Dark: Pfft, change of plans. Ha. No climax here xD Better saying, not quite. Just read, you'll see. Thought this way it would be much better. Then again, that's just me saying. Hope you enjoy. It's longer than the last. And don't forget to review, please.

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

Italics thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

Chapter 13… Frustrating Ignorance

Iris wasn't sure what awakened her.

Sound. The sounds surrounding her? Perhaps; there was loud shouting, stuff breaking or, at least, falling to the ground, running, some inanely loud beeping, harsh breathing that came and went and- was that the sound of rotors from a frigging helicopter or just her stupid imagination?

Touch. She felt several muscles trembling as soon as she took notice of several pairs of hands on her. Such a thing was bringing unpleasant memories back, which she would be very happy if they would stay buried down. Both her hands felt as if thousands of tiny ants were attempting to make them their next meal, for she could barely twitch her fingers; there was something on her wrists that was cutting off her circulation. There was also some stinging upon the whole length of her legs, which left her wondering.

Taste. Her mouth felt like cotton, that really dry one, and her throat was just like a piece of old parchment. Her tongue was sluggish, as if she had slept for a really, really long time and didn't move it once and she could swear she tasted blood upon it.

Smell. She could smell the freshness of water nearby and humidity was heavy in the air. And antiseptic. Yes, medical equipment was there and most likely on her, because the scent of Betadine was almost too much to bear and alcohol tickled her nose, making her wish she could move to the side to cough decently. But her dried throat wouldn't let her either way.

But what scared her the most was her sight. I… I can't see.. I can't see.

She simply couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, just receive the little stimulus her eyelids allowed, like the abundance of whites or beiges or yellows or something that was light coloured above her, then other something (some things?) a bit darker moving too.

And then there was a painful puncture upon her chest, off to the left, the feeling of glass being thrust into her and– (Wait, was that an inject-?) But all thought suddenly stopped and she could see clearly now, was sitting up, harshly gasping for breath as if she had just did the whole fifty something kilometres for a triathlon competition in about two seconds and two hands held her torso gently, but firmly, one on one shoulder and the other upon her upper chest.

A friendly face suddenly popped into her field of vision (it was just made of the length of her bandaged (Bandaged?!) body half covered by sheets and that was it) and Iris knew this man was a young doctor, had to be. He spoke in Brazilian, a bright smile upon his lips.

"Welcome back, lass! Sorry about the suddenness, that was an adrenaline shot I just gave you, directly to the heart. Bet you feel tired as heck, but it'll pass, no worries. Although seeing as you wouldn't wake up, I had to take harsher measures."

"I… I see… That's fine. Thank you, I guess." Absently catching her breath, she young woman looked around. She felt very confused. As a result, she brought her legs up to her chest, a habit she still had as a child, one Yuriy mocked her about-

Her breath hitched.

In that split second, the more recent memories of what had happened in the centre of the forest, at the finals, came back to her.

Kironi and Tiff's battle. Kironi's victory. Viscera Nigror's happiness. Rui annoying Tiff. Nevola. Axel's eyes looking at her in worry. And then, absolutely nothing.

Nothing at all.

Was I knocked out? Did I faint? What… happened?

But no one answered. Not even Lugiohan. Another painful tug upon her chest made her realize this harsh fact; she could not feel her bit beast.

"Where…" she hopelessly looked at the doctor. Then at two nurses who were leaning over her improvised bed. Improvised, because she was on a spacious helicopter, she had noticed that by looking out of the small squares that were the windows and reconfirming the noise of the metal blades that were the rotors of the aircraft. "Where is my team? And the winners of the tournament?"

The smile on the good man's lips faded a little and the three adults exchanged a look. That only made the fear and dread in her stomach to twist and churn some more.

Iris bit back a frustrated yell and slammed her palm upon the metal bars of the medical bed. "Please, just tell me something! Anything!" that action caused the very, very tight bandages upon her wrists, pristine white, to be speckled with little red dots, slowly growing. One of the nurses immediately tended to it.

"Well, Miss- Uh, Blanchett, you see… there were a few… complications, I'm afraid."

By the time she reached the nearest (bloody, fucking, stupid, so far, far away!) hospital, Iris was a pile of nerves.

Everyone in the now too small (claustrophobic!) helicopter refused to give her any concrete information. Just random "I'm sure they're alright, dear."'s or "You were in a more delicate situation, thus, you were our top priority. They're right behind us."'s or even a slightly more supportive "Oh, honey, they'll soon be ruffling your hair and you'll wish you could just kick their behinds!" from the doc.

But no confirmation left her with only hopes and she was not a very hopeful person. She couldn't help herself, she started imagining the worst scenarios.

Not even when they had invaded the (cursed, deranged, nasty, horrible) Abbey (Was it only last year or so?) did she feel quite like this, so negative, so nervous, so-

Afraid?

It had been a while ever since she felt such fear. Around the last time she had set her eyes on Boris, perhaps. It was a renewed feeling to her, as had been loving someone, Kai.

Several more doctors came by her room and went. Despite Brazilian only being a mere derivate from her language, like the derivations and changes from English to American, she understood about four out of ten words they said, with all the long, weird names of their treatments/medicines/material/whatever else that had to do with taking care of her. One or two gave her about three (Four? Six?) cups of water with some powder mixed in for her to take, which she did, and a female one smiled pleasantly, before plunging two injections near her hips, from her back. The last one made all the muscles in her left leg to twitch reflexively.

She made a mental note to glare at that particular woman whenever she happened to pass by.

Some nurses helped her out of her tattered (Were they really like that? I don't... remember…) clothes, gave her a clean baggy shirt and pants (from the hospital, most likely), changed the bandages that were turning pink and/or red once again and told her to get some rest.

Whatever the nasty concoctions that she had to take or the injections had, Iris actually found herself drowsy. She did not want to (she had specifically bugged every single nurse to tell her everything they knew about anyone from any of the four teams – Dominatrix, BladeBreakers, Demolition Boys and Viscera Nigror – she had enumerated, anything at all), but one could only fight the heaviness of the eyelids for so long, before giving in.

The darkness that surrounded her this time had a soothing touch to it, gently calling out to her, embracing her in its warm arms and, regretfully, she welcomed it.

When her light silvery blue hues reopened once again, her worries jumped to attention under her mind's eye and she sat up immediately.

A big, rising wave of pain to her head gave her little warning and Iris could only close her eyes tightly and moan while she waited for its passage. She concluded it wouldn't be so painful if she lied back down, which she did.

The window, by her left side, the side she had turned her back to, had the blinds down, but she could make out the colour of the sky.

It was bright, bright orange. Blood red, with hints of violet wanting to peak through, was another colour that could be seen, but the majority was indeed orange. Her eyes squinted when she found half of a globe that was meant to be the sun.

It was setting.

That meant it was evening. Christ, she had slept through the whole afternoon! Seeing that she arrived to the hospital around mid-morning or so.

The young woman glanced at her white-covered frame. That made her look at her bandaged wrists. She turned them around.

On the inside of them, a small half circle of small red dots had appeared again. They seemed to form a cut. My wrists were cut open?

Carefully, she touched her cheeks and features. One or two patches, nothing unusual. Then her neck, where she also paused when she found another set of bandages similar to the ones on her wrists with her fingertips. My neck too!?

Iris took a look at the door. The door stared back listlessly and didn't move, as expected. So, she took the collar of the shirt and peeked at her torso. Another patch just above her heart, possibly from that adrenaline shot. But there was nothing else that hadn't been there before. It was the same with the rest of her.

It was only then that she noticed a short letter on her nightstand as she carefully turned away from the window so that another surge of pain didn't irritate her.

Hope flourished in her mind. Maybe…? Just maybe!

Hastily, she took it and read it over in breathless seconds.

Just as fast, she threw it away from her, gasping.

The letter, being made of paper, didn't take well to being thrown away and landed on the side of the little bed. With an anguished exclamation, Iris kicked it away violently, having the satisfaction of hearing it land upon the cool, linoleum floor.

But the words written there seemed to print themselves on her mind.

Miss Blanchett,

We have been informed by our colleagues that Axel Roth, Forest Romano and Kironi Ngo were declared dead.

Rui Denzel is in critical condition and is currently in Intensive Care. He was accompanied by Tiago Roth, on another helicopter.

Tyson Granger, Max Tate and Kenny are due to reach the hospital past midnight; their injuries are not severe and are travelling by ambulance.

This is all the information at our disposal about the teams you've mentioned up until now.

Our sincerest apologies.

The Head Nurse,
Naïde Araújo

She was glad to know Rui, Tiago and three of the BladeBreakers were alive and sort of well, she really was.

But knowing about Forest, Kironi and, most of all, Axel's deaths left her nauseous. She had little time to double over the side of the bed and retch whatever contents her stomach contained.

During the next hour or so, her imagination did not help her at all by creating all kinds of images in her mind's eye. Again.

This not knowing about the rest of her friends was sending her nervous system into overdrive, so much she spun her head around too fast for her headache when the door opened and someone cleaned the mess she had made on the floor. Iris cursed herself yet again when noticing she was gnawing on her fingernails. Again.

Her hand, as if it had a mind of its own, simply caught a wisp of her hair and started twirling it over and over again with a remarkable speed and deft.

"And you say you hate the way your hair tends to curl." That was what Kai would say while shaking his head with an amused smile upon his pale lips. "If you do that, it'll only curl even more, idiot."

She stilled the movement of that rebel hand, her head dipping low, and in a moment of raw anger, pulled harshly. All she got was a few black and red hairs on her left hand.

I'll go insane if I stay here.

She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep, not with so much uncertainly dangling in the air. Every time she closed her eyes, everyone's face would spring up and haunt her.

And Iris couldn't take that any longer.

So, the young beyblader stood up, carefully placing all her weight on her legs so that it wouldn't cause her to fall over.

There were no IV's in her arms or anything of the kind – the medical staff considered her well-nourished, it seemed – so, she had no trouble while crossing over the room, opening the door, getting out, then closing it again.

Iris looked up and down the hallway, (I've no idea where to go.) but luckily, at the end of the half to her right, there was a plant of the building. Bingo. She reached it easily, crossing only one or two people whom she thought were fellow patients.

Easily, she found the correct way and headed towards it. Gladly, the Reception was not too far away. This was the third floor (the ground floor was for the E.R. and said Reception, first floor for surgery and Intensive Care by what she could figure out, second floor she made no attempt at finding out), so a small trip by elevator was in order. From then on, it would be easy: straight forward, then left.

Iris only needed to be careful about possible nurses looking at her too long, lest they drag her back into her room where she was sure she'd throw herself out of the window out of sheer frustration.

I just wish to know something more, damn it, is it that hard a thing to ask?! I didn't ask about the well-being of eight people, I asked about the well-being of seventeen!

Alas, but the stupid lift stopped on the first floor. Things never go your way, do they?

A couple of doctors came in. One of them sent her a curious look, but his attention was diverted by the other's words. "Ah, sorry, which patient were you talking about again? We got so many in the last couple of hours I'm starting to get confused. Heck, I'm only an intern…"

The one speaking previously, an older man in his mid forties, glared at him in that universal way of saying "you better pay attention next time, sonny, or you'll answer to me later". "The young man in Trauma 6. Bryan Kuznetsov?"

Just before the doors of the lift closed, Iris stuck her arm out, stopping it, and got out of it, pushing at the two doctors while ignoring their "Careful, young lady!"'s and whatever else.

Bryan… He's here then. Trauma 6? Then he's being treated. That gave her a little more hope, which was always good. Thank you.

Half-way lost, she wandered the first floor with wide eyes. Most people there were always in a hurry and/or yelling, so she didn't particularly stand out. Their clothing was also white, like her baggy clothes.

But for the first real time, she was thankful Brazilian was so alike her native tongue.

"Silly girl, that's meant for Trauma 2! Go, go, go, before you cause that woman's death! Gawd, these students are worthless!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Iris noticed a young woman, really just half a dozen years older than her, leaving one room while stumbling with apologies left and right and, with her arms full of plastic tubes and latex gloves and god-knew-what-else ran down a hallway to the right. She didn't waste more time in following her.

The dislocated patient was also quick to find that just because Trauma 2 and Trauma 6 had the same first denomination, it didn't mean they were near each other. But she kept walking. She even allowed herself a small smile when passing by Trauma 4, even while some other doctor declared his patient as a lost cause.

Just a few feet away, the letters with the name "Trauma 6" were on, meaning that it was being used. Gulping, she approached the large window there. Gladly, the blinds weren't shut.

There were only a few nurses there that, just like happy bees, didn't stay still for longer than three seconds. Iris found she could only catch glimpses of whoever was in the bed, Bryan or not.

But yes, it was indeed Bryan. It had to be. She could recognize that soft colouration of his hair anywhere, unmistakable as it was.

The machine monitoring his heart showed the steady rhythm of someone who was clearly resting. Even if there was a tube in his mouth, his expression was relaxed, despite its few scratches and a gash on his forehead, dealt with two stitches. His right arm was broken, if the telltale tight bandages and plaster had anything to do with it.

That stupid message was rising up in her mind again.

"…informed by our colleagues that…"

"…were declared dead…"

"… in critical condition and is currently in Intensive Care…"

Oh my… what happened while I was out??

Why wasn't there more information?

Why had she fainted?

Where was Kai? And Tala?

Was she knocked out?

And her bit beast? Her beyblade wasn't with her, what happened to it!?

Was it all her fault?

If it was, Iris didn't think she could take the responsibilities and weight of it all upon her dainty shoulders. She felt a migraine coming already and a break down starting to wave its grubby, little fingers her way.

Then, in a sudden realisation, a voice rose above the pain and worry and will to start hyperventilating. Intensive Care… That's on this floor.

Iris turned back around. She felt as if she was being commanded; living this experience out of her body.

This can't be real… It's a dream, a movie…

Once again, she stared at signs and tried to make some sense of them, praying that her sense of direction (or lack of it, as it was) would give her a break and would actually help.

Seemingly, it did, about twenty minutes later.

She saw many people in that hospital unit. She saw a lot of tubes and IV's and blood and odd liquids and unknown faces of all ages, but she kept going. Iris needed to see one familiar face that she was told was here. If it wasn't, well…

She almost wished she hadn't found him.

Rui was someone she knew not for a long time. She had known Axel before being kidnapped and little else. But the Rui she knew didn't stay still. The Rui she knew always grinned and smiled and joked about everything and nothing.

The Rui she knew could not be the Rui she was now staring at. A pale Rui, deathly still, with a frown marring his features even in his sleep. He was breathing on his own, contrary to Bryan, just had a thin tube that went around his ears and to his nostrils so that he could, probably, breathe in a higher percentage of oxygen.

But there were quite a few bandages spread around the room. She could see little skin on him, courtesy of the blankets, but what she could see actually seemed covered by the same type of said bandages. He looked pretty-

"Just like a mummy, isn't he?"

Iris lifted a hand to her racing heart, glaring at whoever had spoken by using the glass of the window. Her smiley doctor smiled (again) in return.

"You should be resting, lass."

"I'm… sorry. I couldn't stand being inside that room any longer."

"Ah. I see. Is he…" he nodded towards Rui. "your friend?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath. "A team-mate of mine."

"Hmm. Well, mid-afternoon, I'd tell you he was done for." At her started look, he lifted both hands in a sign of peace. "Hush, lass, remember, rest. He is much better now."

"Just that? Better?"

"Well…" the man sent her a gentle look. "I'll tell you more with certainty when we come out of the O.R."

"He needs an operation!" Iris quickly looked back at the blond young man. She could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, but she fought them back. "He looks… ok. I think… Calm and-"

"He has a broken rib. That rib caused him a nasty internal bleeding. He was lucky his lungs were intact." The doctor sighed. "We have been waiting for him to get a bit more stable, I took that risk. Seeing that he had multiple exterior wounds and had lost so much blood already. He is being prepared right now. And you, my dear, should get back into your room before I call a nurse."

Iris felt like snapping at the man to shut up and let her be; she felt fine and wished to be with her friend. Not to mention that she still wanted to know what happened to everyone else. And if anyone else had-

No. Don't go there.

One of the nurses opened the door a crack. "He's ready, doctor." In return, he nodded.

Yet, she knew he was probably right. Even if she'd still pass by the Reception before she actually went back to her room.

"Alright, I'll do that. Will you please let me know when Rui's operation is over?"

"Sure." Smiling once again, the nice man opened the door to the division Rui was in and led the bed away, two nurses following while the rest stayed behind to clean up the mess.

She sighed deeply. I feel so god damn hopeless. Another plant of the building caught her eye and the young woman headed towards it.

However, before she reached, someone turned the corner. The young intern that was in the elevator earlier.

…Shit.

The tall man almost seemed not to notice her, but then, his eyes ended up landing on hers and his pace slowed down. "Weren't you the one in the elevator?"

"Umm-"

"Yeah, you were, I remember your bandaged wrists." He seemed proud of himself. Then, realization dawned. Slow, isn't he? "Wait, you're no intern or nurse, you're a patient! This is the first floor, young lady, you mustn't be here!"

Things really never go your way, do they?

The doctor-to-be was still talking (more to himself) about the issue and Iris hoped he'd just point to the elevator and order her to go back to the third floor. Which she'd ignore, of course.

Unfortunately, he placed a hand over her shoulder and started leading her towards it. Is he really going to… escort me to my damn room?

He was. He did.

"Room 316, right? There you go." he opened the door for her. Even if it was a nice gesture, Iris felt like kicking his shin. "You shouldn't wander around."

"Right. Thanks."

"No problem."

The click of the door felt ten times louder to her ears and, eerily, it sounded as if it was a lock of a cell.

Well, she felt as if she was in a cell…

She sat on the bed heavily, letting the air in her lungs through clenched teeth. This was just so annoying.

The girl then blinked when, from the folds of her bed clothes, a letter very similar to the first one fell to the floor. Leaning over, she picked it up.

Miss Blanchett,

New information has arrived. Ray Kon is well, however, in a comatose condition. Spencer Petrov is in surgery; he suffered several stab wounds in the abdomen and is critical. Ian Papov has head trauma and is in a very delicate situation; his state is reserved and very serious.

There are several missing persons Unfortunately, Tenebrae Rosa, Yuriy Ivanov and Kai Hiwatari are in between that group.

Rui Denzel will soon enter the O.R. for an urgent operation due to internal bleeding and Bryan Kuznetsov has just been declared as stable.

Best regards,
Naïde Araújo, the Head Nurse

Best regards, indeed.

Eventually, she managed to fall asleep after another nurse brought her a light dinner. That day's trek had, in the end, tired her down more than what she had first thought.

Iris turned her head to the side from lying on her back. A single note, crisp and short, stared at her from the nightstand.

Lass,

The operation has just ended (23.12). Your friend Rui will be alright.

She smiled. At least, today started out better.

The girl also decided it was time to get breakfast and she knew she'd need more than hospital food. Besides, it was still very early, around six in the morning, so the nurse wouldn't come any time before seven or eight.

She took the new set of clothes that were at the foot of the bed and did what she could for her figure in the little private bathroom she had by taking a good, long shower. After weeks out in the forest, it really did feel wonderful.

Suddenly, a loud siren approached.

Usually, she'd wave it off as something banal, even if unfortunate, a random ambulance passing by.

But the "cafeteria" (It was a vending machine. Her mind just called it "cafeteria", because she thought it funny. What could she say? Being alone with your paranoid, random thoughts is not good) wasn't too far away from the entrance to the "Urgencies" section of the hospital, so the sound was only getting louder and louder until she believed the stupid vehicle was just around the corner…

…It technically was around the corner, but still, that was meant to be taken in the figurative sense, not literal.

Then again, she was bored just standing there with her empty Ice Tea and wrapper of cupcake. Throwing that into the bin, Iris crossed the room.

It was a total mess.

Sick people leaning on walls, against corners, everywhere one looked. Yet, the stretcher still found a way to zigzag around them all. Like in those overly sappy, overly sad and overly copied television series, the few free doctors jogged up to the side of the paramedics.

"Sixteen year old, male, suffered a deep wound in his right thigh." One of the latter ones was saying, "It hit the femoral vein-"

"Did you stop the-?"

"The perforation is jagged, I couldn't see clearly-"

"Trauma 1, now!"

"Anything else of importance, Daniel?"

"Some more abrasions in the torso and a cut to the temple, but-"

But Iris heard no more. As the stretcher passed her by, she saw a pale complexion, scarily pale lips, an aristocratic nose and high cheekbones, fanned by long dark eyelashes (which she often thought were too long for a boy, even if said boy would kill her if she said so) that hid what she knew to be electric blue hues. Marring that skin were a few droplets and tracks of caked and drying blood, possibly originated from the gash near his left temple. The colour of the sticky liquid gave the colour of the teen's hair a run for its money, as blood red as it was.

"Yuriy…" it was only a whisper at first, until Iris found it in herself to break into a run. "Yuriy!"

The half dozen of medical staff pushing along the stretcher paused momentarily, a bit surprised, as the girl-that-sprouted-from-no-where glued herself to the nearest limb of their current patient, his right hand, and brought it to her lips. The dread was clear in her eyes.

"Umm, Miss, we need to-"

"I'll go with you."

The doctor who spoke, one of the doctors who had hurried to Tala's side, lifted an eyebrow, even as everyone else kept pushing the improvised bed towards the lifts. "You can't, you're not allowed to-"

"I will go with you people." Iris repeated, slowly and quietly. She was pleased to see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. "I need to be with Yuriy, I was simply told he was missing. You won't stop me."

The man pressed his lips together, but did not try to argue again. "Just don't get in the way, alright?"

Iris stood a little to the side as the people around her worked in Trauma 1, feeling as if Brazilian was a foreign language all over again as all kinds of tools with the weirdest names were passed back and forth. She didn't bother checking if they were making any progress. She knew they were. That was just how Tala was, he didn't know when to give up and he wouldn't start now.

"Anyone knows his blood type-"

"A+." they stared, but followed her orders.

So, she simply kept her eyes on his features, waiting patiently for him to wake up. She knew he would. He never failed her.

"Umm… Miss?" one nurse stared at her weirdly. It clearly said "You aren't supposed to be here.".

And like she had lied to all other random nurses, "I'm his sister." she lied to this one as well. The woman left her alone, so it was ok.

True to her predictions, Tala woke up some minutes later. His eyes opened halfway, unfocused, darker than usual, until they regained their normal sharpness with just a blink. For some reason, he turned his neck in her direction so that he would see her instead of the ceiling. He blinked again, then rasped a quiet "You're alive," in a jumble of Russian and English with that barely noticeable accent of Moscow downtown of his she so enjoyed to mock. He didn't seem to notice.

The doctors (who had stopped fumbling so much, which probably meant they had stopped the bleeding on that vein the other one had spoken about) did notice, however, that he had awakened. She watched as they questioned her friend (who did not wish to be questioned, by the way) with growing fondness and hid her anxiousness when one of them said they would leave them alone for a little while as the Reception had to notify them about Tala's room and so on.

Silence followed as Iris crossed the room and took his hand again. The other squeezed it in return. "I thought I had lost you for sure."

"Oh? And get rid of me just because of a stupid, off-key explosion? Don't insult me."

Her expression turned serious at that piece of information. "I remember nothing, Wolf. Nothing at all, just the finals. What the heck happened?"

The boy took a long intake of breath, closing his eyes. "This isn't really the best of times to talk about this, Rin… I'm drugged, fifty percent of my bloodstream is probably morphine by now and I ache all over." His words were a bit slurred already; he'd soon fall asleep, she knew. Yet, he continued. "Speak with… Ten.. she was taken in the next ambulance… I think. Paramedics said I was worse, so I-" he paused to let out a quiet hiss. "-arrived first, by helicopter. The wound on my thigh and all. She.. she's alright. Small things."

Some more weight left her shoulders. Thank goodness. Now, she simply didn't know about the well-being of three people: Tiff, Shauna… and Kai.

Iris then prepared to tell him to get some shut eye and rest – he well needed it, it seemed – and that she'd try and find Ten in this labyrinth, but he squeezed her hand again.

"Wait." His eyes were barely open, but he still managed to glance towards the remnants of his clothes. They had been mostly ripped by the medics so that they could tend to his injuries. "Wolborg. Take it. In my pocket. And Lugiohan… Ten has her."

"Spaseeba." (1)

"Pazhalooysta." (2) Tala didn't last another second and, smiling at his calm features, she leaned in and pecked his forehead.

It was a feat, worthy of a bloody epic story, but Iris managed to complete her mission.

The fact that she had stolen a doctor's white coat helped when she (finally) reached the Reception.

"Rosa, Tenebrae, here it is." The nice receptionist, a woman in her mid thirties that had really, really curly hair and a smile one wouldn't help but copy, said while brandishing one sheet proudly. "She will be settled in room 320, doctor, she will arrive within the hour. Her injuries are not serious."

The girl stifled a laugh, eyeing the name on the older one's chest. "Thank you very much, Vanessa. See you later."

In the lift, her fingers found Wolborg's sharp edges deep in her pocket and she traced them carefully. It helped her calm down. At the back of her mind, she sensed a cool presence, a quiet howl that sounded like a wolfish sigh. Iris smiled; it was good to feel Wolborg there with her. Even if she'd prefer Lugiohan.

Room 320 wasn't too far away from hers. In fact, it was just two doors down and right around the corner. Obviously, it was still empty.

Iris opted to wait in her own room for lack of a better thing to do. The sun was high in the sky now and steadily warming up. It should be nearing eleven o'clock.

Wolbog?

: Yes, Praeceptrix? :

Could you… tell me what happened?

There was silence for long minutes. It was obvious the Ice Wolf did not wish to answer, so Iris sent him her emotions from the day before. The horrible sense of not knowing, of feeling guilty, her despair, her reaction when reading the two messages, when seeing Bryan and Rui, poor Rui who had seemed so different to her, and finally, the brief relief of seeing Tala.

: I should not be the one telling you, child… : the reply finally came, reluctant and slow, as if the bit beast was choosing his words carefully.

He told her of the curious cloud formations above the centre of the forest and how the Demolition Boys and the BladeBreakers started heading towards it. Told her about Ten's sudden, frantic appearance and haste in getting them away from there and even showed her a short memory from Tala's point of view of the scene. Ten had then informed the rest about Iris's fainting.

Wolborg also told her about the way Tiago had taken the lead and how Axel was found. How the beybladers found Rui's unconscious form. Rui's version of things and raw anger. How they decided to follow the obvious trails in the foliage and the remaining twin and Kenny went back to call for backup.

But he refused to say more after they had found the rocky protuberance.

But-!

: I sense Deathscythe. And Lugiohan as well. They feel… uncommonly weak. :

Iris knew she had lost him there. He had retreated from her mind and was probably trying to reach the other two bit beasts. At least, I guess that means Ten's here.

She headed towards her door and leaned her ear against it. She had to hear the nurses bringing her up and then leaving, before she went to room 320. She took the chance to mull over the new data.

It makes no sense… Why did I faint? What caused me to faint? Was it even provoked? And what the heck attacked them? Was it the same thing that injured them all? Or is it something else that is escaping me all together?

Knowing half the story simply sprouted more questions. She needed the full version.

I'm getting a migraine…

Just then, she heard it. Footsteps and light talk. And, in the background, a steady sound. The sound wheel chairs from this hospital did.

"If you… bring… to… okay?" half the conversation was still lost to her.

"Sure. Thank you."

But the answer was crystal clear. And, like Kai and Yuriy's own stance, frame, eyes and tone of voice, she'd recognize this particular voice in a crowd as well. It was Ten's.

"Alright then, don't be shy, we'll… sure… so that… strong…"

As they had passed by her door, the conversation faded once again.

Another quarter of an hour passed before she heard the nurses pass by again, now reverting back to their native language, meaning that Ten was now in the room.

Excellent. It was time.

Iris stepped out of the room silently and trudged down the hall. She knocked on the door thrice and heard a "Come in," from the other side. Smiling, she entered.

Her friend was sitting up in the bed, her right side facing her and a half closed window behind her. Like Bryan, one of her arms was broken, her left one. There was a patch along the right side of her jaw. The shirt of the hospital didn't show much else, but she didn't look worse than the other three she had seen indeed. Her right leg poked from between the covers, bare from the mid-thigh down, and other than a few scratches and bruises, it seemed well enough.

Her expression, flabbergasted and downright surprised (in a good way), was what made Iris laugh though, along with the relief that swept her.

"The heck- Oh, forget it." Ten smiled tiredly in return, "The important thing is that you're alright."

"I am, yeah." She shrugged and finally crossed the room. The two shared a quick, one-armed hug.

"Care to explain why you're wearing a doctor's coat?"

"Long story." Iris was quick to tell her all she knew up till that point, about everyone's state. Both girls dropped their heads when the three deaths were brought up.

"Tala is ok, then." The slightly older girl sighed, nodding. "Thanks for letting me know. I was worried back there. The wound on his thigh looked pretty deep. So much blood…"

"I saw them treat him. They started giving him one blood unit and another three were waiting. He's sleeping now, mostly because of the painkillers."

"Not even he gets rid of that side effect, hm." They shared a conniving grin.

"Before he fell asleep, he told me you had my 'blade with you."

"Oh." The other blinked, then reached behind her pillow. "Yes. Here."

: Mistress… : Lugiohan's fond voice sounded in her mind, making her smile.

I missed you, my friend.

: And I, you. :

"I found her beside-" Ten's voice faltered and Iris's attention was brought back to her. "-beside Axel, by the bey-dish."

That brought her back to the matter at hand. "Ten…"

Said young woman seemed to know what her next question would be; there was an apprehensive and uneasy look in her eyes already.

"After you guys entered that cave you found… What happened out there?"

...TBC...

Vocabulary:
(1): Thank you, in Russian.

(2): You're welcome, in Russian.

Thanks to:
Tenebrae Rosa: Glad you liked it n.n And thanks for the error xP

Dark: Et voilá. Cliffie. And I finally got a chance to use everyone's last name, isn't that grand? It was just four months this time. Inspiration kinda fled, then I was attacked by a plot bunny. So, this was written. Less than three days. Amazing, no? Please do review. Thank you.

Note: There are a lot of repetitions, I know. It was meant to be that way. So that the reader had access to Iris's complete and utter confusion and frustration. It is better expressed with reiteration.