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GOB: I know, I haven't updated in forever, but I actually have valid excuses!!! I had a little bit of... boy trouble.... and I lost the disk that had this chapter completely finished! So now I have to start from scratch! But because of this, I promise that this chapter will give you a bit more information on what happened during The Explosion!!!

Kai: Are you done yet?

GOB: No, I still have one more valid excuse!

Kai: Get on with it then.

GOB: I also have been very busy getting everything ready for one of my friend's surprise birthday party! So there you have it! Hmmmm, I'll get Akira to do the disclaimer.

Akira: Huh? Disclaimer??? Oh, fine, GOB doesn't own Beyblade, yadda, yadda, yadda...

GOB: Good enough. Now, here are the Thank You's!

~ MasterFranny - Well, here's the next chapter. THANKS FOR THE PLUSHIES!!!

~ Hiwatari-gurl - Akira's story is one that I'm sending out to a contest! Wish me luck!

~ Lychee Fairy - Wow, now that was an in depth review! I loved that chapter, I think it was my favorite!

~ DragonBlade - I know my chapter are getting longer! Yayness!

~ Lefty - I am such a horrible updater! And no problems about the 'eh' comment!

~ phoenix the 1st - Yay! I'm glad you like both my fics! (I have a humor one... but I don't think I'll ever update that!)

~ ruth 4 kai - I hope you don't hate me for taking to long to update!

~ Syaoran-Lover - I'm glad you liked Tael's thoughts! And things are a bit clam, aren't they *shifty eyes*...

~ kai baby-girl - I'm glad you liked the whole chapter!

~ Kawii Angel - Thank you for the review! Mondo appreciated!

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GOB: Just a few things to keep in mind.

1) Kai is NOT depressed. He is just sorting through his thoughts. And trying to find out who he really is.

2) Tael is not ALWAYS with Kai. He respects Kai's privacy, and when Kai wants to be alone, Tael enters a sort of sanctuary, but will be there in an instant if Kai needs him.

3) Tala's appearance is vitally important! But I will NOT be calling him by his name. Keep an eye out for him though, as it brings together parts of the chapter!

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(9:00pm)

Kai frowned ever so slightly. He remembered the feeling that something wasn't quite right with the challenging female blader during supper. He had just brushed away the thoughts, thinking that he was just being a bit paranoid.

But there was no mistaking the expression on her face. She was locking herself into a place filled with pain. With memories.

Kai hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether he should awaken her or not. He decided to let her sleep. He would talk to her in the morning.

As Kai laid her on her bed, and tucked her in, he glanced out the window, and saw something that surprised him...

"It can't be..." Was all he thought, before racing out of the room and into the twilight.

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(8:50pm)

{Unknown - as of yet - P.O.V.}

I know that he's staying here, somewhere. Damn it, why couldn't whale boy have given me better directions?

It's been a long time since I've last been here. It feels good to be back. Too bad it has to be like this. I hope Kai and the others are ready for this. The Bladebreakers, the White Tigers, The All Starz, and well, all of them, except Kai of course, thought the World Championships in Russia were bad, then they're going to freak when they find out what's going to happen here.

Well, Russia wasn't really all that bad. Especially since Kai planned out everything to make sure that there was no possible way that the insane megalomaniacs, also known as Voltaire and Boris, won. And to boot, they had managed to keep the whole world from finding out about their little charade.

Sure, a few people had figured it out, but they had known to keep their mouths shut. I still cant believe that old man figured it out so quickly and easily. Who would've thought a man bent on living in the sixties forever could have figured it out?

I know Kai still blames himself for what happened to Bryan and Rei, but there was nothing any of us could have done.

I still want to rip Boris from limb to limb for what he did to Bryan. After all, Bryan has always been the biggest pacifist I have ever known, hell, he doesn't even swat at mosquitoes when they bite him! And then that bastard had to go drug Bryan. Bryan locked himself in his room for days after what happened during his match with Rei.

If Kai hadn't gotten Dranzer to intervene, Rei could've been killed. I guess Kai really did know what he was doing when he threw his match against Spencer.

I just wish he could've told the Bladebreakers, I hate seeing him keep everything bottled up inside.

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GOB: Hehehe, just to let you know, I will probably NOT be explaining what was meant by Kai knowing what he was doing when he threw his match against Spencer until the end of the fic. I still can't understand what the Dubbing People were thinking... Spencer, what kind of evil name is that???

Bren: Who knows?

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(8:50pm)

{Tael's P.O.V.}

Life never stays in the past, yet the past is what the future depends on.

Kai knows this, though whenever I say this to him, he replies with a remark of a great pessimist;

"I don't live in the past like most people who go to therapy - the past was bad enough while it was happening..."

But the past always shows up time and time again in the present, and in the future. As it is now, the holder of the Ice Wolf returns, but the news he bares is not one of which any would be happy to hear.

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Life is said to be forever changing, so why is it, that in this world, the pains of the past keep repeating themselves, never to change? In repeating the pain, life begins to seem hopeless. But who really deserves hope?

Hope is for those who are still willing to fight when all seems hopeless... Hope is for those who believe in something more...

But hope can also be for those who stop fighting, who stop believing, but have the determination to keep surviving...

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(9:15pm)

Kai raced his way into the alleys, searching.

"Hey Blue Boy. Fancy meeting you here."

Kai stopped and slowly turned around. He let his burning eyes lock with frozen ones. He slowly walked towards the other person. When he was but a meter away, he spoke,

"If you've come here, then things are worse than I thought... what's going on Red? Is it bad? As bad as... The Explosion???"

Here, the frozen eyes filled with remorse. He didn't want to be the one to give the Phoenix the news, but somebody had to. All he, he and the others, could do, was hope... hope that they would keep fighting... hope that they would keep believing... hope that their determination wouldn't break, or splinter...

All they could do was hope...

Hope, for they would be going up against the like which had never been seen before...

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(9:20pm)

Akira tossed and turned in her bed, running from the memories which continued to plague her.

She shivered in her sleep. Even after all these years, she couldn't escape the memories of what happened during The Explosion.

She remembered, and relived, in her unconscious state, the final battles. She relived the sight of her brother's and Tea's bodies laying soundlessly on the floor. She remembered the sight of Kai, covered with blood, fighting against all reality, refusing to give up. She remembered the fear she felt. She knew Kai was pushing himself far past mortal limits, and becoming close to calling upon his mystical powers.

She was also the only person, other than Kai himself, that knew why he so greatly feared the power of Drazer (The combination between Dranzer and Black Dranzer), the reason behind his vast disagreement on bringing any of the four Elemental bitbeasts together.

Unbeknownst to Bren and Tea, Kai didn't just come NEAR to calling on his powers, he DID call them out. And he never forgave himself for doing so.

The enormous power he called upon let out a fury of fire, and his memories seemed to be what fueled them. He came within a hairbreadth of destroying Dranzer and Black Dranzer...

He came close to destroying the two beings which he cared about the most.

The thought of that brought a mocking smirk to Akira's lips. She always hated Kai for caring about his bitbeasts so much, but she knew, deep, deep, down inside, that he would give them both up in less than a second, to protect her, her and the others.

She suddenly let out a strangled cry, followed by a terrified whimper, as the dark, cruel, leering face of Gideon (Once again, this is NOT the Gideon from V Force/Season 2).

She was scared of him. She knew she shouldn't have been, after all, she was strong, she had been through so much, suicide attempts, depression, accidents, attempted kidnapping, attempted rape, but still, she wasn't a little girl, a 'perfect' person. She could still feel the irrational doubts and cries of fear, coursing through her veins.

The Explosion had probably been the worst experience of her life.

She remembered getting the challenge from Gideon and his goons, the ones who always seemed to be strangely out of it, as if they weren't entirely sane...

She remembered how Kai wasn't certain if they should except. Eventually, she had worn him and the others down into agreeing. That was her first mistake.

She remembered how they challenged her and the others to a four on four battle, and how brutally, and without compassion, they attacked. It was as if they had no thought, but to destroy their opponents. Something that greatly angered Kai. She recalled the look on his face when they realized that they were all in grave danger.

She remembered watching as first they took Tea down. Her best friend, in mere moments, struck down by the hazel eyed creep. The way he laughed as he destroyed her blade, sent cold, deep, shivers down her spine. Tea fell unconscious, but was lucky. Her bitchip was intact. Akira never knew what Tea would've done if those creeps had destroyed her bitbeast.

She remembered that the next to fall was her brother. They went after him, all of them. She and Kai tried their best to help Bren out, but it was a futile attempt. Bren was attacked from each and every angle, until he to fell unconscious, next to Tea. His body was covered in bruises. Akira remembered trying to run to her brothers side when he fell. As she tried to get near him, an electrical force field surrounded her and Kai, separating them from their siblings.

She remembered the way Kai had grabbed her arm, and yanked her out of the force fields way, only to be hit by the electrical charge himself. He was always doing stupid things like that. Putting himself in danger to protect them. He always seemed to believe that protecting the others, keeping them from harm's way, was his duty, his job, his responsibility.

She remembered the way that Kai fought on, against any and all of their onslaughts. She herself, could feel her energy, her fighting spirit, draining. She was loosing power and fast. She fell to her knees. Even though her blade was still spinning, though not as strongly as before, she had fallen. She had managed to take down one of their opponents, and Kai another, but she had fallen.

She remembered watching the way Kai fought against the remaining two bladers. He was bleeding horribly, but refused to stop. She saw the way his body slowly became incased in flames, both black and red, tinged with silver, and highlighted by gold.

She remembered seeing Drazer, The Great Bitbeast Of Fire, arise from the flames. She knelt in awe of the noble beast. She saw the surprised face of Kai, his eyes glowing intensely in the midst of the burning fire. It was then that she realized just how deep the bonds between Kai, Dranzer, and Black Dranzer really ran.

She remembered the look of pain on Kai's face when the dust cleared, and he saw Dranzer and Black Dranzer... just laying there. Both bitbeasts had given it their all, and were now paying the price. Covered in blood, Kai let the first tear fall. The first, and only, tear Akira had ever seen Kai shed.

She remembered the time afterwards, when Kai refused to beyblade, even if it was just to practice. He refused to beyblade until he was certain that Dranzer and Black Dranzer were completely healed. He was constantly filled with self-blame and guilt for allowing, as he put it, his bitbeasts to be put in grave danger like that.

She also remembered hearing Kai whisper to himself,

"I can't control my powers.... I will never use them again... It's just not worth all the pain and suffering..."

Hearing that, Akira thought,

"If Kai can't control his powers, what chance could I possibly ever have?"

Whenever the thought came to her, as it came time and time again, she would feel hot tears of pain fall down her face.

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Akira bolted up straight out of bed. Tears, filled with burning salt, fell from her face.

And she had no one to comfort her...

No one...

* * * ~ just a lost child ~ * * *

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(9:55pm)

{Kai}

Kai walked blindly through the mall. Still shocked with the news he had just been given. This time, Gideon wasn't just planning on stealing their bitbeasts. No, this time, he was going to take them along with their bitbeasts.

The warning they had received at the Haunted House suddenly came to mind;

"We will get you. First Earth, then Air, then Water, then Fire. Come willingly, you have already seen what will happen if you don't. We are waiting..."

Kai froze for a second, then swore,

"Shit... If Earth is first, then that means.... Tea!"

Kai spun around and shit off towards where he thought his sister would most likely be.

But he didn't get too far, when a voice stopped him,

"Kai! Hey Kai, over here!" Kai stopped and glanced around, catching the brown eyes of his twin, Keisuke a.k.a. Kei.

"What do you want?" Kai asked as he strolled his way over to his brother.

"My my, aren't we a ray of sunshine?"

"No, WE are not." Kai rolled his eyes, and was about to walk away, when Kei stopped him, his voice suddenly serious.

"Kai, we have a major problem. Turns out Derick and Cally ARE Gideon's new groupies. And it also looks like they wanted to get rid of Jace and Victoria REALLY badly, and add two more of Gideon's creeps to their roster."

Kai frowned, and replied,

"What happened to them? And who are the two new members on their team?"

"Jace and Victoria both COINCIDENTALLY had their arms broken. Neither of them are saying how it happened. Both are really spooked. As for the new members to Team Gideon, no one has any idea."

Kai closed his eyes and mentally ran through a list of Gideon Groupies that he knew. He sighed and gave up, he had no idea who it could be.

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GOB: THE END!!!!!!

Bren: Of the chapter...

GOB: I really don't know what to think of this chapter...

Kai: I do.

GOB: What...

Kai: It stank.

GOB: Is Kai right?

Bren: Isn't that where the reviewers come in?

GOB: You're right! Read and review people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!