Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Silent Tears ❯ The night holds many secrets ( Chapter 6 )

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

“...” speaking

`Italics' thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

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Chapter 5... The night holds many secrets


... she never got to finish that phrase as Tala's lips let a whisper of a kiss upon hers. Rosemary just stood there for a bit as Tala walked away to stand beside the other team, his back to her.

The BladeBreakers started to walk away, bidding farewell to each other. Locking eyes one last time with the Scottish girl, Tala followed them.

“Hey Rose, get in!” Enrique finally called to the absent minded girl, her eyes still on a certain red-head. With a shy smile and a faint blush she entered Robert's limousine and they too were off.

The one who didn't like this change of events was her cousin, who looked at her with an expression close to disgust. But he ignored it. For now, that is.

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“What did you do to be blushing?” a slate eyebrow rose in amusement, as Kai glanced at his friend.

“Shut up.” Tala frowned lightly, quickly looking away.

“C'mon, the girl was blushing too. What did you do?” Iris joined the conversation, walking between the two boys. Tala mumbled something in reply.

“What?” the couple said in unison, looking his way.

“So I kissed her! Big deal!” His blush grew considerably, “Why don't you just post it on the damn newspaper?”

A definitely feminine giggle reached his ears, “I knew it! I saw it, you know?” Iris nudged at his arm, snickering.

“You- You what!?” Tala turned to look at her smug expression, wide eyed, “Do you know the meaning of the word `privacy'?!”

“Hey, I just wanted to know if you would admit it! And you did! Very good, Yuriy!!” she smirked arrogantly at his outraged expression, patting his head.

“Knock it off! I'm not a dog, you know...”

“Right. You're a wolf.”

“Hn.” And with that, she chuckled some more.

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“It's only 6pm in the afternoon...” Kai smirked at his team-mates, namely at a certain Tyson Granger.

“NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE MERCY ON US!!!!!!!!” the younger boy shouted, staying as far away from the captain as he could, while the others sweat-dropped.

Iris let out an exasperated sigh, “What's your bloo- err, problem with some training?” she swiftly stopped herself from cussing in front of the kids, grumbling as she grabbed the navy bluenette's collar and dragged him to the patio beside the main entrance of the hotel. “Hey, Kai! Can I battle with Tala?”

Kai glanced at her briefly, “Suit yourself. Max with Tyson and Ray with me, then.”

“Alright, boys... err, and girl. First battle,” Dizzy said, “3........ 2.......... 1............ Let it rip!!!”

The two younger bladers sent their tops spinning, as they clashed together harshly, trying to get the upper hand. But luck doesn't last forever, as our dear Tyson found out the hard way. By letting his guard down a bit, he gave Draciel the perfect chance to send Dragoon out of the dish.

“What? Meh, no fair!” Tyson sulked, crossing his arms, while Max patted his back, laughing.

“Sore loser!”

Kai and Ray stepped up to battle next. “Let it RIP!” they both shouted at the same time. The beyblade's clashed once before landing, grinding together, trying to overpower one another.

“Drigger, arise!!”

“Dranzer!”

The two mighty bit-beasts rose from the beyblade's, aiming to intimidate the other. The white tiger finally roared, tired of the game of cat and mouse, and attacked Dranzer head-on. The Fire Phoenix dodged his move, trying to clash his immense talons on the tiger's back. Managing to slash Drigger, Dranzer started to fly up, but not before Drigger's own claws made a gash at his side.

With a final blow, both blades shot from the dish to the outstretched hands of their owners, bits shinning, the attack rings still smoking.

“Good battle.” Ray complemented, trying to get a good hold of Drigger, as it was still quite hot.

“Hn.” The captain simply leaned against the hotel's wall in his usual stance, eyes closed. `Dranzer, you alright?'

:: Don't worry, little one, everything's okay. Just another day's work. :: That made the captain smile softly.

“A tie. Okay. Iris, Tala, you're next.” Kenny positioned Dizzy's camera to the bey-dish; he had made some modifications to her defence ring barely an hour ago.

“Get ready…” a wolfish grin graced her lips, her body feeling the adrenaline flowing through her, loving the idea to finally have a combat with her best friend.

“To feel...” Tala continued in the same drawl she used, a similar grin on his own lips, eyes shining with pride of the little devil, his only family.

“The thunder.” they both crouched a bit; both wanting a battle to remember, not just a normal training. For so long since they battled... But these conditions were different, and much happier, no doubt.

“And the ice...” the corner of his mouth went up a bit as he added that.

“3............. 2.................... 1!............ Let it rip!!!”

The two beyblade's went for the dish, making two slices each on where they landed. The first clash was powerful, the grey blade's bit chip shining a pale green light and the black's a pure white one, calling for their masters to set them free. Both were circling, still making contact, sending sparks and bits of melted metal from the stadium everywhere. Then, suddenly, they both parted, and not even bothering to ask permission to their respective beybladers any longer, the great Thunder Phoenix and Ice Wolf came forward, just locking their piercing stares.

:: It has been a long time, Lord Wolborg. ::

:: True, Lady Lugiohan. A long and hard time, but they both are very strong. ::

:: And stubborn, yes, which worked to their favour this time. We will see each other more often now, I hope. ::

:: Indeed. ::

“Now Lugiohan! Thunder Clasp!!”

“Steady there, Wolborg.”

The phoenix screeched loudly as the wolf came forward, barring its sharp fangs. As they collided, a beam of light shot into the sky, engulfing the quarrelling beasts, as they still fought for victory. As the light faded, and with a last blow to each of the attack rings, both beyblade's were pushed back by the sheer force of it, making Lugiohan tumble over the edge of the stadium, as the black blade weighted less than the grey one, due to her defence ring, made of a lighter material than Wolborg's, allowing her more agility and speed, but also that fatal weakness.

“You lost.” Tala said smugly, poking her on her ribs, knowing damn well how she hated it.

“Don't rub on it...” she warned, picking up the fallen top.

“Hey guys!! I've just received an e-mail from Mr. Dickenson. We passed the preliminaries, as you know, and now the second part of the tournament is going to begin. Two singulars and two duos. Within three days we're going against... Oh, against the White Tigers!” Chief informed them as a picture of the team appeared on Dizzy's monitor, along with another boy they didn't know about.

“You went home after the World's. Are they better?” Kai stepped into the small group, eyeing Ray.

“They trained a lot, by what Lee told me. And yes, they're faster and stronger. As I'm no longer a White Tiger, I couldn't see their training, and they refused to battle me, as not to show me their new technique.” Ray's eyes didn't leave the picture, “They have a new member also, a cousin of mine, Yamatto, known as Matt. His bit-beast is a jaguar, Leonphate. His style is like mine, sorta...”

Iris noted that Ray's eyes lit up with something she couldn't really identify when he looked at the picture. She grinned, `Hmm, maybe I could fix that...' she thought, smiling at the pink-haired girl's picture and then at her team-mate.

“I'm hungry!!” everyone sweat-dropped at Tyson's sudden remark. With all this, it was almost seven o'clock.

“The canteen only opens in half an hour, Tyson.” Kenny informed him.

“Aww...”

“I'll go take a walk, if you guys don't mind.” Ray spared a look at Kai and when he said nothing, the Chinese boy started to walk away. He soon heard soft footsteps, as Iris came by his side. They resumed their walking in silence.

“You like her don't you?”

“Wha-Who? I-I dunno-” Ray stammered, but she laughed silently at him.

“Don't you dare lying to me, Raymond...” her soft accented voice floated over the air around them.

“Don't call me that. And what is it to you if I like her or not?”

“Nothing, nothing at all. I mean, she's a childhood friend of yours, yes?”

“Yeah, so? It's not as if she likes me or anything...” as disguised as it was, she still heard a bitter tone in his voice.

“I never met her,” Iris turned to him, locking her blue orbs with his honey ones, “But have you ever thought that she may feel the same way? I saw your combat by TV on the Asian Tournament. Didn't you see the look in her eyes? Or when you got hurt against Bryan on the World's? Mariah has a soft side for you Ray, but she's proud-,” `Just like me...' “-which doesn't let her be open to you completely. At least, until she finds out if you have feelings for her too, to risk that.”

“I... Well, I never thought of it like that.” Ray looked at the ground, mentally scolding himself for not having put that possibility into thought, "But enough talking about me.” The boy suddenly grinned, “And how's Kai?”

“What do you mean?” like Kai, her speed in replying gave her away.

“Now, look who's lying.” Ray chuckled softly at her.

That made her shut up, “Hn. Whatever...”

“No, really.” Ray turned to her, “I know you guys are close, but are you more than that?”

“Would you like it if I put my nose into your business too?”

“Don't answer a question with another question, Iris, c'mon, speak up!” the amber-eyed boy pressed, “I know it's none of my business, but lately, Kai is more... open. You had to see him before you came. After the World's, he opened up a bit more, and yes, he opens up even more to Tala and the other Demo-boys, but to you, I'd say he's almost caring! He usually ignores the fact that females even exist.”

“Hmm...” was the sole reply he got. The girl was deep in thought, by the knitted eyebrows and hand on her chin. “See you around, Ray.” She turned to a slightly brighter alley, as they were walking on the main street. The sun was setting and she was heading for the beach, on the riverside. Ray kept going, deciding against following her. She knew her way around the town better than he himself, she'll be just fine.

As the end of the alley came into view, the river was bathed by the sun, making the calm waters seem like an unreachable glass, the horizon made of deep reds, oranges and light pinks, with some taints of blue, lilac and purple. The sun had always marvelled her, ever since her sister showed it to her. It was so big and bright... And gone, as it dipped over the waters. She smiled, glancing at her watch. 7.42. Wow; I'm swimming on my past memories and my feelings for Kai for almost 45 minutes. And I'm hungry... she glanced at her flat stomach as it grumbled, passing a hand over it. “Now I know how Tyson feels.”

“They say the first sign of madness is to start talking to yourself.” a deep voice whispered at her ear, startling her. Very few people had ever been that close to her without her acknowledgement. She almost lost her balance on the high bench she was resting, but his strong arms pulled her to safety once more.

“Don't you do that...” she snapped unintentionally in an annoyed tone. How she hated surprises...

His chin rested on her shoulder gently, “You shouldn't have gone away by yourself. When Ray returned alone, I expected you to come with him.”

“Aww...” she teased, grinning, “Did I get the famous Kai Hiwatari all worried and worked up over a girl?”

“I'll let you discover that on your own.” His lips grazed the sensitive skin of her neck as he spoke, “We should go. You need to eat, and so do I. Tomorrow is gonna be a tough battle.”

“Those White-whatever are good?” they started to make their way back.

“They gave us some trouble in the Asian Tournament, yes. Even if I'd play against them, I would have had a few problems of my own. Kevin is no big deal, he just talks too much and he's overconfident, worse than Tyson.”

“And that's saying a lot.” Iris snickered a bit.

“Gary is strong, but if you talk about food to him, he loses his concentration.” This time it was Kai's turn to snicker, “Exactly like Tyson. Mariah... she's quite strong and her Galux is powerful. Even if her attack is a bit weak, she has a great stamina. Lee, their captain, is the strongest. His attacks are quick and harsh; has great control over Galleon. And as I'm sure he did, he trained a lot after the combat we had, and like Ray already said, he's stronger than he was before. And that Matt guy, I never saw his blading.”

“I see.” Iris's hand snaked over the hem of his trousers, her thumb going through one of the loops of them. His arm made its way around her shoulders, as her head leaned against his shoulder. Silence... A thing she usually hated. But not in his company. Never in his company.

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This time, their battle was in the afternoon, 15.35pm, and all of them were already in the hall to make their entrance. Tala had to stay in the normal seats.

“OKAY FOLKS; LET'S BEGIN THIS FIRST SINGULAR ROUND! FIRST, WE HAVE OUR CHAMPION, TYSON, FROM THE BLADEBREAKERS, AGAINST KEVIN, FROM THE WHITE TIGERS!!”

“I'm gonna take your title...” Kevin teased, smirking at Tyson.

“Pff, no way. In your dreams, shorty...” Tyson crossed his arms over his chest, looking smugly at him sideways.

“Tyson, he just wants to distract you. Don't pay any mind to what he's saying!” Iris rolled her eyes discreetly, frowning lightly at the navy-haired blader.

“Oh yeah...” Tyson grinned sheepishly, “Doesn't matter. I'll defeat him anyway.”

“Yeah, right... Keep thinking like that and the only thing you'll ever be good at, is being an optimist.” She grumbled quietly, while Max and Ray laughed silently at that. The combat was quick, ending when it barely started, Tyson losing. The Dragon Holder was shocked, to say the least.

“How did.. And then?” Tyson looked at a snickering Kevin, as he was dragged away by Kenny and Max.

“I hate saying this, as it's so old and childish, but... I told you so.” The only female got up, growling quietly, looking down at the boy.

“She's right.” Kai frowned at him, “And Iris, do make his training longer, will you?”

“You read my mind, captain.” She smirked lightly.

The Champion was wide eyed by now, almost reminding a wounded puppy, “No! Oh please, no, anything but that!!! I'll win next time! I promise I will! But pleeeeease no more training! It's enough as it is!!”

“And do I really look like I care about that?” was the phoenix's response, as the others chuckled.

Next round was a harsh one, between Ray and Lee, and it ended in a respectful tie. The duos would now start, Tyson and Max against Mariah and the Matt guy. And if the BladeBreakers wanted to pass, they needed to win both.

“3........... 2............... 1!............. LET IT RIP!!!”

Draciel and Dragoon started to circle the other two tops, shrinking the circle, until sparks were flying everywhere.

“Keep that up, Draciel!!”

“Good work, Dragoon.”

“Don't think this is over yet. You spent too much energy on that attack, putting you in a slight... disadvantage.” Matt looked over them, smirking. “Leonphate!”

“Galux!” Both bit chips shinned, charging forward. Draciel's defence wobbled briefly, letting Leonphate pass and head to the white beyblade. After successfully managing to defeat Galux, Draciel moved to help Dragoon.

The other two tops were grinding, as their masters were locking their gaze, not wanting to give in to the other. But with Draciel's additional energy, Matt was easily defeated.

“Thanks, Max.” Tyson high-fived with the blond “Couldn't have done it without you!”

“Anytime!”

Iris and Ray got up, climbing up the steps. Initially, it was Kai who would battle alongside with Iris, but since their opponents would be Mariah and Lee, Kenny immediately said that Ray should go instead.

“So, you're their new blader, eh? Let's see just how good you are then, shall we?” Lee looked her up and down, preparing his launcher, as the others did it also.

“She's one of the best, that'll be all I'll tell you. I don't want to ruin your surprise. That's why Kai let her in, in the first place.” Ray put an end to the conversation, his voice with a tone of finality.

The combat started with all the beyblade's colliding at the centre of the dish and then separating, just to clash harshly once more. Both girls left the males alone; by the concentration that was hanging in the air all around them, this was more than a simple game to them. Not rivals, but respectable warriors, just wanting to know who was the best.

Lugiohan charged against Galux and when finally the Mountain Cat succumbed to the stronger attack, the Thunder Phoenix intervened on the tiger and lion's battle. Deep inside, Iris knew she shouldn't have stepped into their way, but deciding against it, she did. As Lee and Ray were just clashing and grounding together, it was quite simple for Lugiohan to send a strong blow to Galleon's side, pushing him off the dish.

“AND YES, THEY DID IT!! THE BLADEBREAKERS CONTINUE ON THE TOURNAMENT, WHILE THE WHITE TIGERS SAY GOOD-BYE!”

Ray returned to his seat after retrieving Drigger, sulking and frowning at his team-mate, “I'd rather continue the battle alone, Iris. You knew that.”

In response, she simply shrugged, “You were wasting time. No need to prolong the battle any longer.”

The two teams walked away together, as Tala joined them afterwards. They all sat down on a bench outside, out of reach from the crazed fans.

“If I was in your place though, I'd be careful with one team.” Lee was saying.

“You mean, the Majestic's? Ah, no problem! We battled them before, and they lost, remember?” Tyson winked at his team-mates conspiratorially, ignoring Lee completely.

“Uhh... Actually, no.” Mariah rolled her eyes at his behaviour, `That's how he's gonna lose one of these days...' “They are called the Shadowed Blades. They're a new team, but we already saw their blading and they're quite strong.”

“But their style though...” Matt continued, “Is kinda weird. Cold, detached. They never lost and they still haven't used their bit-beasts once.”

“There!” Chief finally stopped the frenetic typing on Dizzy's keyboard, showing them some data on five bladers, four boys and one girl. The female's face was strangely familiar to all of them and the light hair and eyes-

“Bryan's sister…?” three voices whispered out loud.

“What is she doing here anyway? On a tournament?” Iris looked over the picture confusingly, not knowing what to think of it.

“Forget that, wasn't she at the Abbey? She hadn't finished the tests yet. And speaking of those, wasn't she considered practically dead for not being strong-willed enough to pass one of them?” Kai glanced at Tala briefly, who gave him a short nod, slight confusion in his eyes.

“I think that this is Boris' new team...” Iris hadn't taken her eyes off the picture, silver pools swirling with worry. Their cold features were too perfect, and at the same time, too mechanical to be from anywhere else.

“All I know is that they do have bit-beasts and they're from Russia. It is possible.” Dizzy explained.

“This country is small, but keeps giving us big surprises, I see.” Ray commented, as if reading everyone's thoughts.

“Hey, watch that mouth of yours! It's still my country!” the black haired girl crossed her arms over her chest, giving a look at the Chinese boy.

:: Mistress... That strange presence Lord Dranzer and I told you about.. It isn't too far away from where we are at the moment. ::

Iris looked up, locking eyes with deep mahogany ones, and then with light turquoise orbs. Their thoughts weren't very different from each other's. This wasn't a good sign. Not at all.

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Night.

One would think it was the time when you let your subconscious take over and bring you into a new world, one of your own, with no problems, just you, peace and quiet, everything you can ever wish for.

Not quite.

At least, that innocence and ingenuousness were ripped away from her when she was six or so. All that was left was a shadow of her once excited and happy features, now a blank mask, not letting anything in or out.

And tonight...

Tonight was different, in the subconscious of her mind, her dreams. She was running, not even sure if she was walking on solid ground or not. Hearing voices, shouts and screams coming from everywhere, she finally found a door. Confused and scared, she acted like the only way she knew how.

“What the hell is this!” her clenched fist made contact with the door, opening it right away, much to her surprise. Once inside, she saw a little girl, dark hair gracing her pretty features, its tips red. She gasped. Herself. A couple of years before. And only then did she notice exactly where she was. In the room where Black Dranzer was kept; the chains all around the place left little doubts. Her younger self was looking at the bit chip longingly, which immediately put her warily and on guard. `Something's not quite right on this picture...'

She took a step back, “What's going on in here?” her voice died as a sudden black beam of light came from the beyblade, while the little girl seemed not even aware of it.

The beam slowly formed into a large and powerful-looking phoenix, a copy from Dranzer himself. After all, Black Dranzer was made from Dranzer. Black Dranzer was the dark side, Dranzer the light side, brothers of light and dark, and separated by Boris.

:: You will be mine, little one... :: the booming voice of the phoenix echoed through her mind, interrupting her thoughts and making her flinch from the sudden loudness of it, :: Dranzer gained young Master Kai back once more, but you... you are the perfect bearer for my power... I will possess you, as I've possessed Kai, but this time I will not let you go. :: the loudest screech until now was heard, reminding her of a maniacal laugh from a madman, the room swiftly changing into a dark alley, an alley that was sickening familiar to her, :: You will succumb to my will... Mistress. ::

“No...” she whispered weakly, crying silent tears over the speech she was hearing, “NO! I will not! You cannot make me. And I'm NOT your mistress and I'll never will be! Lugiohan is everything that I can wish for and want. No more, no less. I don't need you. And neither did Kai! That was why he discarded himself of you!!”

:: We shall see... :: the Dark moved its head to the side and there, to her shock, she saw her six year old self, hand-in-hand with her older sister. More tears were shed as the memories almost overcame her sanity, even if they were slightly distorted.

But instead of Boris appearing and coming forward, quickly shooting down Miranda, then knocking her out and taking her away, it was Black Dranzer who charged, digging his enormous talons into her sister's body, blood soaking everything in sight. Her younger self screamed while she herself, even after all the torture she went through and witnessed in the Abbey, did the same.

:: Do you remember what happened this day? I know you do... Clear as day, am I right? :: the scene changed once again, into a dark room.

A sudden cruel laughter, followed by a quiet whimper made her look into a corner of the room. Squinting, she could barely make the outline of the white sheets and mattress. And into said mattress... Her eyes widened, frightened. Boris was on it, while underneath him, writhing in pain and shame was herself. It was the night when she ran away.

The man grunted lightly, as he pulled away from the panting girl. He got up, looking down at her in disgust. “That wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't pulled out that little stunt. Remember, bitch, it was all your fault. Only your entire fault.”

The female closed her eyes tightly as she finally found strength to roll onto her back, closing her thighs from his hungry eyes, “You lie... It's not.” The familiar sounds of her home language tingled on her tongue, comforting her briefly.

Ignoring what she said, since he really didn't understand very much of Portuguese, he simply smirked at her, “You are mine, do you hear? Mine..” his mocking voice whispered to her ear in the silence of the early dawn.

“Never!” she hissed between small gasps of air, trying to catch her breath. The five lettered word repeated over and over again in her head, long after he exited her small room. Hurt, humiliated, alone and cold, silent tears ran down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around her knees.

“NO!!! Stop this, just stop it!” the present Iris shook her head with vehemence, “Please... That's enough... I can't stand it any longer!” she fell to her knees, head between her hands. Her vision was blurry as the tears kept coming. Thick dark talons landed on the floor and into her field of vision.

:: Surrender to me... That is all you have to do, youngling. All will stop if you do. ::

“Never!” she spat, glaring at him through the strands of her hair. She couldn't do that. Lugiohan was everything to her... All the power she wanted. `After all I've been through, I won't leave her, not now, not ever! She never left me either, so why should I betray her like that?'

The scenery changed yet again, as she found herself sitting on a chair, legs and arms bound tightly. Looking in front of her, her eyes widened. Another memory. Her four friends, the ones she considered her own family... Spence, Bry, Ian... and Yuriy. Being tortured and whipped, as they tried not to make a sound.

:: Do not forget, Mistress, these are your memories, your past. Yours alone... I am not making them. ::

“Stop... Please... I can't stand this much longer...” her voice lowered to a soft whisper. Slowly, the four Demolition-Boys disappeared, and in their place, there were Max, Tyson, Ray and Kenny, also being tortured.

“NO!... Oh, Tyson, Chief... Max, Ray... No...” her eyes closed tightly, not wanting to see any of it.

Black Dranzer materialized out of the blue, coming to a stop right in front of her, :: Do you really want this to be happening? :: His voice was dripping with so much sarcasm, one would think it was almost sympathetic.

She just shook her head negatively, eyes scared, big pools of water still on them, resembling those of a lost child. Boris suddenly appeared then, slapping her hard, and laughing at her pain.

Pain...

Misery...

Humiliation...

Then, everything was gone in a swirl of colours as she found herself back on that room, feeling like an intruder, watching as Kai talked to her after she had had that nightmare a few nights ago. And how he didn't fall asleep as she had first thought.

:: You do care for this boy, don't you... Iris? :: The phoenix walked over to his bed. The present Iris didn't take her eyes off of him, glancing warily at the sight, not knowing what was going to happen next, not knowing what to do.

:: What would you do if this happened? ::

Her eyes were now wide, slowly starting to understand the true meaning behind his words, but refusing to believe them; a silent scream on her throat, the dread all over her now, adrenaline flowing through her veins at a fast speed, “No, please...” she fell to her knees, her soul in her eyes, too crumpled, too hurt, too frightful to even care about her composure in the least, “Anything but that... Don't do it... please, don't...” whispering those sentences over and over again in every language she knew, her voice failed her, as it cracked slightly.

:: Why do you fight it so, young one? Come to me... It will be easier for you. ::

“No.” still, she refused to give in, “You know I cannot do that... Please, just.. Leave him be.”

The phoenix seemed to chuckle quietly, eerily, its eyes shinning with pure evil and malice, :: Human emotions. So pathetic. They only make you weak... But your spirit is not broken. Far from it, in fact. And that is why I want you. But... :: Black Dranzer turned to glance at her once more, :: If you're so sure you don't need me... :: he made his best impression of a smirk, one of his talons just inches away from Kai's back, :: THEN SUFFER MORE!! :: the immense claws pierced his back, that pale flawless skin, blood immediately pouring and quickly spilling.

Iris couldn't find the strength to scream nor speak, too shocked. `This isn't happening... It can't... It just can't!'

:: Yes, but someday it will, little one... I promise you that. :: and with that said, all began to crumble and spin in a haze of colours and feelings, until she felt herself suddenly gasp and swiftly sit upright, slowly catching her breath as her eyes focused on her surroundings. All around her, there was her team, along with Tala, looking at her almost expectantly. The two younger boys sighed in relief after a few seconds.

“She's awake!!! Yay, Iris awoke!!”

“Yeah... She's alright... Man, you gave us quite a scare! Don't do that ever again!!”

“You sure you okay? Shouldn't you lie down?” Tala's arm went around her waist as soon as she got up and almost lost her balance, too hot, too dizzy to even stand on her own.

“I'm fine, Wolf. Just fine. What happened?” she felt a bit confused. `It seemed so real... So bloody real...' And by the hoarseness of her voice, she had screamed for real. That had never happened before.

“You were screaming...” bright blue eyes showed slight concern, if one looked closely, as the redhead spoke slowly, as if she was a small child, “Probably having a nightmare. Repeating sentences over and over again in different languages-”

“I caught English, French, Japanese and Spanish, if I'm not mistaken.” Tyson commented, grinning like a fool.

“It was probably Portuguese or Brazilian, for I doubt I'd speak Spanish. And I don't know much of Japanese, T. Anyway...” her red eyes moved to look at Tala again, waiting for him to continue. The dream had made her afraid, yes, but it had also angered her immensely.

“You woke us all up, even Tyson. We tried to wake you, but suddenly, you just woke up.” Kai was looking at her with a strange look on his eyes. She was very shaken by what she experienced, that he could tell. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt this useless, this powerless, not knowing how to help her. Sighing silently, he walked over to the balcony, stepping out of the room. She was playing it off, he knew. Iris had been wounded, maybe not physically, but emotionally; something was bothering her greatly.

Soft padding footsteps took him out of his thoughts, as she let their shoulders brush slightly. He shivered lightly, feeling the sudden coldness of her skin, “Want to talk about it?”

“About what?” Or she was acting plain stupid, or she really was clueless.

“You know what I'm talking about. What the hell's wrong? What happened back there?” his head turned to look at her, eyes slightly narrowed, “What is it that you're hiding with such fervour? What are you not telling us?”

Her own orbs looked away from his, wanting, but stopping herself from telling him. She couldn't summon the courage to do so, “Your past is like your most sacred secrets... And secrets are like shadows... Haunting you down at every change they got as soon as the night falls.” she moved to lean on the wall of the balcony, her arms around her shoulders, looking up at the full moon and the star-lit sky, shinning like small diamonds, “And the night... The night makes those shadows grow...”

Not really understanding the full meaning of her words, but knowing she wasn't ready to explain them, he put an arm around her waist, bringing her close to him, trying to make her feel secure and warm. `I'll make them pay. I promise you. Whoever did this will pay dearly. Even if that's the last thing I do.'

His silent vow made a certain Fire Phoenix shine on its bit chip, as Dranzer approved the decision of his young master.

:: You will succeed, little one. And I will be there to support you. Me, your friends, and beloved one. ::



TBC...