Disclaimer: I don’t own Beyblade.

I’m using the original-version names:

Yuri = Tala    Giancarlo = Enrique  

Takao = Tyson     Mao = Mariah

Sergey = Spencer  Ivan = Ian

Boris = Bryan

 

 

For All Who Gave Their Lives

 

***

Chapter 13: Ride the Wild Wind

***

 

Ride the wild wind

Push the envelope don’t sit on the fence

(Hey hey hey)

Ride the wild wind

Live life on the razor’s edge

(Hey hey hey)

Gonna ride the whirlwind

It ain’t dangerous - enough for me

                                                (Queen ‘Ride the Wild Wind’)

***

 

 Lucrezia was tying Yuri’s hair into a high ponytail, while the warrior was using some strange paints and even weirder things – pulled out by Giancarlo and his cousin from their luggage – to change as much as possible. Suddenly, he groaned.

-         I look like a girl now. – he grumbled. Lucrezia, who managed to tie his hair successfully, walked over to look at his face.

-         You make a cute girl. – she giggled. The redhead made an annoyed face.

-         What would you think when somebody told you made a cute guy? – he countered. The young woman frowned.

-         Oh… Well, you don’t make a cute girl without make-up. – she answered.

-         That’s a very nice thing to know. – the half-elf said sarcastically.

 Meanwhile Takao was giving Boris a dubious look. The thief had been patiently trying to explain that they absolutely needed to cover their faces with a mix of charred wood and fat, while the samurai argued it would make no sense anyway as they would be acting in day time.

 Sergey mumbled a few curses.

-         Why ye be makin’ me wear an eye patch? – he growled at Giancarlo. – Me eyes be fine.

-         You do not know much about performing, my friend. So be quiet and let me finish your outfit.

-         I be getting’ ye fer this, ye pointy-ears! – the sailor growled at the half-elf.

-         Humpf. This was meant to be an insult? Every elf and half-elf is proud of his ears.

***

 

 Schloss Wartburg was a typical example of a defensive castle – it was anything but beautiful – built of grey stone with thick walls. It dominated the rest of the scenery, making the poor dirty shacks of a nearby village seem even shabbier. However, the fields were rich green with white sheep calmly grazing on them

  A group of four was nearing the castle. They seemed to be a troupe: a beautiful yet androgynous redhead dressed in leather fallowed by a grey wolf, a large blond man, who looked very much like a clichéd pirate, another blonde – this one smaller and in a very flashy outfit and last a woman in clothes of such colours that they made ones eyes water.

 The group made it to the gate of the castle, fallowed by curious looks of peasants, who were working in the field. They certainly were a sight to gape at. The guardsman must have thought the same, as they only reacted when the redhead addressed them. After a while they came in.

***

 

-         Can we start already? – Takao mumbled.

-         No. – Boris hissed back. He wondered why nobody had noticed them yet – with this boy, who obviously had no idea of undercover work, it seemed to be a wonder that they get caught by now. – The rest couldn’t have drawn enough attention in such a short time.

 A guard came near and stopped barely a meter away from the two hiding adventurers. The lavender-haired thief swiftly covered Takao’s mouth with one hand.

-         Hä Willi! – the guard called another one. – Weisst du was loss ist?

-         Was wo loss ist? – the other guard answered.

-         Na, auf dem Platz, Schwachkpof. Anderes weiss ich schon.

-         Ah, das! – the other guard smacked his forehead. – Ganz einfach – es gibt so eine Vorstellung. Vieleicht sollten wir’s uns ansehen? Da gibt es so einen süssesn Rotkopf. So sagte wenigstens Grossmaul,

-         Du weisst doch das der nicht auf Mädels steht!

-         Er sagte, dass er nicht sicher ist ob es nicht eine Puppe ist…

-         Gehen wir’s sehen?

-         Na klar!

 The thief let go the samurai, a smirk appearing on his pale face. It seemed that they could start their part of the show… and that the annoying redhead was getting what he deserved.

-         Huh? – the blue-haired warrior turned his head, so he could see Boris with the corner of his eye. – What was that all about?

-         We can go. – the pale Schaflander answered. – Half-breed and the happy monkeys seem to attract enough attention.

 With that he stealthily walked out of their hiding place. Takao fallowed, moving surprisingly quiet.

-         Happy monkeys? – he mumbled looking at Boris’ back with some confusion.

***

 

 Yuri wondered how some guards didn’t eat flies by now – their mouths were opened so wide. Honestly, you’d think they’d be smart enough to keep their mouths closed! But then maybe he was expecting too much.

 Besides the tricks Lucrezia could do were certainly surprising and both Sergey and Giancarlo were quite the sight. The redhead chose not to think about himself – he definitely didn’t like the idea of those unknown people drooling over him – as flattering as it might have seemed.

He concentrated on his act trying not to see the audience and the hungry looks some of them gave him.

***

 

 Boris was carefully working on the lock, while Takao was keeping watch. It seemed to be magical and this was always a problem when braking in. However, being an experienced thief, the lavender-haired man new what to do. He reached to his toolkit, when he heard Takao’s sword clinking, as they were being partially pulled out off their sheath.

-         Guards. – the blue-haired youth hissed. The thief remained silent as he pulled out his knives.

 The samurai closed his eyes concentrating, holding the tachi in front of him. Suddenly a wind started blowing, even though it should have been impossible. The guards were only a few feet away, when a large semi-transparent reptilian eye appeared behind the blue-haired youth. The eye started shrinking and in a second a serpentine blue-white dragon was coiled around Takao, the air swirling around them, lifting dust from the floor. The bushi’s eyes opened that moment and he slashed trough the air, yelling:

-         Wind Slash! – the dragon disappeared, while a powerful wave of air decapitated the guards. Boris rolled his eyes.

-         You couldn’t have been flashier?

-         Huh? – the bushi blinked confusedly. – What do you mean?

-         What was the whole wind-and-yell-Ding for? You want to alarm the whole place? Keep it down next time, Kind.

-         Gomen ne.

-         I start to understand why half-breed grumbles when I speak my language. – the thief mumbled. With that he returned to fiddling with the lock and Takao turned around to look if for more guards weren’t coming. Suddenly something clicked and the pale man motioned to the samurai to position himself against the wall. He slipped out five Falcon Claws and took them in the left hand, as he pushed the door open.

 As soon as he did that the thief jumped back, avoiding a fireball, which must have been tossed a few seconds earlier. On cue Boris jumped to the side, throwing his knives. A feminine scream pierced the air as a black-clad black-haired woman fell all five knives embed in her chest. The Schaflander fell down and rolled to the side, as a fireball flew over him. A blonde woman in a pink dress stood behind the corpse, her arm extended. She poked it with one leg.

-         Pathetic and useless. – she commented. Takao decided to attack that moment; he jumped out from his hiding place and dashed at the blonde. – As always Elsa you were of no use. – Helga continued calmly as she lunched another magical attack – this time an air wave. The samurai managed to block it with his sword.

 Boris, meanwhile, managed to slip into the room and was preparing to throw his knives at the woman. She must have noticed him and turned around, her hands extended to cast another spell. The thief jumped to the side, throwing his daggers in mid-air, as the woman lunched another air-wave. The daggers flew past it and embed themselves in her palms, but the thief got hit with the spell. He flew back and crashed into a heavy table. Helga shrieked in pain and doubled over. Takao didn’t wait a second – he leaped and soon his tachi cut through Helga’s neck.

 The samurai looked at the face of the sorceress, surprise and pain still present on it.

-         Take it. – he heard Boris gruff voice. The thief was trying to stand up, holding a nearby chair for support. As he pulled up, something snapped and the chairs back seemingly broke and the thief stumbled. Takao grabbed his arm, but the Schaflander quickly yanked it free. – Don’t you touch me ever again. – he hissed.

 The young bushi seemed upset, his head bowed and his fringe covering his eyes. The pale man snorted and finally stood up. He turned around, not to face the tanned youth and saw that the chair didn’t really break.

 - I think we have a nice escape route. – he commented, pointing at a newly open door in the middle of the wall.

***

 

Translations:

Hä Willi! Weisst du was loss ist? (German)  – Hey Willi! Do you know what’s going on?

Was wo loss ist? (German)    – What’s going on where?

Na, auf dem Platz, Schwachkpof. Anderes weiss ich schon.  (German)  – Duh! At the quadrangle, moron. I know the rest.

Ah, das!  Ganz einfach – es gibt so eine Vorstellung. Vieleicht sollten wir’s uns ansehen? Da gibt es so einen süssesn Rotkopf. So sagte wenigstens Grossmaul. (German)   – Oh, that! That’s easy – there’s some kind of a play. Maybe we should see? There’s this cute redhead. Or so at least Bigmouth said so.

Du weisst doch das der nicht auf Mädels steht! (German)   – You know he’s not interested in girls!

Er sagte, dass er nicht sicher ist ob es nicht eine Puppe ist… (German)  - He said, he wasn’t sure if it wasn’t a chic...

Gehen wir’s sehen? (German)   – Are we going?

Na klar! (German)   – Sure!

Ding (German)   – thing

Kind (German)   – kid

Gomen ne (Japanese) – Sorry.

 

 

A/N:

 I guess, I should really decide, if I’m going to pair Lucrezia with Yuri… Or anyone else, for the matter. And the fight scene was a bitch to write – had to redo it whole.