Disclaimer: Apply this for ALL of my works, I do not own beyblade. Only my own character, their blades, genecite, all my ocs' bitbeats and the circumstances I have thrown them in.

Chapter Eight: Saving Betrayel.

A few hours before dawn, a figure paced restlessly through the dark apartment. Angel had only been able to sleep a few hours as the nervousness of the coming down woke her. She stared at the sleeping figure in front of her, still gently breathing in the embracing arms of some sweet dream. Would she be able to handle the seeming betrayal? Seeming? No, it was betrayal! Angel clenched her fists in anger at herself then stalked over to a small desk and pulled out a pen and paper. Yet, no matter how she tired, Angel couldn't find what to say. She thought through all the farewell speeches, poems, and stories she had ever heard or read but nothing seemed right. How could she justify her betrayal in the first place? So sighing silently in defeat to herself she picked up her pen, looked in her heart, and wrote in all blunt honesty. She folded the letter carefully and left it for Jess to find. Then stepping into her closet opened a hidden compartment. She gasped slightly at her old uniform. She took out slowly the black cargo pants, the deep blue shirt, the jet black army boots, and lastly the gray collar-less jacket with a patch of Ryker on her left arm encircling the Genecite logo while on the right shoulder was her Captains patch. In a daze she put on the uniform then slung her lightly packed bag over shoulder diagonally, took her beyblade and launcher and soundlessly left her apartment never to return again.

Angel walked quietly through the dark city streets till they faded away into an empty, wooded park. Each step broke Angels' heart into smaller pieces as she left the life she had fought so hard for, only to return to Hells' Gates. As she walked into a clearing she was startled to see a tall figure in the pale moonlight. Beyond the figure was a high wall and not far beyond that, the grim docks. The figure turned to face her as deep crimson eyes met fiery green depths.

"Kai." Angel whispered in sadness, regret. Her heart breaking.

To Kai it felt like he had died, for the words sounded so ghostly, so hopeless.

She had to be cold. She had to make him think she wanted to do this otherwise he would most likely try to rescue her and get hurt or he would try to stop her. She had to be strong. She would not be dissuaded.

"Angel, what are you doing?" Kai asked nearly shocked at the uniform, yet he knew she'd do something like this.

"That's none of your business." She replied coolly.

"Angel I know you're going back, but do you really think that's the best plan?"

"You have no idea what's going on Hiwatari! So stop pretending and acting like you do." Angel replied focusing the sadness into anger as the anger blindly raged at him.

"Angel why are you going back?" Kai asked sensing the emotions coursing through her.

For awhile both stared at eachother searchingly in the moonlight before the sadness became almost too much for Angel as he started to read ti all in her eyes. She dropped her gaze before she started again coldly and finally,

"I am going back of my own free will and choice, and for my own reasons Kai. I was a fool to think I could ever live independently of them. I go back on my won, remember that. SO stop following me around and don't even try to dissuade me."

Kai simply looked at her coldly. This wasn't like her. Why was she doing this? Why would she run back to the very thing she'd fought so hard to escape? Kai again searched her eyes for an answer but she would no longer meet his penetrating gaze.

"Angel." He whispered pleadingly but she would hear none of it.

"Good bye Kai." She stated walking past him.

Gently he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"I will come for you." He whispered gently.

"Don't." She replied shaking his hand from her arm.

Once free of his hand Angel did a daring thing nearly surprising herself, she looked into his eyes for what she knew to be the last time. She expected to see anger and betrayal, but instead found fear and…worry? Did he actually worry enough about her to try to save her? Had he been serious? It didn't matter! I must keep him and Jess and the bladebreakers safe. Whatever the cost. She hardened her gaze and looked away, her mind memorizing those eyes, never wanting to forget them or the one they belonged to.

Angel started to walk away from Kai when after no more than five steps stopped.

"Take care of Jess for me, she needs it."

Kai grinned to himself as he sadly watched her scale the wall and disappear into the shadowed night.

"Good bye Angel. I will come for you. I promise."

As Dawn spread forth her wings of light across the shimmering waters a lone figure stood waiting, watching the beauty before her as if never to see the light of day again. It was so beautiful to watch the dawn spread her wings, encompassing all that was broken, cold, and alone in the darkness in her warm and comforting embrace. Melting the despair and sadness away with her warmth. Angel smiled faintly at it. The farewell with Kai had nearly destroyed her. All she had wanted then was to break apart and let hem help her deal with the horrors of her past. She had wanted him to chase away the shadows of her past that haunted her, but she knew he couldn't. Kai couldn't change or mend the past and there was no way on earth that she would continue to allow him to fight her battles. If she didn't resume fighting them, they would destroy him, destroy Jess, and destroy the bladebreakers. The faint smile turned into a grin at a new thought, the old her was back. She was strong. She was a fighter, and she would pull through. No matter what they did.

She heard a limo drive up behind her and listened as she heard someone get out and come towards her flanked by two others.

"Welcome back Angel, I knew you would see things my way." Came the familiar mocking voice of her coach.

Angels' grin was quickly replaced with a cold and serious expression and turned to face the voice. There stood her coach and behind him stood two tall muscular guys. On her coach's' right was Tristan. He wore the same uniform except he didn't wear his gray jacket, only his black cargo pants and a deep blue muscle shirt and two black leather armguards that went from his elbow to his wrist. He had black hair and on both cheeks were two medium sized black horizontal bars. (not football grease lines.) He had black eyes with dark green specks and Angel nearly smiled realizing he was as handsome as ever. Her gaze shifted to the other figure who stood to her coach's' left. There stood Lance. He was a few inches taller than Tristan with forest green hair and dark brown eyes. He was muscular as well and wore the uniform fully as Angel had. He was still handsome as well, but not as much as Tristan who in his own way could've rivaled Kai.

"I trust you remember your old teammates. Sadly the third member could not be here but you'll see him soon enough."

Angel merely nodded.

"But come now, we must return to headquarters."

Angel nodded her head and suppressed a grin as she felt Tristan and Lance flank her as she headed for the limo. Tristan opened the car door for her as she nodded and got inside followed by Luke, her coach and lastly Tristan. As the limo started off again Angel simply stared idly out the window when her thoughts were interrupted by her coach's' voice.

"When we return you will be shown to your quarters in the barracks. You will have one hour to reinstate your captain status with your team and then you will begin training with them."

Angel nodded. She knew what to do though she couldn't help but wonder if she still was the best out of all of them. Inconspicuously she glanced first at Lance who sat next to her. He hadn't changed much in physical appearance though he did look stronger and his eyes were dead. She wondered how much stronger his skills had become with the evil ruling him. Her gaze soon shifted to Tristan. In some ways he reminded her of Kai yet Angel knew how different Tristan truly had been and was now. He was definitely stronger and Angel figured he had taken over as captain after she had left and Will had…died. Tristan shifted into a more comfortable position and Angel turned to stare out the window again.

Soon the limo came to a halt and the coach exited followed by Angel, Lance, and Tristan.

"Show her to the barracks, You know what to do from there." The coach said leaving them.

Angel looked around her. They were seemingly in the middle of a forest clearing. In front of her was a large stone building like a castle Keep and beside that another smaller building which the coach walked into. She wondered what went on in that building…then again, she probably didn't.

Tristan and Lance walked by her side leading her through the keep-like building till they reached the top level. Tristan opened the thick wooden door and waited. Angel walked inside and noticed one large stone room. There was one beystadium in the center of the room as well as a few metal bars hung across the ceiling. The four corners were blocked off, enclosing them so to speak, so as to provide four rooms. Tristan pointed to the on in the farthest back corner.

Angel nodded and walking over entered her small chamber. One small barred window provided the lighting for the "cell" which is what it looked and felt like to Angel. There was a small bed against the wall with a trunk at the foot of it. Angel knew what she'd find in there, more uniforms. That's all that would be inside, what else could she expect? She closed her door and sat down on her bed pulling out Ryker.

"I know that you never wanted to come back here, neither did I, but Ryker, I must do this. IT seems I've endangered all that I have loved and only in my return to this slavery could they be freed from that endangerment. If you ask it of me, I will release you for none of this is your fault, but I must stay here. I must protect them , no matter the cost." Angel told her bitbeast nearly silently.

"I understand, young mistress, but I'm not leaving you. We went into this place together and that's how we'll end it." Replied her btibeast loyally.

Angel smiled down at her beyblade unable to express her appreciation. Sighing once more she exited her cell to find Lance and Tristan waiting for her.

"Lets' do this." Angel stated challengingly pulling out her beyblade and launcher. She walked up to the beystadium and waited.

Lance soon appeared opposite her, she knew Tristan would probably prefer to wait to go last, always had. They launched their blades and the battle started. Angel had to admit Lance had become better than she had expected but as she'd hoped, she won. Lance looked a bit shocked for a moment as his blade landed motionless at his feet, atleast he was until he looked up at Angel and remembered who he was battling.

Angel clamed herself down as she prepared for her second match, she had to beat Tristan. Tristan approached calmly and confidently. He took out his deep green beyblade with black tips and after loading it stood ready. Angel loaded her blue blade with its jet-black edges and in a moment the second battle began. Tristan had increased his speed and power immensely. He nearly had Angel astounded, but she was not backing down, it just wasn't in her nature to do so.

Lance watched coolly yet unadmittedly impressed by the two well matched opponents before him. Both had a similar mindset, 'never back down' and because of that both blades unflinchingly ground against eachother in the middle of the dish.

Both were starting to tire as the match wore on. I have to finish this, Angel thought as she prepared for her final attack.

"Ryker, Fire Tempest!" Angel screamed as Ryker appeared above her blade.

"Forester! Flaming Claw!" yelled Tristan as suddenly a green dragon with black tipped wings and claws of black flames rose form its blade.

The two blades slammed into eachother blinding all though none dared look away. Yet when the smoke cleared Tristans' blade was still spinning though it now spun at his feet and Ryker spun on the edge of the beystadium wall near Angel. Angel had won, but barely. Forester had gained a lot of power, a lot of dark power. But the light that was in Ryker was able to give him the upper edge and defeat the darkness. 'only with light can one defeat darkness.' Ryker reminded her in her brain.

"I would've expected better from you Angel," sneered Angels' coach from behind Tristan. Angel gnashed her teeth but made no outward signs of hatred save her nearly blazing eyes.

" but it seems you have regained your title as Captain. Now take your team out for a training run unless you've forgotten how to do one."

Angel merely glared and after taking off her jacket walked out the door flanked by Tristan and Lance. The training was exhasuting. They ran through the woods, climbed walls of rock, did situps, pushups, pull ups, ran again and too many things to mention. All in all, they were exhasuted by the time they returned and all waited for their turn to use the shower and rest. Angel being the captain and the only girl on the team went first taking a cold and short shower before changing quickly into baggy, dark blue pj pants and a black shirt before braiding her hair and going directly to her cell and falling fast asleep.

Angel suddenyl found herself wide awake in her room. The pale moonlight flowed dimly through her window in the dead of night. It was most likely about midnight, why had she awoken? She instinctively looked out her window to see a familiar figure walking silently out to the edge of the clearing. Not knowing quite whym Angel walked out of her room and went stealthily down the stairs till she stepped silently out into the pale moonlit night. A cool breeze blew gently over her as she watched the figure disappear into the woods. Noiselessly she followed him at a distance till he stopped in a small clearing. He whistled lowly and stretched out his arm as a black falcon with white tipped wings landed on his arm.

Angel looked shockedly at the falcon, she knew that bird. But how could it be? He was a bitbeast not a reality. Knowing he already knew of her presence Angel decided to use her authority on him. Besides she knew he needed his sleep most out of the three of them. She walked confidently into the clearing yet somehow silently.

"What are you doing out so late Tristan?" Angel asked commandingly.

"I could ask you the same question but what doe sit look like I'm doing, captain." Tristan answered coldly stroking the falcon.

"Tristan you will answer me with respect. I beat you. Deal with it." Angel replied a bit roughly. Yet she couldn't get over the falcon. It looked so much like…it couldn't be.

"Look familiar." Tristan stated.

Angel merely nodded. "It looks like Balin, Wills' old bitbeast."

Tristan merely glared coolly off into the distance at the mention of his twin brothers' name. True they had been twins but they looked and acted nothing alike.

"It is."

"But how can that be? Will was forced to destroy Balin in order to wield one of the Celtic guardians."

"Will was too weak to destroy Balin so instead he set him free and merely destroyed the blade."

Angel watched Tristan and Balin and felt pity for Tristan. The more she looked at him now, the more he looked trapped. Like the old him was trying desperately to get out yet never would again. Tristan had turned to the evil side within him and lest everything. Still he was under its dark talons' control yet sometimes, he could break free for a moment. That's why Balin would come to him. He was the only comfort he had; the last thing left of h is brother, his family. Tristan sent the bird away and stalked out of the forest. Angel soon followed and again Tristan was back in his cell as Angel went back to her own. Yet sleep would not come, only memories. She remembered how they once were before the evil took over them. Lance with his practical jokes and almost happy-go-lucky personality. Will with his brotherly friendship and his quiet understanding way. Tristan. Angel remembered him almost painfully. They had had a thing for eachother back then. Before the evil had consumed him. He had always had a strong silent type tendency, but he could also turn a round and talk for hours about seemingly anything and nothing. But no matter how it hurt her, Angel had lost the Tristan or rather he had given up himself, that unforgettable, haunting night. The light that had always burned in his eyes was gone, the lopsided smiles that were his trademark disappeared and the love that made him so strong, that drove him onward was replaced with hate, with darkness, with evil. Comparing Tristan and Lance now with who they were pained Angel immensely. How could Genecite have done this to them? They had destroyed and killed them on the inside leaving only a haunted shell of what they once were. Angel lay there thinking for hours wondering how Jess and the Bladebreakers were, how Kai was. Jess had probably flipped out when she'd found out what she'd done, but it was for her own good. 'Someday' she thought,' she'll understand. I just hope I'll still be around then.'

"I'm sorry." Angel whimpered under her breath as she closed her eyes and finally fell again into sleeps awaiting arms.