Author's Note: This chapter saw some extra overhauls as well to better flesh out the Temporal Knights' past and develop the villains. I'm much happier with it now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. I just own my OCs.

Chapter 2: The Past Explained

Somewhere in the United States…

"Have you located them yet?" asked a sinister male voice over a speaker phone, a dark, angry tone underlying his words.

"Yes, one of my agents confirmed Eri's location last week. Unfortunately, the assassination attempt was a failure," his subordinate replied. He idly glanced up at the wall of computer screens showing various images of the girl in question. In each one, he met the same defiant expression in her jade green eyes. Just thinking about it further stoked his rage and burning desire to hunt her down and make her pay in the most gruesome way possible.

"Oh well, I suppose it can't be helped," the first voice replied in a fake kind tone that would give any normal person a severe case of the shivers. "You know what to do from here, I trust?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"Excellent. It's far too soon to reveal myself again, especially after my failure to subjugate the BBA. I'm counting on you, Xhaiden."

"As you wish…Boris."

As soon as he heard Boris hang up, Xhaiden clenched his fist until the knuckles on his one hand turned white. He hated working for that man, but he hated his targets even more. 'I'm going to make her pay,' he thought savagely with a quick look at his stump of a right arm. 'When I'm done with Eri's team, they'll have lost more than just an arm.'

Moscow, Russia

"He…tried to kill you?" Hina asked in disbelief.

Eri nodded gravely. "One of his cloaked assassins snuck into my house. Didn't trip any of the security systems either. He would have gotten me too if Pyrix hadn't sensed him." She didn't want to add that Pyrix had also insured that the assassin would never return to report to his master on their location.

The team sat in an uneasy silence for several long moments. Eri finally broke them out of their trance: "I had to summon you three here because I couldn't trust that the phone lines were secure, and we're easier targets when we're separated. That being said, I won't hold it against any of you if you decide to back out of competing. The tournament will definitely out us to the world, which is what Xhaiden probably wants."

"Oh, cut the pity party speech, Eri," Sonja interrupted. The Greek blader was normally quiet and soft-spoken, but right now her conviction was a sharp as a blade. "The point is, you're our captain and you've never let us down before. I'll stand with you now just like I always have."

"I agree with Sonja," Hina added. "We'll take down Xhaiden and win the World Championships at the same time."

"I'm in too!" Nakia agreed cheerfully. "So…what's the plan, captain?"

The next morning, Nakia was roused from a peaceful slumber by her bit beast Uskadu. The black cat forced his way into her sleep-clouded mind and said, Mistress, you need to get up. The rest of the team is awake.

Nakia, being the perpetually heavy sleeper of the group, groaned and rolled over, covering her head with another pillow. 'Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away.'

Sorry, mistress, but I'm afraid you can't get rid of me that easily, Uskadu replied dryly. His delicately pointed ears twitched in amusement.

'Darn that bit beast telepathy thing,' Nakia thought as she sat up groggily and forced herself out of bed. 'Fine, I'm up. Happy?' Uskadu simply laughed, which sounded more like a feral growl, and retreated from Nakia's mind. She headed downstairs after getting dressed to find Eri sitting at the kitchen table typing on her laptop while Hina was busy cooking breakfast on the stove.

"About time you got up," Eri stated, not bothering to look up from her screen.

"Sheesh, not everyone is a morning person like you, Eri," Nakia replied grouchily before slumping into a chair and resting her head in her arms on the table. "Remember, you're not dealing with jet lag."

"Oh please, that's your excuse?" Hina asked from her place at the stove. "I had just as long of a flight as you, and I'm doing just fine. Your sleep schedule was already pretty screwed up to begin with." Nakia grimaced in defeat.

For two best friends, Nakia and Hina made an odd pair. Born and raised in Cairo, Nakia was small of stature but huge on personality. She was the most social, cheerful one in the group and was their go-to icebreaker in crowds. She was also a classic tomboy and hothead in the beydish, but Uskadu's calm demeanor balanced his mistress' hastiness. Hina was the polar opposite of Nakia, being the most feminine one in the team. She often drove Nakia crazy, many times on purpose just for kicks. She also tended to be the self-proclaimed housekeeper, taking on the cooking and cleaning responsibilities when the team was together. Her bit beast was a white eagle named Arashi, who was scrupulously respectful and polite when in conversation with his mistress or other bit beasts.

"Okay, ladies, chill out," Eri intervened with a slight chuckle. "You'll have plenty of time to bicker once we start training."

"Speaking of training, we're missing one. Where's Sonja?" Nakia asked.

"She was gone by the time we got up," Hina replied, adding some bacon to the skillet and listening to it sizzle. "She left a note saying that she would be back by noon for training."

"Whoa, you mean she actually got up before Eri?" Nakia stated in disbelief. She raised her arms to the sky and shouted sarcastically, "Oh my gosh, the apocalypse is upon us!" She was silenced by a death glare from her captain.

'I was afraid Sonja would react like this. She's taking the news of Xhaiden's return pretty hard,' Eri thought. Sonja hadn't spent her whole life under his reign of terror like Eri had, so she already had a perspective of the outside world when she had arrived. However, she had been brought in at a young enough age for the emotional and physical trauma to drastically affect her personality. Eri was cold and emotionless toward anyone except her friends, while Sonja was just quiet. Nakia and Hina had only spent a couple years at the U.S. Abbey, so they weren't as badly affected and had recovered quickly. Eri summoned up her bit beast in her mind. 'Pyrix.'

Yes, mistress?

'Keep an eye on Sonja for me. I know she needs time alone, but I still worry about her in the city by herself.'

Understood.

Mistress, you know I worry when you sequester yourself like this, Lunash spoke to Sonja. The Greek blader was currently wandering the streets of downtown Moscow, lost in her own private thoughts.

'I'm sorry, Lunash, but I just needed some time alone. It's hard, you know. To live for so long thinking that your worst nightmare is gone only for it to just…out of thin air.'

I know, mistress, I know. Just please remember that I am here for you. I will always protect you, Lunash crooned soothingly. When his words were met with silence, he sighed and resigned himself to his bit chip.

All around Sonja, the city of Moscow was slowly coming to life as people began to trickle onto the streets, the locals heading to their jobs and the tourists to the shops and historical landmarks. Sonja occasionally glanced in one of the shop's windows, pretending to be interested, while unwelcome, previously suppressed memories of Xhaiden's Abbey came rushing back from the darkest corners of her mind.

Xhaiden Chesnokov was one of BIOVIOLT's most well-kept secrets. Originally a subordinate working under Boris in Russia, Xhaiden sought to surpass him once he saw how Boris trained boys as Beyblade soldiers in the Moscow Abbey. He was ruthless, power-hungry, and an intellectual genius, a potent combination for any evil mastermind.

Boris and Xhaiden differed in ideology when it came to the ideal soldier. Boris saw the blader as the source of power, so he focused his training on boys, the alleged "stronger" sex. Xhaiden, on the other hand, viewed bit beasts – those primal elemental spirits born from science and mythology – as the true power, so the wielder was insignificant. To him, it was asinine that young children and teenagers could summon such immense power for something as benign as a silly recreational sport. Xhaiden believed that whoever controlled the bit beast's wielder controlled the bit beast, so why not choose Beybladers who were easier to manipulate and control?

And so, Xhaiden had broken away from Boris' Abbey and established his own secret facility high in the Rocky Mountains of the United States where he could put his horribly misogynistic views to the test. His agents traveled the world, looking for any girls who had inherited a bit beast through a family heirloom, stumbled across one by chance, or were actively trying to enter the tournament circuits, and he employed all manner of manipulative tactics to either abduct them or convince them to join his cause. He also sought out girls without bit beasts that he could nurture into loyal recruits, easy targets with no hope or future or ones whose parents sold them into his care for a quick payout.

At the Abbey, the girls were subjected to all manner of psychological manipulation and physical torture to either win their loyalty or force compliance through fear. Even now, Sonja could remember the chilling voices of Xhaiden and his guards as they looked over the girls' shoulders during training, searching for any weakness to punish:

"Women are weak! You have no power, no future, and no life without this Abbey!"

"Remember who owns you. Who took you off the streets and put a roof over your head?"

"Your opponents are your enemies in battle. Victory is life! Defeat is death!"

Alienation accompanied manipulation, as the girls were pitted each other daily in a battle for survival of the fittest. One day, a table would be full at the mess hall; the next day would see an empty chair. Challenges could be made at any time, and the winners would move up in the rankings. Achieving a high rank was equivalent to preserving one's life, while those with low ranks were quickly weeded out. Avoiding challenging others in order to preserve one's own ranking was seen as the ultimate in cowardice; even high-ranking bladers would meet their end if they refused to fight to move up or defend their position. This warped mindset discouraged the girls from forming friendships, as every one was seen as an enemy. Friends were only hindrances to one's own growth as a Beyblader. Stronger bladers would target the weaker ones, including the younger girls who had hardly any experience, to eliminate any potential threats to their status.

Eri had been brought to the Abbey from Russia when she was two, young enough to easily fall victim to Xhaiden's psychological manipulation against forming alliances. She had no recollection of her parents or any family, and as far as she knew, she was alone in the world. Everything changed, however, when she met Pyrix. At only eight years old, Eri lost a battle to another Russian girl, her self-proclaimed rival, and was taken to the punishment chambers. Xhaiden had beaten and whipped her brutally before leaving her to bleed to death. That was when Pyrix appeared. Seeing Eri's condition, she had melded her strength with the girl's, bringing her back from death's door. After that incident, Eri and Pyrix fought as a team and rose through the ranks to become one of Xhaiden's top bladers. Because of Pyrix's influence, Eri began to see the value of forming bonds with others. She was one of only a handful that felt that way, and usually those handfuls were quickly identified and eliminated. She managed to keep her mindset a secret to avoid such a fate.

Less than a month later, Sonja had arrived at the U.S. Abbey. One of Xhaiden's agents had tipped him off about a young girl in Greece who had inherited a powerful dragon bit beast and quickly arranged for her abduction. Frightened and alone, the seven-year old would have met her end quickly if not for Eri. The Russian had protected Sonja from the guards and any bladers who would target her for a quick win to boost their rank. Despite their initial language barrier, the two became fast friends. As the years passed, Eri and Sonja studied each others' languages so they could communicate. Four years later, Nakia and Hina were also abducted because of their bit beasts' potentials. Since they had not grown up in such horrible conditions, they had to deal with major culture shock. Eri and Sonja had befriended them during that time, and the four girls maintained a silent allegiance to each other.

Finally, when Eri was 15, she devised a plan for her team to escape. She and Nakia managed to hack into Xhaiden's security system and kill the power, including the security systems and lights. As a parting gift, they put their training to the test by setting their bit beasts loose on the Abbey, leaving the guards' barracks and Xhaiden's house in ruins. Assuming that the evil man was dead, the four girls made their way downward before arriving in a small town at the foot of the mountain, where they found a few sympathetic individuals that helped them get to the nearest airport, using the cover story that they had gotten separated from their parents.

The four girls got in touch with Hina's family first and traveled to Japan and the BBA world headquarters, where they organized themselves as an official Beyblade team, the Temporal Knights. The girls' personalities were as different as the changing seasons, but it was their differences that made them strong as a team and sealed their bond.

After meeting Mr. Dickenson, he used his vast network of contacts and resources to reunite Sonja and Nakia with their families as well, but Eri was still alone. He kindly sponsored their team in small tournaments across Europe and Africa and took on the role of a doting uncle for Eri, providing housing, counseling, and support as she rebuilt her life from nothing.

Sonja snapped out of her trance when her face collided with a broad, muscular chest. Stumbling back in surprise, she quickly tried to stammer an apology. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I…wasn't watching where I was going…" She looked up and immediately felt the heat rise to her cheeks upon looking into the crimson eyes of Kai Hiwatari.

Of course, Sonja knew who Kai was. Any blader who followed the tournament circuits knew of the Russian veteran. She had watched him compete on TV occasionally, but seeing him face to face was a whole different experience. If anything, he was even more attractive in person, especially with the cold, icy breeze ruffling his two-toned hair and making his scarf float behind him.

Kai regarded the shorter girl impassively. He mentally braced himself for her to go fan-girl on him, but she returned his harsh gaze evenly. A short "Hn" was his only response to her apology.

"I'll…be going now. Sorry again for the trouble," Sonja said quietly. She quickly stepped around Kai, avoiding eye contact, and continued down the sidewalk. 'Sheesh…that was so awkward. The one time I meet Kai Hiwatari, and I act like a complete spaz.'

Master Kai, I sense the presence of a bit beast around that girl. She may be one of the girls that Tala saw at the airport last night, Dranzer said.

"What's your name?" Sonja turned around to face Kai, who had just spoken out of the blue. His deep, rich voice sounded so much better in real life than on TV and sent a brief shiver down her spine.

"Sonja. My name's Sonja Vasdekis," she replied, making sure to hide the tremor in her voice.

Kai's expression morphed into his trademark smirk as he gave a quick nod and turned to walk away. Without looking back, he raised his hand in a brief wave and said, "See ya." He could feel her eyes boring into his back, watching his nonchalant retreat, and mused, 'Sonja Vasdekis… She's an interesting one.'

"You're late," was the only greeting Sonja received from her captain when she returned.

"Sorry about that. I…lost track of time," Sonja replied indifferently.

"That's not like you at all. Is everything okay?" Hina asked worriedly, sensing the unease emanating from her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry," Sonja reassured her, forcing a smile.

"We've wasted enough time as it is. We've got training to do," Eri cut in, effectively ending their conversation. Nakia and Hina turned to make their way downstairs to the basement, which served as their training center, and Sonja gave Eri a grateful look. She could tell Sonja was hiding something and was rattled from the news about Xhaiden. But for now, she wanted to spare Sonja's dignity and give her time to come to terms with the news on her own.

"Arashi, attack!" Hina shouted. The light blue Beyblade made a switchback turn in the dish and darted for Uskadu, pelting Nakia's black and red Beyblade with a series of rapid-fire strikes.

Nakia grunted as she felt the brunt of the attack. "Dang, Hina, you really upgraded Arashi's power." Hina smirked. She had been doing some serious training in preparation for the year when the team would finally enter the World Championships; however, Nakia had a few trick up her sleeve as well. "Uskadu, evade!" Her Beyblade evaded the last of Arashi's attacks and counterattacked with a forceful slam. Eri and Sonja watched the match from the sidelines, following the blades' movements and re-acquainting themselves with their teammates' attack patterns.

"All right, ladies, that's enough for one round." At their captain's command, both girls recalled their Beyblades to their hands. She walked up to the dish to give a critique on their performance. "I can tell that both of you have been practicing." She turned to Nakia first. "Nakia, Uskadu has excellent endurance, but you can't rely totally on it in battle. Practice anticipating your opponents' moves and improving your reaction times to reduce the damage to Uskadu." The Egyptian girl nodded in understanding. Hina was next. "Hina, I'm glad you upgraded Arashi's power to compliment his natural speed, but his defense is sorely lacking. If an opponent manages to get in a couple strong blows, it's all over." Hina replied in the affirmative as well. Finally, Eri turned to Sonja. "Okay, Sonja, let's see what you and Lunash are made of."

Sonja smirked. "You got it, captain."

Tala wandered through downtown Moscow without any particular destination in mind. After a hard day of training and dealing with Ian's motor mouth, he needed some cold, fresh air to clear his head. However, his private thoughts were cut short at an alert from Wolborg. Following his bit beast's direction, he looked up and down the sidewalk to see Eri walking toward him. Her expression was emotionless, and she didn't even seem to notice him as her gaze was focused downward, her hands in her coat pockets.

'What is it about today and these new Beybladers?' Tala wondered. 'First Kai runs into that girl Sonja, and then I cross paths with Eri.'

The two bladers continued approaching each other at an unhurried pace; however, Eri paid Tala no heed, not even a passing glance, and simply kept walking with her eyes trained forward. Her obvious indifference to his presence stopped him in his tracks. Just like yesterday, he could feel the presence of Eri's bit beast shrouding her as she continued walking, noticeably increasing the air temperature around her body. When she continued to ignore him, he turned abruptly and called after her, "Well, I didn't think I'd run into you again, Eri."

Eri casually turned to face Tala, who was standing a couple of yards away. Her ponytail whipped behind her in the chilly breeze. "So, you know my name. You're either very perceptive or a stalker," she stated sarcastically. "But since you're here, I might as well introduce myself formally. I'm Eri Kiryakova."

"And I'm Tala Volkov," he replied, playing along.

"So, what do you want?" Eri asked. "People don't normally stop me on the streets unless they want something."

"Actually, I'm rather intrigued by your bit beast," Tala replied casually. "Wolborg's been restless ever since last night, which makes me think you might actually be a worthy opponent."

"Heh, I'm flattered," Eri stated with her typical sarcasm. "But as much as I'd love to introduce you to Pyrix in person, I can't go showing my techniques to the competition on a whim."

Tala smirked as he replied, "Well then, it looks like the feeling's mutual. Maybe we'll meet up in the World Championships?"

Eri shrugged indifferently. "You never know. It's a small world." Then she did the last thing Tala would have expected. She gave him a genuine smile and said, "See you around, Tala."

Tala let one half of his mouth curl in a half smile. "Yeah, same to you." Then both bladers resumed walking in opposite directions, as if their encounter had never happened.

She's quite an enigma, master, Wolborg commented.

'That's... putting it lightly,' Tala replied.

I hope no one was too OOC. Please review!

Eri: Yeah, you'd better review or else I'll be forced out of a job again!