Chapter Three: Holding Back

I was a fighter all my life.

But now,

it's just not worth it anymore.

A body can only take so much,

before it gives up...

It's not my time to go...

Yubel, Bryan and Tala had been free from those terrible Abbeys for a whole month now, and everything seemed almost perfect. Alex had noticed a change in the air whenever Yubel and Bryan walked into the room. And by the looks on Tala's face, he could tell that bringing those two there was the best thing for Yubel. Tala seemed to have the right idea; because he's snicker and send a sly smirk at Bryan when Yubel had her back turned. Alex could tell that the boys had a soft spot for the fallen Yubel and would have to hide his grin whenever he'd see the three interacting with one another. He could Tala had a fierce protectiveness over the girl as well as Bryan, and thought they'd be able to help her whenever he wasn't around-which was most of the time due to his job.

Right now, Bryan and Tala were in the kitchen; making dinner. Alex had taken Yubel to the doctor's office to check the progress on Yubel's recovery. They were going to make dinner tonight and they all agreed that Alex doesn't have any cooking skills, and forbade him from ever stepping into the kitchen.

So, tonight, they were all going to have beef stew. It was Tala's job to cook the meat, and Bryan had to cut the vegetables. Tala had finished stirring the meat, and stopped to look over at his friend with a serious look on his face.

"Okay, Bryan," he said in a steady tone, "I know you like Yubel, so why not just admit it? I personally think you two would make a great couple."

Bryan stopped chopping up the greens and looked over at Tala with a warning glare. "You realize I have a sharp object in my hand, right?" He asked in a challenging tone.

Tala stepped back from Bryan and held his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying..." He said in protest. "You'd BOTH feel better."

Bryan sighed and placed the knife down, and turned to Tala. "She doesn't like me like that!" He cried out; holding his head in agony. "Even... even if she did, she could better than me... Than anyone of us! She deserves much better!" And with that, Bryan fell to his knees, and gripped the sides of his head in hopes of getting the pain to subdue.

Tala dropped to his knees and was at Bryan's side. "Hey, dude, you alright?" He asked in a concerned tone; placing his hands on Bryan's back.

Bryan groaned and swayed a little. "Just another attack..." He said through clenched teeth. "It'll pass..."

Tala sighed and looked up at the clock. Alex and Yubel would be coming home soon, and he knew that Bryan wouldn't want Yubel to see him suffer like this. "Why don't you just go ahead and lay down for a minute?" He suggested in a quiet tone; pulling his friend to his feet. "I'll finish up dinner and call for you when it's ready. Or perhaps I could have someone bring it in to you?"

Bryan looked up at Tala with a serious glare. "No thanks." He replied in a flat tone.

Tala held his hands up. "Okay, okay. I'll just save you some food and you can have it when you're feeling better, deal?"

Bryan nodded and staggered away to his room; leaving Tala to finish dinner. He slowly made his way into his room, and fell down on his bed; too tired to crawl under the blankets. He put his head under the pillows and did his best to block out all the sounds that filtered through the pillow. It wasn't long before he wore himself out and fell asleep; waiting for the pain to leave him in peace...

Alex and Yubel had finally made it home. It was in the late evening and Tala had finished dinner just before they came back; putting their meal out onto the table. He looked up to see Alex looking rather defeated and Yubel was sporting a rather victorious look.

"Do I even want to know?" Tala asked in a careful tone; eying Yubel.

Yubel shrugged her jacket off and smirked wickedly at the redheaded boy. "Alex lost a bet to me." She answered in a happy tone; placing her jacket on the hanger before she put it in the closet.

Tala raised a brow at the older man; whom nodded bitterly. "I bet that she wouldn't get her bracers off until early in the next year and SHE said that she'd get rid of them before Christmas." Alex replied in a defeated sigh; running a hand through his hair.

Tala looked over at Yubel with excitement on his face. "Really? That's great! I'm so happy for you, Yubel!" He cried out with joy as he gave the girl a bear hug. "Bryan will be happy to hear that you'll get your bracers off, too!"

Yubel laughed and returned her friend's hug. "Where IS Bryan anyway? I thought you two were going to make dinner."

Tala let the girl go and rubbed the back of his head. "He had another attack." He stated; pointing to the closed door that led to Bryan's room. "I told him to go lay down and we'll save him some dinner for when he feels better."

Yubel looked past Tala and stared at the door in shock. "How bad was it this time?" She asked; not taking her eyes off the door.

Tala looked at Yubel for a moment, and placed his hands on her shoulders; gently guiding her towards the bathroom. "Don't worry about him, he'll be alright after a while." He said in an encouraging tone; giving her his bravest smile. "Go ahead and get washed up for dinner. We're having vegetable stew tonight."

Alex's eyes lit up with joy at the thought. "Veggie Stew?! I'm sold!" He cried out delightfully as he took his place at the table; sitting in front of the couch.

Yubel glared warningly at Alex before she turned over towards Tala with a concerned look. "How long has Bryan been in his room?" She asked in a worried tone; looking back to the door.

Tala waved a finger in front of Yubel's face. "He'll be in there for a while, trust me on this. He just went into his room about 45 minutes ago. So, my guess is that he's dead to the world right now. Waking him now would probably be the death of you." He said in a joking tone; pushing Yubel towards the stairs that lead up to her room. "Don't worry about him, and go get washed up for dinner. You smell like a doctor's office."

Yubel huffed and folded her arms over her chest. "Whatever, Tala." She said before she made her way up the stairs.

After Yubel finally made it out of the shower, she poked her head into the living room, and found Alex chowing down on his dinner; not even waiting for anyone.

Yubel sighed and ran a hand through her damp hair. "Let me guess," she said in a tired tone, "you got another all-nighter, huh?"

Alex looked up from his meal and nodded to the girl. "Just got the call while you were in the bathroom." He answered in a disappointed tone; finishing off his food and getting up. "Sorry I have to leave, kids. I promise I'll make it up to you."

Yubel lowered herself onto the floor in front of the fire place and began drying off her hair. "Being a sting opt is a big job to do, and besides," she said in an understanding tone, "it's not like you'll be gone forever."

Alex smiled proudly at the girl, and ruffled her hair. "I know, honey, I just don't like leaving you kids alone like this."

Tala sneered his nose up at the man's comment. "It's not like we're a bunch of toddlers." He said in an offended tone. "I'm sure we can take care of ourselves."

Alex chuckled and went over to the closet; pulling his coat out and putting it on. "Can't argue with that, I guess."

Yubel smiled up at Alex and waved him off. "Try not to work too hard and we'll see you when we see you!" She called out in a gentle tone.

"Don't stay up too late, guys." Alex called out before he left the house.

"Ya know something," Tala said slowly; holding a hand out for the girl to take, "he's really not such a bad guy."

Yubel grinned up at Tala and took his hand; pulling herself up. "I used to think he was just like Brier when I first came here," she stated in a thoughtful tone; looking at him with a kind smile, "but his intentions never left me shaking. He's just a good man trying to make a difference."

Tala tilted his head to the side and looked at Yubel in confusion; helping her sit at the table. "Who's Brier?" He asked as he took his place across the table.

Yubel pulled a bowl of stew towards her, and reached for the pepper. "Brier is the name of the man who ran my Abbey. He was a total brat trapped in a man's body." She answered in a simple tone; shaking the pepper into her bowl. "He literally the kids there to the ground, and whoever fell first went into solitary confinement for a whole week. No food, no water, no contact with anyone... We'd only get three chances in perfected our skills as a beyblader, whenever we'd use those chances up, we'd really get it. "It" being the mother AND father of all beat downs."

Tala looked over at Yubel with hollow eyes. "Did you ever have to go into solitary confinement?" He asked in a slightly angry tone; rolling his hands into tight fists.

Yubel sighed and shook her head. "No, I just got the beatings." She answered in a depressed tone; looking down at her food with a sad eyes. "My brother, Leo, was the only kid who would actually take care of me. No one wanted to be my friend because of the way I looked." She told him with a sad smile; lifting some hair up and giving him a slight wink. "I can't help that I'm albino. I was born this way. I guess I just freaked them out because I don't actually have color."

Tala growled angrily at the girl's statement. "That's not right!" He said in a quiet tone; slamming his fist into the table. He gasped and realized what was happening, and shook his head; clearing his mind of his anger. "You know you don't have to tell me about this, right?"

Yubel sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Between you and Bryan, you guys would make me spill my secrets one way or another." She said in a reasoning tone. "I don't want to live in the past anymore..." She said in tired tone. "I was given a second chance at life, and I'm not sure about you, Tala, but I am GOING to take it."

Tala sighed and gave Yubel a slight nod. "I guess you're right."

Yubel chuckled and smirked playfully at the boy in front of her. "I'm a girl, Tala. I'm always right." She said in a joking tone; giving him a playful wink. She shoved some more food into her mouth and looked up at Tala with a happy smile. "This is pretty good, Tala!" She said in an amazed tone; giving him a thumbs up as she ate more of her food.

Tala returned Yubel's smile with a smaller one of his own. "Bryan helped. I just made the beef. He did most of the work." He said in a modest tone; rubbing the back of his.

Yubel raised a brow at the Russian blader. "You mean before he had another one of his attacks?" She questioned him in a sad tone; seeing him nod before he put more of the stew into his mouth. "I hate that he has to suffer so much like that. It's not fair to him." She said in a slightly annoyed tone; stirring her stew with her spoon. "He's done nothing to deserve that."

Tala looked up from his meal and gave her a court nod. "You really like Bryan, don't you, Yubel" He asked in an innocent tone; putting more food into his mouth.

Yubel blushed crimson and placed her hands in her lap, but remained silent. Tala grinned and wolfed down his food.

"Ha! It's true! I knew it from the start! You DO like him!" He cried out quietly; trying not to disturb Bryan while smirking at the blushing Yubel.

Yubel placed her hands in her lap and glared angrily at the boy sitting across from her. "I may have feelings for Bryan, but he would never return them! I'm too different!"

Tala hid his shock from the girl and reached over to the girl. "I know you're different, but that's why he likes you, Yubel." He told her in a calm tone; giving her a slightly warm smile. "He may not be able to show his affections like most people here, or voice them for that matter," he said in a kind tone, "but he really does like you."

Yubel's eyes widened and tears soon spilled out of her bloody eyes. "Why would he like someone like me? It doesn't make any sense!" She said in a rough tone. "He would be better off chasing after a skirt that more color than me."

Tala chuckled slightly at that comment. "Yeah, you do look pretty weird..." He said in a joking tone; earning a wadded up napkin getting thrown at his face. "I'm just kidding." He said between laughs. "There's nothing wrong with the way you look, Yubel. Personally, I think you look pretty cool without it. And don't get me started on the girls here and their make up. Talk about conceded! Whatever happened to natural beauty?"

Yubel blinked a few times a Tala and soon started to laugh. "My thoughts exactly! Girls ANYWHERE care about their make up than anything else!" She said in an agreeing tone. "Make up just adds weight onto your face. Unless it's for Halloween. Then that's where you can put all the make up you want on and be totally different.

Tala let out a full laugh. "And let me guess, you just love being a princess, don't you?" He teased in a brotherly tone; wiggling his brows at her.

Yubel laughed and shook her head at the boy sitting across from her. "You wish I dressed up as a princess." She mumbled in a mocking tone. "I'm not into all that prissy stuff. I tend to go a little... DARKER than most girls."

Tala chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. "And just what do you go as then?" He challenged in a mocking tone; not backing down from the girl.

Yubel smiled and placed her arms in her lap. "Well, this was my first Halloween with Alex. And I got a witch's costume. I had put on a ton of make up and no one at the Alex's work knew who I was until he told them."

Tala chuckled at the girl. "Never would've thought you'd go as anything like that for Halloween."

Yubel giggled and finished off her dinner. She was about to get up to put the dishes in the kitchen, but Tala pulled them away from her and got up. He grinned boyishly at her and gathered the remaining dishes up.

"I'll clean up the kitchen," he said in a final tone, smiling brotherly at her, "YOU just sit back and relax."

Yubel smiled gratefully at the boy and watched him walked away. She sighed and leaned over to the side and picked up the remote; turning on the television and putting it on the news. She smiled at the boy when he'd pass the entrance and watched the news like she always did...

Tala returned to the living room a few minutes later and found Yubel sleeping at the table; her head resting on her arms. He smiled brotherly at the girl, and went over towards the couch and pulled off the blanket. He carefully unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around the girl's tiny form; pulling her bangs off to the side. He would never guess that Yubel would turn out to be such a great friend to him; always caring for him and helping him see things from all sides. It was like she was sent from Heaven to help him and Bryan get their lives back.

He just wanted to see his best friend happy with the colorless girl sleeping at the table. He knew they were perfect for each other, and wanted to see them happy, but he could only go so far to help them. He wondered if Alex had noticed the attraction, too and is trying to help them along in his own way.

Without anything else to do and how late it's getting, he decided to turn in for the night; leaving Yubel to sleep at the table. He turned off the television and locked the door before he went to bed; turning out all the lights safe only for the light over the kitchen sink...