To my reviewers,
In general…dudes I'm sorry this took so long but at least I'm updating. Lol well read and review to tell me how you like this.
Storm of insanity- Lol you're prolly right but hey you'll see how I fixed that lil problem. Anyways thanx for the review! And please keep them coming
Soullesswind- Dude thanx LOADS for the review. I really don't think I'm that great but hey I don't mind you thinking I am…lol j/p. But hey really, I liked your story, you should keep it up. And as to adding you to my fav, well I'm glad it made you feel happy. Please keep reviewing and reading as long as I don't bore you.
SSOTD- Its okay about not reviewing the last chapter, I'll forgive you, as long as you read them it'll be ok. And finally someone got my name right! Lol. J/p Thanx for the praise and the Review, your Mighty Leader thanx you and hopes you like this next chapter.
Kyogue- I'm glad you liked the chapter, and moreover that you reviewed, and so as long as I get reviews I'll update, ASAP if I don't well I guess ill still update they just may come whenever I feel like it. Thanx again and keep reading.
Sugar911- well hey, thanx for both reviews! As to Jess and Tala…we'll see what happens and that counts for Ray and Mariah as well whose relationship may seem to get a bit more difficult as you'll see in this chapter. So hey keep reading and reviewing and maybe what you want will happen. Or maybe I'll turn this into the most saddening and evil tragedy I've done. lol j/p…or so I say now. ..
Storms Winter- wow, I'm glad you think this is good. I really don't think so, but hey I'm naturally hard on myself. Thanx for reading and reviewing my fic though and ill prolly update this as soon as I get a few reviews. Or whenever I get the energy too.
Well hey thanx to all of my reviewers this story is written for you guys so I pray that its at least a bit entertaining. Well hey I've stalled enough so here it is the next chapter…
Chapter 17: when Darkness Consumes Part III
"What do you mean she broke through! How is that even possible! You said when this drug was developed that it would enslave her mind unless she was given the antidote, so how do you explain this!"
Coach paced angrily back and forth across the empty locker-room as he yelled into the cell phone in his hand.
"Honestly sir, I don't even understand how she did it, according to our research it just isn't possible! NO one can just 'break free' from this drug, no one!" Came a muffled reply through the phone which only incensed Coach further.
"Well evidently your research is wrong!" he snarled slamming his flip phone closed though his still pacedf on through the room.
'How could Angel have done that? How ! The drug worked fine against all the other but why now? Why did Angel suddenly break through, what was so important that it invented a way for her to conquer the drug? What!' Suddenly Coach stopped as the answer hit him. ' Jessica! Of course! Why didn't I think of it before! Angel vowed to protect her with her life some stupid friendship notion I suppose but somehow that idiotic bond slipped through the drugs defenses. But how? Why? It doesn't matter! She is under a double dosage now so nothing should break through…but wait, if Jessica could break through what of Kai? Yes he is most certainly a threat, I thought nothing of it when he tried to rescue her, but now I see that he could possibly endanger our plan. Somehow Kai and Angel have developed a bond even through this, it is un-dream able that under a double dosage Kai could bring her back, but just to ensure that…we'll let Angel handle the now reckless Ray while I show Brooklyn how easy it is to incense and destroy the mighty Kai.'
"Ray can you calm down yet?" asked Tyson as Ray hadn't stopped literally fuming and pacing since they'd left the hospital and now continued to do so in their locker-room nonstop.
"What do you mean calm down? I'm fine. I'm about to avenge our friends fro what Angel's done to them, why wouldn't I be calm."
"Ray, just stop pacing a moment." Max tried calmly.
Ray stopped and took a deep breath letting it out slowly,
"Alright." he agreed closing his eyes and trying to at least appear calm.
"Man Ray, I've never seen you this tense before." Tyson commented.
" I've never had so many people depending on me like this before."
"We understand ." Max comforted.
"Yeah there's not one of us here who doesn't want to blast that traitor Angel into oblivion." Tyson tried a bit passionately.
Kai flinched at this but no one noticed.
"Yes, but you must remember to keep your cool. I sadly haven't been able to learn anything from the battles I've recorded I keep going over them but I still cant figure anything out! I'm afraid you and Kai are going to have to go blind into this one. I'm sorry I couldn't figure it out."
"That's alright chief, I cant allow myself to lose. My passion to avenge will give me strength. I will not lose!"
"That's the spirit , Angel doesn't stand a chance against REAL bladers." Tyson cheered as Kai simply sent a death glare his way but it went unnoticed as he had expected.
"That strength is reckless Ray." came a cold monotone voice from the shadows.
"What do you mean Kai?" Ray asked a bit startled.
"Yes your passion for vengeance can give you strength but your enemy knows how badly you want to avenge them and so can easily use it against you."
"What does that mean?" Tyson asked confused.
"It means Tyson that Angel and Brooklyn can use Rays emotions against him, causing him to lose focus and his "strength " to backfire." Kai stated not even looking at them.
"Don't worry Kai, I'll be careful…but I cant promise that I wont rip Angel apart."
Kai's head instantly shot up as he glared coldly and angrily at Ray as if in Warning before glancing back down at the floor.
Kenny, Tyson and Max looked between the two confusedly before the speakers in the locker-room broke the silence as they called the final teams to the arena for the final round of the semifinals.
Silently Ray and Kai walked out of the door towards the arena not even glancing at each other, the rest of their team following uneasily behind them.
The crowd cheered naively as the two teams stepped out into the lights of the arena. Ray glared angrily across the room at Angel while Kai tried to meet her gaze his eyes searching for any sign of her true self. Without a word, the two teams mounted the small stage on which rested the dish they'd be battling in and readied their blades as Kai noted with shock and anger that he was lined up to face Brooklyn while Ray was lined up to face Angel. What could he do? How could he save Angel if he had to focus on Brooklyn? Yet sadly before he could change places with Ray or tell him to leave Angel to him, the match had started and to Kais horror, the nightmare began.
As soon as all four blades landed in the dish a sort of shockwave was made that rippled through the stadium, yet what was puzzling about it was the way Kai felt so distant from Ray now. It was as if there was an imaginary wall between them and all that was within his compound, was Brooklyn. He looked over at Ray
But Ray seemed to be in the same state. He tried yelling at him but Ray couldn't hear him or if he did was ignoring him. He turned at the sound of mocking laughter to see Brooklyn sneering at him.
"You're the one doing this!" Kai snarled.
"My Kai, you are the bright one." he taunted in return.
"why! What are you afraid that Angel might return or that I'll beat her"
" Not at all, in fact it was Angel who didn't want to see you."
Kai snorted and continued to focus on his counter attacks as Brooklyn's blade attacked his own.
"That's because you've drugged her."
"She may be drugged Kai but I have to admit, you have good taste." Brooklyn sneered instantly earning an angry snarl from Kai who looked up at him with a cold death glare.
"don't you dare touch her!"
"What makes you think you could stop me? She certainly hasn't"
Kai knew he was just trying to make him lose it, but he couldn't help it. He loved Angel, he knew that now and to hear her talked about like this made him incensed and he couldn't take much more of it. His glare intensified as his blade suddenly went on the attack. and even Brooklyn started to worry about the power of them.
"Good Brooklyn," came a voice in his ear, " Now let him continue to take his rage out on you then deliver the finishing blow "
As soon as the match had started Ray had felt some sort fo pulse go straight through him. He didn't know why but he suddenly felt cut off from Kai…then again when he saw Angel before him he didn't care that he was on his own. He didn't think he would get the chance to face Angel one on one and to his luck, he now had that chance. Angel was going to pay!
Angrily Ray's blade attacked Angel's as she merely kept it centered and smirked incensingly at Ray. Ray was getting angrier and more distraught by the moment, no matter what eh did his attacks didn't seem to even faze Angels' blade. What was going on? Why wasn't he even affecting her?
"Oh Ray," angel suddenly taunted, " do you honestly think that any of your attacks would harm me?"
Ray snarled and remained on the attack only fighting harder.
"How pathetic…then again your not as pathetic as that pink mop I took care of."
"Watch what you say about Mariah." ray snarled glaring daggers at her.
"You know she is Ray, compared to me that is. If only you could've seen the cowardice in her eyes, the way she couldn't even stop one of my attacks. I must admit, I enjoyed taking her out of the game, she gave beyblading a bad name."
"Shut up! You have no idea what your talking about! Its you who give blading a bad name!"
Angel smiled…Ray was losing it…and to think how easy ti was to make him lose focus. It was a wonder he was considered to be a world class blader.
Rays blade attacked her furiously trying anything to make her falter. Yet none of it would work. She still remained the same as when she started.
'Time to finish this' Angel thought as she prepared for the final attack.
"So ray tell me, how does it feel to have your girlfriend in the hospital…and it be all your fault!"
"What do you mean! Its not my fault, YOU sent her there! And for that you will pay!"
" Ray, you knew what would happen if she bladed me. Yet you kept bothering me, kept annoying me, and yet even after I warned you that I might decided to take your punishment out on her, you sent her to face me. After knowing all I was capable of, and even after knowing I'd hurt her for what you'd done, you sent her out against me. You should've just hurt her yourself!"
Ray suddenly stopped, as guilt washed over him. It was his fault, she was right, Angel had warned him but he let Mariah go anyways. Mariah had depended on him and he had let her down.
"Face it Ray. You let her down, not once but twice."
Angels blade moved on to attack him hard and fast but Ray wasn't focused on the match anymore, the guilt blocked the pleas of his bit beast as it was thrashed about in the stadium, seconds from being thrown out all together.
"what do you mean twice."
"You know what I mean ray, You failed to protect her as she foolishly thought you would during our battle, and now you fail to avenge her!"
"What!"
With that Angel yelled her final attack and Ray could only watch in horror as he was thrown backward off the stage , landing hard on his side before sliding across the floor a few feet.
"You're nothing but a Failure Ray, what ever made you think you could beat me." Angel snarled as Rays world grew dark.
"Now's the time to finish him Brooklyn."
"So Kai, do you like what you've turned Angel into?" Brooklyn taunted.
"What are you talking about!" Kai glared.
"Why you leaving her to die in that dungeon of course."
"I had no choice!" Kai snarled as he fought to hold on to his concentration.
"Oh I see, so you were merely playing with her. You turned your back on her and left her to her own destruction."
"No, she was left with no other option, I will not accept blame for what was not my fault."
" I see, its not your fault that you failed to rescue her before she was given the poison, after all it was her own fault that she was given it. It doesn't matter that she returned to save your skin. Its nto your fault that you weren't there when she was beaten, its not your fault that she wanted to kill herself after every battle. Its not your fault, that she is now enslaved within her mind watching as her friends are being hurt while you do nothing to save her. No it isn't your fault at all that you never came for her, that you never saved her even when you had the chance. That you turned your back on her and left her to the darkness!"
With each sentence Brooklyn's attacks became stronger as word by word Kai's control started slipping and he could help the overwhelming guilt that washed over him. He couldn't counter attack or defend himself as his blade was starting to get beat around the stadium. Afar off he heard what sounded like Ray but it seemed so distant that he didn't turn to see him.
"Face it Kai, this is all your fault. Your friends getting hurt, blades being destroyed, and Angel dying, its all your doing!"
"No!" Kai screamed in guilty defiance but it was too late his concentration had been lost for too long.
Instantly Brooklyn attacked with a strong wind that came from his blade. Sharp pieces of the stadium the size of small daggers flew in the wind as Kai along with Dranzer was thrown backward. The shards of the stadium scratched and Cut his arms and chest, and he felt another one cut his right cheek as he hit the floor hard. The impact knocking the wind out of him before sliding a few feet along the floor, mere feet from where Ray now lay unconscious. Kai's world was dimming as he stills trained to fight it, but as he looked over at Angel his gaze piercing into hers searchingly, the darkness consumed him taking him away from reality.
"Well done Brooklyn. Well done." came the voice again in his ear.
Brooklyn allowed a small smile as he looked down from the stage and saw the limp unconscious forms of Kai and Ray. He looked over at Angel to see her still staring at Ray and start its way over to linger on Kai.
"Brooklyn you and Angel are to return to your locker-room immediately" the voice said hastily.
Brooklyn nodded to himself before clearing his throat and motioning to Angel for them to return. Angel nodded before tearing her gaze away from the limp form of Kai and turning with Brooklyn at her side to make their way to their locker room as ordered.
Within minutes a medical team was with Ray and Kai as Tyson, Max, and Kenny could only look on in anger and worry at their two fallen team-mates. Gently Kai and Ray were placed on stretchers and put in the ambulance while the rest of their team followed in Mr. Dickenson's car to the hospital. Silently they waited to hear what damage had been done. It seemed they had been doing this a lot lately. Worrying and waiting were becoming almost second nature to them now along with the feeling of helplessness. Their friends were beaten and then taken to the hospital and all any of them could do was watch. To their relief a doctor soon stood before them and cleared his throat. Instantly all looked up from the floor.
"How are they doc!" Tyson blurted out worry clear in his voice.
"They're just fine. The young Chinese man just needs to rest and take it easy for a few days an dhe'll be as good as new."
"And Kai?"
"The minor cuts will heal within a week, there were a few that were a but deeper but if they scar at all they should be feint."
"When can we see them?"
"They'll be ready to leave in a few minutes. You can just wait for them at the front desk."
"Thank you doctor!" Kenny replied gratefully as all three took off for the front desk down the hall to wait.
/Dream/
Kai stood in a dark dungeon seemingly alone. 'Where am I?' he wondered, when suddenly some noise further into the darkness caught his attention. Warily he followed the sound as it became clearer and clearer. Someone was in trouble! He started running as the sound became a voice, a pained voice. It seemed familiar yet so strange at the same time. Like as if he had heard it before, but never like this. He quickened his pace till it led him to a large wooden door. After looking around for anyone else, he cautiously opened it as the sight before him made his heart stop and blood run cold. There was Angel before him being beaten by Coach. He instantly screamed for him to stop but they couldn't hear him, he ran over and threw a punch at him but his fist went right through him. He looked around for anyone to help her when he saw a familiar figure in the shadows that made him stare in disbelief. There in the shadows stood himself, watching Angel be beaten. He yelled at himself to do something, but he wouldn't move. He glanced between Angel and his other self and was infuriated that nothing was being done to stop this. 'Stop him! Cant you see, he's hurting Angel!' Btu he did nothing.
"Kai, help me, please." came Angels weak voice as she seemed to stare at him instead of at his other self. In despair and furry he turned and with all his strength threw a punch at his other self but it did nothing. He looked back at Angel who now had tears running down her face as another figure appeared before her. "No!" she screamed as Kai realized who it was. It looked just like Angel only her eyes were dead and cold. Like they were in reality now. "Kai! Please!" she screamed as the figure advanced toward her, a knife drawn as Coach held Angel still. "No!" Kai screamed ,as the knife was raised, he ran to stop the knife from killing her making a move to grab her arm, but the arm went right through his grasp as his eyes widened in helpless fear as he slid to his knees and the sight drifted away into the darkness. 'I promised' he muttered , "I promised!"
Kai quickly sat up in the hospital bed his breathing labored and a bit ragged. It had only been a dream, but Brooklyn's words now haunted him as ghosts of his nightmare played in his mind. It wasn't his fault, Angel had told him to do it. She said it would be alright. He had to find a way to save her. Brooklyn was wrong, Angel hadn't died, she'd never die. A part of her was still alive inside of him, and he could sense Angel still inside of herself. It wasn't too late, he still could fix this! He would save Angel, no matter how hard it would be. He would not fail her! The door opened to his room startling him out of his thoughts as a nurse entered.
"You have been released Mr. Hiwatari but the Doctor says you must rest and take things easy for a few days to speed your bodies healing." She handed Kai his shirt as he now noticed it had been removed. He looked down at his chest to see the still crimson cuts along his chest and arms. He looked up curiously at the nurse wondering if anything had been put on them.
"Liquid bandages." she stated simply as he nodded his head in understanding. Carefully he put on his shirt then stood and followed the nurse stiffly out the door limping only slightly.
/Dream/
Ray opened his eyes to see nothing bur absolute darkness all around him. Where was he, had he gone blind? Suddenly a voice laughed cynically , its voice echoing around him. "Whose there? He questioned looking uselessly around him.
"So ray tell me, how does it feel to have your girlfriend in the hospital…and it be all your fault!"
'That voice,'
Yet before he could think further or reply, an image of Mariah flashed before his eyes. There she lay in her hospital bed, so fragile, so helpless.
"You knew what would happen if she bladed me. Yet you kept bothering me, kept annoying me, and yet even after I warned you that I might decided to take your punishment out on her, you sent her to face me. After knowing all I was capable of, and even after knowing I'd hurt her for what you'd done, you sent her out against me. You should've just hurt her yourself!"
The image was suddenly replaced with the limp and bleeding form of Mariah.
'No!' Ray screamed as he tried to run to her but as he put his hand on the wound Mariah awoke and screamed in pain, as she backed away from him with difficulty.
"Stay away from me!"
'Mariah?" Ray questioned confused stepping closer to her as he tried to stop the bleeding.
"Its all your fault I'm hurt. Just go away stop hurting me!"
Ray stared at her in pain as she returned the stare the same.
"You said you 'd protect me but you didn't. Its all your fault!"
"You're nothing but a Failure Ray, what ever made you think you could beat me." came the voice again as Mariah faded away into the darkness before his eyes as he was left alone in the dark crying out her name.
Ray awoke with a shot, Mariah's name still at the tip of his tongue. It was all his fault? No it couldn't be! Btu in a sense it was. He had let her go face Angel, and he hadn't protected her from getting hurt. Mariah must truly hate him for what had happened to her. How could he even look at her or see her if she was going to leave him before he even had the chance to tell her that he loved her. Evidently his love wasn't enough to keep her from getting hurt. In any event, it was still Angels fault. But now it was as if they shared the fault together. Angel for enacting her threat, and Ray for allowing it to happen. 'Mariah could you ever forgive me?' Rays thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and a nurse walked in. He turned to look at her and she smiled at him happily.
"You can go home now, but the doctor says to rest and take it easy for a while."
Ray nodded thankfully and tried his best to smile though he felt that he had failed miserably. Shakily he stood to his feet and followed the nurse out of the doorway to see Kai standing patiently waiting for them both. He looked surprised to see the cut along Kai's arms and the one across his cheek but didn't make much of it as Kai would definitely not like the reminder of them. In silence the two walked, following the nurse to the front desk where they saw their team-mates waiting. Before Ray could protest he was instantly engulfed in a hug from Tyson, Max and Kenny, while they all merely glanced happily at Kai.
"We're so glad you guys are alright!" Kenny stated looking back and forth from Kai to Ray.
"Yeah." Ray greed trying to sound like his old self.
Thankful that their friends were alright, Max, Tyson and Kenny all scrambled into Mr. Dickenson's car Ray and Kai following as they headed back for their hotel room where Mr. D had assured them their dinner was waiting. As much as Ray tried, he couldn't shake the ghosts of his dream out of his head and as he looked over at Kai who seemed his distant self, he got the same feeling.
"Well done Coach, it seems Angel has excelled past even our dreams of how powerful she could become under the drug."
"Yes, she has become much more powerful under it than Tristan or Lance combined. And it seemed we've only seemed the beginning of that power."
"Excellent. I think it is time I tell my superior of our success. He has been having quite some trouble with his own powerful blader. He cant seem to be able to control him."
"I see. Perhaps if we can prove to him how effective our drug is, Genecite will gain more of his attention."
"Quite right, Coach, that is what we are hoping with Angel. So you must make sure this works, at least until we can show my superior the drug. Then he shall decide what to do with Angel."
"I understand sir. Yet if it is Angel we are so interested in showing him, what do we do with Tristan and Lance? The drug did make them more powerful but it seems they are not as powerful as Angel has become."
"Hmm, yes I had nearly forgotten of them. They are out of date, obsolete compared to Angel. Useless next to her power. You know what we do with out of date things we don't need."
"As you wish, boss." With a bow Coach exited the dark underground room as he made his way up the dim corridor and into his office. 'Tomorrow, it ends.'
Well hey guys, please review. And thanx loads for reading this chapter I know its prolly pretty bad but hey, least you know what happens. Oh hey, out of curiosity, if you review which I beg that you do, out of curiosity could you put a 1 if you thought Kai and Ray would win or a 2 if you thought Angel and Brooklyn would win. be honest I just would like to see if I was thoroughly predictable in that. I dunno. I might've been but who knows. Well hey again sorry this took sooo long to write but I've been pretty tired and I have 3 days off from work and 4 half days that I do work so that's why these things come bout once a week. But hey the more reviews I get, the faster Ill try and update or at least the longer I'll try and make it. Thanx and Peace Out.
LightInTheDarkTempest
p.s.- Just so you know, the next chapter is going to be what I hope to be the most revealing or at least the next few are, so hey make me keep updating. lol. And I hope I don't disappoint. Later and Peace out.