Ok, I'm off hiatus. I can easily say that I didn't enjoy it. All the damn work that I had to do was driving me up the wall, and the only way to avoid losing sleep over it was to actually do it. So here I am, far behind in updating, and I could care less.
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Mariah stared tiredly at the ceiling. The dark hotel room was large and spacious, but provided little entertainment when one's friends are all sleeping peacefully around them. The female neko-jin stretched out her legs and stifled a forced yawn before rolling onto her side, facing the sleeping teenager besides her. For a few moments, she considered waking Kevin so that she wouldn't be alone, but as her eyes caught sight of his crutches leaning up against the wall beside the bed, she decided against it.
It had been a total of two weeks since both Rei and Kevin were released from the hospital. Nothing strange had happened, most everyone who was suing the BBA was having a successful court run, and as for the BBA's financial issue... Well, there wouldn't be any large tournaments any time soon unless Mr. Dickenson was successful in suing off the catering company as well as the government for their own steady and apparent lack of security.
In short, everything was a financial mess. No one was going home until it was all sorted out, which meant the four teams involved would be staying in the states for an extended period of time. Mariah squeezed her eyes shut, and questioned her friends ability to fall asleep. How could they? The world of beyblading was falling towards an economic crisis, not to mention the heightened security measures being taken to avoid another hostage situation.
Mariah truly wished that her life could end just like a novel. Where once the bad guy was caught, everything would go back to normal and there would be no aftermath. But Mariah knew that wasn't going to happen. Aside from all the political mess, most of the bladers that were trapped in the hallway for a total of nine hours were going through therapy and faced stress and slight paranoia each day. Kevin and Rei were addicted to pain medication, to say the least, and Kai and Tala seemed three times more ornery then they normally were.
There hadn't been a regular conversation between anyone since they had all been staying in the hospital, when they were ignorant to the hell that awaited them once they stepped into the real world.
The press coverage was murder. Mariah couldn't jog through the park without a reported pulling her aside, as questioning her. On top of all the stress, Mariah knew that once it was over, she and her team would return home and have to face it all over again; the concern, the questioning, the re-telling of the story in which no one wanted to re-visit. Mariah shuddered at the thought, but told herself that simply being home would be comforting enough.
"Oh, screw it." She mumbled, before reaching across the middle of the queen bed and nudging a sleeping Kevin. Her best friend had always been a light sleeper, and stirred at her first attempt to wake him.
"Wh... Not now, Mar." He moaned, burying himself deeper under the warm blankets. Mariah sighed and nudged him again, checking over her shoulder to make sure that Lee and Rei were still asleep in the queen bed besides her own.
"Uggh... Mar, for the love of God, it's only three in the morning." Kevin whined, pressing his face into his pillow before rolling onto his other side to face Mariah. She smiled and took pride in her ability to get Kevin's attention even when he was half asleep.
"Wanna go watch TV?" She asked optimistically, a trait that Kevin hated. He just looked at her with narrowed eyes. A long pause followed while Kevin took the time to remind himself that he really had no choice. Mariah would prod him in the back until he was fully awake, and by that point watching TV would be the only alternative to not getting up and starting the day.
"Fine." He grumbled. Mariah sat up quickly and pulled Kevin up with her, the blankets falling away from the two teenagers. Kevin groaned once more in protest, and mumbled something about being to cold, but Mariah wasted not time. She slipped off the bed and silently slid over towards Kevin's side of the bed. She grabbed his hand and brought his arm over her shoulder, helping him to walk out of the room without his crutches. Mariah knew that using them could make enough noise to wake Lee and Rei up, who were both starting to stir. Before Mariah could make any more noise, she pulled herself and her friend out of the room and into the main area of their hotel suite.
"What would you watch, anyways?" Kevin asked, the sleep that had clouded his thoughts only moments before had lifted, and he was now wide awake.
"Oh, I don't know. What's on this time of night?"
"Morning, you mean. And nothing but re-runs of CSI and MTV crap shows." Kevin mused blandly, as if it were nothing important. Mariah dropped him onto the couch and plopped down beside him, bouncing slightly on the large soft cushions.
"Then CSI re-runs it is."
The two watched law suit after law suit, and murder after murder, both growing uneasy by it. The showed almost seemed as though it was trying to remind them of all the legal work they had to face. Finally, Mariah started flipping through channels until she came across the local Fox station. "Stay." Kevin said in monotone. Mariah smiled. Bones, a show based more on murders and forensics and less on political stress, was running a late night early morning marathon of the first season.
So, for two hours, the two friends sat and watched. It was around 6 in the morning that a rapped knocking on the door to their suite. Both looked towards the door, but neither of the neko-jin stood to answer it. That is, not until they heard Tyson's voice outside.
"Aggh! Let me in, please! Help!" Mariah leapt off the couch and flew to the door, pulling it open and stopping short as Tyson raced passed her and slammed the door closed, panting and heaving like he had just run a marathon.
"What the hell is going on?!" Kevin cried from his spot on the couch, trying to see what was going on while at the same time focusing on the television. Mariah snapped her attention towards him momentarily before turning back towards a fatigued Tyson.
"What did happen, Tyson?" She asked calmly, pulling the hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ears. After a moment of Tyson breathing heavily, he stood up and straightened out his shirt.
"Kai said that we have to start training at six so-" Before he could even finish, he received both a smack upside the back of his head from Mariah, and a pillow crashing into his face from Kevin. Tyson defensively lifted his arms up before his face to protect himself from any further blows. "What?! Can't you help a guy out?!"
"Not you!" Kevin cried bitterly, searching for another pillow to throw at the world champion. Before he could, a solid heavy knock came from the door, and Tyson instinctively raced away from it towards the couch. From there, he dove behind Kevin and held onto both of the neko-jin's shoulders as if Kai would barge in and carry him away.
"Get off!" Kevin growled, trying to squirm away from Tyson. While the two continued the pitiful tussle, Mariah opened the door without Tyson noticing. Standing in the doorway was Kai with Max behind him, who not only looked pissed, but ready to break someone's neck who dared to oppose his authority. Specifically; Tyson.
"I'm sorry Kai, we're not interested in buying cookies. Try Gary's room."
"Not now, pinkie." He growled, shoving past her and into the room. Mariah put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat loudly enough for Tyson to look up. While Tyson was frozen in horror at the sight of Kai, Kevin managed to smack his forehead hard enough to knock the world champion off the couch.
"Hey, why did you do that?!"
"Because I wanted to get revenge before Kai killed you?"
"Revenge for what?"
"Your birth."
"But you didn't have to hit me!" Kai had stopped momentarily to listen, and admired Kevin's ability to lash out insults without even pausing to compose them.
"I didn't hit you. I high-fived your face."
"... What's the difference?!" By this point, Kai was ready to cut in. He grabbed Tyson by the ear and dragged him out of the room, past a newly arrived and recently awoken Rei and Lee, both of whom were shaking their heads.
"You idiot." Lee growled threateningly as Kai passed him. The team captain of the White tigers turned back into the room for more sleep as Rei and Mariah saw Kai out and asked Max what had happened. Kevin, in this time, managed to turn the television off and flop back onto the couch in exhaustion.
"Mar, my leg hurts." He moaned like a young child with a fever would complain to their mothers.
"So? What am I supposed to do about that? You're in pain twenty-four seven these days."
"Get me painkillers." He moaned louder, and worrying that he would bring Lee back out into the room, Mariah shushed him. "Why don't you get them?" She hissed, turning her back of Rei and Max, who watched with interest.
"Can't. Walk." Kevin said slowly and rudely, causing Mariah to flush a deep red but comply and go off to search for the pain killers.
"I'd better go make sure Kai keeps Tyson's jugular veins where they belong." Max said sheepishly before turning down the hallway, leaving Rei with a rather unpleasant mental image.
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Lee watched with amusement as the Bladebreakers trained. Kai barked orders and told Max and Tyson what they had to improve on in harsh commands. Kenny poured over data while trying to modify his own beyblade. Hilary attempted with great failure to get one of them to taste test her chili, but not even Tyson was interested, knowing how spicy it was.
After a while of spying, Lee decided to make himself known, and coughed openly into the back of his hand. Kai looked up with a bored glance and sighed, frowning more then he already was.
"Beat it, Lee. We're busy."
"You mean their busy. You guys might get along better if you trained with them, and not at them."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Well then you really are blind."
"Who said I was?"
"Mariah."
"Wow." Kai replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and snorting. The two continued on with the bitter argument until Tyson finally joined in. By that point, the two captains were fed up with each other and as Lee left, Kai couldn't help but glare after him.
"He has an ego problem." Kai muttered below his breath. Tyson smiled and scratched his nose. "I think you're just conceited."
"Enlighten me." Kai said, with even more distaste in his voice. "I doubt you even know what that means." Tyson fumed and opened his mouth to speak, but was sooner cut off by yelling.
From the direction that Lee had vanished out of the hotel gym and down the hall, a few screams sounded out, and a maid quickly stumbled into view before collapsing. The Bladebreakers were flung into action immediately, racing towards the women and whoever it was causing the distress.
Kai held them back at the sound of a gun being fired, and as more rounds went off, a men in a long black coat staggered into view, clutching his stomach. He turned towards Kai just before he collapsed, and said four simple words;
"This isn't over yet."
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xChewy; Yay. More plot development and cliff hanger enders. :D and I was worried this was going to be yet another boring chapter.
Kai; Why me? Why would he say that to me?
xChewy; Look at the reviews. People love you, emo.
Kai; 'Emo' is not my name, you know. And who cares if people love me?
xChewy... The people that love you care. And yes, I'll call you emo. Or, if not that, Sunshine?
Kai; You go to hell. You go to hell and you DIE.
xChewy; (South park quote)
Kai; . ; Aw, f you.
xChewy; How do I go about 'eff star star staring' myself?
Kai; OH MY GOD, YOU B. You concord me?!
xChewy; I one the bet, didn't I?
Kai; No, I won! I saved the day in the end!
xChewy; Then it's revenge. And this isn't over yet.
Tala; Hey... Why is this room labeled 'off limits'?
xChewy; ... Are you questioning the authority of the comment room?
Kai; Oooh, you're going to get it now.
Tala; Why the f would I-
Kai + xChewy; Uh-huhhh.
Tala; D... I mean, 'darn'.
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