Battle of the Masters
Chapter Five
by Shadou-sama

A crash came from outside the door. A split second later the door burst open and Mariah and Daniel bolted in. Behind them, more slowly, walked in Lee. Lee looked embarrassed and shocked at the two girls' behavior.

Daniel dashed up to Shadra and, in a sort of bow, presented a brown package. Shadra, who was still stunned from the duo's entrance, gently took the package from Daniel's outstretched hands.

"Thanks." Shadra mumbled and Daniel beamed up at her. Daniel leaned against the wall by the little room's door.

Mariah, as Daniel had delivered the package to Shadra, had bolted to Ray to present him her package. It was a white envelope with the words 'Official Announcement' handwritten in red. Ray took the envelope from her and Mariah took a seat next to him.

"Hey, aren't you the registration lady?" Tyson asked, pointing at Daniel.

"Yes, I am." Daniel answered.

"Then why are delivering mail?" Tyson countered.

"I thought Shadra might want to get that right away." Daniel replied.

Shadra looked at the package. She felt something moving… No, tt couldn't be. Could it? She ripped open the box and out leaped a black cat with dark red eyes. The cat gasped for breath.

"Balla!" Shadra cried out. There weren't any air holes in the package.

That Yuki brat! I swear that boy is trying to kill me. The cat yelled through their mind link.

"Uh, someone mailed you your cat?" Ray asked flatly.

"Yeah." Shadra shrugged. Yuki was a selfish idiot. She had asked him to take care of Balla while she was away but apparently that hadn't worked out too well. She should have asked Kumi, the responsible and not psychopathic one, or Masako, her school roommate, to watch Balla. "And this isn't the time for questions." She snapped as Kenny opened his mouth. He promptly shut it.

Shadra picked up her cat. "Thank you, Daniel. Anymore time in that box and I'm sure she would have suffocated." She mentally noted to hurt Yuki.

Daniel looked slightly embarrassed. "It was nothing." Kai glared at her.

"Mariah, come on! Let's go! The team is waiting for us!" Lee called from the doorframe.

"Alright. See you later, guys!" Mariah said as she walked to the door. The Bladebreakers yelled their goodbyes. Mariah and Lee left.

"Well, I better get back." Daniel excused her self. "Bye!" And she too left.

"So what's in the envelope?" Shadra asked.

Ray tore it open and read the letter that was inside. "Says here that the tournament has been delayed for a few days."

"What?" Tyson exclaimed. "Can they do that?"

"Yes they can Tyson." Kenny answered. "Why did they?"

Ray eyed the letter. "Something about the judge getting held up."

"So what do we do till then?" Shadra asked.

"We train." Kai responded.

"Sorry I asked." Shadra mumbled. "Hey! I got a great idea!"

"Does this include bubble gum and bananas?" Tyson asked.

"Noooo." Shadra said slowly. Honestly, the way his mind works. "I thought we could go down to the beach."

"That's even better!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Something better then food? It must be a really good idea." Ray teased.

"So is that what we're going to do?" Max asked. They all subconsciously looked at Kai. He nodded.


"Ow," Shadra complained as they walked back to the cabin. Her shoulders and upper legs were red from the impromptu diving lesson the guys had given her and she bet that her stomach and chest were too.

"Well if you hadn't kept landing on your stomach…" Max said.

Shadra glared at him.

They had changed at the beach into their normal clothes. Which, walking along with a group of teenage boys, seemed like a more comfortable idea to Shadra.

"So how come you can swim so well but can't even beginner's dive?" Ray asked.

"My swimming coach is one of those perfectionists. You know the type. You absolutely can't do this until you master that," she shook her head. "I can pretty much guarantee I won't be diving before I graduate."

"What school do you go to anyway?" Ray asked.

"Everto Academy."

"Isn't that that boarding school for the really rich?" Kenny asked. Shadra nodded. "Oh wow! I've been trying to get accepted for ages!"

"Really? I thought an academic school would be the place you'd want to be." Shadra said.

"But Everto has the best computer lab in the world!"

"So that's why I got a months detention." Kenny gave her a confused look. "I accidentally downloaded a virus off the internet. Haven't been allowed in there since."

"You… infected… the… computers… with… a… virus…" Kenny said, in an advanced stage of shock.

"Not so underprivileged then, eh?" Ray smirked.

"Actually, all that junk I said about being poor and stuff is true. I won a full scholarship in history. Have to keep the spoiled rich brat school's grade average up somehow. I'm a child prodigy you know."

"Infected… precious… computers…" Kenny sobbed.

"They're alright now, Kenny, so stop blubbering." Shadra told him.

"Everto Academy…" Kai muttered. "Isn't that near London?"

Shadra nodded.

"I was considering attending."

"Oh yeah! And you came for a campus tour."

"How did you know that?"

"Um… to tell you the truth, me and my roommate were stalking you."

Kai gave her an odd look.

"You stalked Kai?" Tyson laughed.

"Hey, I was just a crazy fan girl then. And it was Masako's idea." Shadra pouted. "Oh Kai! I need an autograph from you or Masako's going to skin me alive!"

"Oooooh. Kai's gonna give his little girlfriend an autograph." Tyson taunted. Kai punched him in the head. "OW! You didn't need to hit me."

"Masako… Is she the girl who fell from a tree?" Kai asked, ignoring Tyson.

"Yep and lucky you were there to cushion her fall."

"Sounds like a fun day." Ray teased.

"At least he didn't see our room." Shadra whispered to Ray.

"Totally covered in posters?" Ray whispered back.

"Not totally, I think there's some space where we put up our timetables." Ray laughed.


Ray kept out of the lively debate Tyson was having about cafeteria food. Max deemed it gross while Tyson declared it was really fertilizer. Kenny informed them that Japanese schools only served nutritional food and that it was extremely hard to when the government budget for school lunches was diminishing. Shadra couldn't figure out why they didn't like cafeteria food; it was better then what most restaurants served. That earned her three odd looks but it got them started on which restaurant was the best. Kai, of course, was walking along with them but not really with them. Ray wondered how he could always manage that.

Ray wished he knew more about Shadra. Her life seemed so mysterious… And the unexpected always happened. Like someone mailing her Balla and forgetting to add air holes. A wave of anger washed over him. Who forgot to add air holes for a living creature? And who sends pets in the mail, anyway? Stupid thing to do. He brought his mind back to his original thoughts. Since Shadra had admitted to living in a foster home, he had imagined some drab apartment with people who didn't even love her. But she went to a school for the richest snobs on the planet! She sometimes got these odd looks on her face, as if she was watching some movie that only she could see. And she always wore that key. He wondered what was so special about it. She always grasped it when she was nervous or unsure. Good luck charm maybe? A trinket her parents left with her when she was abandoned? Could be. Gift from a boyfriend? Somehow, that thought made him a little sad… Wait, why would he care if she had a boyfriend? He loved Mariah after all.

BOOM!

"Hey, is that thunder?" Tyson asked.

FLASH!

"And lightning?"

"What's with all the clouds? It was crystal clear just a little while ago," Shadra said.

"I don't know but we should get back to the cabin before it—" Rain came plummeting down in thick sheets just as Kenny was about to say, "rains."

The group dashed up the path towards the cabin. They managed to make it through the door before they were completely soaked. Inside, it was dark and creepy. Rain thrummed on the roof.

"Hey, I think I see a flashlight." Ray carefully walked through the dark towards the far wall. His hands groped along –

"HISS!" A furry creature leaped at Ray, tearing at his skin with his claws. He stumbled back with the little demon on him still clawing him.

Then hands pulled the beast away. "Are you alright, Ray?"

He recognized the voice as Shadra's. "Yeah," he answered. "I'm alright."

"Sorry about that. I think you grabbed Balla's tail. She absolutely hates that!"

Ray got up. "It's okay," he mumbled and continued his search for the flashlight.

"No electricity, no food, and we're stuck in here," Tyson grumbled. "That's just great."

"And no bathroom either." Shadra added.

"Actually there is food."

"What? Where?" Tyson exclaimed.

"I'll give you the food if you give me Shadra."