Taiy-Chan: Oh my God! This is the second last full chapter… Man, I think I'm getting teary! NOT! I'm still trying to figure out what's going down in this chapter. Lol. Let's see what I can do, ne?
Disclaimer: Taiy-Chan owns nothing. She also doesn't own the song that Tala decides to sing; Anyway You Want It. Rise Against owns that song and no one else.
Thanks to all for your reviews! I turn them into typing and thinking fuel! Woot!
Chapter 19
Planning
"Taiy? Taiy! You in there, buddy?" Tyson's loud voice drifted through the closed door of the bathroom.
Taiy grumbled to himself, carefully turning the water off and stepping out of the shower. Swaying on his feet, he was quick to regain his balance, grabbing a fluffy, white towel from its rack. The dark haired boy sighed as he dried himself, eyes drooping and movements slow and heavy. He never felt more tired in his life.
"Taiy!" Tyson screamed, making Taiy jump.
Nearly awake now, Taiy was quick to answer.
"I'm coming, Tyson! What do you want, anyways?" he demanded.
"Uh, well, Chief wants to brief us about the final match tomorrow. It's already 10:00pm but he wants us in bed soon. With Hilary backing him up, I don't think we have a choice in the matter, so hurry up before she eats us all!"
Taiy chuckled as he listened to the retreating steps of his team mate and friend. Trust Tyson to always be able to break his foul mood.
Shaking his head, the mixed teen tied the towel around his waist, reaching over the sink to rub the fog from the glass mirror above it. Glancing at his reflection, he sighed heavily.
"I look like shit." He said bluntly to his twin image, half expecting it to answer.
When he was met with silence, Taiy sighed again and fixed his hair, trying to make it look at least a bit more decent. When he looked more presentable, he headed for his room, bare feet making not a sound on the tiled floor.
Pulling on loose, black pants and a shirt that was probably more than a couple sizes too big, Taiy made his way to the main part of the Bladebreakers' hotel room, following the voices of his team mates.
They looked up when he entered the room, greeting him before they turned back to Kenny. Taiy leant against the wall, arms folded over his chest, a pose he hadn't done for what seemed like a long time. It closed him off from the others around him and gave him room to think.
"Okay," Kenny started, pushing his glasses up. "Tomorrow we will be facing the Demolition Boys in the finals of the tournament this year. We have to be at the stadium by 1:00pm tomorrow. Right now, we have to decide who's going to battle when." The brunette explained.
Hilary nodded.
"You've all went up against the Demo Boys before, so you all know how they fight. But," she glanced at Taiy who felt her gaze and looked up. "We don't know if this battle is going to be rigged like the first time."
Taiy closed his eyes again, sighing.
"Because the Demolition Boys are still under Boris' power, we should expect some cheating." He said.
Kenny nodded.
"Hey!" Tyson cried. "Let's not get hasty here! We've dealt with them before and beat them even though the battle was rigged! We can do it again!" he said confidently.
"And," Max added. "You never know, they might not cheat this time around."
Tyson rolled his eyes.
"With Boris still in the game, I wouldn't count on it, Maxie." He deadpanned.
The blue eyed boy just shrugged.
"So, who is going to battle first?" Kenny asked, looking around the team.
Taiy shifted slightly from his position leaning on the wall, an inner battle going on in his mind.
"I want to battle Bryan."
"Same here."
"But, how do you know we're going to get to face him? I seriously doubt that Kenny has the order that the Demolition boys are going to be fighting in."
"Yes, that's true. But we can guess."
"Kai's right."
"What do you mean? How can we guess who's going to play who?"
"With Tala gone from the team, Bryan most likely took over the title as captain. Knowing Boris, he's going to get Bryan to go last."
"I see."
"Would you have a problem with going against Bryan again, Ray?"
"Why would I? I want to face him again now that I know he's not a complete maniac."
"You've got that right. Though he is pretty close to being a lunatic, Bryan is still walking on the thin line that is called sane. I say that that line is too hard to walk on, so I just do my own thing."
"Meaning that you're the insane one."
"Right you are, Watson."
"Point proven. I officially end this debate. Knock, knock."
"'Knock, knock'? What's that supposed to be?"
"Well, it's not like I can actually mime me whacking one of those wooden hammers on a desk, now can I?"
"And you say I'm the weird one."
"I'm not weird; I just hang out with you too much."
"You both are insane."
"And you're not? Look who's the one that nearly committed suicide over lost cookies! How sad is that?"
"Those were good cookies!"
"You are insane, Ray, just face it!"
"I'm not insane!"
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"JUST SHUT UP!" Taiy suddenly shouted, causing his team to jump and snap their heads around to stare at him.
The dark haired boy fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"You're both insane, both of you…" he muttered to himself, rocking back and forth on his heels.
His friends sweatdropped, slowly backing away from the distressed teen. They could only imagine what was going on in his mind.
Finally getting back his control, Taiy straightened, coughing slightly, a light blush gracing his pale cheeks.
"I… I'm okay…" he muttered, leaning back against the wall.
The other Bladebreakers just nodded, not wanting to find out what made the usually composed blader to freak out like that.
"Anyways," Max said after a moment of silence. "I guess I can go first, if no one else wants to." He said.
Kenny nodded, turning to Taiy and Tyson.
"So," he said. "Who's going to go second and who last?" he questioned, already dreading the reaction from both teens.
"I want to battle Bryan." Taiy said. "We might be able to get some answers from him while we fight."
Kenny thought about this for a moment, brows furrowing in concentration. He tapped the coffee table in front of the couch, deep in thought.
"You better go last, then." He decided. "Since Bryan is now the captain of the Demolition Boys, Boris will, most likely, play him at the very end."
"Damn it!" Tyson huffed. "Now I can't go last, again." He complained.
Taiy rolled his eyes.
"You don't have to blade if you don't want to." He snapped.
"That's not what I meant." Tyson grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.
Hilary sighed in exasperation.
"Stop acting like a kid, Tyson. If you and Max win both of your battles, Taiy might not have to blade at all." She reasoned.
Tyson thought this over before shrugging, sitting up a bit straighter.
Taiy resisted the urge to shake his head. There was only a very slim chance that both Max and Tyson would win their battles. Very slim.
"So," Hilary said cheerfully, getting to her feet and clapping her hands. "Now that that's figured out, we all better get to bed; we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
The group of teens nodded their agreement and headed for their rooms, calling their goodnights to one another as they parted ways into their separate rooms.
Taiy slipped into his bed, sinking into the mattress and bunching the covers around him. He felt tired, very tired. He knew that the moment he closed his eyes, he'd be gone. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he stubbornly fought to stay awake.
"Tomorrow's match shall be interesting."
"Yeah. Do you suppose we'll get to have a little… Chat with Boris?"
"I highly doubt it, we wouldn't have any time to go and find him. Right when we get there, we'll have to stay with the team and prep for the match."
"True, true."
"I've got a bad feeling about the finals, though."
"Ray, you always have a bad feeling about every match we go into!"
"And have I ever been wrong?"
"No…."
"My point exactly."
"Ray's right. We have to be ready for anything tomorrow. Though I hate so say it, our minds will probably fuse again."
"That sucks."
"Sure does. Even though that means we probably have a better chance of winning, it also brings back the nagging feeling that we might not be able to separate again."
"I know. That thought scares me and I'm not kidding."
"The feeling's mutual, Ray."
"We've been through worse things. We can fight this and get through it."
"And come out looking even better than ever!"
"Hell yeah!"
Taiy stood in front of his room's full length mirror, looking at himself with a narrowed eye. He was wearing his usual dark outfit. Near black jeans, a dark, fitting t-shirt and pitch black gloves. His attire brought out his ice blue eyes and pale face even more and his red streaks seemed to jump out at you from all the black surrounding it.
Giving his reflection thumbs up and a wink, Taiy turned for the door.
"Were you born on a Monday, Tala?"
"I have no clue what so ever. Why?
"Because there's this saying that Monday born people are very vain."
"Ha! It fits Tala perfectly."
"I take that as an insult, Ray."
"I was just asking."
"Humph…"
Taiy met his team in the main room of the hotel and they headed out for the lobby. Once there, they exited the building to stand by the sidewalk, waiting for their ride.
After waiting for five minutes with still no sign of the BBA Bus in sight, the Bladebreakers were getting impatient.
"Oh, you guys?" Kenny said, suddenly, adjusting his hold on his laptop.
"What…" his friends eyed his suspiciously.
"Uh, well…" the small brunette scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I forgot to tell you, we have to walk to the stadium because the BBA Buses got buried under the snow we got last night." Kenny explained, bracing himself for his team's reaction to the news.
Tyson gaped at him.
"You mean… we have to walk, on our own two feet, all the way to the stadium!" he cried, throwing his arms up in the air.
Kenny winced.
"Yes…"
Tyson fell down heavily on his knees.
"It's too much work! We will die before we reach the stadium!" the blue haired boy gasped as a sudden thought hit him. "I'm going to loose calories! NO!"
Hilary sweatdropped.
"And… Why is that a bad thing?" she deadpanned.
Tyson turned to her, eyes wide and unfocused.
"B… Because! Heavier people are harder to kidnap!"
Max sighed.
"Really…" he muttered, shaking his head.
Taiy scoffed.
"Well then, we'll get you a shirt that says 'I beat anorexia' and be done with it." He drawled, smirking.
Tyson glared at him, jumping to his feet. He pointed an accusing finger at the taller boy, narrowing his eyes.
"Just because you have more stamina than us mortals, Taiy, doesn't mean that you can make fun of us!" the distressed teen cried.
Taiy sighed as well.
"The stadium is only two blocks from the hotel, Tyson." He growled. His patience was running thin with this lazy boy.
Tyson gasped.
"Two whole blocks!"
Eventually, the Bladebreakers dragged their team mate out onto the street, heading in the direction of the huge stadium the Beyblade Championships were set to be held at. At the last intersection, our heroes decided that it would be easier to just j-walk that go all the way down to the next stop lights. Standing on the curb as many cars zoomed by, they waited for an opening.
Taiy stood there patiently, tapping his leg in time with the song he sang mentally. What? He couldn't help it. It was stuck in his head!
"Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it! Anyway you waaannt it! Dodododododododo!"
"Oh God, Tala. Don't get that stuck in our head.
"It's too late for that, Kai. When Tala starts singing a song, he doesn't stop right away. Actually, he doesn't stop until we're asleep!"
"Great. We're going to be battling maybe the hardest match of our lives and all we'll be able to think about is…."
"She loves to dance! She loves to sing! She does everything! Dodododododododo!"
"…That…."
"I pity us, Kai."
The dark haired teen sighed, glancing up at the now, seemingly, clear road. Standing up straighter, he punched the air in determination.
"Let's go!" he shouted, running across the street.
"What the hell are we doing?"
"Uh…"
"Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it! Anyway you waaannt it!"
"I dunno…."
"Wait… Is the other side of the road clear!"
Taiy moved fast and quickly made it halfway across the big street, nearly at the yellow line separating the different lanes.
"TAIY!"
The ice blue eyed boy stopped suddenly when his name was called, looking over his shoulder to stare at his friends. Their eyes were wide with fear and Hilary was nearly chocking Kenny in her panic. Taiy raised a fine brow and turned back around, only to step back suddenly when the cars from the other side of the street whooshed past him, his black hair flying up in the air.
"Oops…" he muttered running back to his team. He just reached them when the cars on their side starting passing once again.
The mixed teen heard his friends let out a sigh of relief.
"What were you doing, Taiy!" Hilary screeched, finally letting go of her hold on Kenny. "You almost were killed!"
Taiy scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, I know. Kind of stupid, huh? I'd hate to die that way…" he said, laughing nervously.
Hilary pulled at her brown locks.
"Why the hell did you run across the street with the other side wasn't clear?" she demanded.
"TALA!"
"What?"
"You nearly killed us!"
"What do you mean! All I was doing was innocently singing, nothing more."
"That's exactly it! With one-third of our brain concentrating on a song and the other two-third trying to make that one-third shut up, we weren't thinking straight!"
"Don't blame the song! It's a good song!"
"Whatever! We have to get to the stadium! Let's continue this argument another time, okay!"
"Fine."
Taiy shook his head at his friends, not wanting to explain what was going on in his mind at the moment. The other Bladebreakers nodded, eyeing the dark haired teen suspiciously as they crossed the now completely clear street. Reaching the other side, they quickly made their way to the stadium, getting to the large doors just as DJ Jazzman's voice rang through the stadium's speakers.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Beyblade World Championship finals! My name is DJ Jazzman and I will be your host this afternoon! The finals will start in five minutes!"
The Bladebreakers distantly heard the crowd cheering. Taiy frowned, ice blue eyes scanning the empty hall around them before he relaxed. He turned to his team, glancing at each one of them seriously.
"This is it, guys." He said quietly as they huddled around them. "We have once chance at this, understand?" At their nod, Taiy continued. "We all know Boris and his tricks well enough now, but this time it's different. We won't only have to look out for the other team, but you guys will have to look out for me as well." At his team's confused expressions, he sighed. "Every time, so far, that I've gone into an important match, my mind, as in Ray, Tala and Kai, has fused together. It undoubtedly will happen this time too." Taiy's ice blue eyes bored into his friends'. "Stop the match if something goes wrong, alright?"
As the other Bladebreakers murmured their agreement, Taiy let out a breath, turning to look towards the large, metal doors that lead to the centre of the stadium.
"We have to be ready for anything."
Taiy-Chan: Well, I decided to end it there. Originally, this was supposed to be the second last chapter, but it ended up being longer than I first expected it. And since I owe you guys an update this month, I decided to split the chapter in two. Though I don't have the other half done, hopefully I will before Valentine's Day.
So, you guys are lucky, this story will last one chapter longer than planned! Yay! I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'm glad you said that you'll miss this story when it's over! It makes me feel loved.
But don't leave me when this is over! Look out for maybe some side-fics if I get the urge to do so and some new works, okay?
Leave me something more interesting than Taiy exotic dancing while singing "I'm Too Sexy for My Shirt"!