Crouching Tiger

Summary-[Set in G-Rev] One girl is forced to blade on a team that she wouldn’t prefer. But when she reunites with someone who knows more about her than he should and could ruin everything, what will she do? Let him in or fight to let him go? RayxOC

Chapter 1: Return to China

“Dammit! That is so fucking stupid!” I cursed as I ripped the piece of paper that was in my hands to shreds. It was about the next Beyblade Tournament. I had been planning on entering by myself but that dream was squashed. There were two things stopping me: 1) The only way I could enter was if I was with a team and 2) the team had to be the team of the district I grew up in.

And I would rather die than to blade with them again. “What’m I going to do now?”

“I suggest pay for that blade part unless you just want to leave now,” the person behind the counter said in an exasperated voice. I just rolled my eyes as I placed my money on the counter and took the blade part from him and quickly left the store.

“This can’t be happening! I don’t want to go back to that silly team!” I muttered, kicking a rock down the street. She pulled her beyblade out of my pocket and stared at it. The sun made the metallic blue blade sparkle. I smiled as I felt a familiar tingling feeling spread through my finger tips. I’ve had my beyblade forever and my Bitbeast, Dricer, has been with me for as long as I could remember. We’ve been through a lot and I would never give him up for anything. “But I want to blade. What do you think I should do, Drice’?”

I closed my eyes and squeezed the blade. A familiar chill swept through me and I let out a small sigh at his answer. I opened my eyes again, put him in my pocket, and continued down the street. Once I made it to her hotel room I booked a flight to leave the next morning.

“I just know that I’m going to regret this,” I muttered as I climbed into bed and turned off of the light. I woke up the next morning to my alarm clock waking me up. I slammed my fist on it and started to get ready to leave. Once I checked out of the hotel I took a taxi to the airport. The whole ride there I sat in the backseat gently running my thumb over the chip where my Bitbeast was resided. After I paid the taxi driver I entered the airport and got my ticket. I sat for a while near the gate watching a Beyblade News Report on TV. Although it wasn’t really interesting I kept my attention on it as Mr. Dickenson was being interviewed about the new tournament that was being held.

Finally, I heard my flight being called and I gave my ticket to the lady at the door before I went down the long hallway to the plane. I sat down and placed my headphones over my ears as music started to play and I opened a book called The Ancient History of Beyblading. Normally I would hate wasting my time reading a book like that when I could be working on my blading strategy, but I felt it was a good time as any to brush up on the history of ‘blading.

I woke up to the airplane bouncing a little once its tires hit the ground. I gathered my belongings and waited, impatiently, for the seatbelt sign to turn off and for the plane to stop moving. I rushed off of the plane and left the airport as fast as I could. I slowed down to a walk as I let the cool breeze blow around my jet black hair. I couldn’t keep the smile from coming onto my face as feelings of familiarity hit my like a rushing river.

“C’mon! I want to beybattle now!”

“Will you blade against me?”

“Your promised me a beybattle!”

I shook the voices of her past out of my head, walking down the dirt path. I made it to the dock right before the only boat left. I told them man directions and sat back, lazily looking into the crystal blue water, the water that matched my eyes. I took off my black fingerless glove from my right hand and let it drag in the water. I chuckled, watching as the fish darting away from my hand. I pulled my hand back and closed my eyes, enjoying the sun on my face. ‘This is the only time I’ll get peace so I might as well enjoy it.’

“Excuse me, miss,” the boat driver said as he tapped my foot, causing me to wake up. “We’re here.”

“Thanks,” I grumbled, stretching and yawning. I got out of the boat and stretched again, looking around before I started down the familiar path once more. Soon I was engulfed in the woods, but I wasn’t afraid of getting lost. I, unfortunately, knew where I was going.

I stopped and looked around with narrowed eyes. It was way too quiet; even these woods were filled with noise. But nothing was moving. I jumped back as something landed where my feet was a couple of seconds ago. A black beyblade was spinning on the ground. I smirked as I quickly attached my blade to my launcher and shouted, “Let it rip!” Dricer immediately went on the attack; I had faith in him so I didn’t have to watch the battle. I slowly scanned the trees around me for the person who attacked. “COWARD!” I shouted. “SHOW YOURSELF!”

“Didn’t expect to see you back, Traitor,” a growl responded as a boy walked forward. I clenched my teeth and fists once I recognized him.

“Lee!” I hissed as he smirked at me. “What do you get off by launching your Beyblade at me?”

“You aren’t allowed here!” Lee Wong growled, ignoring her question. “You’ve been banned! Get out of here!”

“You won’t even let me explain? Same ol’ Lee; doesn’t listen to what anyone says,” I responded with a smirk, looking down at the battling Beyblades. My eyes widened as a red, a purple, and a pink beyblade joined the black one and they started pushing Dricer back. “Four against one, eh? Still can’t battle without the help of your friends?”

I could see that he was getting frustrated, he gets frustrated too easily. Once that sentence left my mouth the owners of the other beyblades came out: Mariah Wong, Gary Tan, and Kevin Cheng.

“You!” Mariah hissed as she pointed a finger in my direction. “You shouldn’t be here! You’ve been banned!”

“Get out of here now!” Kevin added as he glared at me.

“Why don’t you try and make me?” I demanded, crossing my arms.

“With pleasure!” Mariah responded. “Galux, Cat Bites attack!”

“Galeon, Spiral Lightning!”

“Galmon, Illusion Confusion!”

“Galzzy, use Bear Stomp!”

“Ooh, I’m so scared!” I muttered as I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go Dricer, Mecca Claw Attack!”

I watched as the blades spun closer together, waiting for Dricer to defeat them all. I gasped when a stormy gray beyblade knocked all of ours out at one. I growled in frustration as I held out my hand so Dricer could smack into my palm.

“Ray,” Mariah said softly as he walked out of the bushes. He took one look around before he rested his fierce golden eyes on me. I swallowed but held his gaze as he walked over.

“What’re you doing back here?” He asked. His voice was calm but she could hear a hint of anger behind it. “You’ve been banned.”

“Even you had to have heard about the new tournament all the way out here,” I responded in a steady tone. “The rules are you have to fight with the team from your district. If that weren’t the case I would’ve entered by myself. But, I want to be in the tournament, so I had to come back here.”

Ray stayed quiet as he studied me, probably trying to see if I was telling the truth. Mariah said in a tattletaleish voice, “Ray, you know that she’s been banned. We have to kick her out. That’s what the Elder said.”

“No Mariah,” he said in a firm tone as he looked back at her. “She’s telling the truth. She wouldn’t have come here for any other reason.” He turned back to me and added, “We’ll see what the Elder has to say about this. Come.”

I nodded slightly as I picked up my dropped backpack and followed him. I could hear Mariah arguing with Lee and Kevin. I couldn’t keep the smirk off of my face as I heard Mariah whine about something. I followed him into the White Tiger Village and had to endure with stares and whispers from the other villagers.

“What’s she doing back?”

“Why’s she here?”

“We are not safe!”

“We can not trust her.”

I kept my eyes forward but I couldn’t help but clench and unclench my fists in anger. ‘I never did anything! Stop blaming me!’ I followed Ray into a hut where an old man was sitting with his back to us, candles were on either side of him and he had the air of someone meditating.

“Elder, I have come with someone who has returned because of a tournament. It is the same tournament that I have returned for,” Ray said as he stood behind the Elder.

The Elder slowly stood and turned around to face me. Ray bowed and shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. I hesitated but quickly bowed my greeting.

“Rei,” The Elder said in a soft voice. “The only way she can battle is if she is on a team that’s from her district.” The Elder turned and looked at me. I remained silent as he said in the same soft voice, “Crystalline…you have been banished from these lands, yet you come back for the tournament.”

“Yes Elder,” I responded with a nod. “I didn’t want to come back, you see, but I love Beyblading too much to stop battling just because I have to fight with my district team. I know I have been banished, but I have to fight. I have to battle or all of my training would have gone to waste.”

“I see,” the Elder said as he slowly rubbed his chin. “What would you do to be able to battle on the team?”

“Anything,” I responded.

“Elder?” Ray questioned, I could hear confusion in his voice.

“I will give you once chance. You are allowed to stay here but only if you do your share of the work. That means getting fire wood, cooking, sewing and any other work that you will be asked to do. If you step out of line once then you will be banned once more.”

“That’s fair,” I said with a nod.

“Rei?” The Elder asked as he looked over at him.

“Sir?” Ray questioned.

“She is now a part of the White Tiger X team,” The Elder told him. “As captain, you’re in charge of her. If she does anything to bring shame on this village–” I made a scoffing noise as I rolled my eyes, “–or she breaks any rule you come and tell me right away.”

“Yes sir,” Ray responded. I shot him a glare but, if he caught it, he didn’t do anything to acknowledge it.

“Crystalline, step forward please,” The Elder said as he turned to me again. As a confused look came to my face, I did as he said and stepped forward. “Please show your beyblade.” I clutched Dricer hard in my fist as I slowly brought him out and held him in my palm. “Reimond, step forward and take out your beyblade please.” Ray also did as he was told and held out his beyblade. The bit chip on my blade glowed light blue while Ray’s glowed green. The light disappeared a second later as a shadow of a smile came to the Elder’s face. “That is all. You two may leave now.”

“Yes sir,” Ray and I responded in unison as we bowed and left the hut.

“Listen, just because the Elder has given you a form of trust doesn’t mean that I trust you,” Ray said fiercely as he gave me an intimidating look. “You have to earn my trust.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Kon,” I responded as I met his gaze with an intimidating look of my own.