Welcome to my first fanfiction ever written!

For those who have read this story before I made a pretty big change to the first two chapters. Due to their lengths and some really bad spelling errors I decided to combine them and tweak it here and there. As for the progress not much has changed, but I would suggest rereading it because I added in a few details for later on.

I hope you will find enjoyment in reading this fanfiction that is mainly centered around Tala and Julia, gosh they make such a feisty pair, let's combine a storm with an even worse storm ;). Due to this being my first fanfiction it is still a huge learning curve for me so I may have to adjust chapters in the future with the ending to make sense.

Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! Also I am open to DM's, so if you would like to say hello or perhaps talk about writing a bit more feel free to do so! I am looking forward meeting more fanfiction people!

Inhaling the sharp cold air she clenched her hand around her coat, holding it tightly. Lifting up her free arm she glanced over to her watch, 22:15 it read. The snow was slowly fluttering down, building up on the thick layer that had already formed in just a few hours' time.

Gosh, I just want to be back in my room and take a long warm bath, this country just isn't my thing. Stupid rental car broke down on the first night already. She thought to herself with a deep sigh.

Pacing back and forth Impatiently she desperately tried to stay warm. A huff of annoyance escaped under her breath and with her shoe she gave the tire a kick out of frustration.

In the distance she watched the lights of a truck approach her from behind, halting a few meters away from her car. "finally.." She sighed in relief.

The man switched off the engine she followed his movements with anticipation. A mechanic with messy red hair got out of the vehicle. As he stepped out she swore she caught a faint scent of dark coffee as the door opened.

Approaching the woman he took a quick glance at her features. Doesn't seem like she's from here, must've underestimated the weather around here.

"Thank you for coming so so-." She stopped mid-sentence once she gained a more clear view of the man in front of her. "You're.." She stammered.

It has been around 5 years now, if not longer since she had last seen him. Remembering back how she got her ass handed to her by him.

"Here take this." Ignoring her moment of shock he tossed her a thick blanket. "Just pass me the keys."

Did he just ignore her completely? Perhaps he doesn't remember me.. She thought. Her chest tightening slightly at the idea, surely he wasn't the most popular among top beyblade teams but she always felt a little bit attracted to his rough appearance.

Ignoring her completely the mechanic went in the car and stuck the keys in the socket. After a few tried the engine turned back to life which shook her back to reality from her train of thoughts.

Looking to his right side noticed the problem. Of course… she would pull up the hand break in freezing temperatures. In an attempt to get it loose he tried to wriggle it a few times but it would not budge.

Julia watched him get out of the car and walk towards her, she looked at him with hopeful eyes praying that she could return to a warmer place very soon.

"Look… never operate the handbrake in freezing temperatures, instead put it in first gear and then switch off the engine. " Pausing for a moment, he hoped that she would understand him at least, but from his experience most of his stranded clients knew shit about car mechanics.

"Just let the engine run for now, the heat will slowly melt the ice on the brake and you should be good to go again."

"Thank you." She said with a tone of relief.

He could tell she completely underestimated the cold this time of the year. Though he didn't feel much like interacting he still felt like he should get her a bit comfortable. "It should take about 15 – 20 minutes, want some coffee while waiting?."

The joyful thought of having a warm beverage made her gain some renewed energy, following him towards the truck she entered the passenger side and eased herself in the comfy chair. Slightly amazed by how spacious the cabin was, she draped the blanket over her legs and gladly accepted the warm cup that he handed her.

They spend a few minutes in silence, her eyes fixed on the redhead. It seemed like he was reading something from a small PDA. I wonder what happened to him after his team pretty much broken down the whole BEGA scheme.

Breaking the silence Julia spoke up. "Correct me if I am wrong.. but aren't you..?"

"Yes." He replied coldly, not looking up from the digital form he was filling in.

"I see." She took a guess that those days where probably not ones he'd find worth remembering anymore.

Looking back up at him she watching him get out of the truck and move back the car. Trailing after him she suddenly realized that their short meeting would come to an end soon, and she would be on her way again. Probably never seeing him again. The thought made her a little uneasy, at least she wanted to know he was doing okay. C'mon girl you're a grown woman now, at least have the courtesy to offer him a thank you. She took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks and boldly walked up to him.

Getting back in the driver's seat he tried to operate the hand break again, with some luck and dumb muscle it finally pushed down and he quickly set the car in first gear. "Seems you're good to go."

"Look, I am really thankful for your help. I'll be staying here for a little while anyways because well you know championships and all. Please allow me to repay you, coffee maybe?" Her lips curling in a small smile.

Blinking at her odd request he stood in front of her. "Well.. It is my job pretty much."

"I insist." Pure determination in her voice and that fierce look in her eyes, there was so much spirit in them and realized that he was even starting to admire them slightly. Shaking the thought away he lowered his guard slightly. Got to be social at some point in life.
Scribbling down the address on a paper he handed it to her. "Alright, my workshop is located here. Just don't get stuck in this weather again." He teased.

Looking up at him with a bright smile she accepted the contact information and tucked it safely in her purse. "I will be on my way then." Opening the door to the car she got in the driver's seat carefully driving off. The roads where still slightly slippery and she was nowhere used to driving in these circumstances.

Once her car was out of sight he got back into the truck, he let out a breath he did know he was holding and twisted the key to turn on the engine. Before driving off he made one last check at his phone. Ten stranded people!? Vot der'mo, do these people not know how to drive.

/-/

Slowly she dipped her toes in the warm water before sliding into the warm bath. The water touching her sun kissed skin made her muscles relax while she sank deeper in the tub. With a deep sigh of relief she embraced the warmth. In the distance soft music was playing in the background, she softly started humming along to the lyrics. "And we keep driving, into the night. It's a late goodbye…"

A knock on the bathroom door send her back to reality "Raul!" She cheered.

"I see you made it back." He said with a tone of relief.

"Yeah, you will absolutely never guess who came to help me out."

"Oh?" Raul looked at her questioning.

"Remember Tala from the Russian team?"

"How can I not forget them Julia…" Replying with a slight huff in his voice.

"Well, he fixed it pretty fast, or rather it was more my own doing really, either way he helped me out which was great. Also he didn't seem so aggressive anymore. I suppose that after all they had to go through they ought to have their own baggage." Her tone slightly less upbeat as she looked back on their pasts.

Raul clearly had a different view on their past meetings. "Not like we will ever see them in the arena again. They all went their own way as far as I heard."

"Do you think he'd be up for a rematch." Questioning her brother.

"Well…" Raul stammered. "I'd rather steer clear of them."

"I see.." She sank back in the hot water while glancing at her brother as he left the bathroom.

/-/

It was way past midnight once he finished taking care of all the inquiry's that where tossed in his direction. Taking in a deep breath he hauled himself from his truck and moved slowly towards the front door. As he was about to push the key through the lock he was suddenly hit by a sudden surge of pain through his head together with loud ringing in his ears.

Gritting his teeth against the pain he pushed himself quickly through the door into the hallway. With a swing he closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall. His eyes fixated on the ceiling as he took a few deep breaths trying to ease the pain out.

As he took one more deep breath he felt confident again to stay steady on his feet. Pushing himself off the wall he tossed his gear somewhere in a corner and heaved himself towards the staircase. Softly he pressed his foot on the steps and started to ascend the stairs without making a single sound.

Arriving at the door to his bedroom he gave it a slight push and walked in. He didn't bother changing clothes and simply let his body fall down on the soft mattress. With his eyes still half open he watched the shimmering crescent moon light flicker through the small openings of the curtains. Sliding his hand underneath his pillow he took out a worn down beyblade. Trailing his fingers over the empty chip he closed his eyes.

The static, the noise, the excruciating headaches, they were the last remainders of her. He felt as if a piece of his soul was torn off. It made him wonder once he had taken those bit beasts from the other bladers all those years ago, if they went through the same thing. That regret and guilt where something he had to live with for the rest of his life.

We sure gave Boris hell that day. A small smile appeared on his face but it quickly faded again. It was a fantastic feeling to be out of his clutches for two years, even competing again had the team in high spirits. But the appearance of BEGA made it feel like the shit show had started to begin all over again.

Tightening his grip on the blade he could feel the claws from the sides dig in his hand. If only I was stronger that day… Slowly he started to fall into a restless sleep while holding the empty blade close to him.

/-/

Inside a small training area within the BBA complex Julia and Raul where working on their morning routines. Both excelling in acrobatics it was only natural for them to ingrain it in their beyblading style.

Walking over to a small basket at the edge of the room she applies some chalk on her hands. Straightening her back she walked over to the beam, firmly placing her hands on the gymnastics beam she lifted herself up with ease. She pressed the front of her feet on top of the beam and balancing herself in a steady position. With much ease she danced across the bar making a variety of turns and leaps.

On the other side of the room Raul was hanging on his legs from the highest monkey bar. In his hands he held his launcher and Torch Pegasus attached to it. He swung himself upside down looking for the perfect momentum before releasing the grip he made with his legs. As he found the correct position he launched his bey with as much strength as he could gather.

Julia's mouth perked up in a devious smile. "Are you challenging me?" She mused. Dancing across the beam with Torch Pegasus dancing between her feet. Reaching for a pocket on the back she took out Thunder Pegasus and her launcher. She slightly sank through her legs and steadied herself in a strong position, after she send her beyblade off with a powerful start.

With Thunder Pegasus and Torch Pegasus clashing in the middle of the room a wild sibling battle broke loose. Both beyblades spinning as agile as their owners, dancing through the room circling each other. Powerful waves of fire and thunder mixing with one another, creating a spectacle sight. The room temperature was increasing at a rapid pace until a perfect combined typhoon of scorching heat and static electricity emerged from the middle.

The twins being in perfect sync with each other. It wasn't until they slowed down that the power emerging from both beyblade's would lower down the input and little by little until only a slight ember and static could be seen.

Holding out their hands both horses instantly returned themselves into their owners palms. A small strand of sweat escaping from their faces they smiled broadly to one another.

"If we can keep this one up during the championships.. we will be unstoppable." Raul told his sister.

Still trying catching her breath Julia nodded happily in to her brother.

Pink strands of hair where peeking from the door that was ajar. Making eye contact with the wild cat Julia yelled in a cheery voice. "Mariah!"

Running towards her friend she opened the door wide greeting her with a smile. Raul followed behind her and have a friendly nod towards the member of the White Tigers.

"That was so awesome.." Mariah gawked at Julia. "I would love to take you on in a tag battle with such a cool atack, siblings vs siblings."

"That's a deal!" The Spanish siblings chimed in chorus.

In desperate need of a refreshing shower the crowd walked down the hallways of the complex, making some small talk along the way, accompanied by their pink haired friend.

Reaching the showering area they bid their farewell to Mariah and entered the vicinity.

Twisting the knob of the shower the warm water flowing over her body was making her relax. Taking a deep breath in she tried to lower her still racing heartbeat. The training filled her with the much needed confidence to get her head in the winning game.

Raul was flexing his sharp jawline in the mirror. Throughout the years his self-esteem rose and a he grew up to be a passionate man. Despite being the younger sibling he took the wellbeing of his sister extremely seriously.

With an exhilarated feeling the pair walked out of the complex, much to their discomfort they were warmly greeted by the freezing winds of Russia.

"Anything you want to do the rest of the day? We still have a few days left till the first matches begin." Raul questioned his sister.

Searching her little side bag for the keys she noticed the small card in the purse. She made a small smile. "I made some plans for today, I'll meet up with you later again."

With a puzzling expression Raul looked at his sister. Catching the keys she tossed at him and a small peck on his cheek she waved goodbye to him before dashing off.

Hmm I wonder what she is so excited about all of a sudden. Raul thought as he had a puzzled expression on his face.

/-/

Holding the card tightly in her hand she checked her phone for the route. Luckily the address did not seem too far off from the BBA complex. Assuming Moscow is a fairly large city after all. According to the map the workshop should be located a little on the outskirts

"If I take this turn I can grab a coffee on the way and then it will only be a 5 minute walk." Making a left at the end of the street she was a bit surprised by the vibrant area. Slowing down in her track she looked around, browsing tiny antique shops and giving a nod to some local people sitting on the bench. Once the coffee shop got in view she picked up pace again. Giving the clerk a bright smile she managed to order two coffee with some half-baked English and hand gestures.

Holding the two cups in her hand she made one more turn to the right and found herself in a small industrial area. Much to her surprise there was more than one workshop located next to each other. Back in Spain she was used to larger garages with a team of mechanics. Instead these where all self-employed and sorted out working contracts among themselves. Most of the workplaces had small signs on the front along with a specification of the owners skill. Welders, mechanics, iron workers and many more specializations.

Outside one of the shops she spotted the familiar truck that he drove when she got stuck in the cold. A little relieved to see the doorway open, she wasn't quite sure he would be even present. Making her way to the entrance she took a brief look at the sign he had on the side of the door, much to her surprise it would read 'engineer'.

She gave the door that was ajar a little push and walked inside. Entering the small hallway she saw an entrance to an office on one side and to the workshop on the other. It seemed to be pretty organized with a collection of working gear for pretty much every weather hanging in the hallway.

"He has more boots than I own shoes." She said jokingly while walking towards the larger workshop. In the background she could hear a radio playing along with the screeching sound of metal being cut.

Giving the door a slight push she peeked around the corner, the floor was covered with scattered tools and equipment she could not quite tell the purpose they had. From underneath the back she saw a struggling Tala trying to get something loose that was clearly not going to cooperate.

Sitting on her haunches next to him she nudged for his attention. "I'm here to settle my debt." She said teasingly.

Turning his head out from the side of the car he was working on he looked at Julia with fairly dull blue eyes and huge dark circles underneath them. Tearing her gaze from his she scuttled to the side giving him some space to roll from underneath the vehicle.

She was a bit unsure what his respond would be, he wasn't really friendly with her that first meeting, was she being too bold perhaps? It made her slightly nervous thinking about it. Plus he seemed like he had seen way better days.

Giving her a small smile in acknowledgement "Heya." She could hear the tiredness in his voice, yet he tried to make it sound more chiming.

"Come this area is more like a battlefield right now." Getting up on his feet he motioned her to follow him to the other side of the corridor. Tossing his coveralls in the hallway before stepping into the office.

The office was a simple set up, had a small sofa with a coffee table, on the other side the room there was quite a large desk, giving a look at the sheet of paper it seemed to be some sort of blueprint for something. Next to the sheet of paper there were two computer screens which ran some sort of program. Taking a look around she returned her attention back to Tala whom had taken a seat on the desk char.

Stretching her arm the offered the other coffee cup to him which he gladly accepted.

"Thanks." He said quietly. "Come sit down!" he pointed towards the sofa.

Julia sat down and looked him in the eye. "So you really ought to tell me, what is it that you do nowadays."

"I'm a mechanical engineer, I mainly assist the vehicle recovery when they need a specialist."

Noting her questioning expression he sighed for a moment and spoke in a teasing tone. "We're shorthanded so sometimes I handle… people who freeze their handbrakes."

Her face turned in a slight annoyed pout. "We're not used to this weather…"

"Haha I know, sorry, just teasing you." Tala said

Even she had to smile, but it also made her glad that he didn't completely freeze over like she thought he did that last evening.

"So what about you?" His question taking her out of her little strand of thoughts.

"The main reason we are here now is obviously for the championships. My brother and I are still very active in the competitions." Julia told him.

Although it did not really surprise him the twins where still inseparable, he did not really expect them to be competing still.

"Are most of the old teams still around then?" He asked her questioning

Narrowing her eyes at his question she realized that he did not keep track of the championships at all, surely it has been a few years but she could not really pinpoint why such an active and high ranking team pretty much vanished from the BBA.

"Some newcomers are desperately trying to kick us from the rankings. So far none have succeeded." Her lips curling up in a proud smile.

Tala remained quiet for a moment, trying to not give away too much. Just some small talk and everybody will be on their way again he thought to himself. Although he could not help but feel a bit nostalgic, he missed the competitive days.

Killing the silence Julia spoke. "What about you and your team." A slight hint of worry in her voice. "Why did you quit."

His shoulders rose in a more tense position and he sat up straight. Feeling like he had to swallow a dry lump, his eyes having a hint of viciousness in them. Quickly he recollected himself and tried to ease his words. "Just lost interest." He mused.

That was a lie, that was such a lie, Julia thought to herself. But it was clear that it was all she was going to get. This was her que though, she had probably bothered him enough already.

"I'm glad to see you're doing alright Tala, I mean it." She said with a soft voice. Getting up from the sofa she straightened her clothing and grabbed her coat.

His heartrate was spiking from hearing her say those words. It took him quite some energy to keep his expression in check. Following behind her as she was walking towards the exit he bid her farewell. "Good luck in the competition."

Before she could turn and say thank you he had already closed the door. Turning her eyes back to the front she spoke in a low voice. "If you ever need to talk.. just call me okay." With that she walked off.

He placed a hand against the closed door and softened his expression. He was used to people being wary of him and would rather avoid confrontation. But Julia was so carefree she was like that gentle breeze of the ocean, but pissing her off and you'd find yourself caught in a very bad storm, he admired that about her, that pure raw power.

It was good seeing you again. He thought.