So, I'm back again then. Hello? (Dun worry, I didn't expect any applauses… Hehe)
This chapter is gonna include some beybattles and I'm terrible at writing them. It feels like I say the same thing over and over and over… Don't flame me or something for it and if you really wanna help, you can give me some tips about writing them, okay?
And I just realized that I never told you where they are! For your information, they're in France. Or more exactly, in Paris. So now you know.
Oh, yes! My most grateful thanx to:
Bread 'N' Buttery: Thanks for reading the other fic and for correcting the errors. Your reviews is something to look forward to :)
Erin: Thanx to you too, and I'm trying improve my spelling!
Cyberlink42 and Silverninja: I'm updating as fast as I can!
Cola4eva: Here's coming some more :) And I like Laynie too.
Death-morals: Thanx for telling me about the spelling… I'm trying to improve myself on that point but it's kinda hard…
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters. I do own Laynie and her bitbeast, and the teams I'll make up for the beybattles.
Chapter Five: The White Tigers
Laynie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up in the bed. The room was quiet, except for Tyson's snorings…
She gazed at Kai's bed but it was empty so Laynie decided to get up and see where he was. But first, get dressed of course.
Laynie thought back at the little event in the elevator and rubbed her knuckles.
[You must say that he's strong after all…] She thought and winced when she rubbed a bruise. [I thought that we came along pretty well for a while. I mean, he wasn't silent all the time and I found out that he's from Russia.]
Laynie yawned when she stepped out of the bathroom. In the room, Ray was now up and dressed.
- "Morning, Laynie." He said and smiled.
- "Hello Ray. Slept well?" Laynie leaned on the doorpost and stroke the hair out of her face.
Ray grimaced. "As good as you can with Tyson near I guess." He said and glanced at the sleeping Tyson.
Laynie gave up a soft laugh and it was the first time she had laughed since she joined the Bladebreakers.
- "Where's Kai?" Ray frowned and looked around in the room like Laynie had done.
Laynie shrugged and shook her head. "No idea. Outside maybe."
Ray raised one eyebrow and seemed to be amused. "Outside six o' clock?"
- "I don't know. Go and find him if it's important." Snapped Laynie. [Stupid questions Ray.]
Ray decided to change subject. "Do you wanna make breakfast or shall we go and get some in the hotel's restaurant?"
- "Make Tyson work sometime huh? After all, he's the one to eat everything up!" replied Laynie and searched the room for her left shoe.
- "Where are you going?" asked Ray when Laynie found her shoe and put it on.
- "Get some food. Are you coming with me?" Laynie opened the door and turned her head towards Ray.
~*~ One hour later… ~*~
- "I'm still hungry! And I wanna blade today!" Tyson put his chin in the hand and gazed stubbornly at Kai across the table.
- "So? I'm telling you that you are NOT." replied Kai and returned to his bagel. He had woke Tyson up today and that was probably the reason to Tyson's stubbornly look.
- "Where's Kenny?" Ray interrupted Tyson who was about to shoot something back at Kai.
Max smiled. "He's sleeping. He stayed up all night improving Draciel's defense."
- "Cool! Can I have a look!?" shouted Tyson and Max handed Draciel over.
Laynie was quite. The whole thing had just landed. Being a Bladebreaker, being in the European Championships, and knowing that her first battle was today…
[What if I let them down?] She thought but pushed away the thought. She finished her juice and left the room without saying anything.
- "Why did she seem so worried?" Ray looked at Kai.
- "I don't know." Answered Kai and shrugged. "Why should I know?"
- "I just thought that she might have told you something? You seems to come along pretty well?" said Ray with an innocent intonation.
Kai glared at Ray. "Hmph." And left the room he too.
[Come along pretty well? Me and Laynie? Don't make laugh.]
~*~ In the Eiffel tower… ~*~
(A/N: I don't know if it's allowed to beyblade in the Eiffel tower, but who cares? This is a story and the author (authoress) makes the rules. We can just pretend that they have rebuilt the whole tower into a beyblade stadium. Okay? Hehe…)
Laynie stood between Kai and Tyson with a determined expression over the face. Jazzman had already announced them and the spotlight lit up the area around them. The crowd was so loud that it was almost was impossible to talk.
- "And here we have the newest member of the Bladebreakers: Laynie Kim!" Jazzman's voice boomed out in the stadium. The spotlight zoomed in Laynie and left the rest outside.
Laynie's face went stiff and she blushed slightly. [This is so embarrassing!!! Leave me alone!]
- "Laynie is the champion of the Unofficial World Championship and we'll see how far it will take her in the European Championships. We're just about to begin, but we have one team left to introduce!"
The spotlight left the Bladebreakers and turned over to the next team. Two girls and three boys stood there, all dressed in Indian clothes with feathers.
- "And here we have the Wild Indians! They're rookies so we wish them luck, and that will be needed. The Bladebreakers are winners of the Russian Championships, the American Championships aaaand the Asian Championships!"
- "Can you start this thing or will I've to do it myself!?" shouted Laynie. She was nervous and couldn't stand the waiting anymore. Max, Tyson, Kenny and Ray started at her.
- "Sorry…" She muttered and followed Kai to the stall (A/N: box? Crib?).
They sat down and waited for Jazzman to start the battle. Max, Tyson and Kenny sat down in the left corner and Ray chose to be standing, he was first. Kai sat down in the right corner, so far away as possible from the others. Laynie hesitated.
[Shall I dare to sit with Kai? Well, the worst that could happen would be that he tells me to get lost or something.] She thought and sank down next to Kai before she could regret.
Kai glanced at Laynie in surprise as she sat down. [What's this? Usual, no one sits with me.]
Laynie gave Kai a quick smile and he could sense an odd feeling in his stomach. Or, more exactly, something in his heart.
[Get a grip, Kai!] He cursed over himself. [You need to focus.]
Ray smirked. He had watched Laynie sit down next to Kai. Maybe it was good for Kai to get a girlfriend. Someone who cared for him.
- "Can the Bladebreakers and the Wild Indians send their first bladers to the bowl which we soon are going to uncover?" shouted Jazzman.
The floor on the 'plateau' opened and up came a classic bowl.
- "Yes, come on Ray! You're gonna rock out there!" Shouted Tyson when Ray stepped forward.
Ray's face was unreadable and he held his Driger in his left hand.
- "Bladebreakers are sending Ray to begin. Ray's a former member of the White Tigers and with his Driger, he's nearly unbeatable. I'm A.J Topper and here's my sidekick Brad Best."
- "Thank you A.J! The Wild Indians are sending in Liika to begin. She might be a rookie but don't underestimate her!"
A tall girl with purple hair and brown eyes came up in front of Ray.
Ray put on his beyblade onto the launcher and looked the girl in her eyes. She gazed back without moving a muscle in her face.
- "So, you're one of the famous Bladebreakers. But don't think you'll stand a chance in this battle." She said.
- "A little overconfident are we?" mumbled Ray.
- "Bladers ready? Great! On three then." Jazzman started the countdown. "THREE…TWO…ONE…LEEEET IIIT RIIIIP!"
- "Come on Driger!" Ray launched his blade into the dish, close followed by Liika's yellow one.
- "Shelldia, attack!" she commanded and the yellow blade ran up to Driger.
They crashed and in a second, the yellow blade was flying towards Liika who had to duck.
She started at the blade, lying next to her feet. "What? I've…lost?"
- "Don't take it so hard." Ray smiled. "You were pretty good."
Liika smiled back. "Thanks, you're a great blader Ray."
Ray walked back to his team and met Max on his way back.
- "Great battle Ray!" Max said and smiled his usual broad smile.
- "Thanks Max. Good luck!"
Max turned around with his thumb up before stepping up on the plateau. And in five minutes he was on his way back again.
- "And that makes it 2-0 to the Bladebreakers when only one blader remains. Beybladers, please step up to the bowl!"
Laynie rose from her position next to Kai smiled at Max, meeting him.
- "So what do you have to say about the next bladers A.J?"
- "Well, we don't know so much of any of them, but after what I've heard about Laynie, she will be hard to beat."
[So? You don't know anything about me? Take a look at this then!] Thought Laynie and launched Drizzler into the dish, making sparkles fly when it hit the ground.
- "Wow, take a look at the speed!" shouted Jazzman. "And I think Laynie for the Bladebreakers will be first to attack!"
The diamond blade took aim at the blue and in one single crash, it was sent out of the dish and landed a several meters away.
- "And Laynie makes 3-0 to the Bladebreakers! They'll continue to the quarter finals!"
~*~ In the BBA bus… ~*~
- "You were awesome Laynie!" said an amazed Tyson and Max agreed.
- "I've never seen anything like that!"
Laynie blushed and wished that they would stop. She turned her head around and met Kai's crimson eyes. It made her blush even deeper and she turned her gaze through the window instead.
[Why is he making me so damn insecure? I'm not falling in love am I?] Laynie took a deep breath when a memory returned.
*Six years earlier*
An nine years old Laynie stood outside her mothers door, listening to the conversation between her mother and her grandmother. - "Don't you see how Jack treats you and the children?! He's turning them into himself!" Grandmother's voice was low but steady. - "But I love him. I can't leave him." Laynie's mother's voice was not steady. It was filled with uncertainty and insecurity. - "You've always been weak, Alyssa. Never been able to break up a relationship."Laynie's mother started to talk but was interrupted by her mother.
- "I'm sorry Alyssa, but I can't stay here and watch Jack ruin the children. And if I go, it will be forever."Alyssa started to sob and Laynie could hear her grandmother go to the door. She hurried away and hid behind a big statue.
- "Where are you going, Mary?" Laynie's father Jack leant on the doorpost and smirked in an evil way.
Laynie's grandmother gave him a harsh glance. "I'm leaving now, Jack. And I know that nothing would please you more!"
- "Finally something that we're both agreeing to."
Mary got her bags and started to walk to the main door when Laynie tugged her arm.
- "Grandma, don't go!" She said with tears coming up in her eyes making the sigh all blurry.
Mary bent down and gave her grand daughter a hug. "I have to, darling. But I want you to know that you're always welcome to me whenever you want to!"
And with a last hug she disappeared and the next time Laynie saw her was when she had been kicked out of the Kim's family.
*Present day*
- "Laynie? Laynie?" Laynie jerked her head up when someone was nudging her.
- "We're at the hotel." It was Kai.
- "Oh, I must've dozen off…" replied Laynie and got up from the seat. She could feel Ray's concerned gaze and avoided his eyes. The memory of her grandmother leaving was more painful than she ever could have thought.
They stepped off the bus. Suddenly, Ray froze when he saw a group of beybladers.
- "It can't be…" He repeated until a certain pink haired girl came running over to them.
- "Ray! Ray! I've been looking all over the place to find you!" She cried and started to hug him.
[What's this? Who is she? And why does it feel like the world turned pink?] Laynie watched the pink girl hug Ray even harder and laugh. And now the rest of her gang came over.
- "Hey Ray!" A boy with black/gray hair said. "Let go off him, Mariah!"
- "Lee! Are you guys staying at the hotel too?" Ray smiled even wider.
- "Yeah, it's great to see you again!"
- "How's you guys doing?" Max and Tyson joined the greetings.
- "Pretty okay I think. Where's Kenny?" Answered Kevin with his green hair swaying in the wind.
- "He's here. But what about the bitbeast you tried to steal?" replied Dizzi's metallic voice.
Laynie leant back on a lamppost and gave out a sigh in frustration. Who were these guys and how did they know Ray? What did Dizzi mean with steal?
- "Oh, sorry Laynie." Ray turned his head in Laynie's direction when he heard her sigh. "This is my former team, the White Tigers! But I can't tell you who the brown haired boy is cause I don't know myself."
- "Oh, this is Gary's cousin Melvin. He's our fifth member!" Mariah made a gesture towards the brown haired boy.
- "I hope that he doesn't eat as much as Gary and Tyson cause then the hotel will have to close down!" laughed Ray and received a glare from Tyson.
Mariah started to giggle and took Ray's hand. Ray smiled down at her and squeezed her hand quickly.
- "So you're the Bladebreakers newest member?" Kevin took a look at Laynie who frowned.
- "So? It's that a problem with you?" She said and sounded bored.
- "Ouch, what an attitude. You better keep an eye on her, Kai!" said Kevin teasingly.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "If it's someone I should keep an eye on, it's you Kevin." He shot back.
- "You're such a sourpuss!" complained Kevin and turned to Max instead and started a loud conversation with him about the Championships.
Kai just "hmphed" and started to walk into the hotel. [I don't have time for some pointless discussions.]
Laynie preferred the silence with Kai instead of being social with a whole group. She was never comfortable in big groups and she had a lot on her mind right now.
Kai heard Laynie following him and, to his own surprise and to Laynie, he stopped and waited for her.
Ray watched Kai and Laynie leave together and felt better knowing that none of them were alone. Not that he was worried about Kai, but he had the feeling of that Laynie didn't want to be a loner but didn't know how to act to get a friend.
[Maybe she's the one Kai need to open up his heart?] He thought before returning to Mariah with a smile. He had missed Mariah and it was great to see her again.
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Yes, fifth chapter up! And if you review and tell me what you think about this chapter I'll update before… *thinking* Friday! I'm not sure if I should turn the fic into a little angst or just let it be as it is. I discovered that I kinda like writing that stuff. Maybe it's because I listened to Evanescence writing this.
And am I confusing you with Laynie's small memories? I just want you to know that she has a troubled past… And I would like to see some more constructive critics from you (reviewers), makes me write better probably. Okay? =)
What did you think about the beybattle? If I was too bad, let me know and I will skip it in the chapter's coming.
Yeah, yeah. It's almost midnight and I got soccer training tomorrow morning… *yawn*
And, feel free to add me at MSN (emlan22@hotmail.com). =) More people to talk to, more fun!
/ Emma a.k.a dragon-eyes22