Me: And I'm back again with another chapter of The Light and Darkness Chronicles!
Hyoma: Does this involve me being a torture dummy again?
Me: Not this chapter, this one involves your 'collegues'.
Hikaru and Tsubasa: 'Collegues'? More like friends in victimisation!
Me: Oh whatever! It's your turn to be in a chapter! Plus you get to find out what the surprise from the end of Chapter 2 was.
Hyoma, Hikaru, Tsubasa: What?
Me: You'll find out soon. And this chapter also features one or two extra characters.
Yu and Sora: You mean us right?
Me: Wha? When did you two get here?
Yu: Just now.
Sora: We're in this chapter aren't we?
Me: (Shrugs) Who knows, maybe, maybe I've called in Ginga and Kenta and you two have to wait until next chapter.
Sora: What? Aww man! Epic Fail!
Yu: Stop saying that! You've been saying that ever since we set off!
Sora: What? It's my catchphrase. You give up nicknaming for a while, see how you like it.
Yu: You're acting as bad as Tsubasa, Soso!
Sora: Soso? What? When did you come up with a nickname for me?
Yu: Just now.
Me: Hey! Can the negativity! You're acting as bad as the others!
Hyoma, Hikaru, Tsubasa: (Glares)
Me: And anyway, no one said anything about you two appearing in this chapter! But since you're here, how about you handle the disclaimer?
Yu and Sora: Sharkey52 doesn't own Metal Fight Beyblade, only her OCs.
Me: And on with the story!
The Light and Darkness Chronicles
Chapter four - Paint
Hikaru paused in front of the apartment door. She'd been stood there for a while, listening to the voices radiating from Tsubasa and Yu's home, trying to make sure their 'surprise' didn't involve a bucket of custard on top of the door. Now and again she would hear Tsubasa bark an inaudible order, Yu disagree and then the two would argue about it for a while before Yu would finally just go ahead and do whatever Tsubasa had told him to do in the first place. Twice she had heard the sound of falling cans so all she could presume was either Tsubasa was clearing the kitchen cupboards out or Yu was playing a game of cans-skittles. She wasn't sure which one was more likely.
Slowly, Hikaru raised her fist and knocked on the door. The argument the two boys had been having ceased near immediately. She heard footsteps and Tsubasa bark one last order to his young flat-mate before the door opened. The silver-haired blader smiled down at her.
"Oh, hi Hikaru" he smiled "Glad you could come."
"Yeah" Hikaru nodded "Er...I have a question." Tsubasa gave her a 'go on' look "What are you wearing?" She gestured at the white dried-paint-covered overall he was wearing. Tsubasa opened his mouth to reply, but just then Yu called:
"Tsuuuubaaasaaaa! Where do these paint pots gooooo?" He sounded little a five-year-old. Just then the boy in question appeared beyond the doorway, also dressed in an overall that trailed on the ground around him. He wore what appeared to be a beret on his head and was carrying two blue paint pots. Hikaru frowned. Did she want to know?
"Put them in the kitchen for now!" Tsubasa called over his shoulder to him "We'll use up the other ones first." Yu disappeared from view. Hikaru craned her neck to try and see where he'd gone.
"What's going on?" she asked, noting the carpets and furniture were covered with dust sheets.
"We're redecorating" Tsubasa answered "You see, Yu's been wanting his room painted blue for some time now. Initially I refused but after the World Championships I was warned he may be stuck with me for a while now we can actually live in the same flat without trying to rip each others' heads off everyday. So I agreed."
"FINALLY!" Yu's voice was so loud Hikaru was certain at least on of her ear drums burst.
"Just the two of you?" Hikaru asked.
"Sora's coming over this afternoon" Tsubasa explained "Kenta's gone to see a movie with Ginga and Madoka so we're stuck with him. But until then, yeah, just the two of us."
"D-Do you need any help?" asked Hikaru. Tsubasa tilted his head to the side, then looked over his shoulder. He smiled.
"I think there's another overall somewhere."
"Hey guys! Look! I'm painting on the ceiling!" Yu rolled the paint roller along the ceiling. He was actually painting the ceiling what whilst the others were painting the walls blue, but Yu was enjoying himself too much to notice. The one and only stepladder they'd found had been too big for Tsubasa or Hikaru to stand and paint on, so Yu had taken it upon himself. He kept rocking back and forth on the stepladder, which, as you could imagine, went well.
"Woah! Wooooaaaah!" Yu fell backwards off the ladder, thankfully missing the paint pots. But his paint roller flew into the air and then came down again, right down on top of Hikaru's head. If it had been blue paint it's wouldn't have been so bad; but as I mentioned, this was white paint on the paint roller. Hikaru cried out and whirled round to look at Yu who had just started climbing up the ladder again. Fury flashed in her eyes and sparks flew from her pupils.
"Oooopsyyyy!" Yu laughed "Ha ha! You look funny Hippity-hop!" He burst into his usual hysterics, using the old nickname he'd given to Hikaru. Flames now burned inside those black pupils.
"That does it!" she yelled "DON'T YOU EVER EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!" She picked up the bucket of murky water they sued to wash the brushes in and lobed the liquid at Yu. The ginger-haired boy squeaked with fright and let go of the ladder, promptly falling to the floor again. It worked though. The murky, filthy concoction flew over Yu's head.
"Alright! That's it you two! Knock it…AAAAHH!" Hikaru gasped as she saw the victim of her action.
"I'm so sorry Tsubasa!" she gasped "It was an accident! It was meant to hit…!"
"HA HA HA!" Yu stood up, but laughed so hard he almost fell over "YOU LOOK SO SILLY!"
"Oh, so you think that's funny do you?" Tsubasa growled, gritting his teeth as grey paint-filled water dripped off his nose "Well then, take this!" He stabbed his paintbrush forward like a sword and hit Yu square on the forehead with it. Yu quickly grabbed his paint roller and struck back. Now Tsubasa was covered in white paint and grey-blue watery paint.
"That's it! You're dead!" Tsubasa jabbed forwards and hit Yu in the stomach. The shorter boy retaliated.
"Guys! Seriously!" Hikaru complained as the boys began a paint brush vs. roller battle, using empty or near-empty paint pots as shields "Urgh...boys!" She then whirled her brush above her head and ran into battle.
Lunch consisted of some sandwiches with flakes of blue and white paint of them. Oh, and grapes. Although this didn't help matters at all; because the three of them began a competition. They would take turns throwing the grapes to someone opposite them and said chosen person had to try and catch the grape in their mouth. Tsubasa was beyond a reigning champion, lightning reflexes built up by spending years as a WBBA spy made him a whiz-kid at it. Hikaru wasn't too bad at it either, but Yu was just too short for such a game.
"Okay! So this is the second batting of the fourth round of Grape Catcher!" Hikaru beamed in a sort of baseball-match-narrator's monotone voice "Next up for the batting team is the current champion and the favourite: Otori Tsubasa!"
"Alright then!" Tsubasa rubbed his palms together excitedly and sat up "Give it your best shot!" Hikaru giggled and plucked a grape off the wiry natural structure.
"Batterrrrr...up!" She tossed the grape in Tsubasa's direction. Realising it was going to fall behind him, the silver-haired boy gripped the edge of the table and leant backward in his chair, causing it to swing off it's front legs and balance on it's back ones. He tilted his head back and caught the grape in his mouth before the seat resumed it's normal position. The two spectators clapped, Yu whooping and cheering, as Tsubasa shrugged and grinned pleasurably.
"Alright, next up…!" Hikaru beamed "Next we have the smallest member of the team: Tendo Yu!"
"Can we just recycle the grapes on Yu?" Tsubasa asked "You know, throw ones that have already missed?"
"They've been on the floor though" pointed out Hikaru.
"So? It's not like he's actually going to catch them" Tsubasa explained.
"Hey!" Yu complained "I can catch them!"
"Yeah right" Tsubasa snorted "Like to see you try, Little Boy."
"I AM NOTA LITTLE BOY!" Yu, now furious, grabbed the football he had left leaning against the wall on the table and chucked it at Tsubasa. The oldest of the trio yelped as he suddenly realised this next missile was a lot bigger than a grape and batted it away with his arm. It zipped towards the door, just as it opened. Hikaru wasn't familiar with the boy that stood in the doorway. About 12-years-old with dual colour blond and brown hair and amber eyes. He wore a little-blue vest over a blue shirt and a pair of trousers with the same red trim as on his vest. Yu knew him though.
"SORA! LOOK OUT!" he yelled. Sora quickly took in the sight of the black-and-white ball flying towards him and attempted to catch it, but it slipped through his arms. Thinking fast, he kicked the ball upwards with his left foot, before hopping onto the other leg and letting the ball wobble on top of his right foot, holding out his arms to balance himself.
"Woah! Nice move Sora!" Yu beamed, clapping his hands. Sora smiled to himself.
"Hey, Bluey!" he smiled "Catch!" He flicked his foot so the ball headed in Hikaru's direction. The only girl in the group stood up and let the ball bounce off her chest before grabbing it between her feet and keeping it still. She then picked it up and put in on the table where it had been originally.
"How'd you do that?" Hikaru asked, this question focused on Sora. He shrugged.
"It's nothing" he said "Before I became a blader I fell down the stairs at home. I broke one arm and dislocated my other shoulder. I had to get used to using my legs and feet for things for a while. Including catching footballs." Hikaru smiled.
"Sorry, I don't think we've been introduced" she smiled, holding out her hand "Hasama Hikaru."
"Akatsuki Sora" Sora winked as he took her hand. They shook hands.
"Good timing is all I can say" said Tsubasa "Yu, you have to learn to control that temper of yours."
"You got me all fired up about it!" Yu complained. Then smiling at Sora "Hiya Sora! Um…are you staying over?" He pointed at the bag that Sora had abandoned in the doorway when attempting to catch the football.
"Well, I was kindda hoping to" Sora rubbed the back of his head like Ginga sometimes did when embarrassed "You see, Kenta's parents won't let me crash there after yesterday's incident and Madoka's already sick of me and I've only been at B-Pit for two days. Then you guys asked if I could help out and, well…"
"It's fine" Tsubasa sighed "I'll find some blankets and you can sleep on the floor, unless Yu will give up the sofa."
"Nah, it's fine Tsubasa" Yu smiled "We can head-and-tail it." Sora approved of this.
"So? You needed help redecorating?" he asked. Tsubasa nodded, holding him a fourth overall.
"Let's get started…again."
The only improvement made that afternoon, beyond the fact they finally finished painting Yu's room, was that the paint battle turned into a paint war. As Hikaru and Tsubasa no longer trusted Yu to paint the ceiling, they got Sora to do it instead. What they didn't realise was that Sora was as clumsy as Yu, maybe even worse. And he was a show-off. He thought everyone would find it funny if he tried painting the ceiling with his feet, but instead he ended up repeating exactly what Yu did. By now everyone was so sick of the younger bladers that they had made use of the painting equipment to start World War Three.
By the end, although the room was finally done, they had more paint on themselves than on the wall. In the end they had to take turns in the shower. Hikaru, being a girl, was given the decency of going first. Whilst she was in the shower though, all she could hear was the Rock, Paper, Scissors fight going on outside the door to decide who was going next. In the end Sora finally won. Although the others both complained that the dual-haired boy had cheated by locking himself in the bathroom the second Hikaru was out of it. Eventually they stopped yelling at Sora through the door and resumed their Rock, Paper, Scissors fight, which Tsubasa won. Although neither victories in Hikaru's mind actually managed to keep the peace…at all for that matter. And especially for one.
Sora had once again started acting like an idiot and somehow managed to flood the bathroom. Fate took revenge by soaking his clothes and forcing him to sprint out of the bathroom covered in a multitude of towels. Fate: 1; Sora: 0. Things got worse though. After hiding in Tsubasa's dressing-gown which was much too long for him, Sora was forced to wear some of Yu's recently bought clothes which were a tad too big for him, but much too small for Sora lengthwise. However Yu pointed out that Sora usually wore no sleeves and his trousers were elasticated at the ends so really the loss of length didn't make much of a difference. Sora disagreed. Finally, as one last punishment, fate decided to have him fight one last battle: a battle of wills with Hikaru for the hairdryer. The girl only relented finally because:- A: she felt sorry for Sora after all that had happened, and B: He had longer (or taller depending on how you look at it) hair than her.
When Hikaru finally got the hairdryer, fate decided to punish her too by making her listen to Yu rambling on and on about how Tsubasa spent too long in the shower and how there would be no hot water for him by the end. By the time everyone had finally showered and the calamities were over, they decided against setting the kitchen on fire and instead ordered a pizza, the only thing that evening that went some-what smoothly.