Hope you're enjoying this. I had to change it up some because the original storyline seemed to want to crash and burn. I was just saving you from all that.

Trial By Old Flames

Chapter Three: Relocation and Return

Distant Storm

I don't even know who she is. I thought I did. A little.

But the way Kai's talking, I didn't even know half of it.

Why did she have to be brought up the way she did?

"No one," Kai started, choosing his words carefully, "No one wanted kids like us. I know Carrie was abandoned. Her parents didn't want her." Wyatt, his parents, and Kai sat at the island in their kitchen, discussing what exactly had happened before.

"Why wouldn't they want her?"

"I don't know." He looked at Wyatt's mother, Mrs. Omara looked shocked at the information that Kai was revealing.

"What else did they do?" Mr. Omara asked.

"Worked us to the bone, taught us to be soldiers, and when we weren't good-"

"They'd beat the shit out of us until we couldn't take anymore." All eyes were on her.

"Carrie? You should be in bed. You've had a rough day," Her mother said.

She ignored her. "Where's my bit beast?" The teen demanded, grabbing Kai by the collar. He shook his head, refusing to meet her eyes. She dropped him, looking down.

"Carrie, she-Pyrina is gone."

The girl turned on her heel and walked to her room. When she did so, she slammed the door hard enough to make them all wince.

"Wyatt, your mother and I have been thinking this over for a few months, and especially with your sister-"

Wyatt's mother continued, "We think it would be a good time for us too tell you that your father's been offered a job in the US. Now, with everything, I think we're going to take that opportunity."

Wyatt looked at Kai, who looked at him, both their faces etched with a bit of shock.

"You mean, so soon?"

"Yes, she can't stay here. After all this, she needs to see a doctor. She can't do it on her own. Some scars don't go away so easily."

Kai looked at his hands the second she said that.

"What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Omara asked.

"Have you seen her torso?" Kai paused when he received only blank stares. Choosing his words cautiously, he continued. "Black Dranzer and I are part of the initial reason, she, you know... Anyway, I think that getting away from all this, and me, would probably help her out."

Since when was Kai that selfless?

He wants us to stay.

I can see it in his eyes.

"Then it's settled. We'll be out of here by the end of next week."

Two years.

I think we've all come a long way.

I bet he thinks about her a lot.

Then again...

What does he even think about?

Cryptic bastard.

Yet...

Pretty much one of my closest friends.

And one of hers, I'm guessing.

Probably the only one she's had.

Yeah, probably.

"Wyatt!"

"What Carrie?"

"Want to have a practice battle?" He looked at her incredulously.

"Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

"Nothing. I guess I might as well do like you said and let go."

Let go. That's what you told me. When I was the psychopath.

Perhaps Austin was a good place to come.

In only two years, she's become human.

The best part though,

is simple.

She's ready to face the past.

"Yeah," the brunette said, turning to his sister. "I'll meet you out there."

Maybe we'll return home soon.

Wyatt grabbed his beyblade. Pyrina had yet to return to her master, which would probably be the final piece to getting Carrie to the status of normal. Well, actually, then she wouldn't be normal. She'd be at the level of the World Champions.

The past two years had been difficult. She had gone to numerous doctors who couldn't do anything. In the end, Wyatt had applied some of her own methods for getting him back up to par when he had been controlled by the cyber bit beast. His parents didn't get the fact that her problems wouldn't just go away. Kai had explained to them what occurred in her childhood, and the reasons for her being the way she was. No one blamed her, but they figured the best way to cope would be to relocate. In a way, the new atmosphere made it easier, but she had expressed her concerns about going back. She wanted to be there. As much as she loved the southwest USA, she couldn't take the fact that she had left some people hanging, wondering if she was able to come through without suicide.

As far as Kai and his teammates were aware, she was doing well, and hopefully, they'd be back for their final year of high school. That had yet to be discussed with their parents, but hopefully all would work out.

Wyatt ran downstairs and out the door, to their spacious yard.

"Ready, bro?"

"Yeah."

Let's go.

"Let it rip!" They yelled together.

Some things never change.

"Do you really think that you're ready to go back there?" His mother asked the two of them. "And alone?"

"Ma," Carrie said gently, "It's our senior year. Think about it. We could rent an apartment."

"Maybe they could," Mr. Omara responded carefully. "You two have grown up and out a lot in the past few years."

"What's the rush?" Mrs. Omara questioned.

"Think of all the people who never got to see who I really can be!"

"I want to beyblade," Wyatt said firmly.

"As do I."

"Those are your reasons?" Mr. Omara asked. Wyatt nodded.

"Well, I do have one more," Carrie said, twirling a strand of long hair.

Say it.

"I want to see Kai." Her face was normal, and her parents examined her closely before finally nodding.

That's it, hometown, here we come!

The movers shoved both the kids' things in the front door of their old house before pulling away. His parents had kept the house they once lived in exactly the way it was before they left, so all they had to do was put away their personal belongings.

I missed it here.

"Wyatt, come on," Carrie said, starting to go up the stairs. "I've got something to show you."

"What is it?" He questioned.

What did she hide up there, before we left?

They both trooped upstairs, heading toward her room, as well as the attic, which looked like a closet at the end of the hallway. No one had ever used it, that Wyatt knew of.

She passed her room and opened the attic door. After trucking up another eight steps, she arrived at the room. It was only a little bit dusty, but it was one of the most spacious rooms in their abnormally large house. Their parents were lawyers, which explained how they lived in a mansion worthy of just about any superstar.

"Holy bit beast," Wyatt said in wonder.

It's huge.

"It was my sanctuary." She smiled, turning around and looking at him. "Since we're the only ones living here, I was going to make it a little more, uh, comfortable. Maybe like a training and lounge room or something. It's really nice and cool up here too, with the air conditioner."

"This is incredible! Did you do it yourself?"

"What the dish? Yeah." They both took a step toward the silver battle dish in the center of the room. It was bigger than most of the ones he had seen at any training center. "It's made of bullet-proof material so that we can't break it that badly. The only thing that you can't do is call out a bit beast." She looked down as she spoke of the creatures that inhabited the beyblades.

"She'll come back someday."

"I hope so Wyatt. Cause I need Pyrina." She looked up at him and smiled. "Let's put our stuff away." She dusted the room with a cloth that hung off the wall. The maids never bothered to clean the attic. Maybe now, they would make them.

"Let's order food tonight, We'll go shopping later, after it gets dark."

"Alright." She turned around and walked back down the steps, her brother behind her.

"You really have gotten better," Wyatt commented.

"You think?"

"Well, yeah, you're attitude, it's so much better. And you really cleaned yourself up. I think Mom nearly had a heart attack when you showed up for dinner that one day asking how you looked."

"I just dyed it back to my normal color," she said, touching her hair. "I think it does look better though."

"You fit right in, when we were in Austin."

"Fitting in is so overrated. I like to be a little different."

Wyatt smiled.

Let's see how she handles this.

"I was thinking that we should invite the boys out to dinner. You know, the Bladebreakers. As our little homecoming celebration."

"When?" Her eyes widened in surprise. Wyatt had never mentioned this before.

"Maybe tonight? I was going to call them anyway."

"Sure," she said, with a smile. Wait a bit, let's at least clean up a little."

"Yeah," Wyatt said.

Carrie reached into his backpack and pulled out a cell phone. It belonged to Wyatt. "Catch," she said, throwing at him. He did, and smiled. "And Wyatt, dinner's on me."

With that, she ran downstairs, grabbing her suitcase. She headed back up the stairs and threw the bags in her room. A moment later, he heard the shower start. He did the same as she did, then dialed Kai's cell phone.

They had better be around.

We've worked too hard.

"Hey Kai, you idiot, your cell phone is ringing!" Tyson threw the annoying contraption at his captain. "You know that annoys Hilary, and then she annoys me!"

"Why do you think that's my ring tone?" Kai asked his friend in a cheeky tone. "Yeah?" he asked, answering his cell phone.

Same old Kai.

"Hey Kai," the voice on the opposite end said. His eyes widened. He hadn't heard from him in person in two years. Tyson came closer to listen to the conversation.

"Wyatt?" Kai hit two buttons on his phone putting it into speakerphone.

"Hey buddy!" Tyson's voice chimed.

"Hi Tyson," Wyatt said. "How are you guys?"

"Good," Kai answered, shoving Tyson away from the phone. "How are you?"

"Very good." Wyatt laughed. "We're back in town."

"What?" Both Tyson and Kai were at a loss for words.

"Wow, you two shut up pretty fast." Wyatt spoke again. "If you guys, and I mean your entire team, aren't busy tonight, Carrie and I were going to dinner, and we wanted to know if you wanted to meet us."

"Yeah," Tyson said, at the prospect of food.

"Alright," Kai said. Tyson walked away at that moment, knowing that Kai was going to ask about Carrie. "How is she?" He asked, almost nervous.

"Different." When Kai didn't respond, he added, "In a good way."

"Good." Wyatt could tell he wasn't convinced, but he would find out for himself. "What time do you want to meet for dinner?"

"Hang on." Kai heard him open a door and yell, "What time do you want to meet for dinner?"

He couldn't hear a response, but he heard the door shut again and Wyatt return. "How's seven at the usual place?"

"Fine." The usual place was the only restaurant that supported the local beyblading population.

"Alright, see you then."

"Yeah." Kai hung up. "Guys!" He called, shocking them all. Kai wasn't usually one to herd the group together. When his teammates came into the room he looked at them and repeated the plans.

"Yes! Food!" Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Tyson..." Kai said, acting angry. No one noticed that when he turned around and entered his room, a smile been plastered on his face. Comic relief had to come from somewhere, right?

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