Chapter 6
(9 months have passed since the last chapter. It is now the beginning of summer. Thanks, just so you know.)
The months in college had passed so quickly, Garnet had to pinch herself to make herself believe that it had all happened. She was friends with world champion beyblading team, the Bladebreakers. And she was going out with Kenny, one of the sweetest guys she knew. And it was her birthday. In her free period, she found a text from Kai had just arrived. It read, "We're meeting up in Tyson's room later. 7pm. Be there." Well, that was Kai for you, straight to the point. She had the evening free, so she supposed she could nip in for a bit.
At 5 to 7, Garnet stopped outside Tyson's dorm room. Last time she had been in his room... well, let's just say, most bomb-sites are tidier. Kai's room on the other hand, was clean as a pin, with almost nothing out of place. Again it struck her how different they were. Well, they do say opposites attract. She knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in, the door's open," Tyson yelled from inside.
She opened the door, and her breath caught in her throat.
"SURPRISE!" everyone (except Kai who just waved) yelled.
"A party? How did you know it was my birthday?" she asked, smiling.
"You mentioned it about a week ago. I didn't think it would be right if we didn't celebrate," Kenny muttered, blushing.
"Thanks everyone!" she squeaked, hugging them all in turn.
"Do you want to open your presents now, or would you prefer to do it in private?" Hilary asked.
"NOW!" Max and Daichi yelled in unison.
"Ok, now it is," Garnet laughed.
First was Tyson's present. A new defence ring nestled in a small box. It was red with large curved metal spikes that went against the spin direction of her beyblade.
"Thanks Tyson!" she muttered, fitting the new defence ring underneath her attack ring.
She held it to her face, smiling at the suddenly tougher looking beyblade. Next was Hilary's gift. A collaboration CD of j-pop, rock, punk and techno. She smiled at the times she had tried to make Hilary listen to metal, all of them failed. Third was Rei's gift. A book on tai-chi, the only method of relaxation she hadn't tried yet. Max's gift was the first 3 volumes of Angelic Layer. Daichi's was a homemade box with a shell for the lid. It was a little wonky and rough at the edges, but it was a sweet attempt. Next was Kai. He tossed her a wad of what felt like paper tied up in brown paper. She opened it up slowly, and found that he had given her photos. A couple of each of her friends, some of them taken in the strangest situations. Like Daichi perched in a tree branch, Hilary's bag clasped in his hand, and Hilary below bellowing at the top of her voice with eyes ablaze. Another was of Rei and Max at the fateful party 9 months ago, Max basically trying to eat his boyfriend. The third... a picture of Kai and Tyson. Tyson had his usual 10-watt grin in place making a peace sign at the camera, while Kai hovered in the background, a smile on his face. A smile that clearly said, "I'm glad to be alive, if life includes you."
She looked up and smiled gently, saying in a soft voice, "Thank you, Kai. They're great."
Lastly was Kenny. He handed her a small red box, blushing crimson. She opened it and saw a silver oval locket and chain. She opened it to find and tiny picture of her that was taken a couple of months before.
"It's perfect," she whispered, flinging her arms around the boys' skinny shoulders.
"I'm glad you like it," he murmured in return, resting his head against hers.
"You also have a present from all of us," Hilary smiled. "Fancy coming to the World Championships next week?"
"You mean it?" Garnet whispered, shocked.
They all nodded. Garnet broke into a grin that wasn't dissimilar to Tyson's 10-watt smile.
"This is definitely the best birthday ever!" she said to herself as the music started.
Garnet returned to her room to see a parcel resting on her bed. She went over and tore the brown paper off to see a thick leather-bound book the size of a paving stone. On top was a note on a piece of curling yellow paper. In loopy writing read, "Your legacy lies within these pages." She started shaking violently. That was her grandmother's writing... but it wasn't possible! Her grandmother had passed away over 7 years ago! She opened the book and found more of her grandmother's loopy writing. The first page had just 5 words on it: "The legacy of the guardian."
"The guardian? Of what?" she whispered, eyes wide.
A week later she was boarding a plane to Prague with the Bladebreakers. She stared eagerly out of her window, almost bouncing in her seat in excitement.
"Garnet, they haven't taken off yet. Why are you so excited?" Hilary asked across Kenny, who was sitting next to Garnet.
"Oh, yeah. I've just never been on a plane before, and it's the World Championships! Why shouldn't I be excited?" Garnet replied, grinning broadly.
"Oh dear. I thought only Max and Daichi would go hyper on us this year," Hilary sighed, rolling her eyes.
The plane trundled along the runway and took off. Garnet quickly found that looking out the window in turbulence wasn't a good idea, so to stop herself feeling sick she pulled out the strange book she had received on her birthday. A strange feeling welled up inside her, every time she flicked through the pages. Apart from her grandmother's writing on the first page, the book was filled with strange symbols that she couldn't make sense of. Yet she had the peculiar feeling that she already knew what they said.
"Your attention please. We shall be landing in Prague soon, so could you please buckle yourselves down until we have finished landing. Thank you," a perky female voice said over the intercom.
"I hate landing," Kenny said weakly as the nose of the plane dipped.
Sure enough, when they were safely on solid ground, Kenny was a pale green colour.
They stepped off the bus at the bey-stadium, Kenny still slightly green, and Max and Daichi both totally stir-crazy. It didn't help that Max had been at the sugar. The whole bus journey, he had been bouncing off the walls and giggling maniacally. And Kai had been just about to murder him by the time they stopped.
"We're just one big, dysfunctional family," Rei smiled.
"Yes, dysfunctional is the key word there," Hilary whispered, sweat-dropping anime-style.
Garnet didn't say anything, just stared at the bey-stadium in awe. She had been to her local one several times, but it paled in comparison to the giant before her. Inside, it was just as impressive, seats stretching as far as the eye could see. She was steered through a set of gates at the ground level of the stadium, down a corridor to the team locker rooms. Along the way, she saw several teams she had seen only on TV: the White Tigers, the All-starz and the Saint-shields to name a few. When they passed the Blitzkrieg boys, Tala smiled flirtingly at Tyson for a moment. It was quite funny to see Tyson smile innocently back, with no idea that Tala was even making an attempt, and to see Kai flush crimson with anger. Tala chuckled to himself when he caught sight of Kai. Garnet shook her head, laughing quietly to herself. It was rare to see Kai lose his cool composure in front of anyone but Tyson. In the locker room Kai sat down on the first bench he saw, taking deep calming breaths. Tyson threw himself down next to Kai, hugging him tightly around the shoulders. Kai immediately flushed red again. So much for the calming breaths. His eyes wandered to the door for a moment. He stopped breathing, eyes widening in shock.
"No, it couldn't be," he whispered, staring at the silhouette framed in the doorway.
DUN, DUN, DUN! Who could it possibly be? And who is this "guardian"? Find out when I update next!