A/N: Rye is referred to as a female from this point in the fic though she continues her masculine guise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong to me. Don't own Aven's lyrics for All I Wanna Do (used in the summary) either.


-Why-

05 – You're Mute

By Euphrosyne


Taking a bite from her buttered dinner roll, Rye held back a chuckle as she recollected today's training. Her back ached with pain as she paced towards her dorm. The only promotion for her light spirits were the flashbacks of Ian's witty comebacks during weight training. The small boy definitely earned her liking. The haughty distain however- Tala's superciliousness in treatment of others aside from the three current elites- proved the redhead to share similar qualms of a certain blue-haired captain.

Crying tickled the teen's ears, and out of sheer boredom, Rye decided to follow it. This could be her only opportunity to catch Biovolt's flaw in their attempts of engineering perfect warriors.

Anticipating a whole entourage of trainers and trainees, Rye was somewhat suspicious as she entered the untenanted junior department…

Vacant aside from the soft sobbing child by the large beyblade dish. Hesitantly, Rye examined her surroundings before nearing the girl.

Messy blue pigtails heaved up and down as the child struggled for air in her curled position. A broken beyblade sat neatly by the foot of the girl's excessively large teal t-shirt. Rye placed a hand on the kid's shoulder, instantly silencing her tears.

"Hey, it's alright."

Scars on the girl's cheek and arms caught Rye's attention as the girl wiped her nose on her top. The child was thin, dirty, and hurt. What a dramatic change from her appearance weeks ago…

Sasha eyed the bread in Rye's hand hungrily. Offering it to her, the little one's eyes lit up at the taste of food.

Waving the child over to her seated position by the edge of the dish, both sat with their feet dangling off the edge.

"How long have you been here?"

The girl dusted the crumbs into the beyblade dish and looked up at Rye before silently counting her fingers. She stopped.

Exhaling, Rye looked away with disgust. The child was barely seven. What was wrong with these people? Barbaric.

Picking up the tiny beyblade, Rye examined it in her palm. "What your name?"

Hand gestures answered her question. "She's mute," discovered the dark-haired girl. "Sasha, is it?" The little girl smiled, nodded, and rapidly began signing away. "Whoa, slow down there. I have no idea what you're saying. I know your name because your brother and I are friends."

The girl's eyes brightened at the mention of Kai but suddenly lowered her eyes to her shoes.

Rye stood to her feet, Sasha's gaze following her every move. Yawning and stretching her arms, the teen spoke, "Do you know how to hokie-pokey?"

Grinning, the girl stood and began demonstrated her moves.

"Yeah, that's really good. See, beyblade was created by the same person who created the hokie-pokey." Standing, the girl placed the beyblade into the tiny hands. "Just grip the launcher and pull the ripper like this."

Flying into the dish, Sasha jumped at her startling success. She wrapped Rye's leg in a hug.

Brushing the strands of stray hair from the pretty face, the older figure kneeled. "If you practice this everyday, I'll come visit and bring you food." Sasha perked up at the suggestion. "But we have to keep this a secret because we're both members of the Kai fan flub. It's an oath of loyalty." The younger girl mocked Rye's pledging stance. "Alright." Rye rustled the girl's hair before standing to leave.

Waving goodbye to her new friend, Sasha stood and began practicing those dance moves. Leaping with glee as the beyblade flew across the room, smilingly, she retrieved the rugged instrument before tucking it safely in her pocket. She knew her brother would send someone to find her. Kai promised to protect her forever.


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