Chapter Five: Breaking Down

You can come at me from all sides,

But no matter how many times you come at me,

The outcome will always be the same…

You're either on my side,

By my side,

Or in my way.

Choose wisely…

Bryan woke up feeling relaxed and well rested. He felt light as a feather and like he had been sleeping on a cloud. That is, until he finally remembered last night's events. And he remembered them all at once.

He remembered that he and Tala were helping Yubel with her beyblade modifications. She fell asleep and went into an asthma attack in her sleep and they couldn't wake her up. He remembered being scared for her. However, Bryan couldn't really complain because he got to be closer to her.

He couldn't quite explain the delicious feeling in his heart he woke up mere moments ago. It was something he never felt before and it was completely new to him, and had adjusted rather quickly.

At first, he was upset about Ian and Spencer leaving him and Tala. The Blitzkrieg Boys was the closest thing he had to brothers, and now half of the team was gone. It hurt him to the core to see them leave, and felt like his heart was freezing over.

And then, Alex took both of them into his supervision; where he met the object of his affections. And the ice encasing his heart began to melt. The more time he spent with Yubel, the harder it was to ignore those feelings he got whenever she was around him.

Bryan snapped back to reality, when he felt the girl stirring around beneath him. He looked down and saw that Yubel was starting to wake up and quickly let go of her. He gave her some space, and watched her sit up straight and look around with half opened eyes. He couldn't help but think of how amusing she looked when she wasn't alert. He secretly admitted that he actually liked seeing her in this state.

She blinked a few times, and found Bryan watching her with an arrogant smile on his face. She grinned back at him, and leaned forward in her seat and faced him.

"How are you feeling today?" Bryan asked in a quiet tone, as he watched her stretch her arms. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Yubel's smile fell, and she sat up to face Bryan. "What do you mean?" She asked in a confused tone; rubbing the crust from her eyes. "You know I can't think when I first wake up."

"You had another attack last night. Don't you remember?" He whispered in a calm tone.

Yubel looked forward and stared off into space with her red eyes widened in shock. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry!" She blushed in embarrassment; her shoulders tensing with every breath.

Bryan held his hand up to stop her from rambling. "It's okay, Yubel. You were asleep so you couldn't have really felt it hit you." He explained with an understanding tone. "I'm just glad Tala and I caught you before it fully hit you."

Yubel smiled gratefully at him, and made him look away. "Thanks for having my six, Bryan… it's nice to know that there's still some good left in the world…" She said in a gentle tone; reaching over to touch his hand.

Bryan grinned boyishly at her, leaned slightly into the table. He was about to tell her something, but Tala opened his door and walked out; rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning, guys." He gritted through his teeth; still not fully awake as he scratched his stomach.

"Morning, Tala."

"Good morning, red! Did you sleep okay?" Yubel asked in a sweetened tone; giving him a kind smile.

Tala shrugged his shoulders, and went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. "I slept just fine. Thanks for asking." He replied with a yawn.

He then poked his head out of the kitchen and gave the two teens at the coffee table a teasing smirk. "Though, I'm sure YOU TWO slept a lot better than I did!" He said with a slight snicker in his voice.

Yubel blinked over at Tala, as he just darted back into the kitchen before explaining himself to her. Yubel then turned towards Bryan with knitted brows. However, Bryan just waved her confusion off and said that it was nothing and to not worry about it.

Tala soon came back into the living room with a tray that had their coffee pot, three coffee mugs, milk, and sugar. He poured Bryan his coffee and handed it to him (which he thanked Tala). Yubel took her own mug and poured herself some coffee and added her milk and sugar.

"Thanks for making coffee, Tala! That was very sweet of you!" Yubel said with a bright smile; holding the mug up in the air before she took a careful sip.

"Yeah, thanks, Tala." Bryan said in a flat tone; taking a sip of his own coffee.

Tala shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his coffee. He was about to say something when Alex came running out of his room in a panic; causing the teens to look up at him.

"What's going on, Alex?" Yubel asked in a worried tone; watching him gather his things.

Alex didn't look at either of the teens, as he went about gathering his things. "There's a bunch of kids causing trouble in the park, and I've been chosen to get them under control." He answered Yubel as he put his coat on. "I won't know anything more than that until I get there."

Bryan looked over at Tala for a moment. They had a pretty good idea about who it was that was causing the trouble, and they had a feeling they knew what kind of trouble they were causing. They looked over at Yubel and seen that her eyes had glazed over, and could easily tell she was in deep thought.

"It shouldn't take long for me to wrap it up, guys," the older man said with a weary sigh; walking over towards the table and picking up a coffee mug and pouring himself a cup of coffee, "I promise I'll take you all out for a treat when I get back, okay?"

Yubel looked up at Alex with a cheerful smile. "It's okay, Alex," she said in an understanding tone; waving him off, "Bryan, Tala, and I know that your job is very important. We can't expect you to give us ALL your attention 24/7. You're helping a lot of people with what you do. And the three of us are very grateful to you for everything you've done for us."

Tala nodded in agreement and folded his arms over his chest. "Yubel's right, Alex, your work is far too important to have to watch out for us all the time. We can handle ourselves just fine."

"It's not like you're ditching us on purpose or anything." Bryan added in an honest tone; shrugging his shoulders and leaning backwards on his arms.

Alex looked over at the three smiling teens and gave them a proud smile. "Thanks, kids. That means a lot coming from you three." He said in a fatherly tone; walking over to the door and putting on his shoes.

And so, Alex then stood up and picked up his things. He opened the door and turned around to face the trio with a brave smile. "I should be back before dark, okay? Why don't you go out and check out that new Beyblade store in town? I know you're dying to get back in the stadium, Yubel."

Yubel chuckled nervously and looked away from the older man. "You DO realize you're starting to creep me out with how well you know me, right, Alex?"

And without another word, he hurried out of the house. Yubel watched the door close and waited for the car to start before she finally relaxed her frame.

"Man, Yubel! Alex has totally got you pegged!" Tala said in an arrogant tone; snickering over at the girl sitting across from him.

"I guess so." Yubel said in an unsure tone; leaning over her coffee mug. "It doesn't matter as long as my future opponents can't predict my moves."

There was a tense moment of silence between the three. Tala looked over at Yubel for a moment and looked over at Bryan. It was clear that Yubel was pretty shaken up about what Alex just told them, but they really didn't have much of an idea about how to help her.

Then, Bryan had an idea. "Hey, Yubel? How about we go to that Beyblade store that Alex was talking about earlier?" He suggested in a hurried tone; leaning into the table to look at Yubel in the face.

"It might be interesting to see what kind of parts they have and who knows? Maybe we could find something to help trick out Atargatis while we're there? Not to mention our own beyblades, too." Tala piped in with a shrug of his shoulders.

Yubel looked over at the two males sitting with her. She didn't want to go outside with Jack and the rest of his team out there waiting to cause trouble for them. However, she also knew that she was out-numbered in their debate. So, it was only logical that she go along with them.

'Hmmmm… Tala's got a point there. It might be a good idea to try and get new parts for Atargatis. I need to be ready as soon as my bracers come off. I guess it couldn't hurt to at least take a look around… Still…' Yubel thought to herself.

"What do you say, Yubel?" Bryan asked in a hopeful tone; leaning closer to the girl sitting next to him.

"Well, sure, I wanna go check out that store and everything, but…" Yubel trailed off in an unsure tone; not looking over at the two.

"If you're worried about Jack coming after you; then don't. We've got your six." Tala protested in a brotherly tone; watching the girl closely while trying to figure out what she was thinking. "We'll show them not to mess with you."

"We won't let anything happen to you while we're with you, Yubel!" Bryan urged in a pleading tone. "They won't be able to touch you with us around!"

Yubel sighed and shook her head. "No dice, guys," she said in a firm tone; closing her eyes at them, "Jack and the others have a bull's eye on my back. They have no problems with you two. You can't always be around to protect me. Not that I ever really need any help to start with. Even with my handicaps, I can still battle with the rest of them."

Tala glared angrily at Yubel. "You're going to crush yourself eventually. You DO know that right?" He asked in a concerned tone; folding his arms over his chest. "We won't let you fight them on your own."

Yubel returned Tala's glare with a darker one. "We talked about this yesterday, Tala…" She warned in a cold tone, "…stay out of it…"

Tala held his hands up in defense. "Hey, I AM gonna stay out it," he said in a defensive tone, "I was just saying that you shouldn't be afraid to go outside because of those losers."

"He's got a good point, Yubel. You really shouldn't have to feel unsafe when you go outside." Bryan reasoned in a logical tone; siding with his best friend.

Yubel huffed in annoyance and looked away from the two. "I'm not afraid to go outside!" She said with a growl; glaring a hole into Tala's eyes, "I just don't see the point in going into town when I know Jack is out there waiting to harass me and rattle my chains!"

"Oh, come on, Yubel! You could use this chance to build the strength in your arms and legs for when you get your bracers off!" Tala argued firmly; not backing down from her glare.

"And getting more parts for Atargatis is a bonus!" Bryan added in a cheerful tone; getting up from his seat.

Yubel sighed in defeat and held her hands up in surrender. "Alright, you two. You win. I'll go along with you." She said in a defeated tone; pushing herself up off the floor.

Bryan reached out and grabbed her arm to help keep her steady while she adjusted her weight on her crutches. He smiled at her and watched her move over to the stairs to change her clothes.

"She's a stubborn one, isn't she?" He heard Tala asked in a weary tone; running through a hand through his hair. "I think we made her mad when we called her out about being scared."

Bryan kept his eyes on the door Yubel just went through. "Maybe she shouldn't fight Jack alone after all." He said in a worried tone; looking back at Tala with a dreadful look in his eyes.

Tala lifted a finger to his lips. "Who said we were going to let her in the first place?" He said in a conniving tone; giving Bryan a dangerous smirk.

Bryan relaxed his body and smirked back at Tala. "You've read my mind…" He said in a cocky tone; walking away from his best friend and going into his room to change his clothes.

Tala followed Bryan's example and went into his own room to change and get ready to head out. He wasn't going to leave Bryan and Yubel alone knowing that Jack could be out there waiting to get Yubel alone. And with Bryan's temper and considering what had happened the last time they were by themselves outside, he figured it would be a good idea to play the third wheel and tag along.

The trio finally left the house after they were ready to leave. Yubel managed to pocket her beyblade and launcher as well as her inhaler before she made her way downstairs. She grabbed her gear because it was a force of habit. She never went anywhere without them.

They had actually made it to their destination without any problems. Bryan stayed as close to Yubel as he could and helped her step up on the curve. Tala couldn't help but think Bryan was just using any excuse he could just to have contact with her.

They finally made it to the new store, and Tala ran to the door, and held it open for them. They were greeted by the clerk at the register. The young man at the register looked over at Yubel and gasped in shock, and jumped over at the counter and pushed past Bryan to get to her.

"You're the Devil's Ghost! I'm your No. 1 Fan!" He cried out in delight, as he took a hold of Yubel's hand and shook it forcefully. "My name is Jeremy! Can I please have your autograph?"

Yubel backed away from the clerk and moved over towards her friends. "Uh…" She trailed off in an unsure tone; looking back at Bryan and Tala.

"Hey, you're starting to scare her. Just give her some air, dude!" Tala protested; gritting his teeth and stepping next to her.

The clerk, or "Jeremy" stepped back and held his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry. I guess I got a little too carried away for a moment there." He said with a modest blush; rubbing the back of his head.

"You just took me by surprise that's all." Yubel said in a nervous tone; extending her hand over towards Jeremy. "I just didn't think I actually HAD fans! I mean, I'm not really famous or anything."

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders. "You and your old team were the top Beybladers in the Underground battles! No one could beat you guys! Especially you and Atargatis! She's so beautiful and graceful! Just like you! And when you got hurt… I could almost swear that I felt your pain!" He said excitedly; pulling his own beyblade out of his pocket to show her.

"What are "Underground Battles"?" Bryan asked in a confused tone; looking over at Jeremy.

Jeremy turned towards Bryan with a bright smile. "The Underground Battles are caged matches that have no rules, no penalties, and anything goes! It's like an all-out war and the most brutal opponents gather there! Yubel and the Pretty Devils were the youngest bladers to have ever made it to the top! It's too bad you got hurt before you could go for the BBA World Championship Tournament! I would've really liked to see you and Atargatis go up against the White Tiger X or the G-Revolution! That would've really been something to see!"

The two Russian males looked over at Yubel with shock. She was looking down at the floor. They could tell that Jeremy had opened up a few wounds and she was starting to shut down.

Jeremy gasped and held out his beyblade and a marker. "I know this is out of the blue and all," he said in a nervous tone, "but could you sign my beyblade? Please?"

Yubel looked over at Bryan and Tala and seen them nodding at her. So, she took the blade and marker from Jeremy, and signed her name around the attack ring of Jeremy's beyblade. Once she was done, she handed the items back to him.

Jeremy looked down at the beyblade in his hands and smiled as big as he could. "Thanks, Yubel! This is great! I'll keep practicing very hard to get just as good as you!" He said excitedly as he held the beyblade up to his heart.

Bryan and Tala grinned over at the boy and guided Yubel away from Jeremy. They then looked around the store and started looking through their merchandise. Yubel picked out a few Spin Gears and Attack Rings that she thought she could use.

Bryan then turned to Yubel with a bright smile. "Check this Defense Ring out, Yubel!" He cried out happily; holding the item out for her to see. "It could totally help you win against Jack!"

Yubel looked up from the items in her hands and looked over at Bryan. "Wow, look at that! A titanium Defense Ring! That's a top of the line material for advanced Beybladers!" She said in a excited tone; giving Bryan a happy smile that made his heart skip a beat.

Tala smiled over at himself at the thought of his two friends. He was going through the Spin Gears and found one that was designed to change rotations at will. He found another one that was designed to spin longer.

He then held both of them in one hand, and went over to their Rip Cords and Launchers. He found a Launcher that was similar to his own, and found an improved version. The Launcher was designed to shoot out a pointer and screen to show how much force the beyblader used to pull the Rip Cord and where the opponent's blade would land in the stadium. He figured it would give Yubel an edge and help her in her future battles, and picked it up for her.

After the two finished their selections and went up to the register to pay for their items. However, Jeremy smiled warmly at them and shook his head.

"It's on the house!" Jeremy said in a brotherly tone; pushing their money away.

Yubel looked down at the money in her hand, and looked up at Jeremy with a confused look. "Really? You mean it?" She asked in a confused tone; watching him put all their items in their bags.

"Just promise me that I'll get to watch you and Atargatis battle again soon and we'll call it even, okay?" Jeremy replied in a kind tone; giving her a playful wink.

Yubel looked up at Jeremy with a bright smile. "Well, I just can't say no to my biggest fan, now can I? You've got yourself a deal!" She said as she extended her hand out to him which he gladly took and gave her hand a good shake.

And so, the trio then left the store to go back home and get started in Atargatis's improvements. However, things don't always go according to plan…

They passed by a large group of people with an ambulance and a few police cars parked off to the side. They stopped and made their way towards the crowd and pushed their way through till they came up to the line, and looked around.

Yubel saw Alex standing over by the ambulance with a teen that looked like he had been attacked and was being checked out by a paramedic. She looked around the scene and found a few broken beyblades scattered around with officers taking pictures of the scene. She guessed it was a beybattle that got out of hand.

"Alex!" Yubel cried out from the crowd; getting his attention.

Alex looked over and found his charges standing at the barricade. He finished taking the injured teens' statements, and sent them on their way. He made his way over towards them with a weary smile.

"What happened here, Alex?" Tala asked in a concerned tone; looking around at the scene.

"It looks like a hurricane went through here!" Bryan said in a shocked tone; watching the man closely.

"Apparently, some kids ganged up on those three kids and muscled them into a beybattle. From what two of the three could tell me, the battle got out of control." Alex responded in a worried tone; watching the ambulance zoom off away from the sight.

"That's terrible! Who would do such a thing?!" Tala cried out in horror.

'One name comes to mind…' Yubel thought bitterly to herself; looking down at herself and rolling her hands into tight fists.

"Are those kids gonna be okay?" Bryan asked in a concerned tone; looking up at Alex.

Alex sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure, guys… They were beat up pretty bad. One of them was unconscious and the other two are covered in several cuts and bruises. I'm sure they'll be just fine once the doctor looks at them."

Yubel kept her eyes locked on her shoes and let go of one of her handles to reach out and get a hold of Bryan's sleeves.

Bryan looked down at the girl standing beside him. "What is it, Yubel?" He asked in a concerned tone.

Yubel didn't say anything. She just kept her head hung low, but he could see that she was biting her lip.

"What's wrong, Yubel?" Tala asked as he watched her bottom lip bleed. "Are you okay?"

Alex looked over at Yubel for a moment, and smiled fatherly at her. "Don't worry about those kids, Yubel. I'm sure they'll be just fine." He said in an encouraging tone; reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you three go on home and we'll talk when I get back, okay, guys? Be safe."

Yubel didn't say anything. She let go of Bryan's sleeve and made her way through the crowd. The two male teens didn't need to get inside her head to know what she was thinking. They knew she knew who hurt those kids.

Bryan kept his eyes on Yubel as they made their way towards their home. He looked over at Tala and seen that he was thinking the same thing he was. They both knew that Yubel wanted to go after Jack and his crew. They could see it in her eyes. She looked like she was out for blood. And that was a look the two Russian teens knew all too well.

"Are you okay, Yubel?" Tala asked in a careful tone; watching the girl closely.

Yubel stopped walking and let go of her crutches. "I'm just angry because Jack crossed the line when he attacked those innocent people back there. His fight is with me. Not you, not Bryan, not Alex, just me! He had no right hurting them!" She said in a flustered tone; pulling at her hair.

"That's no excuse to take it out on us, Yubel." Tala said in a brotherly tone; pulling her hands away from her silvery hair.

Yubel sighed and looked over at Tala with sad eyes. "I know, and I'm very sorry, guys. It's just that- Jack is starting to escalate. I mean, what is he gonna do next? Go after small children?! Or the elderly?! And what hurts the most- I can't do anything to stop him!"

Bryan looked over at Yubel with sympathetic eyes. "You'll get your chance when you get your bracers off." He advised in an encouraging tone; taking one of her hands in both of his.

Yubel looked up at Bryan with a hardened glare. "Oh, trust me, Bry… I most certainly will… but what about until then? How far is he gonna go? I'm the only one who knows what they are capable of! I'm the only one who can stop him!" Yubel cried out in an angry tone; fighting the tears back.

Bryan looked over at Tala with a helpless look. He knew Yubel was upset by what happened, but he didn't know what he could do for her. He had never really been one for comforting people who were upset. He couldn't really count last night-Yubel was unconscious so, she had no idea what he was doing.

'Give her a hug.' Tala mouthed at Bryan; giving him a slight nod so Yubel wouldn't notice him.

Bryan looked back at Yubel, and took a step closer to her. He took a deep breath, as he reached out to her. He didn't know how she would react to his advance. He knew her well enough that she would do one of four things.

The first thing she would do, was flinch away from him and punches him for touching her. He knew she was traumatized by her experience in the Abbey. He also knew that she didn't really enjoy being touched when she was upset. She once punched him in the jaw when he tapped her on the shoulder. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and punched him out of reflex. He had to admit that it shocked him, but Alex explained what happened, and Bryan easily and quickly forgave the girl.

The second thing that could happen was that she'd let out all her rage and fall apart. He knew she needed some form of comfort. She was about to reach her breaking point. He knew she kept up a front for him, Tala, and Alex. She did it for them. To keep a level head in dealing with all of their personalities. He knew it wasn't easy for her to keep up that front, but he couldn't do anything about it.

The third thing he guessed Yubel could do is probably freeze up, and go into another attack. And that was the last thing he wanted to do. It scared him more than it could ever scare her whenever she went into one of her attacks.

The last thing he imagined she would do is to return his embrace and she would calm down long enough for them to get home before they got into any trouble. However, he figured that wouldn't be the case given her current mood. No matter how badly he wanted that to happen. But with Tala urging him on, he knew that he had to try.

So, without saying a word, he stepped closer to her, and wrapped her in his arms. He closed his eyes tightly; waiting for her to hit him or pull away, but it never came. She froze up like he thought she would, but she soon gently laid her head on his shoulder, and pulled her arms around his waist. She sighed and closed her eyes; inhaling his musky scent while she tried to get her temper under control.

Bryan loved the feeling of having Yubel in his arms. He just didn't like the reason why she was there. However, he realized with his growing feelings towards the girl, he didn't care how she would end up in his embrace, as long as he got to hold her. That's all that really mattered to him. As wrong as it was…

Tala looked around and noticed a few people were staring at them, and cleared his throat; getting the two teens' attention.

"I'd hate to make matters worse, guys," he spoke up in an uneasy tone; gesturing to their audience, "but I think it would be wise to finish in a more… private location, don't you?"

Yubel looked around, and noticed all the eyes watching them. She looked up at Bryan with a weak smile. "Tala's right. We need to get out of here before I do something I'm gonna regret." She said in a wise-cracking tone; her smile growing bigger by the second.

Bryan let one of his arms slide down to his side, and the other spun him around to her side; picking up her discarded bag of Beyblade parts. Tala darted out in front of them to try and give some time to themselves.

"Thanks for the hug, Bry…" Yubel whispered quietly to him; pushing forward with Bryan guiding her down the street. "I guess I really needed a hug."

Bryan smirked down at the girl, and pulled her closer to him. "I was actually surprised that you didn't punch me in the jaw like I thought you would!" He said in a joking tone; rubbing the back of his head.

Yubel flushed crimson, and pushed Bryan away. "Are you still going on about that?! I told you I was sorry!" She cried out playfully; causing both of them to laugh.

Bryan smiled playfully at the girl, and pulled her closer to him. "I couldn't resist giving you a hard time, Yubel." He said in a mocking tone; hooking his arm around her shoulder, and pulling her along with him.

Tala turned around and smiled an innocent smile at the two. "He's got a point, you know?" He said in a teasing tone. "You DO make it easy for us to tease you."

Yubel looked back at Tala with a dangerous smirk. "That's okay, boys," she said in a dark tone; cracking her knuckles, "I'll get my revenge on Jack for his wicked ways; then I'm coming after you two. And I'll get you when you least expect it!"

Bryan laughed out loud and returned Yubel's smirk with an arrogant one of his own. "I think we can take you." He said in a cocky tone; pulling her along with him.

"I don't know, Bryan…" Tala teased in a mock-unsure tone; giving the boy a weary took, "she can be a vicious little midget when she gets mad."

Yubel giggled and kicked some snow at Tala's back. "Keep it up, wolf-boy! You'll be first on my list! Just you wait!" Yubel cried out happily; laughing when she saw Tala run up towards their house…