Enlightenment, a beyblade fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If I did, Ozuma- love him though I do- would be getting his eyebrows plucked. I do own Kage's Bar and Grill and some of the characters mentioned. Kiba belongs to Wolf's Rain. Certain characters belong to LOTR, and a few belong to Gundam Wing. They do not play a major role in this. Jisica (did I spell it right, D??) belongs to Delena/Aneled Hupp. Read her fanfiction.

A/N: I might not get what the announcer says right. Sue me. This is slightly AU. Also no pairings, except for a slight mention of OcxOC. No biggie. Jisica is not paired up with Ozuma. That is just nasty. It's like QuatrexLady Une: not happening.

"And the Zeo and Gordo Team advances to the next round!!" the announcer shouted to the cheering beyblade fans.

Still in shock, Ozuma picked up his blade and left with his team. He couldn't believe he'd failed in his mission. He was supposed to protect the four sacred bitbeasts, not get beaten by the very people he was to protect them from. A hand touched his shoulder. It was Joseph. "Hey, no one blames either of you."

Ozuma nodded and looked ahead, though he did not believe the boy. He couldn't, because it was not true. Someone blamed him, and only him, and would not let him ever forget it. The Saint Shield leader blamed himself.

Once the team arrived at their warehouse hideout, Dunga slammed a fist into the wall and swore angrily. "I can't believe we lost to them!!" he roared before punching the wall again. Dunga blamed himself as well. "We weren't strong enough to beat them!"

Joseph turned as he heard the door shut and found the room to be devoid of their leader. 'Poor guys,' he thought. 'No one blames them but themselves.'

The day was unbearably sunny and bright, given the events that had just taken place. Ozuma watched the bladers in the park talking excitedly about the match, not realizing what he had just lost. It was his fault. He hadn't been strong enough.

It was on the steep hill by the river that fate decided to take things into her own hands. Ozuma's foot slid on the slippery grass and he was sent falling down the hill at an incredibly fast rate. He couldn't stop. Suddenly, his head connected with one of the support pillars for the bridge with a sickening crunch. Everything went dark.

Voices floated above Ozuma as he came to. "You okay??" a guy with red hair and green eyes asked, helping him up. He looked to be about college age.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ozuma answered, looking around. He was standing in what appeared to be an old wooden tavern. If not for the varied attire of the building's occupants, and a television sitting on one of the tables, he would have thought he'd landed in the past. Most of the patrons were wearing modern day clothing, but there were two men with long blonde hair in outfits that screamed LOTR fans. One side was clearly labeled Grill"Where am I??"

"You're in Kage's Bar and Grill," a woman behind the bar responded. She had dark hair and eyes and was looking through a huge book. "You died a bit unexpectedly, Ozuma. You're not due here for another seventy-then some years."

"Why'd he die early then?" another woman asked as she nursed a tequila.

"He was moping because he lost a very important beyblade battle, slipped and fell down a very steep hill, and split his skull open on the concrete pillar of an overpass."

"That's pathetic." The patron looked at Ozuma. "You died because you tripped because you were having a pity party about losing a spinning top game."

"It's not just a game," Ozuma answered testily. "Those bitbeasts are powerful."

Just then, a small girl came up to the bar. "Kage, the ceiling's thumping again."

Kage, the woman behind the bar, came out with a broom and stood on a table on the Grill side. She banged on the ceiling. "Oy, Kiba, keep it down!" she yelled. "I swear, I'm sending Puck up there if you keep this up!" Upon returning to behind the bar, she explained, "Kiba and his three friends arrived some time ago. They haven't been out of their room since, and I'm about to kick them out for disturbing the other patrons."

"How did I end up here?" Ozuma asked. "Is everyone here dead??"

"A: like we said, you died. B: no. Most are and some aren't. The live ones stumbled across this place through the doors in their dimension. The dead ones stay here until they are ready to go where they should. Y'know, heaven, hell or reincarnation. They all find their way here sooner or later, and some before their time. Like you."

She brought him a hot chocolate before continuing. "Time doesn't exist here. You could stay here forever and never know it. The television is how we keep track of the outside dimensions. It's how we know how you died." Kage paused. "As soon as you finish, Artemis will send you back to your world. Right, Artemis??"

"Don't call me Artemis," a white haired man said, annoyed. "It's Loophole."

"Yeah, whatever, Artemis. Take Ozuma back now, please and thank you."

"I don't know why I put up with you," Loophole grumbled in annoyance.

"Because Alesca said you have to. By the way, Ozuma, the matter is out of your hands now. It couldn't be helped. You have to let the Bladebreakers deal with this." Kage shrugged as she poured another tequila for the other woman. "Here you go, Jisica."

"So you're telling me that I have to trust them not to screw up. Unlikely."

"Have a little faith. Besides, there's really nothing else you can do."

"I said the same thing once," Ozuma remembered, not so gloomy.

"Then you should listen to yourself once in a while," Loophole told him.

"I still can't believe you got depressed over a spinning top," Jisica commented. "Honestly, and you guys think I have no life, this is pathetic."

"Time is still going in his world," Kage pointed out. "Hurry it up, you two."

Before Ozuma had a chance to respond, Loophole shoved him backwards into a black hole that appeared behind him out of nowhere. "You can talk when you're dead."

The Saint Shield opened his eyes and found himself lying on his side at the bottom of the steep hill. The concrete pillar was inches away from his face. "Ozuma!!"

Suddenly his entire team was next to him, along with the Bladebreakers. Mariam looked so upset. "You jerk! We thought you were dead!!" she practically screeched.

"He almost was," Tyson noted, looking at the concrete pillar. He smirked down at Ozuma, though his relief was evident. "Pick a safer hill to roll down next time."

"Whatever." Ozuma stood and noticed Kage and Loophole standing at the top of the hill. Kage waved before Loophole dragged her through another black hole.

Max blinked and looked behind them. "Did you see someone you know?"

Ozuma his head and started up the hill. "Not anyone I met in this lifetime."

"Hey, what happened to you?" Mariam asked. "You're not so out of it now."

Trust me. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

oo End

A/N: Yeah. You can tell I was bored.

Ozuma: we noticed. Why did I have to die?? You could have done it to Dunga or someone else who's more expendable.

M.S.: Well geez. I don't like Dunga as much as you

Dunga: Hey!!

Tyson: If that's what you do to people you like, I'd hate to see what you do to people you hate. ;;

M.S.: Simple. I let them live.

Everyone: oO;;

Alesca: ::glomps Loophole:: Review please! And review my fics too while you're at it!! And D's!! And Fade to Black's fics too! No one reviews anything anymore!

Kage: keep that up and they won't review this. Let's go back to the bar. Legolas and Haldir have probably eaten everything by now.

Ozuma: So that's who the weirdoes in the bar were. Elves are supposed to be skinny.

Kage: Legolas is.

Ozuma: Haldir's not. ::gets shot through the head with an arrow::

Kage: I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOOT ANYONE SO LONG AS YOU MOOCH OFF MY BAR!!! TO HELL WITH YE!!! ::Haldir disappears::

Everyone: o.O. oh wow….