Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, sassy nurses or bad orange jumpsuits. Anyone have any ideas of how to make money?

So yes, this is late...very late. I'm sorry guys, I have had just one hell of a busy week spending time with my daughter, her brothers, and the rest of the family. Work hasn't been giving me much in the way of a day off either and you have no idea how much I just want to enjoy time off to dedicate to writing. But...I like money.

Big hugs and thank-you's to Tyka's Flower, CorynOfHoole, Demons of the arch angel, Killua17,HibarixTsunaxlover, Angel Devastation, Violet Hiwatari, ffionfoxglove and SerenityKieraSilverwind for reviewing!

And extra big hug and thank-you to Little A Granger who was there for me when I was completely falling apart.

WARNINGS: ADULT SUBJECT MATTER: Meaning, I might give you a heart attack or 3...

Enjoy Episode 33 of Borderline!


"Alright, is everyone ready for the next round?" DJ Jazzman asked enthusiastically to the crowd, trying to pick up their spirits after what happened in the first round. "For those of you just joining us, our champion gave us a scare by taking a nose-dive right off the platform! In an amazing display of acrobatics, his opponent and former Team Captain Kai, saved him. We have been informed that both are okay and will be competing in the next round. However, due to the fact that their battle was left unfinished, they were given strikes. After their battle with newcomers Pam and Eric, players Lorne and Shannon were taken to hospital and are reportedly in no condition to battle. They will be taking a strike for these matches as well.

The next round will be split into 2 sets, each set containing 12 matches. If you would all look on the mega-screen, you will see all the player's names be randomly selected for the next round." He gestured towards the large television screen where 48 of the players names were displayed, they all flashed for a moment before they were scrambled. "So first up we have:

Max vs Mariah
Tyson vs Kane
Ray vs Lee
Kenny vs Emily
Miguel vs Robert
Aaron vs Ian
Micheal vs Claude
Eddy vs Carlos
Steven vs Pam
Spencer vs Johnny
Gary vs Jessica
Daichi vs Mystel

Next round starts in 5 minutes, so grab your popcorn!"

Tyson saw his opponent's name and grinned. "Alright! I've been waiting for this re-match for a long time." He looked down at Kenny who looked like he was about to be sick. "Hey, what's wrong Chief? You passed your last battle with flying colours!"

"Yeah but that was against just a newcomer. Emily is a really skilled blader!"

"Just go up there and have fun Chief! You made it this far, right? Think about how sweet it is just to have a battle against her! Plus win or lose, you guys will still be friends." He paused and his eyes widened. He had been over-thinking things with his match against Kai. Too focused on the 'what ifs' and not on the here and now; totally psyching himself out in the process. He looked across the stadium where Emily was currently glaring at them. "Besides, she's not so tough."

Kenny smiled, "I guess you're right Tyson. I mean she's not like someone like Garland or Brooklyn." he added shivering, before beaming at his friend. "Thanks Tyson!" He ran off to meet his opponent at the platform.

Tyson placed his hands on his hips, smirking triumphantly. "Happy to help." He then looked over to Max, who was glaring down Mariah, he swung an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "You go give that kitty-cat a nice, cold shower and show her exactly why you deserve Ray."

Max blushed. "Thanks buddy. Good luck against Kane, I know how much you've been looking forward to this match."

"It'll be an amazing battle for sure! Speaking of which..." The bluenette pulled out an ordinary white bit-chip from the pocket of his red jacket. "Mind switching this one with Dragoon? I know Kane doesn't have a bitbeast and I want to make this as fair of a battle as possible."

Max grinned. "Sure, no problem buddy. That's such a great idea!" he said as he modified the World Champion's blade.

"Yeah, I was inspired by the best." The Japanese male gave Kai a wink, who just gave him a wry smile in return. He would never forget the moment when Kai showed up for their championship match, clothes torn, his breathing ragged and revealed that he had already battled that day, giving up a huge advantage, just so that they could have a fair battle. His rival had shown him true respect with that classy move, and had taught him that he should have the same respect for all of his opponents. He walked up to the enigma and handed him his Dragoon. "Keep this safe for me?"

"Hn." But the Russian's fingers curled tightly around the bit-piece in a silent promise. Always.

"C'mon guys, we have matches to win!" declared Daichi. The group parted ways, with Kai remaining looking at each of them fondly.

"You look like a proud Mama Bird who has taught her babies to fly." said Tala as he strolled up, amusement evident in his voice.

"Shut-it Wolf."


Inside the stadium twelve intense beybattles were being broadcast on live television, by 5 different cameras that were pointed at each one. The audience were watching the action on several mega-screens that were around the stadium. Tyson and Kane were evenly matched, matching each other blow for blow, both of them looking like they were having the time of their lives.

Kenny's Hopper blade was really throwing Emily off with it's spring-loaded base, for every time she would try to attack, it would quickly bounce out of the way.

But the battle everyone's eyes were glued to was the battle going on between Max and Mariah. Their bitbeasts were in a fierce war as their blades scraped together, pushing the other back. Mariah's Gallux was attacking Draciel from all sides, at high-speeds trying to get past his 360 defence.

Sweat poured down Max's face as he poured more of his energy into Draciel. She was relentless! Her attacks were barely visible and hitting his Draciel hard and showed no signs of stopping. He needed a plan and fast! Closing his eyes he thought back to all of his years of training; there had to be a special move that could get him out of this mess. He thought about his situation rationally, there was no way he could over-power her...but maybe he could out-manoeuvre her!

He focused his energy, it was all about timing now. "Alright, let's go Draciel!" His green blade charged.

"Ha! You don't scare me! Gallux go!" Her pink blade picked up speed and charged at his.

Max grinned. "Just what I was hoping for. Draciel now!" At the last possible second, Draciel flipped, catching the pink blade underneath and used Gallux's own speed against itself, sending the beyblade flying out of the dish.

"And MAX WINS!" shouted Dj Jazzman and the crowd roared into a thundering applause.

Max walked up to Mariah and handed her, her blade. "That was a really great match. You had me worried for awhile there." He said honestly.

Mariah smiled sweetly. "That finishing move totally caught me off-guard. But I'll get you next time!"

The American nodded. "You can try." He sent her a wink before walking away. After that amazing battle, he couldn't help but feeling that if she managed to capture Ray's heart, at least he would be in good hands.

It was weird. He was used to seeing his teammates after a match, being congratulated win or loss, but this time, there was no one. Just silence. It made the victory seem hallow. Even when the team had split up last time, he at least had Rick...

"Hey Max!"

Speak of the Devil! Max turned as the African-American walked up to him. "Hey Rick."

"I saw your battle with Mariah, that last move was wicked!"

Max blushed. "Thanks, I learned it while I was training with the guys. Hey you're playing in the next round, right? I totally want to see your battle!"

"Yeah, I'm so stoked. I'm hoping to battle Tyson or Kai or even that Brooklyn guy. Someone strong so I can really show off my moves."

"Totally hear ya buddy."

A bone-chilling scream was heard throughout the auditorium, sending shivers up everyone's spines. The former All-Starz looked up just in time to watch Steve been blasted off a platform. Rick was the first to react and managed to catch his former teammate before he hit the ground. "Woah, you okay?" But the fallen blader was out cold. Three deep gashes ran diagonally down his chest, and blood was spilling out. "STEVE!"

Judy raced over from her seat in the stands and entered the arena with several medics en-tow. They carefully placed the unconscious man on a stretcher, just as they were all about to accompany him to the hospital, Max stopped Rick. "There's no telling how long we'll be there for. Just let me go and you concentrate on your upcoming match. I'll send you texts to keep you updated."

Rick nodded. "Okay Max. You take good care of him."

"Will do!" The blonde quickly turned around and accompanied Steve to the hospital with his mother.

Rick stared down the woman who descended from the platform. "You have some nerve to be dishing out player-attacks like that!"

"Hn, not my fault that he was so weak." She said as she flipped her waist-length blonde hair over her shoulders, her voice full of contempt. Her ice-blue eyes seemed like they were driving daggers straight into his soul.

Just who was this woman?


"Hey Kane, I've had a great battle with you, but it ends here man." Tyson said, a cocky grin playing on his lips.

"What?!" Kai asked, confused. He thought he had the World Champion on the ropes.

"Go Dragoon!"

Kane watched as his blade was suddenly knocked out of the dish. He blinked. What just happened?

"Thanks for the awesome battle buddy." Smiled Tyson, extending his hand.

Kane smile and shook the hand. "Yeah you too. Next time I'll get you for sure!"

"I look forward to it." As Tyson turned away, Kane couldn't help but notice how much the Dragoon Wielder had grown in the last 4 years. He was still Tyson, but that goofy little kid had definitely matured. How did that happen? He picked off his blade from the floor. He would just have to train harder.

Tyson was surprised to see Kai waiting for him. "Hey did you see that last move?"

"Not bad Kinomiya, but if you want to keep your title, you're going to have to do way better than that against me." He gave a challenging smirk before handing over Dragoon.

"Thanks Kai..." He looked down at his blade with confusion. "Um..."

Kai rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless." He snatched the blade and switched out the bit-chips so now Dragoon was back where he belonged.

"You're a life-saver Kai!"

"Hn. You've become too reliant on Kenny."

"Hehehehehe. Maybe a little." Tyson said, laughing nervously, knowing that the Russian was absolutely correct. He hadn't modified his blade himself since he was thirteen. "Um...Hey! What was the scream earlier?"

"One of the new bladers completely wasted Steve. Max went with him to the hospital."

Tyson's eyes narrowed. "I see." They exchanged uneasy looks, their eyes saying everything that they needed to.

The lights dimmed, effectively ending their conversation.

"Hey Beyblade fans! That concludes all the battles of the first set of the second round! In case you missed it, after a brutal beybattle former All-Star Steve has been taken to the hospital and there is no word on his condition. We're about ready to start our second set, so the pairings please!" He pointed to the largest mega-screen and the remaining 12 names were scrambled. "Okay, next up we have:

Ming-Ming vs Anthony
Garland vs Angel
Enrique vs Selima
Gokie vs Raul
Jim vs Julia
Alceed vs Brooklyn
Kai vs Tala
Bryan vs Eric
Sam vs William
Matilda vs Kevin

All players you have 10 minutes to prepare for the next round!"

Tala looked at his lover with wide eyes. "Bryan-"

"Save your breath because I'm doing this." A sadistic grin came over the silver-haired Russian's face. "This is going to be fun."

Tala rolled his eyes. Only Bryan would find the prospect of going up against someone so dangerous as fun. He remembered that Eric was one of the two bladers that sent one of the newcomers to the hospital in the first round. "Don't hold back." he whispered, squeezing his hand.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about Kai."

Tala chuckled. "Oh no need to worry about Mama Bird. This is going to be payback for all the late nights, over-time and paperwork that prick made me do." He turned away but a shiver went up his spine as Bryan grabbed his ass and he felt the other's hot breath against his ear.

"Don't take too long now."

Tala's cheeks went as red as his hair as Bryan pulled him into a kiss.


"Good luck Kai!" said Tyson cheerfully.

"Hn. I don't need luck...it's Tala."

"Isn't it always you who keeps telling us not to under-estimate our opponent?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You actually listened?"

"I wouldn't be half the blader that I am if it wasn't for you, Kai. So get out there and show him whose the boss!"

Kai found himself smiling at the pun. He stepped up onto the platform that took him up to the beydish where he met Tala's icy stare with one of his own. "Hey Tala, if you beat me, I'll give you that vacation you've been asking for."

"I'll hold you to that."

They readied their launchers as the countdown began. "LET IT RIP!"


The crowd watched in awe as the twelve battles commenced, it was just so hard to concentrate on just one! Their eyes darted from one screen to the other as blades bashed against the other and showers of sparks rained down. But soon all eyes were on just one battle that took everyone's breath away with the sheer brutality of it – Bryan vs Eric

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the blades scrapped together. They were matching each other hit for hit and it was getting dangerous. Spencer and Ian stood on the sidelines, silently supporting their friend, silently terrified at the mad look in those silvery-blue eyes...Bryan was taking no prisoners. He had gone back to the style of play when he was at the abbey.

Eric's bitbeast Hawkeye, was battling Falborg, both spirits slashing each other with their sharp talons and pecking at each other with their beaks. Sparks flew as the blades clashed over and over again.

Both players now had blood running down their faces, panting heavily as they let their bitbeasts feed off their energy. Eric wiped away some of the blood that was trickling down his face. "I'm impressed. Most people would have stopped breathing by now." He licked the blood off his fingers. "Just who are you?"

Bryan grinned wickedly. "The Monster of Balkov Abbey."

Eric's face went ghastly white and he started trembling before a manic grin spread across his face. "I always wanted to see how I would compare to you. Monster, you have met your Nightmare!" The blades charged at each other and clashed as everything went white. The protective glass rattled at the force of the impact. Everyone looked away from their matches to see what was going on.

When the light faded, Bryan and Eric were both laying on the ground, unconscious. Their blades laid beside them, utterly destroyed.

Tala's heart thumped wildly in his chest as he saw Tyson, Spencer and Ian rush up to his fallen lover and check his pulse. Tyson then looked up and called out to him, "Yo dude! He's alright! No need to worry, we'll take care of him!"

The crowd cheered and Tala let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Bryan was in good hands. He looked back at Kai, who also looked relieved. "Are you ready to resume our battle?"

"Yeah." Tala couldn't help but smile. Kai was a tough opponent who usually took advantage of any flaw he saw, but somehow along the way he had learned that there was more important things than just winning a match. He fought fairly with honour and no matter what, his friends came first.

Their battled continued and soon, he had Kai right where he wanted him. "Blizzard Storm!" His attack hit Dranzer dead on and Wolborg's power froze the beydish, Dranzer was sent flying through the air. This match was his!

"Don't look so excited Tala, you haven't won anything. Dranzer Flame Spiral!" The midnight blue blade was surrounded by blue flames and it was dropping down like a meteor...right for his blade!

"Wolborg dodge!" But it was too late, Dranzer struck and his blade was sent out of the dish.

"And the winner is the ONE AND ONLY KAI!" The audience cheered loudly.

Tala picked up his blade and his eyes widened...his attack ring was in ruins.

"Hey Tala!" The red-head looked up and Kai's back was turned to him. "You should practice with Ray. He can show you how to make your blade faster." With that, he walked away, his scarf fluttering behind him.

Tala blinked. Did Kai actually say something helpful?


When Kenny had designed Phoenix Stadium, he had kept one very important factor in mind- That his friends were crazy! They didn't know when to quit and what was too far, in result, the stadium was built just a block away from the local hospital; a feature that Tala was extremely grateful for as he ran down the sidewalk.

Tala would never forget the moment he met Bryan. He had been trying to steal bread from the baker, and across the snowy street his eyes has met breath-taking silvery-blue eyes. Eyes that held the same look he knew all too well. No words had been spoken- they didn't need to be. In that first, single glance, they had completely understood each other.

They were completely inseparable from that day forward. Each other's right had man. They stole together and kept each other alive on the cold, unforgiving streets of Moscow. They had protected each other in the abbey, and when Boris had locked Bryan away in the dank, dreary dungeons for "Special Training", it had been Tala who would sneak down in the dead of the night to bring him scraps of food that he had saved from his own meals. They would sit and talk for hours, reminiscing about their days on the streets, and how when they were the most powerful bladers in the world, they would never have to scrounge for food again. Those conversations had kept Tala sane through the horrors Boris had put them through.

He couldn't lose Bryan.

He walked up to the front desk, out of breath. "Can you tell me which room Mitch P Imfabulos is in?" After Kai's run in with Boris' henchmen in Australia, they all had adopted aliases.

"What's your relationship to the patient?"

"I'm his brother." The woman gave him a sceptical look. "Well, half-brother. Same dad, different moms." He lied smoothly.

"Uh-huh. Name please?"

"Lexi M. Focker." She looked at him incredulously.

"...You're father has a weird sense of humour."

"You have no idea."

"He's in room 312." He turned to leave. "One more thing." He turned back around. "You might want to consider a disguise Mr. Ivanov. Everyone can see your orange jumpsuit a mile away."

Tala's face turned as red as his hair.


Tala didn't know what he was expecting when he walked into Bryan's room, but Tyson doing impressions of Kai, while Bryan, Spencer and Ian were laughing so hard, tears were running down their face, definitely wasn't it.

"Do one when he loses a match!" demanded Bryan, between giggles.

Tyson drew out his blade and prepared it for launch, his face dead-serious. "Next time I'm going to make them pay, because I can't stand the thought of anyone being better than me, because I'm King of the World and everyone should bow down to me!"

The men laughed harder and even Tala cracked a smile. He cleared his throat, alerting the others to his presence.

"Tala!" Bryan greeted him, smiling brightly. "How did your match with Sunshine go?"

"Never mind that. How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy. Tyson here, is making sure we don't die of boredom while the doctors figure out if they can release me."

"Release you? Bryan, you fell 50 feet!"

"Falborg cushioned my landing."

"Okay, but what about all the blood?"

"As it turns out, cuts on the head bleed a lot. No concussion, broken bones or blood transfusions."

"Yeah, he's right Tal'." Tyson chimed in, "He just needed a nap."

"Well that's a relief." The red-head sighed, pulling up a chair to his boyfriend.

"Well we can't get too comfortable." Everyone looked at Bryan.

"What do you mean?" asked Tyson.

"That Eric-guy is working for Boris and I'll bet next month's rent that that psycho-blonde chick is in it as well."

"What?! Are you sure?!" exclaimed Tyson.

"Yeah. Eric had heard about the monster in the abbey. Plus who else do we know who actually encourages player attacks?"

There was an eerie silence as everyone processed this new information. "Sorry guys, I gotta go!" said Tyson, heading towards the door.

Knowing that Kai would probably kill him if he let Tyson just walk out of there by himself with Boris running around, Tala stood up. "Here, I'll give you a ride."

"It's okay, I'll just take a cab."

"Save your money."

They walked back to the stadium, where Tala had his car parked. Once they were on the main road, Tyson decided to break the silence. "Thanks for the ride, man."

"Least I can do since you took care of Bryan."

"Don't sweat it man, what are friends for? I'm sure if it was Kai, you'd do the same for me."

Tala couldn't help but grin. Tyson was all but admitting that he had feelings for the moody Russian. Should he?...It wouldn't hurt anything... "I'd do the same for Kai if it was you too."

"What does that mean?"

Gotcha. "In case you haven't realized it Kinomiya, you mean a hell of a lot to Kai."

"Yeah, but so does Max, Ray, you and I'm sure Kai would tear someone a new one if they touched Kei."

"Just understand one thing- he wouldn't let just anyone live with him."

"Pffft, I knew that one already. To be honest, if my grandfather hadn't asked him to take me in, I'm not sure he would've."

"Tyson, how many times has he stayed with you in the dojo?"

Realization dawned on the younger's face. "Wait...so I'm like his best friend?"

...close enough... "Bingo."

"Still not getting your point here."

Apparently you won't unless I come right out and say it, thought Tala as he rolled his eyes. "Forget it."

Soon they pulled up to the house and Tyson entered first. "Kai? Kai? I'm home!"

Kai appeared at the top of the stairs a moment later, nodding an acknowledgement to Tala. "How's Bryan?"

"Fine. Doctors are looking at releasing him tonight. According to him, Pam and Eric are working for Boris."

Crimson eyes narrowed. "Which means Boris and the others are lurking in the shadows."

"Exactly. So watch yourself." With that, the Wolborg wielder turned and left the dwelling, leaving the roommates alone.

"So...how was the rest of your day Kai?" asked Tyson brightly.

"Uneventful." He descended down the staircase and walked up to the smaller. "Are you ok?"

"About Eric and Pam working for Boris? Yeah. I mean, we kinda knew this was coming right? It's just..." He bit his lip. "How many innocent bladers are they going to take out, while gunning for us? Bryan could've been killed today..." His fists balled up in anger, his knuckles white.

Kai's eyes narrowed. Tyson was right. This was a dangerous game that they were playing- Blade or Die. "If people are smart, they'll just forfeit."

"Arg! I hate this!" screamed Tyson making a move to punch the wall, but Kai grabbed his wrist. Wide, misty brown eyes stared up at the Russian.

"What good will breaking your hand do?" Tyson growled angrily and spun on his heels and opened the front door. "Where are you going Kinomiya?"

"Letting off some steam. I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"Follow me." Kai said, leading Tyson by his hand through the house and they stepped out to the backyard. Kai flipped on the porch light and Tyson gasped.

"Woah! You did all this?!"

The backyard had been transformed into an intense beyblade training arena. Tyson looked up at the enigma and grinned. "Guess you couldn't just sit around and do nothing either."

"Hn."

Tyson readied his launcher. "3..2...1! LET IT RIP!"


There we go...this is over 4,000 words, and I will get the next chapter up ASAP! Please leave a review telling me what you thought! :)