Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters, aside from those mentioned in chapter nineteen, belong to me.
"" For speaking
'' For thinking
Italics just for the fun of it!
She's Going Where!
Chapter 28- We're Even
Written by Euphrosyne
"Whoa, guys! What is this? The couples' brunch?" Hand in hand, Tala and Sincerity slipped into their seats. Taking his girlfriend's purse, the redhead slowly brushed a strand of stray hair from her eyes before resting an arm around her shoulder. He drew the girl closer. Sin turned to smile at her boyfriend before resting a delicate hand on his chest, planting a small kiss on the side of his cheek.
Johnny turned to eye his counterpart.
Scarlett flipped a page of her menu. "Don't even think about it."
The boy crossed his arms in response. "Suddenly we're on Asian first base."
"Still trying to make eye contact eh?" Ash walked over and placed the glasses on the table before filling them up with ice water. Leaning over to wipe his hands on his apron, Chloe met him with a kiss. They broke apart.
"Do you need anything, baby?"
"Lemon for my water?"
"One step ahead of you, babe."
"I feel like having-"
"Medium rare? I'm personally tending to it."
Pausing in thought, the blonde finally smiled. "You know what? I think we should stay in tonight. I'll cook."
Ash raised a curious yet tempted brow. "But honey, you've only stepped foot into the kitchen that once to turn off the juicer-"
"For you, I'll learn." The words were drawn out slowly, Chloe's arms wrapped around the boy's neck affectionately. Ash's eyes sparkled with life before politely excusing himself from the table.
There was silence at the table as Chloe leaned back in her seat, uncrossing then crossing her legs with a coy yet triumphant smirk. "Ladies, if you can get them to laugh with you, they like you more, making them more prone to your ideas…"
"Beautiful."
"Ingenious."
"How do you come up with these things?"
"Damn, woman!"
"Laughter and humor. Life is God's joke on us and it's our mission to figure out what's the punch line." The Asian rolled her eyes at a certain boy's direction. "Fate, such a cruel form of amusement…"
"Hah. Very funny. Such a bitter woman after I-"
"We still advanced-"
"Thanks to Maeve."
"Watch your tone, McGregor."
"You know you love me."
Johnny never knew a menu could hit someone so flat in the chest.
"My Tala has to be the funniest person I've ever meet." The two nuzzled noses.
There was a groan.
The said boy shrugged sheepishly. "You know what they say, what doesn't kill ya, only makes you funnier."
Sin tugged playfullyon his collar, looking deep in those eyes. "A smile is the curve that sets everything straight…" She recited the line flawlessly.
Tala tilted his head before beaming. "Exactly..."
"Damn it! I've never seen such teamwork before. No wonder Tai and Rye aren't gaming doubles, Chloe and Ash had been their secret weapon all along!"
"They did grow up together…"
"-Stop scratching Robert, or your wounds will never heal."
The said boy lowered his hand from his bandaged head, forcing down a sigh.
"Don't look so depressed dude. Just think of it as charity work. You got Mari off Ray's case for a day." Tyson grinned pleasingly to himself.
"Guys, stop with the bickering already. This is serious." Kenny nervously adjusted his glasses before returning to his laptop. "We need Kai's team to advance into the finals. If they beat the Azn4 in the championships, we're guaranteed placement for next year's tournament, full bursary people! Middleton needs it."
"What would be a smart move then?"
"I don't know right now, Tyson. Since recordings of the games are limited to committee eyes only, we must assume the worst. We don't know the extent of Tai and Rye as solo players…but, hey, wait, Rob, your team has seen them battle before, any advice?"
The boy unconsciously touched his bandages. "You saw how strong Maeve was and she didn't make Gen-X's first cuts. Don't underestimate our two friends."
"Look, Kai has stepped up onto the stadium."
"Good move."
Kenny nodded frantically, before wiping his sweat.
He tore from his stare. To assume the best would be to say they were even, but that was obviously being proven false. What made it more intimidating were his opponent's eyes, those grey orbs dissecting him with his mind, as if questioning what kept him standing…
Dranzer launched another attack.
X-1 toppled, but eased back into its original position.
What kind of battle was this? Why didn't he just end it when he had the chance?
The cheering of the crowd suddenly swarmed into his mind. He wanted to shut it out, just one more second of peace to find that perfect opening…
On the sidelines, Rye swallowed the realization. 'Keep your eyes open, Kai…'
It was over. The audience roared with excitement as the two teams stepped up onto the stage to exchange shakes, a sign of sportsmanship.
"Good game." Tai extended a hand, narrowing his eyes for flavor.
The blue-haired boy accepted the hand with grace.
…
Was this guy expecting a tantrum or something?
The older boy nodded, reluctant of showing any sign of emotion at first. Finally, he forced a smiled. "I guess we're somewhat even then."
"I'm sorry…?" This guy was a definite fear factor.
Stepping to the side to acknowledge the others, a figure stepped forward into her captain's place. She extended a hand. "You did good."
What is wrong with me? My emotions are whack. "Just good…?" Idiot! Is it really smart to flirt with Rye a foot away from-
She embraced him to her arms. Kai found his body responding.
"Maybe you did a little better than good. We're here together aren't we?"
Here together at the tournament? Here together at the finals? The blue-haired boy rose a brow. "Are you trying to imply…"
"When did you change into that shirt, Chloe? It will do you justice if you refrain from hugging the opposing team and stick to the traditional handshake."
"Excuse me, Ash? Who put you in charge of my body-?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"That's it. Dinner's off!"
"I know your tricks. There was never a dinner to begin with."
"Arg-ugh!"
Rye made a face at the scene, shaking her head with disappointment.
"No, I've seen worse…"
The girl poked a finger into Kai's shoulder. "Hey, I don't wanna hear anything about your ex today."
"Just kidding!"
Yay! I short chapter to lead into the final post. Get ready for the last chapter cause I'm ending it with a bang!- Euphrosyne-style!
Evil meter: Level two (LOL)
Suggestions for future creations, sequels, new fics, are welcome.
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