HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHAPTER 14 IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kai- sweat drops

Nothing to report, except . . . THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!

Kai- Before she goes crazy: Disclaimer - She doesn't own Beyblade.

Abduction

Chapter Fourteen

Ryan sighed as he walked down the hall. Both of these teams were too much of a coincidence, and it brought back too many memories. Bad memories. He just couldn't put his finger on the reason why these people were wanting to bring back combat now instead of years ago.

He knocked on the large door to the other Blade Breakers's room, gaining an answer as the door opened, revealing Tyson, Max, Kenney, every one of the All-Stars, and the White Tigers.

"Come on in, Ryan. How's Kai? And what about Ray? Are you okay, too?" Questions popped out of no where as soon as the white-haired boy entered the room.

"Ray and Kai are fine, but I don't think that anyone should visit them today. They need some rest. Especially Kai. He's had a hard night. And I'm fine," he said calmly, closing the door behind him and sitting in a chair.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, which made Ryan blink at the gesture. They really cared about the phoenix, which he would more than likely be never used to. No one in the past except him and a few others had ever cared about Kai. This was strangely new.

They were quiet for a while, everyone deep in their own thoughts. At least until Tyson spoke up.

"Hey, Ryan? I've been wondering. How are you blind in one eye? Genetics?" he asked randomly.

Ryan's wavy head whipped around as he stared at the navy haired blader. Never had he been asked that question. He honestly wasn't ready. Scratching his chin, the white-haired boy tried to find a way to begin. "Well . . . it's not really something I tell often."

"Ok, then start wherever feels comfortable," Kenney said, placing himself on the floor cross-legged, laptop in hands. "If it's okay."

Ryan sighed. What in his life was comfortable? "Well, I guess I was about fourteen. Phoenix was visiting after the Beyblade Championships. It had been at least two years since Combat Blading had been banned, but where I live, people don't really follow the rules. We were taking my little sister to school when a group showed up, threatening to kill Serenity if we didn't fight them in a combat battle. We really had no choice, being outnumbered that is. Phoenix fought first and won. He got lucky getting away with only a few deep cuts along the arm. When I started fighting, the group began to 'gang up on me' as you would say. They bound Phoenix and Serenity to where they couldn't help and tried to kill me, in other words. I was held and they attacked . . ."

The vision began playing in his mind.

¿Flashback?

A younger Ryan stood being held by four older boys, their leader standing in front of him, whip in hand and dagger in reach.

The leader grinned as he eyed the phoenix lying on the cold ground unable to do anything to help his [otomo dachi as the crimson substance oozed out of his skull, a faint swelling appearing under it. Phoenix wouldn't be intervening as he took away the only other teammate he had left.

The leader turned his attention back to Ryan as the white haired teen began struggling more. "You're getting on my nerves," the cold voice commented, bringing the whip over his head and striking the teen's face, aiming to blind the boy fully but didn't succeed as Ryan turned his head sharply just before the leather hit. The pain was excruciating, sending the boy screaming into the arms of the older boys holding him. He couldn't see out of either of his eyes, the bright red liquid clouding his vision. Quickly closing his eyes, Ryan tried to make his other senses kick in before even more damage was done . . .

¿End Flashback?

"What happened afterwards?" Tyson, Michael, and Lee said together. They were hooked on the story. It was scary and exciting at the same time.

Ryan sighed. "Well, after I was struck, I heard something moving really quickly. I realized later that somehow Phoenix had released his blade without the ripcord. Dranzer cut through his bindings and attacked the men holding me. Phoenix struggled but finally was able to get me and Serenity away from them in one piece. Luckily, they had made my sister smell strong alcohol where she would just pass out and wake with a headache. So, she didn't see anything, thankfully. When I woke up in the hospital, I noticed I was only seeing one side and that's when I found out after Phoenix showed up. He got away with a small concussion and a few cuts and lashes from both beyblade and whip. That's how, I guess . . ."

Everyone stayed quiet as Ryan finished his tale. It wasn't exactly the story they had in mind.

Tyson was the first to speak. "So, Kai ended up saving you? Wish he cared about us that much. Ray's one thing. The rest of us is another . . ."

Ryan's head snapped up. He glared hard with his one good eye. "Whether you believe me or not, Tyson, Kai does care about ALL of you. Every letter I get is about you guys. About your battles. Your strengths. Your weaknesses. Your personalities. Your likes. Your dislikes. Everything. In fact, I think I know as much about you guys just from his letters as you do. He cares about you all. Believe me. He may have a strange way of showing it, but he does deep down . . ."

"I have a question, Ryan," Kenney said quietly a few minutes after the older teen spoke.

"Yeah?"

"How exactly did you and Kai meet? I know you both couldn't have been friends since you were babies, but that's only because we know about his grand-"

"VOLTAIR! Don't EVER call that man Phoenix's grandfather! He doesn't deserve the title!" Ryan hollered, teeth bared in hatred. "After what he did, he can NEVER take the title back[Sofu," he snorted, "give me a break!"

"Geez! Calm down, Ryan. You sound like his lover instead of Ray!" Tyson said, hands up in a soothing motion.

Ryan blinked at his last comment. He settled back in the chair he was sitting in with a sigh. The truth was that he used to be Kai's lover. Well . . . in a sense.

He shook his head and rubbed his palms against his face. "I'm sorry, Kenney. It's just, I know first hand what Voltair did to Phoenix. I hated the way he changed from a light and caring boy to a cold, unhuman . I'll never forgive that . . . that . . ." He couldn't finish his sentence. Just the memory of Kai treading up to his doorstep, half conscious, bleeding, bruised, bones broken, unable to go on any farther . . . It made him want to kill that poor excuse for a human being.

"Ryan, could you answer my question?" Kenney asked hesitantly. Ryan was a lot easier to ask questions to than Kai was, but the small computer geek was still somewhat cautious about the older teen.

"I apologize. What was the question again?"

"Um . . . How did you and Kai meet?"

The white-haired teen blinked. "Oh. Um . . . Phoenix's younger brother was best friends with my sister. One time Serenity and I were going to pick up Josh to go to their baseball game when I saw Phoenix and Josh standing there . . . Serenity introduced us, and we kinda hit it off. We've been friends ever since."

"Oh, so I guess it was love at first sight, huh? Didn't work out?" Lee's smug face appeared in Ryan's line of view. "I can tell that you have had some sort of feelings for Kai. Didn't you?"

The older teen blinked, taken aback. He didn't think he had given himself away. "Why . . . why do you say that?"

Lee smiled softer. "The way you talk about him makes me think that you have, or used to have, a thing for him."

Ryan's gaze left the lion's in a hurry, a furious blush rising. "Well . . . he and I were together . . . about three years ago we broke up, that would put us at . . . fifteen. He's like a brother, and that's all. I could never love him the way he and Ray love each other."

"Really? You sound like you still love him by the way you talk, as I said."

Ryan's senses told him that all eyes were on him. He couldn't tell everything. They didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of his battle with his own lover . . .

If you could call a dead person a lover that is.

"No. I don't love him like I used to, and that's the end of that discussion, if you don't mind."

"No. We don't mind, Ryan. How are Kai and Ray, really? And who was with that guy from last night?" Max asked.

The older boy looked at him with his one good eye. "Well, Phoenix and Ray are going to be fine. A little bruised, and Phoenix'll be tired for a while, but they'll be fine. As for the man. I don't know who he is, but I know what team he's from. They use what's called a Restraining Flute that gives them complete control over a victim's body. The man used one last night. A phoenix's ears are sensitive and since Phoenix is bonded with Dranzer, so are his. That's why it was easy for him to control your captain."

Everyone was quiet again.

"OK. Another question? How come you call Kai Phoenix?" Max asked.

Ryan looked at him and smiled. "I used to call him by his actual name, but ever since we had to call our teammates by their bit beast's form, it just kinda stuck."

"Really? What was yours? And who else was on your team?" Tyson started again with his questions, bouncing up and down in his seat as Max would do on a small sugar high.

"Um . . . Yes. My name was Pegasus. There was also Eagle and Dove. They . . ." Ryan stopped himself from saying anymore. Going down memory lane would be too much right now for him. It really wasn't something he was looking forward to, either.

"'They . . .' What?" Tyson asked, leaning closer to the white haired teen.

Ryan shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing, Tyson." He looked around at the others. "Are there anymore questions?" he smiled.

Michael nodded. "Yeah. What exactly happened when combat blading was banned? And why do these guys want to bring it back?"

Ryan sighed, scratching his head. "I don't really know how to put this, but I'll give it a shot." He took in a deep breath trying to remember everything. "Well, when combat first started, it was a big hit, especially among martial artists. When street gangs got hold of the game, it kinda got out of hand. They started abusing the power to be able to fight and blade at the same time. Soon innocent people, even little kids by the age of five, got hurt and were sent to the hospital. Some even started to die on the operating table. Then police started to enforce a rule where people could only fight one opponent once unless in a tournament, but that opponent could only be eleven years or older. Lot of good that did. It got out of hand even more than before. Police couldn't watch every single inch of the city, let alone the country. Then more and more people started going to the morgue. Not to visit, but because they were dead."

He heard the girls gasp and knew that the others were staring at him, horrified.

"It came to where the BBA began a tournament, one that when the victor was decided, they got to choose whether combat would be banned or not."

"That's the one you and Kai entered, isn't it?" Tyson asked.

Ryan nodded. "The very same. Phoenix and I and many others entered the tournament to ban combat, but just as there were people opposed of combat, there were others that wanted it to stay. Why they wanted it to, I'll never understand." He shook his head at the comment. "It came down to the final match between Phoenix and another boy. I don't really remember his name, but their battle was the most exciting out of all." He looked up at Tyson. "You remember the battle you and Phoenix had at your last tournament when he was with the Tala and the others?" Tyson nodded and smiled, remembering the intense moment. "Well, Phoenix's and the other boy's battle was more intense than that. Watching their battle would have to have been a once in a lifetime opportunity. Phoenix ended up using almost his full power in that fight." Ryan shook his head. "Anyway, when Phoenix won, he banned combat before he and the other boy collapsed. It's recorded, so when the gangs along the streets protested, they showed the battles of the entire tournament. There was so much blood shed in that tournament that the clean-up people couldn't strip the thick liquid from the floors and arenas. The blood had stained the ground. The leaders of the gangs mostly watched Phoenix's battle, because it was the deciding round. When they heard what was said, they didn't object. Their teams obliged, and combat was never used again until now."

Ryan sighed and looked up at the other's faces.

"Um . . . Ryan?" Kenney asked hesitantly. "Does the BBA still have the tape of Kai's battle?"

The white haired teen cocked his head. "Why?"

The small brunette cleared his throat. "Well, I was wondering if we could see it. That way we at least know what combat really is besides just watching yours and Kai's dual yesterday. I know that it's not going to be that short or playful. So, could we?"

"Yeah! Could we?" the others chimed.

Ryan moved back in his seat, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but they burned it along with the horrible memory."

"Awe! That stinks! I really wanted to see it!'" Tyson whined and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ryan shook his head. "It really wasn't a pretty sight. You'd probably just end up spilling your guts out on the nice clean carpet. That is, if you can't stand the sight of a lot of blood."

Tyson and the others stared at him. "You mean, it was really that bad?"

The older boy nodded grimly and sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. We need to start training you guys if you want to beat Auron and his gang."

"Alright, Coach! Could we ask you a few more questions?" Tyson asked smiling.

Ryan shook his head. "Alright, but make it quick."

"When you and Kai fought yesterday, you told Michael to play a CD that you all could fight to. Do they do that at the tournaments?" Max asked, gaining nods from all around.

The older teen laughed. "Yeah, Max. They do. In fact, it's said that when people fight, if they listen to fast-paced music, then they'll get into the fight, and both bladers will let loose. They'll end up giving up their full potential, or at least close to it." He smirked and winked at the younger blader. "Not to mention, it's a whole lot of fun."

The others smiled but stopped when Emily piped up. "Can you, I mean bladers in general, do what Kai did yesterday? Combine with your bit beasts?"

Ryan stared at her a moment, trying to think of a way to phrase the answer. "Well, yes, but it depends on the bond that you have with each other. Phoenix and Dranzer can do it almost automatically, but what you saw yesterday was just a sample of the real thing. That's almost how far anyone can go, but there has been only one person that has completed his form."

"Whose that?" Tyson asked anxiously.

"Phoenix." Ryan stared at all of them seriously. "He's done it once, and that was in the last battle, but afterwards, he was in a slight coma for about a few days." Both eyes went distant as the memory came and went. "When he came out of it, he was . . . different. You see, when you complete the form of uniting with your bit beast, you see the truth about a situation in your past. I don't know what Phoenix saw, nor will I ever know, for that fact. It was too deep for even me to pry out of him. That's the only drawback of uniting with your bit beasts."

The others were silent for once until Tyson said gravely, "I think that's all of the questions. Could we get started?"

Ryan smirked. "Sure, but I can't say it'll be easy."

End Chapter 14+

[otomo dachi - friend [sofu - grandfather

END CHAPTER FOURTEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Me so happy!

Kai - sweat drops

Oh, well. Kai's a party pooper.

R&R VIEWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kai - shakes head Even she's a moron. Great. Another one to add to my list . . .