Author's note: I know, I know! I'm one day late from my usual update day so don't kill me! But I'm here now with an update and that's all that matters, rite...? Right, guys? Anyway on to the responses then the chappie!

Toboe-Angel: Well, to find out which Bitbeast he's gonna use,you'll just have to keep reading. I'm not sure myself cause there are lots of ppl asking for Black Dranzer's appearance.

Dark Kaya: More kissing scenes and more...? Hm...I'll see what I can do...

Dark Angel: A flash back does shred more light on their past together, doesn't it? Don't worry. There'll be more.

Faith: Okay, if I told you Jade's actual blood heritage, it'll spoil the sequel but I cantell you this. She's half Russian like Kai (in my opinion he's mixed Russian and Japanese)plus something else. You'll just have to read the sequel when it comes out!

Hikari: Based on my knowledge, phoenixes are mystical creatures with the ability to resurrect themselves so don't worry about Dranzer! I'm getting surprisingly quite a lot of ppl asking for Kai to use Black Dranzer so I'll think of something...

grand admiral chelli: lol. Okay that idea kinda defeats the whole point of Kai's friendship with Tala and as you have pointed out, the whole rampage thing...not pretty...

White Witch: I hope too that it won't be as obvious as it seems. Thanks anyway.

To those whose names are not up there...well that's because there's nothing I can think of to reply to you guys except 'thank you' so thank you and keep reading:

NightShadow Risen, krage, lilactouch, baby angel, FenixPhoenix, -Dark Phoenix Angel Nami-, Mystic Black Phoenix, Shitza, and puppalupp2008

That's about it, now on with the story!


Chapter 36

The last day of the Championships, the battle everybody has been waiting for. Everything they worked for came down to this day. So many things were at stake today. Reputations. Bitbeasts. Lives.

The world.

The entire world will be watching the deciding match through international satellite as they had been watching for the last four days. There can only be one winner and one loser today. It wasn't just any battle between two of the best teams in the world.

It was a battle between two captains once bestfriends, now enemies.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen to the battle that will go down in history!" Jazzman hollered. "Today will be the long-awaited battle between both team captains! The Bladebreakers's Kai versus Tala of the Demolition Boys!"

The crowd roared in excitement and anticipation.

For a moment as they stepped out into the spotlight, Jade felt her heartbeat increased with fear for the one she loved. She glanced side-long at Kai, admiring how calm and composed he looked.

"Kai?"

He looked at her. As she stared into his crimson depths, her mind struggled with the thoughts and emotions that wanted to come out. Finally all she managed was a weak smile. "Be careful."

Kai could sense the turmoil raging within her. He gave her an assuring smile meant for her only. "Will be." he promised.

A movement room the other side caught his eye and he turned to look at his opponent waiting across.

Tala…

Pulling out his blade and launcher, Kai headed out. His scarf lapped behind him gracefully with every movement of his tensed body. The spectators cheered as both bladders approached the dish. To Kai's silent dismay, Tala couldn't meet his eye. The red-head was staring at the ground as he walked, his hands tightly clenched around his blade and launcher.

"Can we have the Beystadium?" Jazzman called.

The floor slide apart and the stadium emerged from below, letting out a cold blast of air. Kai ignored the cutting cold and watched intensely as the vapour clouding the dish cleared. Slowly, drifting apart, the mist cleared revealing an impressive stadium, coated with soft white surfaces. The center of the stadium was a frozen lake that spread near to the edge of the dish, leaving only a meter path around the banks of the lake Miniature pine trees decorated the edge of the banks while white snow covered every surface available.

"Whoa! Like check out this dish!" A.J exclaimed. "The designers of this dish sure had a lot of fun cooking this baby up."

"Why, it's Lake Baikal!" Brad said. "What a piece of work!"

"The bladers would have to maneuver their blades across the smooth slippery surface of Lake Baikal. The ice is one meter thick so it's safe to say we won't be having any frozen Beyblades by the end of this battle!" Jazzman announced.

Kai stared at the dish emotionlessly, remembering. He could almost see him facing the Bladebreakers after he had betrayed them for Black Dranzer three years ago and then them saving him from a chilly lonely death.

As Jazzman gave them the command to be ready, as he held up his loaded launcher, Kai wished Tala would at least look at him.

Dammit, Tala...look at me...just look up...

But he didn't.

"3, 2, 1!" Jazzman's voice echoed across the arena. "LET IT RIPPPPPPPPP!"

With a shout, both bladers released their Beyblades unto the frozen dish. Almost at once, Dranzer moved in, slamming Tala's blade into a pine tree. As the tree collapsed, the blades leapt aside and were at each other again. Snow bellowed from their struggles to over-power each other.

That's it, Dranzer...Keep at it...don't let up, Kai thought grimly. "Come on, Dranzer!"

Heeding its master's command, Dranzer fought back harder, driving Wolborg to the edge of the dish. Kai glanced up at his opponent and was disturbed by the pained look that crossed Tala's pale face. It was as if he was the one hurting in battle, not the blade.

Closing his eyes, Tala inhaled deeply, fighting the crushing sensation in his chest. His hands were tightly clenched by his sides, his nails digging into the skin of his palms.

I'm so sorry, Kai...

His eyes snapped open as he threw forth an arm and gave out the first attack order. "Wolborg! Phantom Hurricane!"

Tyson bolted from his seat in shock. "What the-? Phantom Hurricane!"

"That's Dragoon's special move!" Kenny gasped as he tried to analyze the snow storm Wolborg was kicking up.

Dranzer moved back in time to prevent being blown away by the hurricane that surrounded Wolborg. The other blade moved in closer, slowly forcing Dranzer into defense.

"Dammit." Kai swore under his breath. "I don't have time for this."

"Kai!"

He glanced over his shoulder as Tyson ran up to the edge of the platform where Kai stood. "Kai, remember my first battle with Jade? It's the same thing!" Tyson called, raising his voice over the roar of the hurricane.

Kai could still recall back to the first day they had met Jade, the first time Tyson had challenged her to a battle. Tyson had lost because she had used his Dragoon's strength against him.

But Tala doesn't know that.

Glancing back at his own blade, Kai kept an eye on the advancing blade as it drew closer to Dranzer. The timing had to be just right...

"Now, Dranzer! Spiral Survival!"

With so much as a second's warning, flames ignited around Dranzer from its base as it cloaked the blade in a fiery cyclone. The collision of wind and hot air started to lift Wolborg. Dranzer moved in, slamming into Wolborg with a force that sent it off the ground. Wolborg went up and up, spiraling above the stadium.

"Alright, Kai!" Tyson cheered, glad hat for once he was able to help.

But Tala wasn't done yet. Not when he had so much at stake. Watching his blade soar over-head, his blue eyes narrowed. "Wolborg, Blizzard!"

Wolborg's blade started to spin back to earth, taking advantage of the force it had gathered and came down in a spinning whirl of ice.

"Dranzer, evade!" Kai snapped quickly.

His blade dodged, narrowly missing Wolborg's scattering attack. It made distance between the ice-element blade and waited for an opening.

From his high seat above, Voltaire watched in anticipation for his grandson's defeat. A grin was readily at his lips as he watched. Soon Kai, you'll know what it means to betray me...then you and the girl'll be Biovolt's...once more...

Kai knew somewhere above, his grandfather was watching, probably waiting for him to loose and come crawling back to him. Not a chance. I won't loose. Not in front of you, grandfather...

"Dranzer, attack!" he shouted.

"Wolborg, go!" Tala called out.

Both blades charged at each other, colliding at the edge of the lake. Snow rosed, creating a cloud of snow that blinded the view from everybody. Mutters and whispers aroused through the arena as everyone wondered who the winner was. To their surprise, both blades went air-bourned, flying towards the edges and to their owners. Instinctively Kai snatched his Beyblade out of mid-air as Tala did and both teens glanced at their blades in surprise.

"Both blades are out of the dish!" Jazzman declared. "It's a tie!"

Max glanced at Tyson and Kenny. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Tyson shrugged. Kenny was already working on Dizzi going through the data they had gotten from Judy. "Well, I would say it's a good thing because Tala is quite an accomplished blader. He had improved over the years. He and Kai are evenly matched. "

"And your point is…?" Tyson pressed, hating it when Kenny went into details.

"Kai still has a chance in winning this if he stays focused." the Chief concluded.

"Right. Stay focus." Tyson repeated. "That's what Kai's good at. Staying focus."

No…, Jade thought worriedly. Something's not right…

Kai glanced across the Beystadium at the red-head. For one brief moment, their eyes met and something, a connection ran between them. Tala's blue eyes, usually filled with joy and innocence for as long as Kai could remember, were now clouded with despair and pain. Then as Kai watched, his childhood friend, his once bestfriend turned and walked away without so much as a word.

No…this isn't you, Tala…What has that bastard done to you…?


"Do you come here often, Kai?"

The seven year-old bluenette glanced up from where he sat near the edge of the cliff at the thin red-haired boy standing behind him. Beyond the horizon, the big ball of flame that was the sun was starting to set, disappearing into the deep blue ocean. Its dying rays reached across, touching the children with its warm light. The sky was colored in yellow, red and orange spectrums, a truly magnificent sight to those who knew how to appreciate it.

"Yeah." Kai answered.

"Aren't you afraid Boris would catch you?" Tala asked innocently.

Kai shook his head. "No. That old man probably doesn't even know I'm gone."

Tala's blue eyes drifted over the glittering water. "It's beautiful here."

"That's why I like it here. It's peaceful out here." he explained. He beckoned the red-head to join him.

Obeying, he dropped down next to him and pulled his knees up to his chin. "What do you do here?"

Kai's slender shoulders rosed and fell in a shrug. "I don't know. To think, I guess."

Tala was curious. "About what?"

"My mom and my dad."

"What happened to them?"

Crimson eyes averted forward, dark with sadness. "They died two years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Tala said sympathetically and added softly. "I never knew my parents."

"Don't worry. I'm sure they are out there somewhere." Kai assured him with a smile. "Maybe one day they'll come back for you."

"I hope so." Tala hugged his thin frail body. "I don't really like it here..."

"Neither do I." Kai admitted. "But don't worry. We will get through this, Tala. As long as we stay together, we will get though this. One day we will get away. Together. All of us. I promise."

I promise...


Kai's eyes opened slowly, breaking out from his memory of his childhood. It was one of the few pieces he had of his life in the abbey and one that he treasured.

His promise to Tala...

"Hello? Earth to Kai?"

He blinked and found himself staring at Tyson's worried face. "What?"

"You zoned out on us, man." Ray told him. "What's up?"

Kai shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I was just thinking." he muttered.

"About ways to beat Tala, I hope." Kenny murmured a little too loud from where he sat in their waiting room, trying to work in Dizzi.

Kai couldn't help but flinch inwardly to Kenny's blunt remark. Yet he knew it wasn't Kenny's fault. The shorter boy had no idea how close Kai and Tala were once.

"Are you alright?" Jade asked gently. She gazed at him worriedly, noticing the troubled look that had crossed his face.

"Yeah." he shook his head again and straightened from his position against the wall. "I'm fine."

"You sure don't look like it." Tyson pointed out. "Dude, your next match is about to start. Got any plans?"

"Hey, lay off." Ray said lightly. "Let's not pressure him, guys."

Kai nodded his thanks to the injured tiger and sighed when Jazzman's voice rang out, calling for the participants. He started for the door.

"Kai." Max called. When the blue-haired teen looked back at him, he gave him a grin and a thumbs-up. "Good luck, man."

Kai smiled slightly and left, leaving Tyson in amazement.

"Did Kai just smile?" he asked Kenny in confusion.

"He's been smiling a lot nowadays." Dizzi commented.

Tyson blinked in disbelief. "Why the heck is he so smiley nowadays?"

Ray glanced at Jade as she too headed for the door. "What do you think?"

She knew he wasn't asking about Tyson's question. "He will be fine. I have faith in him."


Author's note: Short, I know. I could have swore it seemed longer when I wrote it down on paper...Oh well...R&R!