I Love Beyblade
Chapter 14 – Happiness
Bryan walked through town in China where the White Tigers usually hangs around. He knows which town because Mr. Dickenson had informed it. Bryan wondered around for the longest time. It's a good thing that Mr. Dickenson had prepared him money from this land or else he would have starved. Although, there isn't anything for him to eat so he had to eat the weirdest things. Silkworms, seahorses, and… well he did not really eat them because those were just on the streets as he walked by.
There were no signs or traces of the White Tigers. This was getting rather tiring and Bryan could not ask the Chinese people about where they might know Ray and his friends. He does not speak Chinese after all. He tried to ask for Ray and his teammates to the people, just to see if they get what he was trying to say. He pointed and made gestures.
It really was not working. The good thing is that there were some who understood him, but still they do not know. Every time he speaks in English, the Chinese people would crowd around him and talk to him in English as well. He tried to lose them and told them to leave him alone if they do not know where Ray is.
"Man," Bryan hissed, kicking a bottle of empty beer on the street. "What as total waste of my time."
He looked ahead of him and saw a girl with black hair and gray eyes. Her hair is in high pigtails and her hair hung to her shoulders. She's standing on a bench and stared back at him, smirking. "Hey…" she greeted. She seem to be at the age of sixteen or younger.
Bryan just glared at the girl. So what if she can speak English? It's not like she would know where the White Tigers are. No doubt about that. He turned to walk away. If he starts to talk, people would follow him around again.
"I know where Ray and the others are," she said.
He turned his head and looked at her. Her English sounded perfect. When Chinese people instantly heard English they all suddenly walked by to listen to their conversation, practicing to listen to the language they were speaking in. Bryan asked the girl, "How did you know that I was looking for them?"
She giggled and jumped down off the bench. She twirled around up to him. "I hear from strangers walking by and saying there someone who speaks English here," she said, walking up to him. "They said something about him wanting to know where Ray is."
"So," he turned to her. "Where are they?"
The girl pointed to the sunset. "If you head fifty miles that way, you'll see a cave. They're probably resting there ever since they got hurt," she grinned.
"…How do you know this?" he asked, suspiciously glaring at her.
"We've been in contact, duh," she slapped him in the arm, laughing. "We use pigeons and stuff. Like the old times."
Bryan's eyebrow twitched when she slapped him. "…Whatever," he said. Maybe he will trust her. At least he has a clue now. He walked away but then she grabbed him. "What?" he looked at her.
"You didn't thank me!" she said.
"Hey, I didn't want to find them in the first place," Bryan pulled away from her. "Even if you didn't come along and tell me where they were, I would have just gone home."
The girl pouted. "Okay, fine. Goodbye!" She quickly walked away pass the crowd. "I don't think I'll see you around again anyway. What an asshole!"
"As… ho…" a Chinese middle age man nodded. "What does that mean?"
Bryan turned around away from the crowd. Yeah, I don't think I'll ever see you again either. He thought, smirking. She looked the type who would cause trouble for him so he hoped not to see her ever again.
"Ruby!" Xue shouted. He quickly stood up and ran after the wave that was taking Ruby away. Eve and Enrique also followed outside.
The chimera quickly ran pass them, angrily roaring at the moving water. The shadows under the water turned into spikes and thrust inside the water and then wrapping around Ruby's body, creating a barrier. Ruby nearly drowned from the panic. She touched the solid shadow as Hajime controlled it in mid air.
"That's Leo's bit beast, Serpent," Eve lightly glared. She remembered her rough time when she was almost drown, meeting Leonardo for the first time.
Xue snapped his fingers and said, "Oh damn it, I don't have Ah with me. I can't fight."
"I'll handle this!" Enrique smirked. "Hey, Amphisbaena!" he called. The huge two-headed lizard appeared as the sand in the ground became like a quick sand. "Stay back Eve!" he waved. "And the guy with red hair, if you don't want to die, get to some place that's safe."
"Dumb ass Enrique," Eve glared. He's being so reckless. Her feet were sinking into the sand. Xue withdraws from the scene, knowing there is nothing for him to do here right now. "Spirit, can you help them out here?" Eve patted on it's head. The cat appeared on her shoulder, where it has always been. "Please use your ability to hide me and Ruby," Eve said.
The cat nodded and jumped into the air. It hurried and pounced on the Hajime's head, quickly talking in its cat language. The tiger glared but slightly nodded its head. Just when the water quickly aimed to attack them, the two bit beasts disappeared along with Ruby and Eve.
"Hey! You liquid beast!" Enrique smirked. "You better keep your eyes on Amphisbaena. Or else you'll make your master cry!"
The water turned into a sea serpent, showing its sharp fangs at the blond guy. Its body is deep dark blue and hungry red eyes. It's body fill the whole large lake. The serpent hissed at Amphisbaena and called for an enormous wave behind it. Earth raised around Amphisbaena as it roared. It created four walls in front of itself for any protection from the sea serpent.
"Heh," Enrique brushed his bangs away from his face. "You're pretty huge, you snake. Let's see what you got."
The wave hit the wall of earth, nearly crushing Amphisbaena's defense. The two bit beasts stood still, glaring one another down.
Everything was quiet until something suddenly appeared when Enrique blinked. A rag doll levitated close to his face and he backed away from it. The doll had long black hair, violet eyes, violet dress, no fingers and toes. It looked like a normal doll, but older and dirtier looking.
"…Eh?" he looked at girl doll.
The doll did not have a smile but rather an upside down smile. It flew backwards to the sea serpent and patted its head with its ragged arm.
"What the hell is that?" Eve asked. She and the others were not that far from where Enrique is standing. "That doll's floating…"
"That's Lulu," Xue said, standing by her side. "It's a bit beast."
Ruby wanted to look but then remember she could not see. "Eve says it's a doll… but you say it's a bit beast… then… What? A bit beast is supposed to be some kind of beast, isn't it?"
"I have no idea either," Xue shrugged. "I lived with the Empty Hearts for a long time but I haven't ever met the bit beast's master."
"Whom does it belong to?" Eve asked.
Xue smiled, "An cute eight-year-old girl, I heard." Eve and Ruby were silent for a second.
"Even a little child joined the Empty Hearts?" Ruby exclaimed. "Why? What's up with that, Xue?"
"And there's nothing you should be smiling about," Eve said when he smiled about the 'cute' little girl. "Do you know why a child as young as that cab even be with the enemy?"
Xue shrugged again. "I honestly don't know," he said. "The little girl joined two years ago."
Eve sighed. Something popped in her mind and she grabbed Xue's arm. "How's Jamie?" she asked.
"She's doing good!" he chuckled, giving her a thumps up. "The only thing that is wrong that she's a very cold person right now. She's nothing like what you had described about long ago."
"I wonder…" Eve lowered her head and stared at the ground.
Ruby could tell that Eve is sad about what Xue had just said. Jamie is Eve's younger sister, who should be sixteen years old by now. Jamie went missing for almost a year and Eve have been trying to find her all this time. Before Ruby met Kai, Eve had asked Ruby to sneak into the Silver Company to find information on Jamie while she was going to steal the chimera chip as well. After she had taken the chimera, she also found info in an office and found Jamie's recent traveling around the world. She had given to Eve so she could look for her sister, following where Jamie had gone to track her down.
Back to Enrique, he did not have a chance to even continue battling because the sea serpent turned back into liquid and left. The doll turned itself into water as well, leaving along with Serpent back up the river.
Enrique and Amphisbaena both were silent, standing really still. Eve, Ruby, and Xue walked up to him. "Hey," Eve said. Spirit is on her shoulder again but it remained invisible to the others. "I suggest we leave now. It might tell Leo where our location is."
Amphisbaena disappeared and the earth reformed back to normal. He looked at Eve. "But where?" he asked. He looked at this vacation home and sighed heavily. It is in ruins now.
"Let's go and return Dranzer first," Eve said, looking at Ruby.
Ruby flinched when she heard what Eve had said. She did not want to go, but Kai would really love it if he gets it back. "Sure… but how? We're going to have to walk or become hitchhikers."
"Yay! We get to see Kai!" Xue ran around in circles, laughing. "I can finally ask him about his secret!" What he meant how Ruby fell in love with a guy like him. Xue truly wanted to learn how to attract girls too so he is really hoping to see Kai really soon.
Eve patted on Spirit's head. "Don't worry. Spirit has the skill to teleport. If I picture a person, it would take us to him or her. Usually not in front of them, just around the area."
"That's cool!" Xue jumped around. He went and grabbed Spirit, knowing it was on Eve's shoulder. "We're counting on you, Spirit!"
Even though Xue had left the Empty Hearts, as he had said earlier, something's bothering Enrique. He couldn't just trust his guy who acts like a kid. "Oh hey," Enrique looked at Xue. "So, if Eve's sister is with the Empty Hearts… what about Johnny?"
"You know him?" Xue and Ruby asked at the same time.
"If you haven't been watching TV, Johnny and I were teammates," Enrique gave them a flat look. "Robert, Oliver, Johnny, and I all went our own ways because we had a fight. And there was a battle with the Empty Hearts and it was just because of a hot chick who had all four of us fighting one another. She looked Chinese to me, but anyway… Johnny said he wanted to join them, which I happen to have overheard but I didn't do anything to stop him. So… I'm wondering if he was serious and still is with the Empty Hearts."
"I saw him," Ruby said.
"Yep, he's still there," Xue nodded.
Enrique sighed, "I see…"
Eve patted on her 'distant' cousin's head with a smile. "Don't you worry about your friend, Enrique. I'm sure he'll come around soon," she said.
"Like I care," Enrique shrugged. He slapped her hand away when she did not stop patting on his head. "Okay, just picture Kai so we can get this over with."
"You're coming along?" Ruby asked.
"Of course he is," Eve said, chuckling. "He can be really useful when we're out number by strength. We'll need all the help we can get. I know it's a pain to bring him along if he ever sees cute girls but…"
Enrique nodded, "That's right! But Eve, I don't need any more chicks. I've got Ruby here!"
Ruby made a disgusted face as Xue pulled her away from the blond hair guy. "Hey, Xue," Ruby grabbed his arm. "Why did you come here for? Did Leo kick you down to the river?"
Eve and Enrique were having their own little conversation. Xue smiled and put his arm around Ruby's neck. "No, he gave me a choice. He said I could either forget about you and stay with his team or go after you and leave Ah behind. Of course, I chose you. You're my best friend after all!" he hugged her, laughing out loud. "And thank god I chose to leave! I mean, like, Eve's here too! This is where I should be!! Yeah!!"
Ruby slightly blushed and giggled. He is like a little brother to her but she started to wonder if Xue liked her in a different way or something. No wait, he likes Jamie. She remembered when he could not stop talking about Jamie six months ago. Maybe he just really cares about his friends. That's the kind of guy he is.
Xue stopped laughing and thought to himself. I'll do anything for happiness… for my friends and me…he smiled. He took Ruby's hand and the both of them started to jump around with joy.