A/N: Like I said, a treat for you guys! See? It's the third chapter already!

Mei: Wheee! To all those who've stuck with us this far - you know who you are! - domo arigatou gozaimasu!

Disclaimer: ...I don't think so...

Chapter 3: Meeting

"Kai."

Kai looked up from the book he was reading. "What is it, Ojiisama?" he inquired, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Souchirou put down his newspaper – the business section, as usual – and stood up to approach his charge.

"We'll be going home in a few days. However, that doesn't mean that you and Yuriko-san won't be seeing each other anymore."

"But, if we're leaving-"

"Allow me to finish. Kai, I've arranged for Yuriko to stay with us while her grandmother goes on another trip, one connected with the planned merger."

Kai's eyes widened. "Nani! You arranged for her to stay with us?"

"It's the only way you two can get to know each other better."

"You expect me to attend to her and show her around?"

The gray-haired Hiwatari shook his head in amusement. "Kai, have you forgotten? Yuriko-san lives in Tokyo, just as we do; she doesn't need a tour guide. However, I would like for you to introduce her to those…err, teammates of yours. That way, they'll get used to the idea of you being with a girl."

"I was never with her in the first place!" Kai retorted, crossing his arms. "Both you and Takenoichi-sama forced us together."

"I do this for the good of the family business, Kai." Souchirou stood up, towering over his grandson. "I can see that you've made no room in your life for relationships-"

"I don't see why I should. I mean, you broke off the only real relationship I've ever had – the one I had with Dad."

"Enough."

Kai stopped and glanced up at his elder; Souchirou's eyes had narrowed, and he was glaring down at him. Apparently, he didn't like being reminded of what he had had to do years ago, when Kai was only nine or ten.

"You will do as I say, Kai." The elderly Hiwatari's voice had hardened, an indication that the slate-haired teen was not to take him lightly. "This is not a request."

"Hai." Kai replied sullenly. He went over to the chair he'd been sitting in, snatched up his book, and stalked off upstairs.

"Nani?" Yuriko fairly shot upright in her chair when she heard the news. "I'm to stay with Hiwatari-sama and Kai-san? Dakara…doushite isshou ni ikimasen?"

Miyuri Takenoichi sighed, stood up, and went over to her granddaughter. "Yuriko, I can't keep leaving you in the company of servants; you need to be with other people your age, like Kai. Souchirou told me that Kai is quite willing to introduce you to his circle of friends."

"That's not the point!" Yuriko shot back, wrenching away from her grandmother's hand. "I believe I'm old enough to accompany you; I am sixteen, after all."

"It's already been decided, Yuriko-"

"Without at least consulting me?"

"I – we thought it could be…a surprise."

"Gee, thanks, Grandmother. I'm touched." Yuriko finished with a huff and sat back down, crossing her arms over her chest.

Miyuri frowned and glared down at the auburn-haired teen. "Yuriko, don't be difficult at a time like this! And that behavior! How childish! I expected more from you!"

"Well, don't you think you're expecting too much from me?" Yuriko retorted, looking her grandmother fiercely in the eye. "At least my trainers don't push me so hard! At least they understand!"

"Do not remind me about your-"

"My past? My abilities? My family?" Yuriko rolled her eyes. "Why? Does it make you feel…inadequate, somehow?"

The elder's blue eyes became icy, and she narrowed them at her charge. "I warned you not to speak to me that way…"

"So do whatever you want to me as punishment. It doesn't make a difference to me." Yuriko turned away and made for the door. "I'll be in my room if you want anything." She said curtly.

And she was gone.

Miyuri sank back into her chair, shaking her head. "That child…"

"I'm glad you decided to join us after all, Yuriko." Souchirou said, gazing warmly at the sixteen-year-old.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay with you, Hiwatari-sama." Yuriko replied, smiling.

It was a week-and-a-half after both teens were informed of the 'circumstances', and they were now more or less used to the idea.

"Don't worry about a thing, Yuriko," Souchirou was saying, reaching for his laptop. "While you're with us, just think of our house as yours, and feel free to use the facilities as you wish."

Yuriko inclined her head slightly, since she could not execute a proper bow. "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Hiwatari-sama."

The rest of the trip back to Tokyo – around two hours – passed in silence. Yuriko had fallen to 'free sketching' along the way, but had quickly gotten bored. For the purple-eyed teen, it seemed that she had just dropped off to sleep when someone shook her gently awake. "Yuriko-san, we're here."

Amethyst orbs snapped open to behold crimson, and the auburn-haired teen sprang back in her seat.

"K-Kai-san!" she said, forcing herself not to blush at how close their faces had been; it wasn't that she liked him, just that she had never been that close to a boy her age before. "What is it?"

"We've arrived." Kai repeated himself, glancing at the sketchpad she held in her hands. Yuriko quickly noticed and closed it abruptly; she knew she was good, but still felt wary of sharing her works with anyone save her grandmother.

"So you like sketching." Kai said, trying to break the ice, under orders from his grandfather. He reached into the open trunk, brought out a duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. He then reached back inside and brought out a dark gray suitcase and small, black duffle bag. "These must be yours." He said simply, handing the duffel bag to the girl and keeping the suitcase for him to carry.

"Thank you," Yuriko said as she accepted the bag and slung it over her own shoulder. "And, yes, you're right, I do enjoy sketching every now and then. It helps to ease any tension one might be feeling, and it's also a great way to express oneself."

"Sou desu ka…" Kai said, still unsure of what to say. He stared off at the mansion he called 'home', gazing absently into the still-vacant windows on the upper floors. The usual thoughts entered his mind – that the mansion always seemed so cold and threatening whenever he returned from a trip, either by himself or with his elder, and that it was far too big for only two people and several servants to live in.

"Anou…" Yuriko began. She felt uncomfortable being left alone with the stoic, slate-haired teen, especially when it was this quiet. "I heard that you, um…were captain of the blading team for Japan."

"I still am."

"So…are there any tournaments coming up?"

Kai shook his head. "None at the moment, but we meet regularly to train together, purely for improvement."

"Oh." The amethyst-eyed girl stared down at her shoes as they alternately slapped the pavement. "Well, I…I would like to see one of these…'training sessions' of yours. May I…may I come along?"

Kai looked down at her for a split-second before taking a deep breath and then replying. "Well, I am already under orders from Grandfather to keep you company – your grandmother told me that you're not exactly the sociable type and prefer small groups."

"I…see…"

"So, I have no choice but to take you with me. They do have a right to get to know my fiancé."

Yuriko looked up, startled. "Wha-?" she began, and then she glanced back down again as she remembered. "Oh, yeah…that."

Once more, the pair fell to silence as they walked the rest of the distance to mansion.

"Ah, Miss Takenoichi." A rather tall, graying manservant greeted as both teens crossed the threshold into the receiving room. "I was simply instructed to escort you to your room." Here he bent slightly and took the suitcase from Kai – apparently, he knew which luggage was whose – and then turned around quite stiffly. "This way, please." With that, he started walking down the hall. Yuriko could do nothing but hurry after him, otherwise, she was sure she'd get lost in the various hallways within the Hiwatari mansion.

Kai gazed after the pair of retreating backs for several more minutes, his mind still on what he had discovered at the chateau; finally, he, too, started off down the hall until he came to the massive central staircase that led to the second floor; his room was located there, as was the library, the master bedroom, and his grandfather's study. The guest rooms were on the third floor.

Kai sighed as he began to mount the stairs. He knew that tomorrow, he and Team BBA would be meeting at their usual venue – the Kinomiya dojo – and that, deep inside, he'd much rather leave Yuriko to her own devices. He didn't want to be seen bringing a member of the opposite sex, much less introduce her to his teammates as his fiancé. But he'd given his word, and he had to follow through.

"Darn…" Kai muttered as he threw off the covers almost irritably. Sunlight was streaming through the now-open curtains of his bedroom. Last night had been pretty quiet – not much of a difference from when it was only him and his grandfather, and he'd spent a better part of the evening willing himself to go to sleep, to stop dwelling on his teammates possible reactions when they knew. He'd finally fallen asleep at half past two in the morning, and even then his sleep wasn't sound – he kept wishing that tomorrow didn't have to come.

Unfortunately, it already had.

Shaking his head to clear sleep from his brain, he walked over to his closet and picked out a black tank top with a stenciled flame design on the back, baggy gray pants, and his ever-present white scarf. It was warm outside, but that didn't necessarily mean that it wouldn't get colder later in the day. Finally, he grabbed a towel from the upper drawer and entered his private bathroom.

Buzzzzz…

"Huh? What wazzat?" Yuriko mumbled sleepily as she poked her head out from under her coverlet. She glanced slowly from side to side, still not quite awake, until she spotted the alarm clock on the side table. She checked the time: a quarter past seven. "Why in the world would I set the alarm this early?" she asked herself, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side.

"Oh, yeah…" She ran a hand through her auburn waves as she remembered. "I'm supposed to go with Kai today, since he's going to introduce me to his friends." She yawned and stretched, then went over to the dressing table provided for her. She grabbed a brush and began straightening out the tangles that came with sleeping and having long hair.

How will they react, though? She wondered as she replaced the brush and wandered over to the closet; she began rifling through the various clothes hanging there. I mean, Kai is probably the most serious, quiet teenage boy I've ever met, and he doesn't seem the type to easily fall in love…what will his friends think when they find out he has a fiancé, even if it isn't of his own choosing?

Finally, she held out a silver-gray racer back tank top, a red off-shoulder top with flared sleeves, and a pair of pants – dark blue at the top and growing lighter towards the bottom.

Might as well look presentable…she thought vaguely as she gazed at the outfit laid out on the bed.

She glanced towards the clock and found that she'd spent nearly twenty minutes just choosing what she'd wear. Oops…

Hastily, she grabbed a towel from her still-open suitcase and hurried out the door towards the guest bathroom.

"Well, you're finally ready…" Kai said dryly as he watched Yuriko half-run down the stairs to the main hall.

"Gomenasai…" Yuriko said quietly. "I hadn't realized that it was nearing a quarter past eight already…"

"Whatever…" Kai said, starting off down the hall and leaving the amethyst-eyed teen to catch up. "Now, let's go. I don't want to be the last one there."

"Hai…"

Soon they were quite far from the estate, yet neither one had said anything. Yuriko got considerably uncomfortable with the silence and took a deep breath, ready to make another attempt at conversation. She looked up at the slightly taller teen.

And instantly felt a stab of sympathy for him; the slate-haired teen looked like he'd barely gotten any sleep. But he was trying not to let that show.

She glanced down at the sidewalk. "Kai-san, I'm sorry if you didn't sleep well last night because of me."

Kai glanced at her, surprised that she'd guessed.

The auburn-haired teen took another deep breath and stared straight ahead, not sure of what would happen if she were to look at her companion. "I mean…it must be hard to…come to terms with what happened…back at the chateau. I can imagine how…strict you must be with your teammates, and I can tell that you're…more than a little apprehensive about how they'll react."

"Apprehensive?" Kai said, practically grinding out the word.

"I…don't mean in a bad way; its just that I can tell from your attitude towards me that you'd treat your teammates almost the same way, and that they're used to your being a…a loner, I guess. Last night, you must have been going over the possible reactions they might have…"

Kai didn't reply; neither did he look at her. Yuriko sighed.

"WHAT?" Kinomiya Takao sat straight up when he heard the news. "No way!"

"I need to get my ears cleaned…" Mizuhara Max said, sticking a finger in his ear to emphasize his point.

Kai sighed, arms in their customary position. "Stop joking around; I know I'm not…unfortunately."

Rei Kon leaned forward. "But Kai…you're sure your grandfather means for this to happen?"

"When my grandfather announces something, it's considered final; there's no changing of plans."

Dark brown, floppy-haired Kyouju only blinked, while the girl beside him – Tachibana Hiromi – who had the same color hair as the bespectacled teen, went stiff with shock.

Did…did he say…fiancée?

Team BBA had decided to meet at the Kinomiya dojo, and as soon as everyone had gathered, Kai told them about the 'surprise'. Now he was unsure if he had made the right decision of telling them before they began training – neither one of them didn't look like they would be able to concentrate much.

Yuriko looked at her lap, embarrassed. She felt like she somehow didn't belong, like she had intruded upon private property.

"But…won't that take you away from training and stuff?" Rei was saying. He was obviously concerned for his captain and shared his thoughts, because as soon as he said this, Kai closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "I know, but you know I can't do anything to waver his decision once its been made."

"Hey, its no big if Kai misses a few training sessions or two," Takao said, half-laughing. "At least he won't be able to push us around much."

"Hmm…you have a point there, Takao…" Max said, grinning. He glanced at Yuriko. "Anyway, Kai, I don't see why you're complaining. I mean, she seems a nice enough girl. Pretty, too."

Yuriko blushed and smiled. It wasn't very often that she received comments like that, and she got embarrassed whenever she did receive one.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she sensed someone watching them from the inner garden. She stood up quickly and mumbled a quick 'Excuse me,' before running off down the wraparound porch the dojo sported. Everyone stared after her.

"What was that about?" Takao said, turning back to his captain in time to see the crimson-eyed teen take off after Yuriko. "Kai?"

Rei stood up. "I think we ought to follow them." Everyone followed suit and ran towards the inner garden. When they got there, the first thing they saw was Kai standing stock-still on the porch and staring at something.

"Hey, Kai! What's wrong?" Takao asked as he ran up to the slate-haired teen, closely followed by his friends. Kai kept staring at that something, so Takao turned to look, too. What he saw made him gasp.

"Whoa!"

Yuriko was engaged in a battle with a black-clad, menacing-looking person with either black or charcoal brown hair – Takao couldn't tell which one it was. That she was fighting someone probably twice her age was shocking enough, but to add to that, he was throwing small objects at her, which she dodged quite expertly.

"What is she doing with that guy?" Max asked, his voice an awed whisper. Takao shrugged.

"Beats me, Max, but never mind that. Look at her go!"

"What talent…" Rei said. Kai nodded in agreement. Hiromi was the only one who didn't share their enthusiasm.

Who does think she is? She thought savagely, glaring at the auburn-haired girl, who by now was moving so fast they could barely keep track of her. First she shows up with Kai, who reveals that they're engaged, and now she shows off her 'fighting skills', or whatever it is she's showing off…

Suddenly…

"Katon! Housenkaa no Jutsu!" Yuriko yelled. She had landed on the lawn, while her opponent was up in the air. Drawing one hand up close to her face, almost at a level with her mouth, she took a deep breath and blew; while she was doing this, she also moved quickly from side to side. The reason for this was clear: while she blew, fireballs seemed to emerge from her mouth and shoot towards the man in black. He saw the attack coming and tried to dodge each ball of flame; he wasn't quick enough though, for his right arm got slightly burned, as did the left side of his robe.

"What was that?" This time, it was Hiromi who exclaimed out loud.

"How'd she do that?" Max asked, glancing pointedly at Kai; the crimson-eyed teen shrugged.

"No clue."

"So…you decided to use it…" the black-clothed man was saying. "Very well then…" He performed some more hand movements, and then placed his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, a huge, black bird with eyes like glowing coals emerged from out of nowhere. Flapping its wings furiously, it screeched loudly, as though declaring its might and power to all present.

"Yuriko-san!" Rei called, worried for the safety of the new addition to their group. "You have to get out of there! That thing's HUGE! You might get hurt!"

The amethyst-eyed teen looked over at him, and got a surprised look on her face; in the ferocity of the match, she hadn't noticed that they had gathered there. She recovered his wits and smiled at the neko-jin. "I'm fine, Rei. This bird will prove to be no problem." She turned to face her opponent, looking determined.

"Not while I can counter with a technique of my own." She placed the tips of the first two fingers on each hand together, folded the remaining fingers down, and laced the thumbs together. In the blink of an eye, a familiar figure appeared beneath her.

Kai gasped when he saw what it was Yuriko had summoned. Golden, strategically placed armor; flowing white and scarlet feathers; huge, gleaming talons; wreaths of flame…

It was his Dranzer.

"No way…" Kyouju said, instantly opening his laptop. "According to my files, no one else can control any one of the legendary beasts except for its master, or any of the other legendary beasts' wielders!"

"So how is she controlling Dranzer?" Hiromi asked.

Kyouju shrugged. "No clue!" he shouted back over the now-raging wind.

"Having a beast of your own isn't going to help matters any!" Yuriko's adversary called. "Not if you can't control it!"

"Who says I can't control it?" Yuriko shot back, looking really angry now. "I've tolerated you guys in the past, but trying to sneak an attack on my companions is really low!"

"So you sensed what I was going to do, and went here to stop me?" It was evident from the creases in the dark-robed man that he was smirking. "How very heroic. But that won't do you any good."

Suddenly, an enormous ball of black light burst from the mouth of the dark bird. Dranzer quickly countered with a fireball of her own. The two blasts met, and a struggle ensued.

Yuriko quickly performed two sets of hand movements, adding wind and lightning to the already formidable-looking fire attack.

"Amazing!" Her opponent said, looking surprised. "I thought what my clansmen were saying about you were only hearsay, but now I know otherwise."

Yuriko didn't answer, but closed her eyes and began chanting. In a split second, the man and his mount were engulfed in flames. There was only a brief, bone-chilling scream, a loud screech, and they were gone, leaving nothing but ashes where they once stood.

Yuriko knelt down and stroked Dranzer's feathers. "Arigatou…" she whispered. "For coming when I called." She jumped down, and the majestic phoenix slowly disappeared into nothingness, and the wind died down.

"Yuriko-san, that was amazing!" Max exclaimed, running over to the auburn-haired teen.

"Yeah! Where'd you learn to do that?" Rei added, joining the blonde teen. "And who was your mentor?"

"Why didn't you tell us you could do such things?" Takao piped up.

"You owe us an explanation, Yuriko." Kai said calmly, looking at her pointedly.

Yuriko looked solemn as she glanced at her newfound friends. "And I will, Kai. However, I think it would be best if we returned to the porch. It's more comfortable there. Don't worry; I'll tell you everything."

A/N: Okay, have you guessed yet? You did notice that this fic belongs under 'anime crossovers', right? I've given enough spoilers in this chapter as to which anime I'vecrossed with Beyblade G-Revolution...

Mei: R&R, minna-san!

Me: Dewa mata!Peace out and God bless!