Sorry I took such a long time to come up with another chapter…

Well, anyway, its finally ready…

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Jade wasn't sure to be scared or relieved.

Given the present circumstances, both would have been equally appropriate.

She winced as the presence edged deeper into her mind. Ouch.

Then the pain subsided, and she felt… powerful… strong… confident…

There was something sinister about the presence too… but she brushed that aside as the most likely conclusion formed in her mind. The part that still belonged to her, that is.

Reave.

It had to be. She was the only one who had the ability to do this, whatever this was. And the only one she knew who felt this confident, this powerful, and this strong.

Reave made her open her eyes. Made her glance at Rei with a pitying smirk.

"Rei, get ready for the biggest surprise in your life." She laughed. Or rather, Reave inside her.

"Kenslief! Combination Attack!" Her mouth screamed.

Combination Attack? How did Reave know about that when even she herself didn't know anything about it at all?

This was just getting better and better.

Her original self gaped at the whirlwind of thunder and sparks in front of her. And she felt the terrible strain it put on her body.

She would have groaned, had she been able to. Lucky for her, this time she wasn't able to.

The whirlwind whipped Driger around, smashing everything in its wake. The ultimate destruction machine.

Then it was aiming towards Rei.

She wanted to shout, scream at the top of her lungs for Reave to stop.

But that 'controlling sensation' came again.

Only this time it was different. She felt a tremendous strain, as if her body and soul were being torn into two.

As if two people were fighting to control her.

Two? Only Reave had that ability

How could there be two?

"No!" She shouted, and the whirlwind veered sharply off course, narrowly missing Rei.

Only it someone else shouting, not her… how could it be…

In a flash, a cat-like creature appeared, and disappeared as abruptly as it had come.

What was going on?

Then the whirlwind disappeared and her hand floated up to her neck-level and a rapidly spinning blade flew right into it, dead centre.

And it hurt. The impact of the sharp blade had caused the palm of her hand to be scratched and was now bleeding.

She winced as the pain increased sharply and she sank to the ground, breathing hard, her heart hammering with such a velocity that she thought it might burst out.

So her body was back in her control then…

"Jade! Are you all right?" Someone, probably Jazlyn's or Nattie's urgent voice.

A weak smile was all she could manage as the darkness lurking nearby overpowered her and she blacked out into oblivion.

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Slowly, as the stall owners were occupied with the 'cockroach', Alan slowly sneaked a few apples and oranges into the empty backpack he was carrying, specially reserved for this particular purpose.

He had just moved on to the pears when the owner suddenly turned around and saw exactly what he was doing.

"Why, you thief! Catch that little runt!" He bellowed like a bull for the whole marketplace to hear.

"Alanistar Pertroupie?" The sharp, crisp voice of Théorden, their Keeper seemed louder than all the other shouts put together.

Alan grimaced and turning to the anxious group hiding at the corner and amazingly, grinned his trademark dazzling grin.

And he stated the most obvious thing to do.

"Run!"

They bolted.

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Jade bolted out of her bed, panting hard and sweating profusely.

"Jade!" A chorus of voices greeted her, and she noted that the one voice she wanted to hear was, as usual, missing.

Reave was AWOL again. No surprise there.

"Are you all right, Jade?" Someone among the blurry figures around her asked, concerned.

Pitying.

If there was one thing she could not stand, it was pity.

Hmmm… well, my legs feel like jelly, my vision is blurry and then there's also that splitting headache. And I'm feeling very, very tired and very, very weak, and I can't stand feeling tired and weak… and, oh yeah, the one person I really need to talk to, the one person who is supposed to be my best friend, well, she's missing. But yeah, other than that, I'm perfectly fine, in the pink of health, couldn't be better actually.

Instead, she smiled meekly. "Yeah, no problem… just tired."

She wanted to shout at them to leave her alone. Except for Reave and Kai, of course. Pity neither of them were even in the room at the present moment…

Kai… Well, she didn't know why, but she did know why she wanted to talk to Reave.

One, she was her best friend people always talked to their best friends when they felt… like she was feeling now, which was crummy, and two, there was still that matter of the 'control' thing, whatever had happened.

"Could- could you guys please… umm… let me rest? I'm…uh… very tired…" She flashed them the weakest and most submissive smile she could manage in such a foul mood.

"Yup, come on guys, let's move it…" Sounded like Tyson. "I don't like staring at sick people…"

Yup, definitely Tyson.

Well, knowing there was one person who didn't pity her made her mood improve by a notch. But only by a notch. Nothing more.

Murmuring in the background. She caught the words 'Jade' and 'Reave' and then 'Kai'.

They made her sick. All the murmuring and all the whispering. And everyone in the room. She hated it. And them. Everyone of them. Jazlyn, Nattie, Tyson, Rei, Max, Kenny.

Only she couldn't bring herself to quite hate Kai and Reave.

If she was entirely truthful with herself, she wished they were here.

Murmuring and whispering, constantly. Driving her nuts. She couldn't think.

All the noise was making the rhythmic throbbing of her head more and more frequent and more violent…

Leave! She wanted to roar at them. Roar till they got scared off and left her alone.

But somehow she managed to feel even worse when they were all gone and she really was alone.

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Jade jerked awake as she heard a soft, almost inaudible click coming from the direction of the entrance of the room.

Her heart pounding, she sat up. "Reave?" She breathed.

She could just make out the faint outline of her best friend. "Hey. How are you?" was the soft reply.

"I've been better." Jade couldn't be sure but she could have sworn that Reave had gasped slightly.

"Reave, are you okay?"

No reply. Reave slowly made her way to the balcony outside the room.

She pulled open the curtains, letting the soft moonlight pool in. In the soothing dark of the night, the moonlight seemed like an intrusion. Reave slid the door open and strolled slowly out.

Jade threw back the covers and, in spite of the cold, followed Reave out, closing the glass sliding doors behind her. She leaned over the steel railings, which had become ice cold as well. She shifted slightly to face Reave and summoned up her courage. Lately, she found that she was shaving to talk to Reave more than necessary, as she still refused to use her telepathy.

"What happened today, during my beybattle with Rei?" She asked.

"Nothing."  The dead, common, expected reply.

"Reave, I'm your best friend, remember, the one whom you're supposed to confide all your deepest, darkest secrets in? Or don't you recall anymore? Maybe you're not Reave. I certainly don't know you anymore!" Jade couldn't help her sudden outburst. She'd waited long enough for the answers, and the one person who could give them to her wouldn't even speak.

Reave didn't seem surprised at her though. Maybe she'd anticipated this. But she seemed more withdrawn than when she had first entered her room. Jade immediately regretted what she'd said. "I- I mean… I'm sorry, Reave. I-."

Reave cut her off and exited the room, but not without giving her some famous last words.

"Rest well. You'll need it… best friend."

Jade gaped at her and watched as she closed the door behind her retreating shadow, making less noise than an ant.

Jade proceeded to throw all the blankets that'd been covering her off the bed, and then burrowing deep into them and sobbing for all she was worth.

From those seven simple, single-syllable words, it was obvious.

Life as she knew it was totally and completely over.

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That's the end for now. Please remember to review. Thanks.

= Evil and loving it. =

                                                                                    =Shaedowe=