Here's the fifth chapter! The reunion with Tala after so many years... please keep reviewing, you don't know how much I appreciate it!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade, but I do own my OC Albina!
Chapter 5 - Buried Feelings
A few weeks later, the choosing of the Biovolt team took place. Albina was finally allowed to rejoin with the boys, even if it was just for a short time. As she walked into the large, high-ceilinged hall, she looked around at the others. They'd all changed so much in three years that she couldn't recognize most of them. She found Bryan- still as pale as ever, but with a stony and threatening face- now lightly scarred with visible frown lines. She scanned further and recognized a few more familiar faces, but she'd never liked them anyway. Then her eyes caught a flash of blazing red, and her heart skipped a beat.
Tala had grown much taller than she remembered, and his hair was longer and pointed at the sides. It framed his face beautifully- his icy eyes had elongated with age and his chin become more pointed. He was wearing a green uniform like all the rest, but she could see a vague shape of his body- lean and quite lanky, but with vague muscle definition in his arms, torso and thighs... She gasped and felt her cheeks burning again- why was she thinking like this? They were friends four years ago- but she'd changed. She'd stopped thinking about him during her years in solitude, and she knew that it was for the better. He'd only be a distraction to her focus, and she couldn't let it slip- the team would depend on her as their captain. No, she told herself- it's been too long. We can't be friends again, she mentally decided, whilst desperately hoping that he wouldn't be on the team...
The battles began, and she sat on the sidelines, watching with Boris. It had been determined years ago that she was superior to everyone else, and she didn't need to compete with the students. Although she was trying to look at everyone, scrutinizing their techniques, spotting faults in their launches and laughing at their amateur efforts, she just couldn't tear her eyes off the slim redhead, who was shouting angrily and, she saw to her disappointment, beating his opponents with ease. Please let there be three people better than him...
The losers were led out of the room in groups, and soon only a few boys remained. Tala was still here- it was all going wrong. What would she do if she were on a team with him? Then someone blew a whistle marking the end of the competition. Boris got up and went to congratulate the three teenagers- Tala, Bryan, and a tall, broad boy she didn't know, who was introduced to her as Spencer. Albina got up from her seat to meet her new teammates, trying to hide her nerves and determined not to show any feelings toward Tala.
"Congratulations for passing the test boys, I'm Albina, and I'm going to be your team captain-"
"You? Our captain? Is this a joke? I'm not having no girl for a captain, let alone one three years younger than me!" Spencer interrupted in a rage. Bryan and Tala kept silent- they remembered how powerful she was and had perhaps guessed Boris's fondness of her. In reply to this, Boris smacked him round the head hard, and shouted in his ear:
"You will RESPECT your team captain, Spencer, or else you'll be thrown out of the team! We could easily replace you with Ian." Spencer nodded, scowling at Albina.
"If you knew how easily I could grind you into the dust, you would hold your tongue." Albina muttered icily, brushing her hair behind her ear to reveal the threatening scar- was that look of admiration from Tala? "I will expect you all to meet me here everyday for training, and then we shall see how good you are." She said. Bryan scowled at her in silence, and Tala just nodded. She could see that he was going to act as if nothing had ever happened between them. Fine, she thought, two can play that game. The four of them marched out of the hall followed by Boris, and they separated to their separate cells. Before departing, Tala and Albina both looked at each other then immediately looked away again- this was going to be difficult...
From that day onwards, the new, as-yet-unnamed team trained in the large hall, with Albina as their coach. She beybattled against all of them, and when it came to Tala she was amazed at how good he'd become. His launch was much stronger than before and his blade much faster, almost as fast as hers. She attacked again and again but his endurance-built blade was still going strong after several minutes. He tried to attack her but his attacks only hit twice, her blade going too fast for his to catch- but it began to slow after a while, and in desperation not to lose and show weakness, she called out Polborg who smashed his blade out of the stadium in no time at all.
"Hey, that wasn't fair! I don't have a bit beast yet!" It was the first thing he'd said to her since their last argument, and it was almost exactly the same.
"You just can't accept losing, you never have been able to. You're pathetic." She replied coldly.
"Oh yeah? Well when I get a bit beast tomorrow, I'll show you I'm just as good as you. I'll show Boris that I should've been team captain! I'll show EVERYONE that I'M the BEST!" Deep down, Albina felt hurt, but on her tough exterior she felt incredulous and angry. She'd show him that SHE was the best.
The day came when the team all got to choose their bit beasts, and going in the room again was a strange experience. Although Polborg was just a creation of the lab, she'd grown close to it in their time together and had acquired great control and respect from it as well. Even when the boys got their bit beasts, it would take a while to develop a strong bond like she had with Polborg and she was immediately grateful to Boris for letting her have first pick- hers was the largest and most powerful of them all. Tala chose Wolborg, the wolf, the other ice-element bit beast that she had rejected, and she realized how similar they still were after all this time. But it was too late now; they'd both changed too much. Bryan chose Falborg, a falcon and Spencer chose Seaborg, a whale.
"Before the tournament, you need to master your bit beasts and learn to control them. Once you have established a bond with your bit beast, your beyblading technique will be much more powerful and hopefully, unbeatable. Albina, insure that everyone can do this before I present the team to the president, Voltaire."
"Yes Boris." Albina nodded, leading her team off to practice.
Before long, all the boys had mastered their bit beasts, making them stronger bladers and worthy opponents. Albina remained as cold as ever towards Tala, and him to her, though occasionally she would shoot a wistful glance at him when he wasn't looking, then feel guilty afterwards. None of them were friends- they'd been brought up to have the least emotions as possible; but at least they could work with each other as a team. They occasionally had enjoyable arguments in which they'd all join in, trying to insult one another as much as possible until they emerged victorious. Albina liked it when they argued, and she could tell the others did too- it was better than stony silence and it made her feel human again. As the day for reckoning drew closer, Albina became more and more intrigued as to who this Voltaire was, and what he would be like- though she couldn't stop worrying that he wouldn't think her powerful enough to lead a team.
The night before their visit to Voltaire's mansion, Albina went to Boris's office and knocked on the door.
"Yes, Albina, what is it?" Boris drawled, obviously tired and anxious.
"I was wondering if you had any face paint I could have." This strange request caused Boris's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"What on earth would you want face paint for?" Albina looked down at the floor, embarrassed for the first time in years.
"I... I thought it might make me look older... and more... intimidating." She stammered. Boris stared down at the small girl. True, she didn't exactly look like a powerful team leader. Despite her lean muscle and surly expression, she was still a little 12 year-old girl- a sweet and innocent-looking one at that. But the thing that surprised him most was that this was not the first time he had heard this peculiar request- five years ago, a young boy had asked the same thing; though he hadn't been quite so polite. He still had some left over from the selection he had bought for Kai. Of course, Boris hadn't done this out of the goodness of his heart- Voltaire had demanded that he saw to his grandson's needs. Until he ran away that is. Boris snapped back into reality to answer her question.
"Actually, I do. Though it seems a strange thing to want. Did you get this idea from someone else?"
"No! I thought of it myself."
"Fair enough, take this purple tin. It will match your outfit then." Boris would hate to think of himself as kind or 'going soft', but he couldn't deny that he was fond of Albina. She had such a fierce passion for power, and amazing skills for her age; as well as that, she was a good leader and had even learnt to be polite to him over time. Not to mention she was like the pretty daughter he never had.
"Thank you." She said, gratefully taking the small tin and walking back to her cell. She could only hope that this would be enough to impress Voltaire.
What will happen when the team meet Voltaire, and when the tournament begins? Will Tala and Albina ever reveal their true feelings? You'll have to keep reading and reviewing to find out... :D
