At 15 Microsoft Word Pages, this is my longest chapter yet. Cool! ;) You deserve it.
Cool Quote:
"Look! All the people look like ants from up here!"
"That's because they ARE ants, Max. You're looking at the floor of the balcony."
-Kenny and Max in Showdown in Hong Kong
Bold Letters still indicate Songs.
Italics still indicate thoughts.
Authors Note/Disclaimer (needed):
~~ Originally, I WAS going to have Ray pin Mobekai against the wall and slug him, as a lot of people had hoped I was going to do. But I wanted to keep the shy, confident, cool part that makes Ray so attractive. Lmso: so Ray will start to more "freely" express his rage. Mobekai will piss him off after a while anyway. And then the "friendly patting parties" will begin. Boy, I'd kinda like to see Ray punch Mobekai…and vice versa. *enter evil laugh*
~~ The money equivalency is all guess/pretense. I'm too lazy to do math. I loathe the subject.
~~ If you haven't noticed, it's night-time in Ireland, whereas it's very early morning in Austria. Which is REALLY REALLY stupid, as the only time difference, in reality, is probably a couple of hours. Oops.
~~ Mrs. Llewellyn is really a "miss" because she is only engaged to David, the Superior's current sponsor, but I've been using "Mrs." because it sounds better.
~~ I saw Ray talking with his sensei early on when I was kind of new to the series and assumed he was talking to a grandfather. Though he doesn't exist in the series, there is no proof that Ray DOESN'T have a grandfather, so I will continue with the idea that he does.
~~ Also, I had a right to believe Tala was the captain of the Demolition Boys. To my extreme protest, because he is the tiniest looking piece of crap I've seen, Ian is actually the captain. Well, he's not crap, but I sure think Tala would be a much better leader. So, for the sake of not screwing this story up, Tala will also continue to be the captain of the Demolition Boys.
~~ I seriously don't blame you if you've kind of lost interest in this story. It's my fault for not updating more often. I was doing okay until school started. I'll be out in a month and a half…but then I'm supposed to work full-time. I'll continue to try as best I can.
Watch This 25
Chapter 25: Confrontation
*~*~*
"Would you like my jacket?" Enrique pulled his jacket off and gracefully wrapped it around Alexandra's shoulders.
"Thank you," she kissed him lightly on the cheek, "You're cold too."
"I can handle it," he winked at her.
"I have an idea! Let's go to one of the shops and look around for some…"
"Ahhhh….a shopping spree!" came an extremely sarcastic high pitched voice, "How I LOVE shopping sprees!"
"Excuse me," Alexandra's eyes narrowed and her voice became gravely icy, "That is very rude."
Johnny lightly slapped Enrique's cheeks and grimaced,
"My dear, dear, Enrique…..how I pity you."
"Finally!" Oliver exclaimed, "We've been looking all over town for you!"
"We need to get supper and head for the boat immediately." Robert pulled Enrique away from Alexandra, "And no, she can't come with you."
Enrique spun around, "Will I see you in Amsterdam then?"
"Actually, I was thinking of taking a plane back to France. But I will call you every day. And I will see you at the finals."
"Good!" He leaned in and kissed her passionately, rubbing his hands up and down her back to create warmth through the friction.
Oliver coughed. Johnny cracked his knuckles. Finally, Robert reached over and, grabbing Enrique by the neck collar, pulled away the entangled couple.
"Let's go." Robert commanded.
*~*~*
Ray ran down the terminal sidewalk as far as he could before signaling a taxi. One pulled up rather quickly and the man reached back to push open the door, but Ray was quicker.
"Ho!" The driver politely greeted, holding up a hand and viewing him from the main mirror. He had a mustache and a heavy accent, "My name's Jon. What can I do for---"
"Post Office. And I'll pay you double if you can get there in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?!" Jon turned around, "Kid, you've got to be kidding me. It's a thirty minute drive."
"Triple the amount then."
"You're in a big rush then."
"My airline leaves in fifteen minutes."
"You're screwed, then. I can try to make it in ten, but there's still the return trip."
"Please just get me there as fast as you can." Ray reached up and placed Ұ50 on the passengers seat.
"Ha!" the man laughed heartily, "That's only €17 euros. You're going to have to give me a little more than that."
"The rest of my money is packed up. Is there any way I can owe you?"
"Not if you're about to take an airline out of here. Get out of my cab, kid."
Ray got out quickly and pushing a bunch of people out of the way, managed to find a fire escape near the last terminal. He climbed slowly and stealthily up, hoping his legs were long enough and fast enough to maneuver him to the top of the post office. Even as he climbed though, his heart sank to the bottom of his chest in slow recognition that not even a mini jet could save his actions now.
He would surely miss the flight.
*~*~*
"Then it'll be all the greater when we finally hand it to Tai-Ken…" Mobekai defended.
Ms. Llewellyn had only passed 5 meters in front of the Indian team and stopped immediately in her tracks. A passerby would have thought she'd been out in the cold too long, the way her face colored and her eyes widened.
She continued to walk down the terminal, but she was no longer looking for Ray. She reached the nearest pay phone and began dialing the number. Trish passed her by a couple of minutes later, her eyes alert and her head held high. Was she also looking for Ray? And why?
"Hello?" His deep and calm voice answered.
"Hmm? Oh! Hey, it's me."
"Rochelle? Is there something wrong?"
"David, I--------"
Trish had broken into a fast jog, glancing up every few seconds. Rochelle glanced up but a jutting ledge separating the pay phones and bathrooms obscured her view of the roof. Trish must have spotted Ray, but Rochelle still could not see any sign of the raven-haired boy. And then she remembered:
"I jumped!"
"Huh?" her eyes sparkled, "Jumped where, hun?"
"I jumped, from brick to brick! It's fun! I can go far, too! And fast! Just like Lee and Mariah! Watch this!"
"Rochelle?" Came the voice. Rochelle's eyes unfocused from the wall in front of her,
"I'm here."
She found Trish and kept a close watch on her as her fast jog turned into a sprint. She soon lost sight of the girl's distinguishable red hair.
"I think the Wild Cheetahs know something about Tai that I haven't discovered yet, David."
*~*~*
"The Wild Cheetahs?" David leaned closer against the phone piece and burrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement.
"An ambiguous group from India." Came the muffled voice.
"You don't suppose he might have gone back and gathered a group of amateur bladers, do you?"
"Heavens no. These kids have got some skill. Tai-Ken knows he's got to get far in this tournament."
"So then you think he's in group B?"
"No. The Wild Cheetahs haven't been accompanied by anyone since I met them in Milan. That's why I called you. I think he's hiding out over there with Group A."
"All right. I'll be on the lookout. How is everything else going?"
"Good. After I accompany the Bladebreakers to Germany, I'm taking a train over to Amsterdam. I'll meet you tomorrow for dinner."
"Can't Wait. We're about to eat dinner now ourselves."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He hung up, brushing aside his momentary puzzlement and anxiety.
"What was that all about?" David turned around and saw Renlee staring at him curiously.
"Nothing; Rochelle was just calling to see how everything was going."
"I thought Rochelle was with the Bladebreakers."
"She is."
"Then why did you mention the Wild Cheetahs?"
"Oh. Do you know who they are?" David asked interestedly.
Renlee ignored him and asked yet another question,
"Who is Tai-Ken?"
"An evil man," David replied quite abruptly, "Sooo…what's on the menu?"
Renlee had opened her mouth to ask another question, but shut it slowly. Maybe she had asked enough questions. David's tone had implied that he was no longer open for discussion about his personal conversations.
Renlee did know who the Wild Cheetahs were. She lived with Danika and Mobekai in Bangladesh. Her family moved three years ago to London and she slowly lost touch. When the European tournament did present an opportunity to go back to India, she was never able to find her friends. She had met Rochelle while she was in Bangladesh and was therefore introduced to the Superiors. Renlee joined, but only on the terms that she could be captain.
"Hamburgers! How I love….Ummf! Hamburgers! An English Specialty!" Brittney scarfed down the poor beef in her hands before helping herself to another in the small buffet sit-down on the wharf.
"You'll get fat!" Annelise looked on in horror.
"Well, good. You could do with some then. You'll die from starvation, I'll bet anything," she pushed a plate of burgers to her friend. Annelise pulled a face and shook her head, slowly pushing the plate to the side,
"Some poor cow died because of all this wasted meat."
"Yernotterninintoveggive, raewe?" Tehran gobbled, spitting out pieces of pork. Annelise stared in horror as a few flecks fell in her milk.
"What?!" Brittany asked.
Tehran swallowed,
"You're not turning into a vegetarian, are you?"
"No. But I think I'll be needing some more liquid," Annelise got up and climbed over Tehran in the booth.
Will gladly took a couple of burgers as Brittney passed the plate. He did not eat them however. He squashed them into his plate and picked it apart until only beef covered his plate. Then he did the same with his bread buns and mixed them together with a spoon.
"You're strange." Renlee whispered, watching his actions.
"Cool," was Will's reply.
*~*~*
"Have you found him?" Kenny asked, meeting Mrs. Llewellyn halfway. He was frantically pacing around his friends while Dizzi began to list numbers concerning Ray.
"And it's only .5 percent that he'll even return without having accomplished what he was supposed to do."
Kenny stopped, eyes wide.
"I think we get the point, Dizzi," Max frowned.
"Don't look at me! I'm just the innocent bit-beast trapped inside the multi-functional computer that loves to do Kenny's bidding."
"So did you find him or not?" Tyson exclaimed exasperatingly
"Don't worry about Ray," Ms. Llewellyn sat down in one of the chairs, "He'll find a way to reach Munich."
"Don't you think he'd tell us if he had something important to do? What if he needs our help?" Max questioned.
"He already has help," Ms. Llewellyn answered curtly, "Trish sprinted by me about two minutes ago. I suppose she had something to take up with him."
"That can't be good then," Kai snorted, "Wherever Trish goes, trouble follows."
"Oh, shut-up you old grump," Tyson's eyes shut halfway in annoyance, "Trouble follows you just as easily."
"Be quiet, both of you!" Hilary rolled her eyes, "Let's just book a later flight. I want to help Ray, but I can't if I don't have any idea where the heck he's heading."
"And the only way out of this country is right here. So eventually he's bound to come back here," Max picked up on the idea, "That sounds okay by me."
"Same here," Tyson yawned.
"We'll be cutting time VERY closely," Kenny began to sweat again, "Remember, if we arrive late at our destination-without our full team-we'll be disqualified. Ray better have a very good excuse for--"
"Chill chief!" Tyson stretched, "The judges wouldn't disqualify ME! US! We're the world champions!"
Mrs. Llewellyn, who had been watching the whole scene with interest, suddenly smiled knowingly.
"And we're back to the ego thing…" Hilary rolled her eyes.
"I'd also rather be with Austrian speaking people than German speaking people," Tyson began to fumble in his pockets.
"What the heck does THAT have to do with anything?" Hilary asked.
Tyson pulled out some exchange and grinned, "You can't barter for food with non-English speaking people."
"You've already had breakfast," said Max impatiently, "Don't waste your money."
"Nah. That was an early morning snack. Where'd that newspaper stand go? I thought I saw some doughnuts…"
*~*~*
"What a smorgasbord!" Spencer looked around hungrily at the buffet.
Ian, however, pulled a face,
"What a dump."
The open restaurant faced the wharf. To the left were several plastic tables and for centerpieces, cheap vases were decorated with daisies and tulips. To the right were two long tables, with poles dividing the lines of people slowly moving down the entrees. And in the back, at the end of the line, were employees operating cash registers. The right wall was decorated with beautiful antique linens and drapes, while the left side, nearest the tables, stood near a brake in the pier and Austrian glazed glass gave the restaurant a beautiful touch.
Tala crossed the room in five strides and grabbed a plate,
"This'll do fine."
Brian glanced around once before following. Before he could follow behind Tala, though, an old man, a little girl, and a married couple came from the fountain drink area, which was behind the food tables.
Spencer pushed his way past everyone and knocked the old man out of the line so he could stand next to Tala.
"Get out of the way gramps."
A cane came out of nowhere and whacked Spencer on the head.
"I'll go where I want to young squirt." The old man turned around angrily. "Now get behind me, or I'll get the owner."
Spencer rubbed his head resentfully, but rightly took his place with Brian and Ian at the back of the line. The latter two could not stop smirking at Spencer's rather noticable bruise.
Ian then stepped out of line without a word and moved to grab an empty table near one of the windows. It was right behind the one the Superiors were seated at. He stole a smirking glance at Renlee, who was rather attractive. She stared viciously back at the opposing teammate.
Tala jerked his head around at the others when he reached the soup section, but was momentarily distracted by a pair of very familiar brown eyes and blonde hair. She was ordering milk from the fountain drink stand and as she waited, drummed her fingers on the counter. 123…45…123…Yes. Tala remembered. She'd done that often, quite unconsciencely.
"Look, kid, are you going to move?" The married man behind him demanded.
Tala's gaze shifted. He glared for a moment at the moody man,
"I'll move when I want to, stiff."
"Is that all for you?"
Tala nodded and handed the servicewoman fifty euros.
"Thank you!" Bling! The cash register popped open and the next thing Tala knew he was moving across the store without so much as a speck of desire to turn back and see Annelise again. Was this how he'd felt when she'd left Russia? His mind was telling him that there could be no doubt, but his heart was saying he'd never ached to see her so badly than he had. He wanted to believe his conscience, but his heart had never yet failed him. He turned around to glance at her one more time. The moment of distraction was all that was needed for him to crash into someone.
*~*~*
Ray jumped across the last building and crossed the building length in two strides. He slid down the pipeline quite easily and did not waste a moment to cut quickly across the road. He rolled across a taxi front as it came speeding through the intersection. Slamming harshly on the brakes, the driver proceeded to shout many unclean profanities at the foreign chinese boy. Ray rolled off the car and held up his hands,
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He yelled, pushed through the Post doors quickly and slid Trish's I.D. forward,
"This girl came in a couple days ago and ordered a package to be delivered. Do you mind if I might see it?"
The man looked skeptical,
"Sorry kid, I can't give you anything unless I have a note from the lady."
"She gave me this I.D.!" Ray huffed breathlessly. Then, taking a deep breath,
"I swear I won't touch a single thing in this package. I just need to see if there is something in there that I think she might have stolen from me."
The man hesitated once again.
"Please." Ray begged in a small voice, "It's dire."
"It'd be a federal offense if you did take anything," the man warned, "but…I suppose if it involves a federal crime I wouldn't be doing anything wrong. If you can give me valid identification that anything in this package belongs to you, I'll let you take it out of here. Otherwise…"
"I completely understand," Ray nodded fervently.
The man turned a light on in one of the back rooms. Ray heard the sound of a ladder being propped up and the sound of tissue paper. A humming buzz came from the newly refreshed printers and copier machines.
The man came back out very quickly, holding a stamped package. And right in the middle of the package was a very familiar shaped lump,
"I'll give you five minutes, kid."
*~*~*
Tala's head was pounding as he tried to sit up on the floor of the restaurant. He was hot. He could feel the blood rushing to his head. He reached up and felt blood trickling down the side of his skull. He wondered what could've been strong enough to make him bleed and looked up. Tehran, from the Superiors, had been carrying a plate in front of him. His hands were cut up and the plate was smashed into pieces on the floor. For a moment, it seemed almost as if they were a side show. Everyone stared. Brittney, instinctively, grabbed hold of Tehran's neckline and leaned over his shoulder to make sure he was all right.
Three custodians picked up the two boys and quickly set to work cleaning the mess. The two managers then met the boys,
"We apologize sincerely for this mistake. You'll be taken into the back and cleaned up."
The noise in the room gradually rose. The sound of the cash register was quite audible again and the accident between the two boys was no longer of any concern except for a few.
"Great," Tehran held out his hands, "Guess I won't be able to get any more beef."
"I'm fine," Tala wiped some of the blood away trickling down his forehead.
"You're bleeding," Renlee stared.
"I know," Tala snapped, "I'm fine."
"Sir, we apologize…we sincerely--" the other manager stuttered.
"Just get rid of the glass then," Tala shrugged indifferently. He brushed past the managers quickly and sat down across from Ian, nearest the window. However, there was the occasional person that stared at him, even from his secluded position. It was not hard to miss the bleeding forehead.
"I hate business."
Ian watched him,
"I told you this place was a dump."
Tala, remembering suddenly what had distracted him in the first place, turned to see if he could find Annelise. She was seating herself at the Superior table, where Tehran had also appeared, with a white bandage wrapped around his hand.
"You sure you don't need anything for that?" Spencer sat down next to him. Brian sat wordlessly across from him and stared at Tala for a reaction.
"No," Tala began to eat, "It'll clot anyway. Bandages are for weaklings."
*~*~*
Ray's hands trembled as he took the package and slit it open. He could feel the edge of the attack ring under the manilla envelope. He reached into the envelope and gripped the edge of a beyblade. He pulled it out slowly and saw first the black, the gray and then the white.
It was Driger.
Extreme relief clouted his face as he saw the familiar figure of his White Tiger shining off the top of the blade. Relief soon gave way to grief that he had once again let it slip through his hands and then anger. Mobekai had taken it. Trish had found it. And she was shipping it to someone. She was shipping his blade to someone all for the sake of gain.
His fists clenched and unclenched. Why? WHY?! Someone was trying to hurt him. Someone kept trying to make sure that Ray did not make it much farther into the competition. Who was she going to ship it to?
He opened the packet wider and scanned the typed letter. At the very bottom, two names stood out,
To: Zen Tai-Ken
Boris/Voltaire
Ireland Airways Express #245890-3 day shipping
It couldn't be!
Boris and Voltaire working with Tai-Ken?!
Trish working for Tai-Ken and Boris…and Voltaire?!
He did not hear the bell ring.
"Okay kid, your times up."
Ray looked up and saw the manager looking quite annoyed that he had allowed this "boy" to ruffle through someone's mail.
"What've you got there?" the manager sealed the packet tightly, eyeing the blade in Ray's hand.
"It's the possession I was looking for. My name is Kon Rei and I'm a member of the World Champion Beyblading team, the Bladebreakers. This is my blade, Driger. It was stolen from me."
"No, was it really?" the manager asked sarcastically, not in the least bit interested.
"You had no right to go through my mail!"
Ray's head whipped around. Trish, red, huffed as she stepped out of the light entering the doorway,
"Where's my license?" Trish demanded.
Ray, in disgust, handed it over.
"Is this your package?" The manager asked.
"Yes, it is. My name is Trish."
"Trish---" He asked with a long implication, obviously wanting a last name.
She hesitated.
"I have it under Granger."
"What is up with you and not being able to ever reveal your last name?" Ray looked at her, half in pleasant wonder and half with revolting disgust, "And what are you doing with my beyblade?"
"I had no idea it was in there."
"Sure, you didn't---"
"I didn't! I lost the envelope the day I shipped it. Mobekai must've slipped it in there."
"How did Mobekai get a hold of my blade?" Ray demanded, becoming ever more the impatient, "Trish, if you don't give me a straight answer, I'm going to the BBA judges to demand your expulsion."
"I don't know!" she raised her arms hysterically.
"Excuse me." The irritating manager walked right up to their faces and turned to stare at Trish, "Is this man bugging you?"
"Er---no. Well, he is, but he has permission to be like this."
"Permission?!" Ray guffawed crisply, "Oh, c'mon. I have every right to get mad at you!"
"Does he have your proper authority to take his…blade…from your shipping order?"
"He did. It is his. But he had no right to look at anything else in that manilla envelope."
"If you'll wait a moment, I'll call the police ma'am. It's a federal offense."
"No! I'm not pressing charges!"
Then, in a lower voice, Trish asked Ray a seemingly very important question,
"Did you---did you see anything else in the envelope?"
Ray stood in silence, baffled by the sudden change in topic. Yes, he had Driger back and safe in his own possession. No, he had yet to figure out what Trish and Mobekai and Tai-Ken and Boris and Voltaire and just about every other person in the world seemed to want him or his blade. And yes, he had definitely seen Trish's connections. It was a hard choice. He looked around at the manager, who had his hand outstretched and concretely ready to dial the police. And Trish was begging in his ear for him to admit that he hadn't seen what she wanted to keep a dirty little secret.
"Yes."
"What?!" She asked, purely a reaction first of shock and then of disbelief. Ray's eyes seemed to bear into her very soul, searching for a reason, or at least an explanation,
"Voltaire…and Boris? You're working for them?" The disgust showed on his face. He could never forget the first World Championship.
Her head jerked back slowly, her mouth slowly dropping in disbelief.
"You….but….you can't…"
"Why? I don't get it, Trish. Why have you done this to me? What do you want with me?"
The man had set the phone down and was now trying to listen in.
"Thank you very much," Trish snapped briefly at him, "Please just deliver the package as was earlier assigned."
"What about---?"
"I'm not pressing charges," Trish stated firmly, crisply. She dug her nails hard into Ray's arm and pulled him outside.
"Ouch! What the heck--? Are you trying to murder me now?"
"Shut-up," Trish snapped again, "I'll tell you what you want to know. Nothing more. Yes, I'm working for Boris and Voltaire. I'm one of the best they have. My mission is not you, however. Someone else has their eye on you. I'm here for something else. That's the only reason I'd be helping you."
Ray frowned,
"Is it Kai? Are you still trying to hurt him?"
"I'm not answering any more questions!" Trish yelled.
Ray glared miserably,
"Boris and Voltaire are bad news. They'll drop you cold the first chance they'll get. Quit messing around with them, Trish."
"I'm not going to beg to Voltaire to stop paying me because you don't think I should trust him. What, are you daft? I need the money. I know who to depend on. You seriously think I should try and trust Kai? How many times has he screwed you over, Ray?"
Ray's mouth dropped, but no sound came out of his mouth. He didn't know what to say.
"Know this now, Ray," Trish drawled, "I'm not your playmate. I'm not your friend. I'm your enemy. My job is to bring you down. Don't trust me. You want to talk about dropping someone the first chance they can get? Voltaire should be scared of me. I work for me…and for me alone."
"I have no choice then. I'll tell whoever I can about you. I must. To warn them," Ray stuttered.
"Do what you want. What do I care?"
"You just did a few minutes ago."
"I changed my mind okay?" She shouted suddenly, "Bastard! Tell em all to go screw themselves, for all I care!"
Ray stared at her,
"I pity you."
"Save it for someone who cares. Oh, and Ray? Watch your back. I promise I won't mess up next time."
*~*~*
"All boarding for the ship to Amsterdam has begun. Please make your way through the ticket line single file. Have your passports out and ready to be checked. Only two suitcases are allowed per person and should pass the minimum weight. Rooms are posted on all sides of the entry ramp."
"I hate boats," Will stated, narrowly surveying the people already on board the deck, "I hate people that like boats."
"That's nice," Renlee replied absently, looking at a brochure.
"Nice bling-bling, man…" Tehran ran his fingers along the gold-framed entry ramp.
"Oh look!" Brittney pointed to one of the many sheets lining the walls as they made their way up, "There's us. We're in Room 256."
"No. We're in Room 257," Annelise pointed out another room with their names on it as well.
"We're in two separate rooms?"
"They must only accommodate 2-3 people per room. I guess it makes sense to split us. We'll be next to each other, I suppose," Renlee shrugged, regarding the rooms with caution.
"There's so many sheets…I wonder who else is going to be on board?" Annelise wondered.
"All of the beybladers, that's for sure." Will stated in an obvious, "well, duh!" tone.
When they reached the top of the ramp and had their passports and luggage checked and taken away, they took a few steps down and finally set foot on the steer of the boat. David walked up behind them and pulled his sunglasses down as they pulled farther away from the pier.
"I like cruise ships…" Tehran continued to drool over their mode of transportation.
"Ugh…" Will pulled a face, "Don't worry about me. I'll be in my room for the next two days."
"And miss out on everything?" Brittney wondered.
"I've seen enough blue to last me a lifetime. I highly doubt I'd be missing anything anywhere else on board."
"Hmmm." Brittney shrugged, "Suit yourself."
"I think I will. Let's go find these rooms." Will led the way for a couple of minutes as they climbed the steps down into the ship. Then, when he realized that they were all following him like subordinates, he stopped and proceeded to let David and Renlee walk ahead.
"The cribs are nice…" Renlee entered 256 and set her stuff down. She laid down on the bed and sighed heavily, "Oh, this feels nice."
"I'm going to welcome our neighbors," Tehran said sarcastically and walked across to Room 255. He knocked loudly on the door and waited. A girl's face appeared at the door.
She had blue hair and amazingly bright green eyes, which widened instantly in recognition,
"Hey, I know you! You're the guy that tried to hit on me at that restaurant. What do you want?"
Tehran stared in disbelief, before finding his voice. He blushed,
"Sorry. I tend to do that a lot."
"What do I care?!" She brushed a hand through her ponytail, "I get it all the time. So, you made it this far in the competition? Impressive." Her voice, however, lacked interest and didn't hide well the disgust that she was actually seeing him.
"You're a beyblader?" Tehran asked cautiously.
"Of course! What, you thought I just liked the scenery of hanging out in a nasty restaurant like that? I was checking out the competition."
Tehran laughed chortingly,
"I'm glad our team is so renowned. My name is Tehran." He introduced formally, offering his hand.
"Oh. All right," she looked a little unsure as to whether she should formally introduce herself, but finally receiving his protruding hand,
"The names Miriam. I'm a member of the Saint Shields." Her face contorted into a pleasant smile, unlike the former scowl she had first greeted him with.
*~*~*
Trish appeared at the airport about the same time Ray did. She probably had seen him, but did not even chance a glance in his direction. Instead, she went to the information desk and began to order a short flight out of Austria.
"Ray! Where did you go?" Tyson bounded upon the Chinese boy as soon as he appeared. Kai scowled,
"This better be good."
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't leave without this…" Ray held up Driger in his palm to show the others.
"You found it!" Max came up behind Tyson's shoulder, "That's great! Where was it?"
Ray hesitated. Should he say anything? He looked around at his anxious teammate's faces and shook his head briefly. I will tell them later.
"I just---I just heard…I heard from a little birdie that it was about to be shipped. So I went to the Post Office. I'm sorry. I thought maybe I could make it in time,…or I would have offered an explanation first for my urgent disappearance."
"I'll say!" Kenny exclaimed, "We were sick with worry that you might not make the flight!"
"But---" Ray looked up at the clock, "We did--I did miss the flight. It left an hour ago!"
"We're taking another flight out in 20 minutes!" Max explained, "You see, we traded our tickets in for a later flight. We were getting worried you would miss this one as well."
"Isn't this wonderful?" Hilary clapped her hands together happily, "I told you we didn't have to worry at all."
"You didn't say that," Tyson's said through clenched teeth.
"I did too."
"Open." He scooped up some rice and thrust it right into her face.
"What?!" Hilary's face contorted with puzzlement. As she opened her mouth to speak, he thrust it into her mouth.
"Good?" He asked.
She nodded, a little pink. However, Tyson couldn't tell whether it was because he'd stuffed too much into her mouth or because of embarrassment.
"I think Tyson's lost it," Max laughed, watching their interaction.
She swallowed,
"What was that for?"
"I don't know. It's kind of fun…" Tyson grinned widely, "I'll play the mommy and you play the baby."
"Har--har…" Hilary rolled her eyes, "Like last time…you did a great job hurting the baby too, mommy."
"I am the dictator and you are the meek servant," Tyson smirked with laughter, "Bow down!"
Hilary smacked him in the back,
"Would you like to switch rules? I'll be the dictator and you…will be my lunch."
"You know," Tyson frowned, now that his fun had been popped, "I also did it to shut you up."
"Now that actually makes sense, no matter how officially offended I am," Hilary folded her arms primly.
"Did the Wild Cheetahs leave without Trish?" Kenny asked, noticing the lone captain buying a single ticket.
"Most likely," Ray looked away, "Don't worry. She'll find a way to get to Germany."
"Let's invite her to come up with us!" Max suggested, grinning, "It'll be fun!"
"Trish? Wanting to stay with us, the lowly Bladebreakers?" Kai questioned sarcastically.
"It's worth a try," Kenny shrugged, "You never know. She did come in with Ray. Did you get to talk with her, Ray?"
"Oh yes," Ray stiffed, "I talked with Trish."
Kai turned surprisingly and stared long and hard at Ray.
"Great! Let's go ask her, Max," Tyson stepped forward.
"I don't think so. I don't think any of you are in a position to just go walking up to Trish and invite her to travel with us to Germany," Hilary placed her hands on her hips.
Tyson frowned,
"Well, what do you suggest we, as the good gentlemen that we are,---" Hilary snorted, "---do?"
Kai had still been watching Ray's quick reactions to each comment.
"What?" Ray asked, a little sharply.
"What did she say to you?" Kai stared at him, implying that she had confided information to Ray.
"It's none of your business," Ray said quietly.
"I don't think Trish is going to want to talk to any of you. She might, however, be willing to talk to me."
"What?! Why would she want to talk to you and not us?"
"Because, first of all, we're both girls and we understand each other a lot more, and second of all, she probably won't feel as threatened if I expect her to come with us. I'll just say I need the company."
"Trish feeling threatened?" Ray snorted, "Hilary, I think once you begin to talk to Trish, you will understand that Trish doesn't feel threatened. She threatens."
"Did Trish threaten you?" Mrs. Llewellyn frowned.
"No," Ray responded immediately, masking anything that had just happened, "I'm okay really. I---like Trish."
"That makes one of us," Kai rolled his eyes.
"Well, I kind of expected that, " Hilary puffed, moving slowly away from the group, "Nothing beats rivalry like competition between opposing captains."
*~*~*
"We're in Room 258," Tala spotted his name.
"Great," Brian muttered, "I'm so ready for a little R&R."
"You better. Tonight we're practicing on deck," Ian reprimanded.
Spencer returned at that moment with their papers. They made their way through the corridors, where several students were already unpacking their belongings and passing between doors.
"Does something look strange to you?" Ian asked cautiously.
They were nearing Room 258. They could hear voices eminating from Room 255. A guy and a girl were talking. The girl was speaking,
"My teammates, Ozuma and Joseph are in Room 254. And Dunga is in 300."
The guy said something unintelligible, but the girl responded in her loud , booming voice,
"Of course I'm with Frankie! Don't you know? The BBA won't allow for co-ed teams to be rooming together, so it's been paired up, boy with boy and girl with girl. Which means some teams will be mixed."
"Wait a minute!?" the boy asked, "Does that mean that I'm in a room with Will?"
Another girl's voice spoke,
"I guess. But---who am I with? Brittney or Annelise?"
"There's a sheet down there with this part of the halls assignments. I remember that you were with Brittney, Renlee. And Annelise is with someone from another team. It starts with a T. I don't believe I've heard of her. Hold on…I'll show you."
"Gender paired rooms?" Spencer stopped in the middle of the hallway and flipped through a couple of pages. The two girls and boy talking ahead had not turned to see them standing there. Tala recognized them, though. Renlee and Tehran from the Superiors and another girl with blue hair that he did not recognize. She was the one talking so confidently. Spencer read furiously,
"Hey, but I didn't see anything about genders being….Oh. Here it is…"
"Let me see…" Brian grabbed the sheet.
"Look! There's our assignments: Brian and Ian are in Room 259. And I'm with some guy called Dunga in Room 300. And Tala, you're with…what?!" Spencer grabbed the sheet once again from Brian, "You're with Annelise."
"What?!" Tala grabbed the little sticky attachment on the page that told the Demolition Boys their room assignments. Sure enough, there was his name, sparkly shining near Annelise's.
"Haha…." Spencer began to laugh briefly, "They thought Tala was a girls name."
Ian grinned,
"Ms. Tala…"
"Shut-up!" Tala snapped angrily, "I'm going to go find a member of the BBA. I'll be back…"
He turned around and disappeared quickly in the other direction.
*~*~*
Final Note: So the Saint Shields are introduced again. Truth be told, I kinda forgot about them. Not that I don't have a good reason to forget they're there. Blech. Finally saw the picture of Mistel! And NO, that is definitely not what Mobekai looks like. The skin, actually, is pretty close, but just about two shades lighter and his hair is only a couple of shades darker than that. His hair is brown. His eyes are like a shiny brown….like gold almost. Mobekai's hair hangs in front of his eyes, but it doesn't go past his nose---that kind of long. Not super long, like Rays.
*~*~*
Lisa Oceans Potter: Tyson and Hilary's relationship is a lot like a mine field ^^ Obviously, I haven't gotten too far into romance, so I would definitely like specifics. I don't go into too much pre-meditated romance ideas because they turn up better-written spur of the moment. However, I do know, for sure, how Mariah and Ray will get together. And let's see, as for the Beta-Reader, I wouldn't mind doing it myself. I don't know anybody too personally here; you could just try asking around. Some people would rather beta-read than write. There used to be a place where beta-readers would sign up and readers could just pick and choose, but they took that down. FF.net kinda sucks now.
HimitsuKokoro: *wide eyes* Geesh! I can't believe you went back and re-read the entire fic! "I" can't even do that in one sitting and I stinking wrote it! *Lmao* I'm going to cry from happiness….
Galux Kitty: If other people don't like your long name, don't worry about it! You can call yourself whatever the heck you want to! I haven't heard anything about MSN groups getting "forked" but I guess there's nothing wrong with being too safe. As for MediaMiner…well, I've been around there and it's not too bad looking. And as much as I know it's your choice, can I tell you something? I think you have made a fantastic reputation here at FF.N and I and many others will be especially sad to see you leave if you do.
RayeBBG: The plot would be thickening. It kind of was. Now, I really just don't know where I'm headed. *sarcastically* No, but really, I have high hopes for my fic. lol. So much confidence….I try.
ShadowedWinges: lmso. You sound so enthusiastic! To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how long this is going to last-----stick around as long as you can though! Awesome!
Ice Archer Girl: Well, it's illegal to do both stealing and blackmailing. But knowing how Ray is such a goody-goody and all, I figured…what the heck? He didn't turn Mobekai in before when he'd figured it out. I'm very pleased because you were the only one that suggested something! Kudos to Ice Archer Girl! BTW, I definitely agree with you on the connection thing.
jeweljade: It's meant to throw you off for a while. If I reveal too much about Tai-Ken's relationship to Ray, I might as well blow the whole plot cover. I have some major ideas for Tyson/Hilary. They'll be the first to get together, besides the already paired Enrique/Alexandria. And I am SO happy that you agree with me on Ray/Mariah!
:)(): Well, I have no idea who you are. T.T. But that's okay, because I'm really glad you like my story that much!
Tara: You remind me of me. In a very good way. You are the person that made me decide to really start finishing up this chapter. I was just putting it off for a while. And then I got your reviews! You're so sweet! Thanks! Hehe…I never answered your question: Hilary and Tyson will be paired up at….^^ read on to find out! Bwahahaha~!
