Welcome to Gaia! ::

Diana closed her eyes and sighed. Guess she was right. It was her all along.

MESSAGE:
“Kai, don’t worry. You can trust that girl…Because she was once a former Abbey trainee. Alongside with me, she is one of the few females admitted there.
END MESSAGE

Kai relaxed a bit upon 'hearing' Diana's message, but he was still wary. //'Former' trainee doesn't always equal 'traitor to Boris', Murphy. In any case, I'll just wait and see regarding Kurozuki's motives...// One couldn't be too careful when dealing with power-crazed madmen and their lackeys - or, in this case, former lackey.

Miki’s expression was still shocked and stuttered in her reply “H-How did you…” she hesitated to say the name of that place again…but then she continued “...get out...?"

The reply was almost a whisper but still it was heard and clear. Miki remembered a part of her memory and she was slightly afraid of remembering once more. But deciding to be quiet and wait for Houka to answer.

"How else does anyone who's ever escaped that place get out? Running away, of course." She fixed her hip pouch - it was starting to come around to the front, which wasn't how she wanted it - and shrugged. "Sure, I needed to disable the security system in order to do it, but at least I got out..."

She decided not to go into details - why she ran, where she lived before she went back to Tokyo, etc. - even though, technically, Miki wasn't a stranger. The other two - the dark-haired girl in particular - were definitely strangers.

W-ell...Houka reflected, looking at the slate-haired male in front of her. Then it hit; she'd seen him on television before, but never payed attention long enough to get his name. But she had seen him at the Abbey, too; now, if only she could remember...

"Why the look, Kai?" she asked, glancing pointedly at the phoenix wielder. "I want nothing to do with Balkov, so you've nothing to worry about..."

Kai smirked. So it wasn't just Miki this girl knew; apparently, she'd seen him in the Abbey or overheard Boris talking with Voltaire - hell, they'd probably have run into each other at some point when they were younger and considerably less innocent (kids always did that, introduce themselves the first thing). He said nothing, just meeting her gaze steadily.

Houka was the first to break eye contact; she was getting impatient.

"So." She began, one fisted hand resting on her hip. "Can we get going? I'd like to get to BBA HQ before bedtime tomorrow, if that's possible..."

Yup, she was definitely typical Abbey trainee - rather, ex-trainee. At least dealing with her wouldn't be too much of a problem. "C'mon, Miki, Hiyomura. Let's go."

--------------------------------

Drizzard blinked and she looked at Dranzer “Brother…do you sense something?”. Drizzard didn’t really specify but she felt another bit beast around. But this time it was rather familiar. But she couldn’t seem to remember whom it belonged to..

Dranzer looked puzzled a bit, then concentrated, feeling his way through the muddle of auras - all human.

//No, I don't - wait.// The fire phoenix frowned a bit, backtracked. //Yes... I feel something... another bitbeast...// He broke his concentration, glanced at his twin. "I've felt this aura before, back in the Abbey, but one day, it seemed to fade away until it disappeared completely.

"Now it's back; just fainly, but it could be because there's some distance. Is something wrong, Drizzard?"

Miki raised her head and gave a nod. Walking next to her older twin, she nervously clutched her hands in front of her, nervous. She felt nervous around Houka since she only once saw her train by herself when she was given permission to go walk outside her room.

Of course, she couldn’t possibly go out since the guards also kept constant watch on the entrance and exits of the Abbey. Houka was unpredictable to her. You may never know what she could say to you.

Meanwhile, Diana just smirked at Kai’s response and replied again.

MESSAGE:
You are probably forgetting that I have my 4th ability, Memory Scanner. I saw her past once and believe me…the old purple chicken made her life hell enough to make her hate him. And even if she may be acting like she doesn’t have ties with him, I would have known. I scanned her entire memory from her childhood up to her current ones. There is nothing that she could hide from me.
END MESSAGE

If he had been anyone but himself, he would have laughed at Diana's 'purple chicken' comment. But no, he was Kai. Laughter didn't suit him much - a smirk, or a dark chuckle did. //Same goes for any other Abbey trainee, Murphy; Balkov always makes life hell for those under his...'care'.//

He glanced at the three girls he was currently with; Houka looked bored, Kei seemed lost in thought, and Miki... Miki looked nervous. Just that alone was enough to make the slate-haired teen a bit more cautious. He turned his attention, in the meantime, back to the mental conversation he was having with the other dark-haired girl.

//Anyway, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Murphy; time will tell, anyway...// It wasn't that Kai didn't trust the dark bitbeast-wielder; he had to see for himself was all.

--------------------------------

“Yes…this energy troubled me greatly, brother. I sense it and it seems so familiar to me as well. But I couldn’t remember whom it belonged to. And you and I both have superb memorization of memories and yet…I don’t remember this mysterious aura."

Dranzer nodded, slowly. "Yes, it is troubling... but I suppose we'll know soon enough..."

It had to be said that something else was troubling the phoenix aside from this unidentifiable bitbeast he and his twin - and most likely Akurei, too - had sensed. It was Kai, running off after Miki even when he was in no shape to run more than a few feet. His habit of pushing his limits constantly had landed him in the hospital at the end of the last tournament; the redhead had no wish to see his human partner and friend suffer like that again.

“Another beast…” were the words that the dark bit beast had inside his mind. He knew just from the faces of Suzaku and Tou that they also sense it. Yet, they don’t recognize who it is. Smirking for their slow realization, he decided to stay quiet. It wasn’t any of his business anyway.


((...goddessanime, could you please stop making Maria jealous of Kai's sister? She and Kai are siblings after all, so of course Kai would care for her; he isn't that heartless. Plus, Kana-chan feels somewhat offended every time you post that. So, could you not? Arigatou.
Oh, and you spelled a couple of words wrong in your little 'song'; I suggest you get a proper dictionary to help you in learning Japanese.))

so do you want there powers Shinja?
just a little
ok, then. you three down there you beyblade!
the group of kids said "oh yeah!" simtaniously
then, three two one let it rip. drawing his sword with so much speed and grace it looked like it just apeered in his hand. Shinja landed on the side of the bridge. while the other three were down on the bank of the river.
hay, how are we supose to attack you?
you have bit beasts don't you?
yeah rayfin, geist. jumping base go.
the light weight jumping bey blade hit first and was easily countered. thrown into the river on its side, sinking to the bottom rolling with the current. the other two attacked in unesense. using her spin gear she went on to the river with out them seeing. only coming out partly Shinja swallowed the two bit beasts whole beyblade and all.
the three kids slumping to the ground as if the lost part of there soul said in unisense "you win mister" starting to get teary eyed.
shinja come, we have to be gone. there ismuch to be done. and as if they were not there they were gone.

MESSAGE:
*chuckles* Ok ok…I was once a parrot before whenever Miki will daydream about him. Honestly, I don’t see what Miki sees in him. But once I meet him, I will give him a whoopin’ if he does something. But I can’t kill him. I can’t tell exactly threaten a guy who I never met personally that has the chances of becoming your brother-in-law now, can I?
END MESSAGE

Diana suddenly blinked and growled. She never really feels comfortable talking about Miki’s love life. Let alone with her older twin brother who is technically the one who has the authorities to judge if Miki’s chosen one was right for her. But she still shrugged it off. Ivanov is like Kai in a way. So there is a chance he may tolerate her.

At the riverside - well, technically, they weren't beside the river anymore - Kai frowned a bit upon recieving Diana's latest message. So that was the reason why Miki blushed back when she asked whom he'd teamed up with; she'd guessed that he and Yuriy were teammates. //...she likes Ivanov, huh? And don't go jumping to conclusions about him becoming my brother-in-law...// There was nothing wrong with that, really, but it made the slate-haired teen a bit uncomfortable just thinking about it.

Back where the other two girls were, Miki looked thoughtful for a moment and replied, “Not really sure but I do know I met her but I just don’t remember.”

One slim eyebrow shot up in amusement. "So you've met her before?" Her smile grew a little, but she looked less... intimidating now, but not by much. Poor thing; with the slightly bewildered expression, she reminded the auburn-haired teen of a certain young girl she'd known before. "In that case, you won't be that surprised when you see her..."

//"Medaea, dear, have you met Miki before?"// This she asked silently, to her bitbeast. She knew it was possible for the blader to initiate the conversation with his or her bitbeast, given that certain conditions were fulfilled.

//"W-ell... I wouldn't say I've seen her... but I have talked to her. She's that girl, Voltaire's - for lack of a better term - 'tool' in creating new bitbeasts."// A short chuckle, but a warm carress to Houka's thoughts. //"You have her to thank, you know... she's part of the reason I came into being..."//

Now Houka was surprised, but she tried not to show it. She glanced at the meek-looking, blue-haired girl standing just a few feet away from her. Miki had helped create Medaea? She'd just have to see if that were true - not that she didn't trust her own bitbeast - later on, provided she could find a way to ask without being obtrusive.

"Well, that's enough of that," she said suddenly, brushing past Miki and, by instinct, taking her by the hand and gently pulling her along. "Let's go; dear brother is waiting..." This she said with a small gesture towards Kai and Kei, who were standing, watching them, quite a bit up the path now.

Miki gave a nod and decided to quicken her pace a bit. “I wish to not talk about it right now Houka-san, I am not comfortable explaining the procedure”.

Houka merely nodded, slowing to a stop when she finally caught up with Kai and Kei. "Whatever you say, Miki; besides, I didn't ask for details, did I?"

Miki half-jogged a bit to her brother’s side and slowed down to meet his side. Her eyes still mixed with fear and concern, she shrugged it off but it was still visible. She decided to rise a question to her older brother “Oniichan, are we just going to do some speed training?”

It puzzled her why to ask such a question. Speed was definitely an advantage to battle but speed diminishes your strength. So basically it still has a flaw.

"...you can concentrate on a different stat, Miki." The slate-haired teen smirked a bit. "But this time, you choose what to concentrate on. Think of it as an exercise in pinpointing your weaknesses..."

No, he wasn't trying to put his twin down; he was trying to help her. One couldn't improve all that much if one kept relying on others to point out one's mistakes; sometimes you had to take things into your own hands and if you were wrong... well, then, that just added to the learning experience.

Diana smirked when he didn’t reply and decided to end their mental conversation. Seeing Kai frown at the thought of Ivanov having the possibilities of being with his baby sister was hilarious.

She turned to her bit beast, who was still silent. She cocked her eye brow when she saw a hint of amusement in his dark orbs. “What got you so amused Akurei?” she asked. Not that she was interested, but Akurei was really secretive.

He opened one eye to look at his mistress with a questioning look. He closed his eye and spoke calmly “You probably sensed it’s energy, Mistress. There is no need to tell you”.

Frowning at his calm response, she remembered that she sensed something awhile ago but decided to shrug it off. She was slightly annoyed since she just realized it only now.

Meanwhile, Drizzard gave her brother a smile and removed her hand from his shoulder. “If you want to ask me about Medaea, fire away brother.” She sensed he was troubled by the new bit beast and wanted to help him understand. She always wished to help her phoenix brother in any way she could.

Dranzer looked thoughtful for a while. Truth be told, he didn't know exactly what to ask... save for the thought foremost in his mind. He'd heard of her, even heard her in his mind - as bitbeasts communicated with each other through telepathy - but...

"What exactly is Medaea, Drizzard?" he finally asked, looking steadily at his twin.

Of all things, it had to be that. Drizzard sighed in her mind, still unbelieving her twin’s question. But half of her expected it. Dranzer was the type to ask questions that were straight to point. So she had to say everything about Project Medaea.

“Well, dear brother, if you must know. Medaea is a bit beast. But not just any ordinary bit beast. She is the first half human, half animal bit beast that has been created artificially. Courtesy of a certain Beyblade organization, of course.”

Drizzard decided to pause for a moment. She didn’t really know if she could actually tell what really happened to the Project to Dranzer. But if he wants to know then let it be. She was planning to anyway.

"Half-human...half-animal?" Dranzer looked somewhat aghast, but caught himself a moment later. He'd heard tales of BioVolt's scientists creating new bitbeasts from animals captured from the wild - a horrid act in itself - but this...

"Creating bitbeasts that are part human..." he muttered, frowning once more. "I'm beginning to think we'll see a wholly human bitbeast at some point..."

He turned back to Drizzard, made more curious by her pause. "Sister... is there something you're not telling me?"

------------------------------

Miki just gave an absent-minded nod. She wasn’t really paying attention because she was too busy trying to forget those painful Abbey memories. The electricity sparkling, giving the only source of light to the dark dismal room. The terror as she held the blade of the cold stone dagger in her fingers. The screams of pain as her supposedly temporary guardian sliced the flesh of yet another innocent victim.

She was trying to hold back her tears as the fear continued to spread inside her body like poison. It only reminded her more of the venomous tone of her once temporary guardian. Her hands were shaking, as she continues to walk beside her twin. If Diana wasn’t there for her, she would have been traumatized already by the ever flowing of blood and screams.

This didn't go by unnoticed, and Kai turned to his twin, concern dancing in crimson eyes, though partially obscured by slate-blue bangs. "Miki...? What's the matter?" he asked, lightly touching her shoulder.

Kei, on Miki's other side, was concerned as well. The blue-haired girl had been like that ever since Houka mentioned a certain Medaea - apparently, this was a bitbeast, as Kei could sense someone else other than the four of them. She slowed down a bit so she could walk beside the green-eyed teen walking slightly behind them.

"Kurozuki-san, what did you say to her?" the brunette asked softly, gesturing vaguely in Miki's direction.

Houka shrugged, her eyes closed as though she knew the path by heart, enough to not need her eyes to navigate. "Beats me, Hiyomura; I just asked if she knew who Medaea was, and..." The auburn-haired teen shrugged again. "Anyway, she'll get over it..."

"I hope so..." Kei muttered, her gaze fixed on the blue-haired twins.

Miki looked at her twin, who was full of concern. His hand clutched on her shoulder gently. She gave a gentle sad smile and slowly took his hand off her shoulder and held it tight.

“I’m fine Oniichan…just…remembering some stuff.” Pausing for a moment, she continued “Pretty…unpleasant stuff…”

Despite her reassurances, Kai was still worried - especially when Miki referred to what she was remembering as 'unpleasant'. He'd have liked to know what they were, but if it would add to his twin's obvious distress, he decided against it.

"I...see." He didn't know what else to say; 'Stop thinking about it,' was, in his opinion, a pretty mundane response. So he fell silent again, noting with interest that they were nearing BBA headquarters now.

------------------------------

Drizzard took a deep breath and replied “I am…apparently. I don’t know if you wish to know but I suppose I could tell you, Brother”

She clutched her gauntlet clasped arms and continued “Medaea…was made from the blood of a human and the blood of an animal. She was born out from machines and my Mistress’s power. The reason for this creation was because the organization wished to create the perfect soldier.

"They tried to genetically enhance boys as their 1st project. But some scientists had a proposal of making a half human and half animal bit beast created from the blader’s blood and the animal’s blood mixed together. They believe it might help the blader have maximum control of his beyblade if he is familiar with his bit beast.

So they decided to test it by influencing a girl to participate, then if it was successful, they will move on. It seems that it was since Medaea lived. My mistress had to bear the task of taking blood from various animals and mixing them with many youngster’s blood. It was a horrifying state to be in, my brother. I pity my mistress for witnessing and being force to commit such acts.”

"As expected of Voltaire, Balkov, and their lackeys..." The redhead let out a strangled sigh. "At least your mistress has escaped that place; if all goes well, she won't ever go back there... and neither will you."

Some parts of the project that Drizzard had mentioned, Dranzer was familiar with. Of the top bladers, it was his own partner who had been the first subject of their 'enhancement'; very little had been done to him, of course, but it was enough to make the young man have a particular dislike for anything that had to do with laboratories and people in white coats.

But mixing the blood of a human and animal, and forming - no, molding it into a bitbeast... it was an entirely different matter. It made the crimson-clad man wonder... who was the project's first subject for this area of the 'study'?

Miki still was slightly disturbed about the memories but deciding not to worry her brother further; it was her turn to put a hand on his shoulder. But she had to reach a bit. Curse her shortness.

“Oniichan, please don’t worry about me. If I can tell you then I will tell you at the right time. Just not now, since I still got training to do.” She gave him a reassuring smile to mean she was serious. Kai tends to worry and even if he masked it well, she could see it.

The smirk was back on his face, but it wasn't an unkind one. "All right, I'll buy that. But Miki..." here, the slate-haired teen turned serious again, squeezing his sister's hand reassuringly. "Whatever it is that bothered you - whatever these memories are - you have to tell me. Later, at the apartment."

He went ahead and pushed open one of the side entrances to the BBA headquarters, stepped inside, and then stopped to wait for his companions to catch up, which they did pretty quickly. With a vague gesture of his head - and after only one glance to get his bearings - the crimson-eyed blader turned into the corridor on their left. It was understandable that he'd know where he was going, as the place was already familiar to him.

Back in the training room, sighing sadly at the memories, Drizzard continued to brood about her young mistress. A young girl who was forced to make such horrible acts was very traumatizing. She looked at her brother with concern. He was also been tampered with. Being created another darker side of yourself. She sometimes blames herself for being inside a rock and swimming around with other trapped bit beasts. Sighing more, she decided to break the awkward silence.

“Brother, you don’t have to brood over me and my mistress’s problems. We can handle it ourselves. We both wish to not worry you two.”

For what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, Dranzer sighed. "Whether or not you and your mistress can handle...whatever it is, is a moot point. Your worrying is what has me brooding. At least let Kai and I try to help..."

The redhead trailed off there; he wasn't really sure if his offer of aid was acceptable, considering he'd made it and not Kai, yet he was also saying that Kai would help if he could. Though it were true, it wasn't right for a bitbeast to make offers without consulting his or her human partner.

Presently, the door to the training room opened, and Kai, Miki, Houka, and Kei stepped in.

"Well... we're back," Kei said, trying to lighten what looked to be a pretty sombre mood.

It was Houka's turn to smirk as she looked around at the various training machines scattered about. "I can see why you picked this room; not too shabby..." she commented, going over to one of the machines and inspecting it. Then, quite suddenly, the auburn-haired teen turned to the twins, her gaze fixed on...

"Miki." She said, her voice a monotone now. "What do you say to a little match? It's been a long time since Medaea saw any action; she's itching to get back in the dish again..."