Silvan Arrow: Aaaaaaaahhh…I'm so sorry for not updating in forever!
Eri: That's what you always say. What's your excuse this time?
Silvan Arrow: Let's see…final exams, homework over the break, Christmas preparations, lack of inspiration, you name it…
Sonja: You're just lazy…
Silvan Arrow: Am not! And for saying that, you get to do the disclaimer!
Sonja: Shoot me… Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs, which sadly includes me.
Silvan Arrow: While I teach my OCs better respect for their creator, here's chapter 12. Enjoy! Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the chapter. It's really important!
Chapter 12: Flight Delay
"You've gotta be KIDDING me, Mr. D!" Tyson shouted, startling any by-standers within a twenty-yard radius.
"I'm afraid not, Tyson," Mr. Dickenson replied nervously. "Oh dear…this really is a predicament…"
"Excuse me, but what's the problem, Mr. Dickenson?" Hina asked politely. The Temporal Knights were the last team to get through airport security and arrive at the terminal. Thus, they were completely in the dark as to the reasons behind Tyson's ranting.
"Well…it seems as though my private jet is undergoing some…technical difficulties, and the airline refuses to clear it for takeoff until it can be repaired," Mr. Dickenson explained. He took off his hat and used a handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead, which he only did when he was really stressed.
"But I'm sure you wouldn't be telling us this unless you already had a plan, right?" Sonja asked.
"The airline is currently trying to squeeze everyone into extra seats on other flights, but we won't know anything for a couple of hours at least," Mr. Dickenson replied. "Oh dear…this could put the whole tournament in jeopardy…"
"I guess there's nothing we can do for now except wait," Eri concluded logically, cutting off Mr. Dickenson's troubled ranting. She gave the elderly man a reassuring smile and added, "Don't worry so much. It'll all work out."
"Yes…you're right. Thank you, Eri," Mr. Dickenson replied gratefully. He replaced his hat on his head and left to speak with the airline representatives again.
"So…I guess that means we wait?" Nakia asked, turning to her captain.
"It looks that way," Sonja supplied. The Egyptian girl groaned. The prospect of sitting in a noisy airplane terminal for hours first thing in the morning did not appeal to her at all.
"Think of it this way: you can catch up on your beauty sleep," Eri joked. Then she turned a hard stare to Tyson. "And you, Tyson, stop pestering Mr. Dickenson. He's got enough on his plate right now without other people nagging him."
The world champion wilted slightly under Eri's glare. "Y-yeah…okay…" he muttered. Satisfied that she'd made her point, Eri and her teammates found seats in the terminal to wait out the minor crisis. She was just glad that the airport security had established a perimeter around the terminal to keep the hoards of fans and paparazzi at bay. The brunette turned her gaze toward Omega Platoon and locked eyes with Raina briefly, who returned her stare with a competitive glare. The four girls from Omega Platoon were sitting somewhat removed from the other teams.
You don't think they would have done something to sabotage the plane, do you? Pyrix asked, voicing Eri's unspoken concern.
'No, I don't think so. Xhaiden is using the tournament for his own gain, so it would be to his disadvantage to disrupt it. This is probably just some freak accident,' Eri reasoned.
Two and a half hours later…
Mr. Dickenson approached the group of beybladers assembled in the terminal and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, I just received word from the airline. I've got some good news and bad news. The good news is that the airline managed to find flights for everyone to India for the next round of the tournament." A collective sigh of relief rang out among all the teams.
'Wait for it…' Eri thought.
"Hang on, then what's the bad news?" Daichi asked.
'Called it,' Eri mused with a slight smirk.
Mr. Dickenson looked nervous as he continued. "Well…it seems that there weren't enough seats on today's flights, so two teams will have to wait until tomorrow to depart."
"Well, which teams are they?" Rick pressed. It seemed everyone was getting tired of hearing Mr. Dickenson beat around the bush.
"Um…well…I didn't receive the flight schedule until just now." Mr. Dickenson pulled out a computer printout and adjusted his glasses so he could read the fine print. "Let's see…the two teams scheduled on tomorrow's flight are the Blitzkrieg Boys and…" His eyes widened as he read off the next name. "The Temporal Knights."
'You've gotta be KIDDING me!!!!!!'
Be glad Mr. Dickenson didn't hear that, Pyrix remarked dryly. My ears are going to be ringing from that mental scream for quite a while. And where have I heard that particular exclamation before?
'I really don't wanna hear it right now…' Eri groused.
A few of the other bladers snickered quietly, only to be silenced by death glares from the two teams in question.
"This has gotta be some sort of joke!" Ian exclaimed. "Don't we get any say in the matter?"
"Forget it, Ian," Tala snapped. "If we tried to rearrange flights at this point, none of the teams would get to India on time."
"I'm terribly sorry, Ian, but this is the best arrangement we could come up with at such short notice," Mr. Dickenson apologized. "Besides, the airline has already reserved accommodations for your teams at the hotel."
Thirty minutes later…
"Hold on, I don't recall this being part of the agreement," Hina stated. "I thought we would be in separate rooms!"
"Well, technically we are. Those separate rooms just happen to be part of the same suite," Nakia replied with a nervous laugh. Since it had been a last-minute arrangement, the only space the hotel had available was a suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small living room. Truth be told, it was probably the nicest room in the whole building. Currently both teams were standing in the living room, still trying to process the whole situation.
"Okay, boys, let's just get one thing straight," Eri announced, drawing the Blitzkrieg Boys' attention. "You guys try anything suspicious, and I will personally castrate the one responsible using the slowest, most painful method possible. Are we clear?"
"Heh, don't you think that's a line more appropriate for Enrique?" Tala retorted with a teasing smirk.
Eri crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't push your luck, Volkov."
Tala held up his hands in the universal sign of peace and said, "Fine, I get the picture. We can tell when we're not wanted." He and his team went into the bedroom on the right and shut the door.
"Hmph…cocky bastard," Eri muttered under her breath. She turned on her heel and stormed into the other bedroom with a huff. Her teammates gave each other uneasy looks and followed hesitantly.
With the Temporal Knights…
"Say, is it just me, or is there some…I dunno…sexual tension between you and Tala?" Nakia asked with a devious glint in her eyes as she regarded her captain, who was lying on her back on one of the two beds, trying to tune out the Egyptian girl. The faintest of blushes crossed Eri's cheeks, but she didn't open her eyes or make any other indication that she had heard.
"Something must have happened between them yesterday when she left so suddenly, claiming that she was going to kill someone," Hina remarked, catching on to Nakia's little game. An anger cross appeared on Eri's forehead.
"Whatever bodily harm is inflicted on you two, I hereby take no responsibility for it," Sonja stated.
"Nakia," Eri stated in an eerily calm, quiet tone of voice, not bothering to open her eyes.
Nakia felt a shiver run down her spine as she warily regarded her captain. "Y-yes, Eri?"
"I'm going to order in some room service in a few minutes. Would you kindly ask the Idiot Boys if they want to order as well?"
"Be right back," Nakia replied a little too quickly as she scurried out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
As soon as she was gone, a broad smirk crossed Eri's lips. "Sometimes you make me worry," Sonja remarked.
"But I know you wouldn't have me any other way," Eri replied smugly.
With the Blitzkrieg Boys…
"So…Tala…" Said redhead shot a death glare at Ian, but it did nothing to erase the smirk from the shorter blader's face. "Having girl troubles?"
"Heh, you must have been a real jerk for her to get so ticked at you," Bryan added.
"Hey, I've done nothing to make her mad," Tala defended. "My hands are clean." He even held up his hands in surrender to emphasize his point.
Ian cocked one eyebrow. "Uh-huh, really," he said suspiciously. In the opposite corner of the room, Kai and Spencer shared a glance and wisely kept out of the argument.
A knock at the door abruptly ended the bickering. "Bryan, make yourself useful and answer the door," Tala barked.
Grumbling under his breath, Bryan complied. However, his complaints died in his throat when he opened the door to find Nakia. "Can I…help you?" he asked awkwardly. 'Smooth, Bryan, real smooth.'
"Um…Eri's going to order room service for dinner and wanted me to ask if you guys wanted to order something as well," Nakia answered quietly, a far cry from her normal bubbly demeanor.
"Sure," Kai replied. He found the menu on the nightstand and glanced over it. "We'll write it down and give it to you in a couple of minutes."
Ten minutes later, Kai took the list over to the Temporal Knights' room and knocked. To his surprise, Sonja answered the door. Their eyes locked briefly, and then a ghost of a blush crossed Sonja's face as she remembered their awkward encounter during her date with Oliver. "K-Kai! Is there…something you need?" she stammered.
"Here," he grunted, thrusting a piece of paper in her direction along with some money. "Keep the change." He turned and left without another word.
'Yep, he definitely hates me,' Sonja remarked.
Why should you be bothered by what he thinks? Lunash asked. It's none of his business who you date.
'I guess…' she deadpanned.
In her mind's eye, she saw a devilish grin cross the dragon's face. Unless, of course, you really do harbor feelings for the boy…
'Lunaaaaash!' His deep, rumbling laughter echoed through Sonja's thoughts before falling silent.
Thirty minutes later, a delivery boy knocked on the door of the teams' suite with two bags of food. After tipping the boy and closing the door, Eri pounded against the Blitzkrieg Boys' door with her fist and shouted, "Get your butts in here before we eat your food!"
At the mention of food, Ian, Bryan, and Spencer came barging through the door, nearly bowling Eri over in the process, while Kai and Tala followed at an unhurried pace. Sonja, Nakia, and Hina came out of the room as well. Tala took his team's bag, but before he could walk back to their room, Nakia's voice stopped him. "Hold on, don't tell me you guys are just gonna eat in your bedroom!"
Tala cocked one eyebrow. "And your point?"
"Geez, could you guys possibly be MORE anti-social?" the Egyptian exclaimed incredulously. Ignoring her captain's warning glare, she continued, "Like it or not, we're all stuck here together, so we might as well make the most of it. We've got this huge common room and an airline that's footing the bill for our rooms, so I say we order some Pay-Per-View and act like we actually don't wanna kill each other." Her proposal was met by eight bewildered stares. "What?"
"Finally…" Ian breathed. "The first halfway intelligent idea of the day."
Nakia grinned. "See? At least someone agrees with me."
However, the glare Eri was giving her plainly said, "You are so dead when this is over."
Bothe teams gathered in the living room and ate dinner while watching Rush Hour 3 (A/N: Hilarious movie if you haven't seen it. I don't own!). At first, very few words were exchanged to break the awkward silence, but before long the movie had everyone laughing. Well…just about everyone. Sonja could feel Kai's eyes on her almost constantly, and the hostility emanating from him was practically visible.
'All right, that's it,' Sonja thought. Concocting a plan, she called up Lunash in her mind.
Thirty minutes later, Sonja got up from her seat on the couch and threw away her trash. She told her teammates, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to head down to the lobby to check my e-mail on their computer." She left without waiting for a response.
Not long after Sonja left, Dranzer's voice penetrated Kai's thoughts. Master Kai, Lunash just contacted me. Sonja wishes to speak with you in private.
'Somehow that doesn't surprise me,' Kai replied emotionlessly. He got up and discreetly slipped out of the room and into the hallway. Sonja was waiting for him a short distance down the hall, arms crossed over her chest defensively. To say she looked ticked was a huge understatement. "What do you want?" he asked.
"I want to know what your problem is," Sonja replied coldly. "You've been acting like a jerk to me all day and I've done nothing to you!"
"Hmph, if it bothers you so much, why don't you go run to your new boyfriend?" Kai retorted, pressing his arms to his chest. "I'm sure Oliver would be more than happy to cater to your every whim," he added in an acid tone.
Suddenly, Sonja burst out laughing. "I get it. You're jealous! Oh, that's rich, Kai!" She sobered upon seeing no change in his stoic expression. "There's nothing between me and Oliver."
"Hmph, could have fooled me back at the restaurant," Kai deadpanned.
"Just let me explain. After you left, we paid and went for a walk. He asked if I wanted to make us exclusive, but…"
Flashback
"You…want me to be your girlfriend?" Sonja asked in disbelief. She and Oliver were currently standing in a park in the heart of Mexico City. The sun was setting and most civilians were on their way home, so the park was deserted.
"I know this is rather sudden, but I think this could work between us. Besides, I really like you," Oliver replied with a gentle smile.
"I'm…really flattered and all, but…" Sonja trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
"There's someone else, isn't there?" Oliver asked gently. Sonja blushed and looked away shyly. Oliver placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to be ashamed or worried about me." He turned her face so she would look at him. "Whoever that other guy is, I envy him." He stuck out his hand and smiled. "Friends?"
Sonja gratefully returned the smile and the handshake with a sigh of relief. "Of course."
End flashback
"…And that's what happened," Sonja finished. When Kai didn't respond, she shook her head and said, "Fine, don't believe me." She stepped around him and started to walk away.
"Wait." Kai turned around and grabbed her wrist in an iron grip, but he was still careful not to hurt her. Sonja gasped softly as he pulled her to his chest in a fierce, possessive embrace. Kai felt her tense up against him and relaxed his grip slightly, bringing one hand up to entwine his fingers in her honey brunette hair. He dipped his head and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry… I was wrong."
Sonja's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had always viewed Kai as a prideful, aloof young man, but hearing him admit he was wrong and apologize in such a…tender…manner made her heart flutter. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his middle and returned the embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. 'Maybe…he really does care after all.'
"Hang in there!" eight-year old Eri shouted to her beyblade as her opponent's black one dealt out a series of brutal hits that knocked the wind out of her lungs. She gritted her teeth against the pain and refused to fall to her knees. "Attack!" However, her blows barely glanced off the sides of her opponent's blade.
"Honestly, Eri, why do you even bother?" The brunette looked across the dish to see a face she both knew and despised. Raina met her gaze with a malicious sneer. "It's over. You have no chance of winning. And you know why? It's because you're nothing more than a pathetic weakling!" In the dish, a fiery aura surrounded Raina's beyblade as the bit beast contained within fed off her negative emotions. "Dregore, Magma Explosion!"
The fearsome manticore emerged with a blood-chilling roar and charged for Eri's beyblade as jets of lava erupted from fissures in the ground. "NOOOOO!!!!" Eri screamed as Dregore dealt the final blow to her beyblade, completely shattering it and sending the shards clattering to the ground.
A rough hand gripped Eri's shoulder, forcing her to face the stone-cold, furious gaze of Xhaiden. In the foreboding darkness of the stone room, his face was partially concealed. "That was pathetic. You're coming with me." As he dragged her away, icy dread threatened to constrict Eri's throat. She knew the price for failure.
Xhaiden dragged her into a room made of stone in the lowest level of the U.S. Abbey. Numerous blood stains coated the walls, betraying the purpose of this room.
It was a punishment chamber.
Xhaiden shoved Eri face-first against the far wall and locked her hands in iron manacles that dangled above her head. "Now you will learn what happens to weaklings in this Abbey," he hissed in her ear. He stepped back and pulled out a whip, and the silence was broken as he brought the lash down hard against Eri's back.
'Curse Ian and his stupid snoring,' Tala grumbled mentally as he quietly slipped out of the room where his teammates were sleeping. He made his way to the common room and slumped tiredly into an armchair. For some reason, he just couldn't sleep tonight, and Ian's snoring certainly wasn't helping.
Wolborg's voice pried into his groggy consciousness. Master Tala, I think you should check on Eri.
Tala's sleepiness quickly changed to concern, and he slowly opened the door to the Temporal Knights' bedroom. He scanned the room and noticed that Eri was tossing and turning in her sleep. Concerned, he approached her bedside, careful not to wake Sonja, who was sleeping beside her, and saw that a cold sweat coated her face and heard her whimper softly. 'She must be having a nightmare.'
Xhaiden's lash was harsh and relentless, and each blow left a fresh welt or cut on the frail girl's back. To make the torture even more painful, tiny shards of glass had been embedded into the leather, which could break off in the skin and leave deep, festering wounds. Eri's shirt had been reduced to tatters that barely clung to her thin frame, and her back was completely coated in fresh red blood. Despite the intolerable pain, Eri refused to cry out. She ground her teeth together and grunted each time the whip struck her back or her arms, but she didn't scream. She refused to give Xhaiden that satisfaction.
However, Xhaiden apparently grew tired of her lack of response, as he drew back and dealt an even more brutal strike with the whip that curled around her body and bit into the sensitive skin on her stomach. Eri couldn't take it anymore and let out an agonized scream as her tormentor laughed sadistically.
His bloodlust temporarily sated, Xhaiden unlocked Eri's hands from the manacles, grabbed her by the hair, and threw her face first to the floor. She landed on her stomach with a grunt of pain. He bent down and hissed in her ear, "Stay there until you die. I have no further use for you." He left the room and slammed the stone door behind him with a note of finality, leaving Eri in cold darkness.
Overwhelmed by the pain, Eri's body trembled and shivered from the blood loss, and she felt the sting of each and every whip lash. She could see the blood pooling around her and wished for the sweet mercy of unconsciousness. "It hurts… Please, make it stop…"
Tears streamed down Eri's sleeping face as she mumbled softly, "It hurts…"
Tala felt utterly helpless seeing Eri in this state. Wolborg shared his sympathy. Poor child… Something awful must have happened to her in the past to give her such terrible nightmares.
Without thinking, Tala reached out with one hand and gently caressed Eri's cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb. Her skin was surprisingly soft to the touch, and Tala let his fingers trace the outline of her face down to her chin. To his surprise, Eri started to calm down a little. Still asleep, her face tilted towards his hand, as if seeking his presence and comfort. She stopped tossing and turning, but her body still trembled.
Just as Eri's vision started to go blurry, she saw an orange, flame-like silhouette materialize out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head weakly to see a red and orange wolf approaching and instinctively tensed out of fear. Instead of attacking, however, the wolf lowered her snout and gently nuzzled Eri's cheek before licking her tenderly. Do not be afraid, little one, a feminine voice spoke inside the girl's mind. I am here to help you. Compassion radiated from the creatures in waves.
'Who…are you?' Eri asked.
The wolf touched her nose to Eri's head, and soothing warmth radiated from her body that soothed the girl's pain and slowly started to heal her wounds. My name is Pyrix…
Tala sighed in relief as Eri stopped trembling and finally slept peacefully. Remembering where he was, he quickly made his way out of the room and closed the door. 'That was close… If any of them had woken up, I would have been as good as dead.'
It's rather odd that her teammates didn't wake up to notice her in distress, Wolborg remarked.
'Maybe they're just heavy sleepers. Anyway, it's just as well that they stayed asleep.'
Back in the Temporal Knights' bedroom, Sonja cracked an eye open and glanced over at Eri to make sure she was sleeping peacefully. 'Thank you, Tala…'
The next day…
Eri sat in the aisle seat of the crowded jet, lost in thought and waiting for the plane to take off for India. The window seat beside her was empty. A familiar voice brought her back to reality. "Is that seat taken?"
The brunette's eyes widened as she saw Tala standing beside her, a smirk on his face. "No way… You've got to be kidding me…" she said with a groan. Tala flashed his ticket. Sure enough, he had the seat right next to her. Eri pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "This must be someone's idea of a cruel, sick joke."
"Sorry to disappoint, but cruel, sick jokes aren't my forte," Tala replied teasingly. He slid past her and took his seat. Noting her tortured expression, he added, "Oh come on, you act like you got stuck next to Ming-Ming."
'At least I don't have to worry about blushing like a tomato around her,' Eri thought. She sighed, trying to release some of her tension, and said, "Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood. I didn't sleep too well last night."
'Yeah, I know,' Tala wanted to say but kept silent. He nodded in acknowledgement to her statement, but any further attempts at conversation were cut off as the plane started to take off.
Eri and Tala remained mostly silent for the first hour or so, only occasionally exchanging a few words. Tala fiddled with his beyblade and talked privately with Wolborg while Eri read a book. "Funny, you never struck me as the bookworm type," Tala had remarked.
"It passes the time," Eri had replied indifferently with a shrug. However, as time passed, lack of sleep from last night started to catch up with her, and her eyelids started to droop. Her eyes couldn't focus on the tiny print in her book, and she tried to stifle a yawn. 'Stay awake, Kiryakov,' Eri told herself. 'You will NOT fall asleep, you hear me?'
Somehow I have trouble hearing the conviction in those words, Pyrix observed dryly.
'Nobody asked you…' Eri replied sleepily. She gave a start as an arm wrapped around her shoulders and gently pulled her closer to lean against a warm body. She looked up at Tala with a mix of surprise and confusion.
"Get some sleep. You look like you need it," Tala said softly. He gave her the tiniest of smiles, as if the ice around his eyes had melted somewhat. Too tired to argue, Eri dropped her head to his shoulder and fell fast asleep. 'Heh, one minute she's threatening me, and the next she's using me as a pillow. Wonders never cease…' After a while, grogginess started to tug at his eyelids, and he leaned his head back and dozed off as well.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the plane, Sonja, Nakia, and Hina were grinning like maniacs and trying to stifle their giggles. Eri and Tala were both asleep, with her head on his shoulder and his arm still around her. After making sure no flight attendants would see, Nakia quickly turned on her cell phone and snapped a few incriminating pictures. "Finally, some decent blackmail at last!" she whispered excitedly as she showed the images to her team mates.
"You have a positively devious mind, you know that?" Hina asked with a smirk.
Sonja thought privately, 'I can't wait to see how she torments Eri once we arrive in India.'
End chapter 12
READ THIS!!!!! IT CONCERNS MY NEXT UPDATE!!!!!
Author's Note: I just want to let you guys know that I am leaving for a 3-week study abroad in France on January 2 and won't be getting back until the 22nd. I won't have my laptop with me, so I won't be able to type the next chapter or read/review any fics until I get back. So if I've been reading any of your stories, don't be surprised if I drop off the face of the earth during that time. I'm terribly sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter up, but I promise that I've planned out this entire story and intend to finish it even if it kills me. Thanks so much for your patience!
Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Believe me, I'll need them to give me some motivation once I get back! Take care, everyone!