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September	By : studio Category: Beyblade > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2878 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Sorry for the long wait guys! But guess what!? (this is
the bit where you say �what!?�) I have figured out everything that�s gonna
happen! Yay! That includes every battle of the tournament, and points and etc.
Hell yeah. This chapter has nearly 9000 words so no complaining about it being
short. Hopefully upcoming chapters will be around this long too, unless you
think it�s too long and I can break them up a bit. Any way, Rei/Bryan stuff
finally is initiated, a few little things about Kai and the Hiwatari�s is
cleared up, and a few OC.s are introduced. Hopefully you�ll all enjoy!

Liah: ooh! Thanks for the review! I�ve been
reading Silent Apologies (you are that Liah aren�t you??) And sorry
about the wait!

Blackrose: Ok, so I�m a bit late.. it�s
October, but is that ok? Lol, classes are a bummer aren�t they? I have a
question I�ve been meaning to ask you, there�s a forum I go on nicknamed MM and
there�s a Blackrose there too, I was wondering if it�s you. The names Veruca
Salt, openyoureyes, pairus and avaXlee will be familiar to you if it is you�

Joe: Now, you�ve got me wondering whether
you�re a guy or a girl. I don�t think there�s too many guys that read
fanfiction though, so you�re probably a girl, not that it matters� just
curiosity I suppose. Happy birthday for the 15^th of the 9^th!
And thanks for the review.

Racoona: I really love getting reviews from
you. I hate making it so sad, but I promise it gets happier from here� well
mostly� Chocolate fan, are we? Hehe. I�m about to go make some brownies in a few
minutes. I don�t eat them because I�m a vegan and I hate junk food with a
passion, but I love cooking. You can have a cyber brownie from me. Hehehe, I�m
so lame!

Chapter 5

Pieces of Puzzles

__ __ __ __ __
Daytime came like a second nighttime in the Abbey, only noisier
with the bustle of its residents. It was still cold, dark and bitter. Some
things never changed, and the atmosphere was certainly one of them. Having
over-exerted herself in training, and knowing she had done so, the captain of
the senior girls� team had virtually collapsed into the depths of slumber the
moment she reached their austere, cold grey dormitory. She�d woken to the sound
of voices and footsteps further down the hall and presumed it was late in the
morning�

Only to realise that it indeed wasn�t.

One cardinal rule of the Abbey, one cardinal rule of survival
at the Abbey, was to never wander about the halls after lights out, because
getting caught was a ticket straight to Boris� or one of his sentinel�s
offices�

And from there you were usually sent straight to bed � their
bed � or to one of the training sectors to have your lights beaten out of
you with fists and feet and anything they could get their hands on.

But they�d all been through it at one stage, well nearly
all of them, regardless of their gender and status as a Blader. It was an
unwritten priority of the seniors, who were often made to monitor the halls at
nighttimes, to catch the wandering kids and send them back to bed before one of
the guards or trainers came out and found them there.

Tonight would be no different, if she could find where the
voices were coming from it would take her no more than a minute to take whoever
it � they - were back to their dorm and forget that anything had ever
happened. She was safe; with daddy-dearest being who he was no one would even
dare to touch her. A pale hand turned itself over as her other one held the
flashlight, and she could see the delicate blue birthmark that coloured a
triangular piece of skin where her middle finger met her palm. Heritage. Every
Hiwatari, every blood Hiwatari had one, like a signature of their fading
glory.

It was hard to see where she was going, with the battery in
her torch faltering, the light flickering in spasms of bleak grey flashes. But
as the voices grew louder a weak light, like the grey sunlight of winter, began
to eat away at the darkness.

There were five of them there � three boys and two of the
guards� both complete with wooden batons. The girl�s stomach gave a sickening
lurch as she heard one of the boys let out a pained groan and a string of
guttural Russian curses. Eyes of the most brilliant blue widened to their
fullest as a horrified expression darkened her petite features.

�GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!� she shrieked at one of the guards,
who was occupied with tearing away one of the boys� shirts and bruising the
pale skin of his neck with brutal lips.

Startled, he sprang away and withdrew his grasp on the
child, his eyes darkening to the colour of storm water as they found the one
responsible for interrupting his � indulgence.

The other guard, who had been threatening one of the other
boys in the corner, stepped forwards, his lips curled distastefully.

�Get back to bed, brat. We�re busy.�

�You disgusting pigs,� the girl stumbled backwards as she
spoke, blue hair tumbling across her shoulders, her skin turning a peculiar
shade of grey as her body trembled. �I�ll have my father fire you for this,�
she told them, her body shaking.

Both men snorted. �Your father, huh?� said the one with blue
eyes. �Just who are you, brat?�

The blood rushed from their faces in less than a second when
she turned her outstretched hand over to reveal the peculiar birthmark she
sported. �I�m Voltaire�s eldest. Capucine Hiwatari,� she informed them both,
feeling much too sick to enjoy their panicked expressions.

�Ha. The little whore that got herself pregnant at thirteen,
eh?� It was said in French, and she understood him perfectly � she was
half-French after all. �From what I�ve heard, daddy isn�t too proud of you, precious.�

He took a step towards, reaching out with a calloused hand
as though to stroke a dirt-smeared finger along the angle of her cheekbone, but
Capucine jerked her head back before he could touch her face.

�Daddy knows a lot more about it than you do,� she
hissed, her eyes flashing violently.

A soft, ill-toned whimper came from near the wall on the
left side of her, and she felt her head thunder and repulsion awake in her
stomach and begin bubbling.

The other guard was touching the boy with the torn shirt
again. His face was covered in the man�s shadows, but she could see a delicate
sparkle from his collarbone, most likely from a piece of jewellery. It
shimmered again and she recognised it immediately, a little silver square with
a delicate chain through the corner, a curling �E� engraved on it�

�E� for Elye, the name of the handsome boy she hadn�t seen
in seven and a half years. He�d always worn it; he�d given the necklace to her
in their last moment together.

�E� for Elye, the middle name of the son she bore seven
years ago. He�d worn the necklace since his third day of life, and it was the
only part of his father that he�d ever known.

She screamed. Loud, clear and petrified. �Get your hands off
him! How dare you touch him!? Don�t you know who he is?�

Both guards looked confused. �No,� one of them replied
shortly, his voice gruff.

Three sets of eyes, two of blue and one of gold, fixed
themselves on the boy, all silvery-blue hair and eyes of a shade between liquid
garnet and mahogany. His face was pale and unmarked � the birthmarks would not
begin to show for another year � but his expression was scared and helpless, a
bruise developing just below his bottom lip.

�Il es mon fils!�
Both men understood her, and without a second of consideration they bolted. The
boy however, would not know what those words meant for another seven years,
when both he and Capucine met, and the memory of this evening brought those few
words to his recollection... and his ability to understand French served its
purpose.

�He is my son!�

��..

___ * ___ * ___ * ___ *___

�ACHOO!�

I looked up from the glossy picture of a new team � The
Vanquishers - in the magazine I was reading and smirked, sparkling eyes dancing
with amusement as he sneezed again. Other people�s misfortune isn�t really
something I find funny, but when it�s him it�s my main source of
enjoyment.

�Achoo!�

�You�d think that out of all the people to get screwed by
the Russian winter here it�d be one of the foreigners, wouldn�t you?�

The deathly glare I found myself on the wrong end of had a
reverse impact, much to his annoyance. I laughed, ruffling my companion�s hair
before he grabbed me firmly around the wrist.

�Fuck off Tala.�

In response, my lips curved into a pale pout. �Aw, what�s
wrong? Does little Mr. Kai want a cuddle?�

Kai sighed, folding his arms over the blanket he had snugly
enveloping him and replied with disheartened scowl, �No. I want my Sarah.�

For a moment he looked like a lost little child, distressed,
frustrated and lonely, and a flicker of sympathy ripple through me. Poor Kai.
Poor Ickle Mr. Kai.

�Who�s Sarah?� asked a gentle voice as the door whooshed
open, a limber figure sliding into the dormitory, vibrant blue eyes snapping
down to meet Kai�s just as he sneezed again.

Glancing behind me, I sat down on the bed Tyson had been
sleeping in, adjacent to Kai�s, making myself comfortable in order to witness
the little �telling-Mommy-dearest-about-the-girlfriend-of-eleven-months� scene
about to take place. A set of burnt-auburn eyes scowled directly at me, and I
smirked to spite him, Capucine glancing at her son and then me in turn with a
bewildered expression beginning to replace her buoyant grin.

Still eyeing me warily, Kai sneezed as Capucine sat down
beside him, fondly mussing his hair and kissing his temple, �My girlfriend.
She�s fr-�

I blinked in surprise at Capucine�s reaction. Never had I
expected her to suddenly squeal delightedly like a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl
and excitedly shower her son with pecks on his cheeks. I was suddenly reminded
of just how young 29 years really is, and how much of a girly-girl Capucine
was.

�You have a girlfriend! Oh my God! Eek! My little baby has a
girlfriend� I can�t believe you never told me!� Her soft hands cupped his face
excitedly and she hugged him as though she was a big sister rather than a
mother.

Kai grinned, clutching a handful or two of her long blue
hair and pulled it over her shoulders so that it tumbled down her back,
catching on the fibres of her yellow cardigan. �I haven�t seen you in months,
and the only time I�d seen you when I�ve been with Sarah we were in the middle
of nice little fiasco��

Ah yes, the April 18^th Incident� How ever could I
forget about that? The after effects lasted at least two bitter weeks that, at
the time, had seemed to be more like two very long eternities� We tended not to
mention that part of April at home - it was still a bit of a sore subject.

�What�s all the commotion about?� I felt the bed sink a
little and a pair of lean arms circle firmly around my waist as Tyson rejoined
us from the other side of the room, where a curtain divider hid the juniors�
beds.

Reaching behind me my left hand found his ponytail, my
fingers idly winding skeins of blue around them, �Capi�s just found out about
Sarah,� I told him, turning my head to kiss his cheek.

From beneath my lowered eyelashes I saw Capucine smile at
us, and felt my body suddenly go cold as Tyson�s arms removed themselves from
around me and he stood. Curious to know what the hell he was doing, I cast a
long, sideways glance at him.

Brushing his hair. Figures.

Not that there�s anything wrong with it. In fact, I quite
like watching him brush his hair. My Ty-koi really has the nicest hair... soft,
deliciously cool and silken, falling into such pretty eyes. I chuckled to myself.
He�d kill me if I ever told him he had pretty eyes. Tyson tossed his head a
little, masses of sleek cobalt hair fanning out around him and gushing over his
shoulder. Ooh� shit. I think my heart might have skipped a beat. He ran his
fingers through it, throwing the brush into the open bag near my feet and
caught me staring at him. A delightful flush of crimson spread along the angle
of his cheekbones.

I gulped. I think my heart might have just stopped�

The door opened with a very apparent �click� and I watched
as a figure with masses of raven-black hair and shrewd gold eyes stepped into
the centre of everyone�s attention, leaving the door open. It was then that I
noticed Capucine had already left� my lips pursed sheepishly. Obviously I�d
been too tied up in drooling over Tyson to notice her departure.

�Hey Tala�� Rei looked at me with a slanted gaze, his golden
eyes a little puzzled, �Why�re you in here?�

The corner of lips curved upwards and I looked straight into
Kai�s dark eyes. �I�ve decided to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes.
Watching Kai suffer miserably.�

That, and making out with my stud-muffin of a secret
boyfriend standing in the corner� I added mentally, probably looking like a
psychotic moron to Rei, smirking to myself like that.

Rei�s lips split into a small grin, and Kai threatened
something of less-than-pleasant consequences in Russian, glaring at me. �I have
to get going soon though, it�s nearly five o�clock and I want to get Bryan
pissed before eight. He�s much more entertaining when he�s drunk.�

Immediately I regretted saying anything, because Rei
suddenly looked incredibly hurt, though the glimpse of pain in his eyes
dissolved quickly and I remembered the crush he had on Bryan. Moron, I hissed
mentally at an image of Bryan that had surfaced in my head. Why couldn�t he
have just asked him out already? If he were within range I would so have kicked
him in the gut right now.

�Tyson�s coming too,� I told him quickly, glancing urgently
at my boyfriend, looking as pleadingly as I could at him. �You should come too�
and Max and Kenny if they want.�

�Yeah, you should come Rei. It�ll be fun.� I could have
kissed Tyson for that! I�d have to put it aside it for later and thank him for
saving my arse from a guilt trip.

Looking as though he was trying to think of a polite way to
decline the invitation, Rei ran a hand through his loose hair, catching the
slim bound ponytail and tugging on it. He surrendered to his manners, nodding
slightly and muttering a quick thanks.

�Rei, can you gather up the brats for me and tell them to
get down to the training dish? Kenny�s waiting for them there.� Kai had taken
to calling the members of his junior team �brat�s. I�d met them, of course,
being a team captain, and in my opinion �brats� was probably the most
underrated term possible to assign them. It was hard to believe that they were
supposedly good little Catholic school children from St. Rita�s College
(wherever the fuck that was). What was even harder to believe was there was a
�Saints �B�� team here as well, assigned to the All Starz, from what I can
recall.

�Yeah, sure thing Kai. Do you want me to get you anything?
Lozenges, food�? Argh!� Rei jumped suddenly, as a nymphish looking girl came up
behind him and poked him in the sides.

�Felicity!� Both Tyson and Rei perked up, hugging
whoever-she-was in a fierce embrace. I felt quite sorry for her, she looked
thinner than Dom and if Rei squeezed her any tighter he�d probably break all
her ribs.

When Tyson and Rei moved aside I got a better look at her
and gave her a generous once-over. Whatever expression my face had been wearing
slid off as I looked her over, replaced by a slight frown. She was wearing a
lilac jacket � which really brought out the lightest touch of pastel purple in
her pale eyes � with the All Starz logo on it, hair of the most beautiful, pure
hue � utter snow white � falling in loose curls down her back and over her
shoulders. Whoa� she could go straight to number two after Kai on my �people to
jump if I wasn�t with Tyson� list.

�Kai,� said Rei, getting his captain�s attention again, �Do
you want me to get anything while I�m out?�

The bluenette � fuck that is a weird word � shook his
head, �Nah. My mother�s just gone to make me some chicken soup or something,�
he replied and then paused, �Actually, yeah. Could you get me some choc-chip
cookies? I really don�t trust my mum�s cooking.�

Chuckling, Rei nodded, �Sure thing. I�ll catch up with you
some other time, Flick,� he added, turning to the white-haired girl and giving
her a hug.

Who the hell is she? What, they�re on pet-name terms with
each other?? Why haven�t I ever seen her before?

�Is Maxie around?� she asked as Rei brushed past her and
shut the door after him.

Ah so, she�s a little Max fan-girl� That explains the jacket,
but I couldn�t help but wonder how she knew Rei and Tyson so well. And Kai, I
added as I saw him beckon to her to give him a hug.

Kai shook his head, �Nope he�s gone off somewhere with that
Sonia chick��

The girl � Felicity � laughed, �Sienna, silly. Sienna
Murdoch, she�s like the little sister of the new commentator, Java Murdoch or
something.�

�Whatever. So long as she doesn�t tire him out too much.
We�re playing the Majestics tomorrow.�

She sat down beside him, mussing his hair in a way that had
me wondering once more who the hell she was. �That sucks. But that means we�re
BBA-Torturous-Draw-For-The-First-Round twins. We�re against the Obliteration
Girls. Can you believe it? And Michael�s making me go first! He�s so sleeping
on his own tonight.�

Oh� ok then. So she�s one of the All Starz� and she�s dating
Michael. But she wasn�t on the team when Max was there so how the hell does she
know him? Grrr�

And how the hell do they know who they�re against tomorrow?
I haven�t seen the program yet and I�m a captain!

�Oooh,� she exclaimed excitedly, jumping off Kai�s bed and
holding her hand out to me, looking as if she�s only just realised I was there.
�You�re Yuriy Ivanov! I�m Felicity Tate; you can call me Flick though. Max is
my twin brother.�

Holy crap. Max�s twin? She sure as hell didn�t look a
thing like him, though now that I knew who she was I could see a tad of
resemblance about the structure of her face, and her bubbly attitude.

I grinned as I shook her hand, and noted how soft her cold
hands were� damn she was just like Dom when she was happy, �I go by Tala. Only
the officials call me Yuriy. It�s nice to meet you.�

Something gave a
very noticeable beep, and I grinned even wider as she plucked a pager off her
belt and cursed cantankerously. �Damn it! That�s it! I swear I�m not
talking to him for a week.� She looked up, her pale lips in a thin line;
�Michael wants to train at 6 o�clock after we did a three hour session this
morning. It�s an exhibition tournament for the juniors! Why can�t he get over
it?!�

Tyson laughed, patting her on the back and opening the door
for her. �You better go get ready then. And wear something warm so that you
don�t end up like Mr. Sourpants over here,� he told her, jerking his head
towards Kai.

�I�ll show you Mr. Sourpants�� grumbled Kai, crossing his
arms over his chest rather huffily.

Not if I had anything to say about it. �Sorry Kai but the
boy and I have a date to go on and a program to go and get off Mr. Dickinson.�

The look on Kai�s face was worth his weight in gold. �The
tournament begins in the morning and you haven�t got a program yet?�

I flashed him a cheesy grin, �Nope. Haven�t got a clue who
we�re up against or a clue about what time we play.�

Well, Kai didn�t really look all too impressed by my saying
that. �What kind of captain are you? You�re in the fourth battle at 2pm but I
don�t know who you�re against.�

Rolling my eyes toward the ceiling, I slid off Tyson�s bed,
�Whatever Kai. I�ll go and find Mr. Dickinson now if it pleases you,� I told him
smoothly, raising an eyebrow rather pointedly at him, daring him to complain
again. To my dismay he crossed his arms over his chest again, ruining my fun
once more. Bastard.

Ah well, for now I have a program to get my mitts on.

___ * ___ * ___ * ___ *___

Raven � At the Abbey, a bit more than 2 years ago

Author�s Note: This is not from Raven�s p.o.v. It
is from Kai�, but it�s about Raven. (I know I said I wouldn�t do the subtitles,
but this different. This is also from before Kai knew that Capucine was really
his mother)

Streaks of grey clouds greet us every morning through the
tiny window we�re lucky enough to have in our dorm, swirling with the pale
blues and lilacs of the sky before dawn like smears of paint being blended
together. The sun is yet to rise, but the darkness has lifted to this calming
grey. I watch it every morning, waiting for the sun to rise and tease us with
it�s eternally unfulfilled promise of warmth, but no matter how much we all
know that it�ll always be cold here, watching the sunrise seems to fuel our
hope that maybe today will be different and, for even the smallest of moments,
we can ignore the truth we all keep deep within ourselves.

It�ll never change.

It is always the same here.

Every morning, at 6.47am, in the summer the girls will make
their way to our dormitory, eighteen metres and two left turns away from their
own. Ours� is heated, and we have a nicer bathroom and this window, and murky
as it is, it is enough for us.

It�s four past seven now, and the girls have been here
nearly twenty minutes. It�s always the same, always. A loud, hacking cough
pierced through the persistent silence, sounding almost like the hoarse cries
of a painful death. I didn�t want to look, but I did anyway, because there�s
something about anything so distantly terrible like that� something that we
humans find compelling and unable to turn away from. She�s so small and frail
looking, her colouring of a pallor so much whiter than it should be. Her hair
has thinned so much she has a slight bald patch towards the back of her scalp,
and the graze on her jaw line still hasn�t healed after a steady fortnight
since she got it. It worries me that my little cousin is so sick. She�s barely
eleven years old and yet she seems to have been living a life plagued with a
lingering cloud of promised death for so long. Every one of her breaths is a
shallow gasp, like she�s trying to suck the life back into herself but to no
avail. I�ve told Boris that she�s ill, I�ve told my grandfather. But neither
care, of course. I thought Voltaire would have, considering that after my
mother died giving birth to me there were only four remaining blood Hiwatari�s
� myself, himself, Auntie Anya and Raven. I haven�t seen Anya in four years,
though if she knew that Raven was this sick she�d have taken the both of us
away, or asked her father. I think Anya was Voltaire�s favourite daughter � he
had four that I know of � because he barely mentions my mother or Celeste.
Celeste, from what Anya has told me, had a drug overdose and died when she was
seventeen, and the last of the sisters died before she could talk. I�ve never
known her name.

A muffled shriek reached us from through the bathroom door,
�Ez ikutu!�

I couldn�t understand what Domeka had said. She occasionally
spoke in her native tongue without realising it, and her nightmares roused
strings of foreign words from within her during the course of every night.

�Hooy na ny!� Tala�s reply was in Russian, and there was a
loud thump as one of them slammed into the wall. I presumed it was Tala,
because I doubted he would have hit Domeka and we all knew what she was like
when she was trying to protect herself. She didn�t want anyone breaking through
her barriers and she was determined to let us know it.

�Leave me the fuck alone Tala!�

I heard him groan in frustration, �No, would you just calm
down already? Dom, you�re being utterly ridiculous.�

�Do pizdy.� Bryan sighed at Domeka�s reply, �don�t fucking
care�, shaking his head as he tended to Raven, helping her to drink some water
from a chipped ceramic mug.

�Dom�� he was pleading with her now, and I imagined
that he had taken hold of her by one shoulder.

Kristan, who had been lying next to me, one arm around my
waist and her head fitting cosily into the crook where my chest and shoulder
joined, gave a little sigh. �She�s done it again,� she murmured softly, playing
with my hair, snagging skeins of it between her delicate fingers.

�Done what?� I asked and kissed her forehead as she sat up
beside me, the sheet she�d strewn over us fluttering down over my chest.

She shook her head, streaks of pink mixing amongst masses of
soft brown and falling down around me. She looked so adorable just then, her
lips parted enough to reveal the tips of two gleaming white teeth and the dim
light of the room stroking the angle of her cheekbones. I reached out with a
slender, pale hand and traced along the sides of her face towards her chin,
using to fingers to draw her down to me so that I could kiss her softly.

One of her hands slipped into mine, and she sidled off the
bed, looking down at me as she gave my arm a gentle tug, �Come with me. I�m
going to go down to the training arena.�

Nodding, I let her pull me up and leaned back to grab
Dranzer off the corner of my bed, Rista yanking me through the doorway. She
stopped straight after she walked through, popping her head back through the
door. Her eyes snapped down to Tatiana, who was sitting with Ian in the corner,
fiddling with Veo and leaning against the side of Riki�s leg, which dangled
over Spencer�s bed as she slept or daydreamed, or whatever it was that my
little Riki did.

�Taya, Kai and I are going to the arena. Come get us if
something comes up ok. And if Boris says he wants to see you, take Spence with
you. I love you,� she added softly.

�Ok� Love you too Ris.�

The door shut without making any noise and Rista and I
proceeded down the cold white halls to the arena without touching one another.
A silvery mist began to build around her, forming transparent veils that
rippled outwards like phantom waves. For a moment I wasn�t sure what was
happening, until I realised that she held Gaxuxa�s glowing BitChip in her small
hand. Her other hand reached out behind her, beckoning for me to take hold of
it. I did, a smile forming on my lips as I noted how her hand seemed to fit
perfectly snug into the grasp of mine. Silver eyes seemed to glaze over, not
really looking anywhere, so I stepped ahead of her so that she didn�t run into
any walls or obstacles as she spoke to Gaxuxa. I led her into the arena just as
the billowing silver vapours died away, petering out into the cold air.

Rista gave let out a sigh as she shut the door behind her,
fishing her Blade from the pocket of her jacket and fixing Gaxuxa�s chip onto
it. I marvelled at how delicately her fingers worked her blade before I grabbed
two of the prototype launchers that Boris was experimenting with and passed one
to her. They were strange launchers, ones that latched onto the forearm and
along the back of your hand to a sort of ring that you slid your middle finger
through and were unable to bend the knuckle of it in.

Beside me Kristan had taken her jacket off to reveal a
wine-stained pink tank top. I smiled at the memory of that incident, especially
the look on her face when Spencer had fainted beside her, spilling wine of the
darkest red around the poker table in Holland abbey. We�d gone there a few
months back when the BBA got suspicious of Boris and the Russian Abbey. I took
my jacket off too� the arenas were all heated to prevent the dishes from
frosting over. I couldn�t help but suppress a chuckle as Rista�s nose wrinkled
cutely in distaste as she snapped the launcher onto her right arm and her eyes
jumped up to mine, large and looking like twin stars. I leaned down to her,
trying to close the last clip on my launcher as I covered her mouth warmly with
my own and slipping my other arm around her svelte waist, urging her closer to
me. She all but fell into my arms as I drew her into them, the moment turning
desperate and frenzied. It was always like this� every kiss, every touch� we
were all so desperate and in such dire need of feeling each one as much as
possible because emotion in the Abbey was scarce. Even sorrow seemed like a
treasured prize in the rare moments it possessed us. Kristan�s lips parted at the
gentle sweep of my tongue along them, and I could feel her hands in my hair,
her fingers gently tugging on it. My blood began to warm in my veins, making my
skin glow and my cheeks flush. Rista stepped back suddenly, and my skin began
to grow cold without her warmth against me.

�I need to train,� she whispered, her voice a little shaky.
�We have to make the finals at the world championships�� her voice trailed off,
her eyes darting around as though wary of anyone that could be watching us. �We
have to��

She turned to face the BeyDish, attaching Gaxuxa to the
launcher. The insipid lights traced the contours of her body, her skin looking
deceptively sickly and pale in the milky glow, save for a bruise of swirling
reds and purples on her lower back, peeking out from beneath the waistband of
her jeans and uncovered by her top.

�Ahueyet!?�

�Kai?� Rista turned her head and peered back at me, one
eyebrow cocked in a way that requested an explanation, my outburst of �what the
fuck?� earning her attention.

Storming over to her I ran a smooth hand softly over the
bruise, �When and how the fuck did you get that?�

The lines of her body went stiff, her muscles tensing.
Everyone knew I only swore when I was angry or distressed. �It�s at least five
days old Kai. Forget it. It doesn�t matter.�

�Don�t lie to me, Ris. Tell me what happened.�

I could see that she was trying to get me to drop it without
having to pretend to get angry at me. She shook her head. �Leave it. I�m fine�
it doesn�t even hurt anymore.�

I raised a skeptical
blue brow, and pushed softly down on her bruise in order to prove my point.
Kristan�s body jumped in reaction, as though ten thousand vaults had suddenly
crackled through her in the space of four nanoseconds, and though her face
remained incredibly stony, displaying no trace of pain, we both knew that she�d
blown her cover.

�It�s still red Rista, it can�t be more than a day old.�

She took to ignoring me, turning back to the dish and
staring forward with steel-grey eyes. For a moment there she reminded me very
much of Domeka. The thought of her made we wonder how her argument with Tala
was going, but I was more worried about Kristan for the time being. I watched
as she launched Gaxuxa in a searing flash of brilliant silver, the whirring of her
blade filling the looming silence and I didn�t dare to touch her or say
anything to her while she was looking so determined.

Long minutes passed, the repetitive spinning of her blade
around the dish have a very calming effect on me. �Rista, just tell me what
happened. I�m not going to think any different of you and you know it.�

Gaxuxa flew from the dish to be caught snugly in the girl�s
hand, and she turned to stare me straight in the eyes. �I don�t want you to
know. It�s none of your business.�

Something made me think that she wanted to say something
like �I don�t want to hurt you� but she couldn�t without giving herself away
again.

�It was Boris, wasn�t it?�

Silver eyes widened to their fullest, and her lip quivered
as she attempted to set her jaw against replying.

�I told you to leave it for a reason Kai! He�s dangerous�
Have you seen the bruise he gave Tala when he went and complained about what he
did to Dom?�

The entire world seemed to delve into the shadows around me
at those desperate words, when I finally understood what had happened.

Her expression seemed incredibly panicked, her eyes bright
and alarmingly so, �Don�t do anything stupid, Kai. I don�t want you getting
hurt like Tala. It wasn�t that bad, he only hit me� but Riki and Domeka� well,
you know they�re the pretty ones��

Kristan�s voice petered into the silence in a way that had
my stomach lurching, and her words made my skin prickle. Her small body sat
itself on the rim of the BeyDish, pale hands beckoning me towards her. I took
hold of one of them, standing far enough away from her that she couldn�t reach
me but I could still caress her face with my free hand. She shivered at my
touch, reaching up and covering my hand with her own as it cupped a cheek the
colour of roses blended with the finest porcelain. I always marvelled at her
skin, it was just as soft and fine to touch as it was to look at, so utterly
flawless and stunning in it�s pale contrast to her eyes of liquid starlight.

�Whatever did you do to get him to hit you, Rissy?� She
smiled at the use of my pet name for her, and I think, had I been standing
close enough, she would have leaned down and kissed me for it.

�I swore at him,� she told me, �I got angry at him. Argued.
I deserved what I got� for being stupid enough to lose my temper at him. Folly
is my greatest burden.�

Ignoring her last few words, I asked her what she�d been so
passionate about to go and swear at our demon-spawned master.

�Raven. I�m really worried about her Kai,� she fell silent,
and I could feel a warm trickle of tears run along the skin of my palm against
her face. �I don�t think she�s going to live much longer unless we get her out
of here. We have to tell someone else. Mr. Dickinson, Judy Tate� someone
that�ll do something about it.�

Moving in closer to her, wrapping my arms securely around
her shoulders, I felt her quiver in my hold. �I�ll speak to Hitoshi and
Brooklyn� or Mystel, at the East European Tournament. That�s only two weeks
away, one of them could possibly get on to Anya� or they could tell the BBA.�

�Who�s Hitoshi?�

�Tyson Kinomiya�s older brother� Hiro, they call him.�

�Oh�� she paused and a flicker of some stern emotion crossed
her face. �Damn it, I came down here to train!�

I chuckled at that, pressing my lips against a high-set
cheekbone. �No you didn�t. You came down here because you hate listening to
Tala and Domeka argue.�

Shifting a little in my arms, she replied in a monotonous
drawl, �Oh, bugger, you caught me.�

�I have every right to hate listening to them argue,� she
continued, defending herself, �It hurts listening to them, because they�re both
right but neither can do anything about it anyway. Boris is too powerful. Too
manipulative. I swear if he ever touches Taya I will rip his throat open.�

It was probably then that I knew I would kill him, hearing
Kristan talk so fiercely like that�it really didn�t suit her. Rista was timid
and kind, passive and accepting of everything that happened, she was the one
that kept us all together and managed to keep us all as happy as we could be in
a place like this. She was the one that made sure every thing went right, the
one that kept that little flicker of hope burning, the heart of all of the
children of the Russian abbey. Despite the stoic determination that reasoned her
being captain of the Obliteration Girls, she was as gentle as a butterfly � I
didn�t like that anger was changing her, and there was only one thing for me to
do about it.

Get rid of the source.

Boris.

___ * ___ * ___ * ___ *___

Tala

Taking another swig of vodka and�er� something orange,
I ran a slender index finger down the first page of the program.

Obliteration Girls�

BladeBreakers�

BladeBabes�

Ah, there we were� Round 1, BeyBattle 4 at 2pm�. Demolition
Boys v. The Vanquishers.

I frowned. I knew that name but I just couldn�t quite
picture any faces. I turned to the little blue-headed spunk beside me. �Ever
heard of the Vanquishers?�

To my surprise he nodded, �Yeah� they�re debuting on our
level this season. They�ve been in the B level for two years. Why? You against
them tomorrow?�

I nodded, about to sip on my vodka when Tyson made a very
suave move and swept it from my grasp, sniffing it a little before taking a
hesitant taste. He must have decided it was alright, because he took another
sip of it and handed it back to me. Yeah, so we were underage and drinking
vodka at a bar� but we were in Russia, in downtown St. Petersburg where people
care more about money than moral. Without Bryan, Rei or Max. Kai had decided he
didn�t want Rei or Max out late, especially during a Russian winter, because he
and the two of them were competing tomorrow. I couldn�t quite remember Bryan�s
reason for not coming � a new attack ring or something � but I think he was
just giving me and Tyson some �alone� time (he knew about us) and giving himself
a chance to go and sulk in a corner over Rei. Whatever. The two of them were
really starting to annoy me. I had half a mind to go and talk with Mariah and
get her to help me shove the two of them in a closet and bolt it shut. I�m sure
she�d be of assistance. Contrary to popular belief, Hillary was really the
overly possessive female twat amongst the bladers and their people, not Mariah.

�How�d you know so much about them, anyway?� I asked Tyson,
snapping my attention back to the new team.

�I know them. The Lewis� � Elijah and Amity � they�re my
cousins, from my dad�s side. Their mother�s American. And Ebon and Mercedes�
I�ve known them for, like, ever. Dee was my first kiss,� he told me with a
snicker. �We were nine. Ha..�

He laughed, the sound lavish and full, and I felt my bones
melt and trickle away like water. I love his laugh�

�So,� I began, running a finger down the side of his face,
pausing at his jaw to rub my thumb delicately over his bottom lip, �You going
to tell me about it?�

A dark blue brow arched above an eye of the same colour, his
expression a little puzzled. �About what, Ta-koi?�

�Your first kiss��

His eyes went wide, and he blinked slowly, looking quite
surprised. �You really want to hear about that?�

I nodded. �Course I do.�

�Well� Dee � Mercedes � she�s Spanish, and her parents have
this really awesome estate with a little courtyard that looks all exotic and
whatever, like really Spanish and Latin sort of thing, and all these Moroccan
styled tiles because her dad is half Moroccan and half Spanish. We were like
sitting on the steps, playing knuckles with some pebbles and out of the blue
Mercedes asked me what it�s like to be kissed,� he paused. �Man, that must�ve
been so adorable, I wish I could go back in time or something and see it
happen. And, being only nine and everything, I told her that I didn�t know
because I�d never kissed anyone and I never wanted to kiss anyone because that
was just �gross�.�

I smirked at that, finding it very easy to imagine a
nine-year-old version of him saying something like that. �Yeah, with all their
girl germs to worry about. That�s why you ended up with me,� I told him, a
smile on my lips as I gave him a brief peck on the mouth.

Tyson grinned. �She got a bit annoyed with me because I
think back then she thought I knew everything, so I told her that if she really
wanted to know that she could kiss me ��

�And I did�� a voice said from behind him, feminine and with
a smooth, velvety accent that was very pleasing to the ears.

The beaming grin that parted Tyson�s lips made my stomach
flutter. �Evening Mercedes.�

Another girl�s voice replied, �What, and just forget about
the rest of us, little cousin?�

There were four of them, and I faintly recognised their
faces from the magazine I�d been reading in the morning when I�d visited Kai.
Mercedes was the easiest to pick out of the girls, her features exotic and
unquestionably of a Latin or Spanish quality. I don�t think I�d ever seen
someone with such amazingly browned skin, even from that part of Europe, and
the darkness of her tan and long black ponytail brought out the colour of her
eyes. Topaz � nearly like twin droplets of molten gold and lined with heavy
black kohl� Oh, shut up, yes, I know what kohl is. Sarah taught me all
about makeup and cosmetics, much to my enjoyment. She looked strong, and I
imagined she�d be a very capable blader.

As Tyson and his friends exchanged a few kisses on the
cheeks and tight hugs, I looked each of them over, studying them with a pair of
critical blue eyes.

The other girls weren�t as easy to tell apart as Mercedes
had been, but thankfully the taller of them stepped forwards and introduced
herself as Ebon and Tyson�s cousins as Elijah and Amity. Ebon was the only one
of the girls that had chosen not to wear make-up, but she had that sort of
stunning natural quality about her, like she was a pure and pristine person in
every aspect � even as I fell victim to the depths of eyes coloured the most
amazing shade of jade green I could tell that she incredibly genuine, and her
cute giggles were nothing superficial. My close link with Wolborg had resulted
in me developing a few wolfish qualities, one of which being a very
overwhelming sense of smell� and there was nothing that could betray my
certainty of the scent that tickled my nostrils when I shook Ebon�s hand� cocaine.
My eyes narrowed a little, and I wondered if perhaps there were just some
cokeheads nearby that I�d picked the scent up from.

�So, you two are together?�

Tyson grinned, �Yup. Not many people know though � heaps of
people have a thing against Tal �cause of the whole cyborg thing. They think
he�s a bit of a kook, but he�s just shy as a twelve-year-old school girl.�

�Shy?! Me?� I scoffed at his words. �You�re the one that
blushes every time I do so much as look at you!�

�Oh Tala, I can�t help it for the life of me� It�s your
eyes,� he shot back at me, his tone incredibly playful. He gave a startled yelp
as I yanked him off the stool he was on and into my lap, four very amused sets
of eyes fixed on us.

Elijah, who hadn�t said anything yet, finally spoke up,
�We�d better be going. We were about to leave when Orgy here saw you. It was
nice to see you Ty, and nice to meet you Tala� I guess we�ll be seeing you at 2
o�clock tomorrow.�

We shook hands again, and I noticed Ebon scowling fixedly at
Elijah�s back as he clapped Tyson on the shoulder, the girls each saying a
quick goodbye and following the male quarter of their team to the bar�s exit.
Elijah�s words had puzzled me, and turning to Tyson my brows drew together over
perplexed blue eyes, �Orgy?�

Sweet laughter rang pleasantly in my ears, and Tyson smirked
as he explained it to me, �It�s a nickname for Ebon. See, August is her first
name� hey and your sister is September�� he blinked and shook his head rather
adorably to stop himself from getting off track, �Anyway, because August is her
real name they announce her by that at tournaments and one of the commentators
in the B level can�t pronounce English properly and says Orgist or something,
and from that Merc and Eli started calling her Orgy. And we call her Orgasm as
well because� er� I don�t know why.�

I rolled my eyes at his remark, turning my head towards the
barmaid and asking her to get us another round of drinks in a quick mutter of
Russian slang, and then burying my face against Tyson�s neck, nuzzling the nape
of it. He squirmed in my lap, shifting enough that he could face me a little
more directly and slung an arm loosely around my waist.

�You know what we should do, Ta-koi?� Tyson asked me
suddenly, and I drew my head back to look at him, �Go to St. Isaac�s.�

�The cathedral? Yeah� it�s nice there, but we should wait
until the tournament�s over, we can stay behind a few weeks. The winter
festival is on in three weeks; you�d like that. Mama used to take the three of
us to it every year. It�ll be fun. I�ll talk to Mr. Dickinson, and we can call
your grandfather and ask him if we can stay for a bit.�

I was caught off guard suddenly when Tyson frowned out of
the blue, his lips pursing and forming a tense line, navy eyes painfully
thoughtful. �We should tell him,� he said finally, after a long silence,
staring me in the eyes and moving his other arm around my neck.

�Tell who about what?�

�Gramps, about us being together.�

I paused a moment, feeling Tyson lean into my torso and the
soft thrums our heartbeats echoing one another�s. I got to see Gramps about
once a week at the least, and I thought him to be a pretty accepting, placid
sort of guy with an easygoing yet party-hard personality. But then, I�d also
realised how protective and stern he could be when it came to his grandsons. He
was a smart old man, if had any problem with my being around Tyson he would
have done something by now� and he�s observant � he would�ve noticed how clean
Tyson�s bed sheets are, and everyone knows that my Ty-koi hates doing laundry.
I�m sure that on his visits Gramps would�ve been able to figure out that Tyson
rarely slept in his own bed�which led me to a new revelation� �I think he
already knows, Ty.�

___ * ___ * ___ * ___ *___
An impatient series of loud knocks hammered through the
comforting silence that Bryan had been indulging in. Letting out a breath with
easily more exertion than was necessary, he turned the yellowed page of the
novel he was reading, eyes not once leaving the small print of bold Russian
characters, Bryan called out for them to come in.

�There you are!�

If it were possible, Bryan�s mouth, which was always set in
a firm and emotionless line, drew itself into a glum frown and he finished
reading the sentence he was up to before folding the corner of the page and
snapping the book shut. Frosty lavendar eyes, full of a sentiment as cold as
their colouring, glared upwards from under delicate lashes, fixing themselves
on a flustered looking girl who looked either ready to pounce on the next thing
that touched her and gauge its eyes out or be reduced to a sobbing, hysterical
heap of six shades of pink on the carpet. Bryan hoped it was neither, because
he really didn�t want whoever owned the huge mansion to have to deal with ruined
carpets.

�What do you want Mariah?� he grated, his expression stony
as ever.

Stepping closer, as though to prove she wasn�t scared of
him, Mariah let his sullenness slide over her, choosing to ignore it. In
Bryan�s eyes she seemed quite stupid. �To talk to you about Rei.�

In Bryan�s eyes she was incredibly stupid.

�I don�t want to listen to you complain about your boyfriend
and rant on incessantly about all your miserable problems.�

Mariah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms beneath her
breasts with an indignant glower at the wall behind Bryan. �I said I came to
talk about Rei, not me. And he�s not my boyfriend.� Bryan raised a questioning
eyebrow but it fell off his face nearly immediately, replaced by a darkened
scowl as the cat-girl made her way over to his bed and sat beside him, close
enough that their shoulders nearly touched. �He�s gay.�

Oh.

�And he�s sitting in the corner of my room sulking because
he�s convinced that if there�s even a chance that you like men you�re probably
with Tala. We�ve both come to the conclusion that anyone who wears as much
leather as Tala, especially as tight as though pants he has, must be gay. That
and the fact that he gets fortnightly manicures.�

�He�s bisexual,� he replied before he could stop himself. His
expression softened a little at Mariah�s remark, his eyes losing their icy
touch and gaining a glimmer of mirth. �And he gets weekly manicures.�

Mariah snickered. �Anyway, Rei�s been really down lately. He
totally digs you Bryan, and it�s so obvious that you like him. If you ask him
out he won�t say no, unless you�re with Tala, of course.�

Bryan shook his head. �I�m not with Tala.�

�I didn�t think so,� admitted Mariah. �Is he with anyone? I
always thought that he�d be with you or Kai, but Kai is straight and with
Sarah. And it wouldn�t be anyone from one of the other teams because they all
live to far away from Bakuten, and Max is with that Sienna girl, Hillary hates
Tala, Kenny�s scared of him, Spencer and Ian are both straight, the girls live
in Europe.�

�You missed someone.�

The girl frowned. �Who?�

�I�ll give you a clue. Start�s with a �T� and ends with an
�yson�.�

Her jaw dropped, and Bryan decided her teeth were a little
too sharp looking for his liking. �No fucking way! Tyson?�

He nodded. �They don�t want people knowing though, because
of the division between the teams I suppose, and not many people like Tala
because of the whole cyborg thing. Only Kai, Sarah and I know about them� well,
you too now.�

�I won�t tell anyone. I�m not a gossiping type, despite how
much I seem to fit the part.�

Turning to look her in the eye, Bryan said softly, �I know.
I�m not exactly as much of a bastard as I appear.�

Mariah laughed. �I gathered. Rei only tells me as much a
hundred thousand times a day. You know, if you ask him out he�s not going to
say no. I�m so sick of him being so glum Bryan. He�s too shy to ask you
himself, that�s a thing amongst all of the village kids. We�re raised to
believe that shyness is polite� I�m quite lacking in that respect, gets me in a
lot of trouble in China, but I�m respected because I�m going to be a priestess
when I turn 24, unless I�m married by then. Ask him, though, please. I can�t
stand seeing him upset, and I can�t stand you being so moody.�

She held a phone out to him, and he noted that it matched
the hem of her blouse and the colour of her hair. �If you like him would you
call him? Please��

Bryan looked down at the phone, and rolling his eyes, he
took it from her and found Rei�s number.

�If you do anything that hurts him though Bryan, I swear I
will make your life hell.�

�Believe me Mariah, I have utter faith in your every word,�
came the blunt reply, and he turned away as he dialled Rei.

�Hey Mariah,� Rei�s voice spoke through the phone, and Bryan
felt a shiver rush through to his fingertips.

�It�s Bryan, not Mariah, though I have just had a rather
interesting conversation with her.�

Pause. �Um� okay� Why, what�s happening?�

�I�m planning something.�

Bryan imagined that Rei was raising a very skeptical eyebrow.
�Planning or scheming?�

�Depends which way you look at it.�

�Oh�. Well, what are you pla � going to do, Bryan?�

Bryan smiled, standing up and walking towards the door,
gesturing for Mariah to follow with a jerk of his head towards the door. �I�m
going to come down to Mariah�s room and ask you out on a date. Are you going to
say yes?�

The reply came quicker than Bryan thought it would. �No.�
The corners of the Russian boy�s lips fell. �I�m going to knock you to the
floor and kiss you until your head�s empty.�

Oh.

___ * ___ * ___ * ___ *___

Finally! Woot! I deserve three cheers for that
chapter, I swear, as much as I tried to get it done a lot earlier it just
didn�t seem to happen. But I have worked out what�s going to happen in each
chapter from now, like there actually is a plot. Omg omg omg� a plot!!!
Tournament starts next chapter, which means I have to introduce all the junior
teams, oh joy, and try and remember names of bit beasts.. gah. There will be
lots of Bryan/Rei fluff coming up shortly, and definitely some Tala/Tyson, a
bit of angsty drama and some more weird dreams for our ickle Tala.

p.s : Isn�t Kai being sick and all snuggled up in bed
just adorable? Lol� I had to do it!

~Studio
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September

Chapter 5

Tala

Obliteration Girls�