Chapter Four

Brooklyn's Girls

"This is your captain speaking. The plane will be descending soon. Please buckle up, place your tray in the up right position and your chair straight back," the captain said over the intercom, "I do hope you enjoyed your flight." The captain drowned on.

I was on a plan, about to land and I sure wasn't happy about it. In fact I was a very disgruntle passenger. Why? Because I was about to be landing in England to pick up a person I didn't particularly like at all. I disliked this person only second to my dislike for my Grandfather. Sighing I closed my eyes as the plane made its normal bumpy landing. A few minutes later we were standing outside the airport waiting for our ride that would take us wherever we where going.

"Ryan?" someone called me. Turing towards the voice I saw Sakura waving me over to her. She was rocking back and fourth on the ball of her foot with a lit cigarette between her lips. She seemed out of place in her cut off shorts and tee shirt. I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to talk to her at all for the rest of this trip but I doubted that would happen. Wandering over to her I waited for her to stub out her cigarette.

"Look I'm sorry about this morning. I'm just touchy about what happen that day. It was my fault and I hate seeing people blame Brooklyn for it," she said taking in a deep breath, "He was mad at me and sometimes, sometimes when he's not careful Zeus decides to cause trouble for him."

"Zeus?" I asked confessed about what Brooklyn's bit beast had to do with anything.

"Zeus, Brooklyn's bit beast, he sort of feeds off of Brook's emotions, negative or positive and then does what he wants with the power that he gathers," She explained "The only thing is Zeus is a bit protective of Brooklyn, only something's aren't actual threats to Brooklyn."

"Oh ok," now more confused that I had been before.

"Don't tell him I told you that though, he'll be mighty prissy and that's no…oh look there's our ride," she trailed off waving at someone behind me.

Turing half way I looked over my shoulder and blinked, I did a double take confused at what I was seeing. The woman Sakura was waving to had neon green hair that put Oliver's to shame. I wasn't sure if that was her natural hair color because her ends were light brown. I don't know why I was so shocked by her hair, I mean come on I had blue hair for Christ sake.

"Ms. Evee," Sakura cried throwing herself at the older woman.

"Sakura," the lady said hugging Sakura tightly.

"Its been way to long my girl," the lady said.

"I didn't realize you were back in England, oh I've missed you," Sakura said wiping her face.

"You could have come visits at any time, it is your house after all," she woman spoke softly to the crying girl.

"Gee, Kura, can the water works, its freakin' embarrassing," a new voice said from behind Ms. Evee.

Sakura looked up wiping her face at the girl that I hadn't even noticed. She had short dark purple hair pulled back into a braid that ended at her shoulders. Her green eyes where lined with blue mascara making them seem to glow a teal color.

"Akira, didn't know you where coming," Yumi spoke up from besides Max.

"Yeah well, I had nothin' better to do," the purple haired girl said with a shrug.

"Don't we just feel so loved," Sakura said teasingly.

"Of course your loved," Akira said pausing.

"Just not by your, right?" Sakura finishing off the other girls sentence as if this had been a recurring conversation.

"Exactly, now can we go?" Akira said hand on her hip.

"Sure, sure, everyone hustle in," the older women said motioning us all into a long stretch limo.

Once everyone was settled in and comfortable the limo pulled of the curb and into traffic. Some how or another I'd ended up against the door with Sakura next to me when I'd gotten in after Yumi and before Max, but both of them where behind me in the second row with Akira taking the third seat and Kai, Rei and Kenny in front of me and Hitoshi riding shotgun. The ride was more or less smooth one. Akira and Max talking about random nothingness that I'd tuned out. Kenny was on his laptop as he'd been since Sakura and Yumi had shown up trying to find anything that he could about this tournament. Rei was looking out the window and my dear brother seemed to be sleep though I couldn't tell.

This ride seemed to be taking forever but glancing at my watch I saw it'd only been twenty minutes. Sighing I slouched down in my seat and tried to get more comfortable but it just didn't seem to be happening. Giving up with a sigh I rested my head on the window in hopes to sleep off the jet lag. I was dozing lightly when I felt something vibrate on my side. Jumping at the tickling sensation I realized that it was Sakura's phone. Not the one that she'd dropped the day before but the one she'd had earlier today. I made a mental note when I got the chance to give her back her other phone. Though I did wonder how she'd gotten a new one so soon.

Seeing as she was sitting right nest to me I couldn't help but over hear her end of the conversation.

"Yo," she greeted whoever had called. In the reflection on the glass I could see her bright smile turn to a frown.

"Oh don't give me that, your wrong and your coming so get over it," she snapped, it was nice to know she was mean to everyone and it wasn't just me.

"By Sumizawa you will be getting your ass on that plane even if I have to get Yumi to help me," she growled into the phone. At her name Yumi perked up.

"Hey don't put me in your lovers quarrel, I got nothin' to do with dis," Yumi said poking one of Sakura's twin buns.

"Oh gee some help you are," she said rolling her eyes at her sister. It seemed so familiar with how Kai reacted when I wouldn't help him get the team up for early morning training. We may be twins but I like my sleep more than I want to win.

"Oh come on, please, pretty please with a cherry on top with wipped cream," Sakura begged whoever she was talking to.

"Oh fine be like that you jerk, I don't even know why Yumi loves you, cause really it cant be your hair," Sakura whined.

"Hey I do NOT like that bastard," Yumi shouted kicking the back of our seat making me jerk forward. Sakura just smiled at her sister blowing her a kiss before returning to her conversation.

"He says his parents where happily married before he came and ruined their lives," Sakura apparently repeating whatever the person she was talking to said.

"Tell him to bite me," Yumi snapped, and Sakura repeated it to who ever she was talking to.

"He says where?" Sakura said grinning at Yumi who was fluming, I swear smoke should be coming out her ears.

"Ok, ok look, if you two want too ---- I don't want to be in the middle," Sakura said cutting off whatever Yumi was about to say. However that didn't stop Yumi from giving Sakura the finger before sulking back into her seat. For some reason I doubt that it was Adams that Sakura was talking, which made me wonder still who was on the other end of her phone.

"Ok look babe, can you at least find me name and hang out, I'll ever pay you back," Sakura negotiated.

"What! ABSOLTLY NOT," she shouted after a moment shocking me and causing me cover my ears, she yelled really loud.

"NO, NO, no…by damn come on don't make me do this," Sakura whined again. I wondered if she was always this whiny or was it the person she was on the phone with.

"Fine, but if he kills me I'll haunt you for the rest of your natural life and then your time in hell," Sakura threatened before saying her goodbyes and hanging up. However not with out one more barb at her sister about possible sex position that I really didn't want to hear.

As Sakura hit the call end button you could hear indigent comments from her phone that where too low for me to understand or make out any more than the voice was male. In the time it took me to decide if it was worth it to ask who'd been on the phone the car, limo lurched to a stop. No faster than I could unbuckle myself the door was being opened by a formally dressed butler complete with bow tie and top hat. Confused I stepped out the limo and gasped in shock at the enormous mansion in front of me. Hitwari manor was big but this place seemed to be ten times the size. I for a moment thought it was me but when I heard another gasp I turned and saw both Tyson and Max staring at the house in shock.

"Holy cow this place is huge, don't you ever get lost?" Tyson asked looking back at Sakura, Akira and Yumi.

"Well it does seem big, but I've lived here most of my life so I've kinda gotten use to it," Sakura said shrugging.

"What do you need all this space for?" Max asked as we followed our 'host' up the walk to the main entrance.

"Well lets see, I live here, Yumi lives here, Ms. Evee and both Phillip's live here, Kira may as well live here, same goes for Brookie," she paused and seemed to think harder, "Most of the families that work here live here if they want and other people tend to stop by and camp out here," she sighed, "My, our" she motioned to both her and Yumi, "parents lived here up till…" she trailed off with a sad look in her eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry," Max automatically apologized for making Sakura sad.

"No its cool," she brushed it off, "And its better to have a big place to throw a party," she winked at Max before opening the huge door that led to her home.

"BROOKLYN!" she yelled before we could fully step foot in the door.

Ignore her I looked around, the front hall had shiny tile floors that I could see our reflections in. The wall to the left was line with picture of women that looked liked Sakura but from difference centuries while the right had men that looked liked her. However none of them looked anything like Yumi. Directly in front of the door was a grand stair case that only went up one floor that I could tell with two doors on either side of the base of the stairs.

"You know there's no need to yell," came a voice that I immediately recognized as Brooklyn only I didn't see him which annoyed me.

"I'm in no mode to play your shadow game, now get your ass out here before I embarrass you," Sakura ordered.

I tensed for a moment remembering that Brooklyn wasn't the nicest person when put in a corner. I doubt if he'd take kindly to being ordered around either.

"Oh and how would you be doing that," I jumped turning to find Brooklyn materialized from nowhere right behind Sakura who didn't so much as filch.

"Can the tricks B," she didn't turn around but tilted her head upward so she could see him.

"Oh but you haven't seen my best trick," I watched astonished as he leaned down pressing his mouth to hers.

Rubbing my eyes to make sure I was really seeing this I looked around and found that the rest of the team just as shocked as I was, though Ms. Evee just shook her head and Yumi and Akira seemed more disgusted that shocked.

"Could you two stopped sucking faces long enough to get a room," Ms Evee finally broke the two of their lip lock.

They both pulled back sort of dazed smiling at the other. Brooklyn took a step back and looked at us for the first time and I noticed something odd about his eyes. I couldn't place it but I knew it wasn't normal and in the blink of an eye it was gone and he was turning to leave once again. At least time I saw him leave, I was still wondering where he'd come from earlier.

"Hey, don't think I'm done with you," Sakura called after Brooklyn's retreating for. He didn't even turn as he waved over his shoulder.

Turning to use Sakura grinned, "Ok, we can either take a tour or Yumi can set up with your rooms and you be left to your own devices."

Looking around at the guys I shrugged, it didn't matter either way to me and I said so.

"I want to find out more about this tournament," Kenny said clutching Dizzy to his chest.

"Try the lab, Phillip can show you where it is, when I find him anyway," Yumi said rolling on the balls of her heals.

"You know I haven't seen your son in days, where did his vanish to," Akira asked Ms. Evee.

"Who knows where that boy is, as long as he's not making me a grandmother or killing something I don't want to know," came the reply.

"If only all parents where as cool as you," Akira said with a wistful sigh.

"I'd like to take a nap I want to sleep off the jet lag," Tyson said with a yawn leaning more into Max than on him. Sometimes I forget that he and Max where together. They didn't act like a couple at all around most people, but there where little things that they did that if you knew where to look you would see it.

"Um, one room or two?" Sakura asked, like her sister bouncing on feet.

"Uh…" Tyson looked slightly embarrassed, no one had ever asked either of them that. as far as I knew when ever they wanted to be alone together one of them snuck into the others room.

"Lets just give you one to save you the trouble of sneaking into Max's room," Sakura answered her question grinning.

"Yum sure, thanks," Max said blushing to his roots.

"I think I'll take a look around," I said. Being the nosy person that I was I wanted to see the rest of the house.

"You want a guide?" Ms.Evee asked me.

"Sure why not," I shrugged not really caring.

"Ok follow me," she said leading the way.

As I left I glanced back to see the butler who'd open the door leading Rei and Kai up the stairs. I made a mental note to talk to both of them before we left again for where ever we where going. And I needed to find out were we where going too now that I thought about it. Yumi was leading Kenny somewhere to in the opposite direction from where I was going and Sakura was happily chatting with Max and a sleepy Tyson. As if he saw me looking Rei looked towards me a gave me a slight smile before following the butler. Sighing I once again tried to ignore the nagging feeling of something bad about to happen and followed Ms. Evee.

"Thanks for the tour," I smiled at the older woman.

We'd been walking about the 43 room manor for about five hours. I found out the place had 10 bathrooms, 20 bedrooms,8 dinning rooms for different events,5 gaming rooms and 5 den/living rooms.

"I'll leave you in the here, Sakura's I believe is in the game room on this floor, if you need anything she'll be more than happy to help you out," she said smiling before disappearing down the maze of halls.

Glancing at the door that was in front of me I took a deep breath and put on my brave face and knocking. Faintly I heard a come in before I open the door. Laying on her back was Sakura PS2 game controller over her head as she played what I think was Soul Caliber III.

"So how was your tour?" Sakura asked me after a minute of me standing in the door way.

"Fine I guess, you have a really nice house," I answered.

"I guess, I kinda like my apartment better, but yeah this place is great," Sakura said shrugging as much as she could laying on her back.

"I thought you said that you lived here?" I asked finally getting tired of standing and making my way over to the bed like couch against the back wall.

"I do, sorta, but Brooklyn has an apartment in New York where he lives when he's at school and I spend a lot of time there cause I hate being away from him," she said glancing at me sideways when she mentioned Brooklyn.

"Look, I don't like him at all but if were going to be forced to be stuck together for this whole trip then whatever, I was outvoted when we decided to come or not so there isn't much I can do about it," I said with a sigh. The night before when it had been just me and Kai he made me promise to be a "good girl" for the whole trip. I'm not sure why he wants me to leave Brooklyn alone but as Sakura said it wasn't my fight. What had happen between Kai and Brooklyn wasn't something that I think I'd ever understand.

"That very mature of you," Sakura said malice dripping from her words.

"Yeah well don't think I did it for you I only doing this cause Kai asked me and I'd do anything for my little brother," I said annoyed at her tone.

"And I'd do anything for Brooklyn," she said looking back at the TV.

"I take it you two are close?"

"Yeah we are. We've been friends since I was six, and lovers for almost four years," she said tapping the buttons muttering curses in, I think, four different languages.

"If you and Brooklyn are such close friends where were you during the whole BEGA incident last year? It sure seem to me that he needed a friend then?" I asked rolling on my stomach looking at her.

"I was in England at the time and I wasn't speaking to the prat," she answered not even looking up from her game.

"Do you mind if I ask why, cause you seem to care an awful lot about him and he was mighty depressed then," I prodded hoping for some kinda of real answer.

"He wanted to join BEGA I didn't agree, well actually it was more I didn't agree with there management…"

"Boris?" I asked cutting her off.

"Yes Boris, I thought and still think that he was a manipulative bastard. Of course Brook didn't see it that way and he wasn't all to happy about my current lover we had this big row and he left. He has always been jealous, partly because of his parents and because I've always given in to him and I wont then, I think that he was afraid that he'd lose me or something," she said leaning left eyes completely focused on the game in front of her.

"I was so mad at him that day and was even angrier when I found he had been right, by then I didn't care to tell him because as much as I love him I'm just as stubborn as he can be. But either way he was gone and the next time I saw him was the BEGA try outs when he beat Kai," she spoke with a half smile as she placed second on Need for Speed Underground 2.

"But if you love him why where you with someone else?" I asked confused.

"I do love him and he loves me but," she paused brows furrowed thinking, "I, he, we don't work well together. He's an amazing guy and I'd love to spend the rest of my life with him waking up beside him and going to bed beside him but it, we'd never work and we both know it. We enjoy each other as friends and physically but it'll never be anything more," she said after some thought.

"Why don't you work, you guys seem like the perfect couple," I asked rolling off the bed and walking to sit next to Sakura.

"We are the perfect couple and that's the problem, there is no more challenge in it. We know each other inside and out, the sparks gone and the flames all that left. Besides as much as he does love me his heart belongs to someone else and there's nothing I can do about it," she said with a shrug handing me a controller and setting up Soul Caliber 2 on two player mode.

"I don't mean any offence but if he loves someone else why is he not with her?" this really was confusing.

"Cause she'll never have him, or that's what he thinks even though its obvious to anyone who sees that she's likes him a lot an' maybe loves him," she said with a shrug before impaling me on Ivy's mace promptly ending the game in less than three minutes.

Suddenly she stood and stretched. Rolling her shoulder she looked down at me with a thoughtful look on her face. Without saying anything she went to the door.

"Dinners going to be starting in a few minutes, we may as well start down," she opened the door and started out.

"Aren't you going to cut off the game?" I asked following after her.

"No, I'll be back later after I maim B, for being a jerk," she smiled at me, "You could help if you want?"

"Um...no its ok," I said confused.

"It great stress relief, but ok," she walked off with me trailing behind her laughing form.

Again that odd feeling was coming back, I had a horrible feeling about this. I just wish I could figure out what was going on and when this bad thing was going to happen.

TBC