Chapter 11
Greetings, all! As promised, here is another chapter. Let me know what you all think!
I'll be out of commission for the weekend, but I promise to get some writing done in the meantime.
Responses to reviews:
Water Dragon of the South: A million thank-yous! It's good to know that hard work pays off. Yes, I sincerely agree with the slap...and he is lovable, isn't he?
GoldenAngel999: Yes! I was hoping that someone would take note of it. This time, before I named the chapter, I thought really hard about the title. I figure they should all be more meaningful if I'm going to go to the trouble of naming them.
That's good to hear. Your feedback is always so, so valuable to me! It's a great help while I try and develop the story; otherwise I'd have no way of knowing if people are actually satisfied with what I've done, and which pieces of the story readers prefer. So a billion thank-yous to you!
BlueButterflyRose: No, I should thank you for reviewing! It's great to know you're enjoying the story. Hopefully I can kick myself in the butt a little more often and actually update more than once a month!
MeiMei and Madouka both lounged the patio of a small cafe, indulging in their delightful meal and drinking in the golden sunshine. It had been almost a week since they'd arrived in America, and Madouka and MeiMei were spending some well-needed girl-time out of it.
The Chinese martial artist looked especially bright that day, with her dark hair pinned up, and a summery dress sporting painted flowers of red, green, blue, yellow and gold. Madouka herself was wearing a short-sleeved jean jacket and a soft yellow dress. She clicked her heels contentedly under the table in a pair of decorative sandals.
The two sat lazily at the table, finishing off desserts and sharing silly secrets. Or, in Madouka's case, trying to.
Whereas MeiMei was able to conjure every funny story imaginable, with daily bloopers at the seemingly strict and no-nonsense Bey Lin Temple, Madouka couldn't think of a single funny moment in her quiet, boring seven years after the World Championships.
"Come on," MeiMei persisted. "There must be something." She shovelled her ice cream around the bottom of her bowl with a spoon. The metal squealed at the resistance against the glass. "Go for it," she told Madouka firmly.
With a sigh, Madouka leaned back in her chair, against the jacket draped on the back, and stared up into the bright blue sky. "Ummm... I don't know..." She gave another small sigh. "I just...don't really have any secrets to hold."
MeiMei looked on the verge of laughing and crying - or perhaps a combination of both. She shook her head pityingly. "Come on, honey. I know you can do better than that." Holding back small giggles, she patted her hand. "C'mon. There must be something that, at the very least, that I don't know. Right?"
Madouka closed her eyes and thought hard, trying to take the topic seriously. "Nope," she decided almost immediately, opening her eyes.
MeiMei looked genuinely disappointed. "Not even a guy?"
"Ummm..." Heat rose to Madouka's cheeks. "I had a crush on this guy from the World Championships, Aleksei..."
MeiMei's tone was flat. "Let me guess. You never hooked up."
"No..." Embarrassed, Madouka wrung her hands. How did you explain to other girls that you were a twenty-year old virgin looking for a first boyfriend? She supposed it was her price to pay for being involved in such boyish activities for almost all her life. Homeschooled her whole life for being a tech genius, Madouka found herself lacking the social ability and dignity that most others developed early on.
But then again, she was talking to MeiMei, and there were many things she could tell her best friend without feeling judged, this included.
She was thankful for MeiMei's company, she realized by gazing at the bold Chinese girl. All her life she'd been stuck with the same group of dorky (fine, with maybe a few exceptions) boys who wanted to forge a life on spinning toys. Although they still shared a variety of experiences, MeiMei understood her curiosity and lack of knowledge on what an ordinary, social young woman was like. How to live it out without feeling out of place at some geek convention.
"When are Tsubasa and Hikaru coming?" MeiMei complained loudly, drumming her fingers on the table. "Maybe they'll be able to tell me something interesting."
"Well, they are pretty busy getting caught up at the new WBBA," Madouka pointed out.
MeiMei's grin turned sly. "Ooh, girl, the way you say that..."
With a shriek of laughter completely unlike her own, Madouka shook her head, still giggling. "Oh my gosh, why do you have to turn every implication..."
"Seriously, though." MeiMei's eyes narrowed like a cat preparing to pounce on its prey. "Do you think the two of them have something going on? I mean, they've been working somewhat closely over the past couple of years..."
"No, I don't think so," Madouka disagreed. "Unless he wanted to stay really quiet about it... Nah, Tsubasa would've told me."
"Really?" Though Madouka expected her friend to slouch and pout as usual, MeiMei instead looked alert once more. "And why is that?"
Madouka gave a shrug. "Well...we've been really good friends in the years we stayed in town! He's always been there with me, since he was the only one who stayed in town, that I could relate with. We're really close friends..." She trailed off when she saw the devilish grin on MeiMei's face.
"Girl, you have been hiding all this from me..."
"No!" Madouka protested. "I don't like him that way!"
"But here you are, telling me about this..."
Madouka buried her face into her hands, trying to hide the colour that was rapidly spreading across her cheeks. "No! Stop it! I don't like-like him that way!"
As if sensing her sudden discomfort, the Chinese blader allowed the subject to slide, though the look in her eyes read that she would pounce on the next opportunity she got. "So, anyways," MeiMei cut in, "I haven't heard all the details about Masamune. What's going on, exactly?"
"Well," Madouka began, setting aside her spoon, "he called Zeo's cell number - hasn't explained how he got it of course," she added suspiciously. She rolled her eyes in exasperation as MeiMei fanned herself at the mention of her new American crush. "But anyways, for some reason Toby ended up answering, and they've arranged for us to meet up with him at the hospital, courtesies of Masamune."
"The sick friend is the one you're meeting, right?" MeiMei interrupted.
Madouka nodded and continued. "Yeah."
"Hold on." MeiMei paused, a frown halting on her expression. "I thought Masamune wasn't allowed in the hospital."
Madouka shook her head, trying to explain. "No, no, no. Well, Zeo apparently didn't tell Toby that Masamune was in town, to keep him off some list so he wouldn't be able to come in."
MeiMei whistled, impressed. "Well, I guess I'd be mad too, if my friend disappeared for seven years." Madouka couldn't help but notice the bitterness in her friend's tone. "Oh, MeiMei," she fretted, "you're not having problems with the temple, are you?"
Her friend didn't quite give a straight answer, but her eyes clouded over and her expression was very, very sad. "They want me to, uh, return and... get back in shape, but..." MeiMei's voice was hardly above a murmur.
Feeling sorry for her conflicted friend, Madouka reached out and patted her hand. "You can return whenever you feel like it," she assured her with a smile. "You don't have to stay because of me."
A flash of stubborn pride reappeared in her friend's gaze. "You kidding me? I have to see all of New York before that happens! I don't come here to tell all my secrets and get none in return!" She stuck out her tongue playfully. "I'm not going until I get at least one out of you!"
Madouka was glad to see some spirit rejuvenated in her friend, but she still couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for the Chinese blader. She could understand if MeiMei wanted to go home; already Madouka felt homesick for her familiar basement workshop back at the Bey-Pit. And yet, it hadn't been a week since she left her cozy home, but it was bordering on a year and a half since MeiMei had last seen China.
Just when she was about to ask her cheery friend, MeiMei's eyes lit up and she waved to someone behind Madouka. "Yoo-hoo!" She hollered. "Over here!"
Madouka looked up in time to see none other than Tsubasa and Hikaru join them. "Oh, hey!" She greeted hurriedly, helping pull out a pair of chairs for them. She offered a seat to Tsubasa, who accepted it graciously. MeiMei shot her a look that made Madouka squirm as she tried not to think about their earlier conversation related to the two.
"How's the new office?" MeiMei chirped.
"Good," Tsubasa replied casually, straightening out the creases in his suit jacket. "Everything seems to be settling down nicely."
"Unless you look at how much time it's gonna take," Hikaru grumbled, plucking an uneaten cherry from MeiMei's ice cream bowl. "I swear the American WBBA authorities want to pester us with 'improvement suggestions' to no end."
"Do you think it's because of how young you are?" Madouka queried.
Tsubasa hesitated. "Perhaps," he answered casually. "Now that I think about it, the possibility seems somewhat likely. They probably underestimate me for it as well..." He glanced at Hikaru for support, which earned Madouka another wickedly suggestive glance from MeiMei.
"That very well may be," the blading-retired bluenette responded with a shrug. Another hint of disgust flitted onto her face. "All of the foreign representatives trying to help 'welcome' him are all just grilling him about where the World Championships are being held. They've all thrown housewarming gifts at us like it's Christmas, but it's pretty obvious they want more than a rice cooker in return."
"I thought the location for the World Championships opening ceremony was decided by a bid?" Madouka queried.
"Yes," Tsubasa sighed, "but I even remember seeing it in Ryo's time of reign. All the ambassadors try to squeeze some favours out of the boss."
"Nasty!" MeiMei exclaimed.
Hikaru was eyeing Madouka's half-finished gelato, but seemed to tear her gaze away. "It's getting to about noon. We should go if we want to meet Masamune and the others by 12:30."
Madouka checked her watch and realized, to her shock, the blue-haired secretary was correct. "Yes," she agreed hastily, "if we also want to see Toby by one."
"And we're on a schedule," Tsubasa reminded them all. "The two of us can't stay too long."
"Well!" MeiMei sprang up from her seat and dusted her dress free from crumbs or any other minuscule culprit that dared dirty her dress. "I'll head back to Konzern's mansion then."
"Don't you want to see Toby?" Madouka asked, surprised.
MeiMei shook her head. "I'm good. Besides, I don't want to add to the crowd. You've got enough people going to make him feel welcome." She shot a worried glance towards her friend. "I hope Masamune and Zeo sort things out," she added wistfully.
Tsubasa, Hikaru and Madouka all exchanged an uneasy glance. At the rate things were going, the possibilities of that were slim.
Even so, none of them bothered to point this out as they split up at the subway and went their separate ways.
Toby's eyes were closed as he sat in the wheelchair. A nurse was on guard behind him, holding the bars in case it started to roll away. Toby had told her at least three times she could go, but the nurse persisted, saying "I was asked to take special care in ensuring your safety and condition."
As the sun continued to make him sleepy, he opened his eyes and watched another girl from the hospital walking on the grass, a pair of doctors at either side guiding her on. It was as if they were training a newborn to take its first step. She stumbled and dragged her feet on the ground, growling each time she faltered.
She was stubborn, Toby noted. One of the doctors murmured something he couldn't make out and gestured towards the hospital, but she shook her head stubbornly and carefully edged forward again. She moved a lock of hair, green like shady grass, from her face and took a few more steps, though her legs were starting to wobble.
Her eyes, royal blue, locked with Toby's momentarily, and he smiled. She replied with a challenging sneer, daring him to judge her difficulty in walking. Feeling somewhat guilty for staring, he looked away, embarrassed.
"Hey! Toby!" He turned at the call, and his face broke into a smile. "Masamune!"
His friend was easily recognizable; he'd seen him on the TV, after all. Behind him in a single entourage of fame were his many friends. It was comprised of a group mostly his age, consisting of a guy with bushy red hair, easily recognizable as Ginga Hagane; a sleek, mature and professional-looking young man, with prominent long silver hair that could be none other than Tsubasa Ootori; a girl with short auburn hair and cerulean eyes, that Toby recognized as GanGan Galaxy's mechanic but whose name he'd forgotten; alongside a blue-haired girl with amethyst eyes that he did not recognize.
"Hey! Good to see you!" He greeted as they all dashed up to see him.
He held up his hand before Masamune could start introductions. "Wait, let me guess." He pointed at each of them in turn. "Ginga Hagane. Tsubasa Ootori- congratulations on your promotion, by the way-" (Tsubasa nodded in appreciation), "-and I don't remember your name but you were the mechanic."
The girl introduced herself with a shy smile. "I'm Madouka Amano."
The other girl, a businesswoman, stuck out her hand with a friendly (though formal) dip of her head. "Hikaru Hasama. Pleased to meet you."
Toby accepted her hand gratefully and gave it a small shake. "As am I."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Masamune waved his arms. "No need to be so chilly, there!"
Hikaru rolled her eyes. "I was just being polite."
Pushing the small side-argument aside, Toby smiled up at the other visitors. "It's so good to see that Masamune's made a lot of friends in Japan. I didn't think I'd live long enough to ever meet you, though."
He felt them all flinch, stiffen, or still as he mentioned that, but seeing his easy smile, they all seemed to relax somewhat.
He glanced down the hill and couldn't help but noticed some of the patients giving him stares, the green-haired girl included. It was rude to show off so many guests, he supposed. Besides, with a voice and attitude like Masamune's, he though with a chuckle, the private space would probably come as a relief to them all.
"Anyway," he added hurriedly, hoping he wasn't speaking too quickly for them to understand; he knew they were fluent English speakers thanks to their professions but, even so, he didn't want to confuse them. "Why don't we go inside?" He suggested. "There's a lot of curious people out here and I'd hate for you guys to get mobbed by fans."
Ginga chuckled. "Our blading days are far past us by now, I think. Spend some time from the competition for even just a year or two, and all these crazy fan kids have already moved on to the next star."
Tsubasa glanced at his watch. "I hate to be such a rat, but I've got to run. The office will really be expecting me, and what I don't finish today is going to haunt me tomorrow."
"I should go with him," Hikaru added gently, though she shot a steely look at Masamune, who was pouting with his arms folded over his chest in a very childish manner.
Toby dismissed the slight tension; he was quite used to Masamune's childish antics even after all these years. "No worries. It was nice seeing you." Everyone called out their goodbyes as Hikaru and Tsubasa waved and left.
As the two WBBA officials took their leave, Toby smiled at the three remaining: Madouka, Ginga, and of course Masamune. "Alright. Come on inside." At his invitation, the nurse turned the wheelchair and drove him back in the direction of the hospital.
Though it took some persuading (mostly from Madouka's more responsible and tactful behalf) Masamune finally got to push Toby around on the wheelchair.
The moment he got ahold of the handlebars, Ginga was certain that chaos would ensue: running down the hallways doing wheelies, crashing into doctors, nurses, patients and visitors alike, riding down the ramps at the speed of a drag racer, and basically upsetting the whole hospital.
Instead, Masamune was calm - perhaps paranoid. With every small bump he would stop and ask Toby if he was okay. He avoided crowds and took the elevator upstairs. Not once, once even, did he push off with his feet and hang on while they rolled down the hall, as he always did in the grocery store. Ginga wasn't sure which location would find that trick a greater nuisance: hospital or supermarket.
Whatever. At least Masamune was behaving himself, for a rare change.
Ginga admired the hospital's calm, quiet demeanour. There were no crying and screaming children, no doctors or nurses hurrying down the halls, nor weak men laying in cots, no need for hand sanitizer (Purell could be so icky) and best of all, the hospital smelled like everything good. It was a mix of lavender and spice, something both sweet and soothing at the same time.
With a small pang of sadness, Ginga recalled the time Yu and Tsubasa were hospitalized in the World Championships. And the time when Masamune broke his arm not long after. A memory flew back to him of when he was sick, and his friends took care of him. But the most painful memory, perhaps, was when he and Kyoya had collapsed during the World Championships, ending the match in an abrupt tie.
Ginga took a moment to realize he was almost blinking back tears. Slightly disgruntled at the notion of acting so emotional, he quickly wiped them away before anyone could notice. Thankfully, Madouka and Masamune were paying more attention to Toby than they were to him.
"I've been at the hospital for some time now," Toby explained. "I'm supposed to have in operation on the twenty-first, like I told Masamune, and then as soon as I recover I'm outta here."
Ginga couldn't help but detect the worry in Masamune's tone. "What're you gonna do once you get out of here, Toby? You missed out on high school...you haven't even graduated... You...can't really pay for..." Masamune's face twisted, as if he was struggling to say the words on his mind.
Toby was quick to interpret his awkward silence. "Don't worry. I plan on catching up on my last years of high school as soon as I get out. I've registering for Goodwinne High already, in fact. I start next semester. The doctor says that I'm pretty much clear as it is."
"You're planning on resuming high school?" Madouka sounded both curious and amazed. "When you're twenty?"
"Twenty-one," Toby corrected, "as of August. It sounds weird, I know, but I feel so alienated after such a long time." He hesitated. "In...in the winter two years ago, I pretty much wasn't living for two months. It was...pretty weird. I hardly remembered much at all, so it was pretty much like falling asleep after one especially painful, stormy, freezing winter day and then waking up to see summer all around you." He allowed a small grin to slide. "At first, when I looked around, I figured 'I must be in heaven'." Masamune laughed loudly, though it was clearly forced.
Ginga, feeling awkward that he hadn't said anything, shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor.
"That must have been difficult," Madouka sympathized, "but it's all better now, isn't it?"
Toby nodded, his good mood restored almost immediately. "Yep! You bet - ah, here we are. Right there, Masamune. Yep. At the end of the hall."
Ginga held open the door as Masamune, Toby, and Madouka all entered. Part of him had to admit, guilty as he felt, that Hikaru and Tsubasa were lucky to run out when they got the chance. Something about meeting Masamune's not-so-sickly friend at the hospital behind another friend's back was very out-of-place for him. He simply wasn't sure what to talk about - besides, he hadn't done very well with meeting new people - yet another disadvantage as of no longer being a kid. Perhaps his social ability had gone out the window after a lack of human contact while in the desert.
Masamune's eyes lit up with envy as he saw the tray on Toby's nightstand. "What! Is that gourmet or something? I swear it is. Toby, who ordered from the expensive Italian restaurant down the street? Do you guys have a meal-smuggling operation, here?"
Toby chuckled. "Nah. The hospital is meant to spoil people; it's one of these healthcare centres for rich people."
Ginga whistled. "Zeo really did go out of his way to take care of you." Upon realizing his small slip, he glanced at Masamune, but his friend was too busy eyeing Toby's pasta.
With a small cough, Ginga glanced out the door. "Ummm...you wouldn't happen to know where the washrooms are out here are, would you?"
"There's one right there," Masamune pointed out flatly, motioning to the personal bathroom beside them.
Ginga shook his head. "I don't mean this offensively, but it doesn't feel right. I mean," he added hastily, gesturing to Toby, "it's your room...and...yeah."
Luckily, Toby was understanding. "Sure thing," he replied with a bright smile. Man, something about this kid was so happy-go-lucky, in a mild-mannered way, that it made Ginga just smile - only adding to his guilt surrounding his unsociability. "Just turn right in the hallway, and the washroom should be to your left.
"Thanks!" With a small wave, Ginga ducked out the room and followed the directions given. He wasn't so stupid that he couldn't follow the simplest instructions, after all, no matter what Madouka might say otherwise.
Ginga leaned against the wall with a sigh. He didn't really have the intention of going to the bathroom, but it wasn't Toby or Masamune's fault. For some inexplicable reason to him, Ginga was just...sad. He wished Kenta was here to ask him what was wrong, or maybe Yu to cheer him up. Heck, even Benkei could turn his situation right around.
Ginga wasn't so desperate to wish for Ryuga's presence, since the Dragon Emporer usually didn't have anything encouraging to say.
With a twist of sadness, Ginga had to again remind himself he was thinking to times seven years past - something he'd been trying his best to avoid; those memories only served to make him depressed - a condition Ginganwas becoming a little too familiar with.
Though he knew that they'd come to America under good pretensions, Ginga was starting to realize how lonely his life had become after beyblading disappeared.
First, Kyoya had vanished to the desert, supposedly, without a trace. Ryuga was Ryuga, so no one ever knew where he was. With no way of contacting the two African bladers that lived without electricity, Ginga found himself quite stuck in asking them where Kyoya was. While he'd gone to the desert, temporarily retiring under the intention of returning once he found Kyoya, his search had proved fruitless and futile; he reemerged three years later to only find that everyone seemed to have grown leagues apart from one another. Not only that, but a brand new crop of beybladers had risen, and along with it, new bey inventions that made Ginga's Galaxy Pegasus look completely outdated and geeky. Tsubasa even told him at the party there was a brand-new stadium prototype that was under design. Yeesh.
Ginga's temporary vacation from competition had turned into a full resignation, and he turned away from the competition- just like everyone else he knew.
Team Excalibur, though one could hardly say they'd broken apart, had quit beyblading and evidently gone off to present their other various talents. Julian had resumed his usual piano concerts and attendance at horseback racing. Sophie and Wales would sometimes accompany him in his tours across Europe.
Wang Hu Zhong was, of course, still blading, but Ginga had heard rumours about Chao Xin or maybe MeiMei planning to retire from the temple. Though he never had the courage to ask the question while MeiMei was visiting in Japan, Ginga wondered if he ought to pose it to the Chinese blader before she flew back home. Additionally, their team hadn't competed in tournaments outside of China for the past three years; China had a new group of bladers that Ginga couldn't say he really liked them as much as those from Bey Lin Temple. Dashan, who had called Ginga soon after he had arrived in Japan from his search, confided that his only current wish was to help hone the skills of the students at the temple.
Meanwhile, Benkei got a job flipping burgers at his favourite childhood restaurant. Kenta and Yu worked hard alongside him to graduate and succeed in high school. The three, undoubtedly, had become tight friends. Madouka and Tsubasa were apparently stuck like glue too. Tsubasa had been groomed by Ryo for presidency over the WBBA, and Madouka was now in charge of the Bey Pit.
Team Wild Fang, as ever, was a mystery. All three members had vanished like sand in a desert storm. All Ginga knew was that they might be somewhere in Africa. Might. No one could be sure.
What had happened to the Leone wielder was what piqued Ginga's curiosity the most. All he knew was that seven years ago, after Wild Fang lost the dramatic A-block semifinal, Kyoya made a vow to defeat him someday and then vanished. He hadn't returned ever since to reclaim his title as strongest. Ashamed as he was to admit it...sometimes Ginga cried.
So what if people made fun of him, calling him soft? So what if they were right? Ever since he'd returned those handful of years ago, nothing seemed right. No longer did they seem like a group or a crew of people that were forever friends, working hard together to grow stronger. Whether it was to save the world, defeat other bladers, or for the clashes of their rivalries.
With a hint of shame, Ginga realized he didn't even carry Pegasus around with him anymore. One day, he'd simply left it behind, and it'd become a habit ever since. The first time, Ginga freaked out, since he thought it had been stolen. But time after time, he simply lost track of where it was until it no longer mattered.
It didn't matter to him where Pegasus was right now, though. He wanted to find where the break in their bonds had started. He wanted to find where they'd started to come apart and stitch their destinies back together so he would stop feeling so empty. Heck, he wanted to find what it was that sucked all the usual happiness and joy out of him - he was in America, for goodness sakes! Why wasn't he overjoyed at the exciting prospect of visiting a foreign country?
Green flashed at the edge of his vision, and he could feel his imagination depicting an image of his sweeter days: in Battle Bladers, in the World Championships, and on the road.
When he first met Kenta. When he first met Kyoya. When he first met Madouka, Yu, Tsubasa, Ryutaro, Teru, Tobio, Hikaru, Masamune, Dashan, Julian, the Garcias, Chi-Yung, MeiMei, Chao Xin, Sophie, Wales, Klaus, Nile...
He blinked as he heard a raspy voice growl, "take care." He blinked. The realization struck him like thunder.
Standing right in front of him was a guy his age, wearing black jeans and a worn-out army jacket. Careless green hair tumbled over his head, drawn back by an elastic band. His lion-blue eyes shone, prideful and hard. They held a determination that Ginga recognized.
Before he could stop himself, he took a deep breath and shouted. "Kyoya!"
The stranger turned, with the face of a friend.
Ginga could hardly believe his eyes.
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Peace Out!