
"That's great, it would be quite a match against the world champions." She smiled at Tyson, Max, Kai, Ray, and Kenny.
Cassie cocked her head to one side. "Aqua, I thought you and Jo went shopping. Where is she?"
Aqua started to reach for the steaks. "We were, but then halfway through it, she remembered she had to do something and left." She took a bite of the steak. "And Jo said if she couldn't make it back tonight she would spend the night at a hotel. She didn't want you guys to worry about her."
"I wonder what Jo had to do that was so important. She never even mentioned it to us." Cassie thought out loud.
Susaku, unlike her friend, wasn't worried at all. "Jo can take care of herself, no point worrying." The others agreed and continued their dinner. The Bladebreakers told the Fallen Angels team all about their travels to the Asian, American, and World tournaments and the people they had met. The girls then told their friends about themselves. Before long, the group were laughing and having fun as if they were old friends.
As the teens continued their discussion into the late evening, they grew sleepy and tired from all the excitement. Susaku asked the boys if they would prefer to sleep in separate bedrooms or together in one of the larger rooms. They chose the second choice. Cassie invited Mariah and Emily to have a sleepover in another room with her, Aqua, and Susaku, and the two girls too agreed.
Silence settled upon the mansion as all the bladers drifted off into sleep, all except one. Kai was out on the porch; he stood there, enjoying the quietness and the beauty of the stars above. Sighing, Kai put his hands in his pockets, and thought about his past. He tried to remember what his life was like before he was taken by Boris and was trained to be the greatest blader of all. This question had plagued him ever since the World Championships when Boris brought back memories of his past. Kai didn't know how long it was until he heard a noise coming from inside the house. The lights weren't turned on, but Kai could still hear someone moving around. From his spot on the porch, he had a direct view of the living room, although it was still hard to see anything. A dark shadow was walking through the room and just as the mystery person made it's way past the couches, he or she knocked into a low coffee table and let out a muffled cry of pain.
"Ugghhnn"
The shadow sat down on the floor and began to hold his/her leg, wincing in pain. Seeing that the person might need help, Kai walked into the living room. "Who's there?" the person asked in a soft voice. Kai realized that the person speaking was a girl.
"Listen, you've hurt your leg. Do you need help?" Kai asked gruffly, making his way towards the huddled form on the ground.
"Yes, thank-you." She said gratefully. Kai didn't bother turning on the lights, he was able to make out the objects in the room just fine, plus, it would wake the others up. He helped her up, putting an arm around her waist to support her as she shifted her weight on the other foot. The girl told Kai where her room was located and he helped her there. As they entered the room, Kai turned on the light and closed the door, not wanting to disturb the others that were sleeping not too far away from the girl's bedroom. Settling down onto her chair, the girl saw her rescuer for the first time, she gasped. Kai looked at her; there was an indescribable look on her face. The girl realized that the boy was staring at her and started to pull herself together. "Thank-you for helping me. I would never have made it up to my room otherwise." Kai nodded and was prepared to go back out. "You can call me Jo." She smiled. "I'm sorry and you are..?"
"Kai," he answered turning back to the door again, missing the look on Jo's face. He opened the door and just before he stepped out, she called to him again.
"Kai?" He stopped. "Good night."
Kai grunted and closed the door behind him. Jo glanced at her leg; a bruise was already starting to form. She half limped and half dragged her feet into the bathroom; and took a bottle out of the drawer and began applying it to her bruise, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. When she was done, she brushed her teeth and went to bed. 'Kai.'