Before Beasts, There Was Fire--Book 2

Distrust Who Hears Fear

Kai brooded on a corner of the porch as Ray and Tyson ushered Ayah to the beydish. He didn't approve of this. He didn't approve of it at all.

Ayah still had a mince to her walk, as though unused to showing so much leg (though the skirt was modest compared to what Hillary usually wore), but she seemed to forget a bit about it as Ray and Tyson got ready on either side of the dish.

"Alright, Ayah, when you see a light from the beyblades, look up, okay? Mine should be a tiger."

"And mines the blow-your-socks-off-awesome dragon that will eat Ray's tiger!"

"Up yours, Tyson. Don't go making dishes you can't serve."

"Oh, I'll serve it all right."

Kai groaned. Yes yes, the trash talk before a battle was an ingrained tradition, but did they have to be so lame about it?

As Ray and Tyson readied their beyblades over the dish, Kai covertly turned himself in Ayah's direction. If she even so much as made a peep, he'd be on her. After all, the last time the doctor's said her throat was too injured to speak she had sung back Tyson and Max's souls to their bodies. And since nothing had been in the paper about someone with snapped calves being arrested, he wasn't about to let his guard down, just in case this girl was somehow still in contact with her old captors. The fact that Tyson and Ray had practically tripped over themselves to show her their bitbeasts just because she gave them those big, goo goo eyes when they asked her if she'd even ever seen one sickened Kai. It was that whole naïve friendship mentally of theirs that upheld his theory that they were all in a children's cartoon.

Ayah bounced on her heels in eagerness, the pink bow in her hair bouncing along with her. Kai felt his lips curl.

Tyson settled himself into position. "Let's do this sumo style."

Ray grinned. "Then when our fighting spirits are ready."

They looked into each other's eyes, waiting. It was a way of starting a duel they had come up with among themselves. No count down. No sound. Just an explosion of movement—

And the blades were out, dancing about each other across the well worked grooves of Tyson's beystadium.

There had always been something about his team mates when they battled that never failed to draw his attention, even after all these years. Perhaps it was in the way they held themselves, or the way they focused. Or perhaps it was simply because even now it still startled him to see others smiling and laughing as they bladed. Maybe it was because, even now, he couldn't see how it was a game.

But he returned his attention to the girl with the bouncing bow. The setting summer sun cast their shadows long and tall across the backyard and onto the porch, where they played across Kai's boots.

"What was that, Ray? What happened to your oh-so-awesome speed?"

"What happened to your oh-so-awesome attack? I've been taking notes from Max, unlike you. Drigger!"

A loud chink of metal on metal bit through the air. Tyson cursed, then laughed.

"Take lessons from me next time! Up and out, Dragoon!"

A blue-white blur jumped through the air. Ayah's head tipped back to follow, her lips parting in surprise, then back to the bright smile she had worn ever since Tyson had pulled her across the threshold of the dojo.

A crash, a burst of breeze, and then a spark of blue light lit up from the edge of the stadium. Ray let out a shout and his own blade burst with green light.