You know, I meant to update ages ago, but alack! I...quite simply got lazy. Here's the update.


Chapter Four.

Lynn quickly stood and smiled brightly at Tala. He caught his breath again, and suppressed the urge to whistle in appreciation. She is gorgeous when she smiles…

Her smile and eyes were less shy than they were a few hours ago, and now she seemed really eager to see him again. He'd taken his time coming over to Tyson's house, killing time by playing billiards with Kai for a couple of hours. Kai knew he hadn't really wanted to play, but humored him anyway, because it was fun shooting the redhead knowing looks when he missed easy shots.

Ah, so he couldn't help being distracted. Bah at Kai, who knew that his best friend could be so goddamn perceptive?

Mariah was determined to have this relationship work out, and with as few headaches as possible. "Ah, you know what? We've got dinner covered for now. Tell the guys we'll be out in a few, and go introduce Lynn to them. They barely talked to her during break. Tell all of them to be nice, or we'll take dinner back and scorch it. On purpose." She shoved the new couple out the door before quickly slamming it behind Lynn's back. "Have fun. We'll hold the fort while you're gone."

Lynn grabbed the handle and twisted. Locked. "Ma-ri-ahhh…" she hissed, trying to open the door again.

"Miriam, do you hear anything?" she heard the neko-jin girl ask her friend.

"Uh, no. I'm pretty sure Lynn and Tala, LEFT ALREADY." Miriam said, emphasizing the last part pretty heavily. Lynn was pretty sure they were right next to the door, and she glared at it, as if she could burn a hole through the woodgrain, before sighing and turning around.

Lynn blushed furiously and glanced up at the tall male who found the whole affair amusing. He leaned against the wall opposite her, his eyes narrowed and studying her, almost making her feel self-conscious.

She thought he was rather cute, with bright red hair, and a devious smile that reminded her of her own mischievousness. He was also very well built, and moved with grace and ease, as if he were a dancer. His eyes were rather cold, however, and it did seem he was quite reluctant to allow any warmth be read in them. All Lynn could really read was the sardonic humor that lay behind his eyes.

However, the attraction was clearly there, and she knew it. She sighed inwardly. She'd never really had time for love, or even teenage crushes before. Her cousin (who liked to think of himself as her brother) would chase all would-be boyfriends away with a gentle smile and quite possibly threats on their life when she wasn't looking. She wouldn't put it past him. He was, at the very least, excruciatingly overprotective.

She also pretty sure that he'd carried out at least a couple of the suspected threats. He wouldn't have look so cheeky otherwise when she'd complained of a loss of love life. Darn little bugger.

She should have called him "Dad" in retaliation. Ah, well, nothing in life ever came easy, and that clearly included insults.

Tala grinned at her flushed face. "You'll get used to it. They've done this to each other so many times; they probably think that it's normal."

"I'll bet," she muttered.

"Thank you. Now that you have gotten acquainted with the girls, I shall take this opportunity to steal you away to get to know me and the rest of the guys. They won't mind."

Tala was rarely ever wrong, but today was an exception. Tyson seemed especially displeased that he wouldn't be able to see his girlfriend until the meal started.

"Why does Tala get to see his girl now? I get thrown out of a kitchen, and he ends up with Lynn! There is something wrong here!" Tyson grumbled.

Lynn's eyes were startled. "His girl?" she enunciated slowly. "Am I missing something here, or is this some sort of quiz show?"

"Tyson doesn't know what he's talking about," Tala replied shooting a nasty glare in Tyson's direction.

Max gave them both a teasing smile. "I think I do. You sure move fast, don't you, Tala?"

"I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Look at that, you're embarrassing her! Now Miriam is going to burn your dinner, Tate, and I'm going to kick your ass. Whatever happened your manners?" Tala threw him a glare.

"What? Wait, how is kicking my ass going to teach me about manners?"

"You'll think twice before harassing girls, won't you?"

Max laughed. "Maybe not. It's nice knowing that even you are uncomfortable."

Lynn's cheeks burned. I've only met them a few hours ago! How did I get myself into this? Granted, Tala is nice, but it's not like we're dating!

"Correct, Child. You aren't. But wouldn't he be perfect if you were!"

An ashen look fell over Lynn's face as she heard the voice in her head again. No… not now!

"But child, he is perfect! Just what you need. And you're in love with him; even I can see that."

Leave him alone!

"Lynn?" Tala's voice had an edge of concern to it. "Is anything wrong?"

Although they couldn't see anything visibly wrong, other than Lynn's pale face, the boys in the room felt a heavy weight, a heavy aura pressing upon them. It intruded on their very thoughts.

And on top of that, Kai could feel Dranzer's power starting to go haywire again. Not a good sign.

Lynn looked at Tala, but she seemed distracted. "No, nothing's wrong. I must use the restroom… and then I must see to the rest of the girls." She gave him a weak smile. "I can't just leave them in there."

Tala frowned. "I don't think they minded, otherwise they wouldn't have let you come with me."

There was something definitely wrong. He could feel her shaking, even if he wasn't touching her. She was panicking.

"No, no. I must help. I'm just a tagalong here. And Tyson's right, it's not fair if I'm here and the rest of the girls aren't. I'll see you all at dinner. It was meeting you all!" With a small wave, she quickly left the room.

Tala looked after her and then glared at Max. "You better pray she wasn't upset at anything you said, Tate."

Max was startled. "Why would she be?"

Kai answered for them all. "I don't know."


Lynn rushed to the bathroom, breathing hard, and quietly closed the door behind her. If she slammed it, she knew they would know something was wrong.

She addressed the voice. You will leave Tala alone. You will leave all my friends alone. I don't need you, and I don't need you in my head. Is that understood?

"Lynn, you know I only speak the truth. And you know I'm only here to protect you. He won't hurt you. They all won't hurt you. I want you to make friends."

Liar! You've made me run away from everyone!

"Lynn, I couldn't let you stay with those friends," the voice was filled with scorn. "They were only there to hurt you. These won't."

You… aren't… going… to… hurt… them.

"No, of course not! I would never!"

I don't trust you.

The voice laughed. "But Child, whoever trusts the voices in their head anyway?"

Lynn's eyes grew wide with wild fear. Shut up! I'm not crazy!

"Child, your father thought the same thing when he was alive as well. Look where that got him."

Don't you talk about my father!

"Child, I don't want to hurt you. You're all I have. I'm all you have. I won't hurt you or anyone around you unless they try to hurt you. Don't worry."

I'm doing fine. Leave me alone!

"Whatever you say, Child. Whatever you say."

Lynn closed her eyes, but she knew that the necklace she was wearing started to emit a strange glow and warmth in the cold, dark bathroom. She held back her tears, as well as the dread in her heart.


"Back so soon, Lynn?" Mariah was surprised. I expected better from Tala. This girl isn't someone you just flirt with and move on from. She's something to be treasured. Not to mention I will kick his retarded ass. No manners, those boys.

"Yes. I couldn't leave you guys behind. Are you going to be serving the dishes soon?" Lynn avoided her friends' eyes. "The boys are starving."

Hilary was about to answer when she was interrupted by her boyfriend. "Hil," Tyson called through the door. "Hiro just called. He says to start dinner without him. He's going to be late."

Hilary sighed. "That's fine." She turned to the rest of the group. "Between him and Kenny, I don't know which one I see less."

Miriam gave her a sympathetic look. "It's ok. At least you still have Tyson. What I wouldn't give to be free of Joseph, Ozuma, and Dunga for a few hours."

"You're free from them now," Mariah said pointedly.

"Oh yes. And I'll probably get it once I get home. They'd seriously starve if I wasn't there to cook everyday."

Hilary smiled. "Think they'd last tonight?"

The violet-haired girl scowled. "Oh, they'll probably order a pizza. Or several hundred boxes. Those guys can eat!"

Mariah laughed, "Well, so can these guys. Let's go feed them."

The three girls had set the table while Lynn had gone with Tala. All they did was deliver the food, then call the boys in. It was a buffet-like family dinner, so it was easy to serve.

Tyson, Max and Ray gave their respective girlfriends a kiss, gently helped the girls into a seat, and then eagerly sat down to eat. Kenny was dragged into the room, away from his laptop, by an irritated Kai and a bemused Tala. After unceremoniously dumping Kenny in his seat, Tala glanced at Lynn, kissed her cheek, and guided her into her seat next to him.

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

She smiled gently. "Yes, Tala."

He charmingly grinned back at her, and gestured that she should eat. She obediently picked up her fork and began her meal.

"Tyson, did Hiro say when he was going to come back? I have to set aside some food for him." Hilary looked slightly weary.

"No, but I don't think he'll be that late."

Kenny perked up. "Did he say what he was working on?"

Miriam kicked him from under the table. "Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it. Can we please eat without you getting excited about your office work?"

Kenny scowled and sat back in his seat. "Well, what else is there to talk about?"

Kai muttered, "How about saving the talking for later and eating for now?"

"Sounds good," Ray commented, grinning as Kai sent him a fierce scowl.

They quickly finished dinner, as no one was really in the mood to argue with Kai. After the dinner dishes were done and put away, the group settled in Tyson's family room.

Kai started off the discussion. "Tala and I have this theory on why our blades are acting so strange…"

"And?" Mariah questioned.

"Well, we have no evidence to go on this, but we think there's another bitbeast out there. A very strong bitbeast, one that is enticing our bitbeasts into battle."

Max frowned. "All of our bitbeasts at once? That's impossible!"

Kai nodded grimly. "As I said, I have no evidence for this, so I can't say it for sure."

Ray looked out the window thoughtfully. "But you must have some sort of reason why you think it's a bitbeast."

"It's a feeling. Tala and I grew up around strange and powerful forces. It just feels like a strange and powerful presence that manifests itself strongly at will. Call it a sixth sense on our part. But we have nothing more than that gut feeling."

"Other than it feels right and we have no other plausible explanation for this phenomenon," Tala added.

Miriam frowned. "Can you tell what it's after? Why it is deciding to make itself known to us now?"

"Nope. Our sixth sense isn't that good." Kai gave the group a wry grin. "We were hoping someone would come up with another theory, or at least add on to ours."

Tyson rested his head on Hilary's shoulder. "Could it still be a physical event, like how Max suggested earlier?"

"Perhaps. If it is, we need to find out what is causing it, and why. Kenny, do you think you and your research could dig up something?"

Kenny shrugged. "I can try. I'm kind of busy at the offices, though."

Miriam groaned. "Couldn't you spare five minutes for your friends, Kenny? This is kind of important."

Kenny said defensively, "Hey, I said I could try. What else do you want me to say?"

Ray exchanged a look with Mariah and said, "This could be worth your while if it turns out to be a major breakthrough in bitbeast technology."

Kenny seemed to brighten at that prospect. "True. Okay, I'll check up on it."

"Check up on what?" a new voice entered the room.


"Hiro! Oh, do you want dinner, Hiro? I saved you some food," Hilary rushed to get Tyson's older brother a plate. "Stay there, I'll bring you your food." The rest of them were staring at the blue haired newcomer in near shell-shock-- it was rare that Hiro ever had the chance to come home on time to eat with the rest of them. Not that he was on time, but usually, he didn't come back to the house until the early morning hours. It had been a while that any of them had seen him outside of the BBA offices.

Hiro wasn't listening. He was staring straight at Lynn who was looking back at him as though she had seen a ghost.

"Jin…?" She managed to say.

Hiro's face broke into a wide grin that reminiscent of Tyson's. "Only you would call me that, Lynn." He laughed and picked her up and hugged her. "My god, I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?"

Tyson was dumbfounded. "You guys know each other?"

Hiro looked at him in amusement. "You're looking at the girl who gave me the nickname Jin. She's the reason I became 'Jin of the Gale'! Do you remember why, Lynn?"

She giggled softly. "Of course. Because Jin rhymes with Lynn!"

Tala had been studying her face. When she first saw Hiro, she seemed utterly delighted, and her face had taken on a lighter quality. Now, though it was apparent that she was happy to see Hiro, her eyes were wary. As if seeing him brought both happy and disappointing memories.

"Are you beyblading?" Hiro asked.

Tala knew Hiro had said the wrong thing. Lynn's smile had dropped off her face. "No," she answered shortly. "I'm not."

Hiro looked stunned. "What did your mother say?'

"Mother died almost a year ago." She looked at no one now.

"Oh dear. Lynn, I'm sorry." Hiro's eyes were filled with distress.

"It's ok. I've moved on. I'm fine." Lynn still didn't look up. "I probably should go anyway. I live quite a ways out anyway, and I work tomorrow. Hiro, I'll stop by to chat with you later. I'll see everyone else in school."

"Do you need a ride?" Miriam studied her, startled. "I can give you a lift home, you know."

"Nah, I'll be fine. The bus has got me covered. The stop's not too far from here anyway." She stood up. "Thanks for dinner Hilary. See you!" She trotted out the door, calling a goodbye out the Tyson's grandfather who was perched in his own room watching a baseball game.

Tala exchanged a look with Kai, whose expression clearly said that he thought the redheaded blader should run after the girl and at least walk her to the bus stop.

Tala was inclined to agree, if it weren't for the feeling he got that told him he should give her a lot of space right now. They were not emotionally tied in any way, whatsoever.

He just chose to ignore the fact that something inside of him told him that he was concerned for this small girl he just met.

After a minute of stunned silence, Tyson turned to his brother. "I think you've got some major explaining to do."

Hilary had quietly placed Hiro's dinner in front of him. Hiro thoughtfully looked at the food before answering. "I met Lynn about two years ago, in a nearby neighborhood. She was visiting some relatives." He glanced around at the group. No, I don't think I should tell them who she was visiting, just yet.

Flashback

"So hold your back straighter and your arms more level, and you should be launching better in no time." Hiro glanced around the group of young bladers and asked, "Is there anyone who has never launched a beyblade before?"

"My cousin hasn't!" A teenage boy with bluish-green eyes was grinning at a girl about his age.

Hiro waved her over and placed a launcher in her hands. "What's your name?"

She laughed. "Lynn Fukumoto."

"Hiro." He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

She playfully frowned at him. "You know, you don't look like a Hiro. You look like someone whose name starts with a 'J'. I know! I'll call you Jin! Because Jin rhymes with Lynn!"

Her cousin rolled his eyes. "Lynn, that was corny."

"Oh really? Let's see you come up with something better." She tossed her ebony hair behind her.

"Ok, Lynn, were you listening on to how to launch a beyblade?" Hiro watched the girl nod. "Let's see you put that in action then."

Lynn let it rip, and Hiro was surprised to see the accuracy and skill she seemed to possess. Just for fun, he decided to launch is blade as well. "Give me your best shot, Lynn!"

Her laughter trilled. "I'm afraid it's not going to be too good. It is, after all, my first time!"

Hiro looked at his brother. "That was an understatement. She was the best damn rookie I've ever come up against. According to her and her cousin, it was her first time even picking up a beyblade, but she handled it like a pro. She nearly beat me! It was sheer dumb luck that I won. She had boundless talent and potential! If I wasn't busy at the time, I probably would have trained and coached her myself. She could have easily kicked your ass at the world championships, Tyson."

Tyson scowled. "Well, where was she?"

Hiro shrugged. "That's the thing. She was hardly interested in beyblading. She came to see my workshop mainly to humor her cousin. They were rather close. It was a shame because she was so talented. I was hoping that she'd at least pick it up as a hobby, but I guess not."

Kai asked quietly, "Why hadn't she picked it up before then?"

Hiro looked surprised. "I never thought of that. I honestly don't know."