If you've been following so far, you know that tragedy has just struck both
the Hiwatari and Temagami families. Hang in there-we're almost done. But
here's something to get you psyched- the sequel is in the making! Details
and previews shall follow soon. Sorry about the slow progress lately, but
with Christmas and everything, I've been busy-you'd think that with the
holidays things would move faster...
And a big thank you to the anonymous reviewers (finally, after much provocation, eh, shinigami?). Your input is always greatly appreciated. Thank you for the complements and yeah, I agree-Kai was perhaps a little too apathetic...
Hang on, one warning about this chapter: you may want to get a box of tissues ready. I was crying as I wrote sections of it (mind you, I do get a little emotional, but anyway... You might, too). I also tend to act out the characters at times, too... I wonder if this is a common psychosis in a writer...?
23. Vitality's Extortion
"Oh, Rhea, you idiot!" Anya sobbed, breaking the eerie silence.
Eva tore her eyes from the gory scene and buried her head in her hands. She began to shake as tears streamed from her eyes. She felt comforting hands on her shoulders, but she didn't know whom they belonged to. It didn't matter-he was dead. Or was he?
There came a mad laughing from a voice unlike his own, and all of a sudden Kieran's body began to jerk and writhe violently within its place. This finally stopped when a red soul emerged from the hole in his head. Still laughing, the soul zigzagged up into the clouds, pausing on every other turn to let all hear its crazed laugh, but it was silenced when it met the clouds.
"That must have been Toutalis..." Boris muttered.
Kai continued to stare at the body of his sister, unable to believe what had just happened. He was all alone now-except for Voltaire-but for how long?
***
"Get up and fight me!" Spica ordered, grabbing Sarah's arm in an effort to make her stand up.
Sarah kept her head down and didn't move from her sitting position.
Spica jerked her again. "Come on! Resistance is futile!"
"Just leave me alone..." Sarah muttered, barely audible.
Spica knelt down beside her and let go of her arm violently. "Why? Because you're scared to fight me? That's it, isn't it?" she cried.
"I don't want to fight. It only causes pain, and nothing positive comes from it."
Spica hesitated, surprised by the answer. "Uh... Well... We're on opposing sides. We can't just be friends... We're supposed to fight like the enemies we are."
"I'm not your enemy. I don't want to be your enemy. I don't want to be anyone's enemy." Sarah suddenly raised her head and looked Spica straight in the eye, startling her. "Don't you see what war has done to us?" She motioned towards the field on the other side of the pond where bodies lay strewn out across the grass-some dead, some dormant. "Look what hatred has done to you! What have you become since you were young and innocent? The only reason you still want to kill is because you have a lust for blood! I don't! I have seen death's face and one that was about to face it-let me tell you-it isn't pretty!"
Spica didn't know what to say, but merely stared dumbfoundedly back at her. Sarah lowered her head to the ground again after a moment or two of eye contact. "I couldn't kill again. I don't know what I was thinking when I killed Kuiper," she mumbled again.
Spica moved from her squatting position to crossing her legs, indicating that she wasn't about to move. She looked to the ground, too, as if pondering what to say. "Look, it's okay to be afraid. We all harbour hatred for something or other inside of us, some people make it more evident than others. I'm one of those people, but you're right-I wasn't when I was young. I was... quiet, shy... and pacifistic like you. I was only hardened when I saw my parents slaughtered before my eyes when I began training at Goadbwa, because the policy at Goadbwa was that if you trained there, your initiation was to watch death. They chose your parents or the closest relatives you had, as they would only be a 'distraction to your training' as Gilepse said. It was then, without them to guide me through, that I became this cold-hearted girl that I am now. Gilepse destroyed the three of us in a way."
Sarah continued to stare at the ground, remaining silent.
Spica moved her head forward, to try to see her face. "Am I getting through to you or are you blocking me out?"
Sarah shifted her eyes away from Spica's direction and turned her head in the other direction. "Spica...This is unlike you."
"Darn right it is. I'm not even this sentimental towards Telesto and Kuiper. Or rather, was." Her voice dropped, and her face all of a sudden became very sullen. "I think it's this new soul clone. Since Kai took my original soul at the battle of Lake Baikal, I haven't been exactly the same. The one that's speaking now is a clone of the original. Of course, they could've just got the original back, but no, they had to test out their new, stupid machine!"
They both sat staring at different areas of the grass before Spica finally stood up and brushed the dirt from her uniform. She looked around the field and watched Telesto and Tala battling with their Beyblades and yelling insults at each other on the other side of the pond-they had moved there when their Beyblades took off towards the middle of the field.
"Look at them," she scoffed. "Boys don't know how to work out their problems like girls do. Right, Sarah?"
"Whatever," came the reply.
Spica squatted down again. "Look, you don't have to kill anyone. Just let the two of us have a good fight to the last, that way you're technically not killing anyone. Just...tire me out and leave me to rot, okay?"
"I might as well just execute you when you're down, then."
"Heck! Why not?"
Sarah remained silent and continued to stare angrily at the ground. Spica was near giving up.
"Come on, Sarah. I've got one last death wish-just let the both of us battle. You don't have to kill me, I don't have to kill you-it's just a clean Beybattle," cajoled Spica.
Sarah shifted her eyes uneasily and then sighed. "Fine."
Spica smiled. "Good." She reached out and Sarah took hold of her hand. They pulled each other up like young childhood friends. Spica continued to smile at Sarah, but the amicability wasn't returned-only a blank, sad, stare.
"Spica!"
Spica whirled around at the sound of Marduk's voice. "What is it?"
Marduk panted heavily, obviously exhausted from a sudden physical exertion. "It's... Gilepse!" he gasped urgently. "He's... He's been... It was Boris and Rhea!"
"Spit it out!" Spica ordered, becoming angry once more.
"Gilepse is... dea-!"
"Watch out!" Spica interjected, but it was too late.
Marduk's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward and into the pond in front of him. Tyson watched his handiwork go down before him before throwing the heavy, obsolete machine gun to one side. There was a dent in the barrel where it had made contact with Marduk's skull. He looked up to a shocked Spica and a reticent Sarah.
"He was in my way-besides, he couldn't say his line right when it's as simple as Gilepse's dead," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"What?!" gasped Spica. "How?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure. I heard something about Rhea going crazy and knocking him off a cliff or something like that, but there aren't any cliffs on this battlefield. It's a rolling plain with flat mountains, for goodness sake!"
Spica whipped back to Sarah, who had the same dull expression on her face as before. "This is all your fault! I'll bet this was all a part of Biovolt's plan just to distract us so that they could get at Gilepse!"
"You originally said yourself that I had disobeyed the battle plans, so how could I be distracting you deliberately?" Sarah replied curtly.
Spica tried to counter, but couldn't, only managing to get out beginnings of words before she figured that they didn't make any sense. She turned again when she heard the explosion of a bombshell. Out in the field, Telesto had a bazooka mounted on his shoulder and was trying to fire at Tala and all the others on the battlefield. By now, most of the deploys had returned to their respective headquarters, yet there were still some left, and those were the ones that he was trying to pick off.
"Look at that idiot! Firing like there's no tomorrow! Forgive me, Sarah, but he needs help," Spica exclaimed, hurrying off around the pond to pick up the other bazooka.
"Looks like our help is needed. Come on!" Tyson said, fitting his Beyblade to his shooter and taking off to where the action was mounting in the middle of the field.
"Mariah!"
The pink-haired girl whipped her head to where the yell had come from. "What is it, Tyson?"
"Watch out!" he yelled in reply as he launched his Beyblade at the bombshell heading for her.
The blade made contact with the head of the shell and it exploded in mid-air. The shockwaves knocked Mariah off her feet and onto the ground a metre or two away.
Tyson caught his Beyblade and rushed over to her. "You okay?"
"I think so... Thanks, Tyson! Say, have you seen Kai?"
"He was up on some cliff the last time I checked... Why?"
Mariah appeared crestfallen. "Well, I just saw Tala and Sarah, and I was wondering what had happened to him. I've seen a lot happen on this field, and so I'm a little paranoid I guess. What about Ray?"
"Nope. Sorry."
Mariah sighed and sat up of her own free will. "Lee, Oliver, Robert, Max, and Bryan are some of the few left from Biovolt's side. Robert insisted that they go back with even the smallest of wounds and they took the soulless bodies with them. We don't have as many on the field, now, and we're being outnumbered by Goadbwa. What are we going to do, Tyson?"
Tyson looked wistfully around the field, flinching when he saw a deploy disintegrate when one of Telesto's bombs strayed to them. "I don't know, Mariah." He made to sigh but winced from a sharp pain in his side.
"Tyson! Are you okay? You should go back to Balkov Abbey if you're hurt!" Mariah exclaimed.
"I'm fine," Tyson struggled as he held his side. He lifted his hand away and saw blood staining his glove. "Where'd that come from?"
"This should be fine. Set me down here."
"Yes, sir."
The helicopter slowly lowered itself to the grass below, creating a whirlwind that distracted Spica from her firing. She turned around and managed to see it land through her long hair that obstructed her view. "A... It's a Biovolt helicopter. Be careful, Telesto, this could be an ambush from behind."
Telesto stopped firing and turned just as the door lowered and a figure appeared in the doorway.
"Look out!"
Eva looked up just before she was tackled to the ground and out of the way of a missile. Bryan sat up, rubbing his head ruefully and pulling his arms away. He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. "Sorry about that. It's either you or the missile."
Eva lowered her head to stare tearfully at the ground. "It's okay."
Bryan looked at her expression, craning his neck to try to see her face. "Is something wrong?"
"My brother..."
"Your brother?"
"Yeah, Kieran... He..." She burst into tears.
Bryan put his hands out but stopped halfway in uncertainty. "Uh... That's okay... don't hurt yourself!"
"It's Deneb!" exclaimed Telesto as the figure stepped into the light of the now evident moon. Everyone on the battlefield had barely noticed the change in time of day.
Deneb stepped down the ramp and sauntered towards the two, his head down at first, but when he lifted it, he gasped. The two, taking it as a sign that they were showing disrespect, saluted and stood erectly. "Deneb, sir!" they chorused.
"Yes, you two. That's quite alright," he said, coming to a halt in front of them. "Would one of you care to inform me of the current status of the battle? I have already heard of Kuiper and Gilepse."
"That is all that has happened, sir," Telesto replied promptly. "But we shall be the first to inform you if anything else happens, sir-"
"That is, if we're capable of doing so," Spica added.
Deneb eyed them condescendingly for a moment before turning to walk away. "I've also heard that the Hilanovs, especially Kai, are in a bit of a predicament at the moment. Get them now while they're vulnerable," he advised, walking away to the side of the field.
At the edge of the field, probably some thirty metres away, they noticed him pull out what seemed to be a walkie-talkie and begin to speak into it.
"I don't get it," Telesto said, causing Spica to turn her attention to him. "Unless they commandeered the helicopter, why does it belong to Biovolt?"
Spica glared at him and then turned back to the chopper. She narrowed her eyes as she glowered at Deneb. "I have my suspicions..."
"Get them back to the Abbey!" Boris ordered, while keeping an arm to his bleeding shoulder.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Uncle?"
Boris turned to see Samson looking worriedly up at him. "I won't die now, at least. What about you? You should also get back to the Abbey."
"Don't worry about me. Anya and I have got some unfinished business to take care of," he answered, looking ahead at where a procession of deploys was heading away from the field.
"Alright. Just don't go biting off more than you can chew. Take that advice, Samson, from one who learned it the hard way," Boris growled, limping off to follow the others. Among the deploys were Tyson, Bryan, Ray, Mariah, and Eva-who was still crying but being comforted by Ray.
"We'll come back with the battle's over and we'll bring Kieran and Rhea with us!" Samson called after them.
"You ready, Sammy?"
Samson whipped around to where Anya had come up behind him. She was also limping. He turned to face her fully. "You're absolutely sure about this, right? I wouldn't mind if you went back with them."
Anya waved her hand dismissively and smiled. "I'm fine. Besides, you can't hold yourself out and you expect to protect the Hilanovs, too?"
"Yeah!" Samson was about to continue when he hesitated and looked over Anya's shoulder. "Oh..."
Anya turned to see Rhea, walking proudly towards them. "What?" she gasped. "Is it just me or is she back from the dead?"
"Come on, let's listen to Deneb and start firing," Telesto offered. "For Kuiper."
"Right," Spica agreed, turning around and her eyes widening. "Telesto!"
"Wha-"
He was cut short by a tackle to the ground. The bazooka was thrown into the air and hit the ground with a thud as Telesto tried to recover from the shock of the fall, had Tala not been throwing a succession of punches and blows to his face.
Spica threw down her bazooka and pulled out her handgun. She fiddled with loading it quickly and aimed at Tala. She fired a shot and missed, so she fired again and again, but kept missing. She then grazed the reddish- pink body armour at his waist, causing the area to fracture and his skin to lacerate. A blue wire appeared-it was severed in half and sparked with electricity.
Spica was about to fire again when she heard footsteps step to a halt to her right.
"Put the gun down. This is their fight." Sarah held her gun out, ready to shoot if Spica didn't surrender.
"I can hardly put my gun down unless you do-how do I know you're not going to shoot me? Besides, I thought you didn't want to kill anyone anymore," Spica taunted, smirking.
"Fine. Count of three, we both lower them," answered Sarah. "One, two, three..."
They both put the guns away, but no sooner was it back in Spica's belt than she snatched her bazooka and fired at Sarah's head. Sarah ducked, and the projectile landed behind her and set the dry grass alight. There was an explosion that thrust Sarah forward and onto the ground.
Spica pulled back from the blaze uneasily. "Shoot..."
The fire consumed the grass quickly and advanced on Sarah, who was beginning to sit up groggily, still shaken from the blast. She looked up at the terrified Spica and then turned to look behind her with a scream. Tala looked up from his fistfight with Telesto and hastened to get up.
Spica lowered her head and shook horrifying images from her head. "They're just two more victims... My enemies whom will kill me if I don't kill them first..." she muttered to herself as she fired a blind shot with the bazooka.
Tala jumped and evaded the explosion just in time and collided with Sarah on the ground. They both rolled out of the way of the fire that had been right at her back. With another shot from Spica, Tala rolled them out of the way three more times before dragging Sarah upward and lifting her up in his arms. He ran to the closest edge of the field near the exit near the pond. He flopped down beside her and sighed.
"Man, watching out for you on a battlefield is a full-time job. Can I trust you to take care of yourself for now?"
Sarah nodded distantly, staring in amazement at the ground at the quickness of the past events. Taking it as sufficient, Tala stood up and made to run back to Spica and Telesto but his knees buckled as he felt a sharp pain in his side. He dropped to the ground and clenched his fists to suppress the agony.
"Tala?"
"I'm fine. I just..." He screwed his eyes shut. His head felt funny, dizzy, and everything became blurry. The sound of the fire and Sarah's frustrated cries became muffled and distant. The words "system overload" flashed across his eyelids.
***
"A connection wire has given out! He's going to short-circuit again!" exclaimed Leon.
Lutka rushed over to look at the sensors. "Try to get through to him. We don't have any direct contacts, but try to take manual control of the system!"
Leon typed something into the keyboard. The monitor flashed "access denied." He tried again, and received the same result. A couple more tries were unsuccessful. "I can't get through, and only Boris knows the password! In fifteen seconds, the system will either shut down or take over!"
"What do you mean by shut down?" Lutka interrogated.
"I mean total dysfunction, absolute and eternal. Tala won't be coming back from that battlefield. If it takes over, he'll be controlled by the system. At that point, everything's his enemy and he'll be very volatile and exceedingly dangerous. He'll be compelled to seek and destroy."
"You've no idea of what will happen?" cried Lutka.
"We'll know in five...four...three...two...one..."
***
"Tala!"
His body froze in quivering and he dropped flat on the ground. "Tala!" she yelled again. Telesto and Spica seemed just as surprised as her as they stared at the body. "Tala!"
There was dead silence from him.
***
"What happened?" ordered Lutka.
Leon stared in horror at the screen, unable to believe and unanswering.
"Well? Tell me!"
"Lutka... I-I'm...sorry... It looks like...like ultimate shut down..." he stammered, his fingers quavering over the keyboard as he stared at the screen unblinkingly.
***
"Is he dead?" asked Telesto, just as stunned as the other two.
Telesto moved forward slowly and knelt down beside the prone figure. He reached out shakily and touched the top of Tala's head. He tapped it once, and when nothing happened, he settled down and tapped three more times. He looked to Sarah. "Nothing. So sorry, dear Sa-"
***
"It was just a preliminary reaction. He's alive!"
"He's alright!" Lutka cried, throwing her arms around Leon and squeezing him tightly.
"Don't rejoice yet, ma'am. He might destroy himself in this frenzied state. He becomes oblivious to all pain and signs of possible destruction of the system."
***
Telesto jumped back just as Tala's hand shot forward into mid-air. Telesto hurried back to Spica, who also pulled away in horror and almost backing into the flames.
Tala got up slowly, swaying slightly when he stood at full height. He stood facing what remained of Vitality Extortion, staring at them with a dull expression. Spica and Telesto turned to see that the fire had cornered them between Tala and itself-there was no way out and their bazookas were on the other side of the wall.
Spica drew her handgun and aimed to shoot. "If you so much as take one step closer, one shot and you'll be dead, Tala!"
Telesto pulled out his gun, too, and they both aimed. Tala took a step closer and Telesto fired, the bullet sinking right into Tala's right thigh. Tala paused and swayed ominously on the spot as two wires sparked from a nearby wound.
"He didn't so much as flinch!" cried Telesto. "It's like he's not even human anymore!"
"You're so observant, Telesto," Spica growled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "He's not going to fall prey that easily."
They watched as Tala brought his other foot forward to be at level with the other. He swayed warily again and reached behind him and into his belt. It was Spica's turn to fire a shot, which she did, aiming straight for his right eye. Instead, the bullet missed its target and grazed his cheek.
Tala brought his hand back around to the front, undaunted by both shots. Spica and Telesto were too scared to fire anymore when the gun appeared in Tala's hand. He fired two rapid shots that flew straight ahead. The first caught Telesto in the chest where his armour would have once protected him, the other through his left eye, where his eyepiece had once been.
Unlike the last time when Tala made a fatal blow, Telesto threw his head back from the shock and fell on his back on the ground at Spica's side. Both of the girls stared in horror at the bloodied body lying on the ground. His right eye was closed peacefully, whereas his other eye was blown out completely. Spica sank to the ground, unable to take her eyes off him.
"T-Telesto? Telesto?" Her eyes watered and she shook as the tears poured down her cheeks. "Telesto!" she cried weakly as she threw herself down on his chest. "No!"
Sarah leapt up and grabbed Tala's arm to pull him back. "Tala! Stop! I don't know what's happened to you, but that was too far! Tala!"
"You!" Spica screamed. She gasped as she felt a vibration at her side and pulled her Beyblade out of her pocket. Revenost shot out of its bit chip and penetrated Tala's chest. It exited his body through his back and went straight up into the sky, red appearing in its purple form. It shot back down a couple of seconds later and returned to Spica's blade as Tala's eyes closed and he fell backward and into Sarah's arms.
Sarah watched in astonishment as he lay there, and then she glanced up at Spica who had fallen over her dead partner once more. "I don't think I'll blame you for that... I don't know what got into him..." she said, hugging his body to her head.
"He deserved it... And... and so do you," Spica sobbed, her voice muffled by Telesto's bloodied chest. "I'm only one, but I'll kill you... I'll kill the three of you-all by myself!"
Spica raised her head as she felt it getting wet. She and Sarah looked around the field to see the fiery grass sizzling at the sound of being extinguished by the rain that was getting heavier by the second. Spica saw Kuiper's body emerge from the flames, still lying on the ground in two pieces just as she had left it, though slightly burnt. She stood up determinedly and wiped her face with her purple glove.
"Come on, let's finish this," she said calmly, stepping over Telesto and nearer the pond.
"Where are you going?"
"We don't want to harm them should our battle get violent, right?" Spica asked nonchalantly and fitting her Beyblade to her launcher.
Sarah glanced down at Tala wistfully before laying him carefully down on the ground and getting up to catch up with Spica. Spica had set herself up right beside the pond and stood patiently ready to launch as Sarah readied her blade.
Sarah held her arms out with her launcher in them and bent her knees, ready to shoot, but her worried and apathetic look didn't make her appear completely ready. "Listen, Spica-I just want to say that I was never a big fan of war. I wasn't brought up in the same type of environment that Telesto, Kuiper, Tala, Kai, and you have."
"What are you getting at? That I should go easy on you?"
"No. I'm just saying that that's my explanation for my cowardly behaviour towards this all, compared to the rest of you, that is..."
Spica simpered. "You're so modest. But ruthless warriors aren't known for their sympathy. 3, 2, 1, let it rip!"
Both of them fired their Beyblades at the same time, and they collided in mid-air before sliding past each other and hitting the ground. Spica wasted no time on pleasantries.
"Take her down, Revenost!"
Right on command, the purple spirit rose out of the bit chip and charged straight at Sarah. Sarah gave a small, startled shriek as it came closer and covered her head with her arms. She felt something graze either side of her head and when the sensation passed overhead, her hair suddenly fell loose from the pigtails and buns. A strong gust of wind seemed to blow from the battle for a couple of moments, tossing her hair about as it was no longer tied neatly. When the wind stopped, she removed her hands and looked up.
Spica scowled and raised her head to eye Sarah condescendingly. "Why'd Revenost miss? She had a clear shot at your soul."
Sarah glanced around, quite surprised herself. Her gaze fell on their Beyblades, and Fovular was still spinning strong. "Go, Fovular! Knock out her blade!"
The Beyblade spun forward. Revenost made to dodge the blow, but clashed with Fovular. Sarah tore her eyes from the battle on hearing a yell of agony. Spica had her eyes screwed shut and her fists and teeth clenched as if to suppress pain.
"That's it..." Sarah whispered to herself. "Fovular, keep attacking!"
The purple blade attacked the black one relentlessly, over and over again, with each hit gaining a cry from Spica, who had sunk to the ground by the time Fovular pulled away. Sarah struggled to urge herself on in this life or death battle. It hurt herself just to watch Spica, or anyone for that matter in so much unbearable pain. She shut her eyes and gave the command.
"Fovular, steal her soul!"
The yellow fox emanated in a jet of light from the Bey and headed for the girl lying helpless on the ground. Spica, just as Sarah had, felt a rush of air over her head and her hair suddenly came loose with the snapping sound of an elastic. She took her hands away from her head and saw Sarah staring in amazement at her. Spica held her hands out in front of her face and looked at them-she was still alive and in this realm. She stood up, feeling her long navy hair trail down her back as she stared back at her opponent.
"Well... it seems that we're invincible to each other," Sarah said, folding her arms huffily.
"Yeah..." Spica said dreamily with a lethargic nod.
Sarah unfolded her arms and made an offensive stance. "It's a Beybattle to the death, then, isn't it?"
Spica stared into space for a moment or two before coming to her senses and making the same stance. "You got it! Go, Revenost!"
"Don't let her take advantage! Go, Fovular!"
Both Bit Beasts rose from their blades at the same time and barrelled for each other in the middle. The two spirits slipped past each other and headed for the opposing blader. Both girls drew back from each other's Bit Beast, but felt the spirit enter their body through their chest. Neither beast exited.
"What's going on?" Spica cried in horror.
"It's okay..." came a low, female voice that echoed within her head.
"You must fight as one with your Bit Beast," sounded the higher voice within Sarah's.
"We are here to show you just how weakly you two have been fighting," said Spica's voice.
Both Sarah and Spica's blades spun to a stop beside each other, looking peaceful nestled among the grass as the pouring rain began to drench them. Spica and Sarah both glanced up and into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Sarah felt a lurch in her stomach and she rapidly drew her dagger, but not of her own free will. Her legs ran her towards Spica and her arm raised with the dagger, bringing it down in Spica's chest, but the spirit made Spica move out of the way and pull out her gun.
Spica fired a shot, but Sarah ducked out of the way and aimed the dagger for Spica's throat again. Spica this time used the barrel of the gun to block the hit and knocked the dagger out of Sarah's hand. Both pulled away from each other and felt the spirits finally exit their bodies to return to their dead blades lying in the grass. They stood glaring at one another, panting.
"That was... only a couple of seconds..." Spica began.
"And already we're tired. But I've never felt such a sensation of power..."
Spica took one last breath. "Hey, you're right," she sneered, raising the gun that was still in her hand. She fired a single shot at Sarah's head, but it flew right over and the bullet landed in the pond.
"Y-You still don't want to kill me, do you?" Sarah questioned, the fear building inside of her again.
"You bet," Spica relished with a smirk as she fired another shot and missed again. Spica leant to one side with a dreamy look on her face but straightened herself by moving her foot to stable herself. She staggered back and forth like this for a while, Sarah watching and unaware of what was going on.
"Spica? Are you alright? You look immensely drunk or something..."
Spica finally stopped and fell to the ground, slightly shaken and staring blankly ahead. She blinked slowly and then lowered her head to the ground to see their blades resting by her knees. She picked them up-one in either hand and examined them closely. She raised her head to see Sarah standing warily a metre or so away from her. Spica extended her hand that had Fovular. "I don't know what I just said... It was a lingering controlling sense. Here."
Sarah eyed her gloveless hand for a moment before focusing on Spica's brown eyes. They didn't seem to convey hatred or anger any more, but those orbs had deceived before. Nevertheless, Sarah reached out and took the blade from her. "Thank you."
"You know..." Spica said with a smile crossing her lips as she made to get up from her position in the grass, "I don't really want to hurt you. And... it's brought me a weird-whoa!"
Sarah reached out her arm to help her up, as Spica had lost her balance from unsteady legs. Spica simpered even more and took her hand, staring into the eyes of the now-sober Sarah. Spica hoisted herself up and stood at full height before Sarah, who was about the same height, if not a little taller.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Spica continued, "it's brought me a weird feeling-compassion I believe it is." She looked to the ground, becoming very sullen once more. "And... I don't like it because it feels uncomfortable. I've never felt this way before except when Kuiper, Telesto, and I had to kill and take the soul of Hans. I had compassion for him, unlike any of my other victims." She met with Sarah's narrowed glare again. "Except for you-you were the one that brought this feeling out in me and showed me that it was the way all people should live. But I only realized that when my partners were killed. Now they're gone, and I've learnt too late anything that I could have done to prolong their existence..."
"My, that's a long speech," Sarah jested. "Should we call it 'The Compassionate Address'?"
"How can you joke at a time like this?" Spica yelled, suddenly getting defensive. "There's so much death, yet you laugh like-"
"It's just funny to see how much this battle has changed us, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"Take you for example. You were one of the most cold-hearted people I'd ever met-until now, that is, when you saw the deaths of those close to you and all at a single time. Now, you pour your heart out to me as if I was your closest friend or sister," explained Sarah.
"But don't you see? You are my friend-now anyway."
Sarah smiled. "The Spica I know doesn't have friends, only acquaintances," she scoffed.
Spica glanced around nervously, thinking of what to say. "Well, that was the old Spica. And the point of this whole conversation is that I don't want to hurt you anymore-I don't want to kill you. In fact, if I get out of here alive, I'm not going to harm another soul for as long as I live."
Sarah looked away, out of her moist eyes and to where the bodies of Telesto, Tala, and Kuiper were lying near the middle of the field. "Come on, why don't we bring them over here that way they're in one spot." She turned to walk away but was pulled back by a violent tug on her arm.
"You're not listening to a word I'm saying!" Spica cried.
"Why should I? We're enemies, and enemies are supposed to fight, remember?"
Spica let go of Sarah's arm and Sarah strode towards the bodies of the three. Sarah knelt down beside Kuiper, the one that had been closest to them. She covered her nose and stood up as Spica hurried over.
"Who'll take the head?" Sarah asked rhetorically.
Spica noticed the repugnant look on Sarah's face and picked it up, taking it over to where they had been by the pond before. Sarah bent down and took the body in her arms, cringing at having to look above the chest and the unusual weight balance. She set it down accordingly to where Spica had placed his head.
Spica then returned for Telesto, whom she tried to lift herself, but couldn't. Sarah hurried over and they placed him beside Kuiper before coming back for Tala. Once Tala had been set down peacefully, they both stood back to survey their work. Spica placed her hands akimbo and cocked her head to one side, giving a long, exhausted sigh.
"They're gone."
She turned her head when she heard Sarah sobbing as she stared at the three boys.
"What is it?" Spica inquired.
Sarah looked to her shakily, tears streaming from her green eyes. "Spica... I...I'm trying to be strong, but I can't... It's all falling apart! I can't pretend that staring at these dead bodies doesn't phase me when it does!"
"Firstly, Tala isn't dead, just dormant, and you can turn away. I'm not making you stare at them," Spica reasoned.
Sarah threw her hands to her face. "Spica, I'm scared...scared of what lies beyond this existence... Seeing scenes like this makes me think, and I wonder what's there... Somehow I want to know, but I know I can't come back!"
"Of course you can't. It's impossible to know what's there in the afterlife." She raised her head to the dark sky, rain drops now subsiding though the sky was still grey. "I have a feeling the question of 'what's there?' will baffle mankind until they're vanquished from this earth."
"I'm still scared... There can't be nothing... We live, we breathe, we drink, we eat-our minds become practically physical-physical matter. They can't just disappear, can they? That would be like something or someone becoming simultaneously invisible...permanently invisible..." she continued, lifting her hands from her face warily.
Spica lowered her gaze to Sarah's eyes, but she was staring at the bodies again. Her talk was confusing, but did seem to make sense.
Sarah kept her hands hovering over her mouth. "That would mean that Telesto and Kuiper are invisible... Their souls are invisible if there is indeed nothing... But if there is an afterlife to pursue, then where is it? Where did their souls go? What about reincarnation? They just died, but another person was just born. Which one of those babies did they inhabit? Are their lives as they just were now figments of the child's imagination?" She suddenly whirled around to Spica and took her hands away completely. "What do you think Spica?" she interrogated in frustration.
Spica drew back in confusion at having the question thrust so quickly upon her. "Uh... I... I don't know... I have no theories... I don't really have the time to think about this sort of thing..."
Sarah advanced forward in desperation, but Spica drew away nervously. "You have to think something! Even if you just thought of it now! They're your dead teammates, Spica! You've known them since you were a child!"
Spica continued to glare in uncertainty into her green eyes, as if searching for an answer, but all she saw was pleading for an answer. "I can't think..."
Sarah stared at her for a moment longer before pulling away violently, tears streaming from her eyes. She shook her head and said something, but Spica couldn't make it out. She didn't know how to react. 'Who would've thought you could get so worked up over a subject like this?' she thought to herself.
"Spica, I'm just... so scared... Out here on the battlefield, it feels like every second is my last. That's certainly what happened to Telesto and Kuiper. They were alive one second, and in one quick movement they're gone! Kuiper was winning his fight, too!"
Spica stepped forward with apprehension. "That's the way life is. We can't live it and dispose of it when we want to..."
Sarah took her hands away again and stared at the ground at realization. She looked up to Spica, her eyes beginning to dry. "Spica..."
Spica gasped and pulled away slightly in shock when Sarah threw her arms around her. "Hey! Let-!" she exclaimed. Sarah only tightened her grip. Spica rolled her eyes and sighed, reaching out her arms and hugging her back. "It's okay... A young teen like you shouldn't be thinking such thoughts... What has corrupted your mind?"
"War... It destroys us all," Sarah sobbed into her shoulder.
Spica looked at her with sympathetic and worried eyes before raising her gaze straight ahead absently. "Right..." she choked.
"Are we going to finish this war, or what?" Rhea asked the two, still clearly dumbfounded. She hadn't a limp or life threatening wound, except maybe the two in her back. Other than those and a few scratches and bruises, she was perfectly alright.
"Rhea-you're alive!" Samson exclaimed. "But-you died!"
Rhea held her hands out in front of her and examined them. "Clearly I'm not."
Anya whipped around fully and pointed at the gap in the mountains from where someone was emerging. They staggered along the side of the mountain, using the rocky wall for support. On rounding the corner to enter the field, they lifted their head agonizingly and saw the scene that was taking place near the pond. "Isn't that Kai?" she questioned rhetorically.
Samson craned his neck to get a better look. "Yeah, but what's he looking at?"
The three turned to the two figures standing before three others near the pond.
"That's Spica and my sister..." Samson trailed off. "They're hugging..."
"But they're enemies! What's with the pleasantries?" Anya protested.
"Whatever the reason, it looks like Kai is taking care of it," Rhea said, and they looked back to him.
With minimal strength, he reached behind him and into his belt, bringing out his gun and aiming for Spica and Sarah. He tried aiming it, but figured it was too far to hit accurately, so he staggered closer along the cover of the mountains.
"We should stop him," Samson reasoned. "I have a feeling that they're not locked in mortal combat if they're comforting each other..."
Anya made to move forward. "Thanks, Dr. Obvious, come on, before we kill another person!"
She was stopped by the grip of a strong hand on her shoulder. Rhea glared at her. "Spica's getting what she deserves."
Anya whipped around angrily. "So just because she's been on the opposing side until now, she's evil and deserves an execution? You betrayed us, why aren't you dead, or should I kill you now?"
"I was being controlled."
"Yeah, but you could have fought it!"
"She did, Anya! And Spica's about to join the rest of her team!" Samson yelled.
Kai aimed, and fired.
Spica yelped in pain and drew away from Sarah, who was also jolted from the tranquillity. She drew away as Spica staggered back and forth, holding her hand to where the bullet had grazed her arm. She turned around shakily to see Kai emerge from a recess in the mountains. He held out the gun, ready to fire as she scowled back at him.
"I hope you know I wasn't trying to kill her with a death grip!" Spica quipped.
"You can't be too careful these days," he countered, not faltering.
"Kai!" Sarah cried. "Don't hurt her!"
Spica staggered backwards and towards the pond as Kai began to move forward towards them, gun held out. "She's our enemy, I don't see why you fell under the misconception that you could be friends. You, of all people..."
"She's just like us, Kai! She's following orders from the one that was truly evil-Gilepse, not herself!"
Kai was now only a few feet away, but kept advancing. He fired another shot and hit her just above her previous wound, earning another cry in agony. "If she's not truly evil, then answer me why she followed Goadbwa in the first place."
Kai stopped when he stood just beside Sarah. Spica had tripped and fallen to the ground before the pond, bleeding and crying.
"Stop it, Kai! I mean it! She's changed for the better!"
Kai aimed again, but Sarah hurried forward and stepped in front of Spica. "If you're going to kill her, you have to kill me first!"
Kai lowered his arm slightly. "Why are you so persistent to protect her?"
"Because. She's my friend, stupid as I am!"
"Move out of the way-I don't want to have to hurt you," Kai ordered.
"You can't order me around, Kai! I'm not your playtoy!" countered Sarah.
Kai hesitated and then lowered his gun to his side. He advanced forward toward Sarah and stopped when he stood a few feet away from her, within arm's length. "You're right. You're nobody's playtoy-you make yourself their punching bag!"
He raised his right hand and brought it forward in one rapid movement, slapping her hard across the cheek so that she fell to ground. He then moved onto Spica, who had her eyes on Sarah. She watched as Sarah stumbled to her feet and over to Kai, grabbing his right arm-the one with the gun.
"No, Kai!" she cried, her head down and tears streaming down her reddened cheek. "This isn't you... This ruthlessness happened to Tala just before he lost his soul..."
Kai was about to jab her with his elbow when Spica took out her Beyblade and held the Bit facing Sarah. "Get out of the way!" she yelled at first, but just to confuse Kai, she added something else. "Just shut up, you spoiled brat!"
Sarah looked up to see the uncertainty in her brown eyes, the worry, yet knowing that it would be better to just let Kai do his thing. Spica gave her a small smile. "I'll be okay," she mouthed. Sarah saw the purple spirit of Revenost appear from Spica's Bit Chip and zoom at her. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, dizziness, and then nothing.
Kai felt the grip on his arm loosen and watched as she fell to the ground with a thump. He then turned back to Spica without another thought. She scowled back up at him, trying to hold back tears, but they filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. 'It was for her own good, as is this for mine,' she told herself.
When Kai didn't move, she stood up and put her Beyblade back in her pocket. "If... I may just say something, Kai..." she said calmly in between sobs and sniffles.
Kai narrowed his eyes and lowered his arm. "Speak, Hyakutake."
Spica took a deep breath in. "It was a pleasure knowing you, Tala, and Sarah. You three, along with the rest of Biovolt made a formidable opponent, as Gilepse has said on many occasions."
When Spica paused, Kai placed his hands akimbo, slightly in impatience. "And your point is...?"
Spica lowered her head, but continued to glare at him. "Before I join my teammates and leader, I'd just like to give you a little advice. I have my suspicions about a spy that's been working for both companies-Goadbwa and Biovolt. My advice is that you keep your wits about him, too. I've heard this man has double-crossed you before, and I'm sure he'll do it again."
Kai put his gun back in his belt. "Who is this traitorous man you speak of, then?"
Spica smiled. "I can't tell you that. We're enemies, remember?" She took a deep breath in and then sighed, the smile still on her face along with the tears. "I suppose you'll allow me to join Telesto and Kuiper, now?"
Kai returned the smile. "You're anxious to go, aren't you?"
"The faster I make it across the astral plane, the faster I can come back to haunt you," she jested. "But, I would ask that you lay me beside my teammates."
"Promise." Kai's face suddenly became a scowl again as he lunged at her, tackling her into the water.
They sank closer to the bottom, his hands gripped around her neck and squeezing relentlessly. She struggled against his grasp, but made no attempts to hurt him. He narrowed his eyes in determination to hold his breath, when finally her thrashing about slowed. She screwed her eyes shut and arched her back, her whole body becoming tense for a few seconds before relaxing into a limp form. Kai kicked off the bottom of the pond and floated to the surface, Spica in his free arm.
He broke the surface and took in a deep breath, opening his eyes to see Rhea and Anya crowded at the edge of the pond. He took a deep breath and swam towards them, Spica still tucked under his arm. He reached the edge and gasped for breath, raising Spica's body and managing to say, "Place her beside them..."
Anya took her from his arms and set her down between Telesto and Kuiper before standing back to look at the three. Her eyes watered quickly and she choked as she spoke. "There they are-a trio."
And a big thank you to the anonymous reviewers (finally, after much provocation, eh, shinigami?). Your input is always greatly appreciated. Thank you for the complements and yeah, I agree-Kai was perhaps a little too apathetic...
Hang on, one warning about this chapter: you may want to get a box of tissues ready. I was crying as I wrote sections of it (mind you, I do get a little emotional, but anyway... You might, too). I also tend to act out the characters at times, too... I wonder if this is a common psychosis in a writer...?
23. Vitality's Extortion
"Oh, Rhea, you idiot!" Anya sobbed, breaking the eerie silence.
Eva tore her eyes from the gory scene and buried her head in her hands. She began to shake as tears streamed from her eyes. She felt comforting hands on her shoulders, but she didn't know whom they belonged to. It didn't matter-he was dead. Or was he?
There came a mad laughing from a voice unlike his own, and all of a sudden Kieran's body began to jerk and writhe violently within its place. This finally stopped when a red soul emerged from the hole in his head. Still laughing, the soul zigzagged up into the clouds, pausing on every other turn to let all hear its crazed laugh, but it was silenced when it met the clouds.
"That must have been Toutalis..." Boris muttered.
Kai continued to stare at the body of his sister, unable to believe what had just happened. He was all alone now-except for Voltaire-but for how long?
***
"Get up and fight me!" Spica ordered, grabbing Sarah's arm in an effort to make her stand up.
Sarah kept her head down and didn't move from her sitting position.
Spica jerked her again. "Come on! Resistance is futile!"
"Just leave me alone..." Sarah muttered, barely audible.
Spica knelt down beside her and let go of her arm violently. "Why? Because you're scared to fight me? That's it, isn't it?" she cried.
"I don't want to fight. It only causes pain, and nothing positive comes from it."
Spica hesitated, surprised by the answer. "Uh... Well... We're on opposing sides. We can't just be friends... We're supposed to fight like the enemies we are."
"I'm not your enemy. I don't want to be your enemy. I don't want to be anyone's enemy." Sarah suddenly raised her head and looked Spica straight in the eye, startling her. "Don't you see what war has done to us?" She motioned towards the field on the other side of the pond where bodies lay strewn out across the grass-some dead, some dormant. "Look what hatred has done to you! What have you become since you were young and innocent? The only reason you still want to kill is because you have a lust for blood! I don't! I have seen death's face and one that was about to face it-let me tell you-it isn't pretty!"
Spica didn't know what to say, but merely stared dumbfoundedly back at her. Sarah lowered her head to the ground again after a moment or two of eye contact. "I couldn't kill again. I don't know what I was thinking when I killed Kuiper," she mumbled again.
Spica moved from her squatting position to crossing her legs, indicating that she wasn't about to move. She looked to the ground, too, as if pondering what to say. "Look, it's okay to be afraid. We all harbour hatred for something or other inside of us, some people make it more evident than others. I'm one of those people, but you're right-I wasn't when I was young. I was... quiet, shy... and pacifistic like you. I was only hardened when I saw my parents slaughtered before my eyes when I began training at Goadbwa, because the policy at Goadbwa was that if you trained there, your initiation was to watch death. They chose your parents or the closest relatives you had, as they would only be a 'distraction to your training' as Gilepse said. It was then, without them to guide me through, that I became this cold-hearted girl that I am now. Gilepse destroyed the three of us in a way."
Sarah continued to stare at the ground, remaining silent.
Spica moved her head forward, to try to see her face. "Am I getting through to you or are you blocking me out?"
Sarah shifted her eyes away from Spica's direction and turned her head in the other direction. "Spica...This is unlike you."
"Darn right it is. I'm not even this sentimental towards Telesto and Kuiper. Or rather, was." Her voice dropped, and her face all of a sudden became very sullen. "I think it's this new soul clone. Since Kai took my original soul at the battle of Lake Baikal, I haven't been exactly the same. The one that's speaking now is a clone of the original. Of course, they could've just got the original back, but no, they had to test out their new, stupid machine!"
They both sat staring at different areas of the grass before Spica finally stood up and brushed the dirt from her uniform. She looked around the field and watched Telesto and Tala battling with their Beyblades and yelling insults at each other on the other side of the pond-they had moved there when their Beyblades took off towards the middle of the field.
"Look at them," she scoffed. "Boys don't know how to work out their problems like girls do. Right, Sarah?"
"Whatever," came the reply.
Spica squatted down again. "Look, you don't have to kill anyone. Just let the two of us have a good fight to the last, that way you're technically not killing anyone. Just...tire me out and leave me to rot, okay?"
"I might as well just execute you when you're down, then."
"Heck! Why not?"
Sarah remained silent and continued to stare angrily at the ground. Spica was near giving up.
"Come on, Sarah. I've got one last death wish-just let the both of us battle. You don't have to kill me, I don't have to kill you-it's just a clean Beybattle," cajoled Spica.
Sarah shifted her eyes uneasily and then sighed. "Fine."
Spica smiled. "Good." She reached out and Sarah took hold of her hand. They pulled each other up like young childhood friends. Spica continued to smile at Sarah, but the amicability wasn't returned-only a blank, sad, stare.
"Spica!"
Spica whirled around at the sound of Marduk's voice. "What is it?"
Marduk panted heavily, obviously exhausted from a sudden physical exertion. "It's... Gilepse!" he gasped urgently. "He's... He's been... It was Boris and Rhea!"
"Spit it out!" Spica ordered, becoming angry once more.
"Gilepse is... dea-!"
"Watch out!" Spica interjected, but it was too late.
Marduk's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward and into the pond in front of him. Tyson watched his handiwork go down before him before throwing the heavy, obsolete machine gun to one side. There was a dent in the barrel where it had made contact with Marduk's skull. He looked up to a shocked Spica and a reticent Sarah.
"He was in my way-besides, he couldn't say his line right when it's as simple as Gilepse's dead," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"What?!" gasped Spica. "How?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure. I heard something about Rhea going crazy and knocking him off a cliff or something like that, but there aren't any cliffs on this battlefield. It's a rolling plain with flat mountains, for goodness sake!"
Spica whipped back to Sarah, who had the same dull expression on her face as before. "This is all your fault! I'll bet this was all a part of Biovolt's plan just to distract us so that they could get at Gilepse!"
"You originally said yourself that I had disobeyed the battle plans, so how could I be distracting you deliberately?" Sarah replied curtly.
Spica tried to counter, but couldn't, only managing to get out beginnings of words before she figured that they didn't make any sense. She turned again when she heard the explosion of a bombshell. Out in the field, Telesto had a bazooka mounted on his shoulder and was trying to fire at Tala and all the others on the battlefield. By now, most of the deploys had returned to their respective headquarters, yet there were still some left, and those were the ones that he was trying to pick off.
"Look at that idiot! Firing like there's no tomorrow! Forgive me, Sarah, but he needs help," Spica exclaimed, hurrying off around the pond to pick up the other bazooka.
"Looks like our help is needed. Come on!" Tyson said, fitting his Beyblade to his shooter and taking off to where the action was mounting in the middle of the field.
"Mariah!"
The pink-haired girl whipped her head to where the yell had come from. "What is it, Tyson?"
"Watch out!" he yelled in reply as he launched his Beyblade at the bombshell heading for her.
The blade made contact with the head of the shell and it exploded in mid-air. The shockwaves knocked Mariah off her feet and onto the ground a metre or two away.
Tyson caught his Beyblade and rushed over to her. "You okay?"
"I think so... Thanks, Tyson! Say, have you seen Kai?"
"He was up on some cliff the last time I checked... Why?"
Mariah appeared crestfallen. "Well, I just saw Tala and Sarah, and I was wondering what had happened to him. I've seen a lot happen on this field, and so I'm a little paranoid I guess. What about Ray?"
"Nope. Sorry."
Mariah sighed and sat up of her own free will. "Lee, Oliver, Robert, Max, and Bryan are some of the few left from Biovolt's side. Robert insisted that they go back with even the smallest of wounds and they took the soulless bodies with them. We don't have as many on the field, now, and we're being outnumbered by Goadbwa. What are we going to do, Tyson?"
Tyson looked wistfully around the field, flinching when he saw a deploy disintegrate when one of Telesto's bombs strayed to them. "I don't know, Mariah." He made to sigh but winced from a sharp pain in his side.
"Tyson! Are you okay? You should go back to Balkov Abbey if you're hurt!" Mariah exclaimed.
"I'm fine," Tyson struggled as he held his side. He lifted his hand away and saw blood staining his glove. "Where'd that come from?"
"This should be fine. Set me down here."
"Yes, sir."
The helicopter slowly lowered itself to the grass below, creating a whirlwind that distracted Spica from her firing. She turned around and managed to see it land through her long hair that obstructed her view. "A... It's a Biovolt helicopter. Be careful, Telesto, this could be an ambush from behind."
Telesto stopped firing and turned just as the door lowered and a figure appeared in the doorway.
"Look out!"
Eva looked up just before she was tackled to the ground and out of the way of a missile. Bryan sat up, rubbing his head ruefully and pulling his arms away. He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. "Sorry about that. It's either you or the missile."
Eva lowered her head to stare tearfully at the ground. "It's okay."
Bryan looked at her expression, craning his neck to try to see her face. "Is something wrong?"
"My brother..."
"Your brother?"
"Yeah, Kieran... He..." She burst into tears.
Bryan put his hands out but stopped halfway in uncertainty. "Uh... That's okay... don't hurt yourself!"
"It's Deneb!" exclaimed Telesto as the figure stepped into the light of the now evident moon. Everyone on the battlefield had barely noticed the change in time of day.
Deneb stepped down the ramp and sauntered towards the two, his head down at first, but when he lifted it, he gasped. The two, taking it as a sign that they were showing disrespect, saluted and stood erectly. "Deneb, sir!" they chorused.
"Yes, you two. That's quite alright," he said, coming to a halt in front of them. "Would one of you care to inform me of the current status of the battle? I have already heard of Kuiper and Gilepse."
"That is all that has happened, sir," Telesto replied promptly. "But we shall be the first to inform you if anything else happens, sir-"
"That is, if we're capable of doing so," Spica added.
Deneb eyed them condescendingly for a moment before turning to walk away. "I've also heard that the Hilanovs, especially Kai, are in a bit of a predicament at the moment. Get them now while they're vulnerable," he advised, walking away to the side of the field.
At the edge of the field, probably some thirty metres away, they noticed him pull out what seemed to be a walkie-talkie and begin to speak into it.
"I don't get it," Telesto said, causing Spica to turn her attention to him. "Unless they commandeered the helicopter, why does it belong to Biovolt?"
Spica glared at him and then turned back to the chopper. She narrowed her eyes as she glowered at Deneb. "I have my suspicions..."
"Get them back to the Abbey!" Boris ordered, while keeping an arm to his bleeding shoulder.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Uncle?"
Boris turned to see Samson looking worriedly up at him. "I won't die now, at least. What about you? You should also get back to the Abbey."
"Don't worry about me. Anya and I have got some unfinished business to take care of," he answered, looking ahead at where a procession of deploys was heading away from the field.
"Alright. Just don't go biting off more than you can chew. Take that advice, Samson, from one who learned it the hard way," Boris growled, limping off to follow the others. Among the deploys were Tyson, Bryan, Ray, Mariah, and Eva-who was still crying but being comforted by Ray.
"We'll come back with the battle's over and we'll bring Kieran and Rhea with us!" Samson called after them.
"You ready, Sammy?"
Samson whipped around to where Anya had come up behind him. She was also limping. He turned to face her fully. "You're absolutely sure about this, right? I wouldn't mind if you went back with them."
Anya waved her hand dismissively and smiled. "I'm fine. Besides, you can't hold yourself out and you expect to protect the Hilanovs, too?"
"Yeah!" Samson was about to continue when he hesitated and looked over Anya's shoulder. "Oh..."
Anya turned to see Rhea, walking proudly towards them. "What?" she gasped. "Is it just me or is she back from the dead?"
"Come on, let's listen to Deneb and start firing," Telesto offered. "For Kuiper."
"Right," Spica agreed, turning around and her eyes widening. "Telesto!"
"Wha-"
He was cut short by a tackle to the ground. The bazooka was thrown into the air and hit the ground with a thud as Telesto tried to recover from the shock of the fall, had Tala not been throwing a succession of punches and blows to his face.
Spica threw down her bazooka and pulled out her handgun. She fiddled with loading it quickly and aimed at Tala. She fired a shot and missed, so she fired again and again, but kept missing. She then grazed the reddish- pink body armour at his waist, causing the area to fracture and his skin to lacerate. A blue wire appeared-it was severed in half and sparked with electricity.
Spica was about to fire again when she heard footsteps step to a halt to her right.
"Put the gun down. This is their fight." Sarah held her gun out, ready to shoot if Spica didn't surrender.
"I can hardly put my gun down unless you do-how do I know you're not going to shoot me? Besides, I thought you didn't want to kill anyone anymore," Spica taunted, smirking.
"Fine. Count of three, we both lower them," answered Sarah. "One, two, three..."
They both put the guns away, but no sooner was it back in Spica's belt than she snatched her bazooka and fired at Sarah's head. Sarah ducked, and the projectile landed behind her and set the dry grass alight. There was an explosion that thrust Sarah forward and onto the ground.
Spica pulled back from the blaze uneasily. "Shoot..."
The fire consumed the grass quickly and advanced on Sarah, who was beginning to sit up groggily, still shaken from the blast. She looked up at the terrified Spica and then turned to look behind her with a scream. Tala looked up from his fistfight with Telesto and hastened to get up.
Spica lowered her head and shook horrifying images from her head. "They're just two more victims... My enemies whom will kill me if I don't kill them first..." she muttered to herself as she fired a blind shot with the bazooka.
Tala jumped and evaded the explosion just in time and collided with Sarah on the ground. They both rolled out of the way of the fire that had been right at her back. With another shot from Spica, Tala rolled them out of the way three more times before dragging Sarah upward and lifting her up in his arms. He ran to the closest edge of the field near the exit near the pond. He flopped down beside her and sighed.
"Man, watching out for you on a battlefield is a full-time job. Can I trust you to take care of yourself for now?"
Sarah nodded distantly, staring in amazement at the ground at the quickness of the past events. Taking it as sufficient, Tala stood up and made to run back to Spica and Telesto but his knees buckled as he felt a sharp pain in his side. He dropped to the ground and clenched his fists to suppress the agony.
"Tala?"
"I'm fine. I just..." He screwed his eyes shut. His head felt funny, dizzy, and everything became blurry. The sound of the fire and Sarah's frustrated cries became muffled and distant. The words "system overload" flashed across his eyelids.
***
"A connection wire has given out! He's going to short-circuit again!" exclaimed Leon.
Lutka rushed over to look at the sensors. "Try to get through to him. We don't have any direct contacts, but try to take manual control of the system!"
Leon typed something into the keyboard. The monitor flashed "access denied." He tried again, and received the same result. A couple more tries were unsuccessful. "I can't get through, and only Boris knows the password! In fifteen seconds, the system will either shut down or take over!"
"What do you mean by shut down?" Lutka interrogated.
"I mean total dysfunction, absolute and eternal. Tala won't be coming back from that battlefield. If it takes over, he'll be controlled by the system. At that point, everything's his enemy and he'll be very volatile and exceedingly dangerous. He'll be compelled to seek and destroy."
"You've no idea of what will happen?" cried Lutka.
"We'll know in five...four...three...two...one..."
***
"Tala!"
His body froze in quivering and he dropped flat on the ground. "Tala!" she yelled again. Telesto and Spica seemed just as surprised as her as they stared at the body. "Tala!"
There was dead silence from him.
***
"What happened?" ordered Lutka.
Leon stared in horror at the screen, unable to believe and unanswering.
"Well? Tell me!"
"Lutka... I-I'm...sorry... It looks like...like ultimate shut down..." he stammered, his fingers quavering over the keyboard as he stared at the screen unblinkingly.
***
"Is he dead?" asked Telesto, just as stunned as the other two.
Telesto moved forward slowly and knelt down beside the prone figure. He reached out shakily and touched the top of Tala's head. He tapped it once, and when nothing happened, he settled down and tapped three more times. He looked to Sarah. "Nothing. So sorry, dear Sa-"
***
"It was just a preliminary reaction. He's alive!"
"He's alright!" Lutka cried, throwing her arms around Leon and squeezing him tightly.
"Don't rejoice yet, ma'am. He might destroy himself in this frenzied state. He becomes oblivious to all pain and signs of possible destruction of the system."
***
Telesto jumped back just as Tala's hand shot forward into mid-air. Telesto hurried back to Spica, who also pulled away in horror and almost backing into the flames.
Tala got up slowly, swaying slightly when he stood at full height. He stood facing what remained of Vitality Extortion, staring at them with a dull expression. Spica and Telesto turned to see that the fire had cornered them between Tala and itself-there was no way out and their bazookas were on the other side of the wall.
Spica drew her handgun and aimed to shoot. "If you so much as take one step closer, one shot and you'll be dead, Tala!"
Telesto pulled out his gun, too, and they both aimed. Tala took a step closer and Telesto fired, the bullet sinking right into Tala's right thigh. Tala paused and swayed ominously on the spot as two wires sparked from a nearby wound.
"He didn't so much as flinch!" cried Telesto. "It's like he's not even human anymore!"
"You're so observant, Telesto," Spica growled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "He's not going to fall prey that easily."
They watched as Tala brought his other foot forward to be at level with the other. He swayed warily again and reached behind him and into his belt. It was Spica's turn to fire a shot, which she did, aiming straight for his right eye. Instead, the bullet missed its target and grazed his cheek.
Tala brought his hand back around to the front, undaunted by both shots. Spica and Telesto were too scared to fire anymore when the gun appeared in Tala's hand. He fired two rapid shots that flew straight ahead. The first caught Telesto in the chest where his armour would have once protected him, the other through his left eye, where his eyepiece had once been.
Unlike the last time when Tala made a fatal blow, Telesto threw his head back from the shock and fell on his back on the ground at Spica's side. Both of the girls stared in horror at the bloodied body lying on the ground. His right eye was closed peacefully, whereas his other eye was blown out completely. Spica sank to the ground, unable to take her eyes off him.
"T-Telesto? Telesto?" Her eyes watered and she shook as the tears poured down her cheeks. "Telesto!" she cried weakly as she threw herself down on his chest. "No!"
Sarah leapt up and grabbed Tala's arm to pull him back. "Tala! Stop! I don't know what's happened to you, but that was too far! Tala!"
"You!" Spica screamed. She gasped as she felt a vibration at her side and pulled her Beyblade out of her pocket. Revenost shot out of its bit chip and penetrated Tala's chest. It exited his body through his back and went straight up into the sky, red appearing in its purple form. It shot back down a couple of seconds later and returned to Spica's blade as Tala's eyes closed and he fell backward and into Sarah's arms.
Sarah watched in astonishment as he lay there, and then she glanced up at Spica who had fallen over her dead partner once more. "I don't think I'll blame you for that... I don't know what got into him..." she said, hugging his body to her head.
"He deserved it... And... and so do you," Spica sobbed, her voice muffled by Telesto's bloodied chest. "I'm only one, but I'll kill you... I'll kill the three of you-all by myself!"
Spica raised her head as she felt it getting wet. She and Sarah looked around the field to see the fiery grass sizzling at the sound of being extinguished by the rain that was getting heavier by the second. Spica saw Kuiper's body emerge from the flames, still lying on the ground in two pieces just as she had left it, though slightly burnt. She stood up determinedly and wiped her face with her purple glove.
"Come on, let's finish this," she said calmly, stepping over Telesto and nearer the pond.
"Where are you going?"
"We don't want to harm them should our battle get violent, right?" Spica asked nonchalantly and fitting her Beyblade to her launcher.
Sarah glanced down at Tala wistfully before laying him carefully down on the ground and getting up to catch up with Spica. Spica had set herself up right beside the pond and stood patiently ready to launch as Sarah readied her blade.
Sarah held her arms out with her launcher in them and bent her knees, ready to shoot, but her worried and apathetic look didn't make her appear completely ready. "Listen, Spica-I just want to say that I was never a big fan of war. I wasn't brought up in the same type of environment that Telesto, Kuiper, Tala, Kai, and you have."
"What are you getting at? That I should go easy on you?"
"No. I'm just saying that that's my explanation for my cowardly behaviour towards this all, compared to the rest of you, that is..."
Spica simpered. "You're so modest. But ruthless warriors aren't known for their sympathy. 3, 2, 1, let it rip!"
Both of them fired their Beyblades at the same time, and they collided in mid-air before sliding past each other and hitting the ground. Spica wasted no time on pleasantries.
"Take her down, Revenost!"
Right on command, the purple spirit rose out of the bit chip and charged straight at Sarah. Sarah gave a small, startled shriek as it came closer and covered her head with her arms. She felt something graze either side of her head and when the sensation passed overhead, her hair suddenly fell loose from the pigtails and buns. A strong gust of wind seemed to blow from the battle for a couple of moments, tossing her hair about as it was no longer tied neatly. When the wind stopped, she removed her hands and looked up.
Spica scowled and raised her head to eye Sarah condescendingly. "Why'd Revenost miss? She had a clear shot at your soul."
Sarah glanced around, quite surprised herself. Her gaze fell on their Beyblades, and Fovular was still spinning strong. "Go, Fovular! Knock out her blade!"
The Beyblade spun forward. Revenost made to dodge the blow, but clashed with Fovular. Sarah tore her eyes from the battle on hearing a yell of agony. Spica had her eyes screwed shut and her fists and teeth clenched as if to suppress pain.
"That's it..." Sarah whispered to herself. "Fovular, keep attacking!"
The purple blade attacked the black one relentlessly, over and over again, with each hit gaining a cry from Spica, who had sunk to the ground by the time Fovular pulled away. Sarah struggled to urge herself on in this life or death battle. It hurt herself just to watch Spica, or anyone for that matter in so much unbearable pain. She shut her eyes and gave the command.
"Fovular, steal her soul!"
The yellow fox emanated in a jet of light from the Bey and headed for the girl lying helpless on the ground. Spica, just as Sarah had, felt a rush of air over her head and her hair suddenly came loose with the snapping sound of an elastic. She took her hands away from her head and saw Sarah staring in amazement at her. Spica held her hands out in front of her face and looked at them-she was still alive and in this realm. She stood up, feeling her long navy hair trail down her back as she stared back at her opponent.
"Well... it seems that we're invincible to each other," Sarah said, folding her arms huffily.
"Yeah..." Spica said dreamily with a lethargic nod.
Sarah unfolded her arms and made an offensive stance. "It's a Beybattle to the death, then, isn't it?"
Spica stared into space for a moment or two before coming to her senses and making the same stance. "You got it! Go, Revenost!"
"Don't let her take advantage! Go, Fovular!"
Both Bit Beasts rose from their blades at the same time and barrelled for each other in the middle. The two spirits slipped past each other and headed for the opposing blader. Both girls drew back from each other's Bit Beast, but felt the spirit enter their body through their chest. Neither beast exited.
"What's going on?" Spica cried in horror.
"It's okay..." came a low, female voice that echoed within her head.
"You must fight as one with your Bit Beast," sounded the higher voice within Sarah's.
"We are here to show you just how weakly you two have been fighting," said Spica's voice.
Both Sarah and Spica's blades spun to a stop beside each other, looking peaceful nestled among the grass as the pouring rain began to drench them. Spica and Sarah both glanced up and into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Sarah felt a lurch in her stomach and she rapidly drew her dagger, but not of her own free will. Her legs ran her towards Spica and her arm raised with the dagger, bringing it down in Spica's chest, but the spirit made Spica move out of the way and pull out her gun.
Spica fired a shot, but Sarah ducked out of the way and aimed the dagger for Spica's throat again. Spica this time used the barrel of the gun to block the hit and knocked the dagger out of Sarah's hand. Both pulled away from each other and felt the spirits finally exit their bodies to return to their dead blades lying in the grass. They stood glaring at one another, panting.
"That was... only a couple of seconds..." Spica began.
"And already we're tired. But I've never felt such a sensation of power..."
Spica took one last breath. "Hey, you're right," she sneered, raising the gun that was still in her hand. She fired a single shot at Sarah's head, but it flew right over and the bullet landed in the pond.
"Y-You still don't want to kill me, do you?" Sarah questioned, the fear building inside of her again.
"You bet," Spica relished with a smirk as she fired another shot and missed again. Spica leant to one side with a dreamy look on her face but straightened herself by moving her foot to stable herself. She staggered back and forth like this for a while, Sarah watching and unaware of what was going on.
"Spica? Are you alright? You look immensely drunk or something..."
Spica finally stopped and fell to the ground, slightly shaken and staring blankly ahead. She blinked slowly and then lowered her head to the ground to see their blades resting by her knees. She picked them up-one in either hand and examined them closely. She raised her head to see Sarah standing warily a metre or so away from her. Spica extended her hand that had Fovular. "I don't know what I just said... It was a lingering controlling sense. Here."
Sarah eyed her gloveless hand for a moment before focusing on Spica's brown eyes. They didn't seem to convey hatred or anger any more, but those orbs had deceived before. Nevertheless, Sarah reached out and took the blade from her. "Thank you."
"You know..." Spica said with a smile crossing her lips as she made to get up from her position in the grass, "I don't really want to hurt you. And... it's brought me a weird-whoa!"
Sarah reached out her arm to help her up, as Spica had lost her balance from unsteady legs. Spica simpered even more and took her hand, staring into the eyes of the now-sober Sarah. Spica hoisted herself up and stood at full height before Sarah, who was about the same height, if not a little taller.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Spica continued, "it's brought me a weird feeling-compassion I believe it is." She looked to the ground, becoming very sullen once more. "And... I don't like it because it feels uncomfortable. I've never felt this way before except when Kuiper, Telesto, and I had to kill and take the soul of Hans. I had compassion for him, unlike any of my other victims." She met with Sarah's narrowed glare again. "Except for you-you were the one that brought this feeling out in me and showed me that it was the way all people should live. But I only realized that when my partners were killed. Now they're gone, and I've learnt too late anything that I could have done to prolong their existence..."
"My, that's a long speech," Sarah jested. "Should we call it 'The Compassionate Address'?"
"How can you joke at a time like this?" Spica yelled, suddenly getting defensive. "There's so much death, yet you laugh like-"
"It's just funny to see how much this battle has changed us, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"Take you for example. You were one of the most cold-hearted people I'd ever met-until now, that is, when you saw the deaths of those close to you and all at a single time. Now, you pour your heart out to me as if I was your closest friend or sister," explained Sarah.
"But don't you see? You are my friend-now anyway."
Sarah smiled. "The Spica I know doesn't have friends, only acquaintances," she scoffed.
Spica glanced around nervously, thinking of what to say. "Well, that was the old Spica. And the point of this whole conversation is that I don't want to hurt you anymore-I don't want to kill you. In fact, if I get out of here alive, I'm not going to harm another soul for as long as I live."
Sarah looked away, out of her moist eyes and to where the bodies of Telesto, Tala, and Kuiper were lying near the middle of the field. "Come on, why don't we bring them over here that way they're in one spot." She turned to walk away but was pulled back by a violent tug on her arm.
"You're not listening to a word I'm saying!" Spica cried.
"Why should I? We're enemies, and enemies are supposed to fight, remember?"
Spica let go of Sarah's arm and Sarah strode towards the bodies of the three. Sarah knelt down beside Kuiper, the one that had been closest to them. She covered her nose and stood up as Spica hurried over.
"Who'll take the head?" Sarah asked rhetorically.
Spica noticed the repugnant look on Sarah's face and picked it up, taking it over to where they had been by the pond before. Sarah bent down and took the body in her arms, cringing at having to look above the chest and the unusual weight balance. She set it down accordingly to where Spica had placed his head.
Spica then returned for Telesto, whom she tried to lift herself, but couldn't. Sarah hurried over and they placed him beside Kuiper before coming back for Tala. Once Tala had been set down peacefully, they both stood back to survey their work. Spica placed her hands akimbo and cocked her head to one side, giving a long, exhausted sigh.
"They're gone."
She turned her head when she heard Sarah sobbing as she stared at the three boys.
"What is it?" Spica inquired.
Sarah looked to her shakily, tears streaming from her green eyes. "Spica... I...I'm trying to be strong, but I can't... It's all falling apart! I can't pretend that staring at these dead bodies doesn't phase me when it does!"
"Firstly, Tala isn't dead, just dormant, and you can turn away. I'm not making you stare at them," Spica reasoned.
Sarah threw her hands to her face. "Spica, I'm scared...scared of what lies beyond this existence... Seeing scenes like this makes me think, and I wonder what's there... Somehow I want to know, but I know I can't come back!"
"Of course you can't. It's impossible to know what's there in the afterlife." She raised her head to the dark sky, rain drops now subsiding though the sky was still grey. "I have a feeling the question of 'what's there?' will baffle mankind until they're vanquished from this earth."
"I'm still scared... There can't be nothing... We live, we breathe, we drink, we eat-our minds become practically physical-physical matter. They can't just disappear, can they? That would be like something or someone becoming simultaneously invisible...permanently invisible..." she continued, lifting her hands from her face warily.
Spica lowered her gaze to Sarah's eyes, but she was staring at the bodies again. Her talk was confusing, but did seem to make sense.
Sarah kept her hands hovering over her mouth. "That would mean that Telesto and Kuiper are invisible... Their souls are invisible if there is indeed nothing... But if there is an afterlife to pursue, then where is it? Where did their souls go? What about reincarnation? They just died, but another person was just born. Which one of those babies did they inhabit? Are their lives as they just were now figments of the child's imagination?" She suddenly whirled around to Spica and took her hands away completely. "What do you think Spica?" she interrogated in frustration.
Spica drew back in confusion at having the question thrust so quickly upon her. "Uh... I... I don't know... I have no theories... I don't really have the time to think about this sort of thing..."
Sarah advanced forward in desperation, but Spica drew away nervously. "You have to think something! Even if you just thought of it now! They're your dead teammates, Spica! You've known them since you were a child!"
Spica continued to glare in uncertainty into her green eyes, as if searching for an answer, but all she saw was pleading for an answer. "I can't think..."
Sarah stared at her for a moment longer before pulling away violently, tears streaming from her eyes. She shook her head and said something, but Spica couldn't make it out. She didn't know how to react. 'Who would've thought you could get so worked up over a subject like this?' she thought to herself.
"Spica, I'm just... so scared... Out here on the battlefield, it feels like every second is my last. That's certainly what happened to Telesto and Kuiper. They were alive one second, and in one quick movement they're gone! Kuiper was winning his fight, too!"
Spica stepped forward with apprehension. "That's the way life is. We can't live it and dispose of it when we want to..."
Sarah took her hands away again and stared at the ground at realization. She looked up to Spica, her eyes beginning to dry. "Spica..."
Spica gasped and pulled away slightly in shock when Sarah threw her arms around her. "Hey! Let-!" she exclaimed. Sarah only tightened her grip. Spica rolled her eyes and sighed, reaching out her arms and hugging her back. "It's okay... A young teen like you shouldn't be thinking such thoughts... What has corrupted your mind?"
"War... It destroys us all," Sarah sobbed into her shoulder.
Spica looked at her with sympathetic and worried eyes before raising her gaze straight ahead absently. "Right..." she choked.
"Are we going to finish this war, or what?" Rhea asked the two, still clearly dumbfounded. She hadn't a limp or life threatening wound, except maybe the two in her back. Other than those and a few scratches and bruises, she was perfectly alright.
"Rhea-you're alive!" Samson exclaimed. "But-you died!"
Rhea held her hands out in front of her and examined them. "Clearly I'm not."
Anya whipped around fully and pointed at the gap in the mountains from where someone was emerging. They staggered along the side of the mountain, using the rocky wall for support. On rounding the corner to enter the field, they lifted their head agonizingly and saw the scene that was taking place near the pond. "Isn't that Kai?" she questioned rhetorically.
Samson craned his neck to get a better look. "Yeah, but what's he looking at?"
The three turned to the two figures standing before three others near the pond.
"That's Spica and my sister..." Samson trailed off. "They're hugging..."
"But they're enemies! What's with the pleasantries?" Anya protested.
"Whatever the reason, it looks like Kai is taking care of it," Rhea said, and they looked back to him.
With minimal strength, he reached behind him and into his belt, bringing out his gun and aiming for Spica and Sarah. He tried aiming it, but figured it was too far to hit accurately, so he staggered closer along the cover of the mountains.
"We should stop him," Samson reasoned. "I have a feeling that they're not locked in mortal combat if they're comforting each other..."
Anya made to move forward. "Thanks, Dr. Obvious, come on, before we kill another person!"
She was stopped by the grip of a strong hand on her shoulder. Rhea glared at her. "Spica's getting what she deserves."
Anya whipped around angrily. "So just because she's been on the opposing side until now, she's evil and deserves an execution? You betrayed us, why aren't you dead, or should I kill you now?"
"I was being controlled."
"Yeah, but you could have fought it!"
"She did, Anya! And Spica's about to join the rest of her team!" Samson yelled.
Kai aimed, and fired.
Spica yelped in pain and drew away from Sarah, who was also jolted from the tranquillity. She drew away as Spica staggered back and forth, holding her hand to where the bullet had grazed her arm. She turned around shakily to see Kai emerge from a recess in the mountains. He held out the gun, ready to fire as she scowled back at him.
"I hope you know I wasn't trying to kill her with a death grip!" Spica quipped.
"You can't be too careful these days," he countered, not faltering.
"Kai!" Sarah cried. "Don't hurt her!"
Spica staggered backwards and towards the pond as Kai began to move forward towards them, gun held out. "She's our enemy, I don't see why you fell under the misconception that you could be friends. You, of all people..."
"She's just like us, Kai! She's following orders from the one that was truly evil-Gilepse, not herself!"
Kai was now only a few feet away, but kept advancing. He fired another shot and hit her just above her previous wound, earning another cry in agony. "If she's not truly evil, then answer me why she followed Goadbwa in the first place."
Kai stopped when he stood just beside Sarah. Spica had tripped and fallen to the ground before the pond, bleeding and crying.
"Stop it, Kai! I mean it! She's changed for the better!"
Kai aimed again, but Sarah hurried forward and stepped in front of Spica. "If you're going to kill her, you have to kill me first!"
Kai lowered his arm slightly. "Why are you so persistent to protect her?"
"Because. She's my friend, stupid as I am!"
"Move out of the way-I don't want to have to hurt you," Kai ordered.
"You can't order me around, Kai! I'm not your playtoy!" countered Sarah.
Kai hesitated and then lowered his gun to his side. He advanced forward toward Sarah and stopped when he stood a few feet away from her, within arm's length. "You're right. You're nobody's playtoy-you make yourself their punching bag!"
He raised his right hand and brought it forward in one rapid movement, slapping her hard across the cheek so that she fell to ground. He then moved onto Spica, who had her eyes on Sarah. She watched as Sarah stumbled to her feet and over to Kai, grabbing his right arm-the one with the gun.
"No, Kai!" she cried, her head down and tears streaming down her reddened cheek. "This isn't you... This ruthlessness happened to Tala just before he lost his soul..."
Kai was about to jab her with his elbow when Spica took out her Beyblade and held the Bit facing Sarah. "Get out of the way!" she yelled at first, but just to confuse Kai, she added something else. "Just shut up, you spoiled brat!"
Sarah looked up to see the uncertainty in her brown eyes, the worry, yet knowing that it would be better to just let Kai do his thing. Spica gave her a small smile. "I'll be okay," she mouthed. Sarah saw the purple spirit of Revenost appear from Spica's Bit Chip and zoom at her. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, dizziness, and then nothing.
Kai felt the grip on his arm loosen and watched as she fell to the ground with a thump. He then turned back to Spica without another thought. She scowled back up at him, trying to hold back tears, but they filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. 'It was for her own good, as is this for mine,' she told herself.
When Kai didn't move, she stood up and put her Beyblade back in her pocket. "If... I may just say something, Kai..." she said calmly in between sobs and sniffles.
Kai narrowed his eyes and lowered his arm. "Speak, Hyakutake."
Spica took a deep breath in. "It was a pleasure knowing you, Tala, and Sarah. You three, along with the rest of Biovolt made a formidable opponent, as Gilepse has said on many occasions."
When Spica paused, Kai placed his hands akimbo, slightly in impatience. "And your point is...?"
Spica lowered her head, but continued to glare at him. "Before I join my teammates and leader, I'd just like to give you a little advice. I have my suspicions about a spy that's been working for both companies-Goadbwa and Biovolt. My advice is that you keep your wits about him, too. I've heard this man has double-crossed you before, and I'm sure he'll do it again."
Kai put his gun back in his belt. "Who is this traitorous man you speak of, then?"
Spica smiled. "I can't tell you that. We're enemies, remember?" She took a deep breath in and then sighed, the smile still on her face along with the tears. "I suppose you'll allow me to join Telesto and Kuiper, now?"
Kai returned the smile. "You're anxious to go, aren't you?"
"The faster I make it across the astral plane, the faster I can come back to haunt you," she jested. "But, I would ask that you lay me beside my teammates."
"Promise." Kai's face suddenly became a scowl again as he lunged at her, tackling her into the water.
They sank closer to the bottom, his hands gripped around her neck and squeezing relentlessly. She struggled against his grasp, but made no attempts to hurt him. He narrowed his eyes in determination to hold his breath, when finally her thrashing about slowed. She screwed her eyes shut and arched her back, her whole body becoming tense for a few seconds before relaxing into a limp form. Kai kicked off the bottom of the pond and floated to the surface, Spica in his free arm.
He broke the surface and took in a deep breath, opening his eyes to see Rhea and Anya crowded at the edge of the pond. He took a deep breath and swam towards them, Spica still tucked under his arm. He reached the edge and gasped for breath, raising Spica's body and managing to say, "Place her beside them..."
Anya took her from his arms and set her down between Telesto and Kuiper before standing back to look at the three. Her eyes watered quickly and she choked as she spoke. "There they are-a trio."
