Trial By Old Flames

Chapter Eleven: Disobeying Orders

Distant Storm

x x x

Carrie spent the day basically analyzing stats with Kenny, and cheering with Hilary. It was a side to beyblading that she didn't usually see, but she really enjoyed it, none the less. The first team they faced off against put up a pitiful resistance, something Kenny said was absolutely normal, and that the boys were also really hyped up and ready for some action.

Ray walked back to the bench, sitting on the end, next to Carrie. "You want a piece of this, don't you?" He asked her quietly. She nodded a bit, and watched Tyson go out and face their second opposing team. Ray had just won.

"Good job," She said, focusing on the match in front of her. After a moment, she couldn't resist asking, "Is he always so carefree and confident?"

"Yep," Hilary said. She smiled at Carrie, then went back to watching Tyson. Ray leaned over a whispered in her ear.

"It's just because she's in love with him," He said. Both smiled secretively. "But typically, he's pretty wound up, like this. If we face Daichi in this tournament, I guess we'll see which one of them can be the most hyper."

Both turned their toward the battle. Tyson had taken the kid out in a matter of minutes, no bit beasts involved. Carrie got up with the others and walked away, knowing who the next team was. And tomarrow, they would be sure to get it. Good. There was no way anyone was going to deny her the right to battle the Saint Shields.

x x x

"Do it again, Tala!" Boris Balkov's voice echoed through the large concrete room that his, or rather, his employer's team was training in. So far, none of them had been able to stand up to Kai, though, Boris figured they wouldn't be. It would take a miracle to beat a cyber infused, dark bit beast. Tyson barely beat the creature when Tala used it, so now when his best friend and captain did, well, they were going for a bit of a mental breakdown.

Though, somewhere in his mind, he knew they were going to be taking down Carrie, and only Tala or Kai would be the ones to do it. He really didn't mind Carrie, though the blonde hair and the pretty smile really covered up who she was. Anyone who was that close to him was a monster inside, and this look she had on display for everyone to see had to be a facade. No one could out live the Abbey. That was a place that never escaped you. In all reality, Boris figured that The Abbey was probably a duplicate of a place located centrally in hell and run by Satan himself, so Boris could see just where he was going.

"Yes sir!" Tala launched his beyblade again, sending it straight forward to collide with Kai's black beyblade. Black Dranzer just kept absorbing attacks, and Kai didn't even look phased. Tala regrouped, allowing the other two members of their team, Brady and Mark, to attack. There was a small falter in the black beyblade's spin, and Kai quickly focused on making it perfect again, reinforcing his defences, with an eerie blackberry colored glow of light.

"That's enough," Balkov called after a few moments. "We have the final match tonight. I'm sure we'll be the ones to win." He looked at the four beybladers before him. "Brady, you're first. Then Mark. If it is necessecary to have a third battle, which is shouldn't, Tala, you're up. And as for you, Kai," He said looking toward the boy, whose eyes glittered with evil upon the use of Black Dranzer, "Keep your hood up, and don't let them know who you are. We want you to be our surprise secret weapon."

"Yes sir!" The four boys nodded, their missions understood and returned to their rooms. Voltaire approached from the opposite corridor.

"These boys will definitely make it all the way. Black Dranzer has once again become quite the force to be reconed with. Now, all we have to do is figure out which one Kai will take out, Carrie or Tyson." Boris looked up at his boss.

"I'd say Carrie, sir, because it would destroy her. We are aiming to destroy their team, and we'll start with the weakest link. I checked the stats, sir, and her bit beast is not registered. Which means..."

"Pyrina has abandoned her? How saddening. I thought she'd be a little more appropriate than this. Ahh well, perhaps taking her out would be the best way to go." Boris nodded. Just because he said he didn't mind Carrie, didn't say he didn't hate her for her weakeness. Kai was indeed her weakness, and that's what they were going to use on her.

x x x

Carrie stood out on the frigid balcony of their hotel, staring out into the world she was brought up into. She loved the winter wonderland that was Russia, but she hated the memories. She stuck her hand into her pocket and felt two beyblades. Knowing immediately which one was which, she pulled out the blue one, and closed her eyes. The boys weren't around, so she could do this without causing a scene.

'Dranzer?' Carrie heard her voice echo through her mind, though she had said nothing. 'Can you hear me?'

Yes. Why do you have my blade, young one?

'I'm just holding on to it for a while, but I was wondering if you knew where Kai was. And I'm sorry I just kind of took you.'

You have a good heart, young one, I can see that. As for Kai, my master wasn't the same the last time I battled with him. He was very much like his grandfather.

'What do you mean?' Carrie's heart was racing. She had met Voltaire, and mixing Kai and him and getting them relatively close to the same team was a horrible idea.

He was with Tala and two others, but he was not himself. His passion for beyblading didn't seem to exsist. All he did was use me to destroy. Somekind of barrier was put up in his mind, like a poison. I couldn't get in his head to stop him.

'The darkness?'

It wasn't completely darkness child, it was more of a mind block. Someone had given him something, because the barrier I ran into was indeed artificial.

'Thank you for telling me this. Was Voltaire or anyone like that around with him?'

Both Boris and Voltaire. Things aren't really looking good, child, if they got rid of me, then they gave him a new beyblade, and a new bit beast.

'Oh dear God,' Carrie said, her eyes brimming up with tears. 'This is not what we need. Black Dranzer will destroy his heart!'

Young one, you know about that? That is information one who has experienced very much knows about.

'I am one of the worst people, though my heart is pure today. I had a lot of help. I was Boris' second in command, Dranzer. The creator of quite a few gauntlets.'

Then you pulled through. I trust you to help Kai do the same. Enough to let you use me to battle.

'I greatly appreciate that, but I will continue to use my own beyblade. The real Kai is in there somewhere, and I don't want to have to put you on the line to get him back.'

You have great heart, child. Courage, though I know you are afraid. Know that I am on your side, and you may call upon me at any time. You, my dear, are as much my mistress as Kai now. You don't want power. You want-

'Love.'

x x x

"Welcome to the final battle of the Russian leg of these World Championships! Our final round is the Saint Shields versus the Bladebreakers!"

Carrie closed her eyes and focused on the team opposite them. Ozuma caught her glance and smiled. She knew he was going to do something that would threaten Dranzer. Only someone stupid wouldn't know that. He didn't find her worthy. And she would change that.

"This is Brad Best and AJ Topper coming to you live to give you all the details about today's battles. The Saint Shields are rearing and ready to go. Let's just hope that the Bladebreakers can take them even with the loss of their captain, Kai."

"You can say that again, Brad," AJ commented. "Ozuma was seen earlier this week challenging Carrie, of the Bladebreakers. Something about worthiness and bit beasts. We'll have to see what happens, but it's sure to be a scorcher, here in the cold lands of Russia!"

Tyson looked over to Ozuma, who was still glaring at Carrie. "What are you staring at?" Tyson asked him. The leader turned to Tyson.

"I want to battle her."

"That isn't your decision," Ray interrupted. "That's ours."

"Yeah," Max said as well, adding in his part of the conversation. "Tyson, who is going to battle Ozuma? Are you going to?"

Carrie knew better than to interrupt this conversation. She was still the newbie.

"I think it's time you proved yourself," Tyson said, clapping Carrie on the shoulder. "Use Dranzer."

Max, Ray, and Kenny looked at the champion in pure shock. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"She already used Dranzer against him," Ray warned. "Ozuma will not hesitate to destroy his beyblade and take Dranzer."

"That's why I-"

"Challengers to the beydish!"

"Go on," Tyson said. He had taken over the coaching duties. "If you beat him, there's nothing Ozuma can do."

Carrie nodded and stood up, walking up the five steps that led to the beydish.

You may, if you'd like.

'I know where my alliances are. And I know who my duties are to.'

Good luck.

She pulled out Dranzer and squeezed it tightly, the pushed her hand back into her pockets and withdrew a beyblade.

"Ready?"

Ozuma smirked at her, watching her lock her beyblade into the launcher, and slide in the rip cord. "I'm going to cage that phoenix."

"Over my. Dead. Body." She gritted her teeth.

"Three, two, one-"

"LET IT RIP!"

"Crossfire!"

"Let's go." Ozuma's beyblade began glowing, and fire began to shoot out everywhere, catching Carrie's beyblade.

"Come on Car!" Ray yelled. "Take him out!"

"What is she doing?" Tyson asked, watching her evade countless attacks. At this rate, she was going to lose.

"Use Dranzer!" Max yelled.

"I won't," she said quietly. Hilary caught it.

"What did she just say?" Tyson asked. Hilary looked at him, and closed her eyes.

"She said she won't." Tyson banged both fists against the bench.

"But she's using Kai's beyblade!"

"No she isn't," Kenny said, analyzing the battle. "There's no extra energy coming from that beyblade. It's just a plain old beyblade, built for speed, attacks, and endurance. The dynamics are pretty good though."

"What the hell are you doing?" Tyson yelled at her. She turned and looked at him for a split second.

"I'm doing this my way." She turned back to Ozuma, who seemed pleased with himself.

"I'm going to take you down."

"No you aren't." She looked at her beyblade, watching it pick up speed. "Tornado rush!" The beyblade spun so fast that it formed a vortex that engulfed the entire arena, thus sending an off guard Flash Leopard out of the dish.

"You beat me?" Ozuma looked confused, and a trifle frustrated. She shrugged.

"I was raised here in Russia. Abbey kids were taught how to use more than their bit beasts to win battles." She turned around and walked primly back to the bench, where Tyson shoved her against the wall.

"What do you think you were doing?" He spat in her face.

"I won't use Dranzer."

"Excuse me?" Tyson shook her. "Do you think we need to lose? I want to get him back, and if someone doesn't use Dranzer, then we probably never will!"

"You don't know that," Ray said.

"I know that she's no good for us," Tyson stated angrily. "You're off the team."

Carrie's eyes widened and she looked at the group silently, pulling out Dranzer.

"You don't mean that, Tyson," Max said. "She did a good job. Look, she beat Ozuma, without a bit beast!"

"What good does it do if some nameless girl goes out and beats people and we still can't find Kai? Dranzer would know how to do it."

"Dranzer," Carrie said, on the verge of losing her temper, "Told me that it was my decision. My duties don't just lie to your team and to Kai. I owe Pyrina more than you could ever know, and I will not dishonor her spirit."

"She's not coming back to you," Tyson stated cruelly. Tears formed in the corner of Carrie's eyes and she looked over to the Saint Shields, who were anxiously awaiting their next battle.

Carrie broke out of Tyson's grip, and left the bench. "When you get back to the hotel, you won't find me there. Good luck, Bladebreakers." With that, the woman got up and walked away. Hilary slapped Tyson across the face.

"I have half a mind to slap you once for me too." She got up and ran after Carrie, while the crowd watched impatiently.

"Are you going to beybattle, or are you going to cat fight?" Dunga challenged. Tyson got up and approached the arena.

"Let's go."

x x x

"Look, I'm leaving, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Tyson is stubborn, but I'll help you pack." Carrie looked up at Hilary, through clouded eyes. No one had offered to help her in a decision that seemed completely irrational before. "He needs to understand that we all miss Kai just as much as he does."

The blonde wiped the tears off her face and smiled. "Look at me, I'm being such a baby."

"You love Pyrina, and Tyson had no right to say that to you. He's just frustrated because he's never been captain before." She looked at the television playing the battle. "We won though," The brunette said. "Too bad Tyson lost. Now he definitely knows he should apologize, and if he doesn't, I think the boys will beat him into a pulp so there is nothing left of him to torture poor innocent girls like us."

Carrie laughed and threw the rest of her clothes into the suitcase. "Dranzer did talk to me, just so you know," she said, turning serious.

"I'd believe it. Kai was worried about you, those years you were in the states. I think part of him was afraid that you'd try to repress everything and forget about him."

"I'd never do that. I need my past. It's part of who I am, even if it is horrible."

About ten minutes later, every single item that Carrie had brought had been condensed into one suitcase and a duffel bag. She slung the bag over her shoulder and grabbed the suitcase handle, planning to wheel it out to the hotel lobby and call for a cab.

"Waaaaiiiiiit!" Max, Ray, and Kenny flew into the room, breathing heavily.

Kenny spoke brokenly, trying to catch his breath. "You. No. Leave."

She placed her hands on her hips. "And why not?"

"Because," A voice came from the doorway, "I was wrong."

The occupants of the room turned around, mouths hitting the ground. "What the fuck?" Ray asked. "You're kidding me."

Tyson smiled sheepishly. "If you want to leave, fine, but let's go for a walk, then you can decide."

Carrie opened her mouth to say something snotty, and thought better of it. If she did that she would be no better than Tyson had been to her. "A-alright," she confirmed, throwing her bags on the floor. Tyson extended a hand but she left the room unassisted.

Hilary smiled. "Perhaps he is growing up after all."

"Or maybe he realized that we'd get kicked out of the tournament if we don't have four beybladers."

Max and Ray rolled their eyes at Kenny's comment. "Let's just be grateful here, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

x x x

that would be chapter eleven... woot. I know, I know, it isn't very long, but work with me here, I'm trying to make the chapters longer as I go. I know this one is kinda short so next chapter should be better. And possibly a little upsetting to our dear characters...

if you hit that purple button, it will make all the short peoples happy.

(yes, I am a short person)

Distant Storm x3