Disclaimer: Nawmay and I do not own Beyblade, you people should be thankful that we don't.

Nawmay's Grand Apology:
Hello Readers,

I wanted to personally apologize to everyone for the delay in getting this chapter to you. Since I can't risk showing up at every reader's door to apologize in person which would inform everyone that I'm tracking them at all times in case they leave a bad review; I decided this was the best option.

I would like to chalk up the delay to some tragic event that would tug on your heart strings or some spectacular situation that would fill you with awe; however that is not the case. Put simply, I spend as much time with my family as I can, so the only chance for me to write was at work.

I do however understand that the author of Borderline felt an unyielding obligation to get this chapter to you in a timely manner and now has some guilt for such a long delay.

Well this has become far too long of an apology already so allow me to be blunt. I'm sorry it took so long. I hope you enjoy my writing. This chapter was written entirely by me so please note that any inconsistencies, errors or issues with my writing style should be directed to me. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

~Nawmay (The Ex)

Beta-Reader: Rapid P. Saiko (I took out a horrible penis joke...TWICE.)

WARNINGS: You guys are gonna hate us…


50 million mouths dropped around the world as they watched the newly crowned champion, pick up the bluenette by his tattered shirt and fully kiss him on the mouth. The stadium went dead silent. Then from somewhere up in the stands, Tala stood up and screamed "FUCKING FINALLY!"

Several other beybladers started cheering and clapping and soon the entire stadium was whistling and cheering.

When the kiss ended Tyson just stared up at his crush with wide, surprised eyes, and the Russian chuckled. "Idiot. I love you too." Smiling the brightest smile he had ever smiled in his life, Tyson enthusiastically returned the kiss.

"AAAIIIIEEEE!"

A shrill, high-pitched scream pierced through the cheers, immediately silencing the crowd as they searched for its source. In only seconds, all eyes had shifted to a small girl in a central row near the commentator's booth. She looked to be about four or five years old. Her white dancing dress was just long enough to cover her feet as she dangled by her light blonde hair about a foot above the ground, suspended from a large, bony hand. Behind her stood the owner of the hand; his pointed face, purple hair and green trench coat were all too familiar. It was Boris; however, something was different about him.

His vibrant purple hair which was usually combed neatly back, was now a tangled mess tinted with white and grey. His sideburns were now patchy, as if tufts of hair had been pulled out in a fit of rage. His trench coat was tattered and worn, with holes all throughout it. His physical appearance looked as if he had escaped some crazy ordeal that left him a little worse for the wear, but it was his eyes that completely transformed him. His eyes which were usually blazing with feelings of anger and greed were now just voids of emptiness as he dangled the helpless little girl in front of himself.

"Thank you for getting their attention young lady. You did a remarkable job." Boris gently stroked the cheek of the little girl with the back of his free hand as he spoke. She let out a quiet whimper in response; too afraid to make any real words or perhaps she was just too young to form a proper response at all.

"I suppose for assisting me, it would be appropriate to spare you the sight of what comes next for everyone else. I do after all; have a bit of a soft spot for children". Boris stopped caressing her cheek and reached into his coat.

With a flourish if his arm, the girl's blue eyes widened as she let out another deafening scream. By the time anyone had realize what he was reaching for, it was too late. A patch of red steadily spread across the little girl's dress until it reached the hem and began dripping onto the floor. At its center was the tip of a blade just long enough to barely protrude from the front of her dress.

"It would appear, my dear, that you have a soft spot as well." A twisted grin crossed his face as he spoke.

Boris released his hold on the girl as he withdrew his blade. Her lifeless body seemed to fall in slow motion as every eye in the stadium watched her collapse into a pool of her own blood. Her legs folded under her as she fell into a kneeling position. Her arms, which had been raised in a frantic attempt to pry herself free from her captor, now hung limp at her sides. She slumped to one side and with a dull thud as her head collided with the tile, the whole crowd broke into screams.

"I strongly advise against scrambling for the exits, in a panicked frenzy." Boris had worked his way over to the commentator's booth and was now making use of the microphone. "Do you not wonder why there was no security running to the aid of that poor, defenseless, little girl?" Once again, Boris had everyone's attention.

"Ah, good. You're not all as dumb as young Tyson over there, looks." The stares of the panicked and confused audience quickly shifted from Boris to a dumbstruck Tyson and immediately back again. "Oh don't worry; we'll get to him in a moment. Now back to your whole lack of security dilemma. You see, when you have as much time as I have had recently, you are able to plan things quite thoroughly. Now, I could walk you all through my plan and tell you how I prepared all this but since I have a schedule to keep, please allow me to simplify things in a way that still answers all your questions. I –"He paused and looked around. "Give me just a moment please."

Boris stepped away from the microphone and casually walked back towards the little girl. Without the slightest sign of remorse, he took the child's hand in his own and proceeded back to the booth; lifeless body dragging across the floor in tow, leaving a trail of deep red as he went. Once back in the booth, he placed the body at the base of the microphone, gingerly removed his shoes and then perched himself atop the girl.

"Ah that's much better. My feet were getting so sore. I needed something soft to stand on. Children really do have limitless potential. Who would have guessed they could make such a soft step stool? The gift that keeps on giving. Now that things are a little more comfortable we can get back to the matter at hand. Where were we?" Nobody dared to break the silence as Boris collected his thoughts. "Ah yes, the questions. Question one: Where is the security? Well that's an easy one to answer. They're posted at each entrance to the building, keeping police from entering the building. Two: Why are they doing that? Well that's so I don't blow what's left of this place, to smithereens. Three: How could I do that? Good question. The guards received an anonymous tip that some among them are strapped with explosives. Since none of them know who may be working with me, they can't trust each other. If one tries to play hero, the ones working with me are going to detonate the explosives. They have been instructed to shoot any person that tries to get in or out of the building. Four: Where were that little girl's parents? Oh this one is my favorite. You won't believe this, but that was my daughter. Yea! You can't believe it right? I assure you that it's true though. As it turns out, it's really not difficult to adopt a child these days. Question number five: my, my, you are so full of questions. What do I want? Well, I want to bring an end to the people who have made my life a living hell; which, as luck would have it, brings me back to Tyson and his friends."

The silence that filled the building was unbreakable. Afraid of what he might do next, nobody took their eyes off Boris this time. Nobody was willing to take any chances at this point. With nowhere to run, all anyone could do is listen to what he had to say, in hopes that they would be set free and this was exactly the position Boris wanted to be in. He had all the power and he knew it.

"Now as much as I enjoy being the center of attention, I am drawing quite tired of talking and I am in a hurry so please allow me to make this short and simple. I will read off a list of names and if your name is called, please raise your hand for everyone to see. Failure to do so will result in the execution of, well, whomever I want really. Seeing as I already have far too much blood on my coat, I would much rather avoid that last bit if I could. Alright, without any further ado, here we go: Anya Hiwatari, Daichi Sumeragi, Hilary Tachibana, Hiro Granger, Judy Tate, Kenny Saien, Mariah Wong, Ryu Granger and just for the hell of it, lets add Dickenson to the list as well. So let me see, that makes one, two, tree-" he grew quieter as he counted the names off on his fingers until he came to the last number. "Nine! That makes nine names. Do we have nine hands up yet?"

Curious, eyes started to wander from Boris in desperate search of raised hands. One by one, hands started going up until finally Mr. Dickenson raised his as high as his stout frame would allow, giving a grand total of nine, much to everyone else's relief.

"Good. Good. You're cooperation is greatly appreciated. I'm sure our spectators would agree with me on this. Now everyone, please get a good look at these nine people. They are the closest friends and family Tyson, Kai, Ray and our little protector, Max, over there." He gave a slight nudge of his pointed chin in the direction of blond boy as he spoke. "These people are the only ones who need to die today." Panicked whispers rippled through the crowd. "Yes, exciting isn't it? With their death rests your salvation. For you nine with your hands raised, how you die is mostly up to you. You can kill yourselves, you can kill each other, you can have me kill you or I can have these lovely folks kill you, knowing that they will be allowed to leave, completely unharmed once you are all dead. Of course, I have made arrangements to ensure that one of these options are chosen. Now, Chief if you wouldn't mind, please check your computer for me and open the file labeled "operation one", which should be visible on your screen."

Clearly confused, Kenny cautiously opened hip laptop, expecting no such file to be found. His confidence in his routine maintenance and knowledge of computers assured him there would be no unknown files on his computer. As the laptop opened, the familiar gentle voice of his computer's inhabitant, Dizzy could be heard. Only now, it was incoherent beeps and fragmented words that could be heard in place of the usually articulate words that Dizzy usually spoke in. This was far from normal. Kenny realized someone had tampered with his computer and they had done it recently. In the hopes of bringing clarity to the situation, Kenny opened the file he had never seen before. Immediately his screen erupted into flashes of white and black and the chestnut haired boy went limp and collapsed to the floor and his laptop was sent crashing. A wave of panic rippled through the crowd but it was quickly silenced as Kenny rose to his feet again and then stood without a sound.

"It would appear that my little program worked well. Thank you Hiro, for uploading that file to the Chief's computer for me. Although I'm sure you don't remember doing so, since you were not yourself when you did it. You see, I did to you, what I just did to young Kenny there. A simple subliminal image program which essentially shuts the mind down when seen directly. The effects only last about half an hour or so but affected parties are completely susceptible to any instructions given to them during that time. Your instructions were simple, put the file on Kenny's computer without being seen. It was quite ingenious if I do say so myself." He paused and let his words sink in. "Now that he's open to suggestion, how about we give him some instructions. Kenny, I want you to kill all of the people I listed, if nobody else does. Ignore all voices but my own from this point on."

"You're a monster! Stop getting everyone else to fight your battles and come face us yourself." Tyson's voice rung out through the stadium. "Give us back our Chief and let everyone go! There's no way you're going to get away with this!"

"How naïve, the mind of a child is. The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows my boy. Not everyone gets a happy ending; I can assure you of that."

"What do you want with them?!" Kai stepped to Tyson's side before shouting again. "They've done nothing wrong. Nobody here has done anything to you. Your issue is with us."

"SILLY BOY! You should learn your place! Like this girl, you are beneath me. You are hardly worth my time. The only reason any of this is happening is because there was something that sat nagging me in the back of my mind as I sat alone, locked within the confines of my once honored home. When I finally decided to listen to that nagging in my head I realized the only way I could move forward with my life was if I knew you and your little pals would spend the rest of your pathetic lives as miserable as I was. I don't want you four dead. I want you to live a long, healthy life, filled with misery and pain."

"Nobody in here is going to help you with your plan. If we do nothing, your plan falls apart." Tyson's anger seemed to be revitalizing his strength. "Our Chief won't hurt anyone and neither will the rest of the people here. You're game is over."

"HAHAHAHAHA! You're really are stupid. If your friends don't die, I turn this whole place into a crater in the ground. Now you've pissed me off and I really am growing weary of all this talking. If anyone tries to play the hero, this place goes up in flames! I am now moving up the timetable. Kenny, it's time. KILL!"

Kenny bent over and retrieved a broken jagged piece of his laptop from the floor.

"No! Chief you're stronger than this. You don't want to hurt anyone." Tyson's desperate shouts went unheard by his friend.

Kenny raised the broken shard to just below his right ear, pressed it tightly against his skin and without hesitation, dragged it along his neck until it reached the other ear bringing forth a familiar red trail as it went. Blood raced from the gash as Kenny dropped to his knees then fell face first onto the floor The blood continued flow out and surround his head.

"NOOOOOOO!" Hilary screamed as she ran to the fallen boy

"You killed Kenny! You BASTARD!" Tyson bolted for the stands heading straight for Boris with Kai right behind him. They quickly reached the first row of people and were forced to stop.

A very large, muscled, nameless man grabbed Tyson's arms and held him firmly in place. "I'm sorry" said the man. With tears flowing from his face he continued. "I have my son and daughter here. I can't let them get hurt. Nobody deserves to be hurt but if it's a couple lives in the place of thousands, I could justify it with the lives of my children alone. I can't let them get hurt". The tears continued to pour from the man's face as he stood there in silence.

"Ahh SHIT! Fucking brat prioritized himself on the damn list." Boris had his palm covering his face as he spoke, but quickly removed it before proceeding. "Alright, well that means it's up to you all. Are there any parents out there willing to stand up for their children? You all know who needs to die here. Who's willing to step to the plate and be the real hero? Eight more lives in exchange for everyone else here. It's not a difficult choice."

As if inspired by the words of the muscled man, some of the adults could be seen separating from their children. Motivated by their instincts to protect their family they turned their attention to those who had raised their hands, in hopes of bringing an end to this nightmare.

"You can't seriously be listening to this guy!" Kai's words carried an uncharacteristic tone of fear and desperation. He shifted his gaze to the man holding Tyson. "Get your hands off him right now before I remove them."

"I'm sorry" replied the man through sobs. "I've never hurt anyone before but I will if it means protecting my children"

Kai couldn't help but think that is seemed unlikely that a man of his size and build had never hurt anyone before. His muscles had muscles. The look in his tear-filled eyes and the sadness in his words were more than convincing. Kai knew that as long as he didn't try anything stupid, the man wouldn't hurt Tyson.

"Just… Just don't hurt him. Keep him safe. He's not your child but he's someone's child. Don't let him go and certainly don't let him do anything stupid." Kai refused to look Tyson in the eyes as he spoke to the burly man. He knew Tyson wouldn't approve and he didn't need to see the look of betrayal on Tyson's face to know it was there.

Kai looked out towards the chaos that had broken out in the crowd. The frightened audience had turned to a mob of angry parents; fueled by their drive to protect their children. He needed a better view to find his friends. Tyson was in good hands and with Tyson's unpredictability out of the way, Kai could focus on the real problem. He knew he had to save his friends but if he tried, Boris might blow up the building with everyone in it. Boris needed to be removed from the equation. He undoubtedly had some escape plan arranged in case he had to blow the place up. As long as Boris couldn't escape, the place was safe. He had to find Boris, fast.

Ray wasted no time once the crowd started moving. Mariah was in danger and he had to get to her and keep her safe. He looked down from his seat in the stands. Most of the people had cleared out in the rush to find the people on Boris' hit-list so he could see clear to the bottom row where Tyson was thrashing wildly about as he struggled to free himself from an arm that was almost as wide as Tyson himself. Tyson wasn't going anywhere and that meant one less person for him to worry about.

Just a few rows above Tyson, Ray could see flashes of Kai pushing his way through the crowd. Where could he going? If he's not helping Tyson, then he must have already made sure Tyson was safe. Kai wouldn't just leave his friends to die, but he wasn't heading to help them either. Where could he be going? Every second wasted on tracking Kai and Tyson was a second lost in protecting Mariah. Obviously she could protect herself and Lee would keep her safe as well but that wouldn't be enough against a crowd this big and this angry. Then it hit him. Kai had to be looking for Boris. He has the power and skill to stop the crowd but if he does, Boris could blow the place up. With the two wild-cards out of the equation, Ray felt safe to search for Mariah, Lee and the others.

In the center stands, Max fought to keep on his feet as he was tossed side to side by people rushing towards his friends. Parts from broken seats were scattered across the ground, making it difficult to get a proper footing to hold his ground and collect himself. Eventually he was able to clear a spot for his feet and brace his body against the mob. If anyone knew how to make a firm defense, it was Max. A quick glance up to the empty stands where Ray was seated, he found Ray standing alone, scanning the ground level and likely looking for Tyson and Kai. He watched Ray's gaze move higher in the stands. For a brief moment Ray looked confused. Then a smirk crossed his face right before he took off in the direction of the mob. Ray must have seen that Tyson and Kai were fine and that the best thing he could do was go help the others. With that in mind, Max realized that his best course of action would be to find a way to get the crowd under control.

Hiro and his grandpa stood back to back with bokken in hand as they batted their way up trough the stands until they reached their friend Mr. Dickenson. "Looks like we've found ourselves a real rowdy crowd here;, hey old friend?" Ryu's words were calm and spoken without fear despite their lives being at risk.

"Well that's one way of putting it." Mr. Dickenson replied with a reluctant chuckle. "Jokes aside I think we're in serious need of some assistance."

"Ah, donchya worry ma man. Young Hiro and I are more than a match for these folks. As long as yer with us, you'll be a safe as a kitten in a lion den."

"Uh, gramps; I hate to tell you but your analogy isn't exactly comforting. I'm feeling like there's three kittens and the lions a really hungry."

"Just hold yer form boy. Ain't no way anyone is gonna reach you if ya remember yer trainin." Ryu swung his bokken in all directions. Loud cracks rung out as it collided with any body parts that cross it's path, usually accompanied by a groan of pain from the person hit.

"Well I'm glad we're all so confident but can we find a way out of here now?" Mr. Dickenson's fear was becoming more apparent as he spoke.

"'Fraid not ma man. If we try to leave, this whole place might get blown sky high. All we can do right now is stay alive. I'm sure our boys will figure somethin' out. Hehehe! Just look at young Tyson down there. He's holding off that big guy all on his own. That's some fighting spirit right there. THAT'S MA BOY TYSON! YOU SHOW THAT BIG GUY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE MESSES WITH THE GRANGER FAMILY!" He shouted encouragingly in Tyson's direction.

Ray managed to get through the crowd without much difficulty. Using the top of people's heads he jumped from person to person as if he was jumping across rocks in a stream. It wasn't long before he found Mariah hiding with her back perched against a half-broken pillar. A wave of relief washed over him as he approached.

"Mariah! Thank goodness you're okay. We need to get to a better spot. Where's Le-" His words seized as he reached her side. "MARIAH!"

Broken blood vessels lined her neck. The amber eyes which always shone with passion were dull and empty. She couldn't be dead; she's far too strong. Ray reluctantly pressed two fingers along a very dark bruise and held them for a moment. No pulse. He was too late. Carefully reaching one arm behind Mariah's back and the other under her knees, he lifted the lifeless body into his lap. Cradling her head in his arm, he held her as closely and as tightly as his shaking body would allow.

It took every bit of self control he had not to send Drigger roaring through the mob. The anger building in his chest frightened even him. Mariah didn't deserve to die; certainly not like this. If she had to suffer such a terrible death, nobody else deserved any better. The only thing preventing him from hunting down every person responsible for her death was the desire to hold Mariah in his arms as long as he could.

"I'm sorry Ray." The familiar voice tugged at Ray from deep within his mind. "I failed you and I failed Mariah,"

Ray opened his eyes to search for the source of the voice. It didn't take much looking. Barely three feet in front of him, was Lee sprawled on the floor in a tangled mess of his own limbs. "Lee! What happened to you?! Tell me who did this!"

"I'm so sorry. I told her not to raise her hand. I told her we could leave without even being noticed. She told me it wouldn't be fair to the others if she survived and that it would be heartless of her to abandon all the people in this stadium who don't need to die. Then when they attacked, she just gave up. She didn't want anyone to get hurt needlessly." He paused for a moment before continuing, "A lot of good that did me. We happened to be sitting next to some marines who were back from tour and taking their kids out. I tried to fight them off of her but they broke both my legs. I punched at their legs but then they dislocated both my arms. All I could do was watch the guy as he grabbed Mariah and –"

"Enough." Ray cut him off. "I don't need to hear anymore. Tell me what he looked like; the guy who did this."

"Ray, she didn't want anyone to die for her sake. If you fight them, you'll just end up like me, or worse. When she stopped breathing, the man placed her against the wall so she wouldn't get trampled. He made everyone leave and then he told me he was going to make sure the purple freak was taken care of once this was all over. He's not a bad guy Ray. He's a father trying to protect his child."

"I don't want to hear this!" The anger was building. Why was Lee being so difficult? He knows what the guy looks like so why wouldn't he say anything?

"You're not listening Ray! You don't have time to hunt for that guy!" Now Lee was pissed off as well. "Before he left, I begged him to kill me. I told him that I couldn't bear the shame."

"You idiot! If he had killed you too, then Mariah's sacrifice would have meant nothing."

"Hahaha- Oooww." Lee winced in pain as his laughter caused ripples through his broken and dislocated bones. "Alright, whoever said laughter was the best medicine never had broken bones." He paused for a moment to let the pain settle. "You're still the same old Ray. I still know how to get inside your head. It takes a cheesy line like, "I begged him to kill me" for you realize why she gave herself up. Ray, I know how badly you want to save the others, but if you do and Boris blows this place up, then Mariah's last wishes go up in flames along with it. Boris has us all exactly where he wants us. You need to find him and end this. I'll be right here when you get back. Hahah- Ooowww!"

"You're right; Boris is the one that needs to pay for this. Thanks Lee. I've got to end this." With that, Ray vanished from sight.

A loud ringing filled the air and with it, came a downpour from the sprinklers; someone had pulled the fire alarm. A large portion of the crowd broke off from the mob and headed for spots where the ceiling was missing so they could avoid the sprinklers. Tyson ceased his futile thrashing as soon as the sprinklers came on.

"Max, you're a genius!" With this much moisture in the air, Max and Draciel could easily make a barrier strong enough to keep everyone safe from an explosion and any debris.

"Hey! Man-zilla." Tyson strained his neck to look up at his captor. "You saw what my friend Max could do with just a little water in the air. I promise you that no explosion will be able to get through any shield he makes right now. We need to get everyone together so we can keep them all safe in case this place blows up. If you think that purple-headed monster is actually going to let everyone go, you're wrong; he only cares about himself. He really is a dick. But seriously, once those people are dead, everyone becomes an expendable witness."

"I know you're right but if he sees something suspicious we won't have time to protect everyone."

"So we distract him." Tyson's irritation was growing and he desperately trying to compose himself. "Look, I don't do the whole thinking ahead thing. I trust my friends and I take action. I'm sure they have a plan and all I can do is make it happen."

"Just promise me that my kids will be safe."

"You got it! And once this is over, I'll even teach them how to Bey-battle like a pro!" The giant man released his hold on Tyson who immediately gasped as his lungs found new room for air. "Alright, take your kids and go join the others in the center of the stadium under that nice new sun roof. I'll go convince the rest." Tyson turned towards the stands, adjusted his hat slightly, looked back at the mountain of muscle who now bore a gentle smile of hope and with a thumbs-up and a half grin, Tyson bolted towards the mob. He immediately tripped on his untied shoelaces, bounced his face off the floor a proceeded to spurt blood all over said floor. A moment later, his laces were tied and with his nose buried in his sleeve, he continued towards the top of the stands.

As Kai approached the announcer's booth where Boris had made his announcement, he noticed a familiar flickering in the window. Something in the room was displaying the virus that wiped Kenny's mind blank before he killed himself. Whatever it was, it had to go before he could risk going in there. Instincts took over; every movement felt natural as he drew his launcher and loaded his blade while running at full speed. "Dranzeeeeer!" He called for his bey as he separated ripcord from launcher. "Let's crush every monitor in that room", he instructed as Dranzer soared off ahead of Kai in a brilliant flame and through the window of the room Boris was hold up in. As Kai drew nearer, he could hear Boris' frantic voice.

"What the?! Who-? No, don't touch-!" A loud crashing sound drowned out Boris' voice briefly and then the flickering light disappeared. "NOOOO! I needed that! Get out of here you annoying insect! Stop breaking my things!"

Dranzer came whizzing back out the window, smashing a second hole in the glass as it exited and soared directly into Kai's palm just as he reached the door. Boris' voice carried a clear tone of panic as he muttered to himself, "I can still fix this." There was a moment of shuffling followed by some weird noises which emanating from the room. As Kai kick the door clean off its hinges and sent it splintering against the wall across from it Boris let out an exasperated sigh of frustration. "Oh come on! The door wasn't even locked! Was that really necessary?"

Boris whirled around to face Kai from the other side of the booth. He tried to position himself in front of what looked like an old computer monitor but it was hard for Kai to be make it out, with the amount of tape that seemed to be holding it together. The roll was still hanging from the side, swaying like a pendulum back and forth, occasionally bumping against the glass.

"Kai, it's good to see you again. Have you been enjoying my surprise main event?"

"It's over, Boris. There's nowhere for you to go. If you blow this place up, you'll be killed as well."

"Ahahaha! Silly boy! Did you really think I wouldn't expect you and your friends to come up with some plan to save everyone? You have ruined my plans in the past but there is one fact you seem to overlook even now as you stand before me. I have nothing to lose, and all I hope to gain is the satisfaction that you and your friends have suffered by my hand. In that way, I have already won. Anything from here on out is just a bonus."

Kai took a cautious step towards Boris, careful not to move too quickly or aggressively. All he had to do was get to Boris before he could hit any buttons or call the guards working for him. There was no way he could cross the room in time. He had to close the gap.

"Boy!" Boris' voice was firm. "I suggest you not take another step. Just moments ago, your small red-haired friend, Daichi came bursting though the door much like you just did, albeit he had the courtesy to leave the door in working order. Fortunately for me, I had this monitor here in a more functional condition and as you might likely guess, he has had a change of heart. Like your friend Kenny, he has orders to kill the others if they are not already dead in about 3 minutes from now. Then as an added bonus he will kill every remaining person he cares about as well. You can go after him if you'd like. He went out this door behind me so as not to be spotted by you. He should be joining the rest of the crowd right about now. You might be able to get there in time if you leave now."

Boris turned his gaze towards the broken window and watched as the audience scrambled from the sprinklers to the center of the arena where Max and Tyson were frantically trying to calm everyone and gather them together. Kai knew he needed to warn the others before Daichi could do something he would regret but if he left, Boris would escape and the whole situation could happen again somewhere else. Boris could not be allowed to leave and Kai was determined to make sure this would be the last time Boris would ever cause anyone trouble again. The tension hanging in the air seemed to take on a weight of its own; bearing down on Kai so much that he suddenly felt like he was struggling just to stay on his feet. Boris was just a few feet in front of him and yet he was powerless to do anything to stop the lunatic. All he could do was make sure Boris stayed put.

The soft "tap-tap" of approaching footsteps broke the silence and carried some of the tension away. The smug grin Boris had been wearing quickly contorted into a look of confusion and disapproval. Someone new was coming to interfere with his plans. Kai could see the fear work its way over Boris and reveled in it, despite the fact that Boris was still untouchable. With the swiftness of the steps, it could only be Ray about to enter the scene and that meant he now had a way to get his message to the others. Sure enough, a second later Ray rounded the corner and was at the top of the stairs leading to the announcer's booth, right next to Kai.

"Ray, I'm so glad you're here. I –"Kai's plea was cut short.

"He killed Mariah!" Ray spat the words as he spoke. "This bastard needs to be taken care of, NOW!"

Kai noticed blood dripping from Ray's fists which were clenched so tight, his nails had sunk deep into his palms. Ray's entire body was shaking with rage and his eyes seemed to be more ferocious than ever. Even his long black hair which was normally kept neatly together was now wildly askew like a wild beast. He was an animal out for blood and Boris was his prey.

"This man doesn't deserve the air he breathes." His words were barely coherent as he growled them out.

"Ray… Ray!.. RAY!" Kai's shout was finally able to get Ray's attention which he immediately regretted as the animalistic glare fixated on him. "Ray, I need your help." Any optimism Kai may have had was now drained from him and replaced by fear and desperation. "Ray, as long as I'm here, Boris can't leave and if we attack him before everyone is safe, he'll blow this whole building apart along with everyone in it. I'll stay and make sure he doesn't move but I need you to get a message to Max and Tyson or everyone is going to die anyways! Tyson, Lee, Max; they'll all be killed. You need to get down there and stop him"

"AHAHAHAHA! You are all so incredibly naïve." Boris broke out into a fit of laughter "You stupid, naïve children. You actually think I could convince any of those uptight guards to strap a bomb to themselves? You've got to be kidding me. Ever since you brats ruined my life, there isn't a person in this country who doesn't despise me. I was only able to adopt the girl through some cloaked underground trader who wanted some unusual bits of information from me. Nobody would hire me, feed me, give me shelter or even look at me and yet this unknown person offered me anything I wanted in exchange for some useless information… Information about you kids, I might add. It goes without saying, I obviously told him what he wanted to know and in return, he gave me all the things I needed to get my revenge on all of you. One bomb, a laptop, a ticket to this tournament and the girl to sweeten the deal. The hand virus was a creation of my own. Oh, and in case you were wondering, of course I got my money's worth out of the girl. Hahahaha! If you want to know where that bomb is, I slipped it into the purse of one of the women in the crowd during the commotion. It should go off any second now."

The color drained from the boys faces. Almost every person in the building was going to be inside Max's water shield and when the bomb goes off, that shield becomes a container for the blast. Every person they swore to protect will be killed and it will be entirely their fault. The guilt would hang over them for the rest of their lives. Daichi was just a bonus distraction to run out the clock. Boris really had won.

"Ray" Kai turned towards Ray, but he was already gone. "Ray," Kai muttered under his breath, "you need to hurry."

"Time is almost up. You can't stop the inevitable. That bomb will detonate and so many people will die; all because you refused to head my warning. I told all of you not to play hero and now those innocent people will die because of you! Oh and would you look at that," Boris' gaze was fixed on the window again. "It looks like Tyson is nice and secure under the shield as well now."

Kai's heart sank. There was no time to warn him. No hope that he would figure it out on his own and no telling whether or not Ray would make it in time.

Boris checked his watch, "forty-five seconds left. You better hurry to his side. What a shame it would be if his last time seeing you was when you left him behind to come after me. Or is making sure I die, more important than what he thinks of you?"

CRAAACK! The door behind Boris swung viciously on its hinged and exploded against the wall sending splintered wood in all directions. Through the opening came a familiar ruby-haired boy, dressed in his usual white and orange track suit.

"Kai! What's going on? I was in the bathroom and the sprinklers started going off. At first I thought there was a fire but there were a bunch of TVs showing everyone running around and gathering in the center of the arena. I didn't even hear anything until I took my earplugs out. When I heard the screams, I knew something was wrong. I figured taking a shortcut through the announcer's booth would be the quickest path to everyone and here you are. What happened? Why is he here? Why is everyone so damn loud?!"

"Tala! Stay with Boris!" As Kai instructed Tala his eyes fell to Boris who was now sprawled on the floor. A large chunk of wood from the door was protruding from the center of his chest. His eyes were completely glazed over and blood flowed from around the wood lodged in his body.

Boris tilted his head in Tala's direction and with the last of his strength he choked out the words, "The. Fucking door. Was unlocked." His eyes dulled and his body became completely still.

Kai turned on his heels, bolted out the door and down the steps to where Tyson was. There was no hope. He couldn't save Tyson but if he could get close enough, maybe Tyson would be able to see him one last time and know that he hadn't been abandoned. Tears flooded his face making it impossible to see but still he ran, as fast as he could towards his beloved. His lungs burned hotter than any flame he'd ever felt. Each beat of his hear pounded louder than any drum he had ever heard and his mind raced through memories faster than he could have ever deemed possible. He wished he could see Tyson's face but the tears were relentless. It didn't matter; as long as Tyson sees him. That would be more than he could ask for in this situation.

Max had just finished getting the last of the panic-stricken guests inside the large sphere of flowing water he had created when Ray suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Max!" He gasped for air. "The bomb is inside the shield. Boris planted the bomb on someone at random and it's going to go off any second. The blast is going to kill everyone in there." There was a brief pause as Ray realized that Max himself was not under the shield. "You were going to sacrifice yourself! You and Draciel can't keep the shield strong from the inside, so you were going to keep the shield going from out here to save everyone else"

"Ray, now is not the time for this. What should I do? If I drop the shield and the bomb goes off, then everyone will die anyways. There's nothing we can do." His blue eyes fell on Tyson and tears rolled down his face. I'm sorry Tyson, but I'm going to at least save Ray and Kai. I know that is what you would have wanted.

From inside the shield the Tyson had finally managed to calm everyone down when the human mountain squeezed his way through the crowd towards him.

"You have to go," his tone was sharp and commanding. He leaned in as close to Tyson as his Goliath frame would allow and quietly whispered, "Your friend outside; I read his lips. The bomb is in here. You promised me that you would protect my kids." As he spoke, he removed an oversized belt from his pants. "If I try to leave, I will obviously be seen. The others will suspect something is wrong and then they will panic and try to leave as well. Go with my boys. Keep your promise to me." He pulled his two son's from the crowd and placed them next to Tyson. He wrapped his belt around the three of them, binding them together. "Get out of here!" He let out a massive groan as he hoisted the three boys with a single arm and threw them as hard as he could, through the flowing barrier.

Tyson and the boys hit the ground and skidded a good ten feet before coming to a stop. As the boys unfastened the belt and stood to look at their father, they saw him smiling back. As they smiled back, completely unaware of the reason for their father's actions, the muffled sound of an exploding bomb radiated throughout the stadium as the once clear blue water shield turned to a flowing sea of crimson.


RPS: *shudders* That was gory.

Nawmay: That's why you got me to write it.

RPS: *reads it over* MOTHERFUCKER! Did you add a new villian into the story?!

Nawmay: In case you get stuck ^-^

RPS: Lovely...time to re-plot everything. So my lovely readers because Nawmay made a hell of a lot new material, I have a lot of work cut out for me the next chapter. It basically has to be re-written. So I'll start on that and try to have it done within 2 weeks or so. Hopefully work cooperates. If I get it done sooner, I'll update. :) Please leave a reveiw telling us what you think of this twist of events.