Sakura Wars Fan Fiction / Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Sakura Taisen:Zero One ❯ Seeing Bit Beasts ( Chapter 9 )

As the days rolled by, the rehearsal hall was the silent witness to the four boys' intensive theatrical training. First learning the basic vocalizations, the gardeners working on the garden right outside the hall have to endure the excruciatingly out-of-key voices that echoed throughout the area around the hall. Next was the dance part, and Maria WAS the one who had a hard time since the boys' arms and legs were all going in the wrong way. Bringing in Kinoshita did help ease the burden, but both instructors and students tired each other out in those long, exhaustive days.

But to the instructors' relief, the boys seemed to catch on, and by the time that the month ended, they had a fairly good grasp on what they had learned so far. By the second month, the boys had been officially launched as the new members of the Teito Broadcasting Studios' All-Purpose Acting Troupe, but only starring in small roles for starters of course, and as the weeks rolled by, their roles began to gradually increase in number and importance.

One night, still in his rehearsal tights, Takao fell flat on his bed, exhausted. "No more. I can't move. My batteries are totally drained."

The same can be heard from the other three as they likewise fell flat on their beds, flat as starfishes. Kyoju and Hiroya were buried deeply into the books (literally) that they were made to read that they had to look up to see what the others meant by "totally drained".

"Hey guys, our study modules had just arrived." said Kyoju.

"Not now, Kyoju," moaned Takao, "I'm too tired to even lift a finger."

"Oh boy, looks like all school work has to be halted" Dizzi piped up from her recharging station, "The guys have some major recharging to do."

"Hey, by the way," said Kyoju, "The Commander was asking us if you can give them your Bit Beasts."

At that, the boys snapped out of their exhausted stupor and abruptly sat up.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!"

"Dizzi, what were you saying about them needing recharging?" asked Hiroya.

"Don't ask me. Humans are NOT supposed to recharge like this laptop."

"Yes," said Kyoju, "I'm serious. They need your Bit Beasts."

"No way!" cried Takao. "First they put us through this hell hole called the theater and now, they want us to mess with our Bit Beasts?!"

"Wait, settle down!" said Kyoju, "They're actually setting up an important proposition."

"And what is that?!"

"They said that they will give us our very own Kobu units, right?"

"So?"

"The basic principles upon which these things are run are steam power and spiritual power. The current units that are run by the girls are using special minerals called the Ryoshin crystals, which converts spiritual energy into physical energy. But since your spiritual powers are based on your Beyblades, another core type is needed...."

"Let me guess," Kai butted in, "that would be our Bit Beasts."

"Exactly," said Kyoju.

"But I just can't let those big shots play with my Dragoon like a lab rat!" Takao protested.

"Same goes for me!" seconded Max and Rei.

"They're NOT gonna get their dirty hands on my Dranzer," Kai maintained.

"I know this would be a problem," sighed Kyoju. Try as he might, he still couldn't convince the four to allow their Bit Beasts to be handed over. Finally, Kyoju shouted, "You just don't know how much your stubbornness is costing you!" and with that, he ran out of the room.

"Say what you want!" Takao shouted back, "I'm NOT giving my Dragoon!"

"But how do you expect to join the battle without a Kobu?"

"Even you, Hiroya?!"

"I'm just being realistic here. We've been told may times that we're not here for a vacation. This is still a military base, and we still have to fight. Are you prepared to exchange the safety of Tokyo for your Bit Beasts' freedom?"

"Say what you want, genius!" said Takao, "But even a genius like you won't understand how we fell because you don't have one!"

"Boys!" Dizzi said warningly, "Geez, this is the time that I wish I have a hand."

But Hiroya doesn't seem to share Dizzi's indignation and instead, flipped over in his bed and said, "I don't want to put up a fight, guys. I'm just saying what we're really up against."

The morning after was marked by silence and an air of indignation exuded by the usually lively boys. The superiors noticed the change and asked them what's wrong, but the boys only gave them the cold shoulder and ignored their question. Asking the Major what they should do, he just said,

"They're making the most important decision regarding their 'friends'. I'd advise you not to ask the further about it. It's their own battle."

As Team Hana was walking down the hall to their own rehearsals, Sakura said, "The boys sure are acting strange, right?"

"Uh huh," said Kanna, "they sure are. They're not as lively as before."

"Maria-san, you're the one handling their training," said Sakura, "Do you have an idea?"

"Well, the Major said something about them making a decision on their 'friends'."

"Friends?"

"I think he means the boys' Bit Beast thingies," said Kohran.

"Bit Beast what?"

"Kyoju told me everything a while ago," and Kohran explained to the girls all about the Bit Beasts, their roles in the boys' lives, and the Major's proposal of including them in the new Kobu units' framework.

"Interesting," said Kanna.

"Yes. Imagine, such ancient beings in the hands of such young children!" said Maria, "No wonder those boys have so much spiritual energy. One who would possess such beings must have such power!"

"But you can't blame them for being so overprotective of their Bit Beasts," said Sakura, "Like what Kohran-san had said, the boys had gone through a lot just to protect them from a lot of nasty people who wanted their power."

"Still, they have to give them to the CGS Heavy Works sooner or later," said Kohran, "Construction couldn't be done unless the cores are available. This really is hard, considering that America's PPB facility, that owns the Bit Beast integration device, cannot keep the machine in Japan for a long time."

"But they still are children after all," said Maria, "we cannot do more now than give them more room."

"You can't be more right," said Kanna, "right, Sumire? Sumire?.....Oi!"

"Don't ask my opinion, since I don't have any."

"But Sumire-san,' said Sakura, "You could at least have something to say about the Bit Beast stuff."

"Didn't you hear me?!" Sumire harrumphed in an annoyed voice, "I don't have any because I don't care. And I just can't understand why everybody's giving so much importance to such low-life street rats like them." With that, the violet-haired woman strode on ahead.

"Well," said Kanna, shrugging her shoulders, "that's Sumire for you."

**************************************************

The moon embraced the garden walk with such a soft luminance that one can't help but set eyes on the whole array of greens and bodies of water that reflect the gentle light, and momentarily get in the way of what thoughts one might have in those moments. Momentarily indeed, for even the garden's inviting aura hasn't got Rei's mind off the big decision at hand. {Of course I can't let Driger fall into the strange hands again. But.........we must also consider that the Force is just finding a way to make itself stronger for battle.} He sighed, as he slumped on the bridge walk's well carved railing. {What should I do?}

Taking notice of a figure slipping into his sight, Rei pricked up his pointed were-cat ears and saw that it was Iris, who is as usual holding her teddy bear and was making her way to the garden's benches.

"Hi there," said Rei, as he approached the little girl, "Mind if I sit beside you?"

The little blond girl nodded quietly.

Settling down on the bench, the catboy sighed and looked up to the stars. Aware of the girl's poor sociability yet feeling a great urge to talk, he fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "You sure love this garden, don't you? Well......I just noticed that you come here every night." Still gaining no response, but undaunted, Rei continued, "I can't blame you. Whoever designed this garden sure knows a lot about Feng Shui."

"Feng Shui?" the little girl finally said.

"It's the way of placing things in a certain place to gain good energy. Like this garden, everything is in the right direction and placement. That's why the energy of this place is so warm and inviting, so inviting that even your friend likes it here, right?"

A little surprised from hearing that someone actually acknowledged her teddy bear as a person, Iris said in a slightly different tone, "Yes. He likes it here."

"It's been a long time that I've been seeing him, but you still haven't introduced him to me yet. What's his name?"

"Jean-Paul."

"Oh, Jean-Paul! So you're the gentleman who's always with this little lady. Nice chap..." Reaching out, Rei "shook hands" with the teddy bear. "Nice to meet you, pal. You seemed to be with Iris for quite a long time. Right?"

Iris let out a puzzled look at the raven-haired were-cat.

"And from the looks of it, the two of you have been going places together for quite some time now. I can see that you're going quite well with each other, but aren't you worried that Iris might take you somewhere that you don't like?" Pausing for a while as if to catch a "word" from the teddy bear, Rei said, "oh, sorry for asking such a dumb question. It's very obvious that Iris would as you first, right?"

Suddenly, it all came to him.

{Of course! Why haven't I thought of that?}

Stunned by the profoundness of his realization. Rei went briefly into a daze and came to a decision. Sighing, he patted the teddy bear and said, "I guess I really am stupid. Thank you for reminding me of the one thing that is needed for a relationship with a Bit Beast. Thank you, Jean-Paul. And thank you, Iris...."

The quizzical look on Iris' eyes was replaced by another stunned, surprised look when Rei said,

"To have such a well meaning fellow for a friend, you must be a really kind and loving girl."

As he stood up and walked towards the building, Iris let her gaze follow him as he disappeared into the door. Leaning back onto the bench, she curled up and clutched her teddy bear closer, a mild blush forming on her cheeks.

"Jean-Paul....." she said in her usual half-whispering, quiet tone, "was he telling the truth? Did he really mean to say those things? I don't want to believe it. He looks so scary with his eyes and fangs. He looks like a monster, but....."

"....but his gaze is so warm, and his voice is so gentle."

The little blond girl stared off into the night sky as she said,

"Are the rest of them like that?"

************************************************

"What?! An audience with our Bit Beasts?!"

"But it's possible, right?" said Rei, "If they can talk to us, we can talk to them."

"I don't know," said Takao, "Dragoon is kinda choosy with his vocabulary."

"Same with Draciel," said Max, "the old turtle's still hard to coax from his shell."

"How about you, Kai?"

"Don't ask," said Takao with a smirk, "Dranzer's just as tight beaked as his master."

The boys were making their way towards the grounds' forest park. Knowing that Rei's plan means a vast amount of space, they had figured that this was the safest way to do the task at hand.

"But we all know that we have no choice," said Rei, "If we don't follow their orders, we won't be able to join the battle in the first place."

"Is this the only way we could?" asked Max.

"It IS the only way," said Rei, "Our spiritual energy are based on our Bit Beasts, that's why they have to be taken first as a core for our own mecha units."

The boys stopped at a clearing. The palace seemed so far away behind, much more than enough to make room for the beings that lie dormant in the shiny, metallic tops that they are holding.

"It's now or never," said Takao. The boys looked at each other for the last time. Then, with a resolute motion and a loud "GO SHOOT!!" launched their respective Beyblades.

The boys closed their eyes, concentrating their energy into their tops. {Please.....please hear us.....}

And true enough, the familiar glow emanated from the tops' bit, sending off a dazzling spectacle of lights into the sky. As the light particles assembled, the shapes that formed were emerging from the blinding flood of light......and the four sacred spirits revealed themselves.

The flash of light attracted the occupants of the palace/studio. When they ran out into the forest to see what it is everybody was stunned to see what was happening. "What are they up to now?!" cried Kyoju.

Even Team Hana was stunned with what they saw.

"Is this it, Maria-san?!" cried Sakura, "I can't believe it! Those ARE the four sacred spirits!"

"Unbelievable indeed," said Maria, "here we are, seeing these being with our very own eyes, in out very own base!"

Iris snuggled closer against Sakura, obviously frightened with the whole spectacle. The same can be seen on Kohran and Kanna, as their jaws dropped, stunned with what was laid before their eyes. But Major Oogami was watching the whole spectacle with a laid back, easygoing air.

"Looks like they're about to do it," he said.