Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Rei ❯ Driger ( Chapter 3 )

Rei: Driger

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^Ten Years Later^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

"WAIT FOR ME!!!" I yelled at the others. Mariah had taken her sweet time in the bathroom, so I didn't have much time to get ready.

"You take too long," Lee teased me as I caught up to them, out of breath.

"You .. try .... getting ..... ready ..... after ........ Mariah," I wheezed. "She ..... takes ..... too ...... long."

"I don't take that long," Mariah retorted. "Maybe you need to cut your hair."

"Looks like someone is going through that time of month again," Kevin teased her before running way ahead of us.

"Ooooo, you're going to get it," Mariah screamed at the little kid. She chased after him, leaving Gary, Lee, and myself behind.

"He should know better than to tease him," Lee sighed. We knew where to draw the line. Unfortunately, Kevin never learned this lesson. Today, I discovered that, in fact, she started her monthly cycle. Just my luck.

"Where are we going?" Gary asked us.

"We're going to the ceremony," Lee answered with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Is it the one where Driger is handed down?" I took a guess.

"Yup!" Lee walked faster. He had been waiting for this moment ever since I have known them.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked him, out of curiosity.

"I just found out this afternoon," Lee informed us. Before we could ask, Lee told us that he wanted to surprise us.

"Oh," we said in unison.

"We're all here," Lee said as we entered the house. All three of us nearly fell down laughing at the sight before us. Mariah had Kevin in a head lock.

"I think he has had enough," I said to Mariah. She gave me a weird look.

"Fine," she sighed and released him. He bolted to the other side of the room and hid behind us.

"Mariah," Lee said sternly.

"He started it," Mariah scowled at Kevin, who ducked behind us.

"Kevin, quit annoying Mariah, and Mariah quit chasing Kevin," Lee instructed the others. He folded his arms across his chest.

"Okay," they both said in unison.

We had lined up ready to wait for the ceremony to begin. Lee fidgeted nervously. This was the moment he was waiting for. It seemed like ages before Lee's grandfather stepped into the room. In his hands, he held a wooden box, containing the bit beast Driger. He stood right in front of us. I remembered the time when Mariah had gotten her bit beast, Galux.

Seconds seemed like hours to us, especially Lee. He grew more anxious and nervous with each passing moment. I could tell he was going to burst if it was delayed.

"I have thought long and hard," Lee's grandfather started saying. "Whoever possess Driger must be a serious beyblader. He cannot doubt himself nor his abilities. He must be true to himself and others. He should be able to depend on himself. He must be honorable and courageous." He paused for a second to look at each of us. "I have finally chosen." We all held our breath in anticipation. "Rei, please step forward."

WHAT!!!! Did he just he what I heard? No way! Impossible. I must be dreaming. Someone pinch me. OUCH!!! I looked at whoever had pinched me, only to find Mariah motioning me to step forward. Note to self: don't ask to be pinched, even if it is mentally.

I stepped forward, not daring to look at Lee's face. Though, I could tell that he was very disappointed. He wanted Driger to be his for so long. As I stood in front of the old man, he held out the box to me. I hesitantly took out Driger.

"I know you won't disappoint us," Lee's grandfather smiled. I tried to return his smile. "As team captain, you have the responsibility of leading the rest of the team. Remember, your team mates are depending on you as the rest of us."

"I'll try not to," I said. Then I took a step back and fell back in place. Just as I thought, Lee had a disappointed face on though he tried to look happy for me.

After the ceremony, the others and I returned to our home. Well, Mariah and I called it home. Sitting around the table, we remained silent. We were busy thinking about what had happened tonight. I couldn't believe what happened.

"I can't believe this," Lee muttered to himself. Even though he thought no one heard, I heard since I had sharper hearing than humans.

"Lee, are you okay?" Mariah asked, concern written all over her face.

"I'm just disappointed," Lee answered bluntly.

"I didn't plan this to happen," I said in my defense.

"I know you didn't," Lee sighed. "It's just I have been waiting my entire life for this."

"If you think about it, Galeon hasn't been handed down yet," Mariah tried to cheer Lee up.

"Yeah, but I had my heart set on Driger," Lee sighed once again. When haven't we heard him talk about the white tiger? Never.

"If I had known, I would have asked him to choose you," I tried to make peace between us.

"I don't blame you," Lee attempted to sound assuring. He folded his arms and placed them on the table. Then he laid his head on top of his arms.

"We're all here for you," Kevin surprisingly said. Wow! He can be serious. Every head snapped towards his direction. "I can be serious when I want to." The green haired boy quipped at the rest of us. "I don't feel like it most of the time."

"That was surprising," I said, blinking in disbelief.

"You're telling me," Lee said in shock.

"Enough about me," Kevin said. "What about you Lee?"

We all waited patiently for Lee to answer. He suddenly found the ceiling to be very interesting at the moment.

"It's okay," Mariah assured him. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You can tell us when you're ready. You know we'll always be here for you."

"Thank you," Lee said gratefully. He managed a weak smile but it was a smile nonetheless.

Later that night I flopped onto my bed with Driger in my blade. Mariah had gone to sleep early, saying that today's tension had tired her out. She wanted her sleep, or should I say beauty sleep. As was lying on my bed, I brought up my blade and studied it. The white tiger appeared it was going to attack someone at any moment.

"Who are you?" I asked the bit beast. Laughing inwardly, I recalled that at one time bit beasts were living breathing creatures. Now, everything has changed. I don't know whether or not if they're alive. During the ten years I had lived here, I researched everything I could, concerning bit beasts and magic. Those were the days.

A soft green light brightened the room. I raised my arms to block my eyes from the light, which made me drop my beyblade onto my bed. As the light cleared, I blinked my eyes. In the middle of the room, a man about my age stood there. This young man had green hair that went down to his shoulder. He had fair skin. Now that I think about it, he wore similar clothes to what I used to wear. He glanced around the room before settling on me.

"Galain?" he asked while inspecting me.

"Do I know you?" I asked very nervously.

"I'm your cousin," he answered me. "My name wasn't always Driger. Humans gave me that name. I used to be called Calin."

"Then why don't I remember you?" I question, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"You were too young, when they raided our village," Driger sighed. I felt the bed shift.

"But you look the same age as me," I protested. "I have kept on aging at a normal rate, even though I am here."

He simply smiled at me. "I don't know how, but I can't age." He must be thousands of years old; yet, he doesn't look like it. I wonder what will happen to me.

"So what do you want me to call you?" I asked him.

"Call me Driger," the white tiger sighed. He shook his head. "I have called that for such a long time. I don't remember the last time I was called by my birth name."

"I don't want to be called Galain," I informed him hesitantly. He placed his hand on my shoulder. "My parents used to call me that all the time. The last time I saw them, they sacrificed themselves to save me from the humans."

"Why have you stayed?" Driger asked with his brow raised.

"At first I wanted to help the captured bit beasts escape," I explained to him. He still had his hand on my shoulder. "After living in the village for awhile, I began to see humans from a different perspective. Not all of them were cruel."

"I know what you mean," Driger sighed. "When they attacked our village, I thought they were cruel monsters. While being passed down, I discovered not all humans are cruel. I have had sincere, honest owners."

"What do you plan on doing now?" I asked him, now that he had been freed.

"I don't know," Driger answered honestly. "What about you?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know either," I answered while leaning back on my bed.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Driger said.

"I'll have to keep you hidden," I mused.

"You don't want your friends to see me?" Driger asked, a little bit hurt.

"I don't think they're ready to find about us," I answered.

"Oh, humans tend to fear what they don't understand," Driger said. "I understand." With that he returned back to the blade.

For the first time, I climbed into my bed with my beyblade. As I held my blade, I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.