Of Love and Death.

The Future Chapter 15: QUADSTRIKE IS COMING Pt. 2

Den looked up in the mirror, wiping blue froth from her mouth. "You are the only person I know who actually brushes for two minutes," Lilac grumbled from the sink next to her. Den almost laughed, feeling tiredness soak into her bones as she did so. Wow had the Semi-finals taken a whole lot out of her. Dark bags were even beginning to form underneath her eyes.

Yawning, Den decided that it was not time to engage in anymore conversation. "Turn the light out when you're done," she said to her temporary roommate. Out of the corner of her eye, the blue-haired blader saw Lily give a wave of acknowledgement, with her toothbrush half hanging out of her mouth.

With nothing but a soft closing of the bathroom door, Den's hotel room was plunged into darkness. Half stumbling, half walking she managed to knock over the flower vase. Thankfully, it was just filled with fake flowers. No mess that couldn't wait until the next morning occurred. The only thing harmed was Den's side from bumping into the table.

Thankfully, that was the last hangup Den had before getting in bed. She flopped down, slightly bouncing on the hard mattress. The very last thing she did before getting under the covers was place Dragon on the nightstand next to her. Just like what she always did when she was home. Right next to the nightstand, that way she couldln't miss the bey in the morning.

Or at least that was what Den intended to do. Instead, hurried words stopped her before she could let the shining top go. Den we need to talk, Dragon exclaimed. His words were hurried and rushed. Nervous and unsure. They held the same cadence as a teenager who needed to tell their parents they had a significant other. Except, not as nervously excited. Moreso slightly ashamed. Den didn't know what to make of that.

Especially with how weird all of this was. Dragon was normally cheery and goofy, if not slightly idiotic. Why would the bey be ashamed? What are you talking about? Den groggily asked. Even as she thought the words, however, the blader realized something. Had Dragon waited to talk to her until she was half asleep? Or was this just her partner's procrastination that he wasn't talking to her until the last second.

It was even more concerning to Den when Dragon didn't immediately respond. Hey, partner, is everything okay? She didn't necessarily think that the bey had done something wrong. But she didn't really know what any of this was. Maybe she was just overanalyzing everything. Dragon probably just wanted to celebrate their win and hadn't realized this was a bad time.

Inside of Den's head, there was an audible feeling of Dragon taking a breath. Of the bey stealing himself. Listen, Den, I would like to begin by apologizing, the gleaming bey said softly. Ah. Ah. So it was something Dragon had done wrong. Or at least thought he had.

Suddenly Den realized she was still hanging half over her nightstand. Which her muscles had let her know from not wanting to hold this awkward position for any longer. Deciding that it was best to not have her body revolt against her, Den went back into bed. Curling up under the covers, she dipped her nose just barely below the blanket. Now fully protected from the cold night, the blader closed her eyes.

A stream of light enveloped Den. Cascading behind her eyelids, changing her view from blackness to a world that she and Dragon called their own. Gleaming brilliant white, with the faintest of stars twinkling in the background. "Yes, because that sentence isn't concerning," Den grumbled, folding her arms.

With a shock, Den realized that she was still in her PJ's in this strange world. That was new, she'd always been in her clothes when in the place of her bond. Had she never actually talked to Dragon like this so late at night? Then Den realized something. She probably hadn't. She had only spent 6 months with Dragon. That was strange to her. It felt like it should have been so much more. Years more. But no. Just half a year, with this strange creature that had become her second half.

"Yes, I suppose it was," Dragon admitted, drawing Den back to the conversation at hand. The blader looked up, her blue hair floating everywhere. She gazed into the white eyes of her partner, and found something surprising. An odd mix of caring, apology, and almost cunning. Which was not something that Den had ever known Dragon to be. But she also wasn't surprised. "But all I ask is that you hear my full story before you condemn me."

Because this conversation wasn't getting more and more mysterious by the second. Nope, Dragon wasn't concerning Den at all. But she wasn't really worried. She trusted the bey. Even if this was something bad, they could come through it. The blader nodded. "Alright. Tell me what you want to," Den agreed.

And with that, Dragon began to speak.

Minerva carefully opened the door, focusing on being quiet. She opened it no more than the crack she needed to slip out. Not that there was much chance of Bel waking up. But stealth was her forte. It was almost easier to sneak around than to walk normally. As she stepped out into the hallway, the blader was struck by how quiet it was. Not a soul was walking through the carpeted hallways of the hotel. It was just her, breathing in the early light of the morning. Or, not-light considering that she was in a windowless corridor.

Walking forward, Jamie tried to remember what her justification for doing this was. Just as she was falling asleep last night, it came to her. The perfect reason for why she should be allowed to sneak out if she got caught. It wasn't coming back to her, but that probably wasn't going to be a problem. After all, both of her parents were sound asleep. It was six am.

Then the door to Shu and Valt's room opened, revealing Jamie's father, who was also being quiet. "Oh come on!" The Masked Blader whisper yelled. If it had been any other hour of the day, she would have shouted to the sky. Of all the times her father would wake up, it was now. Of course. This was perfect.

There was a look of something like disbelief on Shu's face. "Um, what do you think you're doing?" the co-leader of the Snake Pit asked incredulously. Minerva sighed, and lowered her mask. Wow, if that justification could come back to her right now, that would be great!

Well, something did occur to Jamie. She wasn't sure how helpful it would be, but, "I'm not technically grounded until we get home," Jamie pointed out. All her father had to do to counter that argument was raise an eyebrow. Folding his arms, Shu glared at her, waiting for a better explanation. Not that he expected one. "Fine," Jamie admitted, "I was going to battle Quadra and/or Pax. Not to like give the Snakes an edge or anything! I was just curious."

In front of Minerva, Shu seemed to be having a war with himself. Subtly, the Masked Blader crossed her fingers, hoping that the war would come out on her side. Because this was one battle she didn't want to miss the chance to have. But, all that worry had been for nothing. After a long, long minute, her father sighed, pinching his nose with two fingers. "You don't leave the hotel, and you meet me, your dad, and brother at breakfast by eight," Shu said, although he almost seemed to regret it.

Pumping her fist, Jamie celebrated, "Yes! Thank you. I won't leave, promise!" She hadn't any intention of doing so either. She wasn't an idiot, there was a line to how risky she was willing to make her sneaking out. That being, if she didn't have a phone that fed her parents her location, the Masked Blader wasn't going far. Luckily, today, she didn't need to go far.

Slipping her mask back on, Jamie started to run down the hallway without waiting for another word. That may not have been what her father had been planning however. Namely by how Shu called her name and jogged to meet her. "What is it?" She asked, tilting her head.

The look on Shu's face was one Jamie could only call parental. Her father had a mix of worry and concern that simultaneously showed how much he cared. "Listen, Jamie," he began staring her in the eyes, "Don't push yourself. Don't feel like you have to hop back into blading immediately. If you're ready, that's fine. But if you're not, you're not."

Ah, that explained Shu's worry. Minerva's head was a mess. There was no denying that. But it was a mess that she needed to sort out. But she needed to battle to do that. Just ignoring the fact that she was Athena was going to do nothing. She was a bey, she wanted to battle. For some of her, it was being Jamie that was weird. So, yes, battling was something she was more than ready for.

"No, I won't," Minerva promised. A look of relief that didn't completely erase the worry took over Shu's face. He nodded, and stepped back, making it clear that she was more than allowed to run off. Then, before he could change his mind, Jamie ran off, her cape streaming through the hallways.