Kit: Alrighty, then folks! Here's the next exciting installment of Catwoman vs. The Phoenix. I hope you enjoy it!

Tala: Disclaimer, then. Kitten doesn't own any of the original Beyblade characters, but she owns Rayne, Rayne's band, the people in Rayne's band, the songs she uses, etc. For the dummies out there: It's this simple, she no own, you no sue!


A dark figure shot up from the Mir Dragon's jewelry store, landing lightly at the top of a landing just across from the store, then jumped to the rooftop just ahead of it. A long, red cape flowed out behind the figure in the wind. A bird-shaped mask covered his face and slate-blue hair. Clenched in his hand was a sack, inside the sack a diamond, pearl, and ruby necklace.

Suddenly, he looked up as the sound of a whip caught his attention, "Hmm…Phoenix, who would've thought you'd be dumb enough to steal something in my territory." Catwoman's voice floated in from the darkness.

"Silly little cat, it adds to the fun. I get to outwit you and make off with the spoils of a job well-done." He said with a smirk.

Her eyes narrowed, "I don't know who you are, but I know you'll never get away with stealing in my neighborhood." She growled.

"Oh, my dear….Rayne? Don't you know who I am?" his voice was sharp and dripped with venom.

Her eyes widened, "How do you know who I am?" she snarled fiercely.

"My dear Rayne, I know everything about you. And, despite what you think, you know me as well." He began to remove his mask.

Slate-blue hair and bright ruby eyes glared at her, no longer covered by the mask. Pale skin was uncovered and the moon shone on it.

Catwoman gasped audibly, "Kai? But…I don't…" she pulled her mask off as well, realizing that was useless to wear it in front of someone who already knew who she was.

Kai smirked, "It's just the way the world works. We're two mortal enemies lodged in combat 'til judgment day." He stated, enjoying the look of surprise on her face, which quickly changed to anger.

She growled, "How dare you! I trusted you!" she took a step closer, the heel of her boot making a clicking sound as it hit against the concrete.

Kai's eyes narrowed, "I trusted you, too. And what do I get for it? Betrayal. My trust shoved back in my face."

Rayne glowered at him, pulling out her whip, "Let's settle this little altercation once and for all." She snapped her whip at him.

Kai grinned, "Wouldn't have it any other way." He pulled out twin guns. Aiming one at her, he went to take a shot, but missed as she jumped sideways, grabbing onto a flagpole that hung off the side of the building, and swung herself behind him. She cracked her whip at him and it wrapped itself around one of his guns and she snapped it back, throwing the gun off the side of the building. Kai turned and shot at her again, missing once more.

"C'mon, Kai! I know you've got better aim than that! Come on, hit me baby!" her whip followed her voice, slicing through the air like a knife. It wrapped around his remaining gun and snatched it from his hand. They heard the faint 'clink' as it hit the ground far below them. She appeared from the shadows; her whip curled up and tied to her waist. Her hips swayed slightly as she walked towards him.

Kai growled and lunged at her, knocking her over. His hands clawed at her neck violently as they both rolled down slanted roof and onto the flat part. With a rough kick, he was flung off of her and his back made contact with the metal pillar behind him. She shot forward, landing in a crouch right in front of him, a smirk on her face. She pinned his arms down, looking into his eyes, "Who would've thought we'd fight like this…I would've thought we'd end up arguing about what clothes I was supposed to wear for our wedding…." She fluttered her eyes innocently.

Kai growled and kicked her in the stomach, catching her pressure-point with the very base of his kick. She flew back, doing a back-flip and landing on the balls of her feet and one hand, eyes gleaming in fury, "That's not very nice, Kai-kun. I thought you'd break my heart, not my stomach." She stood fully, her arms straight at her sides.

Suddenly, another person appeared beside Kai, a wolf mask covering his features.

"Oh, Wolfie? You came out to play too?" she did a quick back-flip and landed right next to the fuse box that held the fuses of the lights on the top of the building, "Cat's don't play with dogs and birds. I wonder…Can you boys see in the dark?" her eyes slitted, leaving only black lines in her ruby-amethyst eyes. With a small click, she flipped the switch and the lights flickered out.

1 Year Later

Rayne sat down in her apartment, looking at the picture that had been taken a little over a year ago. In the picture was, of course, herself. Standing next to her was a tall, slate-blue haired Russian…He had a large smile on his face, his arm wrapped around her shoulder…God, she missed him. Sure, she would have written a note to him to apologize, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it…It scared her too much that he might still be angry at her, and go and do something stupid…That scared her beyond all imagination.

In the past year, a lot had happened. Rayne had lost her job at Coyote Ugly, after two drunken customers, both claiming that they were her boyfriend, got into a fight over her right in front of the bar. Sabrina fired her that same night. She just sat in her apartment for a few hours after that…actually, it was more like a few days, but it was hours to her. Her band was still trying to get a record deal, but the first few months after Kai saying those…three words that he had, had a tough affect on her. She just hadn't been herself. Her music didn't have the soul in it; the lyrics she wrote were sad and sorry instead of happy and smart. She'd never told her friends about what had happened that night; it just hurt too much to even think about it…Imagine what it would be to talk about it. Lastly, she'd quit her crime-fighting. That was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. That was the reason Kai had hated her. She'd kept a secret from him and now he didn't trust her…It wasn't so much that Kai hated her that bothered her; she could live with his hate…It was the fact that he thought she wasn't to be trusted; that's what hurt the most.

She looked down, pulling herself from her shower of memories, to see a tear drop resting on the picture, right on Kai's face. She sniffed lightly and wiped at her tear-streaked cheeks to try to get rid of the tears. She ran her finger under her eyes to rid herself of the tear trails that tracked themselves down the sides of her face. She couldn't cry; she was strong! She had to be strong…

Also, speaking of the last year that had passed, she and her band had gotten their big break. They could sign with a record company called Mercury Records, but there was a catch…THERE WAS ALWAYS A CATCH! The catch: She had to move…to Nashville…In America…away from Kai…She might never get to see him again. It's not like he would care or not. He could probably care less if she disappeared off the face of the earth.

In fact, the most interaction they'd gone through since that night was saying 'Hello' to each other as they passed by one another on their way to work or on the way back to their apartments.

She then looked over at the letter in her other hand, trying to decide whether to put it where she had intended to put it, or just keep it as a reminder of how terrible she'd been in the past so she'd never let it happen again…Sometimes we do things we don't want to do because we have to, even if it breaks our heart to do it…she thought to herself solemnly.

Meanwhile…

Kai sighed as he looked down at his watch. His shift was almost over. He looked up at the clock on the wall as it struck six o'clock on the dot. He threw the towel he was using to clean tables into the sink so it could be washed, "My shift's over, Carmen," he called to his boss. "I'm heading home."

Before she could even answer, he was out the door of the restaurant. At least half an hour later, he walked up the stairs to his apartment, pulling the key out of his pocket as he walked. He stopped as he noticed a note pinned to the door. He pulled it off and read it to himself.

Kai,

Look, I know you probably don't want to talk to me, or even be in the same room as me, but I want to see you one last time. The band and I finally got our big chance, but that means we'll all have to move. We're going to Nashville, in America. I just wanted to be sure that you knew. And, come by my apartment tomorrow. I want to give you something before I leave, just in case I never get to see you again…Kai, I'm sorry for everything that happened. I understand if you never want to see me again. If you want, this will be the last time you ever have to talk to me again.

Goodbye,

Rayne

Next Day…

Kai looked at the door to Rayne's apartment, trying to decide whether to push it open or to knock. He gingerly pushed at the door, surprised to find it unlocked, "Rayne?" he yelled as he opened the door. Receiving no answer, he walked back to where he thought her bedroom was. He carefully pushed open the door, expecting to see her sitting on the bed, but the bed was made and Rayne was nowhere to be seen. He saw something glitter on the bed, and walked over. It was a cd, and a note lying next to it.

Kai,

I'm sorry, but I knew you wouldn't want to see me. If you haven't guessed, I've already left. I suppose you're happy; you'll never have to see me again. The cd is made especially for you, and none of the songs on it will ever be released into public. They are yours alone. I'm going to miss you, but I'm sure you don't care. Well, I hope your life leads you to something better than all of this.

For the Last Time,

Rayne

The note was covered in tear stains, some of the letters and words running and hard to make out, but he managed to read it just the same. He placed the letter in his pocket and looked at the cd. He picked it up and walked back to his own apartment, intent on listening to it. He walked in and shut the door behind him, locking it so no one would disturb him. He walked into his bed room and turned on his cd player on, pushing the cd in and waiting for it to start. When it started, he got the surprise of his life.

"Daddy waited up
In the kitchen by himself
I came stumbling in that night
with liquor on my breath
He said, Girl, I know you live here
But this is still my home
It's my way or the highway.
So I said, Alright, I'm gone
And before I slammed that door
I said I hate you
He just shook his head,
and said ok

But you can't stop my love for you
It'll be here, that's a given
as long as I am living on this earth
know one thing is true.
You could turn away, forget me,
Curse my name, but love will never let you go
Girl, always know.
My love is unconditional

Life is like a circle
Slowly turning on itself
but boy, it took losing you
to finally know how bad it felt
We stood in this bedroom
A year ago today.
Holding all the pride and anger as we threw our love away
And before you slammed that door
you said I hate you
but tonight if only you could hear me say

you can't stop my love for you
It'll be here that's a given
as long as I am living on this earth
know one thing is true.
You could turn away, forget me,
Curse my name, but love will never let you go
Boy, always know,
My love is unconditional

You could turn away, forget me, curse my name
You can even let me go, but you need to know…
My love is unconditional."

Kai's eyes widened as he listened to the song. After all they'd been through, after all that had happened…She still loved him? She loved him in the first place! Man, he was behind in the latest gossip!

Weeks Later

Kai scratched his head as he picked up the washcloth he was using to clean tables at the Snowball Café. He chucked the washcloth into the bin to be washed and walked over to the back of the restaurant to put his bin near the sink of Kina to wash. It just so happened that Kina's radio had been on at the time of his arrival there, and he heard a voice coming over the radio…And it was all too familiar.

((A/N: I own this song! I wrote it myself and would appreciate some feedback…at least a bit. And now, I present to you, for its first public appearance, 'Broken Hearts Don't Dance'.))

"Twirling and swirling…
All over the floor
I just don't know
If I can take anymore
Trusting, following, and letting you lead
The belief in myself gone
Strewn everywhere but here…

Broken hearts don't dance
Broken hearts don't twirl
They've been thrown all around
Flying on a tilt-a-whirl
They've been tossed about
Lost and broken
Filling with do much doubt
It's just so simple…
Broken Hearts don't dance.

Twisting and turning
In impossible ways
Moving and whirling
Day after day
Exhausted and forlorn
When will my torture end?
Sometimes I wish I was never born…

Broken hearts don't dance
Broken hearts don't twirl
They've been thrown all around
Flying on a tilt-a-whirl
They've been tossed about
Lost and broken
Filling with so much doubt
It's just so simple…
Broken Hearts don't dance.

Broken hearts don't dance
They just can't twirl!
Still too much romance
In that little swirl
My heart can't handle
That little chance
That I'll end up crying
After this heart-wrenching dance…

Broken hearts don't dance
Broken hearts don't twirl
They've been thrown all around
Flying on a tilt-a-whirl
They've been tossed about
Lost and broken
Filling with so much doubt
It's just so simple…
Broken Hearts don't dance…"

((A/N: Bet ya can't guess who's singing! Note the sarcasm, of course! ))


Kit: Alright, I want feedback on 'Broken Hearts Don't Dance' and the story, please!

Tala: And be nice about the song! Kitten wrote that herself!

Kit: (blinks in surprise) Ok then, Wolfie. Well, read and review please!