A/N:

Sleepy Sheep Guardian, hehe... thanks for the review, perhaps you'll find this chapter illuminating regarding the plot.

Devlinn Reiko, I'm glad you liked it, I hope you'll like this too! I'll communicate more in later e- mails!

LDyFiCtIoN, Thank you for the compliments! There's no poetry in this chapter but I'm curious, do you guys really like the poetry because if you guys feel it disrupts the flow of the fic, I won't put them in anymore.

Platinum Rei , I continued... and don't worry Rei you will play a bigger role in the next chapter. Actually, Rei is the main character in this fic : )

Game-kid17, I haven't forgotten you. I'll mail you something when I get back from school 'k?

Neko-jin, Well yes and no. It may be a rei and tala fic but it might also be a love polygon : )

I luv Kai, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! How are you doing Rei, Tala and Kai? You're all in this fic. Unfortunately you're all going to be tortured.

I hope I haven't missed anyone. Anywayz gotta run, I'm late for school!

A Darkness . . .

Trapped, no where to run or hide.

That left only one option.

Fight.

Tala set Wolborg on his launcher.

"Tala...what's the matter? Do you not recognise your old teacher's voice?" Borris called from behind the cheap wooden door.

His arms slightly trembling, Tala aimed Wolborg at the door.

"Bryan, do me the honours of breaking this door." Borris requested with deceptive calm and tenderness.

Tala heard someone grunt. Bryan!

If he had to fight Bryan . . . what were his chances of surviving? Tala risked a look at the laptop resting idly on the table.

Farewell, SnowTiger.

Tala's thoughts were torn away from his one and only friend when the flimsy door burst in an explosion of splinters.

His world was collapsing...

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"This is the end my friends . . . think kindly of me as I fade into that yawning emptiness mortals call death . . . "

"Tyson, lunch has only been delayed by five minutes." Rei pointed out to his melodramatic friend.

"Yeah, Kai's been nice enough to actually go and get something for us." Max added patting Tyson's back comfortingly.

"He's probably still in a good mood after beating me earlier on." Tyson moaned.

"Are you still unhappy about that match?" Rei queried.

"No, I'm HUNGRY! Five minutes and fifteen seconds...five minutes and sixteen seconds...five minutes and seventeen seconds..." Tyson counted.

"Is it that bad? Do you want me to search if there's anything edible in the fridge or the cupboards." Max asked concerned.

"I've already checked." Tyson replied in a tone of utter hopelessness.

"Hang in there buddy." Rei consoled, laying a reassuring hand on Tyson's shoulder.

The front door swung open.

"Kai!" Tyson exclaimed jerking up from his seat.

"It's just me Tyson." The chocolate- haired boy quickly replied, fearing the Tyson hug.

"Oh." Tyson said dejectedly and slumped back onto his chair. "Welcome back Chief." Tyson moaned.

"Thanks . . . " Kenny replied and looked towards Max and Rei.

"Has Kai called back?" Kenny asked.

Rei shook his head.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon. It's only a fifteen-minute walk from here to the nearest fast food restaurant." Max assured.

"He's been gone for a little over an hour. Do you think . . . " Kenny's voice trailed off.

"That he might be in trouble?" Max finished for him.

"How could Kai possibly get into any trouble he can't handle himself?" Tyson asked sitting up straight, his starvation momentarily forgotten.

"Kai doesn't really have any enemies." Rei reasoned.

"Except for Biovolt." Kenny corrected.

The other three turned to look at him.

"Why would that be an issue?" Rei asked suspiciously.

Kenny shook his head.

"It's nothing important."

"Are you hiding something we should know Chief?" Tyson pursued.

"I'm back, but you better not hug me Tyson." Kai growled stepping through the doorway with a scowl on his face.

"Kai!" Rei gasped rising from his seat.

Kai turned curiously towards his team-mates.

Max looked worried and Kenny seemed relieved. Tyson was looking at him and not the burgers he had brought back.

"What?" Kai asked, his idiosyncratic frown now a perturbed one.

"Did anything happen along the way?" Rei questioned his golden eyes searching.

"No." Kai replied shortly. "I just took a longer route today. Why?"

Rei glanced at Kenny.

Kenny shook his head again.

"It's nothing." Kenny answered.

"Well, now that Kai's come back safely there's nothing to worry about. So can we eat now?" Tyson whined.

Max smiled all trace of worry suddenly vanishing from his fair face.

"I second that." Max declared.

"I third that!" Kenny said his tone suddenly jovial.

"Right, let's eat then!" Rei proclaimed.

Kai gazed unconvinced at the show of happiness. There was something going on that he didn't know. It seemed that Kenny had the answer. He'd have to find the opportunity to get it out of the budding beyblade researcher, but for now . . .

Kai pretended to shrug his shoulders and dumped the food on the table. He glanced at Kenny but quickly turned back to glare at the rest of the team.

"Hurry up, training will resume in thirty minutes." The team groaned.

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The coppery taste of his own blood was somehow pleasant to Tala.

Wolborg flailed in weak circles on the blood- stained floor.

"Falborg!" a cold voice commanded.

A streak of white lightning slammed into Wolborg. Wolborg careened wildly through the air plunging into Tala's stomach with a sickening wet sound.

Cerulean eyes registered shock, pain and then slipped slowly into oblivion. Tala felt his knees give way, the world seemed to reel and darken about him.

Bryan looked contemptuously at his fallen victim. Yet he had to admit the beauty of his handiwork. Ribbons of blood streamed over that fair face and the smooth arms. Red hair matted with even more vibrant blood. The cerulean eyes nearly as lifeless as cheap glass. It was time to finish the job. Bryan raised Falborg.

"Enough." A soft, venomous voice ordered.

Bryan hesitated, his hungry steel- grey eyes blazing with defiance.

"You leave me with no choice." Borris smiled eagerly.

Borris clutched something within the folds of his robe.

Rebellion turned to fear and the steel grey eyes wrenched shut in excruciating pain. Bryan opened his mouth but dark blood choked his screams. Bryan raised a pleading arm. Borris looked impassively at his pupil. Bryan trashed once and finally lay still in a pool of thickening blood.

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MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Review or I won't update. Just kidding, I love writing too much to do that. Of course I love you guys too much to do that too!