Tyson: Hey, anybody seen her?

Kenny: Like always, she'll show up.

Ray+Tyson+Kenny+Max: At the last minute...

Voice: Oh...

Kenny: Hey... does that groan sound familiar to you?

Ray+Max+Tyson: No...

TyrantFlame: Uh... hey guys... what's happening... oh... are you guys ready to rock....? 'Cause I know I am...

Kenny: You're not even IN the fic... -.-;

TyrantFlame: Uh... I know you think I'm badly bruised 'cause my sis beat me so hard for running off with Tala... but it's actually SHE who's bruised... she'll get back here after she's done with her needs in the hospital...

Kenny: SHE does? Or you...?

All:

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Everyone gathered in Tyson's room. They settled down as Tyson ripped open the package sent to him. Though it didn't state from whom it came from, Tyson knew it was from his father. There was a box inside.

"I don't know why my dad would send me this when he can actually come and send this to me personally..." Tyson commented quite poignantly.

No one said anything as he laid the box before him. "Aren't you opening it?" Max asked.

"Maybe he's just too busy with his work. And that he can't or wasn't allowed to leave his worksite. You know, being an important archeologist and all." Ray reasoned.

"Yeah. That must be it, Tyson." Kenny cheered. Tyson wasn't taking it though. He just continued staring at it.

Suddenly, Kai reached out and opened it. He knitted his eyebrows, took out a note from the box and handed the box over to Tyson who reluctantly took it. He looked inside and saw a bit-beast.

"What's it say, Kai?" Ray asked.

Kai narrowed his eyes and looked at Tyson. He was holding the sent bit- beast and looking at Kai.

Kai glanced at the letter for a moment before crumpling the letter, "Happy Birthday Tyson. You just got yourself a new bit-beast." He tucked the letter into his pocket.

"A birthday present?!" Then it hit him. Again, for the second time in his life, he forgot his birthday! "Oh yeah... It is!"

"Happy Birthday, Tyson." Ray said, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, dude." Max high-fived.

"A very happy birthday to you, Tyson." Kenny greeted. "By the way, Kai. What did it say in that note?"

"That's right." Tyson eyed Kai who sat casually. "What else did my dad say?"

Kai pursed his lips for a moment, "Well..." he started, "He wished you luck for the upcoming tournament."

"Oh..."

"So. What else did he say...?" Tyson asked.

Kai shrugged. "That's just about it."

"What? That's it?" Tyson asked. Kai again shrugged.

"That's what he said." He stood up and left the room before any of them could say anything. Kai walked straight to his room and shut the door behind him. He reached for the paper in his pocket, straightened it and reread the contents. Soon after, he ripped it and threw it into the nearest waste basket.

'... Diuplex, huh?' he thought to himself, slumping on his bed.

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Shiryu walked around the hotel, around the exterior and finally, settled at the lounge. "Mou... I forgot to ask for Tala's room number..." she pouted cutely. Suddenly, Yates and Vyra walked past her, "Hey! Vyra, do you... where are you guys going?"

"Out." Yates answered shortly. "Don't bother waiting dinner on us. It'll only get cold." He smiled. "And take care of Jean-Bu, you hear?"

Shiryu nodded okay, "Take your time, you guys. I hope you two tie it up a knot."

"!!!!!!!" Vyra was about to dash back in to bonk her on the head when Yates tugged her harder and they disappeared on snow mobiles.

"............" Shiryu looked on as the 2 disappeared from sight. She was about to walk out when someone bumped into her at the entrance. She stopped. The boy stopped too. When she reached for the handle, he did the same. Finally, they both smiled at each other.

"Here, I'll get the door." He opened the door for her. She smiled politely and went out, he followed behind her. "Hey, I didn't catch your name." he suddenly said, running to her as she walked away.

Shiryu looked at him from head to toe, without moving her head. At one glance, she can tell he was Oriental. Dark hair, scary 5 foot ponytail, tanned skin, etc. "I'm Shiryu. And you must be Ray." She smiled mysteriously. Ray raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"How'd you know that, may I ask?"

She slowly walked away from him and he followed from behind. "I heard Tala talking a lot about you guys and you are among the top in the list. I heard you annihilated Bryan but ended up in the hospital. That's something. Not many people can make it as luckily as you do when they face off with that mean guy."

Ray narrowed his eyes, "You know those people?"

She suddenly turned to him, her silver hair seemingly dissolving to her surrounding, camouflaging her. Ray had to blink a few times to see where she was.

"'Know' is an understatement. I grew up with them - once. They're like a family to me."

Ray knitted his eyebrows, suddenly interested, "How so?"

Shiryu bent down and collected some snow, making a ball out of it. "Well... seeing you know the demolition boys, I'm sure you know most of their history."

Ray put his hands on his hips. "No kidding. I could make a book out of it." He replied non-chalantly.

She smiled, "Well then, I'm sure you know they've been trained under the tight supervision of the BIOVOLT academy."

"Academy? I'd call that a torturing spook," he said, folding his arms.

"That's just the way of the Russians, I guess. They strongly believe in the proverb : 'No pain, no gain' and I, who 'graduated' from there, ought to know. But really, they are simply striving to be the best so that people can look up and challenge them to get better and better. That is simply their strategy of keeping Beyblading interesting. Don't you agree?"

She turned to face him, "If you know you have the best Beyblade in the world and that you know you'll win fighting ANYONE without breaking a sweat, would that be fun?"

Ray didn't say anything.

She smiled and gave her back to him. "However, I must admit that... your ways and beliefs when you Beyblade is very... naturally human."

Ray's ears perked up, "What do you mean, 'naturally human'?"

"Let's just say that... we people been living like robots. Playing as programmed and not because we wanted to. But you can't blame us though. It's simply..." she placed the snow in his hand, "...fate." They stayed that way for a few seconds before turning to walk away, "Goodbye, Ray." She said and walked off.

Ray looked at the ball of snow in his hand. Somehow, she shaped it in such a way that it took the form of a Beyblade. 'I'm impressed...'

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Well... what can I say? - It's a cliffhanger.

Kai: This chapter is so short.

Tyson: Yeah. Maybe we should hit you harder so you'd keep that head of yours straight.

MEANY!!!

Max: When and how did you get out of the hospital, anyway?

I bombed the whole place up. ^_____^

Guys: ...........

Somewhere...

Doctor A: FIND HER!!!

Nurses: YES!!

Doctor B: WE SHALL NOT REST TILL WE FIND HER!!

Nurses: YES!!

Doctor C: FOR THE LOVE AND PRIDE OF THE HOSPITAL!!!

Nurses: YES!!!!!

Please read and review before they catch me...

Doctor D: (is suspiciously familiar, clad in a black coat and wears a big, black hat) Too late for that. ^_^