Emptiness
By: Black Dranzer
".." speaking and thinking
---------- Scene Change
--flashback sequences—
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I only own any of the characters that you haven't seen in the original Beyblade series.
----------
In the last chapter of Emptiness:
(("I am sending Kazuki to survey the Bladebreakers," Boris said and noticed the boys exchange looks, "But I need to make sure that she..doesn't meet any harm. She is to monitor them, nothing more,"
The boys knew that Boris meant for them to make sure that Kazuki doesn't disobey orders, but just said, "Yes sir," as one and saluted in a uniform manner.))
(("And this is the thanks I get for sewing-" she stopped herself just in time.
Kai though was listening carefully, "Sew? Since when did you sew?"
"Never mind." Jackie said and looked back at the catalog.))
((Ichinichihenji.
The padding of footsteps signaled the arrival of the pilot.
"Finally," Kazuki grumbled and snapped at the pilot, "Let's get this aircraft off the ground and head for Scotland. We better get there on the scheduled time,"
The pilot silently nodded and started up the jet.
Kazuki leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. This was going to be a long trip, she will need some rest. As she closed her eyes, she didn't notice the pilot's icy blue ones looking at her once in a while during the long flight to Scotland.))
----------
Chapter TwentyTwo: Kyle
"Mother! Father!" Jackie greeted as the gang returned to McGregor Mansion. In response, a man and a woman turned around to smile at their daughter.
Mr. McGregor was a tall man with the dark red hair that his children have inherited. His wife on the other hand was like an older version of Jackie, save the dark brown curls that hung down past her shoulders.
"Hello Jacqueline," the woman smiled and hugged her daughter.
"Good to see you Johnny," the man said and put a hand on Johnny's shoulder, "Your sister haven't been any trouble has she?"
"I don't know where to begin to tell of the trouble she's caused," Johnny said, "why don't we discuss this over a cup of coffee?"
Everyone laughed at Johnny's unintended joke.
"Nice to see you again Mr. McGregor," Robert said and shook the elder man's hand.
"Ah yes, Robert, and how are Oliver and Enrique doing?" Johnny's father said.
"We are quite well, thank you for asking," Oliver said.
"Yeah," Enrique replied shortly, he wasn't big on formal greetings.
"And who are these young men?" Mrs. McGregor asked as she saw the Bladebreakers.
"These are the Bladebreakers," Jackie said, "Tyson Granger, Max Tate, Ray Kong, Kai Hiwatari and Kenny Tomkin." She pointed to each in turn.
"Nice to meet you all," Mrs. McGregor smiled.
"Yeah, you too," Tyson said for the other four.
"Ah yes, Jacqueline dear," Mr. McGregor said to his daughter, "have you made up your mind on the guests coming to your ball?"
"Yes Father," Jackie said in a polite way that nobody expected her to be, "I'll get it from my room."
"Don't trouble yourself right now," her father said, "we can discuss the guests later,"
"Jacqueline, why don't you go upstairs and change into your prom dress? I'm sure we would all like to see it," Mrs. McGregor suggested.
"I suppose, mother," Jackie muttered and went upstairs to change.
"Hey guys! We could change too! I want to see everybody's tuxedos!" Max said and charged upstairs also to change.
"Speak for yourself," Kai grumbled but followed upstairs anyways.
----------
"We're here," the pilot announced in a flat voice.
Kazuki didn't even look at the person as she walked off the jet plane. She headed for the Swan Lake Hotel and checked into room 250.
Placing her bags on the bed, Kazuki walked out again in a black trench coat. As she left to explore the streets of Edinburgh, she hardly noticed her surroundings, or the three pairs of eyes that were constantly on her. She was still mesmerized in her thoughts when she reached the opening to an alley. Looking up at the crescent moon, Kazuki decided to enjoy the breeze atop a building. Seeing a ladder hanging by a wall, she climbed it to the top.
Atop the roof, Kazuki sat down and took out her wooden flute. Taking a breath of cool, night air, she began to replay the tune her mother had loved so much with her trench coat flapping in the breeze.
"I am close," she thought as she played, "close to where he is now,"
She paused and let the melody flood her mind.
"Dare I take a chance?" she continued after unsettling thoughts overrode the melody, "Should I make my move tonight? I does risk exposure, I suppose, and father would not be pleased with that,"
The thought stopped her as she lowered her flute and sighed.
"But I can't let this chance pass," a more determined notion surfaced, "Risk shall be my friend tonight,"
----------
Three unnoticed shadows eclipsed in the silhouette of the building were watching her. But the three shadows were not alone, a forth shadow was also moving in the night.
Without warning, a hand reached out, about to touch Kazuki's shoulder.
----------
"You look wonderful!" Mrs. McGregor beamed at her daughter.
Jackie was wearing her prom dress in the center of the living room. The red- haired girl's face turned red as she stood there in the middle of the room with all of the boys, excluding Kai, looking at her.
"You would be the most beautiful girl at the ball," Robert commented.
"Thanks," Jackie muttered as she also admired her pale blue dress.
In his corner of the room, Kai was quietly watching Jackie too. She still had gloves on her hands, but they were prom gloves.
Suddenly, as Kai's image of Jackie came through his half-closed eyelids, a picture of Changer flashed through his line of vision and replaced Jackie.
He was somewhat unnerved by the image and opened his eyes fully, only to see Jackie once again where she was before.
"Must be imagining things," Kai mused to himself, though he had never 'imagined' things before. There must be a resemblance.
----------
"Who are you?" Kazuki demanded as she spun around and pointed her sliding flute-dagger at the stranger's throat.
The hand's presence was felt a millisecond before she surprised her opponent. She was relieved that her 'danger form' didn't arise, as that would've killed the stranger already. Silence followed as Kazuki glared at the intruder.
It was a man who looked about twenty-five years old, but as he stepped out of the shadows, Kazuki saw that his face was slightly lined and came to the conclusion that he was older than she had guessed. He had red hair that reached his shoulders and was wearing a long, black coat.
The most surprising thing to Kazuki wasn't the fact that the man seemed relieved and dismayed at the same time. It was his face.
So much like her own.
So much like Anna's.
"Who are you?" Kazuki asked again quietly, danger lining her words.
This time, the man found his voice and spoke softly, "It doesn't matter, I just thought.." he trailed off.
"Thought what?" Kazuki said, withdrawing her dagger, but she didn't put it away.
"I thought you were someone else," he finished shortly.
"Someone else?" Kazuki was curious, but she didn't let that show.
The man and girl stared at each other for another few minutes as the winds blew around them.
Kazuki's expression softened a little as she looked into the man's deep brown eyes.
"You-" she started, but stopped as the man put a finger close to her lips. Her flute came immediately up again, but the stranger deflected it calmly and gently removed his hand.
"I don't mean harm," he said with a dry smile, "But I would like to ask a question."
"What kind of question?" Kazuki grew suspicious of the man second by second.
The man knelt down beside Kazuki and felt her tense, but he whispered to her ear, "Who is your father?"
The question caught Kazuki off guard as she pushed the man back with her dagger, though she restrained herself from harming him. The man just chuckled as he raised an eyebrow at her and pushed the weapon away.
"Why does it matter to you?" she demanded. She feared the man, as he seemed not to care if she were to kill him. Almost as if he knew she wouldn't.
"It's a 'family' matter, let's say. I need to know if-" before he could finish, the man's sharp eyes caught something past Kazuki and he instantly froze before quickly turning around.
"Where are you going?" she asked, intrigued by what the man was about to reveal.
"To look for the boy," he replied vaguely, reaching the edge of the roof.
"Wait," Kazuki said persistently, "Who are you?" she started to chase after him, but a dagger glinted as it struck where her foot was about to step.
"If you must know, my name is Kyle," the man said without looking back at the dagger he threw and jumped off the roof, leaving a bewildered Kazuki staring after him.
She wanted to follow, but heard the sound of a motorcycle as it started and ran down the road. Knowing it was useless to follow on foot, she decided to let it go and forget the man.
"I will ask father about him when I return," she thought, then, she remembered the man looking behind her before leaving.
Turning around, she eyed the shadows behind her suspiciously, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
----------
"That was close," Ian sighed as he, Bryan and Spencer relocated themselves to another patch of shadows, "do we necessarily have to hide?"
"If you don't be quiet soon, we won't have to," Bryan growled.
"Who was that man?" Spencer questioned, but only received a shrug from Ian.
"We'll need to report him," Bryan started, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"What are you three doing here?"
Bryan turned around and was surprised to see Tala standing there, wearing a pilot's uniform.
"We're here with a direct order from Boris," Bryan placidly told him.
Tala raised an eyebrow, "And I wasn't informed because..?"
"For reasons beyond our comprehension," Bryan told him, "So why are you here?"
"You don't need to know," Tala replied.
"Boris may," Bryan countered.
The other two boys looked at each other. It was one of those rare times where Tala and Bryan didn't quite agree with each other. The other times, the hardly even looked at each other.
"But don't you think.." Ian started.
"I don't think anything," Tala said more menacingly, turning his cold eyes on Ian.
"Let him do what he wants," Bryan said after a while, surprising everyone, even Tala. It wasn't like Bryan to give in easily.
Tala stopped the other boy with a hand, but Bryan roughly pushed it away.
"We're leaving. If you think that what you're doing is more important than Boris' direct order, then I will not consider you the Tala who used to be only loyal to BIOVOLT," he said before disappearing into a nearby shadow.
Tala stood transfixed as he watched Ian and Spencer walk away as well.
"Was I that loyal to BIOVOLT?" he thought to himself, "Have I really changed?"
He shook himself free from these thoughts as he looked up at the girl sitting in the moonlight, musing over her own thoughts.
"Was it her that changed me?"
He didn't want to finish the thought as he stood with his back to the wall of the building. This was maybe the second time in his life he had felt anything for another living being. His bit beast was no exception.
But another cyborg was something Tala had never met before, until he met Kazuki.
--To be continued
By: Black Dranzer
".." speaking and thinking
---------- Scene Change
--flashback sequences—
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I only own any of the characters that you haven't seen in the original Beyblade series.
----------
In the last chapter of Emptiness:
(("I am sending Kazuki to survey the Bladebreakers," Boris said and noticed the boys exchange looks, "But I need to make sure that she..doesn't meet any harm. She is to monitor them, nothing more,"
The boys knew that Boris meant for them to make sure that Kazuki doesn't disobey orders, but just said, "Yes sir," as one and saluted in a uniform manner.))
(("And this is the thanks I get for sewing-" she stopped herself just in time.
Kai though was listening carefully, "Sew? Since when did you sew?"
"Never mind." Jackie said and looked back at the catalog.))
((Ichinichihenji.
The padding of footsteps signaled the arrival of the pilot.
"Finally," Kazuki grumbled and snapped at the pilot, "Let's get this aircraft off the ground and head for Scotland. We better get there on the scheduled time,"
The pilot silently nodded and started up the jet.
Kazuki leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. This was going to be a long trip, she will need some rest. As she closed her eyes, she didn't notice the pilot's icy blue ones looking at her once in a while during the long flight to Scotland.))
----------
Chapter TwentyTwo: Kyle
"Mother! Father!" Jackie greeted as the gang returned to McGregor Mansion. In response, a man and a woman turned around to smile at their daughter.
Mr. McGregor was a tall man with the dark red hair that his children have inherited. His wife on the other hand was like an older version of Jackie, save the dark brown curls that hung down past her shoulders.
"Hello Jacqueline," the woman smiled and hugged her daughter.
"Good to see you Johnny," the man said and put a hand on Johnny's shoulder, "Your sister haven't been any trouble has she?"
"I don't know where to begin to tell of the trouble she's caused," Johnny said, "why don't we discuss this over a cup of coffee?"
Everyone laughed at Johnny's unintended joke.
"Nice to see you again Mr. McGregor," Robert said and shook the elder man's hand.
"Ah yes, Robert, and how are Oliver and Enrique doing?" Johnny's father said.
"We are quite well, thank you for asking," Oliver said.
"Yeah," Enrique replied shortly, he wasn't big on formal greetings.
"And who are these young men?" Mrs. McGregor asked as she saw the Bladebreakers.
"These are the Bladebreakers," Jackie said, "Tyson Granger, Max Tate, Ray Kong, Kai Hiwatari and Kenny Tomkin." She pointed to each in turn.
"Nice to meet you all," Mrs. McGregor smiled.
"Yeah, you too," Tyson said for the other four.
"Ah yes, Jacqueline dear," Mr. McGregor said to his daughter, "have you made up your mind on the guests coming to your ball?"
"Yes Father," Jackie said in a polite way that nobody expected her to be, "I'll get it from my room."
"Don't trouble yourself right now," her father said, "we can discuss the guests later,"
"Jacqueline, why don't you go upstairs and change into your prom dress? I'm sure we would all like to see it," Mrs. McGregor suggested.
"I suppose, mother," Jackie muttered and went upstairs to change.
"Hey guys! We could change too! I want to see everybody's tuxedos!" Max said and charged upstairs also to change.
"Speak for yourself," Kai grumbled but followed upstairs anyways.
----------
"We're here," the pilot announced in a flat voice.
Kazuki didn't even look at the person as she walked off the jet plane. She headed for the Swan Lake Hotel and checked into room 250.
Placing her bags on the bed, Kazuki walked out again in a black trench coat. As she left to explore the streets of Edinburgh, she hardly noticed her surroundings, or the three pairs of eyes that were constantly on her. She was still mesmerized in her thoughts when she reached the opening to an alley. Looking up at the crescent moon, Kazuki decided to enjoy the breeze atop a building. Seeing a ladder hanging by a wall, she climbed it to the top.
Atop the roof, Kazuki sat down and took out her wooden flute. Taking a breath of cool, night air, she began to replay the tune her mother had loved so much with her trench coat flapping in the breeze.
"I am close," she thought as she played, "close to where he is now,"
She paused and let the melody flood her mind.
"Dare I take a chance?" she continued after unsettling thoughts overrode the melody, "Should I make my move tonight? I does risk exposure, I suppose, and father would not be pleased with that,"
The thought stopped her as she lowered her flute and sighed.
"But I can't let this chance pass," a more determined notion surfaced, "Risk shall be my friend tonight,"
----------
Three unnoticed shadows eclipsed in the silhouette of the building were watching her. But the three shadows were not alone, a forth shadow was also moving in the night.
Without warning, a hand reached out, about to touch Kazuki's shoulder.
----------
"You look wonderful!" Mrs. McGregor beamed at her daughter.
Jackie was wearing her prom dress in the center of the living room. The red- haired girl's face turned red as she stood there in the middle of the room with all of the boys, excluding Kai, looking at her.
"You would be the most beautiful girl at the ball," Robert commented.
"Thanks," Jackie muttered as she also admired her pale blue dress.
In his corner of the room, Kai was quietly watching Jackie too. She still had gloves on her hands, but they were prom gloves.
Suddenly, as Kai's image of Jackie came through his half-closed eyelids, a picture of Changer flashed through his line of vision and replaced Jackie.
He was somewhat unnerved by the image and opened his eyes fully, only to see Jackie once again where she was before.
"Must be imagining things," Kai mused to himself, though he had never 'imagined' things before. There must be a resemblance.
----------
"Who are you?" Kazuki demanded as she spun around and pointed her sliding flute-dagger at the stranger's throat.
The hand's presence was felt a millisecond before she surprised her opponent. She was relieved that her 'danger form' didn't arise, as that would've killed the stranger already. Silence followed as Kazuki glared at the intruder.
It was a man who looked about twenty-five years old, but as he stepped out of the shadows, Kazuki saw that his face was slightly lined and came to the conclusion that he was older than she had guessed. He had red hair that reached his shoulders and was wearing a long, black coat.
The most surprising thing to Kazuki wasn't the fact that the man seemed relieved and dismayed at the same time. It was his face.
So much like her own.
So much like Anna's.
"Who are you?" Kazuki asked again quietly, danger lining her words.
This time, the man found his voice and spoke softly, "It doesn't matter, I just thought.." he trailed off.
"Thought what?" Kazuki said, withdrawing her dagger, but she didn't put it away.
"I thought you were someone else," he finished shortly.
"Someone else?" Kazuki was curious, but she didn't let that show.
The man and girl stared at each other for another few minutes as the winds blew around them.
Kazuki's expression softened a little as she looked into the man's deep brown eyes.
"You-" she started, but stopped as the man put a finger close to her lips. Her flute came immediately up again, but the stranger deflected it calmly and gently removed his hand.
"I don't mean harm," he said with a dry smile, "But I would like to ask a question."
"What kind of question?" Kazuki grew suspicious of the man second by second.
The man knelt down beside Kazuki and felt her tense, but he whispered to her ear, "Who is your father?"
The question caught Kazuki off guard as she pushed the man back with her dagger, though she restrained herself from harming him. The man just chuckled as he raised an eyebrow at her and pushed the weapon away.
"Why does it matter to you?" she demanded. She feared the man, as he seemed not to care if she were to kill him. Almost as if he knew she wouldn't.
"It's a 'family' matter, let's say. I need to know if-" before he could finish, the man's sharp eyes caught something past Kazuki and he instantly froze before quickly turning around.
"Where are you going?" she asked, intrigued by what the man was about to reveal.
"To look for the boy," he replied vaguely, reaching the edge of the roof.
"Wait," Kazuki said persistently, "Who are you?" she started to chase after him, but a dagger glinted as it struck where her foot was about to step.
"If you must know, my name is Kyle," the man said without looking back at the dagger he threw and jumped off the roof, leaving a bewildered Kazuki staring after him.
She wanted to follow, but heard the sound of a motorcycle as it started and ran down the road. Knowing it was useless to follow on foot, she decided to let it go and forget the man.
"I will ask father about him when I return," she thought, then, she remembered the man looking behind her before leaving.
Turning around, she eyed the shadows behind her suspiciously, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
----------
"That was close," Ian sighed as he, Bryan and Spencer relocated themselves to another patch of shadows, "do we necessarily have to hide?"
"If you don't be quiet soon, we won't have to," Bryan growled.
"Who was that man?" Spencer questioned, but only received a shrug from Ian.
"We'll need to report him," Bryan started, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"What are you three doing here?"
Bryan turned around and was surprised to see Tala standing there, wearing a pilot's uniform.
"We're here with a direct order from Boris," Bryan placidly told him.
Tala raised an eyebrow, "And I wasn't informed because..?"
"For reasons beyond our comprehension," Bryan told him, "So why are you here?"
"You don't need to know," Tala replied.
"Boris may," Bryan countered.
The other two boys looked at each other. It was one of those rare times where Tala and Bryan didn't quite agree with each other. The other times, the hardly even looked at each other.
"But don't you think.." Ian started.
"I don't think anything," Tala said more menacingly, turning his cold eyes on Ian.
"Let him do what he wants," Bryan said after a while, surprising everyone, even Tala. It wasn't like Bryan to give in easily.
Tala stopped the other boy with a hand, but Bryan roughly pushed it away.
"We're leaving. If you think that what you're doing is more important than Boris' direct order, then I will not consider you the Tala who used to be only loyal to BIOVOLT," he said before disappearing into a nearby shadow.
Tala stood transfixed as he watched Ian and Spencer walk away as well.
"Was I that loyal to BIOVOLT?" he thought to himself, "Have I really changed?"
He shook himself free from these thoughts as he looked up at the girl sitting in the moonlight, musing over her own thoughts.
"Was it her that changed me?"
He didn't want to finish the thought as he stood with his back to the wall of the building. This was maybe the second time in his life he had felt anything for another living being. His bit beast was no exception.
But another cyborg was something Tala had never met before, until he met Kazuki.
--To be continued