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: I've got one pairing worked out and the drama is on its way. xD I'm still work the rest. If you want to find out, 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 10 – Chance Meeting, Dire Warning

Reine's POV

I stared at the plushie confusedly.

'Who would give me a plushie let alone know that I liked this one?'

Wandering absently out the door, I hugged it tightly against my side.

"Reine Tanaka," a voiced called. Stiffening slightly, I turned and peered over my shoulder and into the shadows. I saw a black-haired teen step forward, the red streak in his hair swaying slightly.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously, careful to keep my distance from the strange teen.

"My name's Ozuma," he said as he took a step forward. I took one step back as he advanced.

"I need to speak to you about your bitbeast," he began advancing even more. I got ready to flee when heavy breathing alerted me that we weren't alone. I turned around tentatively only to meet a muscular chest. Looking up, I met a pair of green eyes under bushy blonde eyebrows. (AN: Are Dunga's eyes green?)

"We don't want you to run away when we're trying to talk to you, do we?" the black-haired teen asked calmly as he continued to advance. Finding that there was no where to run, I reluctantly faced him wanting to get this "conversation" over with.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly, crossing my arms over my chest protectively. He grinned.

"I guess you're starting to see things our way," he said lazily before turning serious, "It's about the Ancients. I feel the need to brief you over them and warn you."

"Don't bother, I've already heard from Sai," I replied, relieved that he wasn't going to try anything fishy. He raised his eyebrow at my comment.

"Sai? The one that had the Komodo Dragon bitbeast? I can assure you that the Saint Shields know more about bitbeasts than a random person in a tournament."

"The Saint Shield?" I asked as I tried to remember who they are.

'They sound so familiar! Dammit! Why can't I remember?'

"Yes. We belong to an old clan dedicated to bitbeasts," was his calm reply.

'Oh them! Weren't they the ones who tried to steal the Tyson and the others' bitbeasts?'

On guard once more, I eyed him wearily.

"I see our reputation proceeds us," he said loftily, noticing my sudden change in attitude, "Don't worry, we're not here for your bitbeast. Loréndoz's, on the other hand, is a completely different story."

"What do you want with Clytem?" I asked as I searched for a way out.

"We're going to seal him away," he replied calmly, holding his hand out for the beyblade, "He's too dangerous to be in the hands of those rogue bladers."

"But he isn't in the hands of rogue bladers," I argued, "I have him. I won't misuse him, if I even use him that is."

'Even though I hate to admit it, I can't allow them to seal Clytem away. It's not his fault that Loréndoz was bent on being evil.'

"That's even more dangerous," he said seriously, advancing once more, "Two Ancients in the possession of one human is a lot more dangerous than one bent on wreaking havoc. Combined, the two can do tremendous damage on a global scale including covering all of land with water."

"I understand the risks, but I can't allow you to seal him away. He doesn't deserve this treatment no matter how much damage he did. It was Loréndoz's fault!"

Ozuma faltered slightly. Hoping to sway his decision, I persisted, "I would never use him for evil, if that's what you're wondering about. I won't even use him unless it's a life-threatening situation. Give me a chance with him and give him time to prove himself. Don't think that if he really wanted to, he would've injured me more during the battle?"

Staring intently into my eyes, he finally relented.

"Fine, but I'm holding you responsible for all of his actions. One wrong move and both bitbeasts will be sealed for eternity."

With his final threat, he melted back into the shadows followed by his lackey. Releasing a sigh of relief, I eased my grip on the phoenix plushie.

"Hey Reine! Where are you?" I heard Tamayo's voice float down the hall. Taking a shaky breath, I mustered the strength to call back.

"Over here! I'm next to the locker room."

I heard footsteps running down the hall before Tamayo appeared.

"Geez Reine! What are you doing here in the dark?"

"Long story," I muttered as I followed Tamayo into the lobby.

"There she is!" I heard someone squeal before getting tackled by Yume. I stared desperately at Tamayo while she just smirked evilly before bouncing off to engage Brooklyn in a conversation.

"Can you believe that we actually know the city champion?" Yume yelped excitedly as she shook my hands vigorously.

"Calm down, Yume," Sai said lazily as she leaned against the wall, "It's not as if you didn't meet her before. She's the same old Reine."

Sending a grateful smile in Sai's direction, I turned my attention to a curious Eris. She was leaning forward, peering intently at something in my arms.

"What?"

"Where'd you get that?" she asked, gesturing toward the phoenix plushie I was hugging. Turning it to face her I asked, "You mean this?"

"Yeah, that."

"I found it in the locker room," I replied, shrugging a little, "There was a note attached saying it was for me and congratulating on my win. Other than those two bits of information, I have no clue about who it's from."

"Hmm," Eris mumbled, turning away from me to look out the lobby doors. Following her gaze, I saw Kai.

"What! No way! That jerk wouldn't get me anything! Besides, how would he know I liked this plushie?" I denied vehemently, glaring Eris murderously, flabbergasted that she would suggest that Kai would do something nice, and for me nonetheless.

'Kai and nice doesn't belong in the same sentence unless there's a 'not' in-between,' I thought angrily, 'Just thinking about that jerk gets me riled up!'

"He even commented on how those games are a waste of time and money! How do expect someone as cold as him to do something like this?" I huffed indignantly, "It was probably someone else."

"Who do you think then?" Eris asked with a twinkle in her eyes. I opened my mouth to reply only to find that I can't think of anyone at the moment. Finally, I bit out lamely, "I don't know."

Glowering at Eris' triumphant look, I found myself saying stubbornly, "But I still don't think that it was Kai."

"Think what was Kai?" asked Tala as he joined us followed by an indigo-haired midget, a bulky blonde, and a pale, lavender-haired teen. I snorted, "That he was the anonymous person who gave me this phoenix plushie," before showing him the toy I was cuddling. I couldn't deny it. Whoever got me this plushie must be the most be very observant. I didn't make it obvious that I wanted it so they must either know me very well or stalk me. I shivered thinking of the latter.

Tala only raised an eyebrow at the toy before turning at staring at Eris with a deadpanned expression.

"There is no way in hell that Kai would get that," he said pointing at the cute plushie, "Besides, he thinks the games are a waste of time and money. He wouldn't bother with them no matter how much he likes anyone."

I smirked triumphantly at Eris as Tala said all of this.

"See! That's exactly what I told you. It just can't be Kai!"

Eris smiled knowingly, "Whatever you say, Reine. You can't run from the truth forever."

"You're delusional," I said bluntly before turning away from her to indicate that the conversation was closed.

"Hey Reine," Tamayo called as she wandered over from where she was talking to Brooklyn, who looked immensely better since Loréndoz's defeat.

"Yeah?" I answered, turning to look at her.

"I've been thinking," she said.

"Well that's a first," I muttered under my breath causing her to shoot a glare at me. I smirked cheekily, "That's for ditching me when I needed you."

"Whatever," she muttered with a roll of her eyes, "As I said, I was thinking. Where will Durby stay during our trip to Switzerland?"

"Uh…" was my intelligent answer as I racked my brain for a solution.

"He'll come with us," Kai answered as he sauntered into the lobby and over to us.

"What do you want and what do you mean 'He'll come with us'?" I spat, angry at his intrusion into our conversation. He raised an eyebrow at my reaction.

"What's go you so worked up, Tanaka?" he drawled lazily, folding his arms across his chest.

"You! You're the reason I'm so worked up! You are the a pest and you won't stay out of my personal space not to mention what a cold jerk you are!" I yelled at him, causing him to recoil at my outburst to my grim satisfaction.

'When did I turn this hateful?' I wondered as I felt the negative energy swirling inside me, 'What's it about Kai that rubs me the wrong way? Is it his laid-back, I'm-too-cool-for-you attitude towards everyone?'

A few heads turned towards us when they heard me shout. I've never blown-up at anyone before.

"Relax Reine," Tamayo tried to soothe me as I glared viciously at Kai. For a second, I thought I saw a flicker of hurt pass through his eyes before they hardened once more.

'Must've been my imagination,' I thought, 'What I said couldn't have hurt Kai, could it? He hates me as much as I hate him, right?'

With one last glare in his direction, I stalked out the lobby door followed by an anxious Tamayo.

"You okay?" she asked worriedly. Taking a deep breath, I put on a resigned expression and turned to face her.

"Yeah, confronting him just takes a lot of energy out of me. He's such an asshole around me and I don't know why. It frustrates me to no end! He sends so many mixed messages that it's hard to find out what he's actually feeling."

She looked sympathetically at me before lapsing into silence, allowing me to calm down and collect myself.

"Thanks Tama-chan," I whispered fifteen minutes later as we wandered among the stalls.

She smiled kindly at me before bouncing excitedly.

"Come on! Let's go on some of the rides!" she said before snatching one of my hands and dragging me towards the rollercoasters.

Mid November – Fall Break

Normal POV

Reine, Tamayo, Eris, and Toji had made their way to the bladers' mansion to spend the night before their trip the next day, making it easier for Mr. Dickenson to provide them with transportation to the airport. Meanwhile, they were gathered in the sitting room, discussing what they would do with the free time before they initiate the plan to bring down the headquarters.

"I'm so excited!" Tyson yelled excitedly, "I can't wait to hit the slopes!"

"Do you even know how to ski?" Eris asked skeptically.

"Of course!" Tyson boasted before Max interrupted, "If you consider rolling down the hill and ending up in a heap 'skiing', then yes, he knows how to ski."

Tamayo broke into a fit of giggles at the look on Tyson's face. It was scrunched up sadly, pouting slightly at Max's betrayal.

"Oh get over it you big baby," Johnny snapped, annoyed at Tyson's antics. Tyson stuck his tongue defiantly at the red-haired Scot.

"Hey guys, do you have everything you need for the trip, including Operation D.T.S.?"

"What's Operation D.T.S. again?" Tyson asked stupidly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Tyson!" Mariah called, exasperated by his lack of brain cells.

"Operation Destroy The Skullz," Reine repeated patiently.

"Oh yeah," Tyson said as he faintly recalled someone telling him what he has to do, "What was my role again?"

Mariah moaned as she covered her face with her hand, massaging the bridge of her nose lightly.

"If I remember correctly, you have to…" Reine started as she explained to Tyson what he has to do.

"Okay, I can do that," he said as Reine finished explaining. Smirking evilly, she ticked 'Remind Tyson of his role' off her mental checklist.

"Good. Do you have everything you need to fulfill your role?"

Tyson thought for a minute before answering.

"Yeah, I've got everything."

Nodding at his answer, she stood up.

"Well, I'm going to go upstairs and ask Durby if we missed anything. Do you need to ask or need me for anything before I leave?"

"Nah, you can go talk to Durby. We're fine. I know what we need to do and all of us are packed."

"Do you want to join us for a game of Truth and Dare later?" Mariah asked as Reine stood up to leave. Shrugging nonchalantly, Reine said, "Sure, I don't see why not. I'm going to be in the study upstairs with Durby. Call me when you guys start playing."

Turning around and walking away, Reine didn't notice the identical evil smirks plastered on Eris, Mariah, and Tamayo's faces. On her way upstairs, she happened to pass Kai. They gave each other a wide berth as they continued walking, neither looking at the other. They've been avoiding each other since the incident three months ago at the city fair.

Silently opening the study room's door, Reine peeked inside. She could make out Durby's messy orange hair hunched over a mahogany desk as he repeatedly mussed his hair in frustration.

"Everything okay?" she asked quietly as she stepped inside. He turned to give her a wry grin.

"Not really, mate. Those bastards move around a lot. I'm not 100 percent sure but she should be in Australia in a month's time."

"Then that's when we will strike again and get her back for you," Reine said as the gears started turning in her mind, creating a new plan for the next month's strike, "We can leave during Winter Break. We'll have a full month to pull it off instead of just a week, like this one in Bern, Switzerland."

Durby nodded at her statement, relieved that they were able to do something to help his sister while he still able to predict the Skullz's movements.

"Do you mind explaining to me how you're tracking her?" Reine asked as curiosity got the better of her. Durby grinned at her, tapping his nose lightly.

"It's from experience. Those wankers move her every three months before allowing me to talk to her again. She told me, once, over the phone when she overheard them talking about the next move. After doing some research, I found they only had a couple of facilities that are able to hold human hostages in comfortable settings, without arousing suspicion from nearby companies, and those are the ones in Sydney, Budapest, and St. Petersburg. (AN: Sydney is in Australia, Budapest is in Hungary, and St. Petersburg is in Russia.) They arouse the least amount of suspicion because they are the largest headquarters, having over a million workers enter daily to work in the office cubicles so if one more person was to walk in once in a while, no one will notice. They also had extra rooms in the back area; I noticed them when I was going through the blueprints of the buildings that Emily gave me. Many of them are big enough to be revamped into a comfortable bedroom," Durby explained as he leaned back into his chair, "The last time she called me, I faintly heard Russian in the background. I've traveled to Moscow, for 'missions', enough times to recognized the language. In the phone call I had received three months before that one, she kept telling me about how pretty the river outside her window was. There is no river next to Sydney. I should know for growing up in a nearby town. If I remember my geography correctly, Danube River flows through the Budapest, separating Hungary's capital into the Buda and Pest."

Looking thoughtfully at Durby, Reine nodded her head in approval.

"You have many valid points. I believe you. We'll head for Australia once Winter Break starts and it's won't be a waste of time if we miss her, we'll just destroy the Sydney headquarters."

An abrupt knocking on the study's door brought the duo's attention to the set of oaken doors. Mathilda had opened the door and stepped inside timidly.

"Am I interrupting anything?" she asked hesitantly, having caught sight of the pair in deep discussion. Reine smiled kindly as she regarded the younger girl.

"No, you didn't. We were just wrapping up, right Durby?"

The Australian nodded in reply, smiling at the shy girl. Mathilda had recovered nicely from Destruction's attack back in August, only a few scars remain as a reminder of the brutal attack.

"Did Mariah, Eris, and Tamayo send you?" Reine asked as she stood up, working the stiffness out of her joints. Mathilda nodded in reply.

"Can you tell them I'll be down in a minute?"

"Sure Reine," Mathilda said before smiling and closing the door softly after herself.

"She's a sweet girl," Durby said quietly, turning to face a distracted Reine, "Don't worry too much about the attack in Sydney. Just focus on this week's mission and we'll consider our options for the next one when we come to it."

Reine nodded in agreement before her eyes lit up as an idea formed itself in her mind.

"Hey Durby, I've been thinking, you've been cooped up in this study too long. Come down stairs with me and loosen up a bit."

Durby looked skeptically at her as he considered the prospect reluctantly.

"I don't know, Reine," he started only to get interrupted by Reine's glare, "Fine. I'll come downstairs with you."

Smirking slightly, Reine led him down the stairs and into the sitting room where everyone was gathered.

"Reine!" Tamayo shouted as she jumped up from her seat.

"Hey," she answered casually, "I brought Durby. I hope you guys don't mind."

Plopping herself onto a couch, she leaned back into the soft material blissfully. Falling asleep in a hard chair for the three previous nights wasn't easy on her back.

"Okay people, these are the rules," Mariah started, getting everyone's attention in the room. Catching sight of Kai walking out of the kitchen, she called to him.

"Kai! Come here!"

Pausing slightly in the doorway, Kai walked inside. He spotted various members of different teams seated in the room.

"What is it?" he asked coldly as he glared at Reine, who had stiffened when he entered the room.

"Want to play Truth and Dare with us?" she asked excitedly. Before he could protest, she hissed, "You can get Tyson that way."

Mulling over his choices, he finally relented and leaned against the far-left wall of the room.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, we should set up some rules. You can only call 'Truth' three times and in case anyone tried to back out of a dare, we should make them do something horrible," Mariah started enthusiastically, "Any ideas?"

Max's hand shot into the air eagerly.

"They have to cross-dress and go out with a member of the same sex!"

Many winced at his proposition.

"Fair enough. Everyone gather in a circle so we can start. Here's the deal, you can use a spinning bottle to choose the next person if you don't anyone particular in mind."

Pulling out an empty water bottle, Mariah placed it in the middle of the circle.

"Let's spin the bottle to see who goes first," Mariah said as she leaned forward and spun the bottle. It spun quickly before stopping and pointing at a blonde American.

"Alright!" he shouted excitedly, "Max! Truth or dare?"

The usually hyper boy pondered for a minute before deciding to play it safe for now.

"Truth! Let's see what you can do, Michael," he taunted cheekily as he grinned at the disappointed jock.

"Fine. Is it true that you used to wet your bed until you were ten?"

Max blushed bright red as he stuttered, "H-how did y-you k-know th-that?"

"Judy," he said offhandedly as he smirked at the embarrassed blonde, "Your turn, Maxy boy."

Looking at the crowded room, Max's eyes landed on an unaware Tala.

"Yo! Tala! Truth or dare?" he called at the red-haired Russian.

"Dare," he automatically replied. He wouldn't say 'truth' unless he absolutely had to. He's saving them for someone that would probably make him do something embarrassing. Max seemed harmless enough, being a hyper blonde and all.

"I was hoping you would say that," Max said slyly. Tala had a distinct feeling that he had made a dire mistake: He had underestimated the cruelty of the hyper blonde.

"I dare you to dance to a song of your choice while singing it."

Tala paled. He hadn't expected this at all.

"There's a problem with that, Max," Kai's voice drifted over from his corner of the circle, "Tala doesn't listen to music. He wouldn't know the lyrics let alone sing and dance to the actual song."

Max scratched the back of his head as Tala pinked slightly at the snickering he heard from around the circle.

"Well, that's a problem. I guess I'll just have to give you another dare."

Thinking for a second, he came up with a brilliant idea.
"I dare you to sit next to Tyson on the plane as well as room with him during our trip to Switzerland giving whoever had to sit next to him your spot on the plane and your room to the person who had to bunk with him."

Tala visibly winced. Tyson was infamous for his loud snoring and his annoying chatter. There's minimal survival rate for this dare. This is Tyson we're talking about.

"Fine," he finally muttered, not wanting to humiliate himself by cross-dressing and going out with a (shudders) guy. Turning his gaze to sweep over the group of teens to find his next victim, his eyes landed on a familiar redhead. Smirking slightly, he called, "Wench, truth or dare?"

Tamayo startled out of her daydream.

"Wha?"

Tala looked annoyed as he repeated his question, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare me, sucker!" Tamayo said brashly, a gleam of challenge in her eyes.

"Fine, you must go out on a date with me when we're in Switzerland. I decide the time and place and you can't back out."

Tamayo spluttered indignantly at his dare.

"WHAT!" she managed to get before whining, "That's not fair!"

"You called dare, Tama-chan," Eris said with a mischievous smirk. Tamayo slumped in her seat as she sulked. After a second's pause, she turned and looked at Eris with a maniacal expression.

"Eri-chan, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Eris answered as she looked expectantly at the plotting redhead.

"I dare you to kiss Toji," Tamayo said innocently as Toji blushed tomato red.

"Fine," was her calm as she scooted over and pecked him on the cheek causing him to redden even more.

"My turn, eh? Hmm…Kai, truth or dare?" Eris asked with an unfathomable glint in her eyes.

"Truth," Kai grunted as he stared at Eris suspiciously. A smirk crawled across her face as her expression darkened menacingly.

"Is it true that you were the anonymous person that gave Reine that phoenix plushie the day of the tournament three months ago? Remember, you can't lie or you'll have to cross-dress and go out with a guy."

Everyone turned to face Kai with renewed interest, harboring predatory expressions as they waited for the cold teen to confess.

Author's Note:

I think I'll just stop there. xD It's one of my shorter chapters but I hope you guys wouldn't mind too much. You can kill me later after I finish updating the next chapter. Sorry for not updating yesterday. I was finishing Chapter 4 of "A Fork in the Road".

As you can see, this chapter if pretty much a filler. The next chapter will probably be more interesting with the dares and all. Poor Tala, stuck with Tyson for an entire week. I wonder if he'll survive?

I'm so happy that I hit the 30 reviews mark! –hugs all my readers– I have to thank my devoted readers for this accomplishment!

Sweet-Plum – The relationship isn't set in stone yet. ;-D –wink wink– you didn't see anything.
Okay, I'm going to try to answer your questions without giving too much away. That would just spoil the story for you, ne?
1) I thought about putting Tala in instead of Garland but I figured that the dude can do with some limelight. I mean, getting defeated by Loréndoz, who wouldn't want that?
2) That you will have to find out as you keep reading. The main reason is that they know about the Skullz.
3) That you will also find out as I keep updating. Truth to be told, I'm not sure yet. I haven't thought that far yet. Yes and no, you'll have to keep reading to find out.
Sorry for the filler chapter but it's an important one. x3

Ms. Controversy – Here's your update! Sorry if it's just a filler. Dx I'm looking forward to your next update! So as you put it, "UPDATE BIATCH!" :D

whyamidoingthis01 – You will see more of Aliahe later on, as in flashbacks not zombie coming back too life. :D

I would like to thank Sweet-Plum, Ms. Controversy, soldier4Christ, whyamidoingthis01, ReiKai101, DaCow Takao, Kris24, and last but not least Alix13 for the awesome reviews!

Please R&R!

Rand-chan