Chapter Four: Standing Up
She was in so much pain,
But she never said a word.
She was always smiling,
But no one knew,
That she was drowning.
That's just how she was…
Have you heard enough?
Bryan came out of his room the next day feeling better than he did when he first went into his room. He had taken his medication and laid his head down on his bed. He never intended on falling asleep for as long as he did, but he was shocked when he to find that he had slept through the night.
He pulled himself out of bed, and went out into the living room. He looked around the room, and found Yubel sleeping peacefully at the coffee table with a blanket draped around her body. He went over towards the kitchen and found Tala standing at the stove with some bacon sizzling in a pan.
Tala sensed someone was watching him, and looked over to see Bryan looking over at him. "Morning, Bryan!" He said quietly; flipping the bacon on the stove. "How are you feeling this morning?"
Bryan went over to him, and began fixing himself some coffee and leaned against the counter top. "Better, thanks." He said as he blew into his hot drink before taking a small sip.
Tala grinned over at him. "That's good to hear. Yubel was worried when you didn't come out for dinner though." He said in a teasing tone; pulling the bacon out of the pan and putting it on a serving plate.
Bryan looked up from his coffee, and raised a brow at Tala. "Seriously?" He asked in a doubtful tone.
Tala nodded in agreement. "I had to stop her from going into your room." He told Bryan in a lazy tone; shrugging his shoulders as he stirred the eggs in a separate pan.
After a few moments of silence, Bryan looked up at Tala and raised a brow once again. Tala guessed he wanted to know why he was cooking breakfast, and decided to explain himself.
"Yubel fell asleep at the coffee table last night," he said with a shrug of his broad shoulders, "so, I decided to help her out by making breakfast."
Bryan nodded to his friend and took another sip of his drink. He didn't say anything about the matter at hand. "She must've been pretty worried if she didn't sleep in her own bed last night." He said in a surprised tone; looking into the living to see Yubel still fast asleep at the coffee table.
Tala chuckled and mixed up the eggs in the skillet. "Believe it or not, Bryan," he said in a wise tone; dividing the eggs evenly on three plates, "Yubel really cares about you."
Bryan closed his eyes at the thought. "I'm not getting into that right now." He said in a serious tone; taking two more coffee mugs from the cabinet and setting one down on the counter, and fixed a cup for Yubel. "It's too early for that."
He brought his and Yubel's mugs into the living room and sat down next to her. He leaned closer to her, and gently shook her arm.
"Yubel, it's time to wake up." He cooed into her ear.
Yubel moaned softly and her red eyes fluttered open. She looked up and smiled sweetly at Bryan when she saw him looking down at her.
"Good morning, Bry…" She said with a slight yawn; sitting up at the table. "Are you feeling any better? Tala said you had another attack yesterday." She asked in a concerned tone.
Bryan grinned and shifted the mug he made for Yubel closer to her. "Yeah, I'm feeling much better now. Thanks for asking." He said in a grateful tone. "I made you a cup of coffee. Milk and sugar - just the way you like it."
"Oh, thank you, Bryan! That was very thoughtful of you!" Yubel cried out in a delighted tone; taking the mug into her hands.
Bryan blushed madly and looked away from her. "Yeah, well, Tala told me that you were worried about me so I thought it'd be a good idea to make you a cup of coffee this morning. Tala's making breakfast."
"And here it is! Bacon and eggs! The breakfast of champions!" Tala said with a smug smile on his face as he came into the room with a large serving tray of food and sitting it in the middle of the table.
Yubel chuckled and folded her arms over her chest. "What did you two do?" She asked in a playful tone; watching Tala sit down in front of the two.
Tala held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, you're always doing things for us, right? I was just returning the favor." He declared in a defensive tone; giving her a teasing smirk.
"You got me there, red." Yubel dismissed in a passive tone; pulling the plate Tala placed in front of her and took a bite of the scrambled eggs. "Hey, these are pretty good, Tala!"
Tala chuckled and began eating his food. He looked between the two sitting across him. "Have you told him yet?" He asked the girl with a sly smirk.
Bryan looked over at Yubel with curiosity in his eyes. "Tell me what?" He questioned in a confused tone; watching her wash her bacon down with her coffee.
"I'll tell you when I get back from the market. I promise, Bryan." Yubel said in a polite tone; looking over at Tala with a slightly firm glare.
"I'll go with you." Bryan offered; shrugging his shoulders. "I need to get some fresh air anyway and going to the market is the perfect chance."
Yubel thought about what Bryan said and looked over at Tala for a moment.
"I've got to clean up the kitchen, otherwise, I'd tag along, too." Tala protested; taking a sip of his coffee. "So, it looks like Bryan will have to be the one who keeps you outta trouble."
Yubel snorted in response. "Oh, please, red! I can wear Camouflage and trouble still finds me!" She said in an all-knowing tone; folding her arms over her chest.
Tala chuckled at her. "Which is why Bryan should go with you and make sure you stay outta trouble!" He argued with a playful tone; giving her a teasing sneer.
"Well, if you're both done making fun of me," she said in a rough tone; getting up from her spot at the table, "I'm gonna go get ready to leave. So, I'd strongly advise you to do the same, Bry." She said in a firm tone; taking her plate into the kitchen.
"I didn't mean to make her mad…" Tala spoke up in a slightly displeased tone; waiting for Yubel to walk out of range to speak.
Bryan sighed and gathered up the remaining dishes onto the tray. "Don't worry, Tala. I'll talk to her when we're out." He said as he took the tray up with him and walked it into the kitchen before he went into his room to get a change of clothes.
Bryan and Yubel walked side by side down the deserted sidewalk towards the market. They arrived at the market place and Yubel picked out some fresh fruit and vegetables. After they picked out their items and paid for them, the duo made their way to the grocery store to pick up meat, eggs, and whatever else they may need. Bryan made sure that he took all of the heavy bags while Yubel hooked a few bags on each handle of her crutches. And when they were finished they were on their way back to their home.
Yubel looked up at Bryan and watched him stare straight ahead; not taking his eyes off the sidewalk in front of him. She didn't have to be psychic to know that he was waiting for her to tell him what she promised she'd tell him.
She looked up ahead, and saw that they were right next to a bench, and asked if they could sit down so she could rest. He looked down at her for a minute, and nodded; guessing that she was tired and needed to rest.
Bryan guided her over towards a nearby bench and helped her sit down on the cold metal fixture.
"Thanks for helping me carry all those bags, Bryan! I'm really grateful that you decided to come along to help me!" Yubel said once she settled down.
Bryan shrugged his shoulders in response and sat down next to her. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't lend a hand?" He asked with a wicked grin.
Yubel chuckled and leaned forward in her seat. "Well, the gesture is still welcomed… Besides Alex, no one ever really showed me any kindness back in the day." She said in a thoughtful tone; looking up at the white sky above them.
"You're talking about the Abbey where you grew up in, aren't you?" Bryan asked in a curious tone; watching her closely.
Yubel nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago." She said in a firm tone; narrowing her eyes at the sky.
After a few moments of silence, Bryan decided to change the subject. "What was it you and Tala were talking about back at the house?" He asked in a curious tone; hoping to get her mind out of those horrible memories.
Yubel stopped pulling her own bags off her crutches. "Oh, that's right!" She said in a shocked tone.
Once she calmed down at little, she turned her head towards Bryan and gave him a proud smile. "You remember when I had to go to see the doctor yesterday afternoon, right, Bry?" She asked in an expecting tone; looking straight at him. She saw him nodding at her for her to continue and Yubel gave him her best smile. "Well, after the doctor checked on my progress, he decided that my bracers can come off a week before Christmas! Isn't that great, Bry?"
Bryan couldn't contain his happiness any longer, and jumped up from his place on the bench. "That's great news, Yubel!" He said excitedly; grabbing the girl and picking up. "I'm so happy for you!" He cried out as he held her high in the air and spun her around; causing her to laugh.
"Bryan Kuznetov, put me down this instant!" Yubel said with liquid laughter in her tone; smiling happily at the boy holding her up.
Bryan laughed lightly at Yubel, and sat her back down on her feet. "I'm sorry, Yubel! I'm just so happy!" He told her in a happy tone; giving her another fierce hug.
Yubel giggled and returned his hug. "I won't get them off if you crush me first!" She joked in a teasing tone; giving him her best smile.
Bryan grinned back at her and released her from his grip. He was about to say something, but Jack and his team came walking up to them with twisted smiles that gave Yubel a bad feeling. She narrowed her eyes at them as they came closer to her. Bryan knew something was going to happen, so he stepped in front of Yubel in an attempt to protect her if Jack and his crew decided to attack her.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here, fellas!" Jack said with a sneer; glaring evilly at Yubel. "Looks like Yubel is having fun with the former Blitzkrieg Boy!" He teased as he narrowed his eyes at Bryan.
"You might wanna watch your back with that one, buddy," Tony said in a wicked tone; giving Yubel a dark sneer, "she'll turn on you just like she did us if you're not too careful."
Yubel narrowed her ruby colored eyes at the trio of boys. "I told Alex the truth about what was doing on in the Abby!" She protected through gritted teeth; clenching her hands into tight fists. "We would've DIED in that Hell-hole if Brier wasn't stopped and you know it! Now, grow up before someone gets hurt… again!"
The trio of boys all laughed at Yubel's threat and Jack folded his arms over his chest. "The only one whose gonna get hurt again… is you!" Jack said in a threatening tone; staring Yubel down.
Bryan stepped closer to Jack and pushed his face closer to his. "Is that a threat, JACKIE?" He asked in a challenging tone; keeping his focus solely on the boy in front of him.
Jack didn't back down from Bryan's warning, and puffed out his chest at him. He didn't say anything to Bryan. He just gave him a twisted smirk as if he were plotting something. Bryan knew that Jack and his posse was out to get even with Yubel, and the look in their eyes told him that if he moved from his spot; then it would be open season on her.
Yubel reached out and grabbed Bryan by the jacket; making him turn his eyes over to her. "Come on, Bryan… There's no use in trying to make them see to reason. We need to get outta here before we get in trouble." She pleaded with him; hoping to reason with him.
Bryan looked at her for a moment and nodded to her and gave Jack and his crew one last warning glare before he went over to the bench with Yubel and began to pick up their bags.
One would think that Bryan and Yubel would've been left alone if they walked away from a group as nasty as Jack and his crew. However, they were sorely mistaken…
"What's the matter, man? Did we strike a nerve? Or has Yubel got you so whipped that you'd do anything to keep her happy?" Jack challenged in a nasty tone; causing his company to snicker in response.
Yubel looked up at Bryan with a firm expression in her eyes. "Just ignore them, Bryan…" She warned in a serious tone, "… they'll get what they deserve at the end of the day… Trust me when I say that karma will turn around and bite them in the long run."
Bryan turned his lilac eyes over towards her for a moment. He knew she was right, but he couldn't stop the anger that was threatening to strangle him.
However, Jack and the others didn't stop their taunting. Yubel watched Bryan closely as they made their way down the sidewalk; doing her best to ignore their comments as much as she could. They were really testing her patience, and it was starting to get to her. However, she knew Bryan was a loose cannon, and she had to use all the strength she had to keep calm for his sake. No matter how badly she wanted to put him in their place.
"What's the matter, Yubel? You know I'm right. The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Tony declared in a bitter tone; following after the two down the sidewalk.
"Yeah, Yubel! You're just as much of a loser as your good for nothing brother! He never could cut it as a Pretty Devil and now I guess Brier made the mistake of letting YOU join the team! I don't understand why he would pick a weak little wannabe like you anyway! You and Atargatis are horrible examples of the whole BIOVOLT Organization!" David chimed in with a bitter tone; not letting the two escape from them.
Yubel used her crutches to spin around to face the trio with an evil glare. "You filthy worm! You have no right talking about Leo like that! You will never know what he has done for us!" She cried out angrily narrowing her eyes at them. "My advice to you is to walk away now before I show you the reason why they called me, "The Devil's Ghost"! You know Atargatis and I have enough power to put all three of you in the hospital. So, don't test me on this!"
Jack gave Yubel a cynical laugh, and glared wickedly at her. "The only one would be put in the hospital…" Jack growled in a darkened tone; grabbing Yubel by the scruff of her shirt and bringing his face mere inches away from hers, "… will be you."
That was it. Bryan had heard enough. He dropped his bags, marched straight up to Jack, and punched him square in the jaw. Jack staggered backwards until he fell flat on his back.
Bryan stood over Jack with a deadly glare plastered across his face. "I pulled my punch, Jack…" He said in a dark warning; picking up his bags and guiding Yubel away from the group, "You won't be so lucky the next time I catch you threatening Yubel EVER again..."
And with that, Bryan and Yubel made it back to the house without further incident. Tala poked his head out of the fireplace when he heard the door open, and saw the sour looks on his friends' faces. Yubel didn't say much of anything, as she and Bryan moved their bags into the kitchen and began putting the items away.
"Alright, you two, what happened?" Tala asked in a brotherly tone; watching the two move around in the room.
Yubel stopped what she was doing, and turned her attention to the red head at the doorway. "Jack and his crew were starting their nonsense again. But not to worry, though, I think Bryan and I made our point that we're someone not to be trifled with." Yubel explained in a simple tone; going back to putting away the rest of her groceries.
Tala gasped in shock and looked over at Bryan. "Is that true, Bryan?" He asked in a firm tone; rolling his hands into tight fists.
Bryan held up his hands in surrender. "They started it! I wouldn't have done anything if Jack hadn't put his hands on Yubel! Not to mention threatening her like he did!" He roared in protest.
Tala turned his eyes back to Yubel. "They did WHAT to you?" He asked in a serious tone; narrowing his eyes at the girl.
"Jack threatened me and back mouthed me about Leo," she said in a weary tone; running a hand through her silver hair, "and like any hothead, I fell straight into his trap."
"What did they say?" Tala asked with a straight face.
Yubel sighed and leaned against the counter. "They basically said that Leo was a loser and said that they'd put me in the hospital."
"Why those dirty little-!" Tala growled through his teeth. "I'll teach them not to mess with you!"
Yubel narrowed her eyes at Tala and folded her arms over her chest. "No, you won't, Tala! Neither will you, Bryan!" She roared angrily; flashing her fangs at the two. "Jack and the Pretty Devils are MY problem! Not yours!"
Bryan took a step back in shock. "But, Yubel! We can't let their threats go unnoticed!" He protested angrily; staring her down.
"Bryan's right, Yubel. You can't keep letting punks like Jack go after you like this! You're only going to burn yourself out. Then when you're at your weakest, Jack and his team will strike you down. Permanently if he gets the chance." Tala warned in a brotherly tone; standing his ground against her.
Yubel shook her head at the two Russians. "I know what Jack's capable of – you two, on the other hand, don't. And on that note, you don't know what I'M capable of, either. And when the time comes, I'll repay them for every dirty thing they've done to me and everyone else they've wronged." She told them in a firm tone; folding her arms over her chest.
She then looked over at Bryan with a deadly smirk. "There's a reason why I'm called, "The Devil's Ghost", Bryan. And once I'm able to Beyblade again, you'll see why, too."
The two boys looked over at Yubel with shock in their eyes. They never seen Yubel so angry or firm in all the time they've been with her. However, something told them that she was still holding herself back quite a bit. And with what they saw right now, they really didn't want to see what would happen if she really let herself go.
"Alright, Yubel. You win. We'll back off. But only on a few conditions." Tala said firmly; folding his arms over his chest.
"Tala!" Bryan tried to protest, but stopped short when he saw Tala give him a warning look.
Yubel ignored Bryan and gave Tala her full attention. "And those conditions are?" She challenged; standing her ground against them.
"Condition No. 1," Tala spoke up; lifting a finger in the air, "you let us help you if Bryan and I feel like you're in over your head. No excuses. We won't let you get hurt when you're so close to recovery. We DO want to battle you at least once, you know?" He countered in a serious tone; not taking his eyes off of hers.
"Sounds fair enough." Yubel said with a nod. "Anything else?"
Tala nodded to her and lifted another finger up. "Another thing I want for letting you handle this whole Jack-situation on your own is to tell us the truth: How did you get hurt in the first place? I think we have earned the right to know given where the three of us came from and we pretty much share the same history after all. It's only fair so that Jack and his little cronies won't be able to use our lack of knowledge against us. Wouldn't you agree, Yubel?"
Yubel scoffed in response. "You two already know how I got hurt. I thought Alex told you that much when you first came here."
Tala shook his head. "Alex didn't really say anything to us about anything. Like what they did to you or how Leo died."
Yubel growled at Tala. "Careful now, Tala…" She warned darkly, "you're about to open a can of worms you won't be able to close."
Tala didn't back down from her warning. "Humor us or there's no deal." He countered her warning with one of his own. "We'll tell Alex and go after Jack ourselves."
Yubel looked over at the two and realized that she wasn't going to win this argument. "Alright, you two. You win. It all started when Leo and I were pitted against each other to see which one of us would be picked to make the final cut for the team… Back in our Abbey, if you failed any kind of test, they'd punish us by sending us to Solitary Confinement. And THAT meant no food or water for weeks on end and especially no contact with others EXCEPT for the officials to pay a little visit every so often. And by "Visit", I mean, beating us down until we CRAWL back to our cells." She said in a darkened tone; folding her arms over her chest and looking up at the ceiling as if she were seeing her past memories played up there. "Most of the time, when you went down there, you didn't come out alive... And when that happened, they'd either throw you out to the wolves, or drop you off the cliff that over looked the ocean."
"Were you ever sent to Solitary Confinement?" Bryan asked in a dreadful tone; keeping his eyes trained on the girl. "And what about Leo? Was he sent there, too?"
Bryan already knew the answer to his question. He could see it in her eyes, as they turned hollow and looked down towards the floor. He wanted – no, he NEEDED to hear her say it. He felt like it would help both of them feel better in the end.
"Yeah, I used to get sent there about least twice a month. But after a while… they realized that their little lessons turned me into a monster…" Yubel explained in a rough tone; clenching her hands into tight fists. "And like any idiot in that place… I played right into their hands…"
"What do you mean?" Tala asked in a confused tone; blinking a few times at her.
Yubel shrugged her bony shoulders at the red headed teen. "Because I knew what would happen if I lost ANY match, I would push myself beyond my limits and destroy my opponents' blades. Leo normally would get sent there because he'd save me from losing. Which is why he's not here with us now… You've heard THAT story once before. He always was the strongest out of the both of us."
There was a brief moment of tense silence between them. The tension was so thick they could most likely cut it with a knife. However, the two boys knew they couldn't stop now that they had in fact opened that "Can of Worms".
"Okay, we get it, Yubel. They seriously hurt you in the worst possible way. We'll back off after this last question. But you have to promise us that you'll answer it truthfully, okay?" Tala said in a brotherly tone; giving her a faint smile.
Yubel looked up from the floor, and gave Tala a weary smile. "Sure, what is it, Tala?" She replied in a quiet tone.
"How exactly did you wind up in the condition you're in now? I guess, what I'm trying to ask is, did Jack have something to do with it? Or was it Brier? Or was it something else?" Tala asked in a serious tone; keeping his focus solely on Yubel.
Yubel fell silent for a moment. "…It's really a memory that I'd rather forget, Tala. But if you really want to know so bad; then I guess I have no choice but to tell you guys what happened." She said in a hollow tone; taking a deep breath to calm herself down.
"It would be nice if we knew what happened." Bryan said in a sympathetic tone.
Yubel leaned against the counter and sighed. "Okay, well, let me start off by saying that Leo was the one who leaked information about what was going on at my Abbey to Alex. It was after our exhibition match and Leo snuck into Brier's office and stole some documents about BIOVOLT. Brier didn't find out about that until it was too late. Leo was just as crafty as I am now…" she explained in a bitter tone; lifting her hands up to look at her bracers, "Brier beat Leo within an inch of his life and threw him out to the wolves. But Leo had just enough strength to make his way to the police station where Alex found him and brought him to the hospital. Of course, Leo didn't make it, but the information that he gave Alex was more than enough to go in and shut down BIOVOLT. However, with the sweets… come the sours…"
She took a few seconds to take in another breath. "Brier somehow found out what Leo had done, and turned on me... He beat me so bad and locked me up in Solitary Confinement. The only way Alex found me was because I was screaming… And could you really blame me? I mean, my arms and legs were shattered, and my spine had fourth degree bruises. I had to have surgery and couldn't walk for a few months. Man, I hated that dumb wheelchair."
Bryan and Tala were shocked to say the least. They knew how horrible BIOVOLT was towards their Bladers. They even had some of the same treatment Yubel had to endure, but they didn't get hurt nearly as bad as she did! It was hard to believe that a girl as kind and gentle as Yubel suffered as much as she did!
Bryan felt like someone had just physically suckered punched him in the stomach, as he watched Yubel look anywhere but at them. He knew that he and Tala shouldn't have pushed her to tell them what happened, but he just had to know what happened to her. She was so nice and patient with them since they've been living with them. He may not have known her back then, but he knew for a fact that she didn't do anything to deserve the abuse and loss she had to go through. It wasn't her fault her brother did what he did.
"That's not fair… None of that should've happened to you OR to your brother." He heard Tala growl in anger. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Yubel."
"And I'm sorry we forced you to tell us about it. It couldn't have been easy for you to talk about it." Bryan said in a shameful tone; watching the girl's bony frame shaking. He could tell it was eating away at her before she told them, but now it looked like she was about to break.
Yubel shook her head and sighed. "I shouldn't be mad at you two for being curious. It's not like you had anything to do with it. And I know that Brier can't hurt me anymore now that he's behind bars… But hopefully, now you two will finally put this whole thing to rest and move on. It happened to me – not you. So, you shouldn't be worried about it."
Bryan shook his head and grinned over at her. "As long as Jack's out there, I'm afraid we'll always worry about you." He said in a slight joking tone.
Tala nodded at Bryan and looked over at Yubel with a serious expression in his eyes. "Bryan's right. As long as he's out there, he'll keep coming after you until he's either stopped or you are no longer able to beyblade."
"Does Alex even know what's going on with you and Jack?" Bryan asked with a raised brow.
Yubel nodded to Bryan. "Oh, he knows. He just can't do anything about it until Jack or the others actually lay a hand on me." She responded in a bitter tone; scoffing at the thought of Jack. "Or if they turn 18."
"Alex may not be able to do anything about it," Bryan said in a dangerous tone; grinning over at Tala, "but we can…"
Yubel shot him a look that told him to back down. "Jack is MY problem and I'll handle it on my own! So, just stay out of it or you'll BOTH suffer the consequences! This is your final warning…" She threatened them in darkened tone that put Kai's warnings to shame. "If you two knew what I was capable of; then you wouldn't try to get in my way."
Yubel sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry for being so hard on you two, but you have to understand where I'm coming from here. I can take care of Jack and his pals on my own. And I promise to let you help IF you think I'm in over my head. Deal?"
Bryan folded his arms over his chest. "I still don't like it…" He said with a low growl.
"I'm not asking you to LIKE it, Bry… I'm asking you to at least let me TRY to deal with them on my own." Yubel protested as she walked over towards the two. "And if it doesn't work; then I swear on Atargatis that I WILL let you guys take care of them for me, okay?"
Yubel stopped in front of them, and gave them a sad smile. "I'm sorry I snapped at you two like that. I was way out of line. I hope you'll forgive me." She apologized.
Bryan gave Yubel a small smile, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just promise us that you won't snap at us like that again, and we'll call it even, okay?" He said in a slight joking tone.
Yubel looked over at Tala and gave him a bright smile. "I promise! Never again will I ever talk back to you guys like that! I give you my word!"
And with that, Yubel threw her arms around both of their necks and gave them a hug. Tala didn't really care too much for the embrace, but he could tell Bryan seemed to enjoy the contact.
"Well, now that everything's out on the table," Tala said; stepping out of the embrace and letting Bryan take a hold of Yubel's waist, "how about we go hang out in the living room while we wait for Alex to come back?"
Yubel smiled gratefully at the two. "Sure thing, red!" She said as she stepped out of Bryan's arms.
So, the trio walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Tala took Yubel's crutches and Bryan helped her down onto the floor. After Yubel was settled down in her favorite spot, Bryan took his place by her side, and Tala sat down at the table across from the two.
"Okay, so what do you two wanna do?" Yubel asked in a sisterly tone; looking up at the clock on the wall. "We've got a few hours before Alex comes home. So, we've got some time before we start dinner. We could talk, or I could pull some games out or whatever…"
Tala looked up at Yubel with a smirk. "I know what we could do!" He declared in triumph; lifting one of his hands in the air.
"I'm all ears, red!" Yubel chirped in a cheerful tone.
"How about we see if there's anything about Beyblading on the T.V.? It might take our minds off of Jack and his lackies!" Tala suggested in a logical tone; looking over at the two for approval.
Something flashed in Yubel's eyes, as she leaned into the coffee table. "I've got a better idea, red!" She protested.
Bryan looked over at the silver-haired girl. "What do you have in mind?" He asked in a curious tone; tilting his head to the side.
Yubel gave the two a wicked smirk and held a finger to her lips. "You'll find out…" She said in a devious tone; pushing herself up from her seat. "Make sure to clear off the table before I get back and we'll get this party started, okay? I'll be right back!"
Yubel put her arms through her crutches and walked over towards the door leading up to her room. She went up to her room and came back down with an old army bag hanging over her shoulder. She then put the bag onto the table and sat back down next to the lavender- haired boy and emptied the contents of the bag onto the table.
A whole lot of Beyblade parts scattered across the table in front of them. Everything from Attack and Defense Rings, to Bases and Spin Gears landed in front of them. It was needless to say that Yubel had enough parts to not only create a whole new Beyblade, but she could very well have a good start on starting her own supply store! The two remaining Blitzkrieg Boys were impressed by her collection.
"Whoa! There's a whole bunch of Beyblade parts here, Yubel!" Tala said in an amazed tone as he picked up a few parts in his hand and looking over at them.
"How did you get your hands on all these parts?" Bryan asked in an impressed tone; doing what Tala was doing and looking over at all the parts in front of him. "How long did it take for you to get all of this stuff anyway?"
Yubel smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Where do you think I went when we went shopping a few chapters back?" She replied in a lazy tone; picking up some parts.
"So, what are we supposed to do with all of these parts anyway? Put Beyblades together with them or something?" Tala asked as he looked up at Yubel.
Yubel looked over at Tala with a sickening smirk. "Well… I thought that since you suggested something about Beyblades, I thought we could either play around with them… Or you could help me upgrade Atargatis's Blade so when the time comes and I finally get my bracers off, I could finally get my revenge on Jack."
"That was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Tala questioned in a surprised tone; his eyes widened when he realized what Yubel was planning. "That's why you've collected all these parts, isn't it?"
Yubel shrugged her shoulders again. "Nah, I collect parts and used to upgrade Atargatis as a hobby." She replied in a lazy tone; picking up a few parts. "However, David, Jack and Tony are into Beyblading as much as I am, and if I know ol' Jack like I think I do. He'll want to come after me the moment I'm able to Beyblade again. And I want to make sure I'm ready for him!"
Tala chuckled at Yubel. "Man, Yubel, you're one twisted chick. You DO realize that, right?" He asked in a teasing tone; giving her a wicked smirk.
Yubel chuckled and held a hand up to her lips. "Don't tell everybody my secrets, Tala…" She warned in a playful tone; causing the two males to laugh even harder. "The stupid looks on their faces when they find that out on their own is priceless."
"Man, Yubel! I haven't laughed this much in so long!" Tala said in a happy tone; giving her a relaxed smile.
"I didn't know I could laugh like that!" Bryan added in a pleased tone; trying his best to get catch his breath.
Yubel rotated her shoulders in an arrogant manner. "What can I say? I'm just full of surprises." She replied in a teasing tone; giving them both a smile so sweet it could give a crocodile cavities. "Anyway, all joking aside, are you two gonna just sit there and watch me upgrade Atargatis? Or are you gonna lend a hand?"
And so, Yubel dug into one of the pockets of her bag and pulled out the familiar gray beyblade. The two males already knew it was Atargatis. They've seen it many times before now. And now they watched her completely take apart her blade.
Bryan watched Yubel pick up random parts and look over at all them. "So, do you have some kind of strategy for going up against Jack?"
Tala leaned closer and picked up a few parts and looked them over. "Yeah, Yubel. What exactly are you gonna do if and when he decides to come after you like you think he will? You've gotta have a plan if you're ever gonna hope to put a guy like him in his place."
Yubel didn't look up from the parts in her hands. "Well, Jack likes to play mind tricks on his opponents. He likes to get under your skin and lets you think you've got him. Then when you're running outta power, he'll destroy your blade to the point where it's beyond repair and has to be remodeled. It's a pretty good strategy if you ask me, but he's got one major weakness that makes him easy to beat if you know what you're looking for."
Bryan raised a brow at the girl sitting beside him. "What's his weakness then?" He asked in a curious tone; looking over at Tala for a moment.
Yubel still didn't look up from her work. "Wearing out your opponent so you can easily beat them may be a good battle plan and everything, but the problem is: wearing out your opponent also wears you out, too. It'd be a draw depending on the blades." She explained in a bored tone; sorting through her parts.
"That's the same tactic that Garland used against me in the BEGA match that one time!" Tala said in an all-knowing tone; helping Yubel sort through the parts.
"So, you're planning on out lasting Jack then?" Bryan said in a thoughtful tone; helping her sort out her parts as well. "If you're gonna do that; then you'd need an Endurance Type Blade for Atargatis."
Yubel looked over at Bryan with a wicked smirk. "I don't really need an Endurance type blade to beat Jack, Bry…" She said in an arrogant tone, "It's been a minute since I last went up against the whole lot of them. So, I'm pretty sure their tactics have changed since then."
Tala shook his head firmly and crossed his arms over the table in front of him. "Based off what you told me about Jack and Pretty Devils," he said seriously, choosing his words carefully, "Jack isn't the type of guy to change his style regardless of the situation. He won't change the way he battles just because you're not with them anymore. I mean, sure, he'll improve his skills and learn stronger attacks, but he won't change his style."
"If that's that case; then I shouldn't have any problems." Yubel in a cold tone; picking up another beyblade base. "I'll just replace the old parts of my beyblade with new parts. I'll stick to my own strategies."
"And what's your strategy?" Tala asked in a curious tone; tilting his head to the side.
Yubel huffed and leaned away from the table. "And have you two use my own tactics against me? I don't think so!" She said in a hasty tone; shaking her head quickly.
Bryan glared weakly at the girl sitting next to him. "We wouldn't do that to you, Yubel!" He protested in a firm tone; leaning closer to her. "We only want to help you!"
"He's got a point, Yubel." Tala said in a brotherly tone; leaning into the table. "We don't betray our friends like that."
Yubel looked over at the two for a moment. "You really think we're friends?" She asked in a confused tone; her ruby eyes widened in shock.
The two males nodded to her and gave her a tiny smile. "Sure we are! I mean, we haven't known each other for very long," Tala spoke up in confirmation, "but during the time we HAVE spent with you and Alex, I feel like we are all family. One big, dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless."
"I don't know what we'd do if anything happened to you, Yubel!" Bryan said with a cheeky smile; bumping her shoulder playfully with his own.
Yubel blushed and looked away from the two in embarrassment. "Thanks, you two. It means a lot that you said that." She said in a quiet tone; not looking up at them.
Tala looked over at Bryan for a moment, and cleared his throat. "Alright, guys. All this mushy stuff is making me want to vomit." He said in a slight joking tone; going back to what they were doing beforehand. "Let's get back to work before Alex comes home and sees us messing with all of this stuff and flips out on us."
"Yeah, we don't want that." Yubel said with a nod; going back to work on her beyblade. "Even though he knows how much we love beyblading and we would never give it up for anything in the world!"
After a few hours of tricking out Yubel's beyblade, Yubel soon fell asleep at the table with all the parts still scattered across the table. The two males were so wrapped up in what they were doing that they didn't notice she had fallen asleep until she fell over against the lavender haired boy sitting next to her.
Tala looked up from his work and grinned over at the sight before him. "She must've worn herself out." He whispered quietly; turning around to look over at the clock behind him. "It's pretty late. Alex should be getting home anytime now. We should clean this mess up before he gets home."
"What are we gonna do with her?" Bryan asked in a concerned tone; shifting Yubel so she laid her head on the table.
"Just let her sleep down here. She'll be fine." Tala replied; gathering the unused parts and putting them back into the bag they were originally in.
Bryan gave Yubel one last look before he helped Tala gathering up the rest of the pieces and putting them the bag. Tala then picked the bag up and put the bag on the stairs leading up to Yubel's room and closing the door. He then turned to Bryan and told him that he was going to make a pizza for dinner since Yubel was sleeping and take a shower before Alex came home.
Bryan agreed to watch the pizza while his friend went to take a shower. He watched Tala pull out the frozen food from the freezer and putting it into the oven. He went over towards the oven and watched the pizza cook like he said he would; but his mind was on a certain silver-haired girl sleeping in the living room.
He thought about the events that happened to her earlier that day. He felt his anger flare up at the thought of Jack's threats and mentally promised himself to keep Yubel as close to him as possible at least until she completely heals. He may not have known those jerks as long as she did, but he knew that Jack meant every word that spilled out of his mouth. He just didn't know how they could still be so loyal to someone as cruel and sick as Brier and Boris.
He came out of his thoughts when he heard a noise coming from the living room, and poked his head into the room. He gasped in fear and shock when he heard Yubel coughing and wheezing in her sleep. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out what was wrong with her. She was having an asthma attack.
He rushed over to her and pulled her into a sloppy sitting position. "Come on, Yubel, wake up!" He cried out in a fearful tone; shaking her slightly.
If he wasn't afraid for her then, he was most certainly scared for her when she wasn't waking up. So, he shook her slightly harder; trying his best to wake her up.
Tala came out of the bathroom and saw what was happening. He gasped in shock and rushed over to the two. "What's going on?!" He demanded in a frantic tone; moving over towards her other side.
Bryan looked up at Tala with fear in his eyes. "She's having another attack, but she's not waking up!" He cried out in panic; looking back at Yubel.
Tala took a deep breath and helped Bryan pick Yubel up and push her against Bryan. "We have to even out her breathing! Hold her against your chest while I go and get her inhaler!"
And with that, Tala jumped up off the floor and darted up the stairs and into Yubel's room to fetch her inhaler.
Bryan watched Tala run up the stairs, and looked back down at the girl in his arms. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist, and began stroking the side of her face with the other; trying his best to calm her down and wake her up.
"Please, wake up, Yubel… Please wake up… come on, Yubel… for me?" He begged her in a pleading tone; tightening his hold on her bony frame.
Tala soon returned with the inhaler in his hands. He then helped Bryan position her to where she was lying flat on her back. He told Bryan to push on her stomach when she exhaled while he placed the inhaler's mouth piece past her lips and would force her to inhale the vapor at the same time.
(AN: I've had that happen to me once! It was SO not fun! Not in the same situation, but I have fallen asleep and went into an asthma attack before. And that's how I have to take my inhaler. Trust me, it's harder than it seems! T.T)
After the two finished giving Yubel her breathing treatment, she seemed to finally have her breathing under control, and woke up. She wasn't fully alert and was still out of it. But the two were used to that.
"What's going on?" Yubel asked in a groggy tone; sitting up from her position on the floor. "What happened?"
"You're okay now, Yubel." Bryan whispered in a gentle tone; rubbing her back gently. "Just go back to sleep."
Yubel only responded by relaxing her body against the table and lying her head on the cold surface. "Thanks, guys…" She muttered in a sleepy tone; snuggling into her arms.
Tala watched Yubel sleep for a moment. "You can't help but feel sorry for her." He voiced his thought out loud; keeping his eyes on the sleeping girl. "I bet she was born with asthma."
"She's just like me with my migraines." Bryan agreed in a thoughtful tone; keeping his eyes fixated on the sleeping girl while rubbing her back as she slept. "She had no idea what was going on…"
Tala took a few more moments in listening carefully to her breathing patterns before he decided that she was going to be alright, and got up from his place on the floor.
"I think she'll be okay now. Let's follow her example and get some sleep. I'll leave a note for Alex so he knows there's food on the stove and what just happened." He said wisely; walking into the kitchen to do what he said he was going to do.
Bryan watched his friend walk away before he looked down at Yubel. He didn't even know when he started moving her hair out of her face until he saw himself performing the action. She had a content smile on her face, and moved closer to his side; mumbling something under her breath as she dreamed.
Bryan looked up at Tala when he came back into the room. "Do you think we should move her up to her room?" He asked in a quiet tone; trying not to wake her up.
Tala looked down at Yubel and grinned down at her. "She seems pretty comfortable where she's at now." He whispered in response; smiling smugly at the other male teen.
"We should be getting to bed, too." Tala said in a brotherly tone; watching Bryan watch over Yubel while she slept through their conversation.
Bryan kept his eyes fixed on the sleeping girl. "I'm gonna camp out here tonight." He said in a determined tone; making himself comfortable next to the girl. "I want to make sure she doesn't have another attack again."
Tala thought about forcing Bryan to get up and go to bed, but saw the fierce look in Bryan's eyes, and decided against it. He shrugged his shoulders and made his way into Bryan's room to get his blanket and pillows for the two.
He returned shortly and handed Bryan his things. Bryan gave Tala a nod of thanks, and Tala just waved him off before heading off to his own room.
Bryan maneuvered the oversized pillow so Yubel's head was lying on top of it, and carefully wrapped the blanket around Yubel's body and pulled her as close to his body as he could. He smiled to himself when he saw that she didn't wake up and snuggled closer to him.
He laid his head next to hers, and watched her sleep while he let his mind wonder for a moment.
'I used to think I didn't need anyone to watch my six when Ian and Spencer left to go back to their families a few months ago,' he thought as he watched the girl sleep, 'but that all changed when I started hanging out with Alex and Yubel… Especially Yubel here. Now, I can't stand the thought of being away from her. She's become the constant I needed to fill the void I've had this whole time. She's become something special to me… I have to have her with me even if it's just for a little while! I'll settle for that much!'
Yubel moan silently in her sleep and moved even closer to Bryan's own body until her upper body was completely under his. Not that he minded. He rather enjoyed the pleasant flutter he was feeling in his heart. He draped his arm over her shoulders and sighed as he leaned over her; putting a tiny bit of pressure on her. He rested his head on hers, and rubbed the exposed skin of her shoulder and let his mind drift off once again.
'I guess Tala was right. I really do like Yubel… and I really DO feel better now that I've admitted it to myself. I don't even care if she doesn't like me the way I do. As long as I get to be with her like this for just a little while longer. Yeah… I think I can live with that.'
And with that, he finally drifted off to sleep with Yubel sleeping peacefully with him; letting his dreams run wild…
Alex returned home after pulling a double shift, he walked through the door and found the two sleeping soundly at the coffee table. At first, he was shocked to see them sleeping the way they did. He even thought they had done something very naughty, but seeing the way Bryan was holding her so protectively, and how Yubel was sleeping so peacefully with him holding her, there was no way they could've done anything of that caliber. They looked like little puppies snuggling closely together to stay warm. It was so cute that he almost felt the need to vomit.
He got his emotions under control and went over to them and wrapped the blanket tighter around them before he went off to the kitchen to get himself something to eat. He smiled to himself when he found Tala's note and put the pizza into the microwave.
"Hey, Alex," A male voice spoke up from the doorframe, "how was work?"
Alex turned around and saw Tala standing at the entrance with a tired smile on his face. "You'll find out when you're old enough, Tala." He answered as he popped the microwave door open. "How long have those two been sleeping there?"
Tala looked over to the clock beside him. "Only a few hours now." He replied with a shrug. "I didn't want to wake them up. So, I brought Bryan's blanket and pillows out for them. And no, they didn't do anything they weren't supposed to."
Alex nodded to him, and took a bite of pizza. Tala waited until Alex finished eating his first slice of pizza before he informed the older man about what had happened while he was away. He told Alex about how Bryan attacked Jack and walked away before he could seriously hurt him and how Yubel was planning to beat Jack if he decided to go after her once she got her bracers off. He also told Alex about her little, "attack" and how Bryan stayed with her so he would be sure she was okay.
"Those stupid little brats! A buddy of mine told me he saw a few kids fighting at the park, but I didn't think it was Bryan and Yubel!" Alex hissed angrily; glaring out the window next to him.
"Calm down, Alex. We've already got it under control. Bryan was just protecting Yubel from getting hurt and we've already got a plan to get Jack and his pals back at what they've done. We're just waiting to put it into action." Tala protested in a calm tone; holding his hand up to stop Alex from going into a rage.
Alex took a breath and calmed down and went over to the fridge to pull out a soda. "So, how is Yubel doing now?" He changed the subject; peeping in on the two sleeping teens in the other room. "How bad was it this time?"
Tala followed the older man's gaze and smiled faintly at the sight. "No, it wasn't as bad this time." He said in an understanding tone. "Bryan and I were helping her mess around with her beyblade. It was a few hours ago. Yubel fell asleep. We decided not to wake her up, I went in here to make a pizza, Bryan helped watch it while I took a shower. I came out and saw that she went into an attack with Bryan trying to wake her up."
Tala took a breath. "We couldn't wake her up, so I went into her room, grabbed her inhaler and Bryan helped me give her the inhaler. She kinda woke up, but then she went right back to sleep."
"Let me guess: Bryan was worried that she might go into another attack and decided to stay with her." Alex deduced in a teasing tone; giving Tala a smirk.
Tala returned Alex's smirk with one of his own. "He really didn't want to leave her side." He told him in a sly tone.
After a few more moments of watching the two, Tala suppressed a yawn, and make Alex chuckled quietly at him.
"It sounds like someone should be heading off to bed." Alex joked in a fatherly tone; nudging Tala in his rubs with his elbow.
Tala yawned once again, and turned away from Alex. "I was just waiting up for you to come home and stop you from jumping to conclusions." Tala said in his own defense.
"Go to bed, Tala, and I will see you in the morning." Alex said in a final tone; giving Tala a slight push towards his room.
And not long after Tala disappeared into his room, Alex turned towards the two sleeping teens in the living room with once last smile on his face. He took his plate and his drink into his room; being as quiet as he could when he walked past them. But not before he quietly wished them a good night…
TPW: Wow! 17 pages! I think that's the longest chapter I ever posted since I started posting my stories here!
T: You sure had a lot happen in this chapter, Wolf.
B: What are you doing? Making up for lost time or something?
TPW: No! I just had a lot I wanted to happen in this one! And before I knew it, BAM! 17 pages!
Y: Hey, I'm not complaining! I'm rather glad she wrote so much! At least we know now that she hasn't forgotten about us, right?
A: That's true. But I'm just glad she remembered to give me some time in this chapter.
TPW: Oh, trust me, Alex, you play a big part in getting the two little LOVEBIRDS together later on!
T: Uh- Bryan? Yubel?
B&Y: What?
T: I think I'd be running if I were you… She might be planning something in that empty space between her ears over there…
TPW: Oh, shut up you! Anyway, sorry it was taking so long in writing this chapter. As you can see… there's a lot of things going on in this one, and I didn't feel the need to split it up. I'll try not to write too much in the future chapters, but I can't promise anything because I like to put in details. Hopefully soon, we'll get to see how much of a badass Yubel is in the stadium! Until next time, Beyblade fans! It's been a real slice! Duces!