Thanks very much to the following reviewers:
HikArI-T3nShi: I can't tell you what the Er-Thing is that Trish was talking about, but I can tell you this: it's illegal and it's something Tala and Ian were retrieving for Boris. And you'll find out who the girl is soon-she's important, and she's not made up, so you can start guessing off the series. I'm so glad you liked the chapter!
Galux Kitty: (laughs) Well, that just about proves how much I know who has me on their favorites list-thank you so much! Awww….poor bloody Tala. Vforce is just the new name for Beyblade 2002. You must've seen all of them then since you know what happens in the 3rd season and because you're already well familiar with Tyson/Hilary. The 2nd season only just started airing here, so it looks like you're way ahead of the game!
Suzuran: Yea! New reader/reviewer! No, Mobekai is definitely not bad. I'm so glad you like my story~!
kaz: I know you've attached to Mobekai so much if you can't get mad at him no matter what! And I love that so thank you! I can't wait for the r/m either!~(; Sadly, I wish I was further along to start the flirting.
neko-neko(): Yep, I DEFINITELY have to agree with you there-Mobekai/Mariah is so not stupid…but Ray/Mariah is going to be better: *just you wait*. There'll be a LOT more Mobekai and Mariah-you'll love the next chapter; thanks for the encouragement! I'll remind Tyson he's an idiot (^grins^).
Ice Archer Girl: (laughs) Yeah, I should put him in a school bus full of children next. Ahhh, poor Kai. I just love torturing him! And Mobekai is nice, but he's connected to the wrong people! J thanks for all the compliments!
Cool Quotes:
"Oh, Ray, I don't care what happens! My feelings for you will never change…never. Not until the end of time."
-Mariah in Bye Bye Bitbeast
Authors Note: I apologize specifically to my friend Lauren for not putting a muse commentary in the beginning of my last chapter because I know she likes those a lot~(wink_+).
Just a little pre-warning, this chapter is a little shorter than usual and has a TERRIBLE cliff-hanger-I am SO sorry!
But this is going to be a great chapter and probably my favorite to write so far!
Disclaimer: Any misspellings, confused references or mixed up teammates are purely accidental and are a result of the author's new innocent fascination with the world of beyblading. Kira Ocelet, Mobekai Tart, Danika Woods, Colby Peterson and Trish ?? belong to me.
Italics are thoughts.
Bold Letters are songs.
*Ray*: I don't think they'll like this part.
*Trish*: Oh, shut-up. That's just cause you get sapped badly.
*Ray*: You're the bad girl, remember?
*Trish*: (flipping hair) Yeah, I know.
*SecretQuill*: Hey guys, I want to change my name. What do you think of Galandria?
*Ray*: Er…
*Trish*: You tell her.
*Ray*: No. You're definitely not a Galandria.
*SecretQuill*: How about Michelle?
*Trish*: Nope.
*SecretQuill*: Alexa?
*Trish*: (glaring) No.
*SecretQuill*: How about Lisel?
*Trish*: How about "She who annoys the crap out of me?"
*SecretQuill*: No, I don't like that one.
*Trish*: (Falls down anime style)
*Ray*: (sighs) I SO need to get a guy over here. All this whining is giving me a headache.
WATCH THIS!
Chapter 12: Fable Come True
"Don't make me pull out my bit-beast!" Tyson growled angrily.
"I don't think you're in any position to be making threats," hissed Sinotaph, "I'm winning this battle right now."
Sinotaph was tailing Tyson like crazy, pulling back every few seconds before slamming against Dragoon like crazy. His mummy bit-beast suddenly lurched forward, rolls of paper streaming up out of the center of his beyblade.
"Dragoon, dodge him!"
Dragoon moved to the side, and the rolls followed his blade with every intention to wrap it up. Sinotaph's blade was moving more quickly and with more ease than ever.
"Just give it up, Tyson. You may have won the last World Tournament, but now that we're competing, you don't stand a chance." Sinotaph sneered.
"Keep your head in it boy!" Grandpa yelled from behind, "Don't let him taunt you like that! It's just a game!"
"No…it's more than that now!" Tyson's face twisted angrily and his fist came up, "DRAGOON ATTACK!"
A ball of light blue appeared spinning fast above Tyson's blade and Dragoon appeared, roaring with anxiety at finally being able to fly free. Winds picked up around the edge of the stadium as Tyson's Storm attack kicked into action.
"Yeah! Now you're mummy's toast!" Tyson replied a little more confidently.
"I don't think so. Look for yourself."
Tyson gazed forward resentfully and saw that although his storm was fully up and blowing, it had no affect whatsoever on Sinotaph's mummy.
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He's not here. Where is he? If he doesn't show up, they'll have to forfeit the battle!
Mariah, instead of watching Tyson's battle with Sinotaph, was scanning the rest of the building for any sign of Ray. She needed to talk to him.
He can't be far and he's never missed a match. Even the last time he was this late, he still arrived at the end of the battle and Tyson's near done. Yet, there seems to be no sign of him.
She put the binoculars down and stuffed them into Kevin's hands,
"Here you go."
She got up and stumbled over Gary and Lee.
"Where are you going?" Lee tore his eyes away from the match to puzzle at her sudden flight.
"I have to go see something. I'll be back in a little while."
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"Don't give up, Tyson! You can do this!" Kira yelled.
"Yeah, if he concentrates-hey, where are you going?"
Mobekai hadn't been watching the match either. He'd been watching Mariah the whole time and noticed that she had mysteriously decided to leave the beystadium.
"Mobekai?"
"Just a moment. Hold this," he placed a tightly wrapped bundle in Danika's arms.
He squeezed past them and ran down the stadium steps two at a time. He ran through the section barriers and sprinted down the halls surrounding the stadium before he came upon the entrance sign.
He pirouetted around the corner and came face to face with the widest open section overlooking the stadium below.
And just stepping off the last step and turning the corner was Mariah.
"Mariah!"
Her eyes opened wide in surprise, but she turned away and pretended to not have seen him.
"Mariah, I need to speak to you. Please turn and face me!" Mobekai grabbed her arm.
"Please, Mobekai. Not now."
"Yes, Mariah, I need to know what's going on between us. You can't possibly think you can get Ray to like you by telling him you have loved him for two years." Mobekai spat bitterly.
Mariah's arm tensed,
"Since I have only known you for four days, Mobekai, can you please stop pretending you know so much about me?"
Ouch. That hurt so much. Mobekai let his arm drop in sorrow. Her words had sunk in deep and she knew it,
"Look, Mobekai, I like you and I'm willing to make it more, but I don't want to let go of someone I've valued for a long time. I just need time to sort everything out."
"I'm not going to be your backup plan, Mariah. Or your second choice. I don't want you to become my girlfriend if you're still in love with Ray. Either you're willing to go all the way…or you're not."
"And that's why I need time to figure out who I love more. I'm not going to see whether Ray will give me a chance and if he doesn't, I'll go for you. I just want to see if I have a chance with him, because if I never tell him, I'll never know."
"You're still in love with him, Mariah. You'll never forget it. How can you love me and him at the same time? I don't want you to see if you have a chance with him. I want you to give me a chance. I want to be your first choice. I don't even want to hear about how you fell in love with Ray in the first place."
Mariah stared, her eyes shining more brilliantly at the emotions that had emanated in his words.
"I love you, Mobekai. You've been nothing but wonderful and lovely to me. But I need time. Time to either let go of my recent crush or to decide whether I should really let you in my life…and I'll tell you my decision when the time comes. I won't be forced to make a decision."
Mobekai didn't respond. Cheers erupted from the adjacent stadium.
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Colby thought at first that she was dreaming when she saw the white hare, but as she reached out to touch it, she could feel the soft fur in her hands and feel the resonance of the ground shaking as it stamped it's foot importantly. It was so pretty.
She saw white tremor lines expand from the heart of the rabbit and as they disappeared beyond her sight, the scene began to darken.
She wrenched opened her eyes, her hands straight in the air above her, grasping something the normal eye couldn't see.
She was no longer hot. She reached up and felt her throat and it did not hurt at her touch. Somehow, someway, she was no longer sick. She was sure it was because of the medicine and the rest, but as she closed her eyes peacefully again, she could see the rabbit reappear in her minds eye, more 3D and real looking than ever before. It winked at her before hopping across the open snowy expanse. It had cured her. She…she knew it sounded weird and she spoke it clearly aloud just to make definite sure. When she spoke, her voice was no longer hoarse and choppy, but perfectly clear,
"The white hare cured me. The symbol of medicine and health-it cured me."
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"This battle is just beginning to unwind, so prepare yourself for defeat!" Sinotaph declared.
"Never! I'll never lose here! Not against you, you paper freak!" Tyson's confidence wavered and he called Dragoon to just keep attacking Sinotaph by direct blows.
Sinotaph began to laugh and squeezed out in his always hoarse voice,
"You're not dealing damage at all. You can always hit paper, but unless you stab it, it won't break …and you can't stab my mummy unless you have arrows or a sword somewhere in those dragon scales of yours."
"Tyson!" He turned and saw Kai had stepped forward, actually willing to give advice, "Remember the alleyway in Europe when we first met Sinotaph?"
"Yeah…" Tyson wondered what that had to do with anything.
"Think, Tyson. Think about it."
Tyson turned back and took in the two blades spinning furiously against each other, the determination of each blader never wading in confidence, the roaring winds of Tyson's phantom hurricane attack and the dreadful looking mummy locked in battle with Tyson's ever loyal Dragoon.
That's right…When the four of them…Max, Kenny, Ray and himself had met Sinotaph he'd defeated each of their blades slowly until Kai came along. He'd twisted through all the stair spirals and boxes so that the mummy wraps were so tangled up, the blade could no longer move at all and his mummy was defeated.
"Okay, Dragoon, listen up!" Tyson yelled, fists clenched again in victorious determination, "We're going to 'wrap' this battle up a bit!"
Tyson willed Dragoon to flee from Sinotaph and just like Tyson predicted, the mummy followed. He willed Dragoon to start fleeing in and out of his storm attack, barely brushing the edge of the stadium.
"A figure eight, Dragoon! Now do a star formation!"
"What do you think you're doing!?" Sinotaph roared, but Tyson was pleased to hear a little bit of frustration, "You're only wearing down your blade more than is necessary!"
"Wrong again, Sinotaph, this blade is all under 'wraps' and I think I've just won. Have a look!"
Sinotaph glanced briefly down at the stadium and gasped in disbelief. His mummy had completely tangled himself around the base of his blade chip and it fell after the base of the blade hit the mummy wraps and tripped.
"No! It can't be!" Sinotaph cried.
He straightened and a weird grin spread across his lined face,
"Very well then. You've managed to keep your skills. But we'll improve and you'll be facing us again after we defeat the beginners. You haven't seen the last of us, Tyson."
"Very well then. And when we meet you again, we'll be ready for it."
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Shoot! I'm late! I'm so stinking late!
Ray ran across an open expanse of grass toward the Beyblade stadium. Above the stadium was a large, digitally flat screen showing the match inside. It was surrounded by digital speakers.
Ray had stayed for something to eat, but traffic had slowed his taxi and he was dropped off three blocks from where he was supposed to have been so he could run the rest of the way.
He could see Tyson, Max, and the chief cheering briefly on the digital screen. Kai, of course, was sulking in the corner. But after a few minutes, looks of worry came upon their faces and Jazzy announced to the crowd,
"After a stunning victory out of Tyson from the defending champs, the Bladebreakers, they are left without their second battler, Ray. If he doesn't show up within the next ten minutes, they will have to find a replacement Beyblader."
Ray could already see Kenny starting to talk Max into strategies, preparing to take his place.
He ran harder, watching the screen so intently that he did not see the person in front of him until it was too late. He ran into someone, hitting his forehead hard and knocking both of them to the ground.
She had obviously not been paying attention either, rubbing her head and looking up to see who had run into her. He felt even worse when he saw who it was,
"Oh Mariah! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you and I was in a hurry-"
He helped her up, madly red with embarrassment.
"It's okay. I understand."
"I better get going." He made to leave again, but she grabbed his arm and he turned, a little surprised,
"No, Ray. I need to talk to you."
He looked up at the screen and then back to her in astonishment,
"Now? Mariah, I have ten minutes; they're counting on me…"
"It's important," she pleaded.
He saw the urgency and frustration etched in her face, but he also could see the worry in his teammates face,
"This can't wait until after the match?"
"How come we never talk much like we used to, Ray?"
All right, that's a good subject.
He sighed and gestured to the stadium
"Okay, how about if we take a walk then while we talk?"
She walked with him and after a few minutes of careful thought muttered,
"Things have changed, Ray. We're not the close friends I thought we were."
"We are good friends, Mariah. And we do talk, but-"
"But because you're on a separate team it's a lot harder to do it as often as we used to. But being on separate teams has also created a large rift. I don't think I know you anymore. I can never confide in you because you're never around."
Ray remembered seeing Mariah and Mobekai in the garden, still a little bitter about being left in the dark,
"You can always confide in me, Mariah, because I know everything about you. I always have, because we grew up together. But I think sometimes you just don't want to confide in me. I'm not the only one keeping secrets now."
"I'll tell you everything if you want, but I can't confide everything to you. We're not schoolchildren or neighbors anymore, Ray. And I don't think you know me as well as you think you do or you'd know that I keep secrets because I'm afraid to tell you."
"Ray's got only two minutes left or it looks like Max will step into the stadium."
It had gone so quiet between them, that he could hear Jazzy's voice echoing above him on the digital screen. The reality of the match suddenly appeared in his mind,
"Mariah, I want to talk to you some more about this, but I've got to get to the match or I'll never get to battle."
"It's always later, isn't it?"
Why do girls always have to be so dramatic about everything?
Ray stopped walking right outside the stadium entrance,
"Look, Mariah, I can't do that much about how often we communicate. We just need to start working on it, more. I'm sorry if I'm not doing as good of a job as you think I should and if I can change anything, I will."
"Come back to the White Tigers, Ray," Mariah pleaded.
"We've been through this before, Mariah. Please don't bring it up again. I'll always be your close friend. You know that."
"But Ray, would you ever-I mean, would you ever want to be something…more?"
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Final Note:
AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh! I know, kill me, drown me, throw me off a cliff: it's inevitable you will all hate me for ending it there…or you might like it. I guess everything is open for speculation now!
