Rimnerel: Let's see...anything important for this chapter?

Tala: You actually have points with your chapters? That's a new one.

Rimnerel: I hate you too. Let's see what I can do to you in this chapter. Oh, and russle, you asked about why Asuka didn't mention Kai in her flashback, well she helped him before she escaped. It was back at the end of the first chapter, and the second chapter.

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Asuka ran down the dark, abandoned streets of Moscow as she made her way to the abbey that she grew up. The abbey that filled her dreams with terror and hopelessness...the abbey that her uncle ran.

The same uncle she thought she could once love for taking her and her brother Hikaru in when their parents died in a car crash when she was six. That day she first met him, he had smiled so genuinely...or so she first thought. Behind that smile, laid a monster she was blind to for an entire year. How could she have not seen the things happening to her?

'Boris was my uncle that was my only salvation. When I decided to turn against him because of those five boys, I was tossed out of my sightless egg and forced to witness the brutal truth behind it all.' Asuka thought to herself as she ran across another street, her breath coming out in quick puffs of steam.

This was like two years ago. Running through the empty, cold streets, escaping from the place she so hated. That took her brother and her friends away from her. Took away her chance to be happy, to start over and make the best of her situation. Yet, her uncle had never allowed it, once she could see the things around her. In truth, she was a fool to think that place would be a new start.

That place...the very thought of it chilled her inside out. That place had changed her forever. She was forced to grow up faster than she wanted to take on responsibilities too young for a child of her age. To give up her childhood to benefit others in hopes they could try to be children in her place.

A place she never wanted to go back to, but she had to this time. It was ironic, the same place she hurriedly got away from, was the same place she hurried towards. Only because of that boy...Maseo Tsutomo, that little boy she made a promise to more than two years ago when she first came to Japan from Russia.

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{Flashback}

The young girl stood in the bathroom of a small little restaurant looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her dull green eyes flickered over her image for a long time. She could still see it. She still looked like her brother, Hikaru. Especially now that her hair was as boyishly short as his had been. Asuka touched her image, the reflection doing the same thing. Tears welled up in her eyes tumbling down. Asuka laid her head against the glass, clenching her fist.

"Hikaru...Hikaru why did you make me do this?" Asuka choked out. "I didn't want to leave you or the others. I don't know what to do. I don't know, Hikaru!"

Asuka slid down to the floor, bowing her head. She escaped Russia, that was true, but now what was she supposed to do? She had no idea where to start. And she was sure that her uncle would still be looking for her. Cutting her hair shorter to look more like a boy would make it harder for him to find her, especially if she didn't turn to her mother's family, the Uesugi family, for help. They would turn her in on the spot if her uncle said she ran away.

She was alone in this. She could turn to no one. A sudden pulse beside her, made Asuka turn her head. A bright light emerged from the duffle bag she brought, along with the little clothes and food she managed to buy with the money she, Hikaru, and the others managed to scourge up before leaving. For about five days, they would sneak out, pick pocketing or whatever they could to get the money for the tickets. Asuka wondered could her uncle have known then what was up, and only waited for them to stage their escape to act?

Asuka opened her arms as an animal came to her side. The wolf that stood beside her lowered it flames so not to burn her, as it whined softly in hopes to ease her pain. She knew it could feel it, and she didn't want to burden the creature with worry for her, but she couldn't help it. She was almost 14 now having lost her brother and best friends to a man she was supposed to be able to trust.

She wrapped her arms around it, crying into its fur while it tried to comfort her. "Figara...I miss the others so much. I don't know if I can do this by myself, please stay by my side, you and the others that I managed to escape with."

This bit was supposed to have been her brother's. But since...the fire wolf bit chose her as its new master. Though it was a man made bit, it still held much compassion. Its brother bit, Wolborg remained in Russia, awaiting their return. Before Asuka left Russia, and the abbey, she managed to take with her three other bits that would come in handy for freeing the others when the time came.

"I know we have to find a team I can train, but...I don't know if I can do it," Asuka admitted. Figara whined again, nudging its face to hers trying to assure her that everything will be fine. "I know that Hikaru believed in me, but can I really do this? Can I really put together a team that my brother will be proud of?" Figara whined as if with a yes before moving away from her. "You believe in me don't you? I guess that as long as you're by my side, nothing can happen."

Asuka removed herself from the floor, turning on the faucet of the sink, and cupping her hands together. Splashing her face with the cold water, she looked into her reflection once more and smiled. She would do this she had to if she wanted to stop her uncle from hurting any more children. Figara went back into its bit, as Asuka picked up her bag, leaving the bathroom. Night had approached and she had yet to find a place to sleep.

'I can always sleep in a shelter but...I don't want to chance anything. I wonder where I could find a really cheap hotel. I don't have much money left, but I'm sure that I can find some place. I managed to get away with the fact that my passport hasn't been updated recently, so I should be able to find a place to sleep without getting into trouble.'

Walking out the restaurant with her bag in tow, the young girl walked down the street. Unlike Russia, the nighttime was always teeming with life of people clubbing, going to karaoke bars, and other such things. She wasn't worried, one of the only things that really came out of living in the abbey besides the friends she made, is that she was able to defend herself if ever attacked, unfortunately, those skills never came in handy when faced with her uncle or guards at times. The fear that seethed deep in the hearts of the children that was cultivated for that purpose only seemed to numb them with hopelessness when...

Asuka shook her head clear. She wouldn't think about it now. She would outgrow the fear and save everyone. Now that Hikaru was gone, she was the only one left that could fight back for the younger children in the abbey. Even if Tala and Spencer were only younger than her by a year, she still felt so much older due to the weight she carried upon her shoulders.

The young Russo-Japanese girl sighed as she headed down the street, aware of everything around her. It was a habit, especially within the abbey, you could never be too careful when a hand would grab you and shove you against a wall, taking from you what did not rightfully belong to them. And the only thing you could do was either cry, knowing that didn't work, screaming, fueling their desires more rather than calling help, or go numb and hope that they finished quickly. Struggling only got you hurt worse.

"Stop struggling kid, I won't hurt you." Asuka's attention quickly fell upon an alley she was walking by. No one paid attention as they went about their business to the voices, but Asuka could not just simply walk away. Stopping, she peered into the alley, seeing a guy struggle with a kid of about eight or nine as he tried to pull the boy's pants down. "I just want a look at you."

"Let me go!" cried the little boy. His short brown hair swept into his fearful blue eyes, raising a shiver of old memories within her. "Please, let me go!"

"I told you I'm not going to hurt you, just do me this favor, okay. And I'll give you what you want," the male, probably in his thirties or forties, said. He was much taller than the boy. He had a knee pinned between the boy's small legs to keep his legs apart. Asuka clear noted his pants were down, as he rubbed against the boy's body.

Asuka ran in low, dropping her bag and went in for the kill. The man did not notice he had attracted attention until a foot slammed into his side, tossing him away from the boy. His back hit the wall hard, causing him to gasp with pain. Asuka quickly slid in between the boy and the male that was slowly getting up. Raising her hands in front of her, she waited.

"Who the hell are you?" the male growled. "That boy is my prey, stand down little girl or I'll take you next."

"You fucking bastard," she screamed in Russian "I won't let you touch this boy as long as you live." The male looked at her as if she grew another head. With a sigh, she changed over her languages. "I'm not going to let you touch the boy."

"You think you can stop me girl?" the male said, pulling out a knife.

"Just try and attack me. You really want to die don't you?" Asuka shifted her eyes to the boy behind her. "Get out of here now. Go home kid."

"I can't!" the boy whimpered.

"Well just get the hell out of here then!" Asuka pushed him out the way as she dodged the knife, parrying behind the male and snapping his arm behind his back. Screaming in pain, he made an attempt to toss her off, but Asuka pulled his arm back further. "I swear to you I will snap it off if you try that again. I have the right nerve to kill you."

"You think you can get away with this you little cunt, think again," laughed the male. "You're just a kid, you can't do—"A well-placed punch to the back of his skull shut him up and knocked him out. Releasing the male, she allowed him to drop to the ground. Looking down at him, she spit on him, and stepped over the body, going to pick up her duffel bag. Only then did her eyes fall on the boy watching her with amazement.

"Do you know how dangerous it is for a kid your age to be out this late at night? Go home kid before you get yourself into trouble. Someone won't always be there to bail you out of situations. You're way too young to throw it all away now," Asuka stated. The boy looked down, tears springing into his eyes.

"I'm sorry...I just wanted to find mama and papa. They haven't been home in days, I thought that if I could go out and find them, I could get them to come back home," the boy cried. "I miss them so much I..."

"Hey kid, where do you live?" Asuka said.

"I stay...a few blocks from here," the boy answered.

"Wipe your eyes, I'll walk you home," she said. There was no way she would leave him alone out on the streets like that.

"Okay." Obeying her, the boy wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve and took her hand as she led them out of the alley back into the nightlife of Japan. The girl was more than angry that no one bothered to question two kids out so late like this. She wondered if they even cared.

"So kid, what's your name?" Asuka asked, looking down at the boy.

"It's Maseo Tsutomo."

"Mine is A—"she stopped, biting her lip. "It's Hikaru. Hikaru Uesugi." She would use that for a while. Maybe...maybe Hikaru really did make it out. Maybe if he came back to Japan and discovered that she was using his name and their mother's maiden name, he would find her. Then they could go through with their plans. "Would you mind telling me about your parents. Why haven't they been home in days?"

"We are moving into a new house soon. Mama and papa said that there was some trouble moving our furniture into the new house, so they were going out for a while to make sure that everything was all right. They told me to watch the house until they got back. But...I haven't seen them since then," Maseo said.

"They...." Asuka, or rather now Hikaru, turned her eyes on the boy. She couldn't believe what she heard. His parents had left him alone like that. She was certain they abandoned him, lying that they were moving into a new house when in fact they left him to die. "Maseo, did they leave you anything to eat?"

"I ran out of bread five days ago," he answered. "When momma left, she promised she would pick up some food also."

"You haven't eaten for five days?" Asuka stated. The little boy shook his head. Asuka turned her eyes away, knowing that they were filled with fury. "Maseo...there's something I want to say to you, okay."

"What is it?" Maseo asked.

"Have you ever seen what Hiroshima or Okinawa looks like in the fall?" she inquired.

"No...why?" he asked.

"Your parents are gone Maseo. They lied to you about things. I know it's hard to accept, but if you want...you can walk by my side for as long as you want. I'm going to see some of Japan and see what I can do. I can't guarantee that at times it won't be tight, but I can promise you that I will never leave you for anything. So...if you want to come along, you can," Asuka said.

"You..."

"I mean, if you really don't want to, then—"Her sentence was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping around her waist, Maseo crying into her shirt. Looking down, she smiled, guiding him away from his old memories and to a new life. And still no one bothered to see the two shining stars that found their way to each other that night. It was later that week that she gave him the earth based panther bit beast Tengara and started training him, healing a part of both their hearts.

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'I won't let you have him uncle.' Asuka thought to herself as she continued to run. 'I would trade my life for that boy. I promised him that he would never have anything to worry about as long as I'm with him, and I will keep that promise.' Rounding another corner, Asuka came face to face with the abbey she left behind. It still had a foreboding feeling about it, even now. It hadn't changed at all. She wondered...where within this place was the Demolition Boys now. Was Maseo in there somewhere also?

Coming to a halt, she stared at the place. The voices came back to her. The orders, the sounds of the children training, the metal of beyblades clashing into each other, the pleas filling the halls of the abbey, the screams, and crying. All those sounds resonated back into her, as if two years never passed. As if she hadn't lived in Japan and met up with Maseo, Kira, and Rika, and that was just a dream, that the true reality was that she never left the abbey at all.

"Well, look who it is. And it seems that you cut your hair short since I last saw you." Asuka froze up, turning wide eyes to find her uncle walking up with Maseo beside him. She quickly glanced over the boy, but found no indication her uncle had tried something.

"Hikaru! You're here! I thought you were gone, but I was hoping that I would catch you before you left! I'm glad you decided to come see your brother too!" Maseo grinned, breaking from Boris's side to go to hers.

"Maseo...you can stop that now," Asuka said. "What did he tell you?"

"Hikaru?" Maseo frowned.

"I didn't tell him anything he didn't need to hear, Asuka," Boris responded in Russian. The girl clenched her fists at her side.

"Maseo...he told you what my name really is didn't he?" she inquired.

"He said that he was your uncle and that your real name was Asuka and that Hikaru came from your brother. He also said that you abandoned your brother to go to Japan. Tell me it's not true," Maseo pleaded.

"Maseo...there's a lot of things you don't understand about my past. It's true that I have a brother by the name of Hikaru. It's true that I used his name, that I started using my mother's maiden name. It's also true that I lived here a while ago, and that I went to Japan. It's true that he's my uncle, but it's not true I just abandoned my brother like that. It's a lie," Asuka stated. "There was a reason I had to leave him here."

"I thought so! I knew you would never do something like that on purpose," Maseo said. "You should go tell your brother that. And I will come with you so you can tell him if he doesn't believe you!"

"No," Asuka said.

"Why not? I want to meet your brother too," Maseo said.

"Maseo, it's getting late, you should go back to the hotel with the others I'll be back as soon as I finish talking to my brother and my uncle."

"I'll have my driver—"Boris started a familiar glint in his eyes.

"No!" Asuka interrupted immediately. She wasn't going to let him have the boy. "Maseo, will head back on foot. No need to put your driver into so much trouble. I'm having somebody meet up with him anyway."

"You're going to let such a young boy walk back all by himself, Asuka, that would be irresponsible of his team captain, don't you think so?" Boris countered. "Why don't you allow me to provide him—?"

"I said no uncle!" Asuka remarked. "Thank you for your hospitality, but he's not a child. He can walk back by himself, right Maseo?" She looked down at the boy, hoping he would get the hint and say he would.

"I—I guess I can. I mean you won't be too long will you?" Maseo questioned.

"No, I won't." Asuka smiled, her heart breaking into pieces knowing that there was no way she would be able to leave now. She didn't want to force him to stand on his own two feet so soon, but that's what she had to do. If she was going to keep him safe from her uncle, she was going to have to break promises to save his innocence.

"You know it would be rude for the boys not to see the reason you left them abandoned," Boris said in Russian. "That night you left, you know that Tala cried himself to sleep in my arms. It took so long to console the boy. It would be a shame if they weren't allowed to meet Maseo."

"I swear if you try to lay one hand on him," she started in Russian.

"You'll what girl?" Boris remarked. "I know where they are. I can bring him back whenever I want."

"Asuka..." Maseo tugged on her shirt, gathering her attention once more. She blinked, looking down at him.

"Gomen nasai, Seo-kun. My uncle was just telling me some things. Go ahead and go back. I'm sure that Rika and Kira are worried sick about you, you little gaki. Go ahead and tell them I'm all right." Asuka ruffled his hair, smiling at him with a smile that she wondered would be her last.

"Okay." Maseo watched her look at her uncle, staring at him as if making a stand. Turning to Boris, he bowed to the male. "It was a pleasure meeting you sir. I should be getting back now."

"It's quite all right. My niece only wants the best for you, so I understand. I hope we can meet again soon, Maseo," Boris smiled as the boy left.

Maseo wondered if they got along, which was why she didn't want to have him discover her. And what about the scene back at the stadium. Was he a violent person? Was that why she didn't want to come back? But he seemed like such a nice person when Maseo was riding with him. In fact, the older male shared a lot of things with Maseo about being afraid to see her again because he truly was sad when she left.

When the boy was gone, she turned her eyes fully on her uncle. He hadn't changed at all. Nothing about him had. "You know, Asuka, the boy was very beautiful." Asuka's eyes widened, realizing he said the entire thing not in Russian but in Japanese. "Are you surprised that I know the language. I am well versed in many languages, English, Japanese, Latin, German a few others also. You gave yourself away at the stadium. Your accent...I could hear your Russian accent despite the Japanese."

"You knew...even then..."

"Foolish girl, did you think that I wouldn't notice how afraid you were. How hesitant you tried not to be. You are my lamb and the Shepard always remembers what their lambs are like. You and Hikaru, my most prized lambs of all." Boris walked up to the girl, studying her. "You still look exactly like him."

"Hikaru...where's Hikaru?" Asuka asked. "Is he really?"

"Such hopeful eyes to see your brother. I guess I couldn't blame you. Especially because he was all you had left, am I right, niece?" Boris lifted her face, staring into her hope tinged eyes. "But I don't know if he is or not. My mind is currently occupied by..."

"Please, leave Maseo out of this," she pleaded. "I will give my life for that boy's. He shouldn't be taught like this. Please don't uncle, please just leave him alone, I beg you."

"Does he mean that much to you? Him and the others that you formed bonds with do they mean that much to you? You know I can kill them as easily as I could kill you, Tala, and the others. With a snap of my fingers, I could make sure they laid in a pool of blood before you ever got to see them again," Boris sneered.

"Please," Asuka whimpered.

"Promise me then," Boris whispered cruelly in her ear. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he pulled her face up until she stared him directly in his cold gray eyes. She felt the tears travel down the crevices of her face, dribbling down her chin.

"Please," she choked, as he yanked her hair more. "I beg you with all my life. I promise, uncle, I promise that I will never run away from the family again. I promise that my life is yours to do with however you want. Just leave Maseo, Kira, and Rika out of this! They don't know! They don't know anything!"

"But you gave them three of Biovolt's bit beasts, they can become easily involved if I choose so."

"They didn't do anything wrong. Please, I beg you on my entire soul that I won't leave again. You have my life, isn't that enough? Let that be enough uncle, please let that be all you need. I promise you, just please!"

"You swear to me on your life that you won't try a stunt like that again?" Boris said, dragging her by her hair towards the doors of the abbey. Asuka half stumbled, half walked with him.

"I swear to you on my parent's grave if that's what you want, uncle. Just please, please don't hurt Maseo, Kira, and Rika."

The doors of the abbey opened for the male, as he flung his niece to the ground. She looked up, finding the doors closing and Boris standing over her as if he was the devil. An evil smirk rose to his lips as the doors closed all the way. Her path that led to freedom, once more closed as she returned to hell. "Welcome home then, Asuka."

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Rimnerel: Yay! I finally updated with all my stories to write!

Tala: You're the one that wants to take on all of them.

Rimnerel: Oh shut up! Well, okay, I guess I should go. You all know the routine by now. I leave, you review, I remember to update some time from now. Later!