Beyblade 1. Chapter 1: Forever troubled

Kai's gone soft.

How could Voltaire even think that something like that would or could ever happen to his grandson?

He couldn't. In fact, he strongly continued to shout at Boris for saying some shit to him, until Tala interrupted him by saying that Boris was right. He was, as he stated, a witness to that. He said that he clearly saw Kai, the grandson of yours, literally making out with that stupid bitch Arwen (who just slows the team down, by the way), in the hallway.

Voltaire, as much as he didn't want to put his mind to it, yielded.

He slowly sat himself down on the velvet office chair, and moving his shoulders back slightly, tried to make his sitting more comfortable. He needed to relax, take a deep breath and examine this situation more carefully.

So Kai Hiwatari, his all powerful, all cold, all alone grandson has found a girlfriend. Who would ever think that it would happen? No one! Voltaire didn't want this to happen, he didn't need this to happen, and it was ruining much of his plans if Kai was not concentrating as much on the battles as he did before. The fact that was always helping was the one that said that as one of Kai's living and known relatives, you pretty much can order him around. But the problem was that Kai became eighteen just a couple of days ago…which meant that you, Voltaire, can do nothing much about ordering him around. Shit.

Why hadn't Kai stayed an anti-social coldhearted loner, who cares only about winning? Wasn't he trained for years to be that?

Shit again.

What now? Just agree with this statement and situation and try to ignore it? Hn, I don't think so. Would bring you a little bit too close to comfort to actually catch both of them somewhere in the hallways, sucking and licking their faces off each other. Joy.

Arwen. Who is she? He'd heard of her, Boris had told him, but he pretty much didn't know anything about her. Only that she was on his team. _His_ team. Boris was just supervising it, so basically, what makes him so sure that Arwen is as good as Bryan was? _Was._ What happened to Bryan wasn't anyone's concern except his and Boris's and no Talas and Spencers should even _think_ about asking him about it.

Anyways, back to Arwen. Who is she? Dresses up in all black, wears high knee-line boots, dark make up, she's a total outrage. Dresses up as if going to some rock concert or something. But nevertheless, her appearance wasn't the thing that bothered him. He had seen even worse outfits anyway. What bothered him was that HIS grandson is DATING and probably even SLEEPING with his fellow TEAMMATE. Outrageous. Simply outrageous.

So far he knew only one solution. And it seemed so simple for him to just _say_ it. He was not going to try to make this solution he was just going to ask someone to do it. And he knew who he was going to ask.

-"Boris."

-"Da, Voltaire?"

Turning the office chair around so he was showing his back to his Russian companion, Voltaire's glare was pierced on the falling white, equally symmetric, snowflakes outside of the gigantic transparent window right before him. That was soothing. Was partly bringing out the memories of the last time he visited the Balkov Abbey in Russia.

-"I want that dirty girl out of my grandson's life. And so that he won't be able to do anything about it," said Voltaire, and closed his eyes, feeling kind of empty inside, as the problem about Kai that worried him seemed to partially disappear. It's so nice to just throw your entire crisis on someone else's shoulders. "I want Kai back the way he was before. You can do that, Boris, right?"

Boris bowed to Voltaire by slightly bending down the upper part of his body, and without saying another word he went out of the room. Tala followed.

-"Chert. Ya ne ponymayu pochemu on svalivaet na menya vsu robotu. Mog bi hotya bi sam poprobovat…" snapped Boris in Russian outside of the office, really thinking of starting to curse around, when he remembered about Tala, and shut himself up looking at him. Tala smirked evilly. "Ne volnuisya. Ya ne skazu Voltaru pro eto…tolko ne serdi menya, horosho?"

In answer Boris just growled in anger, and stretched out his long arm, hitting Tala on his pale face strongly.

("Devil. I don't understand why he gives all of his work to me. Could at least try to do it himself..."

"Don't worry. I won't tell Voltaire about it…just don't piss me off, ok?")

Kai could never understand how just a simple touch on her soft skin could feel so good and satisfying.

Leaning down he kissed her and gently rocked his hips forward gently easing himself into her. Arwen moaned against his lips her hands resting on his shoulders, feeling him stretch her as he slid into her over again and over again. She felt him extending her, felt herself grip him tightly, and she felt his gentleness. Her hips lifted against his, her arms circling around his neck, holding him close to her as she let her head fall back, exposing her throat to him. She felt the kisses he pressed against her throat, felt his ragged breath against her skin. Their pace quickened, his hips driving him into her, and her hips lifting in time with him to accept him.

Moments after, Kai's eyes rolled in the back of his head and he pulled out of her. He gently lay down beside her and gathered her into his arms, his hand stroking against her shoulder gently and almost absentmindedly.

Arwen smiled, her heart beating quickly in her chest and that was mostly because of that wave of pleasure which was curling around her once her entered into her. She loved feeling him. But that wasn't the only reason she was with him, obviously._ That comfort, that feeling I have with him, that closeness…Gods, I believe that I truly love him. Or most exactly, I think it's only my imagination…_

Though heavy-eyed, Arwen didn't want to fall asleep. _"Don't close your eyes, Arwen, I want you to remember every moment of it,"_ flew out from her memory and she felt her heart pumping quickly from ecstasy again. He was so sweet. Who could imagine that other hidden side of Kai's personality even exists? She moaned softly and caressed his muscular arm around her shoulder with her fingers tenderly.

She didn't even feel him stiff.

Kai stopped stroking her shoulder by just wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her absolutely close to him and in a moment Arwen felt her lower back pressing up against his manhood. She couldn't help but blush anyway.

-"Is this, what it's like to be happy?" a sudden question sounded right above her ear, in a soft whisper and her eyes widened. Arwen slowly twisted her torso slightly to the side and their eyes met. His face was so calm and still, and though the shadow of the night was partially covering it, silver moonlight rays were clearly glittering in his eyes, somehow reflecting an absolutely different world.

Such a question. Happy…is this, what it's like to be happy…Hmm, yes it is. Just to lie there with him, just to feel the soft running of his fingertips on her skin, just to be able to feel his lips on hers…Yes, for her this was the highest point of happiness so far.

But was it for him?

-"Define happiness," she responded and bit her bottom lip softly with her front teeth, sometimes just loving to toy with him. He was never getting upset about it; in fact…he seemed to like it.

A gainful smirk appeared across of his lips. Damn she was cute.

-"Happiness is me, you…" he uttered, pressed his elbow onto the pillow and rose up himself above her slightly. "Us…" he placed his hand on her shoulder again and this time pressed on it strongly and Arwen, with a soft squirm, was made to fall on her back instead of lying on her side and stare back in his eyes. "Just…lying here. That's what happiness is all about, right?"

A smile creased her face once again. Yes, indeed, heaven is nothing in comparison of lying in his arms. "I believe so…for that is the real happiness for me."

Meanwhile Kai's purple eyes caressed her body opened to them with much curiosity, almost the same way it was first open to them. But as much as last time it was wild and lustful, this time it was gentle…and loving. "You're so beautiful," he said in a slightly hoarse whisper, stopping his glare on her round breasts.

_Oh_. The natural instincts almost made her to curl into a fetus position and hide herself under his warm glare, but Arwen just kept staring in his eyes. It was the first time he ever complimented her on anything…and this something was just her, her body, her flesh. Her heart made a leap in her chest, and she almost dropped on his neck from the growing love to him right now. But she kept slightly cool.

-"Well, you haven't seen other girls. They are so much prettier than me, it's even shocking, I once…" she started saying, but closed her mouth quickly as Kai's hand appeared on her lips, making her quiet. She didn't know why she started saying that, she just wasn't used to too much compliments.

Kai's eyes moved away from her breasts and locked on her eyes.

-"No," he disagreed and a shade of a smile could be read on his lips. "Not true," he added, let his hand down from her lips and rolling himself over on top of her, he leaned on her with almost his full weight, pinning her down beneath him without any struggle from her. Just a soft giggle of bliss.

They were happy. Happier than any time more in their lives; nothing could take that away from them, nothing…that they were aware of. And both of them knew that this happiness could not last forever.

_-"This is not a fairy tale. When I kiss you, you don't wake up to Happily Ever After," he whispered as his lips traced the skin of her stomach near her naval and going back up to her throat. Arwen closed her eyes slowly and her lips parted slightly at his gentleness and touch of his kisses, her hand tightening the hold of his. "When you kiss me…I want to die to keep it forever."_


	2. Chapter 2: Forewarning

**Chapter 2 Forewarning**

Boris sat cross armed and chewing on his bottom lip almost violently. His arms were uncrossed seconds later - he couldn't keep himself on one place.

-"Well what if we just simply execute or eradicate her?" offered a tall man who stood beside the door. He was wearing a black leather business suit, as if he was a kind of business man, but no business man would ever work for Boris. He seemed to be concentrated on something just as much as Boris was. Same went to the other people that were dressed up quite formally, there were around four more of them.

-"No, won't work," Boris shook his head wildly, really getting a feeling of throwing everything off his desk in anger.

-"Alright…I have no more ideas, Sir," sighed the business man, and took a hold of his bag that he was holding in his hands tightly as Boris looked crazy.

Boris growled in anger and stood up from the leather office chair he was sitting on, walking first forward and than turning back walking back again. He continued walking back and forth, his eyes pierced on pale figure of Tala on the couch. "What about you?" he snarled at Tala angrily, always feeling like ripping that scrawny looking body of his student into pieces.

-"Poshol ti," replied Tala uncaringly. ("Go to hell" - Russian)

Apparently Tala hadn't forgotten that forceful Sensei slap on the face yet, Boris should have known that, but never being used to things going the wrong way, Boris snapped.

-"I've had enough with you, traitor! Either you at least pretend to respect me the way it had been before, or you will be the one executed!" he yelled at him loudly with bits of hoarseness in his voice, already reaching for the big remote on the table. It looked simple like a TV remote, but it wasn't that really. With only one press of a button he could simply summon the security, which would eliminate Tala with ease – and nobody would ever remember him.

Tala flinched and looked up at Boris. He could act tough in front of everyone, insult and sometimes ignore whoever he wanted to, however, he was still scared of Boris's wrath. His lifeless eyes stared at the remote, knowing perfectly what that was.

-"You can't get her away from Kai without him actually noticing that and trying to get her back...we must do something to get him not to care whether she's around with him or not," he mumbled quickly before Boris pressed any button on the remote, and crossed his arms, looking away.

Boris grinned bitterly. "I know that already! Tell me something that will make him to not pity her leave!" He slowly put the remote back on the table.

Tala shrugged. "A fight? Make him hate her and everything will be fine."

Boris tensed, but than visibly relaxed as his shoulders lowered down a couple of centimeters. The bitter grin changed to a wild and evil one and soon a wild, maniacal kind of laugh burst out.

-"Fight, yes, gentlemen, let's make them fight. And everything will be fine…" he uttered loudly, his teeth glittered with the dull light from the fireplace and another laugh had followed out from him. "Yes, everything will be just fine…"

Still keeping his eyes closed, Kai's lips formed into a foreshadowing of a smile and his arm moved slightly towards his chest. Empty. He tapped the place on the bed beside him gently and opened his eyes, realizing finally that Arwen was not there. Strange.

Kai slowly rose up from the bed, the blanket covering him up until his stomach, just enough to see Arwen's frail figure beside the window, dressed up fully. He actually started to regret that she was all dressed up already.

Arwen turned her head slightly and saw that he had woken up, and a smile creased her face. She was happy, what a night that was, the night that filled her with both ecstasy and love. Every night seemed to be like that, but this one seemed to be kind of different. Interesting.

-"Hey," she breathed, and slowly came over to the bed, reaching for him with her hand, which was taken a hold of right away. "Good morning," she said smiling, waited a second or so and than added, "The practice starts in ten minutes or something, so we better get going." She walked away from him, her hand slipping out of his before he had a chance to grab her and shove her back on the bed beside him.

-"What time is it?" asked Kai, while standing up from the bed and looking for his purple pants somewhere around the floor area, but found them on the corner chair for some reason.

Arwen shrugged, looked around and noticing a watch on the near wall, replied. "Quarter to nine, strange, I thought it was much later."

Kai smirked, put his pants on, and bent down picking up his dark T-shirt and white scarf from the carpeted floor, and put them on before walking over slightly to her and sliding gloves on his hands. "I had a dream about you last night," he uttered, starting to wrap his arms around her waist.

Arwen giggled softly, just letting him do whatever he wanted to. "Was I alone?" she asked narrowly with a smile playing on her lips.

-"Not really," replied Kai, and pressing his fingers to her hips, he urged himself to her, feeling her breasts pressing to his chest. "I was there too," he added, and for some reason the tingles were sent right through her. She giggled again.

-"And what were we doing there?" she slid her hands up his chest, lingering briefly over his heart rate, before winding them around his neck.

His fingers dig into her flesh as he tried to bring her closer, as though he wouldn't be satisfied until she was plastered against him. "Practically the same thing we are doing right now," he answered, after which he brushed his lips over hers twice, before he sealed their mouths together. Almost instantly she parted hers allowing his to access which he greedily took advantage of. His tongue delved into her mouth, caressing hers. She welcomed thrusting of his tongue, the feeling of being pressed to him, and the sensation caused by his hand moving over her waist. 'What time is it?' she thought absently, feeling him tasting her, as his tongue slid along hers and his thumb grazed the tip of her breast, turning her legs weak and caused a moan escape her lips.

The kiss softened, and then slowed to a stop as he finally pulled away.

Arwen wanted to cry out from the loss of warmth instead she blinked unintelligently, as he stepped away from her towards the door. She was still quivering with need and it took a few seconds to clear away the fog from her mind.

-"Time to go," said Kai quietly, a smirk still playing on his lips and he zipped the dark purple vest and opened the door, holding it motioning her to go before him. _Why can't time stop? Why does everything have to pass by and leave only memories and slight feelings?_ thought Kai as Arwen passed by him with a sigh, throwing him a gentle smile – a last one he was probably going to get for today. He slowly lift his hand up to his lips and touched them, still feeling the feel of her warm lips against his in a passionate kiss. He let it down and closed the door, following her outside of the building, keeping a big distance between them.


	3. Chapter 3: First Conflict

**Chapter 3 First Conflict**

-"They are playing it cool, don't they?" uttered calmly with a bitter grin Boris, his eyes pierced on the mix up group of one teenager and three young adults on the large gorgeous yard below the balcony he was standing on. "They are not even looking at each other, as if nothing is happening," he continued, his hands that he kept on the metal fence, colored in dark black color, tightened the hold of it almost painfully.

The same businessman with a big leather bag stood beside him, just nodding at his words. An advisor, whose advices had all been said out already. How tragic.

-"Blind, they simply think me blind, don't they?" snarled Boris, his teeth bearing in an evil expression, and he was not taking his eyes, hidden under the black mask, off the group in any reason.

-"No, Sir, I doubt that they do. I doubt that they care about anything anymore at all," replied the businessman patiently, feeling quite exhausted to repeat the same thing over and over again.

Boris growled in anger and with a strong movement pushed himself away from the fence, walking back inside of the building.

The room was cozy. It was decorated slightly in a Victorian style, and everything had a soft, partially antique, taste. The slow and calming cracking of the wood in the fireplace was giving the room a quiet and clean impression of the castle-like mansion.

The peace of the antique times was broken once Boris rushed into the room; the long dark green cloak, shoulders of which were still soaked after the rain as usual, was floating behind him, as he came over to the rich wooden table in the middle of the room. He stopped there and his eyes glared at the small round tornado-like piece of metal on the stock papers, and that was nothing else but a beyblade.

-"Are you sure that he won't see any difference?" asked Boris quietly, reaching for the beyblade and grasping it roughly in his hand.

-"Believe me, Sir, our best professionals worked on making it absolutely identical," hurried to please his boss the businessman, and stood adjust to the table. He caught an angry warning look from Boris and stoop away from the table.

Boris grinned. "I hope you've done the best you could, because if this is not going to work, you will be the one hanging in the dungeons with your neck broken from practices."

The businessman swallowed hardly and nodded, his confidence slipping away from him with unbelievable speed. "I'm..._sure_ no difference will be seen."

-"Excellent," replied Boris and with a low chuckle sat himself down on the office chair. _Now I only have to get Tala play a teammate part._

-"Arwen, why do you suck so much?" asked Tala, looking quite annoyed and bored, his eyes looking tiredly at the two small colorful beyblades spinning in the dish.

Arwen frowned. How dare he? She thought of turning to look at Kai who probably stood somewhere behind her with his eyes closed, but changed her mind right in time. He would tell her about everything he wanted her to know tonight anyway.

Without saying anything more, she raised her hand and the dark red beyblade flew out of the dish, jumping right in her palm and leaving the slightly red marks with its metal blades. "We're done for today," she said dryly, and turned around, walking away from the dish.

Tala raised his thick red eyebrow up and a second later his own beyblade was back in his pale hand. _Bad nerves, Arwen, bad nerves…won't save you from anything._

Keeping inside a deep sigh of frustration, Arwen didn't even put her eyes up to look at Kai as she passed by him, but Kai's purple eyes did follow her every move, but he didn't move at all, just kept standing there cross armed, feeling marginally helpless inside.

Spencer watched her walking away with a surprised look, and then, still keeping a questioning look on his face looked to Tala. "What the practice's over? Chto Boris skazet?" (What will Boris say?)

Tala's eyes moved to look up at the balcony of the building right above all of them, noticing a fade seemingly irritated figure of Boris standing there and obviously watching them, and his eyes narrowed in a frown. "Nothing, I don't care anymore."

Kai glared at Tala calmly as usual, not planning to say or do anything anymore either. So the practice is over, how interesting, especially when each of their practices always lasted for at least five hours. Strange, but he partially stopped caring about this as much. But he couldn't help but remember the practices he had had with Bladebreakers.

_Whatever…_

Without saying a word, Kai turned around and the wind blowing freely towards him, blowing his long white scarf back as he walked away.

Tala looked down from the balcony and watched Kai walking away, thinking his own thoughts about Boris's plans and how he advised them to him…He had to.

A loud impatient knock on the door.

Boris turned his spinning office chair around and finally taking his eyes off the view he had from the window, locked his gaze on the door. "Who's it?"

The wooden door opened and a slim figure of Tala walked in, his eyes looking down, looking quite gloomy.

A grin creased Boris's face and he touched all of his fingertips together, glaring at Tala.

-"Welcome, why aren't you practicing?" he asked, while already thinking of telling his traitorous pupil about his smart plan.

-"I don't know, we're just done for today," Tala answered dryly, not really caring about anything in particular anymore. Especially nothing that interested Boris.

Now that was an absurd. So they had all just decided to stop? Control, everything has to be taken control of again, damn, everything is falling apart. And now he is stuck with Voltaire's "my grandson-has-a-girlfriend" problem. All of this was too much of the tasks and failing for Boris.

-"Get out," Boris replied annoyed, and called in a couple of officers who were most likely serve to him as bodyguards. "Just get out."

Tala frowned again. Oh, so he comes in, tells his "Boss" something real and actually comes here to help him with his stupid not working plan and what his gets is – get the hell out.

Super.

Tala, feeling the anger overflowing him, tossed an angry look at Boris and walked out, slamming the door shut after him.

Boris stopped caring about him and turned to look at officers. "So is everything working the way it should be so far, gentlemen?"

One of the officers nodded and replied. "So far so good. With the practice ending early everything went smoother than a knife in the butter..." he used a metaphor to describe his eight grade's education as best as he could and now he was practically blowing up from the pride filling him. But it wasn't something that would impress Boris. "And of course, one of the professionals was sent to switch the beyblades already. He will be back with the results soon," he hurried up to add before he would get shouted at.

Boris's grin grew wider and he rose up from his office chair, feeling with most triumph then almost never before. "Excellent…simply excellent…" he mumbled under his nose and with a grin still playing on his dry white lips added, "I changed a plan slightly. I want to be there and I will flight back to Russia with the helicopter. I came to miss my old office and bubliki with tea for some reason."

Arwen went into her room, the one where she stopped being in for quite a time and fell on her bed, feeling exhausted. No, she wasn't tired or anything, just exhausted socially. She came to hate this team, everything they were doing, just absolutely everything…everything started to annoy her, she wanted out, something was stopping her from breathing freely like before. But where else is she to go? Her brother literally became her ex-brother and doesn't plan to change. Her old team doesn't want her back and she started to actually miss Bladebreakers: with their friendship, cheering up, caring for each other…this is what a real team should be like, not the one she was stuck in right now.

_I'm here for Kai…and I'm here just to be with him._

Nevertheless, this thought was not something that helped her relax. Kai didn't seem to like this team either, then why was he here? Does he care about power as much still?

That thought seemed somewhat sad.

A quiet noise at the door and a familiar soft voice sounded. "Don't let him get to you. Try to ignore him."

Arwen raised her head up from the pillow and saw Kai's figure standing somewhere at the door. His face emotionless as usual, just the way it was during practice. Sometimes she actually wished for him to change that, but she knew that this was never going to happen.

_Why are you here, Kai? Why aren't you continuing to practice with the rest?_

She slowly stood up from her bed, corrected the slightly rumpled blanket on which she fell on once she came in and walked over to him, keeping quite a distance for some reason. "I try, but it's hard…I mean, what's his problem?"

Kai dark eyes visibly moved to mentally measure the distance between them, but he didn't move to decrease this distance, just looked away from her lost eyesight and walked over to the huge transparent glass window partially covered with light blue curtains and stared into the green horizon of never-ending hills. "He's always been like that. Nothing ever changed him, nothing," he answered quietly, keeping his hands at his sides.

Arwen looked at him with a surprised look on her face, but he couldn't possibly see it, and slowly walked over behind him and leaned her head against his shoulder, wrapping her one arms around his other shoulder and partially chest almost protectively. "You came to care for him over all these years, haven't you?"

Kai flinched and then sighed defeat, looking down. He raised his hand and slowly traced the skin of her arm that was around him with his fingertips, just enjoying the closeness between them. Such closeness, that he couldn't not start lying to her…he did that once and he was not going to start that again.

-"I guess," he said quietly and a satisfactory kind of smirk appeared on his lips. It felt nice and free to actually talk…to her. He felt safe talking to her, sometimes he felt like he could tell her absolutely everything. It was protected by the trust. But there were still questions inside him - the ones that he forgot about – that were still summoning defense over the years. "I care about you more though."

Arwen closed her dark green eyes and raised her chin laying it down on his broad shoulder. Smiling at his words. "I've no doubt that you do…" she then opened her eyes, and looked at the blue shark fin like stripes on his cheek that was right before her. "Can I ask you a question?" she murmured as she leaned closer and touched his cheek with her lips in a soft kiss.

Kai's smirk changed to a gentle smile and he answered nothing.

Deciding that the easy silence was a yes, which apparently it was, she took a deep breath and uttered. "What about your old team Bladebreakers, they are your true friends…why have you forsaken them?"

The smile disappeared and his face turned into stone: that question not only puzzled him, it almost brought out the horror out of him. And it was not only because he didn't know the answer to that. He tensed and Arwen felt his shoulders rising up as he did so. No, she didn't feel as comfortable beside him now as she did a minute ago. "Why are you asking?" sounded his voice and Arwen felt her heart falling deep down in her chest as she recognized the familiar cold notes in it. Hadn't he…stopped talking to her like that?

-"Kai …" _I remember asking him the same question over a year and a half ago. _"This team will never give you what the real team will. That team which needs you…and waits for you still."

_What's she talking about? _thought Kai, feeling himself not only stiffening more and more at her "advises" and questions…but also angry. Angry at her? Why was he doing that, why did he feel like that towards her now? Because she was annoying. _I like it with this team; it's none of her business, actually…_

_-_"Why are you saying all of this?" he questioned again, his face shading with a frown, his voice sounding disturbingly cold. _Gosh, what's happening?_ thought Arwen feeling despair and swallowed forcefully and being so close to him now felt dangerous…she could feel the heat radiating off him, but that wasn't the heat that she felt when they were in bed…it was similar to the one when she held him in the embrace a year and a half ago, questioning his every thought and move.

-"I don't like this team Kai…," she started quietly, already feeling like getting away from him and wondering if he felt the same. That was so terrorizing! She knew that she was surely going too far…but she had to say what she needed to say. "And I have no where else…to go and I was thinking…that…we…can…" her voice faded away as her arm fell off him and she had no shoulder to lay her chin on and it felt cold suddenly. Knowing exactly what she was going to say, Kai took steps away and out of her asylum and finally turned facing her, his left shoulder getting covered with a white scarf right away as if he didn't want to sense her touch there. Arwen started to feel hurt…though she'd heard nothing yet.

-"No," he said, the white light coming from the window, making his figure dark and destroying details…giving Arwen an impression of talking to his dark shadow, the one that she started to fear to talk to. But yet the light still glittered almost crazily in his dark eyes as he spoke…coldly and she felt something else too – uncaring. Kai was back. "No," he repeated for a good measure and continued. "I've chosen this team to Bladebreakers for the same reason all the time – power. I thought you've known me good to know that. I'm staying here and Dranzer will help me achieve my goal at last. I guess I was wrong about you…"

Her heart froze in shock and she felt it turning to ice. No, his heart was ice now! Again…once again…

Her eyes started to water up and she just couldn't believe it. Why was she so sensitive? _Stop, stop, stop crying…_she was telling herself, sensing that she started to irritate him with all of this. But…but does this mean that he grew tired of her?

No, please, don't let it be that way…

Arwen looked down, not wanting to look back up into the steel cold gaze again. What happened? Did all of the things she said and asked upset him too much? But it was true - she knew it was…felt it was. She couldn't be with Neo-Borgs anymore and she thought them close enough to leave together…she was wrong. He was wrong about her. She was wrong…wrong was bringing out all these memories of people saying that she was this infamous "bad seed" of her family. Oh sure, Mike's always been this perfect child and she's always been a wrong one.

She shook her head trying to get these thoughts out and also keep the flowing out tears in. She hated herself for being so sensitive, god, she was crying all the time! _He surely hates that…no doubt…he probably hates everything about you now_, pessimistic thoughts of yesterday were back and this time she wasn't pushing them away. "I need to be alone," she said quietly, knowing somehow that he heard her, which apparently he did and turned around walking out of her room, looking down. It wasn't any easier to just tell him to get out of _her_ room, so she decided to get out herself…she was going to go outside, take a deep breath, examine the situation carefully…

…and stop beside Kai's room where the door was open.


	4. Chapter 4: Genetically Perfect and the V...

**Chapter 4 Genetically Perfect and the Void**

-"Despite him being cold, mysterious, intimidating and incredibly strong and talented blader, Kai is also someone no blader is – Genetically Perfect," said Boris, the red lenses on the black mask of his was shining brightly through the dull light of the darkened room. His face expressionless.

Voltaire who sat soundly and comfortably in the fluffy looking arm chair, raised an eyebrow questionably. "Hmm?"

-"Let me try to explain," started Boris and turning his head from side to side, the cracks were heard and Voltaire invisibly shivered, hating the sound with his whole life. Boris not noticing anything stopped cracking the neck bones and continued. "Every one of trainees going to the Balkov Abbey was given a test that practically determines their mind ability which shows the potential of every blader…I've no doubt that Kai doesn't remember that, he was too small and drugged during that," Boris said and paused, his eyes pierced on Voltaire, searching for his reaction almost thoughtfully.

-"So?" asked Voltaire, surely being more interested in looking at his own gigantic painted portrait on the wall, then the topic itself.

-"So," Boris kept himself from snapping. "The test showed that Kai, like I've already said, is Genetically Perfect. He is the perfect one for the Black Dranzer. He could have been that Perfect Beyblade Warrior that we all tried to develop. And he was him for a couple of days until he decided that his _friends_ were more important," his lips pursed into a straight line as something came to him. "Voltaire…I need a Life Contract."

Voltaire's gaze finally moved away from the portrait and locked on the concentrating Boris with a scowl, not knowing why in the world Boris wants that now. "I can't give it to you and you know it. Only Kai's Father can sign it, but I know that he never will…I don't even know my Son's location anymore! What is the meaning of this?"

Seeing Voltaire angry and knowing that he is angry at you isn't the best situation you can get yourself in. But Boris stood on his own, he believed what he wanted and needed to believe and no one could take that away from him. "My plan is working perfectly, Voltaire, not only I'm going to have Kai all alone…I also know that he will use the Black Dranzer again. I need a Life Contract to keep him inside all the time now, without any turning backs!"

Voltaire's hands clenched into hard fists, not knowing whether or not believe Boris. He did screw this up once…but what if he's right? What if there is still a chance to use Kai as a perfect weapon? Well, if Boris is mistaken this time again…he won't get away with a simple apology anymore.

-"Boris if I see your plan working, I'll get my hands on Life Contract right away," said Voltaire, his eyes burning into the red lenses of the black mask, sometimes feeling like Boris's eyes were always creasing with a grin. Such a bad feeling.

-"Everything will go exact," reassured him Boris, and Voltaire frowned with an "Hmph". After that, Boris turned around and finally exited the room, leaving his boss on his evil thoughts of finally tasting power of the world within the palm of his hand.

Tala, who was unlucky enough to pass by Voltaire's office when Boris exited, hesitated for a moment and then frowning continued to walk forward, trying to pass Boris.

-"Exactly who I need," grinned happy for some reason "Biovolt Puppet" and Tala was made to stop as Boris's arm was stretched out right in front of him blocking his way.

-"What now?" snarled Tala irritated, feeling the hatred for the teacher he was made to respect and worship all his life, growing. He looked at the arm in front of him, really grieving that he wasn't carrying an axe with himself to cut it off right now.

-"I need you to do me a big favor," said Boris a grin growing wider, as it seemed, with every passing second.

-"Oh yeah?" bared his teeth Tala, looking up in the red lenses of Boris with much annoyingness and anger. "What's in it for me?"

Aha, right where he wanted him. "Thought you'd never ask," Boris said, his hand, holding something in its palm, moved to Tala's and strongly eased it in his hand. Tala frowned, his eyes moved down to look at what it was, but Boris's loud voice turned him away from that. "If you will do some of the things that I require for me…I'll give you something that you really want."

Tala growled in fury. "I want nothing from you. Never have, never will."

A low chuckle escaped white dried lips of Boris and he slowly leaned to Tala's ear, his presence summoning the waves of negative energy from Tala. His ear twitched when a low hoarse voice breathed right above it, saying "I will give you…your freedom."

Tala's eyes widened and he flinched, his hands' seizure on the sharp object Boris gave him loosened and they opened, dropping it.

A quiet click of the metal against the grey marbled floor and the dark beyblade fell on one of its sides, exposing the Bit-beast pin on which a pitch black bird with bright green and yellow feathers on its wings, that looked suspiciously like a phoenix, was imaged.

The Black Dranzer.

Arwen just stood there, looking at Kai's kind of tidy room, without blinking. He was careful not to let anyone in here…then why was the door open?

_Oh well, it's none of your concern for now,_ thought Arwen, sighed and was about to continue her way outside when something on the tall table in the middle of the room caught her eye. She couldn't believe what it was, she needed to make sure that this wasn't it and so she quietly made her way inside of Kai's room, wincing at almost every quiet sound.

Under a white sheet of paper, right on the edge's end of the table laid peacefully Dranzer. The soft white light of the window's curtains glittered dully on its shiny sides, making an impression that Kai must have been polishing it.

But…

Arwen stood beside the table, staring at the Turbo Dranzer, Kai's beyblade, just lying there on the table. But Kai was always carrying it with him. He never let it off his side. Why was it lying right here right now?

She turned her head quickly to look at the doorway, but not seeing anyone there and Kai not coming back yet, she looked back at the Dranzer on the table with still that puzzled expression.

A car drove by the Dom and its light shone right on the Dranzer and the blades glittered most seductively to make one grab a hold of it.

Without thinking what she was doing, Arwen slowly reached for the beyblade on the table, first touching it slightly and then taking it in her hand just to hold. Even by looking at it she could feel the aura of power coming from Dranzer and the beyblade felt quite heavy. _Wonder why, _she thought, raised her hand up and down slightly to feel its weight, and then looked at it again. _Timaeus is so light in comparison to Dranzer. And there is no point in comparing the power. _Indeed, in Neo-Borgs, she was the weakest team member or as she'd heard.

This sacred spirit in this metal spinner was that something Kai cherished the most. _More than me, of course_, went through her mind both sadly and bitterly, herself not being able not to think about it.

For the first time in her life she found herself jealous. Jealous of a metal toy, how selfish is that?

Nevertheless jealousy was a terrible feeling and she knew that she should get rid of it this instant.

Arwen slowly let her hand down, still holding Dranzer tightly and put it back on the table. But still keeping her fingers around it, unable to let go somehow and not really wanting to. She willingly continued to grasp on it, hardly pressing it into the neatly polished brown table as her thoughts seemed to fade away and a small tear dropped on her cheek. Her eyes were pierced on the blade as she continued to press it forcefully into table absently, doing that until…something cracked quietly.

And that when she realized what she was doing. Why was she doing that? Oh God, hopefully that crack didn't mean that she broke something!

She slowly loosened her grip on the beyblade…feeling and seeing its full metal form weakly falling into small and big pieces of metal and aluminum. She flinched and yanked her hand back to herself, feeling herself trembling from that horror…pure horror that took over her so suddenly that she lost an ability to breathe and felt her hair standing up.

She broke it. She broke Kai's beyblade. She broke Dranzer.

Gods, what has she done? What…no…impossible…let it be a nightmare…please…

Her mind full of horror, shock and unbelievable fear, she lost a capability to not only breathe, but also to think. Almost blinded with fear she started to take steps away from the table, putting hands over her quivering lips until…

-"Arwen?"

She flinched strongly at the familiar cold voice at the door and jerked her head just to be locked in Kai's steel cold stare. He came…he came into his room…he's so angry…and doesn't even know…anything yet…please…

Kai thought of asking what was wrong with her, she didn't look too normal looking. In fact, she looked terrorized. But he decided not to…

-"What are you doing in my room?" he questioned her again, a frown still on his face, his eyes moving to look away from her slightly and look at the table.

_No, don't look…there…_

-"And what are these pieces of…" started Kai and suddenly his voice disappeared in his throat, his eyes widened largely and not daring to look away, he rushed to the table, pushing Arwen away from his way strongly and stopping at the table, his eyes staring at the pieces.

Silence came onto them.

Kai quickly put his gloved hands to it, searching for the part that was most important, the part that was needed the most, the part that could give him the courage to live…yes, here it is, so everything is not as bad, it's…

His hands started to tremble and without taking off his right hand of the table, Kai started to slowly settle down on the floor, falling on his knee and looking down in shock.

The pin was broken in half.

The Bit-Beast pin that contained Dranzer was broken in half.

Dranzer, his sacred spirit - was gone.

Arwen was so terrorized, her face was all tense with fear and by looking down on the floor she could see everything going dizzy and spinning around. Her heart beat so quickly and so painfully that she thought that a heart attack was going to get her any moment. And it better do it now…before Kai looks at her again.

She placed one hand on the wall for a support, trying not to lose her consciousness though she wanted that badly…for everything to be just a nightmare…

What had she done? Why'd she done that? It was her fault. _So stupid, so idiotic, you deserve the shouts, you deserve his fury at you for doing that…you've destroyed that one being that has been close to him since his childhood._

A quiet whispering noise at the table and, holding onto the edge of the table strongly for a support, Kai slowly rose up back on his feet, his head hanged down between his broad shoulders, his dark blue hair covering his eyes in a black shadow. Once he had finally spoken his voice was hoarse from the shock growing inside of him, but he managed to speak. "Arwen-" his voice sounded and Arwen looked up, her eyes pierced on his back. "Goodbye."

She let her hands down from her quivering lips and looked down. Understood, Kai, understood…she knew that she'd hear something like that, she bewared herself for that, but once she heard it, her heart has been unwittingly broken.

She deserved that. She didn't deserve to be with him, and she couldn't be with him anymore obviously. And how that only started with a simple conflict…all her fault again.

Arwen said nothing. She didn't cry. Her heart stopped beating. She couldn't cry, all of the tears were already cried out…nothing was left anymore. Without saying anything, she turned and really slowly walked out of the Kai's room, turning to the side and going back to her own. She didn't close the door, no: she just walked over to her closet, opening it, slowly taking her clothes out and putting them on the bed.

His Dranzer was gone. She was gone; he was never going to see her flowing in the sky above him, while attacking other's blade again. Never. Never. NEVER.

Kai started to shiver.

It was so cold.

He was so scared.

Why would Arwen do that? He trusted her, he seemed to love her…and she destroyed his Dranzer. _Why…why…why Arwen, why? _The void within him appeared, sucking everything in…everything felt empty…

The thought was frightening him immensely, the exact way it was twelve years ago…what did he do? He didn't remember…what did he do? He remembered the Abbey being destroyed because of him…because he couldn't keep himself in…because he wanted to try that beyblade himself…

Suppress.

Forget and suppress.

_Forget, forget, forget,_ Kai's mind was repeating, he closed his eyes shut and wrapping his arms around himself, he started to unnoticeably rock back and forth. _Forget, forget…_

Everything started to slip away…

Everything turned black…

Everything's gone quiet…

Everything-

-"Kai."

He blinked and everything was back again. He was kneeled on one knee beside the table with his arms folded, staring right at his broken blade. _Why is everything back…I don't want it to…_

-"Kai," called the voice again and Kai with a small flinch at the voice looked back.

Tala's face was emotionless and it seemed even unresponsive. Not his eyes only. He reminded of the emptied vessel with no soul, without any sense of humanity. More now than ever before.

Seeing that he finally got an attention from Kai, Tala's feet moved and he walked up right to the kneeled Kai, as if trying to look at him, but not doing so…His mind seemed to be concentrated on something else, and that something was surely not the map of New York on the wall. It was his thoughts.

-"You're miserable. You're pitiful," said coldly Tala, his eyes finally were locked on Kai, but his mind was elsewhere. "Suppressing the world for losing Dranzer." The way he said "Dranzer" sounded fake and it was strange. But Kai didn't pay attention to that.

The void grew much bigger and he felt that he was going to get sucked in its emptiness forever and never be able to get out. Or was it for better?

Kai wanted to insult him for getting on his nerves just when he really didn't need to hear that, but he couldn't bring the confidence back up to open his mouth. So empty…

Tala's lips pursed into a thin white line for a moment and then he spoke again. "Take it," he said in an ordering tone, stretched out his arm before Kai and his hand opened, dropping something it held on the carpeted floor right before Kai and turning his gape on the pieces of Dranzer.

In one move of his other hand, Tala swept the pieces off the table in his palm, which he closed right away not to drop anything.

Kai didn't notice.

His dark purple eyes were pierced on the dark beyblade lying before him, its sides glittering with the light almost wildly, reflecting in Kai's empty and lifeless orbs perfectly.

Tala clenched his fist containing the metal parts in it and, without saying anything more to his fellow teammate, he exited the room, walking over to the garbage can nearby and dropping Dranzer's broken parts in it. It was gone. And it was done.

Kai continued to stare at the Black Dranzer lying right before him, unable to move and take his eyes off this beauty and power of darkness.

The pin of Dranzer suddenly shined brightly red and then back to its normal self, but Kai wasn't surprised. He'd seen this already a long time ago. It was just hungry…hungry for more power, for more Sacred.

A minute later Kai finally moved and his hand reached for the Black Dranzer grabbing it tightly in his hand and closing his eyes. Its hunger had never been a problem…never had…never will…

_When you have power no one can hurt you…_

A grin appeared on his lips.

"_Don't bother closing your eyes, Kai, because what you see isn't half as disturbing as what you don't …" and the "Biovolt Puppet" is finally right._

His purple eyes opened automatically and now they were vacant, blank and absolutely dark. A wild grin was still on his lips, not going off and not planning to. It exposed his even teeth that gleamed white in the sudden turn on street lights out of his large window.

But it didn't matter.

Nothing did anymore.

It was only him and Black Dranzer.

It always should have been like that, nothing should have changed since that day he first touched its metal core and felt its power. Dranzer and Bladebreakers changed that, but neither were here…one was gone forever…but how much uncaringly can you think of something now?

Arwen walked out of the Dom, her eyes looking down, and she carried a big black bag with her. She was cold, she was frightened, she was shocked and she was immensely tired. She was leaving and she didn't care anymore. Why would she anyway?

-"There she is!"

Everything was dead, forever and ever.

-"Grab her quickly before she screams."

Nothing would change again.

-"Go."

She wouldn't care anymore.

A strong cold arm of the man wrapped around her neck like a vice, choking her and pulling her somewhere strongly. Only a quiet yelp was heard from her, because she slipped off the reality really quickly. So what that she's getting hurt physically right now? It's nothing in comparing to the social pain.

A dirty and rumpled kerchief was put to her nose and it smelled strongly with some kind of sharp chemical. Arwen tried to weakly wiggle around to get away somehow, but the dragging choked her even more and she just had to take a breath out of that cloth. She did. And then she did again as she felt really dizzy. So dizzy that she didn't need to close her eyes to go to the darkness and feel the endless cold waving around her. Too bad she didn't know whether or not she was shivering from it, but who cared?

And meanwhile Kai rose up on his feet finally, looking at Black Dranzer, and finally walked out of his dark room, walking down the empty and white hallway. Nothing bothered him anymore. He was gone and back at the same time.

A low chuckle escaped from him and his lifeless eyes burned with the invisible fire of power in them. "Black Dranzer…we meet again. And we will always be together. Only me and you…just us…just us having the world to ourselves again."

The void had been filled.


	5. Chapter 5: Beyond the Looking Glass

**Chapter 5 Beyond the Looking Glass**

Tala slowly opened his tired eyes and rose his head up from that immensely uncomfortable pillow that didn't give him to sleep in at all. He wouldn't be surprised if he found a solid grenade inside of it, the one that was a pain in the ass as it gave him a raw neck now. Why grenade? _Because Boris wants you dead just like anyone else who had stopped obeying him._

Tala stood up from his bed and his empty eyes bored into the window's view, seeing the first sun beams hitting the green never-ending horizon in a beautiful rainbow sunrise. He didn't pay attention to that though; he lost the interested in all of this long time ago.

Mirror.

Its reflection was showing his dead appearance, the pale white and fit body, muscles on his arms from occasional training, but the rest was quite lanky and the white bandage-like clothes were skin tightening his figure fully. That was what brought out the waves of disgust from him right now but that was temporary and he knew it – he liked himself most of the times.

Mirror also seemed to have a habit of showing him as an empty corpse without a soul and he didn't really like it…but oh well…

Tala slowly walked over to the large mirror at the wall and tiredly stared at his own reflection in both admiring and disgust. What dissimilarity…

Back at him glared a pale young adult with dark red hair lying always perfectly on his head in the horn like form, never messed up as if he always puts on mass of hair gel. But he didn't.

He noticed ill looking blue circles under his eyes and knew that this was surely not because he was tired. Pills did this to him.

So disgusting…and yet-

Tala's hand reached to the mirror and he touched its cold smooth surface with the tips of his fingers, grazing it up and down to his reflected face slowly, making a quiet squeaky sound. Yet there was that slight trace of blurry steam of warmth left on the crystal cold surface of the mirror. A shade of an almost grin appeared on the corners of his mouth as he pressed his whole palm onto the mirror. So he wasn't a vessel with no warmth…yet.

The reflected Tala did the same thing. He followed, why he wouldn't – he was him after all. Or was he?

The young adult in the mirror grinned. Grinned in that crazily maniacal looking expression and just stayed that way.

On Tala's face appeared a look of horror and he quickly took steps away from the wall, starting to shiver. The reflection stayed and continued to grin almost diabolically. And that's when _it_ spoke.

-"Sane…sane…you'll never be sane again. How tragic isn't it? You'll be a pitiful monster just like me…just like me…just like me…"

Tala felt his legs melting in terror of that bitter cold distant voice that echoed loudly in his mind not getting out. But he didn't start panicking. Why would he? It was just his reflection talking to him, nothing interesting or terrorizing whatsoever…

Mumbling something inarticulate, Tala reached for the small side table beside his bed and started to tap on it, searching through different objects on it quickly until he felt a cylinder under his fingers and grabbed it, taking the lid off.

-"Just like me…just like me…"

Not wasting another moment, the neck of the drug capsule pride his mouth open and at least five light pink tablets, all hard and solid, fell on his tongue and he forced himself to swallow them.

-"…just like m…" and the voice had disappeared.

Coughing harshly from the huge dose he'd just gulped down, Tala's eyes stared at the mirror, seeing his own reflection sitting on one knee grabbing onto its throat just the way he did now. Gone…but for how long?

Mind tricks.

When did they start?

They'll kill him soon, or he'll kill himself if he finds himself finally losing a true sane grip on reality.

But when?

Tala, still grasping at his throat, slowly stood up from the carpeted floor, and looking away from the mirror stared at the white wall trying to remember…

Oh yes, he remembered.

An average tall teenager wearing a bright red jacket stood in the freezing cold wind, his feet sank in the deep snow. A red, with multicolored lines on it, cap that he was wearing could barely keep on his head against the strong wind blowing right against him. His teeth were gritted, he was shivering, the light clothes he was wearing were covered in hoar-frost and it looked like he was going to fall into the deep cruel snow any moment. And yet he wasn't lost. In fact, he looked alive, his eyes filled with confidence and courage, nothing in comparison to Tala standing across of him, grabbing onto his head from the pain.

Battle against Tyson. He remembered…he remembered everything in such detail that it was shocking how much. He was this Cyber-Tala and even in the midst of the confusion of the pain, he remembered people saying that _his brainwaves were messed up. _He was this weapon of a Cyborg, he was made to win, he had to win…and he didn't. And then he shook hands with Tyson agreeing that he's won fair and square. Why did he do that?

That day, during the cold battle, he went insane. He went insane and though that seemed to have passed by, he still couldn't bear to remember himself being that.

That _is_ terrifying.

Tala frowned, his thick red eyebrows moving together, and slamming the bottle with drugs on the table's surface hardly, he went to the door, opening it and getting ready to leave for the day of the tournament.

Before walking out, his gaze traveled to the mirror, seeing the reflection of himself standing at the door and looking back. Still normal.

Tala made a mental note not to look beyond the glass of reality again and left the room.

He was empty and yet he was full. Strange. Why empty? Kai's mind searched the answer but couldn't find it.

His dark eyes glittered with the bright light of the sun outside of the car window and that started to annoy him already.

Tightening the hold of the dark beyblade in his hand, Kai leaned back on the leather seats from the sun beams and closed his eyes, his thoughts of hesitation scattering away…of course, why should he worry about it when nothing else matters anymore. He had all of the power just in the palm of his hand, he was the most powerful blader in the world now, that's for sure, and nothing would ever stop him from reaching the top again…Dranzer is gone, but Black Dranzer is back to take her place and that's the only thing that matters.

Tala, who sat right beside Kai, watched him carefully, trying not to think of what he had done to him. Freedom promise…yeah right, he shouldn't have believed Boris, he should have known better and he became willingly a part of the plan of distruction…the center of which sat right beside him.

Tyson lazily stretched out his arms and started to quickly crack the knuckles of his fingers, his eyes not looking anywhere in particularly, just wondering around, and locking on almost everyone in the beystadium. The finals were finally coming to an end. There were only them, Bladebreakers, left and then Neo-Borgs. No surprise…and he wasn't surprised. Defending his title for the last five years, Beyblade Champion didn't seem to be surprised with anything else anymore. Everyone that had ever been stronger was faced with already and even a couple of times.

-"I'll go first, Tyson," sounded Ray's quiet voice and Tyson's eyes met with sharp cat eyes in a moment. Always so brave and confident…always. Tyson looked away from his teammate for a second and glared at the gloomy team on the bench nearby, stopping his glare at Kai. _Why does he prefer them to us, his real team? Inasmuch as I hate to admit all the time…we need him. The team is empty without him, always has been._

-"Go ahead, we'll be behind you," he said, nodding slightly to Ray and looked away from the dark figure of his former teammate, who sat like a cold statue somewhere beside Tala without any motion or expression. "But leave Kai to me."

Ray's eyes widened marginally, but then came back to their normal sight, nodding back at Tyson understanding. Though it was almost an honor to battle Kai, he knew that Tyson is Kai's real opponent. Not him. And he always knew it, though denied it frequently.

All wrapped in his thoughts about winning this match no matter what, Ray turned to walk to the closed beydish, but Hilary's loud and concerned for some reason voice sounded, stopping him. "Wait, guys," she interrupted, her eyes focused attentively on Neo-Borgs team, her hands grasping each other with her long creamy fingers. "I don't see Arwen. Where is she?"

Tyson put on a questioning look on his face and looked at his opponents again, finally noticing something more than only Kai.

Arwen was truly not there.

Had these bastards done something to her? But not Kai, no, Tyson was sure that he would never have done anything on the dark side again. He learnt his lesson five years ago on the iced lake…right? Of course, no doubt.

-"Don't know," uttered Tyson slowly and threw a quick smile to Hilary. "But don't worry, I'm sure Kai's not that bad yet to let his team do something to her," he added and his smile disappeared soon after as he saw Spencer rising up from the bench and walking to battle.

Hilary smiled after him, feeling slightly better in her heart - she did know more about Arwen and Kai more then they let everyone know.

Ray didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged his broad shoulders, turning his head to look at Neo-Borgs, catching a dry and angry look from Tala, who almost every battle looked far more excited and diabolic looking than now. Ray's hands clenched into fists and he finally walked away from his team, making his team to the stadium, the loud cheering of the fans resounding sharply in his pointed ears. But ignored that because the only person that he was concentrated on, was a gigantically big and strong figure of Spencer, who was already waiting for the battle to start.

_I will win…for the Bladebreakers, _thought Ray, placed Driger into the launcher and threw in the ripcord. _I will be victorious._

-"LET IT RIP!" shouted both of the bladers into the air and the blades were flunked into the dish, starting a hard and intense battle right away.

Kai was cold physically, but he was not shivering from it, he just felt so inside. It felt empty from the unusual loss of warmth and care, the one that he used to get from Arwen.

_No! _He thought, convincing himself about his rightfulness right away. _I've done what had to be done…and I don't…regret it._

He could lie to himself, he could deny whatever he wished and that would work most of the time for him, but nothing was as simple anymore.

-'Don't regret it, feel the hatred, lust revenge forever ad you live on life without her – it is only me and you.'

Without understanding what was happening, Kai opened his eyes automatically and their usual glow of light in the imperceptible purple depths disappeared, the life in them vanished, and only the infinite profundity of the dark emptiness was left. He no longer heard the shouts of the fans around him, no long heard anything that Ray and Spencer were tossing to each other and saw nothing, only the pitch black darkness as if he's gone blind. The black with a shining red glitter vice was wrapping its long sharp tentacles around him, taking an absolute control of everything. He didn't mind.

Short rapid breathing…Quick, almost pounding, heart beating…The aura that started out bright green was starting to fade away…Kai could tell that the cat person was exhausted. He knew that he would collapse any moment and that Neo-Borgs will be victorious.

And then there is always Drigger.

A grin of a madman creased Kai's face and he hanged his head down, the curls of his blue hair falling on his forehead, shadowing his already dark eyes.

Drigger would be his…theirs.

Once his energy finally disappears of him, his Bit-Beast will belong to them, forever.

'3…2…1…yes, it's-'

-"DRIGER!" sounded loud, but drained voice out of the middle of the beystadium and the gigantic white tiger Bit-Beast rushed down at the mutant of Spencer, the metal blade pushing and knocking it out of the dish.

The stadium gone quiet for just a moment of time, but then it was taken over by the cheering for Ray, for winning so brilliantly.

_Oh_, went through Kai's mind, but was soon lost in the full domination of the black mystic that was just in the palm of his hand. 'Every lost one will belong to us…come here!' sounded a hissing distant voice once again, almost thundering on the distance, and Kai absentmindedly watched the pin of his new beyblade shining up with bloody red as the loud screeching came out of the stadium and was in a moment sucked in and gone in the dark core.

People had noticed. Noticed and stared in Kai's direction with both surprise and stupefied not understanding, before looking back at the stadium at still standing Ray and Spencer.

But AJ and Brad didn't like to be shut down by the silence and no action.

-"Ray is victorious for this first battle! Bladebreakers now have one factory on their behalf!"

Cheering almost deafened Ray, but he breathing hardly, made his way back to his team's bench, where he finally had a chance to calm down and relax with a smile of his team's happiness.

Tala, from any others, understood perfectly what happened. "Shit," he cursed under his breath, his eyes pierced on Kai sitting stood on the wooden bench, looking all folded, rumpled, but yet immensely dangerous.

Heavy loud footsteps sounded closuring quickly and Tala raised his head up, looking at Spencer, whose face was all twisted with convulsion of deep hate and anger.

-"What the fuck?!" he yelled out, spitting his saliva all over the place, cracking the knuckles of his fat fingers most violently. "What the fuck did you do? Where is my Seaborg 2? You're not supposed to do that!!" a strong hard fist rose above him, swinging the air with a quick whistling noise aiming at Kai's face.

-"Moron!" shouted Tala as he caught Spencer's fist inches before it hit emotionless and uncaring face of Kai, who seemed not to notice anything anymore. Taking a gigantic step towards his raged teammate, he condemned right in his ear. "Leave it be, it'll return. Don't test the power of Black Dranzer X, it's the last warning," he said furiously and nodded his head slightly in the direction of Kai,

Spencer growled in anger and baring his teeth stared at Kai, finally noticing what Tala meant.

-"I never liked him," muttered Spencer, while staring at Kai's rumpled form with unusual _thoughtfulness_ on his face. "And now I don't like him even more. Can he hear us?"

Tala shook his head on Spencer's question, suddenly remembering every word that Boris told him yesterday, being even able to hear his bass low voice of cold.

'_X is just something Biovolt had added to Black Dranzer. Kai won't see any difference of course, actually, I don't think he will see or understand anything anymore,' said Boris, his hot breath going right into Tala's ear and he felt himself shivering with disgust. 'Black Dranzer X has…I can say so, I guess, a mind of its own. It knows what it needs, it's more than just a Sacred now,' his voice and face became quite serious. 'I'm warning you…if you tell anything to him before he feels the Dranzer's core, no one will ever see you again…and neither will you.'_

Tala for a second forgot about the bey-battles that were going on at that very same moment, until the excited shouts of the narrators followed, snapping him out of his thinking right away.

-"And now, another battle is starting. Teams should have already decided another player already!"

Tala heard it and took his stare off Kai, looking at Spencer, knowing that he is the one to go now. If Arwen wasn't simply ripped out from Kai's life so suddenly, she would have been the one to fight ray. But now it's up to him to battle Max and his Draciel. Not an easy feat, he still desired to face Tyson and make him pay for winning that battle in Russia years ago. But the dark crazy looking figure of Kai before him, reminded him of Boris' and Biovolt's wish.

The step away from facing Tyson was taken again.

-"I'll go," said calmly Tala, looked away and reached with his hand into the pocket-bag on the thigh of his right leg, taking out Wolfborg and making his way into the lights of the stage lights of the stadium. A new gigantic dish was already lifting up and out of the ground as that one got crack all over its smooth metallic surface.

Spencer, still burning with fury and anger of losing his Seaborg 2, sat down on the bench the wooden support of which squeaked sadly under his weight, and kept as far away from Kai as possible.

Kai didn't notice, didn't see, didn't hear and didn't care. His mind was empty, his self-consciousness was gone, and there were only the vice's tight grasp and a hissing whispering noise in his inner ear, ordering, demanding, screeching…

And he consented.

He couldn't not consent when the world for him was dead and everything that used to give warmth and life to him…was gone.

His eyes were blank, his head was hanged down between his broad shoulders, but he could still be able to distinguish the bright and dull lights of fury, confidence and hatred burning in the pitch black darkness.

The new person's light was bright yellow, the one of joy and happiness. It was somehow both sensible and visible. The one of the happy smile…

'_Max, he smiles…'_ sounded an unknown and really distant voice, which sounded slightly familiar but Kai didn't recognize it. _'He smiles even when he has nothing…' _it sounded quiet, and yet there could be heard the marginally invisible notes of hurt, pain and even sorrow. But though somewhat part of him seemed to want to reach for the recognition of it, the other part was much stronger. It held him off, and it even seemed slightly alien.

Oh well…

-'Take any Sacred, doesn't matter whose. Nothing must matter to you anymore, only my hunger.' The voice was guiding him, being bitter, sweet and horrifying at the same time. And moment later the doubt was gone, it was just darkness and emptiness again.

He obeyed.

-"What happened?" uttered Tyson quietly and unsurely, his eyes pierced on the motion at the Neo-Borgs' team, frowning in doubt and even worry once Spencer tried to hit Kai unsuccessfully for some reason. Tala didn't let him…why? Didn't Tala hate Kai more than anything?

Or maybe Spencer had a good reason for wanting to hit Kai, actually. Tyson sure didn't like what happened to Seaborg, but he was not familiar with Spencer's Bit-Beast as anyone else was.

-"Beats me," simply shrugged Hilary, telling a pure truth. She didn't know and didn't really care about Spencer or his blade. She was more interested and concerned on the battle that had already started with Max and Tala.

-"You're going down," said Tala dryly, grinned wildly and walking off in the dark shadow, his eyes burned up with the fire. Stretching out his long scrawny arms and spiking out his white fingers, his body twisted in a weird angle, him now reminding of the pure devil. The thousands of ice cold snowflakes spin around him in the white tornado, the unimaginable power getting unleashed from the small metal object spinning down in the dish.

Max crossed his arms around his shoulders, lowering his head down, as the cold wind started flowing its white waves right towards him, simply blowing him and his blade out of the beydish. But he was not going to give up. Never did and never will.

-"Draciel!" Max yelled out and the gigantic dinosaur creature Bit-Beast floating right above the dish, screeched and tried to walk through the wind's fury and try to knock Wolfborg out.

Tala looked up, gazed at the strong will of Draciel still trying to win and shook his head slightly. "Won't work. I did have a much better impression of you, Max," and saying that, Tala's eyes glittered with steel and the wind being at least -10C, he mindedly ordered to finish Draciel off. And so Wolfborg did. Sending another cold tornado of its transparent essence to Max's Bit-Beast, it simply turned him into an ice-statue.

-"No!" shouted Tyson, jumping up from his seat, his hear clenching deep down. "Max, look out!!!" he yelled out into the loud and cold suspense of the stadium, knowing perfectly what Tala was planning to do, seeing this same strategy sometime already.

It was too late.

Both Bit-Beast and Max's beyblade back down were covered in ice, which stopped their movements, just locking them in one position. The circling around the metal dish beyblade of Tala changed its direction, just rushing at the green blade with its maximum speed.

-"No, Draciel!" shouted Max in despair, and narrowed his sad eyes as Wolfborg slammed into an iced sculpture, knocking it out of the dish. Max's shocked eyes rolled down to look at his Draciel lying on the dirty ground of the stadium, right before his snickers, seeing the multiple cracks on its axis, sides and inside engine.

But the pin with Draciel's image was safe.

His grandmother's wish of the gift was safe.

-'Come here,' demanded the hiss, and Kai's lips parted right after the order. "Come here," he repeated in an empty emotionless whisper, stretching out his hand with a grasp on Black Dranzer, its core shining in a burning bright red glitter. And meters away from Kai, Draciel's core shined up and Max's eyes widened. "What's going on?" he questioned mostly himself, slowly knelt down on the ground and picked up his blade, still feeling quite numb from the cold and sorrow of losing. _I let my team down…I let you down, Draciel. I'm so sorry, guys,_ he thought sadly, grabbed his fragile looking blade from the ground, still staring at the shining pin.

Really, what was going on? And the answer had followed.

A quiet distant cry sounded in Max's ears and moment after that the pin stopped shining and Max's big eyes widened even more, if it was possible, once he realized that he was looking into an empty, imageless blade.

Draciel was gone.

His hands started to tremble, his face turned white and deep down he felt ice. Heavy, cruel ice, much harsher than Tala's and it was weighting down. The dismay and sorrow started to take him over.

-"DRACIEL!" he shouted in out in despair and out loud, the loud cheering of the crowd going silent.

-"What's happening…is he alright…what's going…on?" people started asking in a whisper from each other, the stadium being taken over by a whispering quiet sound that reminded of the leaves under the strong wind. Even the narrators' had gone quiet.

Tala quickly jerked his head in the direction of Kai; the sound of Max's cry still ringing in his ears, staring at Kai with the unbelievable growing hatred. And not only at him - also at himself. _What have I done? _He thought angrily and clenched his fists. _I've despised Boris all my life, and yet I do everything he wants me to do…I am nothing. I have no will I'm a wretched monster! _He looked away from him and gazed at his pitiful defeated opponent on his knees and his team with Tyson in the lead, running over to him. And everything was still quiet.

-"Alright, AJ, is it me or am I…confused?"

-"That's not only you, Brad, the whole stadium is confused! Anyhow, for the battle for the title of the next world champion…is no one else but Tyson and Kai!"

The crowd couldn't stay silent forever either. Once the narrators had sounded, it was again taken over by the loud shouts, cheering and screaming for two of the most powerful beybladers in the world.

Everyone's heart would have filled with joy from such pride, glory and happiness, but little did people know about what it really felt like.

Kai didn't feel, saw or heard anything under the totalitarian control of Black Dranzer, and Tyson was too shaken with Max's attitude and a sudden disappearing of Draciel. How did that happen?

And now it was all up to him to win against the equally strong blader now, up to him again and once again.

It was Kai and him.

The best battles were only with Kai, the best action, equality, tension and excitement of the real beyblade had always been only with him.

But he didn't feel the same at the moment. Something just felt different and not the same once his gaze traveled to Kai, who seemed more dead and uncaring than ever. But it was probably nothing as usual…

-"Take care of him," Tyson whispered as bent to Ray and Ray, still exhausted marginally, nodded understandingly, taking a hold of Max's shoulder and pulling him back up on his feet. Kenny and Hilary helped Max to get back up as well, not wasting any time of getting out the stage to their bench as the final and last battle this year was starting already.

The new arena was starting to lift up and it was quite surprising for how long could the crowd of the super beyblade fans literally scream out for hours, without ever breaking their voices.

Tyson walked up to his stand at the arena and closed his dark eyes, reaching for the launcher and cold metal blade- Dragoon. _Let's do this, Dragoon, give me all of your power and strength, and make me proud the way you always did. Let's win._

-'Show him the power of the real champion,' whispered the voice around him and Kai felt the vice pulling him up from the bench with the same tight grasp. 'Use me and forever be victorious.' And Kai complied without any hesitation and second thoughts of course, and started to finally make his way to the middle of the stadium, where Tyson was already waiting for him and the battle of the year to begin.

Kai wished he could stop grinning without any reason. He wished he could rise his head up and finally be able to see something more than just the bright dark blue light around the shadow standing nearby. And he also wished that he could be able to try to understand what was going on around him at that moment and hear something more than the surrounding him whisper of control and power.

-'No, don't push me away. We need each other and we were made for each other…nothing must matter to you now except me and power. Isn't it what you really want?'

Was it or wasn't it? He didn't know, he couldn't make up his mind, but more exactly – he wasn't let to do that and though knowing it, he didn't fight it. It was like an amnesia, one moment he was thinking and questioning his own moves that he didn't seem to be doing, and another moment he was forgetting about what he was thinking before and was continuing to obey. Obey who, by the way?

But who cares?-

'_I've…fallen for you, no wonder everyone adores you so much, Kai,' _sounded a quiet, sad and unsure voice. So familiar and yet so unknown and distant. _'You didn't feel the same, I would never believe that you did and the memory of all of that saddened me so much…that I suppressed it, forgetting everything.' _The voice was…girlish. But yet, he was not sure anymore as the seconds, minutes or maybe even hours or days were passing him right now and Kai found it increasingly hard to understand anything more, remember or even to think.

'_Why hadn't you stopped me from leaving, Kai?' _the voice sounded again and it was now full of despair and for a moment Kai actually thought that he saw the glitter of tears. _'Arw…'_ another voice sounded and faded away, without finishing what _he_ had to say. _'Goodbye.'_

Why did all of that was making him feel so heavy? He felt something weird and aching and started to try to figure it out, search for the answer, try to move…

-'No, stop. Stop doing that, I order you. Now launch!'

And he forgot what he was thinking about again. And stopped caring as well. His gloved hand reached for the launcher on his belt and plugged the beyblade into it, getting out the ripcord.

Tyson opened his eyes, quickly looked over the figure of his opponent and friend and frowned. It was Kai who stood there before him, but it wasn't _really_ him. Tyson didn't know why, it just didn't feel like he was facing against Kai right now…more like someone or something else.

Kai never smiled like that, he smiled really rarely, and the grin that was now on his lips was more of a wild and mad one. His movements were not the same, Kai always stood tall, proud and confident. Now he was rumpled, stoop and reminding of someone who is really sick and had just been out of the hospital.

And real Kai would look at him, in his eyes.

Something was not right and Tyson knew it. But what was really?

-"Kai…" he had spoken and placed the Dragoon in the launcher, inserting the ripcord. He thought of asking him of what was happening to him, but decided not to. "Our strength is equal, but let's show these people the battle of the year they really crave to see!"

But that day nothing was the same or at least close to something that Tyson was expecting.

A quiet emotionless laugh sounded from Kai and in a midst of loud cheering, excitement and yells of the narrators…Tyson heard it and felt the danger growing.

-"No," Kai's lips parted to say and another set of laughing, now much louder, had followed.

-"What?" questioned Tyson unsurely and lowered the launcher down slightly. What was so funny? And why was Kai laughing? Why did he find something funny anyway?

No, this wasn't Kai for sure. It had something to do with Biovolt of course, but Tyson didn't know what. The feeling of danger was growing.

-"No, we are not equal," Kai said, his voice sounding not only uncaring and expressionless, but also double sided for some reason, except it sounded slightly distant and in a hiss. Tyson swore he heard two voices speaking, but he wouldn't let his imagination full him. "Not anymore," added the cold voice and a dry unpleasant laugh escaped after it, dragging all of the stadium's attention even more, people going quiet.

-"Uh," Tyson coughed with shock from such a surprising statement and partially looked down. And what he saw there shocked and horrified him immensely.

The arena was covered in the mirrored and at the same time, transparent surface, with a strong holding exterior that was made to hold on the power and pressure. The sun's bright beams were reflecting in it, sending the beams and lights of happiness around the stadium.

But it wasn't something that took Tyson's attention.

The reflection.

The reflection of Kai that was clearly shown on the cold crystal surface was not the same as its owner's. In the reflection, Tyson could see his opponent's stoop and dark figure and the most gigantic and dark power essence floating around and above him, wrapping its transparent dark ends around him fully.

It was a quintessence of a spirit that looked like a bird or more exactly black glittering phoenix, with which Tyson was too much familiar with to not be terrified.

-"Black Dranzer…no, no can't be. Kai…" the words that were escaping his mouth were quiet and reminded of a soft mumble. "How could you?" Tyson asked, looked up, his eyes full of despair, dismay and even hurt. _How could you do this? I thought you never wanted to use it. You promised, Kai, you promised! _Kai betrayed him and Bladebreakers so many times before…but trying to win with Black Dranzer again was something unbearable. "How could you?" he repeated, his voice changing from sad, weak and quiet to strong, loud, confident and most of all – angry.

_Only power…he only thought of power. I don't matter to him. No one does._

-"You're not my friend anymore, Kai," Tyson shouted at him, feeling his eyes hurt and it was not only because of the sun's reflection. He was betrayed so much, Kai really did think of only power and it is known where Spencer's and Max's Bit-Beasts went. He took them away! "Can you hear me? You are not my friend, Kai!" He shouted out, grabbed the end of his cap and forwarded it on his eyes so the sun won't bother him anymore and again, while he was going to destroy. "YOU ARE MY ENEMY!!! LET IT RIP!!" he yelled out almost hysterically and launched Dragoon in the dish, the anger, hate and grief boiling in his veins rapidly.

And Kai coldly and uncaringly just launched Black Dranzer in the dish as well, not understanding any of the yells that were sent to him.

The crowd that had been waiting for this battle for over a year was both puzzled and confused. But the real beybladers that were there at the stand understood Tyson's fury, anger and sorrow. And the Bladebreakers were more than shocked and understandable about that. Kai was a real traitor. And not only with changing the teams whenever he felt like it…but also with playing with their trust, care and friendship.

The Black Dranzer was back and the person that held it was a traitor, who was just an empty vessel for the Dark Sacred Spirit. And both of them together were simply unbeatable.

_I am trapped in my shadow, the own dimension of fear and horror, forever lost in the world of mind. Through the mirrored surface…there is a universe of freedom's passion – that is beyond the looking glass. _


End file.
