Okay, here's the next chapter! By the way, this is rated M because there's hopefully going to be swearing, rape and mental disturbances in later chapters. If I write it right.

The blue beyblade skipped through the cold grey streets, taking every corner with ease. Kai yawned and recalled Dranzer to his hand. He stood still for a few minutes, not noticing the light drizzle that began to fall. He hadn't slept since he had started dozing in the hospital, four days ago. Ray was back with them now, more through sheer pleading than actually being ready to be discharged, and still needed to rest most of the time. Max had recovered from the violent stomach bug that Tyson had finally noticed when he couldn't get into the bathroom for five hours solid, although he was still feeling slightly shaky. So far so good, no one else had caught it yet.

He yawned again, and started jogging in the direction of the hotel. Suddenly, someone ran past him, shoulder-barging him violently. He staggered, recovered, then spun around and swore loudly at them. As they disappeared round the corner, he swore again and prepared to walk on. His foot nudged against something and he looked down automatically.

His eyes widened. He tried to walk on, but he couldn't move, fixed to the spot. As he forcibly stopped himself from hyper-ventilating, his hand stretched out, ignoring his brain's frantic commands to pull away. His hand closed around the object and brought it to eye level.

Kai stared at the dark object for ten, long, unwillling seconds, fighting a fierce internal battle with himself. Slowly, a familiar feeling began to creep into his mind.

Just once won't hurt, will it?

Just the once... He shivered, trying to tear himself away. Failing again, he watched as if it was someone else who loaded the new beyblade into his launcher and ripped the cord through with a violence he had almost forgotten.

Almost...never quite...it had still haunted his dreams every night since he was eight.

His lips curved in a vicious smile and he recalled the beyblade to his hand, some inner instinct compelling him to keep Dranzer in his pocket. He turned on his heel and began to walk back to the hotel.

"Oh, Kai, I was looking for you! Listen, I was thinking-"

"I'm busy." Kenny blinked in surprise at Kai's curt tone, but recovered swiftly.

"I was just suggesting-"

"I'm busy, Kenny. What part of that don't you understand?" Kenny took a few steps back as Kai's eyes bored into him, a look of cold anger on his face. His ever-fertile brain started working furiously, turning up nothing. Unknown to him, he was shying away from the truth, rejecting it as an impossibility. He let out a sigh of relief as Kai turned away, going into his bedroom.

Kai smirked nastily. Kenny was so easy to intimidate it almost wasn't worth the time. Especially with what he was holding. Slowly, almost reverently, he drew the black beyblade from his pocket, staring at it.

Black Dranzer stared back. It seemed to Kai that the bit-beast's dark eyes gleamed with recognition.

The strongest bit-beast ever. The one that he had longed to posses for seven years was now in his grasp, and this time, there was no bothersome grandfather around to tell him what to do with it, no interfering brats around to persuade him away from it. He stood up and fitted it to his launcher.

"Go, Black Dranzer." he whispered, stroking the launcher lovingly.

Thin tendrils of black curled up from the bit-chip, forming into the shape so similar to Dranzer that for a second, Kai felt his resolve falter. It was stronger than Dranzer, he reminded himself. Stronger in every way, more powerful than anyone could imagine. And it was his. He blinked, aware of a change taking place in the dark phoenix.

The bit-beast disappeared in the midst of the thin tendrils again, Kai gritting his teeth against the feeling of power filling the room as the blackness vibrated and flashed with as many hues as he could name and some that he couldn't. Finally, it stopped. Out of the tendrils came a very different bit-beast.

A tall woman stalked over to Kai and stood in front of him. Their eyes locked. It was a vicious battle of wills, but Kai's will was stronger, energised by his desire to posses this bit-beast. It would not control him, he would control it. Slowly, the woman bent to one knee and bowed her head.

For now. she said silently.

"Hello, Master Kai." Her voice was sultry.

"Who are you?" Kai's voice was cold. The woman stood, allowing Kai to see her properly.

She was very tall, over a head taller than him. Her skin was dead white, the white of snow, of corpses. Straight black hair hung to her slim waist. She was wearing a long black dress that reached down to the floor, empathsing every perfect curve. Her eyes were black, with no pupil or iris.

In answer, she went over to the bed and sat down on it.

"You see, Master Kai," she began, beckoning for Kai to sit next to her. He narrowed his eyes and remained where he was, suspicious. She shrugged carelessly. "You see, every bit-beast has a human form. This is mine, that's all."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Kai asked flatly. She looked at him and gave a slow smile.

"You don't." she answered lightly. Suddenly, she stood up and walked over to him. Kai stared up at her, refusing to budge an inch. With another slow smile, she brought her head down and kissed him fiercely. Her lips were cool and soft, the touch of them intoxicating. Kai wrenched himself free, glaring up at her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"How dare you!" he hissed, fury making his body shake. Black Dranzer blinked, looking supremely unconcerned.

"Oh, come now, Kai." she said softly. "Don't tell me you've never been kissed before." She smirked. Kai bit back a gasp at how similar to his own smirk that had been. "Not with what your grandfather's like." Kai faced her, his iron-clad will boring into her.

"You will not do that again without my permission." he said quietly. "You are a bit-beast, Black Dranzer, you will obey me!" His voice rose to a commanding shout. Black Dranzer semed to shrink, walking back towards the beyblade that was lying on the floor. She look over her shoulder seductively, her legs already disappearing into little flashes of light, to be sucked into the beyblade.

"Call me Phoenix."

Her voice hung in the air long after she had gone. Kai shook his head to try and clear it, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Black Dranzer had a human form? He ran over the kiss in his mind, his whole body freezing when he realised that he was replacing the bit-beast with Ray. With an audible gasp, he tore his mind away. Walking over to the bedside cabinet, he reached into a drawer and took out a packet of sleeping pills. He wouldn't sleep without them, and he needed every sense alert if he was to control this new, more powerful Black Dranzer. Because she was more powerful, without a doubt. Even as he had bent her to his will, he had felt her straining against him, trying to break free. He would have to be very careful.

Voltaire Hitwarti stared at the large glass tube, inside which a figure was forming. He gave a cold smile in greeting.

"Hello, Phoenix." The bit-beast nodded in acknowledgement. "How did it go?"

"Very well, my lord." Phoenix answered smoothly. "He can only just control me when he is at full strength. I should be able to...persuade him...quite soon."

"And how will you lower his strength?" Voltaire questioned.

"All I need to do is catch him when his guard is down, which should be relatively easy. He has become accustomed to worrying about his team mates. Also, I think that he feels something more for Driger's partner, Ray." Voltaire let out a hiss of anger and slammed his hand against the desk in front of him.

"Damn it! I am not having my grandson turn into a faggot!" he swore.

"Like you? Oh, I forgot. You're not a poufder, you're a paedophile." Voltaire brought his head up sharply, his coldly furious glare telling Phoenix that she had gone too far. "I was just saying..." she murmured, averting her eyes in submission. If Kai's will was strong, his grandfather's was ten times more so, honed by decades of pratice.

"I think," Voltaire continued, discarding his anger, "that you are underestimating Kai. The boy doesn't change his mind easily." Phoenix laughed softly, starting to disappear again.

"Do you really think that he can resist me for long?" she whispered, her disembodied voice hanging in the air. Voltaire rubbed his knarled hands together excitedly. His plan was going perfectly.

Kai opened his eyes and lay still for a few minutes, groggy from his his heavy sleep. With a slight groan, he swung himself upright and got dressed swiftly. As he pulled his dark tank-top over his head, his eyes fell on the black beyblade, lying in the middle of the floor. He looked away, a slight feeling of unease enveloping him, a knowledge that he should not have done what he had done. He walked out of the room, needing to take his mind off the temptation to pull the ripcord again.

"Morning, Kai." Ray struggled upright in bed. Kai nodded absentmindedly as he sat down on the bed next to him. "How are you?" Ray asked.

"Fine." Kai answered curtly, slipping easily back into his usual pattern. "You?" Ray shrugged, then winced and stopped.

"A bit achy here and there, but I've been worse."

"That's good."

"Yeah." Kai could feel Ray looking curiously at him, wondering why he seemed so distracted. "Pass me my crutches, would you, Kai?" Kai obliged.

"Why?"

"Because I'm starving, and fed up of Tyson eating my breakfast before he reaches the door." Kai chuckled quietly and helped Ray up and into the crutches. As they walked towards the door, Ray's legs suddenly gave way beneath him and he fell. Kai caught him before he hit the ground.

"Are you all right?" he said softly, all too aware that they were less than four inches apart.

"Yeah..." Ray's reply was even softer. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Kai slowly brought his hand up to cup the side of Ray's face. Ray did nothing to resist, moving a little closer, as if in encouragement. Kai leaned forwards, closing the remaing gap between them and gently pressed his lips to Ray's. He pulled away almost instantly, memories of Phoenix bending down to kiss him flashing through his mind. He was soiled, dirty, he shouldn't be anywhere near Ray. He had been kissd by his own bit-beast, how disgusting was that? He stood up, pulling Ray with him.

"I'm sorry." he muttered. Ray looked at him, bewildered by the sudden change.

Did he mean sorry for kissing me? Ray wondered. If he knew how long I've wanted that for... He reached for Kai again.

Kai moved away, steadying Ray with an outstretched hand. "I'm not worth you." he whispered. Confused, Ray reached out a hand mone last time, his eyes pleading.

"Kai, what's wrong?" Kai's face closed up, the barriers that they had all worked so hard at getting down pulled back up and as strong as ever.

"Nothing." he said curtly, turning away. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Oh, poor Ray! And poor Kai, of course, but this is nothing compared to what I've got in store for him! (grins evilly)