Author's note: I'm a bit in a rush right now so I hope you'll like this chappie. And to all my reviewers, I'll reply to your reviews the next time I update. Promise!

Special thanks to: faith, FenixPhoenix, SapphireSword, Hikari, -Dark Phoenix Angel Nami-, Grand admiral chelli, Mystic Black Phoenix, puppalupp2008 andShitza


Chapter 35

In her unconscious state, Alexis was rushed to the hospital immediately after the match. Doctors did their best to remove whatever unknown chemical that flowed in her blood system. As they operated on her, they were amazed to discover the amount of scars that marred the girl's body. For the second time that week, Jade stood in a hospital room next to another friend placed there by Biovolt. Apart from her, the only other two people allowed into the room were Mr. Dickenson and Kai. She clutched Alexis's limp hand as she listened half-heartedly to the doctor's report. Most of it, she already knew.

"She has suffered severe injuries, some old, some new." the doctor was explaining with a grim look. "In her blood stream, we found an unidentified chemical which we guess is being used as a drug. We're not entirely sure yet however. It was poisoning her body, could have killed her in time."

"Oh, my." Mr. Dickenson said, concern and worry clear on his face. "Will she be alright?"

The doctor nodded. "We managed to stabilize her condition. I can safely say physically she'll be fine."

Jade caught the catch in his words and she almost didn't want to ask the thoughts in her head but she knew she had to. "What about mentally? Emotionally?"

Her heart sank when the man flinched slightly. He cleared his throat, unsure of how to respond to the question. "Mentally...I can't really say...whatever Alexis has gone through may affect her in the future and possibly harm her. It's important that you keep her under close surveillance."

Mr. Dickenson nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Though I must admit it was still amazing how she manage to participate considering the conditions she's under." the doctor said. "I assure you, Mr. Dickenson, we'll do everything in our power to help Alexis recover."

"Thank you, doctor."

The two adults stepped outside to speak, leaving Jade and Kai alone in the room with the unconscious girl. For a long moment, the two teens was silent. The room was quiet save for Alexis's shallow breathing.

"It's my fault." Jade said suddenly very softly.

Kai looked at her, not understanding what she meant. Her eyes were wary, haunted if not tired. She looked as though she held the burden of the world on her shoulders that moment.

"I should have known Boris would do this just to win." she continued painfully. "I should have done something. But I didn't."

It sometimes amazed Kai how she was able to place the blame on herself even if it isn't her fault. "It's not your fault." he told her gently yet firmly.

She looked up at him. "I have to make things right. I have to make them right...for Alexis."

Kai touched her shoulder, squeezing it fondly. "You've done enough already. It's my turn now."

Instead of making her feel better, her emerald eyes pained, looking at him sadly. "You'll be facing Tala." she said quietly.

"I know." he muttered. He didn't want to but he had no choice. Tala was now the enemy and to save him, he had to defeat him. The same way Jade had saved Alexis. Can I do it? he wondered.


In a distance, he could hear the heart monitor beep at a regular pace as it scanned his heart rate. Instinctively, he blocked it out the same way he had managed to tune out the sound of people moving around him. They were probing sharp cold needles into his flesh, injecting unknown drugs into his body.

Making him a demon just like Alexis had become before Jade managed to break through the hold the Bitbeast had on Alexis and save her. He was glad Alexis was in safe hands even if he wasn't. He only hope he could say the same for his other team members.

This was his preparation for the battle tomorrow. For his battle against Kai.

He knew if he lost the battle tomorrow, there'll be hell to pay. And he wasn't the only one to suffer. His teammates, his friends, the only people he called family will suffer as well.

"Increase the dosage." he heard Boris's voice order through the haze that was his mind. "I won't take any chances with tomorrow's match."

Despite himself, Tala felt tears of despair sting his eyes, brought by the guilt and helplessness.

I'm so sorry...Kai...


Kai...

Something was wrong.

Kai opened his eyes and blinked, pausing as he listened again for the voice calling his name. He listened as the wind brought cold air across his face, cutting into his exposed flesh. There was nothing except for the whistling of the wind. The metal of the railing he leaned on was cold but as usual, Kai was oblivious to the chilling cold. There were things more important right now. Like tomorrow's battle where everything will finally come to an end.

He had spent the rest of the day after returning from the hospital training with Jade despite his insistence for her to get some rest. She for one was stubborn. Very stubborn.

In the end he gave in and while he battled her, Tyson was giving out pointers on how to beat Tala considering he had beaten the Demolition Boy's captain before. But this wasn't the same. His battle against Tala will not be like any battle he had ever fought before. Tyson wouldn't understand.

But as much as he was forced to listen to Tyson's rantings, Kai knew he wasn't crazy yet. He was sure he had heard someone call him. It sounded familiar like a voice from a lost memory. He titled his head, frowning deeply.

Who...?

There was nothing except the whispering wind. Dismissing it, despite the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, Kai's thoughts went back to pondering over the battle the following day.

Do I stand a chance against Tala tomorrow?

Jade had given everything in today's battle, risking both her Bitbeast and her life and it had been worth it. The question was could he do the same? He opened his hand and stared down at the Bit on his palm. Not just any Bit.

Black Dranzer.

Voltaire had been wrong to think the Bit of Black Dranzer was locked away in the BBA. All the while, all this while, it had been with Kai, kept hidden safely from prying eyes. He found himself unable to bring himself to part with the Bitbeast. It was meant for him and no one else. The same way Dranzer was. Good or bad, both phoenixes were a part of him and without one or the other, he would be ...incomplete.

The pulse of Dranzer's counterpart was strong and tempting, beating into his very soul. It seemed to sense his turmoil and it beckoned to him, urging him to use it in battle.

If he used it, Kai was sure to win the battle tomorrow. The power of Black Dranzer was unlimited depending on its blader. And compared to the last time he had used it four years ago, he had grown stronger, much more stronger. He was sure he could control the Bitbeast.

But at what risk?

After seeing the way Alexis's Bitbeast, Rashka, had possessed her in battle, he realized there was a chance the same could happen to him as well if he used the dark phoenix's power. Black Dranzer's strength came from the lust for more power and with it, the need for more sacred spirits.

What happens if it took control like last time?

Drawn awake by the chillness of the room and the lack of warmth beside her, dark emerald eyes opened, alert of their surroundings. Sensing no danger, Jade rolled over to glance at the alarm clock on her bedside table.

Twelve o'clock.

Barely two hours of sleep, she thought tiredly.

Her eyes then noticed the figure standing at the balcony, just gazing out into nothing. She caught him doing that a lot since the finals started and she couldn't help but wonder whether it was taking a toll on him. She was worried about him. From the angle she got, she could see his face was filled with decisions and emotions. Thoughts on the finals tomorrow. Jade started to get up from bed when she caught glimpse of the Bit in his palm. Her eyes narrowed then widened when she recognized the Bit.

Black Dranzer!

He couldn't seriously be thinking of using the dark phoenix in battle...could he?

She, apart from Kai and its makers, knew the devastating power of Black Dranzer. She had seen for herself its powers when she was a child training under Biovolt. What Boris didn't know till today was during Black Dranzer's testing sessions, she would sneak out of her cell to watch its performance. Even she had to admit the Bitbeast was impressively powerful and she herself was drawn to its dark alluring power.

Crouching in the shadows of the air vents above the lab, a little girl hid and watched every movement made below her and listened to every word muttered in low voices by the men in white coats.

"Prepare Bitbeast testing." someone said.

A familiar voice spoke up, making his presence known to all occupants of the room. His voice made the girl gasped aloud in fear and she clamped a hand over her mouth, praying no one had heard her.

"What's the progress on Black Dranzer?"

Boris!

Had she known he could be coming to check on the Bitbeast's progress, she never would have snuck out of her cell in the first place. Now it was too late. Her body was numb with the fear of being discovered as she remained as still as possible.

"We are not certain yet, sir." a scientist answered. "The Bitbeast remains uncontrollable. We are about to run another test drive on it with some modification done to it."

It was a moment before the director said anything and when he finally spoke, his voice held a tingle of suspicion. Had he heard her after all and was just waiting for her to make a slip-up?

"Then do it. Black Dranzer must be ready before Lord Voltaire arrives here tomorrow morning." he said. She could imagine the man glancing in every corner of the room, seeking the intruder.

"I know you're here." he called.

She gasped softly.

"Kai."

No, he hasn't found her. She relaxed a little but never let her guard down. A frown of curiosity found its way on her face as she watched below. A boy stepped into her view. She recognized his two-tone blue hair instantly.

Voltaire Hiwatari's grandson, she thought.

The young boy stood with military discipline, facing Boris with an emotionless face. She wondered how he did it. Wasn't he afraid now that he was caught?

The director's tone of voice surprised her even more. It was kind even friendly. "Hello, Kai. Aren't you a little out late?"

"Yes, sir." she admired him for the way he answered. No excuses, no emotions whatsoever in his voice.

"Oh, well. Since you're here, you mind as well witness the power that will be yours." Boris led the boy to the thick glass separating the testing room and the observation lab.

Then she heard the sound of machines starting up, the voices of the scientists monitoring the test subject but none of it mattered. All that mattered was the black Beyblade that was just launched into the dish in the testing room.

"Beyblade spin...95 percent." someone said. "Balance, 90 percent."

"There, Kai." Boris said smoothly to the boy's ear. "It's not perfect yet but it will be very soon. Just as you'll be."

She fidgeted in her hiding place, trying to get a better view of the moving blade. In her tiny hand, the blade she clutched glowed faintly.

"Bring out the Bitbeast." Boris ordered.

A shriek emitted from the core of the black blade, so sharp she winced. A dark glow filled the room momentarily and when it cleared, she saw it, Black Dranzer. The dark phoenix rosed majestically above its blade, eyes glowing red. Its feathers were perfect, beautifully groomed. They radiated the dark power it had. Lifting its long neck, it screeched and its talons raked out.

"Sir! Its power readings are off the chart!" a scientist reported with awe in his own voice. The awe was soon replaced with horror. "We're loosing control of it!"

She heard none of it, only the shrieks of the phoenix and the urge it had awaken in her.

Its power...was truly amazing.

But instead, she fought it, resisted it and used its progress to monitor her own improvement. Soon, whatever Black Dranzer could do under the careful hands of its makers, her Draizer could do the same.

But it has been so long since she had seen the Bit let alone its power. Just how much stronger has it grown?

Kai...

Was he really going to use it in battle against Tala?

Around her throat where she kept Draizer's Bit in a pendent while Kenny repaired her broken Beyblade, she felt a warmth sensation burn her flesh. Within her mind, she could sense Draizer bristling, threatened by the presence of the renegade spirit. Speaking smoothing words to it, she calmed it and told it there was nothing to worry about.

I trust Kai. I know he'll do what's best for the team and I trust his decision..., she told it. Then to herself, she added quietly. It's just Black Dranzer I don't trust...

Moving silently, she rosed from the bed and made her way over to him.

"Kai?"

His eyes opened, the sound of her voice breaking him out of his reverie and he looked at her as though surprised. "Jade? It's late. You should be asleep."

She tossed her head. "So should you. You're the one battling tomorrow."

She had him there, he'll give her that. Yet he couldn't bring himself to retire to much-needed sleep. Not just yet. Not when he still had a decision to make. "I can't stop thinking."

Jade tilted her head, indicating she was listening. "About tomorrow?" she asked softly.

"Yeah." he nodded, steering his eyes forward. "I can't help but wonder whether I have what it takes to win this."

Her hand touched his hand upon the railings, cupping it gently. "I have faith in you, Kai. I know you have what it takes. I...I believe in you."

Four simple words and all his worries, his fears seem to melt away. His body relaxed a little, the tension slipping away. It amazes him how much four words mean when they came from the right person. A slight smile lifted the corners of his lips.

"Thank you."

She gave his hand an assuring squeeze. "Now get some sleep." she said with gentle firmness.

He nodded and watched her turn and head back into the darkness of their room. Her words echoed in his ears.

I believe in you…

He glanced down at Black Dranzer's Bit in his hand and clutched it tightly. Its power was his to command and he knew it. The choice was his. And he has already chosen.

I'll do what's best for me and my team…and Tala.


Author's note: Gotta go! Review!Ciao!