Silvan Arrow: W00t! Bryan and Tammy are finally together!

Eri: Well it's about time! I was thinking you would never get around to writing that.

Silvan Arrow: Hey, I'm not as lazy as you give me credit for.

Eri: Pfft…yeah right.

Silvan Arrow: Okay then, if you're gonna have an attitude then you can do the disclaimer.

Eri: Fine, whatever. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Happy now?

Silvan Arrow: Not really, but I'll let it slide for now. While I give my main OC an attitude adjustment, here's chapter 12!

Chapter 12: Tala's Long Day

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Bit beast mind-chatting with master

In Tammy and Bryan's room…

Tammy was aroused from a peaceful sleep by the sound of a shower running. She glanced to the other side of the bed and noticed that Bryan wasn't there. Hey, Umbra, why's Bryan up so early?

According to Falborg, Bryan said something about needing a cold shower to make sure he didn't dream up everything that happened yesterday, Umbra replied with a slight chuckle.

Tammy sighed mentally. Typical Bryan. She heard the squeak of the faucet as the shower turned off, and she decided she might as well get up too. Bryan emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, a few minutes later to find Tammy looking through her closet for something to wear. She paused in her search to give Bryan a warm smile. "Good morning, Bry. You're up early."

Instead of replying, Bryan swept Tammy into his arms and kissed her softly on the lips. He still couldn't believe that she was finally his and that she loved him as much as he loved her. "I needed to make sure this was all real," he whispered against her lips before kissing her passionately.

When they finally had to part for air, Tammy said, "We still haven't told Tala yet. I wonder how he's gonna react."

Bryan smirked. "He'll either be happy for us…or he'll murder me using the most painful method possible." He paused before adding, "I really hope it's not the second choice."

In Tala and Eri's room…

Tala woke up as the first morning rays cast their gentle light through the bedroom window. He smiled at seeing Eri, who was still asleep with her back snuggled up to his chest. He had one arm around her waist while his head was pillowed on his other arm. He leaned over and kissed her neck to rouse her. "Morning, sleepyhead," he whispered in her ear. He smirked as he felt her shiver against his body and kissed a sensitive spot in the crook of her neck, where he knew she was ticklish. She didn't respond to his touch but just kept shivering. Tala's heart leaped in his throat when he heard her whimper softly. "…Eri? Eri?" he asked frantically. Was she having a nightmare? 'Something's definitely wrong,' he thought. He sat up and leaned over her so he could see her face. Eri's eyelids were squeezed shut, and her cheeks were flushed an unhealthy shade of red. Upon closer inspection, he could see that her face was drenched in a hot sweat. Hesitantly, Tala reached over with one hand and felt her forehead, only to jerk it away at feeling the intense heat from a fever. 'Oh no…' Eri's breathing was slightly labored as she tossed and turned in a futile effort to get comfortable. 'I wonder who's gonna kill me first,' Tala thought grimly. 'I am so dead.'

What are you going to do, Tala? Wolborg asked.

As much as I dread it, I'm gonna have to tell someone. I don't know much about treating fever, Tala replied. Michelle is so gonna kill me.

Now you don't know that, Wolborg stated. She may beat you up, and I'm sure Kai will get in a few punches, but I'm certain you'll live.

You're no help…

Twenty minutes later…

"BAKA! I can't believe you! Do you EVER use your head for once, or is it there for decoration?" Michelle ranted furiously at Tala. At the moment, Michelle, Kai, and Tala were standing by Eri's bed, where the blonde-haired teen was trying to figure out how to treat her best friend's sudden illnesswhile letting out her frustration on Tala. Kai was sending Tala a murderous death glare while cracking his knuckles threateningly. Tala would rather listen to Michelle's scolding, which he definitely deserved, than face his best friend when he was angry. "You should have known better than to drag her outside when it was dark and snowing! It had to have been below zero out there! Did you ever once stop to consider that it could make Eri sick?"

"…I gave her my jacket," Tala muttered, knowing that it was an extremely lame excuse. Still, it was all he had.

"Yeah, after making her stand outside without one for…oh…ten minutes!" Michelle exclaimed. "I thought you of all people would know better than that, having lived in Russia for so long."

"The cold never bothered her before…" Tala said, trying to defend himself. 'Rats…I sound so pathetic.'

"Well, that's because she had a coat on!" Michelle exclaimed indignantly. She felt like she was lecturing a five-year old. "Face it; she can't handle cold as well as a guy! Even Boris knew that much!" Tala winced at her last statement. Her words stung him just as much as a punch in the gut.

Michelle knew she had hit a sensitive spot when she mentioned Boris. Still, Tala needed a wake-up call. Just then, Michelle was distracted from her furious scolding by a familiar moan from the bed. Eri groaned as she opened her eyes slightly. "What's…going on?" she asked, her voice croaky and barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I'm sorry we woke you, buddy," Michelle said gently, adopting a much kinder tone toward her best friend. She sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "How do you feel?"

"Not…so…good," Eri replied, managing at least a half-smile for her friend's sake. However, she felt a lot worse than she wanted her friends to think. Her mouth was as dry as cotton, and her throat ached terribly. Any attempts to move only resulted in a wave of nausea. The fever made her face and body unbearably hot, but she couldn't stop shivering. The fever-induced delirium also made it hard to focus her vision clearly. Tala felt worse than scum seeing her in this condition.

"Eri…I…," Tala began, but he was cut off when a hand roughly grabbed him by the shirt collar. He looked up and met Kai's stormy glare. "Kai, what…"

"You've done enough for now," Kai stated coldly as he pulled Tala away from Eri's bedside. "Get your head on straight before you come back in here." With those final words, he shoved Tala out the door and slammed it shut in his face. He walked back over to join Michelle and noted Eri's shocked expression. "He just needs some time to sort some things out," Kai told her. Eri nodded somewhat reluctantly. Her throat hurt too much to talk for long.

"Yeah, right now we need to focus on getting you better," Michelle added. She stood up and said to Kai, "I'm gonna drive into town and pick up some medicine at the pharmacy. All we've got here is some Tylenol (A/N: I don't own anything to do with Tylenol.), but it should tide her over until I get back."

"What do you need me to do?" Kai asked.

"Just try to get some fluids in her, and keep a damp cloth on her forehead to try and bring her fever down," she replied. Michelle sighed wearily. "She'll probably be in bed for a few days. What a drag."

Just then Eri's beyblade, which was sitting on the bedside table, started to glow, and Pyrix materialized before them. "Not to worry, Michelle. I can share my energy with Eri to help her body recover more quickly," she explained.

"You can do that?" Kai asked, one eyebrow quirked upward in question.

"Umbra did it for Tammy when she was in the hospital due to a self-inflicted knife wound (A/N: See O Sister, Where Art Thou.). He taught me how it works." In answer to their questioning looks, she lay on the bed next to Eri and gently laid her head on her master's chest. Pyrix closed her eyes in concentration. "I can't heal her completely, but this should speed up her recovery."

"Well, it looks like she's in good hands. I'll be back soon," Michelle said. She gave Kai a quick peck on the lips and headed out the door, leaving him and Pyrix to tend to her sick friend. 'Get well soon, buddy.'

Meanwhile…

Tala sat in an overstuffed chair by the fireplace in the main room, lost in his own gloomy thoughts. Thanks to his stupidity, Eri was sick. 'She's probably gonna hate me now. First I let my sister down, and then I let my girlfriend down. What kind of miserable creature am I?' None of the other teens dared enter the room and disturb him. Coldness radiated from Tala so much that it was almost visible, and his icy death glare was enough to send Tyson scurrying for his life into the kitchen.

Tala was shaken out of his morbid thoughts by the sound of footsteps heading in his direction. He looked away from the flames dancing around the glowing embers to see Bryan sit down across from him in another chair. "Hmph…what do you want?" Tala asked coldly.

"I need to talk to you," Bryan stated, trying to keep his voice level and calm when inside he was scared half to death. "It's about Tammy." The mention of his sister immediately piqued Tala's interest, and his expression changed from stormy to curious.

"Go on," Tala prodded, sitting up straight and looking his teammate in the eye.

"Well…yesterday I confessed to Tammy that I love her, and she said that she loves me." Bryan tried to keep his nerves in check, but he couldn't stop himself from twiddling his thumbs when Tala's eyes bulged in surprise. Fortunately, the initial shock wore off, and Tala could form a proper reply.

Instead of the beating Bryan feared would follow, Tala gave him a small smile, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that. As much as I hate to say this, if someone were to steal my sister's heart, I would rather she choose someone I knew and trusted. Quite frankly, if I had to choose for her, I would probably pick you anyway. Heh…you must be special to her if she would tell you her past before confiding in her own brother."

Bryan couldn't believe how well Tala was taking this. "So…do I have your permission to continue dating her?"

Tala closed his eyes and nodded. "I give my permission, as well as my blessing." He chuckled softly, more to himself than anyone else. "Besides, it's not like I have much of a choice. Tammy would probably murder me if I tried to keep you two apart. She can be a bit of a hothead, so you'll definitely have your hands full. I hope you're aware of that."

Now it was Bryan's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, I've already observed that." A comfortable silence hung around the two friends for a few moments as they watched the fire and enjoyed its warmth. Finally Bryan stood up to leave. "Thanks, Tala…for everything." He turned to leave.

"Bryan." He stopped and turned to face his captain, who got up and approached him. "One last thing." Tala gripped his shoulder tightly and gave him a warning glare. "If I ever find out that you hurt her in any way, you won't like my reaction," he hissed quietly.

Bryan smirked and replied, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Tala."

"Good," Tala said with a nod. He clapped Bryan fondly on the back as the lilac-haired blader turned to leave. He sagged back into his chair with a heavy sigh. 'Well…that's one problem solved.' He was about to drift back into his depressed, self-abusive thoughts regarding his stupidity when he sensed someone else approaching. Tala sighed mentally. 'Great…who is it THIS time?'

Uh…that would be your sister, Wolborg remarked.

That got Tala's attention. He looked up and met his sister's concerned gaze as she stood before him. He didn't know what to say. "Tammy…what…"

She cut him off, already knowing what he was thinking. "I heard about what happened to Eri," she said softly.

Tala sighed for the millionth time that day. "So I guess everyone knows what a loser I am now. You wanna give me a lecture too? I deserve it," he replied wearily.

"I didn't come here to lecture you. I came because I need to talk to you…you're my brother after all," Tammy said, kneeling down in front of him so they were at eye level. Tala looked at her expectantly, wanting her to continue. "I'm guessing Bryan already told you about…you know. About us dating?"

"Yeah, he just told me," Tala replied. "I think he's a good match for you. Besides, I trust that he won't do anything to hurt you. He'll treat you with respect."

Tammy smiled warmly at her twin. "You don't know how much that mean to me, especially coming from you."

Tala found himself smiling back for a moment, but then a question that had been nagging him popped back into his mind. "Can I ask you something?" Tammy waited for him to continue. "Why have you been avoiding me lately? I just get the feeling that you've been pushing me away. Have I done something to upset you?"

Tammy sighed and stood up, looking away. "It's nothing you did. I'm just not used to having so many caring people watching out for me, especially after so many years serving Biovolt. I just didn't know how to react, and my first instinct was to withdraw, even if it meant pushing away my own brother." She looked him in the eye with a serious expression. "Tala, all those years I didn't know where you were or even if you were alive, and then you just dropped back into my life without warning a few months ago. I had forgotten what it meant to have a family. I really don't want to push you away. Can you ever forgive me?"

Tala stood up and embraced his sister. "Of course, sis. If that's how you felt, you should have told me. You can tell me anything, and I'll always be there for you no matter what. That's my job as your brother. Will you give me that chance?"

Tammy nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah…I'll try. You're the best brother ever, Tala."

Later that evening…

Thanks to the constant care of Michelle, Kai, and Pyrix, Eri was feeling much better by the end of the day. Kai finally called off his death threats and let Tala back into the room to visit her. He and Michelle left the room to give the couple some privacy. Pyrix returned to her bit chip now that her job was finished. Tala had already sorted things out with Tammy and Bryan. Now he just needed to make matters right with Eri. He hesitantly walked up to her bed and asked, "How do you feel?"

"I'm feeling a lot better, thanks," Eri replied, but her tone of voice betrayed the awkwardness that hung between the two. She wanted to say something else, but she couldn't think of what exactly to say.

Finally Tala couldn't take it anymore. He dropped onto the edge of the bed, gently took Eri's hand, and said, "Eri, I'm so sorry. It's my fault you got sick. I was such an idiot and have no right to ask for your forgiveness." His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he held her gaze, pleading for her to understand.

Eri smiled kindly at him and replied, "You don't even need to ask. I forgive you." Tala looked at her in disbelief. She laughed softly and continued, "It's not your fault I got sick. I've probably just gotten less accustomed to cold weather after living in Japan for so long. I'll be fine by tomorrow, so stop beating yourself up about it, okay?"

Tala couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "I don't deserve someone as understanding as you," he whispered. He leaned over her until their faces were mere centimeters apart, but Eri brought up her hand to stop him.

"I don't want to risk giving you my cold," Eri whispered.

Tala didn't move away but instead smirked and replied, "I could care less about getting sick. I've missed you too much today." He gently moved her hand out of the way and kissed her softly on the lips. Eri returned and deepened the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands played with his hair. She had missed him too. When they finally pulled away for air, Tala crawled into the bed next to Eri and pulled her into his arms, letting her rest her head on his chest. "You should get some sleep," he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, Dr. Tala," Eri replied teasingly before letting sleep take over.

As Tala's eyelids started to droop, he thought, 'What a long day. At least it's finally over.' With those final thoughts, he let his eyes close in hopes that the next day would be different.

End chapter 12

Author's Note: Meh, I'm not sure how well this one came out. The whole Eri-getting-sick fiasco just suddenly hit me, and I decided to go with it. Poor Tala sure had a rough day, huh? I rather enjoyed writing the scene where Michelle and Kai chewed him out. But yeah…he didn't kill Bryan! Yay! I can't believe I've gotten over 90 reviews! My goal is at least 100 before I finish this story. Please review and tell me what you thought! Your opinion matters!