Sakura Wars Fan Fiction / Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Sakura Taisen:Zero One ❯ Assignment ( Chapter 8 )

Early morning, at the Teito Broadcasting Studios.

The vast, park like grounds were given a fairy-tale like atmosphere by the morning mist and the gentle tweeting of the resident birds. All looked so peaceful, that it was perfect for a daily morning meditation.

The sound of silence permeating her senses, and magnifying them......

To the extent of identifying a lone dewdrop's exact location.....

As soon as she did, within a matter of a fraction of a second, she drew out her sword and split the dewdrop in two. But,.......she sensed that something is wrong.

Looking back, Sakura was startled to see Max and Kyoju standing behind her, their eyes reduced to orbs as the top portions of their spiked hair fell down. And when Kyoju's glasses were split in half.......

Their scream pierced the silence of the studios' grounds......

"Sumimasen!! I didn't know you're here!!!!.........."

"So you mean to say that you almost got fricasseed by her sword?"

"Is this any proof?" said Kyoju, as he showed the portion of his hair that was cut off.

"But why did you go near her in the first place?" asked Rei. "You could've just called her."

"It was you who said that morning meditations are essential for all martial artists," said Max, "and how will we know that that was she will do?"

"And like last night, she apologized non-stop" said Kyoju.

"Poor girl," said Rei, "no wonder she doesn't have that much authority. She's such a pushover."

As they made their way towards the mess hall, they noticed a big crowd that was forming at its door.

"What's going on?" asked Max, "does it get this crowded here?"

"I don't think so," said Rei, "the mess hall has a lot of space. Everyone in here won't need to crowd like that, and that's what makes it strange."

"I don't have a good feeling about this," said Kyoju.

The three of them pushed through the crowd, and when they got to the center of all the attention, they were all startled with what they see.

"Yep," said Kyoju, "just as expected....."

Piles of plates were strewn all over the table that the crowd had gathered around to see. And as expected, the suspect is Takao, who made a relay-eating race out of the routine breakfast and made all of the mess hall workers work double time. The crowd has mixed reactions: some were disgusted, and others were amused.

The three could do nothing else but face fault.

Making their way towards the commanders' room, the group was berating Takao on making a bad impression on his first day. The blue- haired fellow retorted that he was only being himself, and that he needs all the energy that he lost the previous night, and for the formal training on this day. "Besides," he added, "Who cares about impressions? It's not like I have to answer to anyone, like those girls."

Hey guys, speaking of which," said Max, "I haven't seen those girls anywhere in the hall. Where do they eat?"

"One of the attendants told me that since Team Hana is the frontline team, they are given high priority. They can have their meals in their bedroom," recalled Rei.

"No wonder they act so high and mighty" said Kyoju, "and from the looks of it, the Commander can't do much, since they ARE the vital members of this Force."

"But now, they better get off their high horses," said Takao, "since we are a force to be reckoned with!"

"I kinda don't like that idea," said Max, "Can't we just be friends with them or something?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple as that," said Rei, "As we saw yesterday, they aren't exactly a friendly lot to begin with. So conflicts with them are unavoidable. Oh here we are."

"Oh look, our fifth and sixth wheel."

"Where have you guys been?" asked Hiroya, "We've been waiting for you the whole day."

"Don't ask," said Kai, as he walked of the door that he was leaning against. "For all I know, Takao has given a new meaning to `mess hall' that's why you're late. Am I right?"

"Ehehehehehe...." Takao grinned impishly.

"You guys do know each other a lot," said Hiroya.

"Well of course, since we've been together for almost six years in a row," said Kyoju, "By the way, let's straighten ourselves, Remember, we're about to go into the Commander's room." Then, as the boys looked at each other, sighed and straightened up, Kyoju said, "Ready?"

And he knocked on the door. Seconds later, an attendant opened it. Surveying the group, she said,

"Come in. The Commander's waiting for you."

Rather hesitantly, the boys entered the Commander's massive room. And they have every reason to be; the interior decoration is just as sparing yet elegant. And it was further accented by the synchronized arrangement of antique furniture and modern technological equipment, where several of the Commander's female assistants were working. As the group approached the Commander's desk, the assistants looked up from their workstations and whispered among themselves, again gawking at the boys' collective cuteness.

"Awwshucks, being good looking sure is the best. Just hear them swoon."

"They're looking at the spinach stuck in your teeth, Takao."

"Shut up. You're just jealous."

As the boys went closer to the desk, they saw Lily Beckett and the Commander talking. When they saw the group they promptly stooped talking and faced them.

"So there you are" said Beckett, "How was your first night? Slept well?"

"Couldn't be better," said Max, "This place is more like a five-star hotel than a military base!!"

"And that's what makes it an effective front," said Beckett, "And judging from what happened this morning, I'd say you boys quickly felt at ease with your surrounding. Just don't go too far like that again, or you might send this place into bankruptcy."

"Ehehehehehehe......."

Promptly giving Takao an elbow in the ribs, Kyoju said, "We really appreciate your kind reception, Ma'm. But we're also aware that this is no vacation, and we're about to go into serious training. So, when will we start?"

"Hmm....." said the Commander, "Interesting. Almost all of you have a sunny disposition, yet you're already geared for duty. A very good combination, I'd say, since your training starts right at this moment."

"RIGHT NOW?!" the boys chorused.

"Yep kiddos. There's no time to waste now, since we need all of you are needed for the task at hand as soon as possible. Beckett here will lead you to the rehearsal hall. Maria-kun is waiting for you."

"Maria?"

"Oh, the one in charge of our basic training," said Kyoju.

"So let's see: Kinomiya, Hiwatari, Mizuhara and Kon will follow Beckett to the room..."

"Wait!!" said Hiroya, "what about me and Kyoju?!"

"Don't rush," said the Commander with a rather amused grin. "I have other plans for you, Sakuma and Tamanogawa,"

"Other plans?"

"Yep," said the Commander, "Iwaji!!"

Promptly, one of the assistants went to the desk.

"You two will follow Iwaji to the hangar. Kohran-kun is waiting there."

"But what will we do?"

"You'll see."

"I wonder what kind of training will be given to Kyoju and Hiroya" said Takao, "Aren't we supposed to be training together?"

"They will be working on a different field," said Beckett, "But they'll still be working closely with you."

"They're doing the training in the hangar," said Rei, "I guess they'll be on the more technical roles, like computers and maintenance of battle machines."

"That's what Kyoju's good at!" said Max.

"It's really amazing how perceptive you kids are," said Beckett.

"Nothing to it, really," said Max, "It's just that we know each other a lot."

"Is that so?"

As they approached the alleyway where the rehearsal hall was located, they saw a crowd of young people jostling and walking to and fro.

"Who are they?" asked Takao.

"They're new talents, just like you," said Beckett.

"Wow! We're going to train with them?" asked Max.

"Nope. You boys are high priority, so you'll be given a special training."

"Aww, we didn't know that we were that special," said Takao.

"Don't get on Cloud 9 just yet," said Kai. "`Special training' means that we'll be given something more intensive than what's given to the people in this hall."

"Intensive your foot, sourpuss," said Takao.

"Here we are."

Stopping at one of the hallway's massive doors, she casually opened it and let the boys follow her inside the cavernous training hall.

"Look at the size of this place!" said Max, "Every room in this place is HUGE!"

"The Meiji era did leave a lot of useful structures like this one," said Beckett, "Oh, there they are!"

The group approached the two persons seated at the piano. Coming closer, the boys saw that one was the person that they were looking for, and the other's another unfamiliar person.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," said Beckett, "This lady with Maria-kun is Miori Kinoshita, Team Hana's overall director of stage performances."

"Kinoshita-sensei," said Maria, "These are the new recruits that just arrived yesterday."

"Oh my, the rumors are right! You boys really are good looking," said Kinoshita.

"Awwshucks," went Takao and Max. Rei and Kai merely gave her a puzzled look.

"But I don't think we're any better looking," Rei finally said, "considering that you might have seen a lot more good looking people than us."

"Oh yes, I have seen them all. People are like jewels: some are polished and genuine like Team Hana; others are polished yet fakes, like those wannabes who can't even make it to the preems. Others are just plain stones like the average person; and there are also those that are deceptively plain-looking, but are actually heavy-carat gemstones that are just waiting to be discovered. Yes, I know hidden potential when I see it!"

"But don't cozy yourselves just yet," said Maria, in a rather more serious tone, "Since you are rough diamonds, you will be drilled with the hardest materials, starting with me. I'm telling you, I'm not gonna be that easy."

"Not gonna be easy huh?" said Takao. "Try me."

"Uppity eh?" said Kinoshita. "Well, guess I'll get back to you as soon as you finish the basic training," as she and Beckett walked out of the hall, the bays stared at each other rather excitedly as the door closed and they heard the words,

"Ganbatte ne. (Do your best)"

By hearing the ominous clacking of the door's lock, the light from the corridors were shut off from the hall and are replaced by the streams of sunlight that came from the ceiling-high windows. With rather authoritative sounding steps, Maria strode towards the piano on the elevated part of the floor and said,

"Are you ready?"

"So we are not taking part in the stage stuff?" asked Kyoju.

"Yes. You two will be in the technical side of Team Goma," replied Iwaji in a rather nonchalant tone.

"Whew!" said the bespectacled beanpole. "Not THAT's a relief. Acting is not in my blood. I can't even recite a nursery rhyme."

"A loser in the acting field," muttered Dizzi in a minimized volume, "But try beating him in advanced calculus....."

"You girls sure know who to look for," said Hiroya, "No one does the job better than this genius!"

"Really? Then you have to make sure that you are in the league of our resident geniuses."

"That Iwaji sure is hard to crack huh?" Dizzi mumbled.

"Here we are."

"WHOA!!" went the two boys as they stared at the glass- covered complex that makes up the main hangar of the base. As Iwaji punched in her card and access code on her the main entrance, the massive glass-and- steel gate opened up, offering a better view of the complex's sophisticated machinery to those who go inside.

"I think I'm in Heaven," said Kyoju, as he danced past the machineries, attracting the attention of the technicians, engineers and scientists in sight and amusing them.

"Well, better get back down to earth because we are about to start." Saying this, Iwaji pointed towards the colossal shelving upon which the Kobu units were stored. As they went closer, they saw a familiar figure working on the yellow Kobu.

"Kohran!" said Iwaji, "The boys are here. Deal with them."

"Okay, just a minute!" said the braided, bespectacled girl as she clung to a nearby hook crane and slid down from the top shelving. "So what do we have here? Oh, the genius and the geek. This should be good."

"She called me a geek," said Kyoju, downtrodden.

"Heeheehee, this genius is right here at your service, baby," said Hiroya.

"As Iwaji left the hangar Kohran continued her rather complex briefing on the boys' role in the battlefield, including the Kobu repair, ammunition and repair supplies and how they should use the craft that they are assigned to, the Vitalis 635. So engrossed was she in her lecture---in fact, her glasses had fogged over as she was talking---that she was caught unawares whan a worker piped up, "The kid with glasses is not here."

"Eh? Where did he go?"

The same man pointed towards the direction of the Kobu shelving. Kohran and Hiroya looked in that direction and their jaws promptly dropped to the floor when they saw that Kyoju was at the yellow Kobu and was playing around with the machine work with her tools

"AIYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Kohran's scream reverberated across the main hangar as she crawled up the shelving wit such speed that Kyoju did not anticipate her strangling grip.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kohran ranted, shaking the poor boy, "You're NOT supposed to touch the Kobu without my permission!!" As the braided girl continued to strangle the bespectacled beanpole, the same worker went up the yellow Kobu and switched on the motor.

"Uh, Kohran......"

"WHAT IS IT??!"

"It's working."

Dropping Kyoju, who was coughing from the grip, Kohran stared at the yellow Kobu and realized what's going on.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATT?!"

Hurriedly rummaging through the Kobu's insides, Kohran stared incredulously when she saw that the Kobu was indeed fixed. {How did he do that?!}

Turning to the beanpole, Kohran demanded, "How in the universe did you do that?! I was wrecking my brain a while ago on why this guy isn't working! But You got it fixed before I even know it!! Tell me, who really ARE you?!"

Kyoju cleared his throat and said, "What I did is no magic: I just figured out that this thing runs on hydrothermal principles, and machines of the sort have basically the same structure. So in other words, I just followed the basics in fixing this guy."

"Basics!?" groaned Kohran "I'd say you're from another planet!"

Hiroya was staring bug eyed at the whole scene. {He's NOT the only genius around here!}

"Poor Kohran", said a lab technician, "Another one's pride bites the dust."