Ramen II – nice name russle. It works. Anyway, you said you wouldn't guess what the 'Other World' was, but you unintentionally did, "all the other kids around the world being sent to the shadow realm". Well done. You got it right. sigh.
You will find out more about why the kids got sent to the other world in this chapter...I hope it makes sense ' let me know if it doesn't. Ya, Max does freak out, but hey, he has never had to deal with 'killing' (please note the quotation marks) someone before.
Forfirith-on-a-sugar-high – Thanks for reviewing. Patience, it is coming. I am glad that there is a Max fan out there, other than myself. It always seems that Kai and Rei get all the attention. Not that I don't like them too...
StarAngel Caelum SunSoar – I finally gave up on the author alerts and looked for myself. How did you manage to write five chapters, of which I got no alerts for??? Grrrrrrrrr. Anyway the thing is my parents give me ten minutes on the computer that has internet once a week so I had to copy your story (chapters 8-12) and then read them. I only just finished them so I will post a review as soon as I can. My e-mail is . Mary-sues are hard not to make your character into aren't they. sigh I know how you feel...
AngelDranger – Hello, nice to have a new reviewer! I'm not surprised to hear that you like Kaie. Everyone does. I am doing my best not to make her Mary-sue. Have you read my other unfinished fic? It is kind of like the story that you are writing. Anyway please R&R.
Day 5Again Kaie slept very little, Max was thinking very hard, probably about all that had happened on the last few days. Who could blame him? After all he was more of a happy go lucky person, than a calm and collected person who could take what ever was thrown at them.
Kaie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked groggily at the clock. Five am. Didn't Max ever sleep? She was about to change into her uniform, from her shirt and boxers, when a very tired Max entered her room. Kaie quickly pulled her shirt back on.
"Oh...sorry, I'll come back later" said Max looking at the ground
"It's fine." Kaie said and sat on her bed. "Sit." She said
Max sat next to her and sighed. "Kaie," he said "how do you manage? I can't stand it. I just want to quit, reverse the past, make so that all this had never happened. But I can't. Did you hear about all the other kids that have lost, that are also in the Other World? "
Kaie looked at him and mentally groaned. It was too early in the morning for this. What could she tell him? That everyone was happy in the Other World? Then she felt Dranzer inside her mind telling her what to say. The bit beast's voice eased her troubles and his information finally showed some light on the situation.
"Max, listen" she said her voice not quite her own, "I know that it all seems hopeless at this point, but if we don't blade the tournament will fall, and us with it as well as all the other bladers in the world. We all need just to concentrate and blade.
Max listen. I think the kids were sent the Other World so that we would not drop out of the tournament. It is one thing to quit if the only person it will effect is you, but quite another to quit when all of the younger bladers in the world are relying on you, and their life is in your hands.
Another thing is that if you are destined to go, you will go. There is nothing you can do about it."
"What...do you mean?"
"You know that bit beasts come from the past, right. And that in the past your double or past spirit wielded the blade."
"Yeah...Draciel explained that to me."
"Well your double went through the same thing. And you managed to still get your blade. If they had stayed forever in the Other World then you would have never got your blade."
Max's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Kaie nodded "All the bit beasts know that too. They all know that one of them will save the rest somehow. Or if not they will all come back somehow."
Max smiled. "So what ever happens, my past person will have already done."
Kaie nodded.
Max turned to Kaie and put his arm around her.
Kaie found herself relaxing in his hold. No, she thought, you can't let your guard down.
Max, feeling her tense, let go of her and blushed. "Well, um, I am going to go to breakfast. So I guess I'll see you at the stadium."
"Yeah..."
Max slipped out the door and down the hall. Kaie could still feel his arms on her. Why was she unable to understand this feeling? It was almost like she was missing part of herself...
Kaie watched tensely as Mariah battled the Blood Knight know simply as Mischief. It was defiantly going to be a close battle. Rei, who was sitting on the very edge of the bench, looked like he was going to wet himself he was so tense.
Lee watched, standing up, with a very observant eye and Kaie could see that he was every bit as tense as Rei was, although he did his best not to show it. Kevin and Gary were gone.
"Galux, double claw attack to the left." Mariah yelled. Mischief dodged it, narrowly missing flying out of the dish. Kaie could see that he was loosing his confidence.
"Galux, F attack." Mariah said, her teeth exposed. Galux, a pink cat bit beast swerved to the left, so Mischief skittered to the right. That was his mistake. As his blade wobbled Galux came up behind and pushed him out of the dish with lightening speed.
"And the winner is Mariah!" Mischief slumped to the ground, his blade still spinning wobbling outside the dish. Rage looked at Mischief and then walked away.
Rei, meanwhile, engulfed Mariah, in a hug. She smiled, but Kaie could tell that the smile was not genuine and that her thoughts were really on the body being carried up to the hospital wing in a white stretcher.
"And now Round two of the five taking place today. If you are just joining us the victor of the first round was Mariah of the White Tigers. We will now take a short break while the All-Starz and the Smoke Screens get prepaired for their matches. Blading for these teams are Michael and Ben, respectively."
Kaie left the audience, not without the looks and whispering, to the team B wing. There she met Max, who was looked at the ground as soon as she entered, Michael, his face ashen, and Judy who was offering last minute advice to the deaf captain.
"All-Starz please enter the arena" said a computerized voice over the loud speakers. Michael led, followed by Judy, Max and then Kaie.
As Kaie stepped into the bright lights of the stadium she quietly swore under her breath. This had to be the part she hated most. Everyone looking down at her, the lights glaring down practically blinding her, everything was illuminated. Kaie just shut her eyes and walked blindly.
Luckily Max saw that she was walking blindly, so he pulled her to the left when they reached the place where they would be sitting, just behind the dish.
The battle was over so fast that Kaie wondered if it had actually happened at all. Michael threw his baseball, and Ben launched out of a sci-fi looking launcher and then Michael's Trygle was out of the dish. Ben's team didn't even look surprised.
Later a slow motion movie showed that Trygle had landed on top of Sealyon, Ben's bit beast, which had acted like a spring, causing Trygle to leave the dish.
Michael, like so many before him, and like so many yet to come, had fallen, and a white stretcher had taken him away, ferrying him to the place in which he would stay. The only consolation was that he was now with Emily. Max and Kaie looked at each other.
They were the only ones left of the All-Starz.
It was later that afternoon when Max and Kaie were summoned to Mr. Dickinson's office. There were about twenty-five others in the room, all the surviving bladers; all of the Blade-Breakers minus the Chief.
Mr. Dickinson cleared his throat and quickly had everyone's attention, minus the three in the back whom, although they were cloaked, looked like they could care less.
"Now bladers, please listen carefully. In the next stage of the tournament you will all face each other. As there are twenty-four there will be no draws.... So I will read out all of those remaining and the team that they are on.
From the Raiders, Tyson and Hillary
From the White Tigers, Lee, Rei, and Mariah
From the Demolition Boys, Tala and Kai
From the Rashua Fighters, Créa, Nassar, and Serika
From the Phantoms, George, Ryan, and Tom
From the Jail Breakers, Devin and Kyle
From the Ancient Swords, Guart and Cortez
From the Smoke Screens, Ben and Milo
From the Blood Knights, Rage, Might, Victory
And
From the All-Starz, Max and Kaie
To determine who you will face everyone's name has been place in this container. Whoever you draw is your opponent.
If you draw someone who is already set up for a match you draw again and discard the paper. If you draw a teammate you will also draw again, but place the paper back. Any qustions?
Silence answered him.
No? Good. Okay so..." Mr. Dickinson drew a name out of the container. "Ah Victory. You will draw your opponent first."
A hooded figure in a black cloak came up and pulled a name out of the hat. "Ben" he said in a gruff voice, "Smoke Screens"
A man in a black leather jacket and black dress pants stood in the corner writing all of this down. Kaie shivered.
"Okay" said Mr. Dickinson pulling out another name. "Kai will you please pull out a name." Kai dug into the container. He read the name and then swallowed. Kaie noticed that although it was not very noticeable his hand began to quiver.
"Who did you draw Kai?" asked Mr. Dickinson.
"Rage"
The room was quiet. Kai walked stiffly back to where Tala was standing. Tala looked at Kai and gently put a hand on his shoulder, trying to catch his eye. Kai merely shrugged it off and did his best to look like nothing was the matter.
Tala knew better than that though. Rage was a formidable opponent, and that man in the corner wasn't helping. He knew who it was, and why Kai was so shaken.
Boris was standing writing down all of the opponents in the corner.
Kaie herself was writing all of this down so that she could record it in her notebook tonight.
Kaie sat on her bed cross-legged as she wrote in her notebook. It was hard to believe that she was recording life, fate, and physical death in these pages. This notebook had originally been bought to analyze all the bladers. If only she had known then what would happen now...
Kaie shook her head to clear her thoughts and clicked her pen.
Mischief vs Mariah, Kaie drew a line through Mischief's name. Michael vs Ben, with as steady a hand as she could manage, a wavering line went through Michael's name. Mkool vs Ryan, Mkool's name received the line . Byron vs Créa, Créa had been the victor.Bryan vs Tyson, old hatred towards the Demolition Boys, as well as at Kai for leaving him, for them, had come to the surface in this battle, and Tyson had channeled all this emotion into the battle, beating Bryan.
Tyson was also fighting for Kenny, whom Tala had sent to the other world. Kaie could see that all the rage, hatred, anger, loss, sadness, as well as grief were pouring out of Tyson. Dragoon could also feel it, and he battled with everything he had.
The battle had been close though. So close that Hilary had to practically carry him off he was so drained. Although Kaie had noticed that he had perked up as soon as Hilary started playing nurse to him. But of the five who had made up the Raiders, only Hillary and Tyson remained.
Kaie took out the folded piece of paper that had all of the names of those who were battling. They had all been given tomorrow off (Day 6) so that they could train.
Day 7
Victory vs Ben
Kai vs Rage
Might vs Lee
Serika vs Tyson
Rei vs Kyle
Day 8
Cortez vs Créa
Mariah vs Ryan
Hilary vs Tala
Milo vs Max
Guart vs Devin
Kaie vs Cortez
She and Max were battling on the same day.
Kaie closed the notebook and clicked her pen again then placed the book under the bed.
Kaie opened her sock drawer and unwrapped the sock that held her necklace. It hadn't stopped glowing full blast since the day that Joel had first battled. Everyone was in danger, she didn't need a necklace to tell her that.
She wrapped it up again and put it back in the drawer
It was as plain as the day that they would need all the luck they could get.
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Hello again!Another Chapter finished and posted. Questions...um...don't have any...is Kaie turning Mary-sue-ish?...Let me know
Please R&R
Smoke Angel