Chapter 11.

Tyson, Max, Ray, Hilary, Kenny, Daichi, Mr Granger, Mariah and Mr Dickenson froze still. Their desperate young and elderly eyes scanned for any sign of life from the body just 10ft away; separated by cursed, invisible enemy structure. Their hearts sunk to their stomachs, their feet solid to the ground and fought painfully not to scream. All beyblades stopped spinning and the bitbeasts cried of sorrow as they retreated inside them. The air felt too thick to inhale and hung devastatingly silent. They were too late. Kai wasn't moving and hadn't done for a whole minute now.

Tyson had ceased slamming his fists against the glass barrier as he crashed to his knees. He drew a breath and held it; hoping Kai would take one of his own. Lifeless.

"It-it can't be..." Max stood horrified.

The exhausted, sore-fisted and tear streaked onlookers stared at Kais' form, waiting for his chest to rise and fall once more. But it never came.

As if he was jolting himself awake Max turned to look at Tyson. "Ttt..tyson?"

Tyson was staring at Kai in disbelief. 'No' Tyson thought. "No... he... he's not."

Unwilling to admit it, Tyson stood back up and continued punching the glass once more. "Kai! Wake up dude! You gotta wake up! Get up! Come on!" Tyson's fists were becoming bloodier with every punch. Tyson couldn't register pain at this moment and was splitting skin on his knuckles.

The arena was silent. All you could hear was the sound of Tyson punching glass. "Come on Kai!"

*Punch*

"Get up!"

*Punch*

"You gotta..."

*Punch*

"Wake...up!"

Hilary wanted to stop him but how could she? She just watched Tyson and was hoping that his voice could somehow reach Kai and everything will be ok. But she, like the others all knew. They all knew that Kai wasn't sleeping. And, just like the other teammates all she could do was sob.

Tyson's punches were getting weaker and his bloody right fist was suddenly stopped by a familiar hand. As Tyson's eyes became watery he turned his head to see the person's hand who had caught and stopped his own, it was his Grandpa. The older Granger said nothing, but his eyes said so much more. Tysons' trembling legs suddenly collapsed. Dragoons' keeper began falling but his nearby ninja quick grandfather caught him before he hit the floor. They sunk to the cold tiles together and with strong, supportive arms; Grandpa wrapped himself around his grandson. Tears ripped down his face and saturated his moustache. Grandpa Granger lifted Tysons' head up to meet his and with a caring old thumb he wiped away tears from Tysons' raw cheek. He gazed into his grandsons big brown eyes as the water welled up in his own. "I'm sorry Tyson ma boy, we did our best. There was nothin' more we could do." Tyson was torn between clutching his Grandfather tight or ordering Dragoon to continue attacking and smash that dam force field. Tysons' denial ran like a thunderbolt through his soul. He couldn't ever accept it. "Kai...dead...no... it can't be...but Kai's just sleeping. That's right...just sleeping."

Ray was speechless, tears rolled down his hot face. Ray was not a man to cry easily but emotionally he was torn to shreds. Ray was crushed, he couldn't hold himself up any more and sunk to his knees. He buried his face into his red sash and began sobbing with gasping deep breaths. Mariah fell down next to her lover. She snuggled herself into him, wrapped her arms around his chest and levered his head up with her shoulder. She latched onto him with all the strength left in her weeping and terrified body.

Max was in chronic emotional shock and stared at Kais' body willing him to move. He too couldn't stand anymore and was reduced to a crumpled heap on the floor as he watched for any signs of movement in Kais' body. He kept telling himself..."He'll move in a second. He'll move in a sec..."

Stanley Dickenson wailed into his chubby elderly palms on the ground as Daichi cuddled him from behind, beside them lay a walking stick in two broken pieces. Daichis' warm tears soaked through Mr D's jacket as he trembled with intense grief. Today he realised that he liked Kai more than he had ever admitted to himself and regretted not being friendlier with him.

Kenny was a gibbering mess on the grey tile too and he was sure he had run out of tears. He sniffled and gazed at Kai in a trance like state. "I'm sorry Kai. I should have done more. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry we couldn't help you." His thick circular glasses acted as a water dam and it was only when the dam burst its banks that another set of tears could stroke his already sore cheeks.

Hilary was a crushed emotional mess. She had collapsed long ago and her legs were going numb at the odd angle her legs were positioned. She didn't care. She was in a dark unrelenting bout of sorrow. She hugged herself in grief as she sobbed so hard her throat hurt and her brown eyes turned bloodshot.

"Finally. It is done." The red eyed, dark skinned assailant felt a great sense of achievement wash over him as he too had been watching Kais' body for any signs of life.

Blake unfolded his tattooed arms and began emotionlessly striding towards his "work". His dark purple cape caught a breeze as he moved and he began rummaging around in a pocket inside his blue and black edged tunic.

Max and Kenny were still facing Kai, watching over him with a molecule of hope that he would come back when...

Max stifled words together. "He...he...he's coming."

Tyson and the gang watched with terror drenched eyes as Blake closed the gap between them... and their fallen Kai. Their sobs turned to an instant overwhelming dread. Each jumped to their feet as quickly as they could although Mr Dickenson struggled to with his age and weight; and had to be helped up by Max, Ray and Daichi.

Kennys' heart jumped into his sore throat as he struggled to expel his words. "Whahhaaat dodo we do now?!"

Rays' sore eyes narrowed and anger began to re-surface on his tear streaked face. "He's coming this way."

Maxs' legs were like jelly with the stress and turned to Tyson. "Is...is...he..he coming for ...us...us nowwww?"

Mr Dickenson spoke high pitched with fear. "Be ready kids, we need to get out of here if he comes any closer."

Tyson wiped his red cheeks clear of tears with his bloodied and bruised hands and stepped forward close to the glass. His pain was subsiding to a rage at the man who had just torn his heart to pieces. His brown eyes emblazoned with fury and clenched his teeth hard. He spat, "Forget that... I'm not leaving Kai."

Ray growled with cat fangs and eyes slit to a needles' width."I'm not leaving Kai either. If the force field comes down then we go back to Plan A. I have a bitbeast who would like to give Blake a demonstration of what we can really do.

Max fed off Ray and Tysons' angry energy and it gave him a small emotional boost. "Me too. Draciel and I will set up a defence barrier of our own for the others whilst you guys take him out. He sniffed and fought back another tear.

Grandpa felt great pride for his beloved Tyson for standing up and choosing to protect what was left of Kai...and cursed his stubbornness too; for refusing to put his own safety first.

Tired, weary, blood stained fists and sore eyed beybladers reloaded their spinning weapons and readied for whatever Blake had planned next. All 5 beybladers stood in a line with shaky outstretched arms with their beyblades and launchers ready to go. Hilary, Kenny, Mr Dickenson and Grandpa Granger stood behind the protective wall of bladers. Everyone fought further sobs and sniffed with blood shot eyes. They held their breaths and trembled with fatigue; they waited and watched as the assassin came closer.

As Blake grew nearer and nearer to the traumatised bladers, Hilary, Kenny and the older men ...they finally got a good look of him. He too was bloodstained; only it wasn't HIS blood. His cloak had red finger marks where Kai had grabbed him earlier. He had a large splatter of blood on his side from when he pulled his dagger out of Kai's body, and blood on his forearms and wrists where his weapon withdrawal made Kai choke.

Blakes' dark chiselled face was stern yet, unemotional and took no notice of the mourners. He had no interest in them...Kai on the other hand; still had something he wanted. He was mere feet away now, his line of sight was transfixed on Kais' cold lifeless body as he travelled closer. The tattooed killer stopped close and looked down at Dranzers' ex-guardian without a flicker of remorse.

Blake in a monotone voice. "Your misery is over now. It was nothing personal... I just wanted your bitbeast."

Tyson and the gang could see Blakes' mouth move as he said something to Kais' spiritless corpse. They cursed the glass barrier even more as they struggled to make out what Blake said. Nothing penetrated the force field and frustratingly that included sound too.

Blake had something in his hands...another weapon, only it wasn't a dagger or stabbing item; it was something they knew very well. A beyblade. It was standard sized, brown with black flashes on the attack ring. It was a basic thing with an image-less bit-chip.

Blake turned his head, glanced at his shaking audience momentarily, smirked then returned to Kai. He then held this beyblade towards the bloodied body in an outstretched arm...The Bladers had seen this action before; the moves performed just before a bitbeast would be sucked out from a defeated beyblade.

Tyson, Max, Ray, Daichi, Mariah, Hilary, Kenny, Mr Dickenson and Grandpa Granger watched Blake with held breaths and more dread overcame them. They were edgy and filled with a mixed bag of emotions. Fear, that Blake could turn on and kill another one of them. Sorrow; for the great loss of a long term friend and ally. Rage; for putting them and Kai through this horrific ordeal and for reasons unclear. Disgust, that Blake had the audacity to boldly do what he did in front of the whole world. This fiend took Kais' life and now was going to take another of the team...Dranzer. And finally... a crushing frustration; that there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Kais' body hadn't moved for minutes now. The pool of blood surrounding his middle section had stopped increasing and began to congeal into a thick red mess. Despite the horrific run up to his death; he looked peaceful. His brows were relaxed and his amethyst irises decorated around his moon sized pupils under half closed eyelids. His blood trickled mouth indicated he had endured internal bleeding from somewhere. The breath driving him through the pain of this event had gone and his suffering had ended.

Kais' friends were powerless to stop Blake from what he was to do next. The fallen beybladers' bitbeast on the other hand... wouldn't be taken away without a fight.

A screaming firework erupted from Kais' beyblade that was still tightly curled in his dead right hand. Dranzer formed out of the hot flash and took his physical phoenix form. Dranzer still had Killertiles' daggers in him and ruffled his feathers uncomfortably. The fire bird was crazy furious, more angry than Tyson or the others had ever seen before. He stood over Kais' limp and scarlet covered body like a gold and red-feathered T-Rex. Dranzers' giant dark-brown hawk feet stomped as Kais' body lay lifeless beneath his feathered breast. Dranzer bird-cried furiously at Blake with a dark undertone. His sharp golden-yellow beak snapped in the air; threatening to rip that tattooed arm clean off. His feathers flustered on end as he puffed himself out with fury and pain of the daggers still in place. Blake smiled in awe with no fear in his body, his over confidence was sickening as he took a step forward.

Dranzers' presence made the team gasp with awe and a welcome relief. Their moods uplifted seeing the great phoenix turning the tables on the madman assassin. They were filled with a horizon of hope that Dranzer could stop Blake from doing any more harm to Kai, to them or anyone else.

Ray -"Dranzer's protecting Kai."

Hilary - "Ohh be careful Dranzer."

The others were speechless with relief that Kai wasn't alone out there anymore. They couldn't break their way in to help but now he had a "man" on the inside. Whether Kai was alive or not; he needed to be protected and treated with dignity.

Blakes' threatening advance ignited Dranzer into attack mode. Dranzer screamed with rage, flapped his great feathered wings, his long tails swished and his body became engulfed in flame like petrol had just been sprayed onto a camp fire. Dranzer screamed and bit in the air at Kais' murderer who jumped back like a ninja. Blakes' face looked surprised and amused at the same time. His eyes and arms expressed the words. "Ok ok I'm backing away now."

A new fighting spirit engulfed the team. Tears were no longer streaming as fists punched the air and determined gritted teeth overcame their faces.

Daichi – "Yeah how'd you like that! You show him Dranzer!"

Ray – "Yeah don't give him an inch Dranzer."

Grandpa Granger – "You give him a whack from me birdy!"

Kenny – "Dranzer. You are amazing. Never give up!"

Tyson – "Go Dranzer you can do this. Teach Blake a lesson in what happens when he picks a fight with us!"

Max – "I'm relieved Kais' not on his own anymore. Go Dranzer!"

Blake could feel the new heat cooking the air and had to back away to save him from losing a limb or being scolded to death. Dranzer was on fire in personality and physically. Kais' human body was so close to Dranzers' that he caught aflame too. All eyes wondered if the emblazoned Dranzer was going to cremate Kai right there in front of them. Cremation would have been an apt way for Kais' corpse to be treated given his surname means "to walk on hot coals" and his bitbeast was a phoenix. Dranzers' flames never burnt Kai, not in life and not in death unless Dranzer wished. Kais' white skin, dark grey and blue hair and clothing never caught alight; instead he warmed like a baby chick under its' mother. Now that Blake was a safer distance away from him and his fallen master ... Dranzers' demeanour took a turn. He ceased snapping, stopped wing flapping and arched his thick soft feathered neck downwards to his fallen guardian.

Dranzer was mentally and spiritually connected to Kai ever since he was very young. He knew Kai was dead but had to try something, anything. Maybe Dranzer was in as much denial as Tyson was; and it was easier to pretend Kai was asleep and only had to be woken up to be ok again.

His eyes scanned Kais' body and cooed softly...hoping for a reply. That reply never came. He bird screeched like he did in beybattles with an open beak...maybe Kai would reply now. Seconds pass and no response. Dranzer screeched with all the noise his god-like lungs could exert, his beak opening wide in the air above Kais' motionless form. This avian scream was so booming that his breath and noise waves caused Kais' hair to move. Even Tyson and the gang felt vibration through the dome walls. Kai didn't reply to this call either.

The phoenixs' face expressed a deep sadness the gang could relate to. Heavy tears formed in his giant eagle eyes and he arched his fire covered body down further. His great beak gently nudged Kais' outstretched left hand. He hoped Kai would reach his arm up and caress his beak like they did yesterday, to feel his masters fingers through his feathers again. Kais' loosely curled hand remained limp, still partially gripping his blue and red beyblade.

Tyson and the gang felt tears of their own re-forming as they watched the powerful and mighty bird try tenderly to wake their fallen friend. Before long, their sore, tired eyes felt heavy with water and once again soaked their raw stinging cheeks. Sobbing chorused amongst the team as Dranzers' tender actions hit them hard in the feels.

Dranzers tears started to fall but due to the flames they fizzled away inches before they hit the ground. He gently nudged his beak under Kais' sideways lying face and lifted it up by a small degree, then pulled away. Kais' head lolled back into its original position. Dranzer repeated the action again and again and again hoping to get a different result; but no sign of life from Kai greeted him. Instead, Kais' blood from his cheeks and chin had transferred onto Dranzers' shiny beak with each heartfelt attempt.

Silently and without warning, Blake drew another dagger from his sweeping cloak, similar to the one he used on Kai. The gang were alerted and their hearts jumped into their throats, for another devastating event was unfurling. Their emotions did a complete 180 degrees turn from hope... to fear. Stress and sheer panic washed over them.

Tyson yelled as he dropped his beybladers' stance."DRANZER WATCH OUT!"

The sad phoenix couldn't hear Dragoons' masters' cries. Dranzer couldn't hear much more than any human could in the noise cancelling force- field. He was too busy trying to nuzzle Kai awake that he failed to notice Tyson and the others waving and frantically banging at the glass to get his attention.

All the guys could do was watch as the cruel man threw a golden dagger with deadly force and precision into Dranzers' heart region. It struck deeply and without warning, the mourning fire bird let out an agonising cry and bucked his head back. Dranzer, like Kai earlier, was paralysed and intense agony rocked his body. Bitbeasts can't bleed to death like humans but they can and will suffer pain with the right tools. Blakes' dagger had weakened the fire bird so much that he couldn't move with the dagger so deep. This gave Blake the window he needed. Dranzer let out a deep rumble from his throat and fell down with a crash and fluster of red feathers next to Kais' body.

Grieving onlookers stood watching with heartbreak and disgust.

Tyson – "Grrrr Blake. I'll get you for this!"

Max - "Leave Dranzer alone!"

Mariah - "Haven't you caused enough pain today?"

Hilary - "You animal! You leave Dranzer alone!

Ray – "You'll pay for this Blake!"

Blake - "Now Dranzer...you are mine."

Dranzers' flaming red, yellow and ivory body fizzled away into the brown beyblade in Blakes' merciless fist. The great bird and his fire wisped away, leaving Kai alone once more. His unprotected body was surrounded by ashen coloured scorch marks where the phoenix' flames had sizzled and cooked the tile.

Blakes' face was ecstatic. It was like Christmas morning and all his birthdays had come at once. Blakes' usual stoic behaviour was replaced with a mad mans cackle.

"Finally. Hahaha. The legendary phoenix spirit is mine."

He proudly lifted the beyblade with an inked hand to his face for inspection. The beyblade nestled in his palm glowed red for a moment, lost its light and Dranzers' image appeared on its bit-chip. He gazed gleefully at his prize, his hair raised with achievement and a wide grin painted his face. His crimson eyes were alight with success, he had got what he came for.

The beybladers lost all control of themselves as they began punching away at the force field again in anger and frustration. They knew they couldn't break it but needed something to take their fury out on.

Max – "Noooo he's got Dranzer!"

Tyson – "Kai look! He's got Dranzer. Get up dude!"

Ray – "Grrrrrr that Blake. He will pay for all of this!"

Daichi – "This fucker is a dead man walkin."

Hilary – "Poor Dranzer, even he couldn't stand up to Blake."

Mariah - "You are evil. Pure EVIL!"

Blake glowed with pride and arrogance. "I have you now...Dranzer. I've been training my entire life and chosen by destiny to harness one of the sacred spirits. You aren't the Dragoon bitbeast I thought I was destined for... but you will do. The way you fiercely defended your master; the power, the fury, the fire. A special creature indeed. The Arch-Mage will be pleased. Now... we must go home. Dranzer."

Blake turned on his heels, causing his purple cape to catch wind and swirl behind him as he marched away from his heartbroken and mad onlookers restrained by his magically forged dome. Without another word he pulled a round black ball-shaped object out of a pocket in his cape and threw it to the ground; causing a colossal bang. This gave birth to a thick grey smoke screen which engulfed the air within the dome. The smoke swallowed the atmosphere and left nothing to light. Blake, Kai, the stadium, dome, the beydish...everything was hidden in a dark cloud. Tyson and friends stood silently at the force fields edge, confused and worried.

Ray exclaimed. "He just used a smoke bomb."

Mariahs voice was high pitched with anxiety. "That's pretty sneaky but why hide himself now?"

Hilarys' legs were trembling. "I'm scared guys."

Max whimpered. "I can't see!"

Tyson – "Neither can I Max."

Daichi – "What do we do now?"

Ray – "We've gotta wait until the smoke clears."

Kenny – "There's nothing we can do until we see what Blake does next."

Mr Dickenson – "Stay on guard kids, this might not be over."

Grandpa Granger – "I ditto that hommies! Who knows what more that devil's got up his sleeve."

*crack* *crack* pause *crack* *crack*

Tyson stammered "The wall... it's...it's cracking!"

Kenny - "The force field...it's breaking!"

The glass shelter started to crack and fall inwards. Large shards cracked and shattered as they hit the tiled floor. The broken glass then dissolved into sparkly dust and disintegrated into nothing in seconds. As the walls disappeared so did the smoke as new oxygen scuppered the rapidly thinning grey air.

Mariah - "We can get through now!"

Hilary - "Yeah, and the smoke is clearing."

Daichi - "I can see!"

The impenetrable glass dome was almost gone now. Only a few shattered shards remained that whisked away in seconds.

Tyson - "Let's go guys!"

Mariah - "No wait! Where's Blake?" Her eyes cat scanned around for signs of the caped murderer.

Mr Dickenson -"I..I can't see him."

Hilary– "Yeah I can't see him either!"

Tyson was wasting no time; he started running and didn't care if Blake was still around. The barrier preventing him from getting to Kai was gone and he had somewhere he needed to be. Without hesitation Ray and Max were on Tysons' heels and they sprinted towards their "sleeping" friend.

Kenny pleaded. "Tyson come back!"

Hilary trembled. "Tyson, Ray, Max! We don't know if it's safe!"

Mariah panicked in a demanding pitch. "Ray you get back here right now!"

Grandpa Granger like the rest, knew there would be no stopping Tyson, Ray and Max so began to follow suit. "Tyson ma boy! We're coming wit ya!"

Tyson, Ray and Max ignored any pleas for them to stop. They had to get to Kai. In seconds the trio arrived... at Kais' body. It wasn't long before they were joined by Mariah, Daichi then Hilary, then Kenny, Grandpa Granger and finally an out of breath Mr Dickenson.

With sore eyes; Mariah and Daichi scanned the arena for any signs of Blake...nothing. They stood like guards watching and gazing at the seating areas, the podium and sides of the beystadium...nobody.

Tyson, Ray and Max had reached Kais' body first and took no time in embracing him. The three beybladers ignored the bloodied and ash scorched floor they would find themselves covered in later. Tyson heaved the torso of Kais' body up with all his strength and rested him in a leaned back seated position. Tysons' right arm held Kais' back in place. Rays' left arm met Tysons' at Kais' back as a double support. Tysons' left arm hugged around Kais' front and Kais' head rested into Tysons' chest. A mouthful of blood escaped Kais' jaws onto Tysons' yellow shirt as the shift in gravity pulled on any liquid to come dribbling out. The bluenette ignored the blood that would decorate his clothes too. Kai was so heavy and limp... and still...surprisingly warm. Max huddled in next to Ray and took Kais' limp lifeless right hand. Dranzers' empty beyblade was still wrapped in his loose blood coated fingers.

Tyson - "Dranzer must have warmed you up aye Kai. Say...why don't you wake up now? Huh?" Tysons' voice wavered with each word. "Why don't you come home with me huh?... and I'll set up a bed for ya. Then tonight we can get a pizza." His voice broke. "Then in the morning...*Sob* I'll get up early..*Sob*. I'll train with you..."*Sob* *Sob* *Sob*." like... like the good old days...*Sob* come on... Kai..."

Rays' soul broke as he absorbed the haunting sight of Kais' face. The amethyst eyes once so full of life, the windows to Kais' soul were blank and dull, half opened and doll like. An empty shell of the person he once was. Ray inspected Kais' blood-coated chin and cheek."Oh Kai." he whispered as new tears formed. The Chinese blader caressed the right side of Kais' face with his long fingers and hissed dangerously. "We will get Blake for this. I promise you... I will... KILL him for this." Two hot rivers began streaming down Rays' face as his anger bubbled and his feline teeth gritted tightly.

Max was emotionless, completely beside himself with a grief that had overwhelmed his light and carefree heart. He thought he had run out of tears until he too looked into Kais' empty eyes and blood stained lifeless face. The blonde then erupted into a hysterical cry. He cupped his two hands tightly around Kais' hand and empty Dranzer blade. He couldn't look Kai in the face anymore, it hurt too much. He stared at the blackened tile beside Kais' legs. "Kai, I'm so sorry." He drew sharp breaths in his hysterics. "I'm so sorry we couldn't help you."*sharp breath*"We tried to break the glass but we couldn't."*sharp breath*"We weren't strong enough."*sharp breath*

Hilary, Mariah, Kenny, Grandpa Granger, Daichi and Mr Dickenson all clustered around with wet faces. There wasn't enough space for them to "comfort" Kai too and waited as close as they could to have their moment with him.

Then...running footsteps could be heard from a corridor. A man emerged wearing a BBA uniform.

"Mr Dickenson SIR! The police and ambulance are here!" Shouted a BBA Security guard.