-------------------------------------------------

Trial By Old Flames

Chapter Five: Take Up The Offer

Distant Storm

-------------------------------------------------

Last Time...

"Would you please ditch the facade for the next twenty minutes that we're out here on a marshmallow run?" She looked at him, her blue eyes pleading with his grey, almost purple ones.

This caught him by surprise.

"I, uh..."


"Please?"

"Alright."

--------------------------------------------------

The next morning, the Bladebreakers were all up early, going to a meeting with Stanley Dickenson, chairperson of the B.B.A., and his board members.

"The tournament will start in a few weeks," Dickenson stated. "We wanted to tell you up front, so if you know anyone who would be interested, we could put together some more B.B.A. teams, instead of just sending you." He looked around. "Should you decide to compete as a team for the World Championships."

"Will it just be one tournament?" Kenny asked. He had his computer recording everything that was going on.

"We're setting it up so that we have a few different locations, much like the first year you guys competed. The B.B.A. has gotten so big, we need to funnel in teams who can't get the funding to travel halfway around the world."

"What locations are you planning on using?"

"We're going to start in Moscow," Dickenson said. Kai smirked. "That way should anything go, well, you know, we can fix everything before we move on. Then there will be a competition in Barcelona, one in Seattle, and finally, the final tournament will take place in Tokyo. Of course, any team that makes it will have the B.B.A. funding the entire trip."

Max and Ray both nodded.

Tyson looked excited. "Now I really gotta go train! It's too bad Daichi got sent to boarding school. I would've liked to compete with him."

"Oh you will," Hilary said. Dickenson laughed.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure Daichi will be entering with some kids from his town. Therefore, you better get ready."

"Yeah, the best are coming out to play," Max said.

Kai smirked a challenge forming on his lips. "I guess someone's going to have to train you," he said.

"So you're entering as a team?" A chairperson asked.

"I guess so," Ray commented. Everyone on the team except Kai laughed.

--------------------------------------------------

For the next few nights, Carrie laid in her bed, unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling. So many thoughts ran through her head.

Who am I? Really?

I've changed, and I'm in control.

I'm not who I was.

And I think that's how I realized it.


I think I love him.

"Can't sleep?" Wyatt said, appearing in her doorway.

"I didn't mean to wake you," She said. she pulled the blankets off herself. "I'm going for a walk, or something."

"Want some company?"

Can't let me go alone, ever bro?

At least he loves me.

Him and my parents.

Well, my other parents, I guess.

"I've never turned you down, come on." They quickly dressed, meeting up towards the back door.

"Got the key?"

"Yeah," she said. In jeans, they headed off into the forest, following a path they knew very well. They stayed in silence until Wyatt turned and looked at her.

"What's up?"

She looked at him. "Promise not to tell?"

"Of course," She shrugged.

It is three am. Like he would remember tomarrow morning anyway.

Okay, yeah, he'd remember.

"I think I like him. Like, like him."

Wyatt looked at her, then cracked a smile. "I figured as much." Then he stopped, sitting on a log. "When did you figure it out?"

"When we went to go get the marshmallows."

"Jeez, I'm so uninformed. So, tell me how it happened. You didn't just suddenly develop a crush on him," He stated. Then, he looked back up at her. "You didn't, did you?"

"Nope." She shook her head. "I asked him to ditch the facade for fifteen minutes. He actually did it. Just for me." She stopped, dazing out.

"Earth to Carrie? Hello?" Earning back her attention, he smiled. "You've got it bad, I think."

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

--------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the forest, Kai was also deep in thought. No one had ever asked him something like that. Of course, he was also struck by just her appearance. That was not the way any person who had come in contact with Biovolt looked like. Hell, he didn't even know it was possible.

He slipped past the trees, heading down to the wharf, the only place he usually could think at times when things were just too damn confusing.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" He asked to no one in particular.

The best part of the night had been when he had hugged her. It was the cherry on top of her sundae. He could tell. For the remainder of the night, if he locked eyes with her, she'd smile. She was the only one who aknowledged his presence. He had totally forgotten the whole 'chill out' incident, only to be reminded when the two newcomers to their group had left.

Ray had been the only one to make any sense of it at that point, and these conversations they sometimes had only occurred behind closed doors.

"Did you kiss her?" Ray had asked. Kai shook his head.

"No," he said, trying to back out of the conversation. He hadn't made sense of what had happened.

"You like her," Ray said. "I can see it in your eyes."

"Since when did you learn how to read people?" He questioned demandingly. "What about Mariah?"

"Oh, we've admitted how much we like each other," Ray said. "Actually, I made a bet with Max about Carrie and you and got twenty bucks more for her birthday gift."

"You bet on Carrie?" Kai grabbed Ray by the collar.

"I've made my point," Ray said, sheepishly. Kai put him down.

"Whatever," Kai said, turning and walking away. After all, it was his own views that determined what he felt for her. Not what Ray said.

When Kai emerged from the forest, there stood a cloaked figure, entirely in black. Oh great, he thought. This would definetly be a beybattle.

The figure looked up. "I've been waiting a long time for you Kai."

"I don't feel like wiping the floor with you," Kai said cheekily.

"That's why you think I'm here?" His voice sounded like Tala, but distorted, as he was speaking into a scarf wrapped around his face. "Anyway, I thought maybe you'd like to have a taste of victory, without Tyson."

"Alright," Kai said, stepping toward the helocopter. "I like the way you think, Tala," He said, shaking his hand.

--------------------------------------------------

Tyson slammed his fists down onto the table. "Why the hell does he always do that?"

"Kai is Kai," Hilary said. The entire team sat on the floor in the back room. "He still wants a fair fight with you, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, and everytime we split up, somebody ends up hurt."

"I guess," Max said.

Tyson's grandfather entered the room. "Yo T-dog, there's a southern homie outside lookin' for Kai. Wy-man's with her."

"Southern homie?"

The entire group looked at each other in confusion.

"Oh," Ray said. "He means Carrie."

"Since when did the K-man get a girlfriend?" Gramps asked. "Especially that chica. She looks too nice."

"For him maybe," Tyson said, rolling his eyes. "Who's going to tell her?"

"Not me," Ray said, shaking his head. "She'll kill me."

"Kill you for what?"

"God! Don't do that!" Tyson said, exasperated.

"What's going on? Kai said we'd do some training."

"That's just it. Kai's gone."

"You're kidding," she said, looking at them.

"Left us a voice mail. Apparently, he got an offer from Tala and the demolition boys."

"That bastard," she said, clenching a fist. "And I was the one who needed a change."

They all laughed. Wyatt looked at his sister.

No relapse, no relapse, no relapse.

"Well, I guess someone's going to have to fill in for him," Ray said. "We aren't disbanding now, I guess we're going to have to take his ass down."

"Who's going to be ready on such little notice?"

Kenny looked up at the rest of the group. There were two answers in front of them.

"Alright, auditions start now," Tyson said. He looked at Carrie and Wyatt. "You two, the winner gets to take Kai's spot."

Hell yeah.

--------------------------------------------------

please review x3