by Shadou-sama
ono iﺝakir voro kymiﺝau æa
æeten içru, ﺣi maæt içru æa
Why are you just sitting there talking about that stupid show?
Shadra looked around for the black cat. Instead, she found a black panther. Mariah, not knowing who Balla was or could hear her speaking, looked freaked out of her wits. Which Shadra didn't notice so she didn't try to explain. Instead, she made Mariah even more freaked out.
"Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's stupid."
Balla just shook her head, muttering something not very nice.
"What do you want?" Shadra asked, but she added some words that are too profanic to put here.
I am to take you to the Brain Tree.
"So you're working for them," she growled.
It was written so in the prophecies. Which also states that I shall return to my true form, the black panther.
Shadra scowled. She hated prophecies. They never turned out well for her.
Besides, I brought your sword.
She could see it hung on the cat's back, like one of those improbable sheathes that fantasy writers stuck on the backs of their warriors (always a broadsword, never anything interesting). Now that she thought of it, it was a bit silly not to have brought it. She didn't have the luxury she had last time, where there was a very strong witch at hand to save her. She had thought that she had learned from such a huge mistake.
Get on my back.
"What about Mariah?"
She'll have to stay here.
Shadra turned to the pink-haired girl. She shrugged. "I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here."
"And what are you—"
"I'm riding on Balla's back."
"That panther is—"
"Yep. But unfortunately, she's not big enough to carry the both of us—"
"I understand," Mariah interrupted. "Good luck."
Shadra bowed. "Thank you."
Yuki was in the state between unconsciousness and consciousness, and he knew it too. It was like his mind was dozing but he could feel the blackness around him. Then it felt like he was rising, the space around him getting lighter and lighter until—
He opened his eyes. A half-dozen yards away the Masters stood in a huddle, whispering about something. His above average hearing couldn't pick out any words. He tried to get up, but his struggle was in vain. He was tied up with rope.
So, he settled for looking around. His back was against a bare tree, a really ugly one at that. It seemed to be pulsing, but it didn't even move a twig. The sun was just setting. To his one side, were the Chinese team (minus that pink-haired girl) and the European team (minus that French kid, Oliver). He couldn't remember their team names, nor did he care. To his other side was Shadra's team, with her other two akkae sitting beside him against the tree. The others were all awake.
"What's going on?" Yuki asked.
"We're hostages," that blonde kid answered, what was his name… Max?
"They want to fight Shadra," … Ray elaborated. "And if they win.."
"Oh great," Yuki grumbled. "Shadra is the only one who can save the world."
"Don't worry, she can do it," Ray said.
"If she's learned anything…"
"What do you mean?"
"Last time she had to save the world, she forgot to bring any semblance of a weapon and died. She couldn't even wait for the people who had weapons to come and help her."
"Doesn't being dead mean not walking around and breathing," Kai said.
"We brought her back to life."
"You can do that?" (he wanted to say) Tyson asked.
"Yes, if you have a very strong witch at hand."
"But that's against the laws of nature!" Kenny (or some other nerdy name) protested.
"The laws of Magick are well within the laws of nature. Only most people don't know it."
"Magic doesn't exist."
"If you really believe that, than you're going to have a hard time comprehending everything that's going to happen."
"Like Shadra riding up on a giant black cat?" Ray asked.
Shadra rode up as the other Masters turned towards her and did a flying dismount. She noticed the sun setting across from her, and the moon rising at her back and decided that it was going to be a very weird battle. Especially since it was early afternoon.
She pulled the sword and sheath off of Balla's back, attaching it to her own hip. Balla trotted off to join the other spirit guides in the tree.
"I take it this won't be a battle of beyblades. Since your oh-so-nice friend handed me your bit-beast," Holly taunted. The other Masters were backing away.
Shadra smirked. It was an old western showdown. Holly standing twenty paces from her at the Majestics' end of the hostage row, Shadra at the Bladebreakers. Just like in the Old Westerns, she quick-drew her launcher and beyblade and launched.
Holly stepped back in surprise.
neki æyr'ﺝau, neki vytaﺝau
pari xe ë'r'nu mordor ﺣ moien