Bladebreakers began their way towards the new visitors circling them. Katyusha climbed out of her former teammates' arms, grinning ear to ear.

That's when he felt a pang of hurt crossing his heart. A faint impression of unnerving anxiety suffocating at his heart. A loss of a loved one. He couldn't describe how he felt.

A loss of a loved one..? Huh.

He lost a footing, his head spinning. This isn't...normal, right? This response is so…

His eyes spotted Katyusha rushing between the team, claiming a common ground to introduce the crews to each other. She didn't seem to feel his absence.

His chest contracted with a sudden understanding. Katyusha never skips his presence. Her eyes had always found him for years but today, for the first time, she seemed to be fully immersed into something not related to beyblading. For the first time in a while, she seems to know where she wants to go. She appeared more human with characteristics intact than ever before. The faint cloud of apprehension which had been covering her face for a couple of days had vanished into thin air.

A flash of memory erupted in front of his eyes. It was hazy but he knew what he saw in his mind even without the vision.

The smile that might bring the dead back due to the purity of it. It couldn't be a memory of the early past but years ago. It was before Katyusha had fought Brooklyn after he had pestered her to battle against him in a bey battle. Giving in, she had agreed. Unknowingly, in the middle of the battle, Katyusha's skills had flattered majorly. She won without a doubt, but the reluctance on her face had been intact ever since. He couldn't interpret the reasoning behind this sudden feeling shown by an impartially conserved person but he knew one thing. She hadn't been the same ever since.

Then, the sudden plan to leave the bladebreakers behind in dojo and coming over to their hometown. For a person with such a fierce loyalty towards her friends and professionalism towards her art, she took the most questionable step when she left without uttering a word. Splitting from the whole group, leaving behind no clues at all.

That's when he felt the risk of the future ahead. The girl, always by his side, left him without glancing back. The consequence that overtook Kai during that time was unimaginable before. The feeling of losing someone so close to him.

The scenario unfolding in front of him gave him the equivalent chill he felt when she first disappeared. This time he did not seem to share her happiness. He...wanted to be the reason for her happiness.

He looked away, feeling burdened by his feelings to even glance at his friend. He knew something was different involving them for a short time but escalating this high was not what he had expected.

When he had caught Katyusha to defend her from being squashed beneath the wall surrounding them, his extinction had taken over without his knowledge. From all he knew, she might have easily escaped the coming wall but he hadn't been able to see process senses in that situation. His first step and he already had her in his arm, cuddling her head in his embrace.

Her expression when she had removed her head from his shoulder had been so vulnerable, so pleasing. He had cursed at himself to find pleasure in the girl's exposed situation. But the face clouded his thoughts. The pink blossom developing all over her face and neck, the dilated eyes. The feeling holding up in those eyes at the moment, he wanted to cherish it. He wanted to see it again.

But more pressing issues surrounded him right now. He willed his heart to stop hammering. He moved past the members approaching his friends before thinking otherwise. He left a few feet gap between them. He could overhear the discussion taking place. It looked like they haven't started introducing each other yet.

"So this was the work you had, you lying piece of pie?" Katyusha sneered at her twin who looked baffled with the supremely awkward nickname.

"Pie?" He asked, barely restraining his smile.

"Because. I. Like. Pie. Just. As. Much. . Surprise."

A series of muffled laughs and snickers escaped the group. Katyusha beamed at her brother, letting the pretentious gaze of annoyance slip a bit more. Her eyes seemed even brighter than before. Wait a minute. Her eyes had...changed colour?

The chocolaty coffee-coloured eyes had turned to the icy gaze of the sapphire. Kai stumbled back.

Surprisingly, it was Jake who tore away from the group and strolled towards him. His previous easy expression had hardened into a more unreadable cover. He stopped at a close distance.

"You know what happened right now?" Jake whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

Kai wasn't yet ready enough to give in to what he thought about the happenings around him. The earlier was an assumption based on no facts. He wasn't interested in talking about his suspicion to her brother. Kai was firstly going to clear it up with her before moving ahead with any further discussion.

When no reply came from Jake, he took off towards the group.

He had met these guys before. The memories remained to blur for him to care about them. Nothing from his past life was ready to concern him either way. Nor was he inclined to confront the past yet.

"LET ME INTRODUCE THEM! THE BLACK HAIRED GIRL IN THE FAR-," Katyusha roared.

"WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING?" Daichi argued.

"DON'T KNOW, WHY DON'T YOU GUESS? MAYBE BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS BEEN IGNORING MY WORDS SINCE THE STARTING"

Hilary took control of Daichi's voice box by hitting him innumerably. At least, it stopped his nonsense yapping. So did Katyusha.

"Wanna give a good introduction, Cat?" The red-haired girl beside Katyusha spoke. Like everyone else, Kai had little to no memory of this girl either.

She looked older than the rest of the girls. Her build was quite similar to Katyusha. Where Katyusha was leaner built, the girl had a more strengthening look to her body. The same went to the black-haired girl beside her. She had her face hidden by the ink-black hair, falling in flat bangs.

Kai had shared memory with this girl. He wasn't quite sure what was the motive behind their past interaction but he was sure about one thing. This girl was more than just any ordinary friend's of Katyusha's if her friends were considered normal at all. This one served a very important purpose in the twin's life was a sure thing. The way she studied the bladebreakers, the way her stance changed from neutral to defence.

Katyusha broke his thoughts again. Her eyes catching the light of the sunrays, illuminating the sapphire pearl in her eyes. It was even more enchanting than earlier. It felt like jewels in the eyes. It's that weird.

"Carrot topped girl on my left is Ellya. That one on the far end, the black-ink, is Lyn," she explained waving at the girl's direction. The 'carrot-topped' so-called Ellya gave them each a good wave, on the other hand, Lyn gave them a stiff nod. When her eyes travelled across him, he could easily see the recognition and something else lingering.

Kai still had her eyes on the girl even though she was avoiding him artfully. After a few seconds of the battle of stare, Kai let his mind drift to his mate.

"You guys already know my twin, so let's ignore him. The guy at the right next to me is Q. Whereas the scary looking dude, in the end, is soft boy Therese," she said, facing at both the boys.

Both the guys stood tall at the height of roughly six feet. While the girls were muscles, the boys were, in comparison, delicately built.

"So there goes the introduction of Black Muse members. Now let me introduce the guys and the precious girl present here who have helped me through all these years by standing beside me."

"Tyson," he said with a shake. He shook the member's hand with a smile plastered.

"Max," the gentleman said, giving a courtesy bow towards the girls and boys.

"Hilary. Hello, nice to meet you," giving a bow towards each of them.

Likewise, all the other members introduced themselves. Even Dizzy seemed to have woken up to introduce herself. When the questioning fell upon him though, he had known what was coming. The moment the gaze of the newcomers landed on him, the atmosphere of the time-shifted to something rough.

Little did it matter to him.

"Kai," the guy next to Katyusha spoke in unison with Jake. Lyn gave him strange stares all the same. He just nodded in their direction, confirming the name. He caught Katyusha's gaze.

The shadow of blue in her eyes still unsettled him but the emotions conveyed were as clear as ever. She had been fidgeting for a quite a while now. Her hair twirling in her fingers, the nervousness was glass clear.

She broke the gaze, facing the people beside her, "Let's get back home. You guys must be tired. As for the trip if you guys want-"

Tyson finished for her, "Let's go home. I am dead tired today. What say Maxxie?"

"Good enough from my side," Max replied with a bounce. Kenny nodded along.

"I will bring you guys again-" Katyusha started before Ray interrupted.

"You look dead tired. Rest for today."

"Ray is right, Kat. Rest for today." Hilary agreed.

Katyusha gave out a sigh of relief. "Let's get moving then. It will take time to reach. After the sun is down, this area becomes practically invisible due to lack of light sources."

Glimpsing towards his partner, his heart contracted one last time before he marched away, maintaining a distance from the rest.