Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters however, are mine! Ohyes, Disney's Hercules also doesn't belong to me. (The things I come up with for this fic…)
Thanks for all those awesome reviews!
On with the story!
"" For speaking
'' For thinking
Italics just for the fun of it!
She's Going Where?!
Chapter 18- Misunderstandings
Written by Euphrosyne
"With all honesty Kai, if you kill me now, I'll die a happy man…"
Boggling over the dozens of girls were who tanning, running, and splashing away in their bathing suits, Tala clamped his hands together and muttered a small prayer of thanks for God's gift.
Mariah snorted with disgust, unconsciously tightening her grip around Ray's hand.
The school week had finally come to an end, and like planned, Kai, Tala, Mariah, and Ray drove straight after school to the Lovett's, swimming gear in hand ready for a nice relaxing evening…
…Apparently not alone…but Tala wasn't about to complain!
Though the blue-haired boy's mother previously reminded him that he was welcome to bring a guest to the dinner, Kai was quite relieved when he discovered that the Chinese couple was also apart of the guest list. The amber-eyed pair proved to be great tour guides leading the two foreign boys here and there, showing them the perks of the large estate, but most importantly, validating their entrance with the hand scan and voice activating routine…
Mariah giggled at the memory. Riley was right, the imprinting process never got old!
Following the pink-haired girl towards the pool, Kai slowly took his time admiring the scenic surrounding. Though the overall house had a technical modern feel to it, the Lovett's had definitely taken pride into decorating the outdoors with a more natural approach.
There was no damn pool! It was a freak'n mystical cove, waterfall and all!
A slim blonde walked towards their direction, propping her shades onto her head. Incoherent mumbling escaped her lips.
"…The world is against me…everyone wants pineapples on their pizza…"
Chloe waved a quick hello to Mariah and Ray before slipping into the house to order snacks.
Tala whistled.
"Don't you even think about it. She's totally out of your league!" spoke the pink-haired girl a matter-of-factly with her hands on her hips.
Just when the redhead was about to retaliate with a sly comeback, a blond male slipped out of the pool, grabbing a towel off one of the chairs before walking over to greet the guests.
"Ray, Mariah, you're here!" Ash and Ray exchanged some kind of coded handshake before turning his attention to the other two boys. "You two must be Tala and Kai!"
Formal introductions were traded.
"What's up with Chloe? Seems a little moody…"
The blond rolled his eyes at the understatement. "Let's just say she follows a very strict diet that excludes all carbs, proteins, sugars, and fats…"
The redhead widened his eyes with disbelief.
Ash continued imitating the girl's voice. "-Water. Lemon on the side. Three ice cubes. Carbonate it only when the temperature is above twenty-seven degrees…"
"I'm sorry, but are you talking about me?!" Chloe walked behind Ash, an obviously annoyed look on her face. The girl crossed her arms, tapping her perfectly manicured nails against her forearm.
"Yeah, I'm talking about you! I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian you know!"
The blonde beauty turned her face to the side, a shocked expression on her face. She raised a hand to silence her counterpart from further comments. "Ugh! God only created man first because everyone knows you make a rough draft before a masterpiece!"
It was Ash's turn to look insulted. He mockingly turned his face to the side before mimicking the girl by raising his palms to silence Chloe.
…But the girl was already walking off towards her original tanning location.
"You have a lot of hate towards our gender you know, Miss Chloe Quinn!"
The said blonde propped her shades back onto her face with an uncaring expression. "Ash honey, I am free of prejudice, I hate everyone equally." She laid face up towards the sun.
Sincerity sat up from her position beside the blonde shaking her head with disappointment. "Since you two refuse to behave, I'll tend to the guests myself." She waved Tala and them over.
The redhead practically pranced towards the violet-eyed beauty, a foolish grin pasted on his face.
The well-known fashion designer smiled warmly at the group before shaking their hands. "Nice to meet you all, I'm Sincerity Heart." There was a pause. "That's Will over there with his brother Shamal playing water polo against Tashiana and the girls."
"Kon! Get you and your friends over here! My girl's team is kicking our asses!" Shamal signalled the boys over.
"-And these two over here are Chloe and Ash as you've probably figured out."
Everyone let out a sweatdrop.
"They're normally not this bad, but since today is production day, our two leading characters are blowing off steam before the show." She sighed. "Everyone's a diva."
Mariah jumped gleefully at Sin's explanation. "Can't wait to see your production of Disney's Hercules, I absolutely adore your costume designs!"
"Where's Riley and Tai by the way?" interrupted Ray.
The strawberry blonde smiled. "Well, it's a tradition at Gen-X to set their cast free as the director and conductor put together the finishing touches…"
The guys slumped with disappointment.
"-But don't worry. You people will see them during the show tonight. You all have tickets! Johnny and the others too!"
The pink-haired girl clapped giddily.
"So, um, Rye won't be joining us for dinner?" Kai's question was reasonably straightforward.
The girl shrugged. "No need to worry about her, nothing can penetrate Tai's protective barrier!" She laughed. "Mrs. Lovett must have forgotten about the preshow traditions. She and Mrs. Hiwatari should be arriving home any minute from their brunch and spree trip. In the mean time, enjoy yourselves!"
Though unsatisfied with the girl's answer, Kai nodded at Ray's invitation to join the water polo game. Will and his brother gave each other high-fives at their team's evolution.
"Tash babe, we're taking you down!"
"Come on, Tala, you joining the game?"
The redhead waved the boys off as he followed closely behind Mariah and Sin towards the tanning station. "Nah, maybe later. I'm feeling like some colour in my skin…"
The two Middleton boys rolled their eyes.
"We are the Muses. Goddesses of the Arts and proclaimers of heroes."
"Heroes like Hercules!"
"Honey, you mean 'hunk-ules.' Ooh, I'd like to make some sweet music with him-"
"Our story actually begins long before Hercules, many eons ago…"
Tapping on her headset, Riley caught Tash's glance. The red-eyed girl rose a hand, cueing the symphony in on the opening number, The Gospel Truth I.
"Don't worry Rye, we've got you covered backstage." Sincerity spoke into her mouth piece. "Dancers ready, costumes and makeup in full gear."
"Lights in five, four, three…" Will lifted his hands counting down the seconds from the massive control room up near the balconies of Gen-X's performance stadium.
Back when the world was new,
The planet Earth was down on its luck.
And everywhere gigantic brutes called Titans ran amok!
It was a nasty place!
There was a mess wherever you stepped.
Where chaos reigned and earthquakes and volcanoes never slept!
Onstage platforms lifted to reveal the dancers as they perfectly glided into their positions in their choreographed moves. Flawlessly timed, the set began changing as the acrobats flipped across the stage. The large movie projection screen rolled scenes of moving clouds and finally the curtains were further pulled back to reveal a symmetrical arrangement of vocal students in full costumes harmonizing with the muses on stage. Golden gates began opening in the back as the Mount Olympus set piece revolved up from its underground position.
"Perfect."
Rye grinned proudly as she mouthed the words to the lyrics, swaying to the rhythm as she signalled the choir.
A loud explosion of fireworks from stage front set the audience into a frenzy of applause. Tickets for the show had been completely sold out as they have in the past years; five thousand pairs of eyes sparkled intensely at the long awaited charity event.
Through her headset, Riley could hear Will holler at the success of the pyrotechnics.
From the front row set, the director sat smiling at how everything was playing out. Everyone's hardwork was finally being worshiped and awed.
Tai tuned on his headset. "Rye, what would I do without you?"
"For two people who can barely stand each other, Ash and Chloe sure put on a good show!" Tala rose to his feet, furiously applauding at the finale.
All the others sitting in the VIP balcony booth followed the redhead's example, whistling and howling away.
"…Gives me hope you know. I honestly believe Sin and I are made for each other."
Johnny and Kai shook their heads at their friend who had been stuck on cloud nine since this afternoon.
"Tala, don't take this the wrong way, but Sincerity's different from your previous fling things."
"…Your charms don't work on intellectual people," added Robert.
"Hey, I can do better than a good lay. I can commit!" A hurt look graced the boy's face. "I believe sex is the most beautiful, natural, wholesome thing money can buy…"
The two European boys sighed in defeat.
"That was amazing, Raven! The gang definitely out did themselves this time!" Claire attempted to yell over the clapping.
Mr and Mrs. Lovett grinned humbly.
"-And finally, we wouldn't have been able to put this production together if it weren't for our great director! Taylor Leigh everyone!"
If possibly, the audience went even wilder. Tai walked up the steps, linking hands with Rye before proceeding on stage.
Bouquets of flowers were brought to the two as paparazzi and other media people snapped away.
"Like the years before, Gen-X have had a talented cast and a great crew of designers, stage producers, and control mangers. These people are those who make the show happen." There was a pause as Tai waited for the audience to calm down. "And of course our wonderfully beautiful and talented conductor, Riley Lovett, was the one who blended the elements of drama and music together. A round of applause everyone!"
Hectic cheering rose at the mention of the school president's name. Tai passed Rye a bouquet of roses before kissing her on the forehead. On that note, the cast all linked hands to take the final bow. Rye raised one hand to signal the orchestra to their feet.
Slowly but surely, the audience finally began leaving.
"- I know, how do these kids do it? No help at all from their advisors! Undoubtedly, these students are going to be the leaders of tomorrow…!"
Dozens of children and adults ran up to the stage to get autographs.
"When I grow up, I wannabe just like you Ash!" The boy gave a heroic pose, flexing his arms.
The blond smugly glanced over at his counterpart. "Looks like I've won the hearts of the kids."
Chloe rolled her eyes.
"I wannabe just as pretty as Chloe!"
The leading lady gave a triumphant look.
"We want to be just like Riley and Tai. We want to be perfect!" The twins in the front jumped up and down as the couple signed their Hercules t-shirts.
Claire thanked Raven for the great day, embracing her friend before saying farewell. Walking towards the exit, Kai told the others to head on out first. The blue-haired boy then walked over to Mrs. Lovett, a white envelope in hand.
"Mrs. Lovett, I want to give you this."
Opening the envelope, the woman pulled out a cheque addressed to her and her husband. "Kai, I don't understand-"
The blue-haired boy smiled. "No, it's alright. This is for the cheque Riley had given to Mr. Gonsalvis earlier this year…"
…The cheque that had spilt up him and the red-eyed girl in the first place. Reminisces of their fight flashed through his head.
"Do thank her for me."
Mr. Lovett placed a hand on his wife's shoulder as she spoke. "There must be some misunderstanding. Riley had never come to us for financial help." She laughed. "The girl does work!" She paused, this time more serious. "The cheque my husband and I wrote during parents interview was completely our decision. We're very supportive of events such as the Worlds." The woman returned the envelope. "I think you need a talk with our daughter."
On stage, Kai made out Riley's figure signing autographs and posing for pictures with her fans.
He had never felt so inferior in his life.
Since the beginning, everything had been a misunderstanding.
And this proved it; it was entirely all his fault.
Sorta short chapter this time…Whoot! I love Disney's Hercules!!! (Mulan is still my ultimate favourite however.)
So excited, World Championships are next. Who knows what's in store for our beloved characters…DUN DUN DUN. (Cough, OC appearances…)
Please read and review!!!
