The Other Side of the Story

Summary: After the BEGA incident, Reine finds herself unable to cope with the blind side of the world which turning away from all that's been done and will happen with the sport of beyblade. As a new BBA program was set into action, she finds herself, along with her beyblade-hating town, stuck as the proto-type. The BBA program was made to help blader-haters all over the world to cope and even get to love beyblading as a sport. Reine finds herself in the middle of things when the bladers chose her school for their first experiment? What would happen when you throw beybladers at blader-hating mobs? Nothing pretty.

Disclaimer: I don't earn Beyblade. I do own my OC's as well as the plot.

Pairings: Still uncertain but I'll work it out soon so just keep reading. ;-D

Rating: T for mild swearing

Quick AN: This story is told in multiple point-of-views so the key below should help to determine what's being said. I hope it's not too confusing.

(action)
'thoughts'
"talking"
/talking with bitbeast via mind link/

Chapter 5 –Secrets Revealed

Reine's POV

Tyson and Max led us to a towering mansion on top of a hill that overlooks the entire town of Bakuten. I felt my jaw drop in awe at the magnificent sight before me. We walked up a mile long driveway, which took us a better part of 30 minutes, before reaching an imposing door. Its knocker was a bronze gargoyle's mouth. I shuddered when Max reached out and grabbed the knocker and banged it loudly. We waited a couple of minutes before a frantic blonde-haired boy with sky blue eyes opened the door.

"Tyson! Max! You've got to help me! Thomas and Celia have gone missing and…"

He trailed off when he caught sight of the two kids standing beside me, their hands slipped in mine. He took in our battered looking appearance.

"Goddess…what the hell happened to you guys?" he yelped, surprised. I eyed him warily.

"I will tell you as soon as you allow us inside and these two are treated."

He snapped back as if he was slapped.

"Of course. Sorry. Where were my manners? Please, please come in. I'll let Robert and the others know that we've found Thomas and Celia. I'll be back in a moment. Please excuse me," he spoke quickly with an Italian lisp before leaping up the grand staircase two steps at a time.

"My brother is strange," I heard Thomas mutter. I stifled my giggles at his comment. It was startling his resemblance to his brother. They could've passed for twins if they were the same age. As we walked into the vast reception hall, I glanced around in awe. Quickly removing my shoes as well as helping Celia with untying hers, I led them towards what I guessed as the kitchen.

"Uh Tyson?"

"Yeah. What is it?"

"Is the kitchen this way? I'm going feed these children. They must be ravenous."

Tyson scratched his head as he thought about it.

"Yeah, I think it's that way. Come to think of it, I'm kind of hungry, too." As soon as the last syllable escaped his lips, his stomach gave a loud growl. Everyone burst into laughter as Tyson rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly.

"Sure, Tyson. I'll feed you and the children," I laughed as I followed him into the kitchen. As soon as I walked in, I froze. Sitting there at the dining table was none other than Kai Hiwatari.

"WHAT THE HELL IS S/HE DOING HERE!" we yelled simultaneously.

Max sweatdropped at the scene unfolding before him.

"Last time I recall, I live here," Kai answered coolly, staring me down.

"Well I'm here because of these children," I snapped hotly while I gestured towards the two Giancarlo siblings, "and other…stuff." I mumbled the last part mainly to myself.

"Reine's going to feed us," Celia piped up, staring at Kai with her big, baby blue eyes.

"She's also going to feed me," Tyson added sheepishly.

"Whatever. I'm out of here," Kai said as he walked out the kitchen door. Eris, Tamayo, Toji, and Max moved out of his way as he stalked past them. Tamayo lifted her lips in a silent snarl as he passed. An awkward silence befell the group as they wracked their brains to find something to say. Tyson's stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, again. Everyone looked at Tyson, who blushed beet red. With the tense atmosphere broken, everyone broke into laughter and settled around the vast kitchen comfortably. I found myself digging through various cabinets trying to find the ingredients for making stir-fried noodles. Suddenly a French-accented voice asked, "Do you need help, mademoiselle?"

I looked up to see a green-haired youth wearing a pink apron and a white chef's hat.

"Um…yes. Help is appreciated," I replied as I smiled at him, "Perhaps you have an idea on what to feed the Giancarlo siblings for dinner? I'm trying to find the ingredients for stir-fried noodles, but I'm not having any luck."

The Frenchman listened attentively before smacking his snapping his fingers, a sure sign that he has a brilliant idea.

"Don't worry about it, miss. I'll cook a meal for Thomas and Celia," he suggested. I straightened up, wincing as a sharp pain shot up my back. I must've remained in that position too long.

"Thanks for the offer, um…" I trailed off not knowing his name. He laughed before saying, "Sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Oliver Polanski." He stuck out his hand in greeting. I grinned and took it heartily, giving it a solid shake.

"Thanks for the offer, Oliver. It's greatly appreciated. Oh, before I forget, Tyson says he's also hungry."

Oliver sighed.

"Why am I not surprised?"

I looked at him blankly.

"Say wha?"

He looked at me before laughing again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you didn't know Tyson like we did. It's a fact that he's a bottomless pit. He's always hungry, regardless of place and time."

I gaped at him.

"Are you serious? That's not physically possible! If he eats as if he's a bottomless pit, his stomach will explode!"

Oliver just laughed at my outburst.

"Why don't you watch him eat tonight before you tell me if it's physically possible or not?"

I looked at him uncertainly. He must be exaggerating about Tyson.

'It's not humanly possible to eat so much.'

I backed away from the kitchenware as Oliver started to cook. He moved with expert ease as he opened cabinets left and right. He timed everything perfectly as if it was a planned dance routine. I decided that he didn't need my help so I headed off to find the others and possibly and extra shirt. As I stepped out of the kitchen, I found myself face to face with the blonde-haired boy with sky blue eyes again.

"Oh excuse me," I mumbled as I turned red in the face seeing how close we were standing. Taking a step back, I made room for him to enter the kitchen.

"No, no. Excuse me. I don't know how to thank you for finding Thomas and Celia. I was so worried. We're new here and they don't know their way around. I was so afraid that they might've gotten hurt, but you brought them back safe and sound, except for the state of their clothing but that can be fixed. If I can pay you back in any way, just let me know."

I looked startled at his outburst. He must've been frantic to be this grateful. I smiled softly as I answered,

"It was my pleasure to help them home. You don't have to pay me back for something like this. My payment was their happiness from being brought back home."

He looked gratefully into my eyes. His eyes widened as he realized the state my clothes were in, which wasn't much better than the children's. My forest green cargo pants were mostly intact, but I can't say the same for my shirt.

"My Goddess! I had forgotten that you were just as bad off as Thomas and Celia. Please forgive my rudeness. I'll ask one of the girls to lend you a shirt. Please wait a moment," the Italian said quickly, leading me into a huge sitting area where everyone else was before disappearing upstairs once again.

"Hey Reine! Over here!" Tyson called as we waved for me to join him, Max, the redhead Scot that I remember as Johnny McGregor, and the purple-haired German that I remember as Robert Jurgen, who I had made a mental note earlier about being raised in the United Kingdom.

"Um…sure," I mumbled uncertainly.

"These guys had sworn to secrecy on what you're going to tell us," Max informed me gravely. I narrowed my eyes before scanning their faces. Johnny still has the arrogant look from before but it was a lot more serious and a glint of trustworthiness was shone through his violet eyes. The purple-haired German remained as stoic as before but the small wrinkle between his eyebrows showed his focus and concentration. I sighed. These two pass inspection.

"Very well, I will include these two as I explain the situation. I don't want to repeat myself so I will tell it only once when everyone who had sworn to secrecy is present," I decided.

Max's face broke into a brilliant grin.

"Alright, Reine. It's fine with us. Right guys?" he asked the Scot and German as they gravely nodded.

"You've proven yourself a self-respecting person by saving Enrique's siblings without taking something as payment for your good deed, and from what I can tell, there's more than meets the eye that you've given to protect them," the stoic German said. I was surprised by his observation skills.

"Therefore you have our respect," the red-haired Scot finished. I was even more surprised by their amount of sincerity.

'These are very loyal people. They will make good allies. I'm glad I met these bladers now. I guess they're not so bad after all.'

Passing my judgement, I felt Esilé trill quietly through my mind link, obviously pleased by my decision. Just as a comfortable silence fell over the quiet group, Enrique came barging in with Mariah in tow.

"I don't see what's so urgent Enriq– Oh, Reine! What the hell happened to you? You're shirt is ruined! Come up to my room and I'll let you borrow one of my shirts. I'm pretty sure it'll fit." She smiled toothily at me. I smiled in gratitude before sending a sincere nod in the Italian's direction, who, I just learned from the brief conversation, was called Enrique.

I followed Mariah onto the second floor of the vast mansion. After passing several oak doors, Mariah paused in front of a door in the middle of the hall and flung it open to reveal a very pink room. Thankfully it's not hot pink but rather a soft shade of light pink that's easy on the eyes. She led me into the center of the room and twirled around.

"So what do you think of this room? I don't have things like this in the village where I came from."

I looked around the room, stunned by its beautiful furnishings made of white wood and tasteful wallpaper. There was a mahogany canopy bed with pink drapes blocking the mattress and pillows from view. Beside the bed was a mahogany nightstand as well as a white wood vanity table. Various makeup products were spread across its surface. A dark wood desk rested on the far side of the room piled with homework. To say that I was impressed is an understatement.

"It's beautiful," I managed to whisper as I glanced back at Mariah standing in the middle of room. She beamed happily. She ran forward and grabbed my hand before pulling me to another set of oak doors, which she flung open to show an impressively sized walk-in closet.

"Feel free to borrow any shirt. You can go into the bathroom to change and I'll throw away your tattered shirt."

I stared mournfully down at my unfortunate shirt.

'I really liked this one. Damn those Skullz!'

"Thanks Mariah. I really appreciate this," I said sincerely.

"No problem Reine. I'll meet you downstairs. Enrique told me that Tyson and Max had something to all of us. You know how to find your way downstairs again, right?"

I nodded.

"Okay. I'll see you then," she called over her shoulder as she walked out the room and down the hall. I turned my attention to her vast variety of clothing.

'Is there anything that isn't pink, something that's considered a dark color? Ah ha!'

I reached out to grab a dark maroon shirt off a hanger. It seemed to be about my size. Walking out of the closet, I found my way into her private bathroom, and if you guessed it was pink, bravo. Slipping out of my torn shirt, I slipped the Mariah's maroon shirt over my head. It fit snuggly, tighter than what I would've liked, but not too revealing.

Stepping out of the pink bathroom, I made my way back to the staircase and was about to walk down when I realized none other than Kai Hiwatari was leaning against the wall beside it. Growling under my breath, I tried to walk past him without incident but no such luck. As soon as I stepped in front of him, his eyes snapped open to reveal his cold, crimson orbs. Before I can react, he had my arm in an iron hold. I tried, in vain, to remove my arm from his clutches but he just tightened his grip until I hissed in pain.

"What do you need us to swear to secrecy for?" he asked in a callous voice. I winced as he tightened his grip again before glaring at him furiously.

'How dare he try to abuse me!' I thought fiercely. I could feel Elisé thrash her finned tail angrily at me being manhandled.

"Let go of me, Hiwatari. If you don't want to know, then you don't have to swear to secrecy. If you want to know what's going on, then swear."

I stared at him darkly, forcing myself to lock eyes with him in a challenging glare, silently daring him to hurt me again. He broke eye contact first and released my arm.

"You have my word that I will not tell anyone even if my life is threatened," he vowed gruffly. I stared at him slack jawed in surprise before regaining my composure quickly. Nodding in acknowledgement, I headed down the staircase with Kai following silently. As I entered the sitting room, I noticed that the room was full. All the couches were taken and many were sitting on the beige carpet. I noticed Eris, Tamayo, and Toji sitting uncomfortably at the front of the room. As I stepped inside, the people in the room noticed my presence and fell silent as I passed them on my trek across the room.

Tyson and Max stood up and walked up to flank me as I reached my group of friends. Max broke the silence as he spoke.

"We have all sworn to secrecy," he hesitated before continuing, "Some of us that agreed are coaching the students in Bakuten High, but they are willing to help us in any way. Do you mind them knowing?"

I shook my head.

"No, I don't mind. The more people that know, the better the chances we have against them."

"Then why have we sworn to secrecy if it's better that more people know?" Kai asked suspiciously.

"Because we have to be able to trust them. They have to be dependable and not in league with our enemies. Obviously, all of you work with the BBA due to the fact that you're representing them by doing this beta testing in Bakuten. Am I right?" I retorted.

A lot of heads nodded.

"Any more questions before we proceed?"

Kane called out, "Why do the citizens of your city hate us?"

Murmurs spread through the crowd of bladers. Many of them were wondering the same thing. I was prepared to answer this question and I formed the simplest answer in my head.

"We didn't used to hate you, just street bladers. We actually thought professions were okay. Many of us grew up learning to blade in a local BBA building. It was smaller than most of the other BBA stations but it did its job well. Then they turned up and attacked the building, completely annihilating it," I replied coldly as I recalled the event bitterly.

"Afterwards, things just started to go downhill. Street blading was the only available option if you wanted to continue playing the sport. Soon the street bladers started forming teams and used their beyblades to attack innocents, so beyblading turned from a sport to crime and creating the term 'rogue bladers'. They started a long series of violence on the streets. It got so bad that beyblades were confiscated on sight. Bladers were discriminated, regardless of whether they learned with the BBA or on the street. We were all labeled as the same thing: murderers. Soon everything and anything to do with blading was completely banned except for watching the national and world tournaments. That's why many are reluctant to learn how to blade or show that they have skills in the area. They don't want to be labeled or discriminated."

"Soon our opinions changed. Through a series of broadcasts, you guys proved that professional bladers can be and are as ruthless as the rogue bladers. The BEGA incident 3 months ago was the icing on the cake. The tournaments showed how some beyblading sponsors created professional blading teams that were just like their teams. The event that sealed our hate was when Zeus damaged our city for no reason, hurting half the city's population at the same time. It was then that we started to hate beyblading as a whole. It didn't help that the their teams took advantage of the confusing aftermath started to kill by using beyblades, again."

I paused at the end of my explaining before stating in a soft voice, "Call it bad luck, if you will, but it was a series of horrible events that led us to the hate that we now harbor, well, most of us."

After I finished my brief explanation, the bladers were silent. Some stared at the ground guiltily for being one of those "ruthless" bladers while others looked on in horror.

"Is that all you needed to ask?"

No one said anything. Taking their silence as a 'no', I took a deep breath and started my explanation of our current situation. I turned, briefly, to glance at my group of friends. Tamayo flashed me a thumbs-up sign before I turned back to face the crowd of bladers in the large sitting room.

"I'll start with some background information. Our town has always faced problems with rogue bladers throughout its history. I believe they were the ones that started the slaughter on the streets by the means of using beyblades as weapons by substituting the dull, metal attack rings with sharpened knives. I recently found that the source of this problem is a major organization that funds and sponsors many rogue beyblade teams. This organization is who I refer to as they. They train their bladers to be ruthless and cruel. I still haven't been able to pinpoint them or what their motivation is, but we do know that one of its major rogue teams is the Skullz, which consists of more than 100 members. Tyson and Max witnessed the arrest of four members today. They were arrested on assault and battery charges. In Bakuten, we mainly have problems from this particular team, but we are aware of many more teams like them that may be even more ruthless found all over the world that stem from the same organization."

I looked around the room to gauge their reactions. Many held shocked expressions while some had grave looks. Kane suddenly asked, "So why don't you inform the BBA? I'm sure the BBA organization would be able to find and shut down this organization that's responsible for these rogue teams."

"Do you really believe that this organization wouldn't have some insiders into the largest beyblade organization? Do you really think it's a mere coincidence that the Skullz turned up again, now, after I dealt with them last summer? Why now? Ask yourselves these questions and if anyone has any idea what the answers to these questions may be, feel free to share."

"All major crime organizations place insiders in the largest opposing company, like with Dr. K and Allan," Max observed, remembering his past experiences. I nodded my head in agreement.

"It isn't a coincidence that they started their attacks now after Reine dealt with them last summer. They're starting to attack because they feel threatened by the possibility that the local bladers will combine forces with all the bladers sent here for the beta testing to take them down," Toji pointed out, "We are a force to reckon with since there are over 30 bladers and each has a bitbeast." He made a valid point even though there wasn't any solid evidence. It was very plausible and reasonable.

"They're attacking now because we haven't had a chance to group," Mariah realized wide-eyed.

"Right," I said, "You guys got it. Now the golden question is who is behind the attacks and formation of these deadly teams and what their motives are," I pointed out, "I'll personally kill the leader if it turns out to be another world domination scheme."

I got some chuckles from the bladers at my comment.

"Now that you know the current situation, I can fill you in on today's events. After I pissed off Hiwatari and showed him to be the fool (I shot a quick glance at a glowering Kai before continuing quickly), Toji, Eris, Tamayo, and I headed to our usual afternoon ice cream shop. It was by pure chance that we left a little later than usual. If we had left soon, we wouldn't have chanced upon Thomas and Celia screaming. Luckily we did and we rushed to see what had happened. What we saw was four blades ripping at them like past rogue bladers' attacks. By then, I've faced many Skullz members to be able to recognize it as their style of attack. I was mostly angry but also puzzled because I thought I had forced them to go into hiding last summer."

"I engaged one of the thugs in a one-on-one match with the standard blade I received today. It was merely luck that I had a blade and launcher on me and was able to protect them. After bashing him around, the other three decided to join and it ended as a battle of four against one. I was having a hard time and there was the possibility of me loosing. Then Esilé returned to me."

I smiled fondly at the memory and faintly felt Esilé thrum with happiness over the mind link.

"She helped me defeat the thugs even though I had to lock her away at the end of summer after I had temporarily removed the Skullz from their position of power. She healed me and the children so that's why only our clothes were ripped."

After I finished telling my tale, I looked at them expectantly. I had said all I needed to, except for Eris' request of a more detailed recounting of my adventure last summer.

"How did you force the Skullz into hiding last summer?" Robert asked. He appeared to be in deep concentration.

"I did the good old hit and run technique. It was one of me against 100 or so of them. They couldn't find who it was and started attacking each other in panic. As their members drifted apart and lost their trust in each other, thinking it's someone in their organization, I used their confusion to my advantage. Once I had their boss in sight, I sent in Esilé for the final attack. To put it lightly: She scared them shitless."

I smirked at the memory before sighing.

"If you're thinking about using the same strategy again, it won't work. It's too recent and won't be as effective as the first time, if it works at all. Based on past experiences, it'll just piss them off and cause them to be more brutal and aggressive."

"Based on the past experiences, they will start attacking monthly and then within three months, they'll start attacking weekly. After getting their confidence up over a period of time, they will start attacking daily. We cannot let that happen. This time, I can't do it by myself. I was hoping that you guys would help me. The only problem I see is how I'm suppose to keep in contact with all of you without raising suspicion. School is definitely too risky. There are too many witnesses, especially when we team up with you guys without complaints during gym, so that only leaves before school, after school, and weekends. Any ideas?"

"Jobs," Kai said shortly.

"What?" Tamayo asked quizzically.

"Two members, one of yours and one of ours, can get jobs at the same please and meet either daily or weekly, depending on their job. They can communicate using a code of words that would normally be said during the job but each phrase a hidden meaning. We don't need everyone to get in contact in order to pass on information," Kai explained slowly, making sure that everyone understood his plan perfectly. After a thoughtful pause, Kai added, "It would be most convenient if they work in a bookstore."

"Why a bookstore?" Eris wondered.

"Because we can easily place paper all over the store without raising suspicion. We can place notes in books and let the other know where to find it," Reine realized, surprised at how quickly Kai had solved their dilemma before adding onto his idea.

"It would be more convenient if the messengers have the same shifts. The question, now, is who are going to get the jobs?"

Normal POV

Tamayo trudged down the street towards her new job.

"Stupid game. I had to draw the shortest straw," she muttered sourly to herself, "I wonder who I'm paired up wit– Oof! Hey! Watch were you're goin– Valkov? What're you doing here?"

"I'm working here," he stated dully.

"Great just great! I'm stuck with you! Does god hate me?"

"No, he hates me because he had to pair me with an annoyingly loud midget."

"Well I was paired with a cynical jerk. I think I got the worse end of the deal."

Tala shot her a cold look.

"How about we don't talk to each other and just do our jobs? Just spare me from your stupidity."

"Sounds good to me, asshole."

Tamayo shuffled aimlessly through the shop. A twinkling bell informed her of a customer. She hurried to the front desk to be met by a masked man wielding a sharp beyblade. She felt herself freeze in fear. She had left her beyblade and launcher in a cupboard, along with the rest of her stuff, in the staffs' locker room.

"Hey wench, did yo–" Tala trailed off as he walked out from behind a bookcase and saw the situation at hand. His eyes narrowed marginally as the situation registered in his mind. His hand strayed back to grab his launcher from his belt as he retreated into the shadow of the bookcase, careful to remain hidden from view until he's prepared. He quickly and silently pulled out Wolborg and attached it to his launcher. A small click was heard as he slid in his ripcord. He cursed the job vehemently because it forced him to leave his gun launcher at home. He only had his standard one, which wouldn't give him much of an advantage. Wolborg, on the other hand, would.

Stepping out silently from the shadow of the bookcase, Tala's called out in an icy tone as he spoke in a threatening manner.

"Put the blade and launcher down before I pummel you into a bloody pulp. Your death will be slow and painful if you resist, but if you comply, I will consider giving you a quick and painless death."

Author's Note:

Another cliffy! What will happen? Will Tala emerge victorious or will Tamayo get ripped to bloody shreds? Don't miss the next update!

If you want news on pairings, I'm sorry to say that I haven't finalized couples yet. I don't know if I want straight love or some drama like love triangles. Currently, the plot's turning interesting and I'm trying to work in some pairings even thought it's still uncertain if they're going to be permanent.

Case Note:

In case you didn't notice, this chapter brings together all the reactions from the previous chapters. If you can't see the connection, read the following paragraph:

The reason Reine was considered more withdrawn at the beginning of the fic was because she lost her faith in beyblading. She was traumatized by her house collapsing on her twin her and during the BEGA tournament. Later on, in the aftermath confusion of the worldwide damaged caused by the BEGA tournament, the Skullz took advantage and got out of hand. They were slaughtering people left and right with beyblades. She decided to take up beyblading and started training again to stop them. She manages to scare them out of commission when working solo. Since tension was still high and lots of hostility was thrown at bladers, she decided to give up beyblading rather than being at risk of being labeled as a murderer and outcast. She locked Esilé in a box in her attic and slowly grew more isolated than she was after the BEGA tournament because the bond between them was strong. By severing her connection with beyblading, she lost interest in life, so when the BBA chose Bakuten as the start of the beta testing for their new program, she came in contact with the sport again and returned to her normal self. By now, the tension and hostility had died down to intense hatred. Since she didn't want to risk placing her family and friends in the direct line of fire of the pent up hatred, she played badly against Kai and denied knowing how to blade. When she found Thomas and Celia under attack, she lost herself in her anger and wanted to protect them therefore revealing her beyblading abilities. (That was her secret: She knew how to blade) Her intense desire of wanting to protect the children called her bitbeast into from her old blade and into her new one, even though it was locked in a box in the attic. She was partnered with Esilé again and this brings us back to the current plot. She had gathered bladers, from all over the world, in her hometown (courtesy of the BBA beta testing program) and had taken the position as group leader to rally against this unknown organization that sponsors and funds rogue beyblade teams, like the Skullz. She forgets past grudges and forgives past mistakes as she allies herself with her longtime 'enemies', professional beybladers, to take down the source of the problems.

Could you catch my hints throughout the previous chapters? Good job if you did because it's kind of hard to notice them. I had a hard time slipping them in and I might not have done a good job of fitting them. I'm sorry if I confused you. E-mail me if you need clarification, otherwise the plot relationship is in the paragraph above.

Thanks whyamidoingthis01 for another great review! I'll be happy to update as soon as possible. Thanks for being a devoted reader!

Please R&R!

Rand-chan