Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Beyblade. Figures, doesn't it?

The Real Me

Chapter One

Distant Storm

x x x

Hilary Tabitiana looked directly into her best friend's eyes, annoyance and frustration completely visible.

"I don't understand why you won't teach me, Tyson. I built the beyblade myself. You don't know how hard I worked at this."

"Hilary, it's not just a pushover sport. It's not really for too many girls. You're not really the-"

"The what? The type?"

"Well, yeah." Tyson pulled one of his gloves over his hand and pulled his beyblade out of his pocket. Hilary was a handful, and he knew it was probably for the best, if she didn't get involved. Especially with her temper.

"I'll show you," Hilary said. She stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

"Really?" Tyson's temper was at it's end as well, and he had just about enough of her pleading, which had lasted almost all day. "What are you going to do? Go ask Kai to teach you?"

Hilary didn't dignify that with an answer, though the kid that stood out off the back deck of the dojo training looked at her curiously, but she shook her head. "There's no way I'm going to stick around here and deal with this. I'll do it on my own." She turned and walked out onto the grass that marked Tyson's back yard. She stormed off, using the anger she hadn't released at him to propel her to walk faster.

On the way, she passed Tyson's older brother, Hiro, captain of the BBA Revolution.

"I'll see you tomorrow when you give up," Tyson called to her retreating figure. Hiro sighed. Yet another fight. He sat down next to his brother, looking at him, to try and guess what the fight was about.

"What was it this time?" Hiro asked, after coming up with no possible explanation. Tyson shrugged.

"She wanted me to teach her to beyblade."

"What?" Hiro tried to control his laughter. "She isn't really, well, the type. Hilary's a typical girl."

Daichi withdrew his beyblade and walked inside. The sun was beginning to get too bright, and he wanted some water.

"I tried to tell her that," Tyson explained. "She just said she was going to do it, and I said that I'd see her tomorrow when she gave up. She'll never stick to it."

Daichi appeared in the doorway. "I think she will," he said. Both brothers looked at him, but he closed his eyes, ignoring them.

"Yeah, sure, kid, and I'm going to lose to her, right?"

"She's not the type to just give up, especially when it's you who doubts her." Tyson looked at him. The kid had actually made some sense.

x x x

Meanwhile, Hilary sprinted the final distance to her house, annoyed. She knew that she was going to prove him wrong. Had he given her a chance, she thought, he would've realized that it wasn't that she just decided to start on a whim, but it was because of her bit beast. At first, she thought she was hearing voices, and that she was crazy, but then she saw the pink and white dragon in person. She'd never forget that night.

It had been really late, about four thirty in the morning, and Hilary wasn't able to sleep. She had decided to go outside and take a walk. In the end, she wound up on the beach, where the BBA Revolutions had trained for an entire summer. She sat down in the sand, trying to calm herself, when she saw something out in the water. It was a bit chip, completely blank, but entirely new. She waded in to her knees and grabbed it, only to be enclosed in a cocoon of soft pink light.

When she opened her eyes, she realized she was on the beach, and in her hands was the bit she had retrieved. However, when she looked at the chip, there was a figure on it. A white dragon, with pink armor and a set of three horns on it's head, lining up from shortest to tallest. Her hands enclosed the bit, and she whispered her question.

"What's your name?"

Dragonara.

x x x

"What do you need, coz?" Hilary smiled. One person who would always be there for her.

"Help. I want to beyblade and Tyson's being an ass. He won't help me at all. Doesn't think I'm the type."

"Well now, I guess we'll just have to show him up. There's a tournament coming up in Miami here in a few months. I could help you get into that, but you'd have to come and live here-"

"I'll go online and buy my ticket right now."

"Did you ask Aunt Carolyn?"

"AJ, I'm working on getting out of here. You know she'll be all for it." There was a pause, and the sound of fingers working a keyboard.

"Alright, well you do know that the BBA Revolutions are going to be there, right?" She heard a sound that meant to AJ that Hilary had dropped the phone. "Hilary, pick the phone up."

"You mean that they're going to be there? As in competing?"

"No, hells no." AJ paused. "They're going to be watching it. Dickenson always does this so that kids can watch the world champs a bit, but they can compete and hopefully get some recognition. It's like the US open, but you have to be able to beat some people to in."

"Who?"

"A BBA squad leader. Nothing too difficult, and even they're some of the toughest competition."

"Alright. So we can do it?"

"You can. I'm not entering. Dickenson would kill me if I did. Apparently I'm too good, and he said he's going to have an assignment for me. But I'll explain later. We need to get you to Miami. Buy tickets and talk to your mom. Then you can call me."

"Thanks AJ, I appreciate it. I figured you'd help me. Dragonara thanks you as well."

"Dragonara?"

"My bit beast."

"Oh dang, girl, you're probably going to win this thing if you've got a bit beast. I can't wait to start with the training." The girl paused. "You're welcome too. I can't wait to see you again."

"Me either. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, bye."AJ hung up the phone and walked back outside, sliding the glass door shut behind her.

"Who was that?" AJ smiled and sat down on the edge of the pool. The boy in the pool got out and sat next to her. She had been with him for quite some time, and none of his friends had any idea.

"My cousin Hilary. She's coming to live with me for awhile so she can learn to beyblade."

"You're kidding." He stood up and looked down at her. "She's not really the- oomph!" The young woman laughed as he came back up to the surface of the water, a quizzical look apparent on his face.

"You need to be nice, she's trying to take out your rival. But he doesn't doubt you, he doubts her."

"She'll beat him," He said calmly. "In one way or another." With that, he grabbed her ankles, which were under the water and began to pull her into the pool. "Come on, I've been in and out of this pool a ton of times. Get in."

"Let go of my ankles, and I will." He did as she asked, and the young woman ran to the diving board quickly. She dove in perfect form, without a splash. She came up to the surface directly behind him and laid her head on his shoulders. He turned and looked at her. "See, I'm in."

"No, I don't." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, and she rolled her eyes. She let go of him and swam to the opposite end of the pool, reaching up her arms and grabbing onto the diving board. Her brown hair was soaked, though and array of red and almost purple highlights still appeared because of the sun behind her. He smirked at her from the opposite side.

"You know, you're so weird, Kai."

x x x

Well, it's kinda short, but I hope you like it. Please review.

x3 Distant Storm