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 13 – A Day on a Hill

Tamayo's POV

I closed the door softly behind me as I turned towards a smirking Tala.

"So where are we going to go?" I asked lazily, not in any particular hurry to go on a date with him. His expression turned serious for a minute. I blinked and it was gone.

'That's weird. It must've been my imagination.'

"We'll walk around the hills first. The snow is very pretty in the afternoon sun."

I shrugged. It didn't matter what we did as long as we got it over with. He walked beside me as we headed for the elevator, my shoes clicking loudly on the tile floors was the only sound that broke through the silence. With an audible 'ding' the elevator reached our floor and the doors slid open silently.

"Ladies first," he said mockingly. I shot him a cold glare before walking in followed shortly by Tala. The elevator jerked to a start. I hit the button for the lobby before leaning back and waiting. With a small jerk, the elevator slowed to a stop on the second floor. The doors opened to reveal Brooklyn.

"Brooky!" I called happily, glad that he managed to interrupt our "date".

"Hello Tamayo, Tala," he answered politely as he regarded Tala warily, conscious of the murderous glare that was shot his way.

"So what are you doing?" I asked casually, ignoring Tala's glowering expression

"I was thinking about checking out the stores on the ground floor," he answered nonchalantly as he leaned against the far wall of the elevator.

"Sounds interesting. May I join you?"

"You're suppose to be spending the afternoon with me!" Tala finally snapped, his face red with anger.

"We aren't doing anything than walking around the hills," I retorted, "Besides, it wouldn't hurt if we took some time and looked around the ground floor with Brooky, right?"

"Whatever," he answered, looking away.

"Thanks Taly-baba," I chirped with fake enthusiasm. With another annoying 'ding' the elevator came to a stop and opened the doors on the ground floor. I followed Brooklyn out with Tala tagging reluctantly behind.

"So where do you want to go first?" I asked Brooklyn as I stared up into his eyes.

"I was thinking the floral shop," he answered, shoving his hands into his white trousers.

"Sounds good to me," I replied as I grinned happily up at him. He was a good half-foot or so taller than me, with me being 5'2". (AN: I couldn't find Brooklyn's actual height. Dx) Walking into the quaint shop I gasped at the array of flowers available before making my way over to a shelf of freshly cut roses.

"You should spend your time with Tala," he finally said, breaking the peaceful silence in the aromatic shop. I stood up from sniffing a bunch of roses to stare at him. I looked around quickly and realized that Tala had left to wander around somewhere.

"Why do you say that?" I asked suspiciously.

'I thought he was on my side!'

"He's actually trying to make an effort and be nice," he answered simply in that infuriating way of his, making you seem extremely stupid. I guess I was acting like a class-A bitch towards Tala.

"He's doing this just to get on my nerves," I tried to convince him. He only shrugged before turning back and examining some white lilies.

'More like convince myself.'

Shaking my head to get rid of such thoughts, I turned back and stared at the flowers without actually seeing them.

'I guess he was making an effort. He did bring me flowers,' I thought as I absently stroked the crimson petals of the rose, 'Crimson red just like his hair.'

Mentally smacking myself, I scolded myself.

'Where the hell did that come from!'

I felt guilt creep up my spine as I reviewed the way I've acted this afternoon. I felt ashamed at the way I treated him.

'Maybe he was trying to be nice after all. I'll go find him right now and actually take his offer seriously.'

"I'll see you around, Brooklyn," I called over my shoulder as I hurried out of the shop, "I'm going to find Tala and complete the dare!"

I felt rather than saw Brooklyn smile to himself as he continued to examine the delicate white flowers. Rushing past the front desk, I looked around frantically for a glimpse of bright, red hair.

'There!'

I spotted Tala heading towards the cafeteria as I picked up my pace.

"Tala! Wait up!" I called at him as I ran up.

"Are you done with Carrot-top?" he asked snidely as he turned around to wait for me.

"Don't call Brooky 'Carrot-top'!" I scolded lightly as I stared into his hard, blue eyes.

"Oh yes, I'm very sorry for calling 'Brooky' Carrot-top," he remarked sarcastically, feigning remorse.

"Oh fuck you!" I screamed in frustration before stomping out of the cafeteria and through the doors of the lobby into the shimmering white world.

'Brooklyn was wrong! He wasn't trying to be nice! He's not even making any effort! Well, except for the flowers. Brooklyn was the one who convinced me to give him another chance and there he goes trash talking him! I can't stand the guy!'

Letting loose another scream of frustration, I stomped towards the far hill beside the skiing and snowboarding rental shop.

'He's just a prick like I thought!'

"Hey Wench! Slow down!"

'Well speak of the devil,' I thought sarcastically as Tala caught up.

"What do you want?" I snapped impatiently, not wanting to deal with his stupidity and rudeness.

"We're still on our dare, you know," he commented idly as he strode leisurely beside my fast and furious pace.

'One of the downsides to being short compared to everyone else,' I thought sourly taking in Tala's 5'9" profile. Snarling mentally, I felt myself snap at his smug expression on riling me.

"Fuck the dare," I snapped, "I'd rather cross dress and go out with a girl than spend the entire afternoon and evening with you!"

(AN: Ooo! Can you say burn? xD)

He stopped beside me as I kept walking. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Why do you insist on spending time with Carrot-top?" he demanded, his eyes holding a furious glint.

"Stop calling him that!" I snapped angrily as I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp, "And who I choose to spend my time with is none of your concern!"

"Why him?" he spat as he threw my arm down.

"Did you take into account that I might actually, you know, like him?" I spat back, gently massaging my sore wrist.

'I'll have a bruise there tomorrow,' I thought angrily.

"HE'S ONLY A FOOL! WHY WOULD YOU WASTE YOUR TIME ON SOMEONE LIKE HIM?" Tala exploded angrily.

"HE'S BETTER THAN YOU!" I responded, just as angry, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SAID I COULDN'T GET A BETTER BOYFRIEND AND NOW YOU'RE ANGRY AT ME FOR BEING WRONG? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"I JUST DON'T LIKE YOU BEING NEAR HIM!"

"MY LIFE IS NOT FOR YOU TO CONTROL!"

We just stood there, furious at each other for different reasons, not realizing we had an audience. Puffing angrily, I barely noticed my breath steaming around my flushed face as I stared down a just as red Tala.

"Sometimes I really want to," Tala suddenly whispered melancholically as he reached out a hand brushed away a straying piece of air. I was stunned at his display.

'What's wrong with him?'

"Wh-what do y-you m-mean?" I stuttered as I started to feel the cold seep into my bones.

'Damn its cold out here!' I thought as I started to rub my arms vigorously, 'And this silk jacket isn't doing much in the warmth department.'

"Here," Tala said, now completely calm, as he took off his white turtleneck sweater and handed it to me. He was wearing a black muscle shirt underneath.

"W-won't you b-be c-cold?" I asked as I took his sweater and took off my jacket temporarily to pull it on over my white blouse.

"No," he answered curtly, "I grew up in colder weather back in Russia. This is warm for me."

Without warning, he strode forward and hugged me into his chest, waves of heat radiating off his body.

"W-what are y-you d-doing?" I spluttered, stuttering not from the cold but rather the intimate position we were in.

'This would be hard to explain if someone happened to stumble onto us.' I vaguely thought as I started to relax in his embrace.

"I'm keeping you warm," was his answer as he kept hugging me.

"But I'm warm now, thanks to your sweater," I mumbled into his chest, inhaling his crisp scent.

'He smells like winter, like the fresh smell of pine needles.'

I thought I felt a feathery kiss over the top of my head.

'Did I imagine that? Tala wouldn't have possibly done that, would he?'

I wasn't sure about anything anymore. His weird actions were scaring me…in a nice sort of way. I guess you can call them sweet to some extent.

"Can you let go?" I asked five minutes later as he continued to hold onto me after my statement.

"I like holding you."

His chest rumbled as he spoke, vibrating against my cheek. I felt myself blush as his voice reached my ears, it sounded extremely nice.

"Hmm," I mumbled as I hugged him back, startling him as I felt him tense before relaxing once more.

"Why are you doing this?" I finally managed to ask, pulling slightly away from his embrace, "Why do you hate Brooklyn so much? Why does it bother you so much that I like him?"

Ignoring my first question, he spoke quietly, "I don't hate Brooklyn. I just hate the fact that you would settle for someone like him. You can do better!"

I giggled at his comment.

"What's so funny?" he asked, staring at me earnestly, "Do you not take me seriously?"

"Of course," I managed to squeeze out before another fit of giggles took my breath away. Wiping away from straying tears, I managed to get myself under control.

"I just find it funny that the almighty Tala Valkov is jealous!"

"What if I am?" he snapped irritatedly. I gaped at his confession.

'That was new. Did I really make him confess?'

"Why?" was all I can ask.

'What does Brooklyn have that makes him so jealous?'

"Because I…I like you," he confessed, turning away to stare at a couple skiing, laughing happily. I was shocked into silence. An uncomfortable pause made me shift uncomfortably.

"You like me?" I managed to ask softly still staring at his back intently.

"Yes," he answered, still looking away. I hesitated before walking up to him and hugging him around the middle again, my head leaning against his back.

"I'm not with Brooklyn."

I heard his sharp intake of breath.

"You're not?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah, it was something we agreed on," I whispered, closing my eyes as I remembered our conversation. It was the night we first met all the bladers. I was lost when I bumped into him and we started to talk. We became fast friends. The incident took place shortly after our argument in the bookstore.

Flashback

It was shortly after our second meeting ended. I was walking around aimlessly and ended up in the kitchen. I looked up and spotted a head of ginger hair.

"Hey Brooky," I called, settling down comfortably in the chair across the table from him.

"Hello Tamayo," he answered, turning his cerulean gaze onto me. I contemplated asking him for a favor.

"Listen, can you do me a favor? I really need to get this jerk back," I asked, hoping that he would agree.

"Depends on what it is. Is it illegal?"

"No! I wouldn't go to illegal means!" I answered, shocked that he would suspect me, "What kind of person do you take me for?"

He chuckled at me reaction as I pouted at him.

"I was just checking. I had to be sure. Anyway, what is this favor you needed me to do?"

"I want you to act as my boyfriend," I said quickly as he rose an eyebrow, "Tala and I made a bet because he said I would never get a boyfriend better than him. I find that it's relatively easy to find one better than him, because most are. Anyway, that's off topic. I know I'm asking a lot but can you please do this for me? I can only ask you because you're the only one I trust."

Brooklyn contemplated for a second.

"If you do me a favor in return," he finally answered. Leaning forward, he whispered into my ear.

"Fine, you got yourself a deal," I said as I grinned widely, shaking his hand to seal it, "Starting from now, you're my 'unofficial' boyfriend."

"We made a deal when I called on him for a favor to beat you at your bet," I explained, releasing my hold on his waste so he can turn around.

"You don't like him?" he asked slowly, turning his unfathomable eyes to stare at me intensely.

"No, I don't," I answered as I shuffled uncomfortably.

'And I know he doesn't like me either because I know exactly who he likes.'

"So I guess I win the bet after all," he replied smugly. I glowered at him.

"Because you couldn't do better than me. You have me."

I gaped at his answer as he took the opportunity to capture my lips with his. I stood stock-still while trying register what was happening before kissing him back. (AN: Let's leave these alone, ne? xD)

Reine's POV

I sighed in relief as I saw Tala kiss her.

'I guess it did work out fine. She was clever to do that with Brooklyn. Oh well. I should get going while the going is good. If she finds me spying on them, well I can kiss my life good-bye.'

Turning around quietly I was confronted by a pair of crimson eyes.

"JE–" I started to say before he placed his hand over my mouth to muffle my outburst. He stared at me sternly before removing his hand.

"Jesus Kai! You scared the crap out of me!" I whispered angrily, glaring at him. He just smirked saucily at me. Sending him one last look of loathing I turned and slipped away quietly from the scene of crime.

'Hmm, this is an interesting turnout. I wonder what the deal involved.'

"I didn't know you would spy on your best friend," I heard Kai say nonchalantly behind me. Gritting my teeth in frustration I picked up my pace.

'I thought I ditched him!'

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I drawled lazily as he caught up, "Like making out with Hilary?"

He froze as I kept walking, ignoring the fact that he wasn't following.

'I guess they were making out,' I thought bitterly, 'Why do I even care?'

I walked casually back into the lobby, as if nothing happened, and caught sight of Brooklyn as he headed towards the elevator. Making up my mind to talk to him, I hurried over.

"Hey Brooklyn," I called cheerfully, a mischievous glint in my eyes.

"Hello," he answered warily, catching sight of glint.

"So what were you doing?" I asked curiously.

"I went to all the shop on the ground floor. Some of them were really interesting," he answered as he relaxed a bit, still a bit tense just in case I did do something.

"I didn't get a chance to check them all yet. All I know is that they have a floral shop considering Tala brought Tamayo flowers," I casually tossed out, taking a peek at Brooklyn's expression to see if what Tamayo said was true. I reached out to push the elevator's button.

'He is one hell of an actor to fool us all if he really doesn't.'

I noticed him smile slightly to himself.

'So Tamayo wasn't lying. That makes me even more curious as to what deal it was to hook Brooklyn into doing this.'

"How do you like the trip so far?" Brooklyn asked casually.

"It's okay, I guess. It would be better if I wasn't stuck for a fifteen-hour flight sitting next to Kai."

He chuckled at my answer. With a soft 'ding' the doors slid open.

'Come to think of it, Eris seemed rather smug when Tamayo answered the door. Did she know something about this?'

"Or does she have good intuition?"

"Hmm? What was that?" Brooklyn asked. I blushed.

"No-nothing!" I blurted out before turning red even more.

'Did I say that out loud? God I'm stupid!'

"Well, this is my stop," Brooklyn said as the elevator stopped on the second floor, "I'll see you at dinner."

"Yeah, see you," I mumbled as I looked up from my thoughts. He sent me one last curious look before stepping out. The door closed quietly after him leaving me alone in its silence.

/You're confused little one./

'What do you mean, Esilé? What could I possibly be confused about?'

/You're confused about where you stand in Kai's heart/ came her knowing reply. I flared at her statement.

'No I'm not! I know exactly where I stand. He hates me and I hate him. End of story.'

I heard her chuckle as her waves of mirth flowed through our link.

/I was there when he kissed you./

I blushed at the memory.

'It was nothing. It was probably an accident. He likes Hilary after all. He visits her and they act rather intimate, don't they?'

/You should find out for yourself. I can't help you there, little one/ she replied and with her final statement, she faded from the back of my mind.

"But I do know. I don't have to find out anything," I said out loud into the confined space.

'Do I?'

With a shudder, the elevator arrived on my floor. The door slid open with a silent whoosh. I stepped out carefully before wandering absently down the hall. Digging through the pockets of my tracksuit jacket, I emerged with my cardkey. Sliding it deftly through the lock, it opened with a soft click. I stepped quietly inside knowing that Eris and Mariah were still sleeping.

"Oh, you're back," I heard Hilary call from the kitchen.

"Yeah," I answered as I headed to my room, "If you need me, I'll be in the shower."

"Okay."

I opened the door and closed it behind me. I quickly grabbed my necessary undergarments along with a plain white shirt and black pants before hurrying back out and into our small bathroom.

'Why does such a big suit have such a tiny bathroom?' I grumbled to myself as I changed out of my clothes and dumped them on the floor. Turning the knob to hot I stepped under the steaming showerhead. Sighing in bliss I pondered the day's events.

'Everything's so confusing. First Kai's actions then Tamayo and Tala mess. It's giving me all a headache.'

Turning off the water, I grabbed a towel and started to dry myself off.

"…she's in the shower."

I paused as I heard Hilary's voice.

'Who's she talking to?'

Shrugging it off, I continued to dry myself and my hair. Quickly pulling on my clothes, I ran a brush absently through my wet hair. Throwing the towel into the laundry basket I walked out of the steamy bathroom. I headed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water only to run into someone I'd rather not see. Deciding that the best course of action would be to ignore him, I walked past him and grabbed a cup before filling it with filtered water.

"Tanaka, we need to talk."

Pursing my lips slightly, I turned around and said in a sickly sweet voice, "We have nothing to talk about. I don't have to talk to you at all."

"Just shut up Tanaka and come with me."

He leaned forward and grabbed my arm despite my protests. When I tried to dump my cup of water over him, he grabbed the cup and placed it onto the counter before pinning my arm to my side.

"Let go of me!" I shrieked indignantly as he hefted me over his shoulder and walked to my room before dropping me on my bed.

"Get out of my room! You can't just invite yourself in!"

"I just did," he replied as he shut the door and locked it behind him. I spluttered at his action.

"Unlock the door! What do you think you're doing?"

"As I said before, we need to talk," he answered seriously before sitting on the other side of the bed.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Well I guess you'll have to listen to me because I have something to say."

"I don't care about what you have to say. All I care about is for you to get out of my room!"

I pointed my finger in the direction of the exit.

"I'm not going anywhere until you listen to what I have to say," he answered, deadpanned. With a resigned sigh, I finally relented.

"Fine, but you get out straight after, alright?"

He grunted before turning and staring into my eyes intently.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked as I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I don't like Hilary," he said seriously before turning and staring out the window on the side of my bedroom. I snorted.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? It's so fucking obvious!"

'Why am I getting so riled up?'

"Quit acting jealous, Tanaka. It doesn't suit you."

I glowered at him.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not jealous about your relationship. I could care less if you run off and get eloped."

"Stop acting dumb. I didn't know you were so stupid. I actually thought you had brains, unlike some girls."

"I'm not stupid, I just state the obvious when I see it," I answered stubbornly.

"This isn't getting anywhere," Kai said as he stood up.

'Finally he gets the point. I'm too stubborn for my own good. Once an idea is lodged in my head, it's nearly impossible to change it.'

Sighing in relief, I walked to the door and unlocked it. Turning around I was about to tell him that he can leave now, he pinned me against the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I struggled in his grasp.

"Showing you so you can understand," was his simple reply as he leaned down and kissed me, again.

'This is not happening!' was my last thought before I lost myself in his soft lips.

Author's Note:

I think I'll cut it off here. :D Sorry for the shortness! I'm so nice not to leave it in a cliffy in my absense. That's right, you heard me. I'll be gone for like four days to study for my finals. I don't know if I will have time to update or not during the period. After that, I have some volunteer work for my school. x( Life's getting busy for me since summer vacation is almost over. I'll try, I said try, to squeeze in an update or two. :-( Sorry for the inconvenience!

There's plenty of fluffiness in this chapter! I guess during the lull between action scenes, it will show developing relationships. I honestly don't know how much longer this fic will be. It might be up to thirty chapters or just twenty. I'm only halfway through, okay maybe not even that, my planned plot and I'm constantly adding on. I hope it will be longer, but I can't promise much. My updates will probably slow down drastically once school starts. Sorry guys.

Wow! I have over 750 hits and I've reached 50 reviews! Thanks so much all you cool people out there!

Crownowa – I'm going to answer your questions. You bring up valid points and I guess I wasn't really paying attention. :P
1) I put the beginning of the semester in second week of August based on the American school year, at least in Texas. I didn't really do any research on the Japanese school year. I apologize for not making it clear. I put the incident in May. I didn't really remember when the actual BEGA incident was. All I knew was that it was during Spring and it seemed like school was out. Dx I guess I really messed up the timing, neh?
2) He's an upperclassman and Kai being fifteen, based on the English version, Robert's probably around 16 (even though he should be a lot older) and based on my school system he would still be in school at that age. I figured that he would still be here as a senior considering Kai is a junior. I really didn't take it into consideration but I really wanted him to be in the story and I didn't want to use Enrique or Oliver. Sorry for the confusion.
3) Just like I answered in question 2, Kai is fifteen and he's not graduating yet. Considering he's in the Japanese system, which I'm not familiar with at all in case you didn't notice xP, I thought he would at least be a junior in high school. It was in chapter 3 that said he was a junior if you want to check.
I'm not sure about making an OC with Johnny considering I'm not sure what I'm going to do besides the main line of the plot, I will see what I can do. x) The thing with King and Queen, so far they're only there to look pretty. I think I'm going to do something with them later on. You'll have to read and see. ;D

Ms. Controversy – Reine is pronounced as "rain". xD I'm still waiting for an uber update! I wonder when Kai will realize how bitchy Hilary is for not believing Reine. I think she's only trying to turn the others against Reine about that hospital incident because she's jealous. xD That's probably just my messed-up fan logic!

I would like to thank everyone for reviewing in their free time! This makes me so giddy and high on life! A shout out to Icey Iris, whyamidoingthis01, DaCow Takao, soldier4Christ, fruit salad2, Crownowa, Sweet-Plum, and last but certainly not least Ms. Controversy for being uber cool people and supportive! I love you guys!

Please R&R!

Rand-chan