Nobody is helping me with my Max/Oliver dilemma! (cries) Okay, I finally have the next chapter up. Enjoy!
Disclaimer (I just suddenly realised I haven't done one yet) If I owned it, I wouldn't be on here. I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE AND ANYONE WHO SAYS I DO NEEDS THEIR HEADS EXAMINED!
Ray opened his eyes. Looking dazedly around, he saw Tyson asleep on the sofa, arms and legs everywhere. He smiled crookedly.
"How are you feeling, Master Kon?" a voice asked him. He turned his head and saw the girl who he had seen last night.
"Tired." he answered. She smiled.
"That's understandable." She moved slightly, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Apologies, Master Kon. I didn't sleep much last night." Ray nodded.
"What's your name?" The girl blinked in surprise.
"My name's Hilary, Master Kon."
"Ray, please."
"If I must." Her voice was light, joking, but Ray could hear something underneath the jovial tone.
"What is it?" he asked. Hilary glanced quickly around, then pulled off her top and turned around, allowing Ray a clear view of her thin back. Five raised whips-welts criss-crossed her back, still glistening with blood. "What happened?" he gasped.
"I accidentally called Master Kinomiya by his given name in front of my master. He...was not impressed." She winced at the memory. Ray made a sympathetic noise.
"What about these?" His fingers ran lightly over a few other scars, some of which looked oddly like...teethmarks? He felt her stiffen. The blouse fell back into place again.
"I would rather not talk about them, Master Kon." Her voice was stiffly formal, indicating clearly that the conversation was out of bounds.
"Of course. I apologise." Ray said contritely. A thought struck him.
"Who's your master?" Hilary said nothing for a long time. Ray had just resigned himself to not getting an answer, when it came, the whisper so soft he had to strain to hear it.
"Voltaire Hiwatari." Neither of them spoke for a long time. Finally, Ray broke the silence.
"I'm sorry if I seemed blunt. I've been a littleoverwhelmed by everything that's happened. This is the second time in so many days that I've woken up having been incapacitated by a spell." Hilary gave him a wry smile.
"I know what you mean. I've had to do...things I didn't want to, then fallen head over heels in love with one of the most powerful magicians alive. And me just a little slave-girl." She laughed humourlessly. "No, life hasn't exactly been a bundle of laughs lately." Ray blinked in surprise. He had thought, unkindly perhaps, that Tyson had just slept with the slave-girl for convienience, because he needed an outlet. He found himself wondering if Tyson loved Hilary back, and made a silent vow to ask him.
"What's the time?" he asked suddenly.
"Oh, thanks for reminding me!" Hilary got off the bed and strode over to where Tyson was still snoring peacefully. She bent down until her mouth was only centimetres from Tyson's ear. "TYSON!" Tyson jolted upright, words about "strawberry sardine sandwiches..." spilling from him. "You're going to be late for breakfast!" Hilary announced, her hands planted firmly on her hips. Tyson's eyes lit up. He hastily threw some clothes on, and dashed out the door. Three seconds later, his head poked round the door again.
"Hi, Ray-how are you-I'll get you some breakfast-bye!" His head disappeared again. Ray started laughing.
"Strawberry sardine sandwiches?" Hilary gave a wry smile.
"Don't ask."
Hiwatari stared at the fireplace.
"Infernois." Scarlet flames lit up the dark room. Suddenly, the door opened and somebody came inside. Hiwatari didn't react.
"Why are you sitting here in the dark?" a voice asked. The person who had come in headed towards the curtains. Hiwatari sighed inaudibly and clicked his fingers. There was a yell as the curtains burst into flames.
"I like the dark." he replied, extinguishing the flames with another click of his fingers. "As you well know." A pause. "Why are you here, Johnny?"
"Because I'm worried about you." came the quiet answer. Hiwatari turned slightly tpwards his friend.
"Why?" Johnny sighed.
"Because you haven't come out of your room except to eat and piss in two days now. Oh yeah, and to tell everyone about the tournament and insult Mizuhara."
"So?" Hiwatari never took his eyes off the fireplace. The dancing flames sent flickering patterns over his still face. He felt the sofa he was sitting on go down further as Johnny sat next to him.
"Look at me." Hiwatari didn't move, the flames reflecting in his eyes.
Long, smooth black hair flowed over a tanned, lean body. He ran his fingers through the silky tresses and over the sleeping face...
A burst of yellow fire broke his concentration. He blinked.
"All right, who is it now?" Johnny said tiredly.
"What are you talking about?" Hiwatari said coldly.
"Oh no, don't try playing innocent with me," Johnny's voice rose. "You only get that look in your eyes when you're obsessing about someone. So, who is it now?" Hiwatari shrugged and leaned over to a small side-table, picking up a glass of wine and draining it in one swallow.
"Why?" He smirked. "Are you jealous?"
"No, surprising enough, I'm not jealous. I'm your best friend, not your lover or your whore, although sometimes I wonder if you know what the fucking difference is!" Hiwatari stared at Johnny for a few seconds, then returned his gaze to the fire.
"Do you really want to know who it is?" he asked indifferently.
"Yes."
"Kon." Johnny drew in a quick breath.
"Shit, you sure know how to pull them!" he exclaimed. "So, have you screwed him yet?" A nod.
"Are you going to do it again?" Another nod. Johnny grinned. "So? Let's hear some details!" he demanded. Hiwatari shrugged, a faint smirk appearing on his face as he remembered.
"No real details." he said casually. "I drugged him, so..."
"Nothing out of the ordinary, then." Johnny finished, looking slightly disappointed. Hiwatari nodded his head in agreement. Unnoticed by Johnny, he sketched a sign in the air with the tips of his fingers. He began to glow red. Johnny saw and instantly started to put up a defence against it.
"Now, now, don't spoil my fun." he murmured, easily breaking through the hurried defence. He reached out and ran a hand slowly down Johnny's face, over his chest, his waist, lightly touching his crotch, before sliding back up again to cup his cheek.
"Stop it!" Johnny's protests fell on deaf ears. With one savage swipe, Hitwarti ripped Johnny's trousers and underwear off, leaned forwards, and captured his mouth with his own, teasing it open as his other hand slipped downwards...
Ray sat up slowly and got out of bed, steadying himself against the bedpost. He checked what he was wearing. Not too creased...It would do, he supposed.
Entering the hall, he saw Max sitting at the end of the table, next to Oliver, who looked as if he was still in tremendous pain. Max saw him and waved, giving him a strained smile. Ray walked over to them and pulled out a chair.
"Oliver, please eat something." Max begged. Oliver shook his head slightly. "Oliver..." After ten more minutes of begging, pleading, and threatening, while Ray silently worked his way through double his usual amount of food, Oliver finally consented to eat a small bowl of cereal, looking as though he might be sick with every mouthful. He finished and leaned into Max, tears of pain and weakness glittering in the corners of his eyes. Max put his arms around him, and held him gently, murmuring soothingly.
"I'm going to go back to my room, okay, Max?" Oliver whispered, pulling away from Max's embrace.
"Okay. Do you want me to come back with you?" Max asked, brushing his lips gently against Oliver's cheek.
"No thanks...I'll be fine..." Max stared after Oliver until he was out of sight, then turned back to his breakfast.
"Are you all right now, Ray?" he asked tightly. Ray nodded, waiting for the explosion. It came quickly. "If I go against Tala in this tournament, I'm gonna show him exactly what he did to Oliver! When I'm finished with him, the bastard won't remember his own name!" Ray said nothing, watching as the furious gleam faded a little from Max's eyes. Max let out a shaky breath. "Anyway, are you sure that you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now. Where's Tyson?" Max blinked and looked around, obviously only just realising that Tyson wasn't with them.
"I don't know." He looked puzzled. "Maybe he's gone to see if any of us are in any battles today." This was proved correct when, thirty seconds later, Tyson came running into the hall, yelling for Max. "Over here!" Max called. Tyson dashed up and whispered in Max's ear. Ray strained his ears and caught a little of it.
"-not yet...soon..." He couldn't hear anything else, but he didn't need to. The look that was spreading over Max's face was answer enough. Max drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. A dark hum spread across the room. People looked up and started casting uneasy glances towards the enchanter.
"Max, calm down." Tyson said uneasily. Max wasn't listening. His blue eyes were glazed with an anger that was beyond anything Ray had ever seen before. The hum increased. A few of the less powerful magicians started to look really frightened, even Ray could feel the complusion to run, to hide. Suddenly, another power hummed in the air. Hiwatari came striding towards them, his body radiating power. He stopped in front of Max and stared down at him.
"Stop this before you hurt someone, Mizuhara." he said quietly.
"Oh, there's only one person I want to hurt right now. You know where your red-head fuck toy is?" Max hissed, his face stiff and pale with fury. The two clashing powers intensified, all except the strongest magicians leaving the room, the few that remained, Tyson and Ray amongst them, stared in horror, knowing that they could do nothing to stop it.
"Stop this now!" a stern voice ordered. Ray spun around to see Max's grandmother wheeling herself into the hall. "Maxim Mizuhara, stop this foolishness at once!" she demanded. Max stopped abruptly, stepping back and raising his hands in the traditional gesture of defeat.
"Sorry, grandmother." he mumbled. The white-haired old lady turned to Hiwatari.
"I understand that I have no right to tell you to stop, young Hiwatari, but if I must get your grandfather, then I assure you, I will." Hitwarti's face blanched and for a moment he looked truly frightened.
"I apologise for my disruption, Mistress Mizuhara." he said quickly.
"What the matter, Hiwatari? Scared of an old man?" Max jeered, his temper rising again. With a furious curse, Hiwatari struck Max round the face, sending him staggering back a few steps. A Song curled out of Max's mouth, echoed by the one coming from Hiwatari. Dark, frightening, taunting. Within seconds, the battlelines were re-drawn. Mistress Mizuhara tried to calm the two magicians, but she didn't have the magic to try and break them apart.
"You miss me this much, Maxie?" Hiwatari whispered huskily.
"Go to hell!" Max yelled back, sending a huge wave straight at Hiwatari's face. Hiwatari, caught off guard, stumbled backwards, soaking wet. He muttered something under his breath and was dry in an instant.
"Because, if you did," he said smoothly, carrying on from where he had left off. "I wouldn't mind having you back."
"I - hate - you!" Max gritted out.
"Oh really? To me, this doesn't look like-" He stopped in midsentence, feeling a new magic enter the battle, sweeping all before it.
Ray looked in astonishment at Tyson. He was walking slowly, almost regally, towards the battling pair. Only his eyes showed, glowing a deep, unnatural blue inside the cocoon of hurricane-speed winds. Even Mistress Mizuhara quailed backwards at the ancient power radiating from the Guardian of Dragoon.
"Stop it. Both of you." Tyson raised his arms, palms upwards, sucking Max and Hiwatari's magic into himself. "You are Guardians, not a couple of spoiled children. Remember your responsibilities." Both magicians bowed their heads and backed away. Even Hiwatari didn't dare challenge Tyson at that moment.
The unearthly light slowly faded, leaving Tyson looking more than a little bewildered. "Um...what did I just do?" he asked, flushing slightly andgiving them a sheepish grin. Hiwatari sighed in disgust and turned on his heel, striding out of the room. Max gave a strained laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're impossible, Ty, you know that?"
"Yeah." Tyson replied cheerfully. Seeing that Max was having increasing trouble keeping his compose, Ray stepped forwards and placed a gentle hand on the blond's shoulder.
"You all right, Max?" he asked softly. Blindly, tears swimming in his eyes, Max shook his head and broke free of Ray's light hold, walking too quickly away, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Max!" Tyson made to follow him, glaring at Ray angrily as the older magician blocked his path.
"He needs to be alone for a while, Kinomiya." Mistress Mizuhara said quietly, her eyes radiating sympathy for her grandson. "He is upset." Tyson nodded stiffly and stared furiously at the wall.
"I'll kill him." he murmured darkly. "Hiwatari goes near him again, I'll kill him." Ray stayed silent. What could he say to that?
Did you like it? I have an emergency here, people, related to a story that I'm writing at the moment. Five questions, all to do with the first series.
1. What was the outcome of Tyson's battle with Enrique in Rome?
2. Who fought Oliver and Enrique, and what were the results? I know that Kai fought Johnny and Tyson fought Robert, but I can't remember the rest.
3. What are the names of the Dark Bladers and their bit-beasts?
4. What is the lake that the Bladebreakers win Kai back on called?
Anyone who answers even one will be mentioned in the next chapter, anyone who somehow answers them all truthfully is going on my favourite list.
Anyway, as usual, tell me any mistakes and any plot ideas you might have. Review, please!