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 Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:35 am
Miki blinked at her brother and sat down “Don’t you want to ask her yourself Oniichan?”. But then something hit her and she shook her head mentally and continued “I guess I have to tell her then huh?”.
Miki put a glass of orange juice near Kai’s plate and took out a small container of butter. She spread it around her toast and took a small bite. She liked toasting bread first before she applied the butter. Hot buttered toast was always delicious.
Miki's first question caught the crimson-eyed teen by surprise, and he said nothing. He'd never tried asking a girl out before - simply because he'd never needed or wanted to - so if he'd had to actually invite Diana to lunch or something, he'd have been at a loss for what to say. But then Miki followed up with something along the lines of telling her dark-haired friend herself, and Kai relaxed, more or less.
The slate-haired teen wasn't all that nervous, but he was wondering why he'd said 'yes' when Miki asked him to take Diana out in the first place...
-----------------------------
Diana decided that she will return back and took her katana back inside her scabbard. Deciding not to strain her legs anymore, she simply activated her dark powers and teleported back inside the door of their apartment. And see Houka already preparing meals. “Mornin’ Kurozuki” she said and went to the fridge to get a small carton of milk and gulped it down.
Houka looked up from the scrambled egg with greens she was preparing, not that surprised that she hadn't heard the door open and close, as she already knew about her roommate's teleportation abilities. "Hey, Murphy. Back from training so soon?" Of course, she had no way of knowing how long she'd still slept after Diana had left, but it was better than just greeting her.
She switched off the stove, then transferred the scrambled egg onto a small plate. It still had to be cut before she could put it on the bread; the auburn-haired teen did so, then put both halves on one of the toasted bread slices - the ham and cheese were already arranged on the other, along with a bit of mayonnaise - then she put the sandwich together, resting it on the same plate where the eggs had been previously.
While she was at the refridgerator, getting the bigger carton of milk, she added, "Say, you want a sandwich or somethin'? It's not like I'm in a hurry or whatever..."
-----------------------------
Kei glanced around before sitting on the nearest bench. Neither Hiromi, Nia, nor Ruri was there yet, it seemed, but the brunette still decided to get into her skates and safety gear...and maybe take a test run. She wasn't all that sure of her in-line skating ability, as she hadn't gone skating for quite a while.
So she strapped on her black-and-red skates and the necessary safety gear - also black and red, no matter how cliche that was - and, after taking a few moments to make sure her laces were tight, stood up slowly. The deep amethyst-eyed girl didn't want to take a spill even before she went skating!
Now... lets see if I can still do this...
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:11 am
Miki finished her meal as soon as possible and decided to go next door. Standing up, she took out her plate and glass to the sink. Returning to the table, she faced her brother and said “I will go next door Oniichan”. Bowing gently, she stepped out, opened the door and closed it gently.
-----------------------------
Diana burped silently and gave a soft “excuse me”, at the same time throwing the empty carton on a trash bin. “Yeah, that’s fine with me” she replied and then was greeted with a knock on the door. She went to open and found Miki looking at her with a smile on her face.
“Miki, good morning” Diana blinked. Miki just gave a smile and said “Diana, is it ok if you meet someone later? By the park around 9 am?”. Diana blinked again “Uh..Sure thing Miki. But who?” she nodded absent-mindedly. Miki just smiled and turned to go back “You’ll see” and went off.
Diana closed the door and blinked several times to regain her composure. Sitting again on the table, she decided not to think about it and she will soon find out whom later on.
Meanwhile, Houka had set about preparing another ham, egg and cheese sandwich, this time for Diana. It took less time now, relatively, as she still had some chopped onion leaves left over from her earlier - she didn't put them in when making her sandwich, as it had turned out to be too much for just one - and the pan and stove were still a bit hot.
She finished soon enough, and set a plate with the freshly-prepared sandwich in front of her roommate. "Here," she said, before returning to her own chair and sitting down. "That was...Miki?" the sea green-eyed blader asked noncommitantly, picking up her sandwich afterwards and taking a small bite out of it while she waited for the girl to answer.
-----------------------------
Miki returned without a moment too soon and sat back on the chair she was occupying. “I told Diana she will go by the park at 9 am. So is that ok with you Oniichan?”
Kai glanced up from his plate when Miki came back in. In reply to her question, he nodded brusquely and said "Yeah, whatever." Frankly, he disliked it - 'hate' was too strong a term in this case - when someone made a decision involving him, but didn't consult him on the matter. However, there was no helping this one; Miki'd already gone through the trouble of letting Diana know; he wasn't about to make her go and tell the dark-haired girl that there'd been a change of plans as regarded meeting time.
He was just about finished with breakfast now, so the slate-haired teen got up and brought the dishes to the sink to rinse them off. Still, his mind was on the upcoming 'date'...and then suddenly shifted to the blank look that had crossed his female teammate's face the day before, when she learned there was to be no training session.
Either she loves blading and training for the tournament that much, he thought, setting his now-rinsed plate to one side and starting on his glass. Or...something else... What that 'something else' was, though, he couldn't guess.
-----------------------------
"Took you long enough!" Kei called teasingly to the three girls approaching her. Ruri stuck her tongue out and retorted, "At least we showed up, unlike a certain someone who didn't make an appearance for a certain movie!"
Kei laughed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get your butts over here so we can get going!"
Soon, the four girls were gathered around the bench; it didn't take that long for all three to put on their rollerblades and strap on the required safety gear. And soon, the four of them were cruising down the park path... well, until Ruri decided to make it a race.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:19 am
Diana nodded and picked out the meal before her and started to eat right away “She said I will meet someone later. Don’t know who but he or she better be good or I’m gonna have a tough time burying the body later” she said through a mouthful of egg and ham inside her mouth.
Downing the last of her sandwich, she took out a bottle of orange juice and poured her a glass and immediately drank it up. Looking at the kitchen wall clock, she noticed that it was around 20 minutes to 9. Still have time to freshen up and dress into more comfortable clothes. So going to the shower, she took off her sleeping attire and turns the hot knob around.
Houka merely watched as the brunette polished off her sandwich, then downed a glass of orange juice. "Must be important, this meeting..." she muttered, also finishing the last of her sandwich, then gulping down her milk. She got up and carried dishes and glasses to the sink. Someone had to clean up, and since she was the only one still there, not hurrying off to who-knew-where, it looked like the task had fallen to her.
-----------------------------
Miki felt slightly takened back at the tone of her brother and decided to be silent. She knew that he didn’t like this. But she wanted to for Diana’s sake and Kai’s. Basically it was for the reason for Diana to stop trying to kill her brother and for her brother to stop cursing Diana behind her back. Sighing, she decided to sit on the couch and then look at the clock, indicating 20 minutes until 9.
Kai finished doing the dishes - well, his own, at least - and went out into the living room, quickening his pace when he saw how little time he had. As a result, the shower he took was little more than just getting wet - probably as wet as one would get walking through a light rain; also, he threw on the first clothes he spotted when he opened his wardrobe - dark gray pants and a relatively loose black shirt - then he was out again in the living room.
The slate-haired teen stopped, just short of reaching for the doorknob. "Miki, are you going to be all right here, alone?" he asked, turning to look at the blue-haired girl. He wasn't sure if that Houka would still be in the apartment next door or not, and he wanted to make sure his twin would be okay.
-----------------------------
Diana got out in the nick of time and was already dressed. She took off out side and said “I’m just gonna go out for the moment. I’ll try to contact you if I will come home or not. Might as well try to be busy while I’m gone”. Diana snapped her fingers and was instantly transported back to her previous destination.
Before Houka could say anything, Diana had disappeared in a whiff of that dark aura-like something. The auburn-haired teen shrugged, turning her attention back to the dish washing. "Might as well try to be busy...", Diana had said. ...Yeah, but with what?
She seriously needed something to do...
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:20 am
Time really does seem to fly when you are having fun doesn’t it? That was what Diana was experiencing now. She was back at the park, waiting for her mystery person to meet. Dressed in a midriff cap-sleeved turtleneck, black and gray arm warmers, slightly fitted cargo pants and black sneakers with red laces, she was feeling pretty cool in her choice of clothing. Not that anyone cares. But sometimes she has a good fashion sense, even if she hated to admit it.
-----------------------------
Miki shook her head “Don’t worry Oniichan. Knowing Diana, she probably put an energy lock on me to indicate if I am in trouble or not. So don’t worry about me”. She smiled reassuringly back at Kai.
"...forgot about that energy lock thing of hers..." Kai said. Whatever an 'energy lock' was, it was turning out to be pretty handy. "Try not to get in trouble, all right?" he added, slightly teasing. A glance at the clock told him he had 10 minutes to get to the park, so the slate-haired teen changed his mind about the door, going instead to the same window he'd jumped from two nights previous. Out the window, down to the ledge, onto a tree branch, another branch, onto the awning, and voila! He was at street level in less time than it took to ride the elevator to the ground floor.
Turning left, he half-jogged his way down the street, turning right and crossing to the other side once he hit the corner. Time for another of those little-known shortcuts he discovered.
Five minutes later, sure enough, he was at the park. And there, right by one of the park entrances, was Diana...in a similarly-themed outfit - the dominant color was black, with gray accent. He had to smile - just a little - at the similarities between the girl and himself. He went up to her, hands shoved in his pockets.
"Waitin' for someone, Murphy?" he greeted, smirking internally and wondering how the dark-haired girl would react if she caught on that the person she was supposed to meet was Kai himself.
-----------------------------
"Hey, isn't that Kai?"
Kei coasted to a stop and followed Hiromi's gaze. True enough, walking over to the park entrance they'd just passed was the slate-haired teen, clad relatively casually in gray pants and a black shirt. "Hey, yeah, it is him..."
"So...who's that girl?" Nia asked, also coming to a stop to look at what her companions were looking at.
Tilting her head to the side a bit, the brunette scrutinized the girl's silhouette - the one standing at the gate. Amethyst eyes widened a bit, then went back to normal. "Oh, that's Diana. Remember the girl I battled before, the one who was all in black?"
"Y'mean the one who nearly killed you?" Ruri said, sounding a bit ticked.
"...yeah... she's nice, though, in her own way. She's just uncomfortable with blatant displays of emotion...or something like that..." Kind of like Kai... she thought to herself.
She started off again down the path, making sure she didn't lean too far forward so she wouldn't trip. "Come on, you three! I thought we were going to go at least once around the park in our rollerblades; standing there and gawking isn't going to move you or anything!"
"Hyaa?! Kei, wait up!" Ruri called, laughing, as she pulled a surprised Hiromi and Nia along with her. "No fair! You got a headstart!"
"Your fault for just staring at them; its like you've never seen a guy and girl meet up in a public place before!" Once more, the small group of four set off; Kei was leading, this time - as Nia had been earlier - and she was trying not to think of what Kai had said the previous day, about prior commitments he couldn't get out off. Was meeting Diana among those 'prior commitments'...or the only one?
Ah, well, there was no helping it, the brunette thought. Let Kai do as he wants; not like you're his master or anything, Hiyomura...
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:44 am
Diana blinked and stared. Kai was standing there, dressed in a similar themed black outfit. Looking at him with a bored expression she replied “If you’re gonna be the one I’m meeting then might as well cut to the chase Hiwatari. And If you think I read your mind then you’re wrong since it’s just a guess”. Diana just crossed her arms and legs. “So, what’s your reason for dragging your a** all the way out here just to see little ole me? Huh?”
"Yeah, got that right." Kai replied, gesturing slightly that they should start walking now - in the part or the street alongside it, he didn't really care. "As for the reason... nothing, really. Just..." he trailed off, racking his brains for one that sounded plausible, at the very least, without sounding forced. "Just curious 'bout what attracted Miki to you," Might as well bring up the other thing they had in common: Miki. Both considered themselves her guardians; both were pretty much hell-bent on keeping her safe; and both had a soft spot for the blue-haired girl.
"Besides, if I'm going to work with you on keeping her safe and out of that b*****d's hands, might as well get to know whom I'm working with..."
-----------------------------
Miki pouted and locked the door on Kai’s way out. Sometimes she just can’t stand her brother’s constant teasing. But it was a typical big brother habit anyway. They need amusement in there lives so little or younger siblings are usually the obvious target.
-----------------------------
The dishes - including the pan and small bowl she'd used for preparations - were done, so Houka went out to the living room and flopped onto the couch. Barely two hours into the day, and she was already ready to fall asleep due to boredom. She grabbed the remote and flicked the television on, surfing through the channels quickly, not quite finding any show she may have been remotely interest in. "Man, this sucks..."
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:06 pm
Diana just stared a bit surprised and smirked “You? Actually wanting to get to know a person? Oh well, might as well.” She turned and looked back at him “You coming or what?” She started to walk inside the park, her hands in a similar position as Kai’s. Hands inside pockets.
Walking slowly, she turned at Kai “So what do you want to know about me, Hiwatari? I already know about you anyway. Considering my mind scanner, I can just read your life like an open book.”
Kai rolled his eyes mentally, but still a smirk crossed his lips, even as he slightly quickened his pace to get to the dark-haired girl. Did she have to keep reminding him of her abilities? In any case, said abilities did come in handy, and she'd proven herself trustworthy and pretty capable thus far. So the relief of knowing Miki was in good hands kind of balanced any irritation the slate-haired teen might have felt at any particular point.
"...whatever you feel like sharing, Murphy. You said you can read my mind; if that were the case, you'd know I was never good at asking questions, particularly the 'getting to know you' type."
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:39 pm
Diana shrugged “Point taken. So anyway…” she stopped for a moment and looked at Kai at the corner of her eye “I could show you another part of my Memory Scanner ability.” Then she looked down with sad eyes “Although, you might not like the memories I will show you.”
Kai quirked an eyebrow at the brunette's sudden change in demeanor, if her gaze was any indication. "...this has something to do with Miki, doesn't it?" he asked, quietly. From the short time he'd known Diana, practically the only thing able to elicit an emotion akin to sorrow was events pertaining to Miki; it was like they were sisters rather than best friends.
Diana nodded her head. “I use my scanner to see her memories. I don’t know if you want to see it or not.” Facing him, she had a serious look on her face and said “Do you want to see what Miki experienced in the Abbey? You could back down and you will never know how she felt and understand her deeper. Or you want to see it now.”
Did she have to give him the choices in such a way that he felt he had no choice at all but view these memories Diana so despised? But then, given her temperament and personality, perhaps the red-eyed teen didn't know how to give choices other than in even a slightly threatening manner. "You make it sound like I've never understood my own sister," he replied finally, "but whatever. Go ahead then..."
He didn't understand how this was supposed to help him get to know Diana better, but the girl was earning a bit more of his respect. She didn't force him to see the memories, not technically; instead, she'd asked, more or less, a sign that she instinctively knew she'd be overstepping boundaries if she hadn't.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:31 pm
Diana closed her eyes for the moment and revealed her once black and dark orbs “This may hurt for a second but nevertheless, it will show you everything”. With that, she gently placed her hand on Kai’s head, hung her head low and said in a clear voice “Peokaze” and now, memories were being send to both their minds.
FLASHBACK 1
A little girl was cheerfully looking out the window as yet a little boy around her age quietly sat on the backseat. A young woman around her twenties smiled at her daughter and son, her husband smiling to himself at his children. The family of four was returning from their afternoon together from a restaurant. The man parked the car in the garage while the woman opened the door, freeing her kids with both walking beside her.
Upon reaching the mansion, the family was greeted by an old man around 40 or 50 with long gray hair and dark cloak. A disappointed smirk was plastered on his face, making the man stopped while his wife worriedly escorted her children to the other room, leaving the two alone in the living room.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Susumu?” the old man. The dark haired man, who wasnamed Susumu, sat a chair on an office of the old man. “I am afraid I don’t know what you are talking about Father,” Susumu simply replied. His father banged a fist on his desk “Don’t play coy! You are the heir to the Enterprises and yet…” he tossed a top-like object to the floor. “You play tops!? What is the meaning of this? My son won’t be wasting his time trying to find out what this useless contraption, because he needs to learn how to handle the company!”
Susumu raised his head high and spoke firmly “It is a Beyblade Father, and it isn’t useless. I love to play it and it is more than just a game. It is about playing with your mind and soul. Kai and Miki already loved it and you can’t just take their happiness away just because you need an heir to a family business!” and without a further moment more, Susumu marched out of the room and closed the door, leaving his father fuming. “This will not be tolerated, my son. I will see no one will betray my name”. Then he made a call and someone picked up. “Hello….is this Tschort? Because I have an assignment I am willing to ask of one of your top employees.”
Kai winced inwardly when a twinge of pain shot through his head, just before the images started coming in. This first memory...he knew it, too. The family of four... that was them - Miki and himself, and their parents - before Death and Tragedy reared their ugly, sneering heads and shattered what would have been a happy childhood. Still, there was nothing more to gain from this memory. What would the next one hold, he wondered, that Diana wanted to show him?
FLASHBACK 2
A woman was sitting by a study until a man hugged her from behind, gently tensing her. “Oh, hello dear it’s you. How was Father?” she asked worriedly. Susumu shook his head and the blue-haired woman was downcast “He is angry again isn’t he?”. Nodding his head, he sat next to her and viewed outside. The children were playing in the gardens. Kai was watching over his little twin sister play and run around, picking a few flowers and holding a few while she gathered more.
Susumu smiled at the happy faces of his beloved kids, his wife Kaede also smiling with sad eyes. “Honey, I’m so worried for them. Kai and Miki are still so young. What are Father’s plans for them? I feel like we wont be there to help them when they need us the most” said the worried woman. Susumu placed a reassuring hand on his wife. “We will watch over them if anything happens to us Kaede. Don’t worry.” Kaede looked once again at her two children and placed a hand on the glass pane “I pray you are right Susumu, for Kai and Miki’s sake”.
So Mother knew, somehow... Kai thought, frowning slightly. She'd known something was going to happen. This wasn't making him understand Miki - not yet, at least - but it was making him hate the old man he called 'Grandfather' all over again.
He wondered, though, how Diana could have known what had happened behind closed doors, separate from Miki and himself that time, if these were indeed Miki's memories. Unless she could channel memories from two minds at the same time, and also those of spirits, as this flashback of sorts seemed to be made up of three viewpoints at the most - Miki's, their parents', and Soichirou's, in particular.
FLASHBACK 3
Silent gray skies came and a lonely wind brushed the falling leaves. A crowd all wearing black garments. A blue-haired woman was comforting a crying little girl, and beside her was a little boy clutching his tiny fists tightly. An old man stepped into the speaker’s stand and focused the microphone to his mouth. Coughing for a moment, he spoke “My son, Susumu Hiwatari was a brilliant young man with a fine future. A wonderful husband who married a charming wife and bore gifted children. He may be gone but he will forever remain in our memories as the kind and loving member of the Hiwatari name”.
Kaede was still holding a crying Miki until she looked up at her Father. His expression was sad but his eyes held a different story. More like…Triumphant…and for some odd reason. She knew who will be targeted next. The burial was over and everyone was already driving on their limos. Kaede was in the back seat with her two kids, both sitting on her side by side. Looking down at her children, who were now asleep, she glanced worriedly. Clutching Miki and Kai tightly to her, she gave them both reassuring kisses on their temples, and held their tiny hands, praying dearly in her mind for them to be safe.
"...Dad..." Kai whispered involuntarily. He didn't know if Diana already knew or not, but it was soon after this that he stopped playing with Beyblades for quite a while; seeing the tops made him hurt inside - especially those designed by his father specifically for Miki and himself. It was probably at that point, too, that the young Hiwatari had begun to distrust his grandfather; he'd known, somehow, that the old man's gaze wasn't truly saddened, nor did he truly mourn the death of his son.
How many more of these childhood memories was his dark-haired companion planning to show? And what did she want him to see, if these were shared by both Miki and him, as they were still together at the time?
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 1:45 am
FLASHBACK 4
An old man was sitting on his desk and a boy and a girl standing in front. He was looking at some papers and then smiled “Wonderful Kai. You have passed again another test. I have high expectations for you and you passed them. For that I am pleased.” He glanced at the young girl and his smile turned into a grim line “As for you Miki, you lost to Kai by one point. You need to be more like your brother.”
The young girl held back a pained expression and simply nodded. ”Dismissed” their grandfather said and both twins went away. When they were out of the room and the door was closed, Kai look at his twin sister to see her sad features. He looked down and took out an object and gave it to her. Miki was surprised at her brother and gently took it. It was a small snow gglobe. Miki smiled at her brother while Kai gave another smile back. At least she was happy and that was enough for Kai.
There it was: the start of all the comparisons between him and Miki. He seemed to remember, though, wanting to shout at the old man that time. He knew Miki had done her best; it should have been enough! But no, he hadn't done what his heart told him. But out of what? Fear that if he rebelled, he'd lose his grandfather's love and approval? Or had he simply been too caught up in his own achievement at the time? Hard to tell, really...
FLASHBACK 5
Kai and Miki were now seated on the back, quiet and patiently waiting to get back to the mansion. Their mother was now driving since she took driving lessons. She didn’t want to burden to get a chauffer to drive them around. Miki was looking at the window while Kai was just sitting with his eyes closed. Miki looked at her mother and said “Mama, are we there yet?”. Kaede looked at her daughter and smiled “Don’t worry sweetie just a few more minutes.” There was a stoplight and Kaede put the brakes.
Then to her horror, the car won’t stop even if she continued stepping on the pedal. She looked back at her children, tears threatening to fall but she bravely held them back. Looking at the speeding rate, she said firmly “Kids, put your seatbelt on”. Both of the twins were surprised while Miki retorted “Mama, what’s wrong? Why do we-“. “Please Miki, I beg of you put our seatbelt on!” Kaede nearly shouted, making Miki shrink back and hurried to fasten the belt. Kai was also surprised. Their mother rarely scolded them.
Kaede looked back at the road and held the wheel tightly “Kids, whatever happens right now. Remember your father and I loved you very much.” She closed her eyes. They were already passing t he 3rds stoplight “Kai…” The young boy looked at his mother who in turn looked back at him with a sad smile “Take care of Miki for me”. Before both the twins asked yet another question, all they remembered a 10 wheeler coming at them with a loud crash.
...he'd certainly made a lot of promises in his younger years, it seemed. A promise made as a child had very little implication or obligation attached to it; truth be told, he'd nearly reneged on his promise to look for Miki, but it was more because he felt he'd had no choice and was about to give up. Being reminded of the promise he'd made to his mother - and that was infinitely more binding, as it was from a child to a parent - it made him think: was he more capable of keeping a promise - or promises, as it were - now that he was practically an adult? Or would circumstances once more prove to be greater than will or capability?
He was determined that it was that the former that were so.
FLASHBACK 6
Kai was now officially the heir to the Hiwatari Enterprises. He was granted a room of his own, very much like his father’s. But he wasn’t that happy. First, his father died, then his mother. Now Miki was transported to a school for elite students. He did notice that it was the only time their Grandfather ever gave Miki praise and even got her a new blue dress. It was lovely on her but he wasn’t that sure. His grandfather was suspicious and he only showed his love only now. Climbing out of the large bed, it was around December and snow was beginning to fall.
Miki always loved the snow. Every winter that passes, she will love to play around the woods. Kai will always follow her while their parents sit on the ground laughing when the twins had a snow ball fight since Miki usually loved to hit her brother on the face with a good fist sized snow ball. Kai sadly remembered his beloved sister. Her smiling face, her cheerful and carefree attitude…and also….Her magical way of always cheering him up when he was sad about their father’s departure. Now, he was all alone.
At this, Kai had to smile, even just a bit. Memories within a memory, of careless winters and snowball fights, of being together. While he had nothing against the season, Kai was more inclined towards warmer climate. Another instance of his and Miki's being opposites, he supposed.
Living practically alone at that age, though... it didn't seem so alien to him now, but back then, he remembered, there were quite a lot of times he just went to his room within that ridiculously huge mansion, fighting back tears, rallying against emotional breakdown. Either it was his nature to expect himself to be strong, or it was in unconscious response to the old goat's expectations of him from early childhood, to be 'perfect' and unyielding. Where had that gotten him, really?
FLASHBACK 7
A little girl around 10 was now huddled in a corner. She was terrified. She was in a chamber with a glass window for viewing. There was another girl down there with black hair and red eyes. She was standing right beside the younger girl with no expression and no emotion as the sounds of screams continued to vibrate the walls. It was the torture chamber of Balkov Abbey, Moscow, Russia. A trainee was being punished because he did very poorly at training.
They were whipping him harshly while he cried out in pain, pleading for the torture to stop. The girl covered her ears and tried to block the screams. The dark-haired girl beside her just watch with heartless eyes and decided to escort the young girl out of the room. Walking alongside her, they arrived back at a room and the girl lay down on the queen sized bed. The dark haired girl just kept watch and stood silently so no intruder will interfere the silent yet sobbing girl to her slumber.
At this memory, Kai winced. Both he and Miki had witnessed the horrors of the Abbey, he knew, but he'd never known to what extent the slightly younger blue-haired girl had seen such events occuring. Now he had an inkling of it, and he was admittedly glad - thankful, even, though he wasn't sure he could actually say that - that Diana had been there, silent as she was, to try and help the girl through it all.
FLASHBACK 8
Miki stood silently, looking out at the snowy weather of Russia. Snow was very beautiful to her. It brought her joy and comfort but now…they just brought back painful memories. A dark haired girl stood by her and spoke “I brought you your dinner, Miki” she spoke in a professional tone. Miki looked at her with a sad smile “Thank you Diana. But I’m not hungry”. Diana blinked in surprised and replied “But you haven’t been eating for 2 days now. You will get sick” the dark-haired girl urged.
Miki simply shook her head. Diana sighed and then something clicked to her and her eyes sadden “Still missing your brother huh?”. Miki sadly nodded, still looking at the snow. Looks like she hit the jackpot. Diana sat next to her and looked at the falling white specks from the sky. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he will find you. He did promise your mom.”
“I hope he will…I miss him so much Diana. I don’t even know where he is right now. But I’m sure he is safe somewhere”.
Diana then held Miki’s hand “Yeah, and you will be ok.” Miki returned Diana’s gesture with a smile on her face.
Miki... Kai frowned this time, a mixture of consternation and regret. Don't you know... I missed you, too? Consternation - because he'd been trained not to show emotion, hence if ever Miki caught sight of him in one of the corridors, it would have looked like he didn't miss her at all by that point; and regret - because he knew Soichirou wasn't the only one to blame for the gap that had occured between the two siblings. He, too, had played a role in that, however minor.
Why had he just complied with their grandfather's wishes, embarking on a quest for perfection and whatnot? Again, it all boiled down to two reasons: fear of losing said grandfather's approval - and his twisted love - or self-satisfaction at having gained yet another achievement. Kai couldn't say which, however, but perhaps it had been a mixture of those two. It certainly was plausible, come to think of it...
FLASHBACK 9
A sobbing girl was crying over a small, limp body of a Siberian gray wolf as it lay helplessly on the cold stone floor, foam coming out of its mouth. Diana watched sadly as Miki mourned for the loss of a friend. Magda was a cub when Miki found him. Whenever Miki was allowed to leisure herself in the snow, where several guards and Diana watch over her, a lost wolf cub wandered and found its way to Miki’s warm arms.
The two were happy together. Magda was the name of one of Miki’s grandmother from her mother’s side of the family. Magda will always sit patiently by a bush where Miki will bring him a piece of meat or a bottle of milk to drink. Magda was an orphan and his wolf pack was gone. But one time, he mated with another gray wolf and had cubs of his own. Miki was very happy for Magda and sometimes played with his cubs.
But her grandfather saw how Magda was loyal to Miki and decided to choose Magda for a special experiment, resulting the loss of Magda’s soul. Apparently, he took Magda’s DNA to mix with Miki’s special kind of ability to make a spirit of a Silver Wolf of Ice. Miki continued to weep over the dead body of her wolf friend. Diana watched while his eyes showed anger over her grandfather.
There wasn’t any more they could do, but bury the body. Which was Diana did for Miki. Miki wrote in Russian letters on a stone over the small lump of snow, covering the body of Magda. Miki kneeled and held a prayer for her and stood up, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. Diana placed her hand on her shoulder and helped her walk the rest of the way back to the Abbey. Miki gave one last look at the grave and walked away.
Again, Kai frowned at this memory, but only due to concentration, or something akin to it. A Siberian gray wolf... and then a wolf of ice. Was this... the origin of Wolborg, somehow? Miki had said before that she was partially responsible for the creation of Team Neoborg's bitbeasts... was this, then, what he had just seen?
Damn you, Grandfather...what else did you put Miki through?
FLASHBACK 10
Miki was lying down with her clothes are wrinkled and her eyes were streaming with tears. She was tossed over to the floor with a guard looking at her body and was standing over her. “Never knew that the Hiwatari girl was this cute. You don’t have to cry. It will all be over before you know it” he said as he dove and tried to rip off her jacket. Miki continued to struggled and found her hands pinned by a hand as the other reached to her pants.
Miki was crying at her fate until a small splatter of blood dropped at her face and found the guard’s mouth wide open with a blade sticking out. His dead body rolled over and there stood Diana, holding the bloody knife on her hand. Miki was still mortified for the few moments until she ran to Diana, continued to yell fearful sobs “I..i..I was so scared!!” she cried as Diana dropped the knife and held her comfortingly.
“Hey, it’s ok…the b*****d’s dead. His life isn’t worth living for. Stop crying Miki. It’s ok” Diana reassured her. Miki continued to clutch the slightly taller girl’s black cloak and trembling, still horrified by the events that occurred. Diana clutched Miki tighter and carried her to her room, where she placed her on the bed and covered her. Sitting on the edge, she held Miki’s hand as she waited for her to stop crying.
Kai stiffened. This was one memory he hadn't been keen on seeing. Sure, Diana had hinted at this having happened to Miki in the past. He was glad Diana had killed that guard before anything untoward happened to his sister, but at the same time he was sorry he couldn't go over there and give said guard a piece of his mind.
FLASHBACK 11
Diana stood by a 12-year-old Miki as another year pass and still no sign of brother. But they found out because they were rescued by a team of police men from the BBA. They were now at the helicopters where the scientists were taken into custody for being bribed by BIOVOLT. Miki took her seat inside. Diana in turn just sat beside her and Miki was having that wistful look on her face again. She smiled at the thought. She placed a hand on Miki and she looked at her “Guess you finally got out of it, huh?” Miki smiled then turned into a sad expression.
Diana, instantly worried, asked “What’s wrong?”. Miki looked at her with longing eyes and stared out of the window “My brother…I’m still waiting for him”. Diana’s eyes turn into a look of hatred and said “Why cant you forget him? All the years, he vowed to protect you and he never even came looking for you because he was too busy looking for the perfect beyblade to think of his little sister while in turn she suffer all by herself and alone! He is just a no good git like his grandfa-“
“DIANA!” Diana got taken back at the tone Miki used at her. Her crimson eyes showed firm and Diana knew to listen and quiet herself. Miki sighed and spoke “I know that it has been too long. But I am willing to wait for him. He is my brother. I know he won’t forget me. And I know he has his reasons. And as for the sufferings I endured, I need to stay strong about it. And in turn, I will find Big brother, and we will be together like we use to be”.
END FLASHBACKS
Diana looked away. She remembered how she hated Kai that time. All he ever did was join tournaments and never even bothered to try and look for Miki after all this time. She hated him that much but yet, Miki still longed for him. Miki still loved him even if she had to wait for so many years.
"'No-good git', eh?" Kai opened his eyes once the memories stopped coming. "Just like Grandfather..." he, too, looked away, hands still shoved in his pockets. In retrospect, the slate-haired teen could see, at some point - either by circumstance or by design - he'd begun acting like the old goat, sometimes a little too much like him.
"Why'd you show me that, Murphy?" he asked, after an uncomfortable minute or so of silence. "You're tryin' to either make me feel guilty all over again for not looking for Miki all those years, or show me how much Miki trusted me, even when it seemed I'd forgotten her... Which one is it?" Hey, he had to know. Besides, this wasn't supposed to be about Miki in the first place!
'Because you definitely seem to have been there for her far longer than I have...' was the unspoken undertone. He hated to admit it, but that seemed to be the running trend, ever since that flashback with the trainee getting tortured. Still, it was nice to know that Miki wasn't left alone during their separation. He hated to think what would have happened to the crimson-eyed girl otherwise. And since Diana had been the one to keep her company, Kai wondered...was there a way he could thank Diana indirectly for that, at least?
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 2:37 am
Diana gave a deep sigh and spoke “A bit of both. Something tells me I still need to at least shove it in your face that Miki experienced through a whole lot and all you did is sitting on a limo while you drink your morning tea.” Chuckling, she resumed “But at the same time, something tells me to at least show you that Miki still cares about you. Trying to forget the past like it didn’t even happen. Besides, you probably deserve to know what happened since…you’re the big bro.”
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Diana smirked at him “Besides, I may be once her bodyguard. But technically, you still got a promise to your mom.”
It must be said that Kai's left eye twitched a bit at the 'sitting in a limo' comment, but that stopped after just a few seconds. "Yeah, I know she cares about me...and I, her. 'course, you'd know that, wouldn't you, with your mind scan thing..."
When Diana put her hand on his shoulder, he just looked at her. Strange. Normally, if someone touched him, he'd have shook them off or tried to pull away. Now... he just let that pale hand rest there, a splash of white on the black canvas of his shirt. "Got that right," he returned, now that the memory was freshly embedded in his mind, rather than buried somewhere in the recesses of the same. That last part, though, with Miki saying that one day, she'd find him - or vice versa - and that they'd be together, just as they used to be... that sounded just like her.
"Miki hasn't changed all that much in personality, has she...?" he muttered, more to himself than anything. Frankly, he was thankful for that; it somehow tied the past and their present together. He couldn't explain it, but that's what Kai felt.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 3:45 am
Diana just smiled and then thought for a moment. Releasing her hand from his shoulder, she placed a hand on her hip and sighed “And one more thing”. The next thing she did…was deliver a fist in Kai’s middle.
Taking back her fist, she looked at the Kai’s expression and shrugged inwardly “That’s for making me pissed because of all the tears Miki cried for you,” and then her hand now took hold of the shirt collar and she said “This…is for making Miki happy even though she experienced alot” and pulled him to her and gave him a kiss on his lips.
Was Kai surprised?
Heck yes. And 'surprised' was probably the understatement of the year!
About two seconds into the kiss, the slate-haired teen pushed Diana away. One does tend to forget any sense of propriety when one is in shock. "What the heck, Murphy...?" he began, any pain from the dark-haired girl's earlier punch pretty much forgotten. And he had to wonder at his companion's idea of thanking someone. Yeah, she'd said as much before kissing him, but did she have to express her thanks that way?
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:33 am
Diana just gave a grin, showing a bit of her teeth “What? Even the great Kai Hiwatari is afraid of getting a mouth to mouth from a girl?” Diana practically purred teasingly and brought her hands behind her back and circled Kai like a vulture “I’m just messin with yah Hiwatari. Don’t go bitchy on me just because I stole a kiss.”
Diana chuckled and leaned at Kai, her face inches from his own and smirked a devilish grin “Wonder what your fan girls will feel if they found out, little ole me actually got into a lip-lock with the Bladebreaker’s very own bishounen…”. Diana leaned back with a normal smile on her face “Well, enough teasing. I have a feeling you know my past from Tschort since knowing Miki, she probably already told you or about to. So I don’t know if there is something you wanna ask about me.”
"...afraid?" Kai was smirking now. "Of a kiss? Get real, Murphy. Anyone'd be surprised if they suddenly found themselves in a lip-lock like that. Diana was definitely different from other girls - well, so was Kei, in that she didn't fawn over him and whatnot - but whatever; both were different in their own way. "Oh, yeah...and since you took care of Miki in my...'absence'..."
He reached for Diana's wrist, pulling her towards him, and...well, it was a replay of what happened earlier, only the giver was now on the recieving end of the 'lip-lock'. He broke the kiss off soon enough, also letting go of the brunette - who was probably even just a bit taken aback at what had just happened. "There. Now we're even," he said, smirking again. Without so much as a backward glance, he walked off, even as he added "And by fangirls... you mean Sayka? I don't give a rat's a** if she saw that or not. Couldn't care less, really."
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:59 am
Diana blinked and finally smirked “Whatever you say Hiwatari.” Quickening her pace, she soon caught up with Kai and was now walking side by side with him. If only she had feelings for the guy, she would have said he was good kisser. But no…Hiwatari is on the 'friend' line and he will stay there. But seriously, he is good.
Deciding to end the silence, she spoke “I kinda agree with your impression about that so-called ninja” Diana said while adding quotations with her fingers. “Seriously, I could disguise myself as a terrorist and everyone will believe me. If you ask me, she is way too desperate for her own good. I don’t think I can ever trust her for trying to kidnap Miki. And she works Balkov. Even if she is protecting Miki, she is still working for that tori-atama".
So she'd been surprised, too; Kai could tell from the time it took her to catch up to him and match his pace. He had to grin, just a little, from the brunette's "tori-atama" (chicken-head) comment. "Desperate... got that right," he said, rolling his eyes now. "Li'l blonde snot...if she was telling the truth about also training at the Abbey, I have to wonder at Balkov's taste regarding his female recruits. I mean, Kurozuki seemed okay, but Sayka?" He shook his head here. "Gimme a break..."
Miki was right; he could see that now. Given a chance, Diana was a pretty nice girl. She'd proven to be a good friend to Miki, and this looked like the beginning of one of those rare friendships he formed with other people. But 'friends' was pretty much about as far as they'd get; true, they agreed on some things, but the slate-haired teen didn't quite like her in 'that' way.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:09 am
Diana snorted “She still is working for that guy. Even if she claims that she will do anything for her dearest Kai-sama, she practically handed Miki over to that snake! You may not know this but I scanned her and saw that in exchange for everything she needed in order to get stronger, she practically let Balkov experiment on her abilities as a soul-bearer! She is nothing but a desperate, lying, back-stabbing, wannabe traitor!”
In her anger, her hand shot a ball of black flames against a bush and the plant immediately burst into ashes. Her fist still emitting the same flames, she tightened her grip and scowled. “Once we are in that effing tournament, I will kick her sorry a** so bad, she will beg that b*****d Balkov to put her in the punishment chambers...” Diana hissed, her teeth practically scratching against each other.
Kai stepped back a little, not wanting to get into the line of fire - literally. Also, he'd have told her to 'chill'...that is, if he wasn't feeling a bit ticked off himself, having been reminded of the blonde's misdeed two nights previous. "Hey, don't hurt the bush; it did nothing to you," he said instead. "Just wait 'til the tournament; then you can kick a** all you want."
Frankly, Kai didn't know if he wanted to go against Maria, whether to 'teach her a lesson' or not. He didn't have a hard time beating her that one battle; he doubted she'd improved in so little time. However, there was always that guideline - 'never underestimate your opponent' - that cautioned him not to take the girl so lightly. Still, it wasn't comforting that she'd actually been hired to protect Miki. And for all he knew, if he hadn't come and battled her that night, the girl may have very well carted his sister off to the Abbey and back into Balkov's hands! That was something he doubted he could forgive, ever.
But it was pathetic, really, how far certain people would go just to gain a bit of his attention, especially if it meant practically offering oneself as a lab rat.
-----------------------------
Houka swung the apartment door shut, making sure it wasn't locked - she had no idea where the key was - before heading down the hallway to the elevators. Somewhere between the daily news on NHK and several promotional videos care of Music Television Asia, the auburn-haired girl decided to go out as well. She was dressed conventionally this time - a blue-gray turtleneck and blue jeans. She didn't really know where she was going, just knew that she'd much rather walk around aimlessly than lounge in an apartment for hours on end with nothing to do.
Soon, she was out of the building. The streets were starting to get a bit crowded with commuters going to their jobs. At random, she turned right and began walking, not really caring where she ended up.
-----------------------------
"Hey, you guys mind if we head for the BBA headquarters later?" Kei asked, transferring her satchel from her left shoulder to her right. The group of four were walking along the streets now, their skates and safety gear stowed away in their respective bags. Their first stop, after the park of course, was the nearest mall - Nia's suggestion, which they'd gone along with. Their next one was whatever restaurant happened to be nearby, as it was safe to presume it would be lunchtime - or close to it - by the time they were through with the mall. There was nothing else so far on their list of places to visit, and since she had the entire day, Kei didn't want to spend the later half of it lazying away at home, with just her music, books, and art for company. Yes, being alone was fine and all, but she rarely got a chance to spend time with her friends, so she'd thought she'd take that opportunity.
Unfortunately, the blader in her was calling out for training, which had made her ask that question earlier. Speaking of questions...
Ruri turned to the brunette, a sly smile on her face. "...you're hoping to run into him there, aren't you?"
Kei blinked, caught off-guard. "Wh-what? Run into who, Ruri?"
"Oh, no one... just a certain slate-haired someone we saw at the park earlier..."
"'Slate-haired'... oh! Y'mean Kai?" Kei gave a short chuckle. "Nah! I don't think he's going to be there, anyway. I just want to get some training in..." The brunette turned serious now, bringing her blade Gogyou out of her pocket and gazing at it intently. "I mean, I may be good...but I'm currently the weak link in the Blitzkrieg Boys' team. I've still got quite a way to go, and if I don't keep my training up..."
"Ok, ok, we gotcha!" Ruri cut in, grabbing Kei in a half-stranglehold. "Just cut the drama!"
"You're sure its just the training and nothing else, though?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Kei replied, hitching her satchel strap a bit higher so it rested more comfortably on her shoulder. "Now let's go, before it gets too crowded to go around properly."
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:21 am
Diana spat on the ground and gave a deep sigh. “As much I love to hear her scream and her blood spray out of her throat, I can’t kill anyone unless it is necessary. But by the way she is acting, she is giving me a reason to take my katana and slit her throat right then and there.”
Giving another frustrated sigh, she snapped her fingers and the fire disappeared the bush as good as new like it never had been touched “I am dying to hurl my Shower of Blood attack on her on full blast. Lessee if little Ms. Sayka can try and weasel out of the an attack as strong as mine. Another thing I hate about that wannabe is actually claiming to have learned all Martial Arts."
Kai rolled his eyes at that statement. He, too, had had some martial arts training, and from what he'd learned, one could never truly claim such a thing. Most ryu and dojo prevented cross-training from different schools, let alone different disciplines - officially, at least. But where was the honor in learning another discipline behind your sensei's back? True, there were some martial arts that allowed this - kung fu, tai chi, and other Chinese martial arts - but that was due to differences in 'doctrine'. Japanese martial arts tended to be more or less in opposition of at least one other discipline. And even if this cross training was no problem, there was the strain that learning the different techniques and such would put on one's body - physical execution, along with changing from one style to the next - and mind - mental attention and memorization that came with the training.
"Well, that attack isn't physical, so I believe it is allowed under the current rules and regulations," he said at last, pertaining to Diana's "Shower of Blood" and her wanting to hurl it full-force at the blonde during the tournament. That was another thing he and the red-eyed girl had in common: relative dislike for the one called Maria Sayka. For Kai, it was more of distrust and extreme irritation; Diana's feelings toward the girl seemed to border on outright hatred, from the way she was speaking.
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