I'm soooo sorry for the incredibly long wait. I've just been so busy with the end of school, and then the summer. Movies, amusement parks, sleepovers, etc. I'll try to undate faster, but I've also had horrible writer's block and I only have two more chapters written. :sigh: Anyway…

Disclaimer: I've got a radio, a fake mouse, some dust and…half a bagel. Whoops. No Beyblade. Oh, well, on to the story!

Chapter 9

Kai heard Aeris' words and saw the beam shoot toward her. His first instinct was to push her out of the way, but her eyes stopped him.

Even now, she didn't want him to get hurt. Though she had no hope for herself, she believed he could still escape.

Kai's gaze returned to the swirling blue light. As it came rushing down, it took form, like a bitbeast.

The Spirit of Ice was a bird. Its wings glimmered and flowed like water. While its beak and talons were sharp like jagged icicles. It called out as it flew toward them, its song like the wind whistling around snow-covered tree limbs and icicles.

Suddenly, the red light shot down from where it had been circling. It took form. The Spirit of Fire was a wolf with red-streaked black fur. Surrounding its paws, tail and body flowed orange-red flames. It glared at them all with fiery red eyes as it blocked Ice from reaching Aeris. (1)

Ice screeched again, this time, though, it was the terrible scream of fingernails on a blackboard (or ice, in this case). Fire stumbled, ears pulled back, in a daze. It was only for a moment, but Ice got around the wolf and resumed its course toward Aeris.

Ice circled, examining its soon-to-be host, then dove at her once again.

Except it was blocked yet again.

A wall of flames blocked Ice from moving forward. The fire, however, didn't come from the wolf, but from the red phoenix hovering nearby.

Dranzer screeched a challenge to the other bird. Ice returned the call.

"Dranzer, attack!" Kai shouted.

"Kai! What are you doing?" Aeris yelled.

"Aeris, they're basically just bitbeasts, which means they can be fought."

Aeris was silent for a moment. Then she smiled and looked at her blade. "Maybe you're right," she said.

Kai watched as she took out her launcher, loaded the blade, and pulled the ripcord. The blade spun in front of her.

"Sudri!" she called. "Let's show who's the stronger wolf!"

From out of the beyblade came a tornado of wind and blue light. Then, the white wolf materialized. It growled at the flame-coated wolf. Fire (the wolf) leapt at Sudri, teeth bared.

The separate battles ensued for a time that no one was sure of. Eventually, though, Sudri and Dranzer began to tire and the stronger Spirits had the advantage.

In a swift movement, Ice pecked at Dranzer and blew a blast of icy air into its eyes. With the phoenix stunned, Ice flew toward Aeris' blade.

Aeris saw the incoming bird, as did her bitbeast. Sudri unleashed a blizzard of wind and sleet at the Spirit, but it did hardly anything.

The white wolf yelped as the Spirit entered Aeris' beyblade and their bond was greatly weakened.

"No!" Kai shouted. Dranzer gave a warning cry. He looked up just as Fire entered his blade.

("If a mime and a lawyer were drowning and you could only save one, would you have lunch or go to a movie?")

Aeris could barely feel Sudri. It was like the wolf was just a dream, or a forgotten memory. She looked over at Kai, who seemed to be feeling the same way she was.

Glancing around desperately, Aeris looked for her bitbeast, but couldn't see her anywhere. Her beyblade lay motionless on the ground.

She picked it up and noticed that instead of Sudri's image on the bitchip, there was the picture of a bird of ice. She shivered. The Spirit had kicked her own bitbeast out of her blade!

Kai walked over to her, his beyblade in his hand. Aeris looked at it. The bitchip no longer showed Dranzer, but a black wolf, streaked in plumes of fire.

"Dranzer's gone, too," she mumbled.

Kai nodded. His fist clenched around his blade. "Damn Spirits!"

Aeris looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're the one who said not to give up. So what do we do now?"

The tornado around them was dissipating and soon gone altogether. Tyson, Ray and Max were no where in sight. Most likely they'd taken cover from the cyclone.

Kai watched the dust clouds slowly settle back to the ground.

"I don't know," he muttered, staring numbly at the black wolf that had taken Dranzer's place.

"Kai?" Aeris peered at her friend's listless expression.

"Dranzer's gone…" he murmured.

"Yeah, we established that. Sudri's gone, too."

Kai wasn't listening. Dranzer had always been with him. Even when Kai had Black Dranzer, the loyal phoenix still stayed by him.

Now, however, Dranzer was gone. Kai could no longer feel his warm presence. He was just…gone.

Aeris peered at her friend's crimson eyes, full of emptiness.

"Kai?"

"…gone," Kai breathed, so quietly Aeris had to lean forward to hear him.

Aeris' brow furrowed in concern. "Kai, Dranzer is gone, but not for good. You said not to give up hope, well now I'm telling you. We are still here. We can fight. And when the Spirits are destroyed, Sudri and Dranzer will come back to us." She looked at Kai, eyes shimmering with renewed hope and determination. "I know they will."

Kai's eyes focused back into reality. He stared at Aeris. Now, she seemed more like when she was younger. No longer beset (2) by fear and doubt, her face glowed with the will of her spirit. Seeing her like this made Kai smile.

"Alright," he said. "If we're going to defeat these creatures, we'd better figure out how to do it."

Aeris nodded and got into a deep thinking pose. Then she began pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and-

"Will you cut that out!" Kai shouted. "I'm trying to think."

Aeris stopped and sat down. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes in concentration.

After about ten minutes, she opened one eye and, looked at Kai. He looked back at her.

Grinning sheepishly, Aeris admitted, "Maybe this is going to take longer than I thought."

End of Chapter 9

(1) Please note that normally Fire is in a very good mood. (He's got a sense of humor, too.) He's just pissed off at Ice right now.

(2) More expanding vocab! Mwahahahaha!

--Review please!