You should know by now that I do not own Beyblade, but I do own Kiz, Theo, Trin and Kamali.
Oh, these are lyrics
PRESENT HOPE
Trinity stood outside, on one of the many balconies of the Senshi Ranks; letting the cool morning updrafts brush her long red tresses over her face. These balconies, which were built more as lookout points than places where the tenants of the building could enjoy the stunning views, were probably the best place where one could come to think without interruption, unless it was by another dreamer, worrier or theorist.
No one would come looking for her, but she was surprised that Kai wasn't up here thinking with her after what she had convinced him to do, last night. It has taken a fair bit of 'persuasion' on her behalf, and what better way to persuade a male, but from the way he'd acted afterwards she could tell that she was going to ask... she wasn't the only one who realized that he would have to go and visit Voltaire sooner or later.
He was in a prison, back in Kai's own true timeline as far as they knew, and if he'd escaped or been granted parole they would have heard from the bit beasts. Dranzer was rather cautious of the old man, who had entrusted him to Kai after months of experiments. The basic aim of these experiments was to discover the true power behind the Holy Beings, and the results of the experiments had ultimately been Wolborg, Wyborg, Falborg and Seaborg.
Not only were her thought plagued by the strain of what she had to do almost immediately, they were also overwhelmed by the thought of what she knew she had to do in the very near future...
Trinity stared up at the heavens and knew by instinct that it was later in the morning... probably somewhere between nine and ten o'clock. If that was indeed the case, she'd been up here for a good two hours.
'Everyone will be looking for me... I'd better go back before they begin to worry,' she thought, and resolutely turned towards the door and went through, determined not to let the things she knew she had to do, and to focus on the matters at hand... she would take everything one step at a time.
"So..." Xan started, looking towards his comrades with dead black eyes. "We've followed them here. Now what do we do?"
"We wait until we've recharged and then go after the chosen two," Varsha stated simply to her leader, who nodded. Pyrus said nothing, instead choosing this time to hold his tongue.
"We've got a plan of action, and it will be put into place exactly twelve hours from now."
"Nine thirty at night?" Pyrus questioned, unable to control his curiosity.
"Nine thirty-seven, actually. Your internal timer must be slightly off."
"But right now, you will not worry about that..." Varsha cut in between her two 'male' companions. "What you will worry about now, Pyrus, is going back to the creator and telling him to send the others."
"I will do that immediately," Pyrus stated evenly, before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"I don't know what the creator was thinking when he made those updated models. They have too much human spirit in them," Varsha commented.
"They were made specifically for camouflage, which is why they look slightly closer to being human also. They were basically designed for covert type missions until the creator came across their unusually high peak of strength."
"I see, but as the human race sometimes say... nothing beats the 'original'?" Varsha smirked.
Xan closed his eyes and put an expression on his face that was somewhere between an unusual smile of amusement and a cruel smirk.
"You are indeed correct. And we are the proof."
"Um... Kirralee?"
Kirra sighed and prayed to God that she'd just hallucinated Kamali's voice behind her.
"Yes?"
"You were born out of wedlock, weren't you?"
"Is that really any of your business?"
"It's a sin?" Kamali questioned.
"How would you know that?"
"Why else would you respond in the way you did?" Kamali asked innocently.
Kirra sighed and prepared to explain it in the best way she could. "In our village it was, but the Elders weren't around while we were conceived and there wasn't exactly any available means of... contraception," Kirra explained, blushing slightly at what she was doing. Who the Hell discussed their parents sex lives with someone they knew purely as a face in the crowd, or more a stalker type admirer of the family? Someone as crazy as her, right?
"And after the Elders did come back?"
"They were too busy annoying Mum and Dad to get married, rather than getting peevish at them for having us. We were there, we were Mum and Dad's kids, and there wasn't exactly anything they could do about that."
"Kill your parents to regain the honour of their clan and give you to a foster family?" Kamali said, and it sounded more of a question than a suggestion.
"Why the Hell would they want to do that!" Kirra questioned, turning around on her heel while speaking to look the man directly in the eye.
Kamali looked surprised for a brief moment, but then relaxed and stared back at her, with intense amber meeting electric blue.
"It's what they did to my parents."
Kirra raised her eyebrows and sighed, turning back around simultaneously.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Kamali said, with his voice completely void of emotion, "I didn't actually know until my foster parents died two years ago and I saw both sets' of parents wills."
"Two years... how long have you been here?"
"Since my foster parents' death."
"I didn't realize that you'd been here that long... I thought maybe you were just a prodigy... one of the recruits that moves up ranks quickly," Kirra explained, noting Kamali's questioning look.
"Well, perhaps you haven't been visiting the lower ranks as much as you should," Kamali grinned. Kirra noted that it was the first time she'd actually seen him smile... and it actually made him look rather... intriguing, and attractive in an immature sort of way.
'Did I just think that? Holy shit, I am losing it.' Kirra sighed to herself.
'What did you just think?' both her siblings' voices echoed in her mind simultaneously.
'Nothing!' she snapped back.
She could almost feel her brother's amusement, as he replied, 'Of course not,' and left her alone. Trinity made no reply, but that was understandable, because Kirra obviously knew what was going through her head.
"Kirralee?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry... got lost in thought..." she murmured, looking downwards and hoping the bright pink of her hair would camouflage the crimson tint that had just appeared on her cheeks.
"I was asking that if you were free today, could you please help me train for my entrance examination for the Elite?"
"I was actually thinking of going shopping..."
"That can come later," Kamali stated firmly.
Kirra glared up at him once more and snarled, "Who died and gave you charge of my life?"
Kamali looked slightly downhearted, but persisted.
"Only an hour?"
"Forty-five minutes, and you've got yourself a deal, kid," Kirra replied.
"Fine. Deal," Kamali said cheerfully, and held out his hand. Kirra hesitated, but took it eventually and they shook on the promise.
"I've got to go see Daddy now," Kirra muttered.
"Daddy?" Kamali questioned sarcastically.
"You know, Kon Rei, also known as Raymond Kon, joint-founder of this organisation and the man who gave me life by means of falling in love with my mother and..." Kirra began with equal sarcasm, but Kamali cut in at a rather appropriate time.
"I get the picture. I'll come with you, and then we can go straight down to the training rooms from here," Kamali said.
"Whatever floats your boat," Kirra replied, and she started off down the hallway towards her parents' quarters, which were heavily guarded, due to the fact that many enemies of theirs seemed intent on killing them.
"Given name?" one of the guards asked sharply.
"Kirralee Mao Kon."
"ID number?"
"26573."
"What about him?" the guard asked.
"He's with me," Kirra stated evenly.
"That's fine then, go right in."
Kirra nodded and gripped Kamali savagely by the arm and dragged him through the doors, seeing that he'd been transfixed by the decorative surroundings that differed so much from the white, white and more white of the rest of the building.
"You were named for your mother?"
"And uncle. Marth was named for Dad... Trinity was kind of neutral in the middle named department."
"So what's her middle name?"
"Emily." (AN: If you care to remember, Emily delivered Trinity. P)
"As in doctor Mizuhara Emily?" Kamali asked.
"You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Kirra said, throwing the door open to reveal what appeared to be where her parents ate. Both of them were sitting at the table; her mother was idly chewing on the only remaining crust of a piece of buttered toast and her father had his eyes closed and was sipping what appeared to be green tea.
"Daddy!" Kirra shrieked, and ran over to hug her father around the neck, hard enough to cause strangulation.
"Hi Mum!" Kirra grinned at her mother, flashing her sharp teeth, and Mariah smiled back and flashed an equally fanged grin.
"Daddy, darling, sweetie, angel..." Kirra started.
"What do you want?" Mariah questioned sharply.
Kirra ignored her but continued to work on the psyche of her father.
"Daddy, you know how I'm kind of broke in all... I really, really wanted to go shopping today so could I possibly..."
Ray stopped drinking, nodded and reached into his pocket, retrieving a note and giving it to his daughter. Kirra looked at his and her face fell.
"Only a twenty?"
"That's right," Ray stated firmly. Kirra pouted.
"But what if I run out of money and can't get home?"
"You have legs," Mariah suggested, but Ray sighed and handed Kirra an extra ten.
"Thanks Daddy!" Kirra said, and bent down to give Ray a kiss on the cheek. "I love you!"
"Only when I gave you money," Ray grinned.
"That's right," Kirra smirked sarcastically, "So make sure you give me lots more in the future."
"Then look forward to our wills," Mariah smiled.
Kirra nodded and began to leave the room, grabbing Kamali on the way and dragging him forcefully away.
"Who's that?" Ray asked, and Kirra didn't miss the hint of jealously in his voice. Neither, apparently, did Mariah.
"Afraid to lose your little girl, are we, Raymond?"
"Of course not," Ray snapped, but he didn't sound entirely sure of himself.
"This is Kamali," Kirra interrupted, "And I've promised to help him train so could you please excuse me?" And in a matter of seconds, the pair had disappeared out of the door.
Ray sighed and placed his teacup back on the table. Mariah smiled and held up her little finger.
"She has you like this, Ray. Wrapped around her little finger..."
Marth watched on with bored, tired golden eyes as the newest batch of young hopefuls filed into the training room and surveyed their surroundings with interest. Marth sighed and stood up- time for the friendly introductions.
"Hello, I'm Martheo Kon and welcome to the Crystal Senshi ranks. The next few months will take you to Hell and back, so any wimps please leave."
No one moved. Marth sighed and closed his eyes momentarily, before opening them again and looking from the new recruits on his left to the ones on his right. Only then did he actually spot the two girls- it wasn't unusual that all the newies were men so having two women in the same batch surprised him, but just mildly.
They were obviously standing together for one, and only one reason- that they were the only two women there. The one on the left looked... umm... a little on the moody side to say the very least. Forget that, she looked overly hostile. Her dark hair framed her face and went down to her shoulders. She moved her head downward, obviously aware of his gaze and purple streaks shone in the fluorescent lighting, and blue eyes flashed dangerously under long, dark lashes. Either her pants had half fallen down without her noticing or she was intent on showing off the shining ornament that adorned her navel, and her purple tank top framed her figure but hung somewhat loosely off her thin shoulders. She was rather tall- definitely not as tall as Kirra had grown to be, but quite tall... about his own height, perhaps a little shorter...
"Ahem," she coughed, obviously trying to make a point. Marth's eyes flickered upwards, and she nodded reprovingly.
"Do you stare at the chests of all new recruits?" the second girl remarked with extreme sarcasm. Marth turned his attention from the first girl, to the second who looked a great deal friendlier, aside from the fact that she looked kind of agitated.
This girl also had black hair, but she had visible caramel coloured highlights through it, that complemented her hazel coloured eyes and black pants. Her shirt was low cut and didn't leave much to Marth's hormone-enriched imagination but she wore a black vest over the top that helped conceal a little more than the shirt would on its own. Her pants rested comfortably on her hips and he didn't really have much more to look at on this girl, because she was short compared to him. He had her by almost a foot, by the looks of things.
"Names?" Marth asked, as the second girl opened her mouth to make another sarcastic remark.
"I'm Artemis Sazanami," the second girl responded like clockwork.
"Tasha Reeves," the first one stated, obviously not seeing the point of saying anymore.
"Okay, you'll be the first two to show the extent of your strength. First and foremost- bit beasts?"
Both girls nodded simultaneously.
"Alright. Artemis, you can go first and Tasha can go after that."
Marth turned around and walked calmly out of the room. The male recruits followed him, disgruntled that two girls had beaten them to the punch, and Tasha followed after everyone else with the exception of Artemis had left the room. (AN: Don't worry about the male recruits... they have no point)
Marth pushed his way to the front of the pack of intrigued people and watched the girl through the lightly tinted glass.
"Isn't that dangerous?" questioned one of the men nervously.
"The glass is bullet-proof, if you're worried that it's going to shatter," Marth responded, and the man calmed.
Artemis stood with her eyes closed for a few seconds, before they flashed open and she withdrew a launcher and attached a blue and white beyblade to it.
"GO SHOOT!" she shouted, and launched the blade. She waited for the blade to gain its balance on the rough surface and then frowned in concentration.
"Lugi!" she called and an ultra blue beam of light shot out of the bit chip.
A three-headed, light blue dragon emerged from the beyblade and turned its ice blue eyes to face Marth. Marth blinked and surveyed the Holy Being with slight interest but already knew enough about it. Lugi, the three-headed dragon type, ruled over by the element of fire, the same as Dranzer, but the same as Dragoon in a sense because of its reptilian natures and looks. Supposedly, if the flames that it spurted from its three mouths touched your skin the pain would continue for eternity.
Bright blue flames sizzled out of the dragon's mouths and its blue eyes flashed with anger, finding nothing to actually fight.
Artemis looked out the window and towards Marth, and he nodded slowly in approval. Artemis smiled at him and recalled her bit beast into her beyblade and walked to the door, which slid open automatically.
"Good, good. Tasha, you next," Marth said dismissively. She nodded and brushed a few loose strands of her ebony hair behind her ear. Only then did Marth realize that she had three silver hoops in her ears- two in the left and one in the right, and they shone in the light, much in the way her eyes were shining, with determination and strength.
Once Tasha had entered the training room, and the door had been secured shut, Tasha reached into one of the pockets in her pants and withdrew her beyblade. She then held it in her outstretched palm, and muttered something even Marth couldn't hear. The blade immediately began spinning rapidly in her palm and many peoples eyes widened. Marth simply frowned with an emotion somewhere between curiosity and concern.
"Keturah!" Tasha exclaimed loudly, and a black beam emerged from the beyblade. From there, a huge black dragon rose in all of its triumph, and it really was big- easily bigger than Dragoon. Its smooth black scales shone and its large black wings beat comfortably against its own sides, shining with violet as they hit the light, much like its master's own tresses of hair did. It writhed around a bit, trying to fit its large frame into the room comfortably, and once it had found a comfy spot it stopped and stayed perfectly still.
"Firebolt!" Tasha commanded of her Holy Being, with the utmost confidence and faith, and the dragon's eyes gleamed with pure power, and let loose an almighty blast of fire that engulfed the entire room with a blazing light.
Tasha held up her hand, and the beast retreated back into the blade and spun back into its master's hand. The girl then calmly walked to the door and stepped out of the training room.
The 'bullet-proof' glass had shattered all over the floor, weakened by the attacks from both beasts and finally broken by Keturah's attack. Marth's hair had been blown out of its usual shoulder-length ponytail, so he simply reached into his pocket and retrieved another dark-coloured hair tie and pulled his hair back into a loose tress.
"Good. Very good, both of you, I must say. But it takes more than just a bit beast to make it here. It also takes physical strength, so we'd best get started. Go into the nearest change room, and you'll find lockers with clothes in them. Those are the clothes that you'll be wearing for your training, but once you've passed you can wear what you want. Put your other clothes into the same locker you get your training clothes from, and get back here as soon as humanly possible. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
All of the people nodded and Marth smiled.
"Good. You may now go."
"Is there separate change rooms for the girls and boys?" Artemis inquired.
"No. Why?"
Artemis looked rather scandalized, but Tasha looked like she couldn't give less of a damn.
The small group filed off, and Marth smiled as they left. Strangely enough, this batch actually looked like they were going to turn out interesting...
"Kai, I'm taking Mum and Dad back to their own timeline now."
"So?"
Trinity's eyes darkened. "You know what you have to do."
"I know. And I know I really don't want to do this."
Trinity sighed and slid her fingers between his.
"I know, but you have to. You're the only one who can see your grandfather without umm... use of carnage."
Kai smirked and then sighed. "I guess we'd better get this over with then. Are the kids coming?"
"Yeah... it'll piss Voltaire off if I bring 'em."
"Mummy..." Lita whimpered, covering her newly pierced right earlobe. "It hurts!"
"It will stop soon. Your brother doesn't seem to mind," Trinity pointed out.
Kurai smiled, for a change. After all, it was an improvement from the smirk that could only be described as hereditary.
"It's okay, Lita. It'll stop hurting soon. You've gotta be tough, like me."
"Come on, you two. I'll race you downstairs," Trinity smiled. Lita nodded violently and Kurai just nodded once with a smirk replacing the smile immediately.
"Ready... set... Go!" Trinity exclaimed, and as she said 'go', she closed her eyes and concentrated hard. In a flash of golden light, she was gone.
"Aww... Mummy! You cheated!" Lita snivelled.
"Come on, you two can come downstairs the old-fashioned way with me," Kai reassured the twins and Lita nodded and grabbed Kai's hand.
Meanwhile, Trinity had arrived in the living room, where she wasn't surprised to find the younger versions of her own family sitting there, waiting for her to come to take them home.
"Ready to go? I just have to wait for Kai and the kids," Trinity explained. Speaking of the devil, the three aforementioned people has appeared on the top of the stairs and were currently walking down calmly... with the exception of Lita.
"Mummy! You cheated!" she dashed down the stairs and pouted angrily.
Trinity smiled and shrugged, and gestured for all the people surrounding her to gather in close. Ray gripped Mariah's hand and she smiled, first at him, and then down on her own children.
"Past!" Trinity snapped, and the coll rush once again washed over the small group as they travelled through the waves of time. Mariah sighed- hopefully, everything would be okay when they got back, but only time would tell...
"You can do better than this!" Kirra snapped at Kamali, as he sloppily dodged a punch she'd thrown at him.
"If this is the best you can do, I don't know how you passed your entrance exams!" Kirra snapped, aiming a sweep kick at Kamali's legs. This attack hit home, and he landed with a thud, flat on his behind in front of Kirra. She smirked, and folded her arms across her chest.
"I know you can do better than this. So why don't you show me?"
"I don't want to hurt you, Kirralee," Kamali managed to get out while still trying to catch his breath. Kirra snorted.
"You won't hurt me. Like Hell you could hurt me, Kamali. So stop worrying and show me what you can do."
Kamali nodded and took three deep breaths before standing up again. Kirra began throwing a barrage of punches immediately after he was back on his own two feet and Kamali almost toppled over again. He took one step back, and then two, and then just didn't stop dodging and stepping away from Kirra's attacks. Kirra smirked- the solid steel wall was approaching with every passing moment and every step he took backwards brought him closer to once again being overpowered by her.
Kamali's back hit the cold steel and he breathed out sharply and Kirra smirked as she held up her fist to deliver the finishing blow...
And in an instant, Kamali had grabbed her around both her wrists and spun around so that she was now the one pinned against the wall. Kirra tried to writhe free from his grasp be he simply smirked and looked at her victoriously as she struggled.
"Damn you... you tricked me..." Kirra gasped as she glared up at Kamali, who grinned.
"You should learn not to underestimate your opponents. Because the underdog can still win if he or she uses his brains."
"Bastard!" Kirra spat into Kamali's face out of pure juvenile frustration of being beaten.
"Don't hate me..." Kamali murmured.
"Why not?" Kirra snapped in reply.
The two people stared at each other for a moment, being simply lost in each other's intense gazes, and Kirra could swear she saw Kamali lean slightly closer to her...
But he broke away and stood to the side to let her pass.
"It's been forty-five minutes. You lived up to your promise, so you can go. Thank you, Kirralee."
Kirra nodded, and began walking out the door. However, she paused at the last moment and spun back around on her heel to face Kamali's back.
"Kamali?"
The man turned around and raised his eyebrows in silent question.
"... Call me Kirra, okay?" the pink-haired woman sighed.
Kamali smiled.
"If that's what you want."
Kirra nodded, and left the room quickly, face flushed and palm to her forehead, wondering what the Hell she'd been thinking...
"Lee, are you sure you can handle this?"
"Of course I am, Mariah. What makes you think I can't?"
"The kids can be kind of... hard to control," Ray explained.
"Don't worry about it. If I could keep Mari and Kevin from killing each other when they were younger, I'm sure this will be no problem," Lee reassured his friend, delighted to see the look of anger on his sister's face.
"Well... okay- if you're sure. Tyson and Hilary and the bit beasts will be here anyway. They should be able to help if the kids get out of control," Mariah reasoned.
"Are they really that awful?" questioned Lee.
"Yes," Ray and Mariah answered at exactly the same time.
"Okay..." Lee muttered uncertainly.
"You kids had better behave yourselves," Ray eyed his children, who nodded innocently.
"We'll be very good, Daddy," Kirra simpered.
"Well... we're going now. If we come back and find that you've misbehaved we'll do all sorts of unimaginable parental things to you."
"We'll be good," Trinity said with a slight hint of panic in her voice.
"Okay, bye then!" Mariah said, bending down to give each of her three children a kiss on the cheek. All three of them winced.
Ray and Mariah walked out of the door and the four people waved happily. Once they heard the car drive away however, Trinity, Kirra and Marth turned around and smiled.
"Oh, we're gonna have SO much fun..."
(AN: Alas! Poor Lee. I knew him well...)
"I'm here to see my grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari," Kai stated confidently into the speaker. However, underneath it all, he felt slightly nervous. He felt Trinity's hand slip into his and she gave it a quick squeeze. Kai smiled and walked into the dingy building followed by his family. Security guards directed the four people through a maze of corridors until they came to an area that had 'Psychiatric Ward' printed on the steel door in large, reflective yellow letters.
"This place isn't very nice," Lita whimpered.
"It's not supposed to be nice, Lita. It's supposed to psyche the prisoners out and make them regret whatever they did," Kurai explained quietly to his older sister. (AN: She's only older by like five minutes, however)
A final guard led them through to a high-security area and ushered them through.
"Are you sure that you don't want a guard in there while you talk?"
"Yes, we're able to look after ourselves," Kai answered. The guard looked doubtful but let them through. They had to walk about fifty metres straight ahead although it seemed a lot longer due to the frightful moans that were coming down the steel hallway. Lita was looking completely and utterly terrified and Kurai had gone deathly pale from fright.
Sitting in a cell, in the only patch of light for metres on end, was Voltaire Hiwatari. However, it wasn't Kai's grandfather as he remembered him- this man was deathly thin and looked completely and utterly frail compared to the strong person he had once been- this person was like a shadow of what Voltaire Hiwatari had once been.
"Kai! What are you doing here?" Voltaire questioned, suddenly looking upwards from moaning and muttering incomprehensible rubbish to himself.
"I'm here to ask you a few things," Kai stated simply.
"What is it that you..." Voltaire stopped suddenly as he noticed Trinity standing behind Kai, partly hidden by the shadows.
"And what is that freak doing here?"
"That freak and I have two children," Kai snarled.
"Oh dear God... just had to completely ruin my life before I die."
"Would you expect anything less from me?" Kai questioned in an innocent voice filled to the brim with sarcasm.
"What the Hell do you want?" Voltaire snapped.
"I want to know if you have anything to do with those cyborg humans that have been wandering around and trying to kill my friends," Kai stated evenly.
"Can I just ask you one question?" Voltaire asked.
"What?"
"How the HELL do you think I can make cyborg humans in a bloody reinforced jail cell!"
"You have plenty of inside people that would be willing to come in and cater to your every whim..."
"And how would that work? You're the only one allowed in to see me."
Kai surveyed the old man who looked back on him with a horrid ferocity that he hadn't seen since his childhood in the abbey.
"... Fine. I believe you. But if you're bullshitting me I swear I'll come back here and kill you with my bare hands."
"Do me a favour and do it now..." Voltaire muttered.
"No. I don't listen to you any more."
"Suit yourself."
Kai turned on his heel and began walking back towards the main part of the jail. Trinity grabbed both of the children's hands and followed.
If it wasn't Voltaire sending the artificial humans after her mother and father, who was it?
After Ray and Mariah had arrived at the hotel where they were having their honeymoon, suitcases and bags were immediately dropped in the hallway and Ray drew Mariah into a passionate kiss that Mariah eagerly accepted. Once the pair had broken away from one another, Ray slipped his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head softly.
"Two weeks... two weeks of child-free bliss..." he murmured.
Mariah laughed softly and nuzzled Ray's chest in a feline-esque way.
"I hope Lee is alright with them."
"He will be," Ray stated firmly. "Although I think we should have left him a tranquilliser dark gun..."
"Probably, but it's too late now..." Mariah trailed off as she heard thunder rumble in the distance.
"Ray... I want to take a shower before the storm hits."
"Fine with me," Ray grinned cheekily. "I'll go order some champagne for us, okay?"
"Mariah nodded and gave Ray a quick kiss as he walked to the door, went through and swiftly locked it behind him. Mariah sighed and removed the woollen top that Trinity had given her to wear in place of her ruined wedding dress- it was made of painfully itchy fibres that irritated her skin.
This was the way she liked it- no worries, no kids, no strange beings trying to kill her- just her and Ray together.
'Here's hoping this lasts,' Mariah thought as she turned on the water and let it run over her tired, itchy skin.
'But I know it's not going to... it never does...'
"Not bad," Marth smirked as Tasha snarled as she missed hitting him again. "But you'll have to do better than that."
Tasha glared and threw another punch, which Marth once again dodged with a practiced ease.
"What you need to do is learn to be patient. If you just throw out punches like that your opponent will be able to predict your movements and you'll just run yourself down..."
Marth yelped as he felt a sharp pain hit his left eye. While he'd been explaining the flaws in her physical fighting skills she'd slugged him one.
"Another thing you need to learn is honourable fighting skills," Marth snarled quietly.
"I've been fighting for a long time... I don't need an instructor."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Well don't."
Marth shrugged. "Suit yourself. Training is over for today!"
Most of the people collapsed onto their hands and knees and panted openly, trying to regain their strength and breath. Marth and Tasha remained standing and Artemis simply sat down and scanned the rest of the people in the room with her eyes.
"Good, very good for the first day. But tomorrow, I expect you all to put in two times more effort," Marth stated, not angrily, but with a seriousness in his voice that made everyone respect his request. "You can go to your rooms."
Everyone filed out, but Marth stayed behind and sat down, concentrating on his eldest sister.
'Trin, they're good, and the two girls have bit beasts. Perhaps we will stand a chance.'
'Marth, there are easily three hundred, perhaps four hundred Senshi spread around China and indeed the world. But three hundred against limitless numbers is suicide!' Kirra's voice echoed through his mind.
'Then again, there are those of us that are... unique in the way of our battle styles,' Marth said pointedly, not ready to lose his natural optimism yet.
'Marth, we don't have limitless energy. We're still human and even if we were fully bit beast they still run out of energy.'
Marth blinked once, very slowly.
'What's the point of trying if you've already given up?'
Kirra said nothing, and Trinity sighed.
'I don't like the idea of sending my family and friends out on a kamikaze mission, Marth. The deaths of so many innocent lives shouldn't rest on anyone's shoulders, and I've already killed enough people to be sentenced to eternal damnation once I'm dead.'
'We'll be fine,' Marth thought pointedly, although he wasn't entirely sure if he was right. 'We've been through worse.'
'If I send the Senshi out... I send Kurai and Lita,' Trinity whispered.
Kirra said nothing, so Trinity spoke again.
'I'm beginning to know how...'
'Mum and Dad felt,' Kirra completed the sentence for her older sister.
'They watched us go out so many times... we could have easily been killed...'
'Mum always used to say we shouldn't be living this way...'
Suddenly, a horrible screeching sound echoed in the three siblings' minds and they winced.
'What was that?' Marth questioned.
'They're here.'
'About three hours away as far as I can tell,' Kirra pointed out.
'That gives us little time to prepare,' Marth exclaimed subconsciously.
'Marth, the new recruits you trained today- are they physically strong, to go with their bit beasts?'
'Yes, they're quite strong. Not the best, but certainly not worst,' Marth said with utmost confidence in the two girls.
'Excellent. Send them up to me,' Trinity ordered.
'Of course- Good luck, Trin.'
'We'll all be needing it,' she replied gravely, and Marth felt her presence in his mind fade, along with Kirra's.
Marth stood up, ready to get Tasha and Artemis, however, he paused for a second. His brow furrowed in thought.
'Cisia?'
'Yes master?' the deep, rumbling purr of his bit beast, guardian and best friend echoed through his mind.
'You have always fought along side me before. Now, even though you are free and can follow your own will, I ask you to fight beside me once again.'
Marth could feel the compassionate reaction from his bit beast and the big cat laughed softly.
'Of course, young cub,' the holy being said, pausing for a moment before continuing, 'My next-of-kin will also help you.'
'What about Dranzer?'
'I listen to no-one but my master,' Dranzer replied immediately.
'Your master would want you to listen to me,' Marth replied evenly.
'We shall see...' the phoenix replied, and disappeared for a few seconds, obviously asking Kai's consent.
After a few more moments, Dranzer returned, and was feeling rather insulted as far as Marth could tell.
'My master sends his consent for me to fight by the three felines.'
'Excellent. Get ready to fight.'
'We are always prepared for battle,' Dranzer replied, before leaving once again.
Marth snapped out of his trance of concentration, and immediately noticed that Tasha was standing in the doorway, staring at him.
She said nothing, but simply surveyed him through her intense blue gaze and Marth was positive that he saw a small grin tug at the corners of her mouth.
"My sister wants to see you," Marth stated simply.
"The top-ranking warrior, right?" Tasha replied with a question.
"And you know that how?" Marth asked.
"You're the Kon family... rumours are always flying around about you."
"My sister wants to see you," Marth repeated.
"Fine with me," Tasha said, finally turning her back on him and walking out of the room.
Marth was feeling sick with worry, but the golden tiger instincts that were embedded into his mind couldn't help but be excited... the thrill of the battle, just before it went in for the kill...
He shook his head violently, ashamed for letting the bit beast take over his mind... but he and his sisters needed the rush of power, the ecstasy they got out of the fight...
"Damn it... I don't need to fight anymore," Marth snarled. "But what other choice do we have?"
Mariah stood under the warm water, and let the temperate stream soothe her tired muscles.
Suddenly, from behind, a hand was placed on her shoulder and she stiffened, now naturally on her guard at practically all times. She gasped in surprise as the unknown person spun her around but relaxed as the person pulled her close and kissed her roughly and slid one of his arms downwards until it was resting securely around her waist.
Mariah knew she didn't need to worry- she knew who it was.
Ray pulled back and rested his forehead tenderly against the top of Mariah's head and softly stroked her hair as he pulled her closer to him.
Ray pouted as he and Mariah locked eyes and he kissed her softly once again.
"I missed you..." he whispered in her ear, and after he'd finished speaking he gave the lobe a soft, playful nip.
Mariah laughed softly and ran her fingers down Ray's chest.
"I can tell."
The two lovers' lips met again and Ray's hands traced slow circles up and down Mariah's spine and she moaned in delight as Ray broke the kiss and drew his tongue across the outline of her collarbone.
"Ray..." Mariah started, but was cut off as Ray's lips caressed her own once again. Once the pair had broken away from one another, their eyes locked and Ray smiled down upon his wife, love and best friend.
"Yes, Mari?"
"I think we need to take this somewhere else... like the bedroom..."
"Not a bad idea," Ray grinned and grabbed Mariah's spare hand as she turned off the taps in the shower. "Not bad at all..."
"Okay, squadron C can go out first... they're the best of the lower strength groups, and they can be followed by groups D and F..." Kai murmured, poring over the various papers that showed ever soldier's strength, bit beast and class, as well as personal information and distinguishing features that could used for identification, just in case they happened to get the rough end of the stick.
Trinity sat about ten metres away from Kai, staring into the dark clouds that signalled an impending storm, in more ways than one. She sighed and looked as tired as ever as the first lot of lighting crashed somewhere a few kilometres away.
"Trin, are you okay?" Kai questioned, looking upwards to see the woman simply staring out into space, utterly lost in her own thoughts.
"So much death... so much violence... what's the point of it all?"
Kai sighed and spoke evenly in reply.
"We are simply doing what we think is right."
"I don't think me being responsible for the death of the majority of our soldiers is right! They have families and friends who care about them and I take full liability for whatever happens to them as their leader."
"There's nothing you can do, Trinity," Kai said softly. "They joined these ranks knowing the risks of what they could and almost definitely would go through. They have charge of their own lives and if the path ends here for them, it is purely to their consent."
"Kirra, you've been given the job of being leader of squadron A. Here's the roll- check to make sure they're all here and not hiding under their beds," Marth said, tossing her the clipboard that she caught with practiced ease.
"Mahalia Zeona... Takeshi Tsugimoto... they haven't even passed their Elite examination!" Kirra hissed.
Marth looked back towards his sister and shrugged, pointing downwards, indicating that she should keep reading. Knowing that there was only four to a single squadron, her eyes caught the last name on the list.
Kamali Xao.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
Marth scanned the list of his own squadron, number B, and realized that the majority of his team hadn't passed their Elite examinations either. More to the point, they haven't even passed their entrance ones.
Tasha Reeves.
Artemis Sazanami.
Jason Berne.
Jason was another Elite, thank God, otherwise he would have been stuck with a full team of amateurs. But then again, he supposed it wasn't fair to call them amateurs- after all, he himself had seen the extent of their prowess just a mere few hours before.
Suddenly, one of the more important things occurred to him.
"Shit!" he snapped, and dashed back toward where he had last seen his sister. He pushed frantically through the crowds and finally saw a flash of bright pink.
"Kiz!" he called out, and Kirra stopped and spun around to face her brother.
"Where did Kurai and Lita end up?"
"Oh damn it!" Kirra hissed. "We need to get them into our squadrons... Trin would kill us if anything happened to them."
"They can just tag along with us... but I'm not sticking them with two other people they don't know," Marth stated firmly.
Kirra nodded. "I'll go and find out who they ended up with, and see if I can strike a little bargain..."
The pink-haired woman dashed off through the crowd once again, and Marth sighed, hoping that his sister would find his niece and nephew before it got too late.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as Ray delivered another passionate kiss that left Mariah reeling from the exquisite fervour that they shared together- a passion that only they could share and understand, and burned with undying existence within them, and drew them to each other. The two lovers' eyes locked and Ray smiled softly, tracing his fingers slowly down Mariah's face, which was currently flushed pink, and long, elegant neck.
"Mm... Mari..." Ray purred softly into her ear, and kissed her neck, her shoulder; finally making contact with her lips once again the two savoured the moment and traversed each others' bodies, finding comfort in the familiar figures, the familiar reactions...
They once again broke away from each other, albeit highly unwillingly, and Ray buried his face into Mariah's pink halo of hair, taking in her scent- sweet, and a little salty due to the physical strain their passion was taking on her.
"Ray...?" she whispered, concerned by his sudden halt. Ray simply smiled and relaxed, setting his head down to rest on her shoulder, and letting his chest press against hers.
"I adore you, Mari..." he whispered huskily in her ear, and she smiled as she felt his arms encircle her body and draw her closer to him, if that was at all possible.
"I love you too, Ray."
"Aa..." Marth whispered, yanking one particularly appealing looking blade out of its sheath and admiring it in the light. If there were anything at all to look forward to in times of bloodshed for him, it would have to be picking the weapons with which you shed the blood.
He flicked the katana around a bit, getting the feel of its weight and length, apparently pleased with the results. He stuck it back in the sheath and pulled it out of the rack, sticking it under his arm so he wouldn't forget it.
"Little brother, you look like a kid in a candy store."
"Did you manage to find Kurai and Lita?" Marth questioned, ignoring his sister's smart comment.
"I did a little bit of wheeling and dealing... and I managed to switch Jason for Lita for you and Takeshi for Kurai in my squadron."
"Good. Trin will now have a small peace of mind, knowing the twins are with us."
Kirra nodded, and gave a sharp tug on the hilt of a smaller blade than the one Marth had chosen. It was lightweight and easier to wield than Marth's, but didn't have the extra length. This would suit very well indeed.
Trinity glared out the window at the horizon- she could see it... the darkness was fast approaching... and there was nothing that she could do. For one of the first times in her life, she felt completely helpless to control the odds, unable to really offer any assistance to her friends and family at all, besides her parents, she felt completely isolated from what she was used to... standing alongside her brother and sister, confident and calm, knowing that they too felt the urge to fight... to prove their dominance over the enemy... after all, wasn't that what all bit beasts wanted?
"Trin?" Kai spoke up in question. Trinity laughed softly and bitterly, and turned away from the window for the first time in ages and glanced at him.
"You have no idea how hard it is to be a spectator, watching from the sidelines for the first time. I am here to protect my parents but I feel useless... perhaps it's just guilt..."
Kirra gulped as she found her three fellow team members; Kurai, Mahalia, and last and probably least, Kamali.
She saw Marth standing with Lita, and two other girls who were obviously Tasha Reeves and Artemis Sazanami respectively.
"... We'll leave with you," Marth said quietly, and the eight people slowly walked out to the front of the building, not surprised to see many black transport vans, which Marth knew from experience only carried 10 people max. Two squadrons plus the driver; they fitted in very well indeed.
They got into the van in silence, and Lita sat, pale-faced, next to her uncle who seemed intent on frowning at the floor, or anyone who made any sound whatsoever.
Kirra stared out the small, reinforced windows set into the van's back doors and watched as her home grew smaller... smaller... smaller, until it was just a tiny dot in the distance and about five seconds later it had completely disappeared from view.
'I hope you know what you're doing, Trin...' she thought, looking around at the seven other frightened faces.
"Uncle Marth?" Lita whispered. Marth nodded to signal that he'd heard her but made no other reaction.
"I'm scared... I don't want to get hurt... it probably sounds selfish but I don't want to get hurt."
"That's natural," Marth replied, "Any normal person would be terrified at this point, if they were sane."
"Why aren't you?"
"I'm just used to it."
Silence filled the small space as Lita and Marth stopped talking, but Lita persisted.
"I'm still scared."
Marth smiled reassuringly at the child, who tried to smile back but failed due to nerves.
"You are under my care, Lita. Come Hell or high water, I will not let you be hurt, even if it means that I have to get hurt in place of you. That goes the same for all members of my team."
Artemis smiled and Tasha leaned over to look at Marth but said nothing. She hated to admit it, but he respected the boy.
Ray slowly rubbed Mariah's back as she regained her breath, whilst lying to one side of him, exhausted from the various happenings that she'd fallen victim to in the past few days- some being bad and others, like the love they had just made together, was good and most likely beneficial in various ways...
"I don't want anything to happen to us Ray," she whispered, locking eyes with him to show she was serious. "I don't want to live through anything else like we did ten years ago."
"I won't let anything happen to you," Ray replied softly, "If it's within my power I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing else happens to affect us like that ever again."
Mariah nodded tiredly, and leaned forward to give Ray a quick kiss. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Ray grinned, pulling her over to him and resting her head on his chest. "Now you sleep."
Mariah nodded slowly and shut her eyes, and was soon engulfed in a deep slumber.
Ray watched her sleep for a while, until he too succumbed to his exhaustion and fell into a dreamless siesta.
Trinity's eyes glazed over as she watched the multiple black vans streak away and out of view, knowing that one or more of those vans contained her brother, sister and two children. She could see it... she was simply sending them all to their doom.
Kai finally finished designing battle strategies that were to be sent to the main barracks at the war zone, and walked over and stood behind Trinity, placing a hand on her shoulder and also beginning to stare out into oblivion. Trinity sighed and reached up to place her hand on top of Kai's, but did not let her eyesight wander from the outside world.
"And so it begins..."
Yay! Finally done. I'll put the rating up to R... just to be safe.
