Media: Earth Eagle (Tsubasa's beyblade)

[I considered naming this one 'In Which I Find Out I Have a Hot Guy For A Spirit', but it was too long]

Blackness had consumed my vision entirely, except for a small opening in which I could see the light-blue clothing that belonged to Reiji. Even so, what used to be a row of seats behind him was now a streak of blackness.

Eagle's yelps, squawks, and screeches had faded away- either he had been overtaken by the rock as well, or the said rock had blocked my ears.

Oh, right- the rock. Unfortunately for me, the stone was quick moving- within two minutes, it had completely encircled my torso.

Now, it had climbed up my neck and face, starting to reach across my nose and eyes.

Just the thought of me being stone for the rest of my lifetime (would I have that anymore if I did become a statue?) caused me to shudder- at least, try.

My limbs didn't really move. I don't think so, anyways.

The blackness creeped closer, tendrils slithering slowly across my vision.

Resist, I thought. I need to resist or I won't get out of here alive. Or dead. Because my heart would just stop.

Even now, where the thudding in my ears was clearly my heart beat, it had slowed to a loud, uneven, slow beat.

My limbs had went numb and cold a long time ago. Probably from the loss of blood circulation.

It was done.

Ropes the color of the deepest shade of the night sky lashed across my vision, throughly concealing my vision entirely.

My stomach flip-flopped as I was suddenly floating in a sea of space, stars twinkling out of the corner of my eye.

Glancing down, I could see that my regular clothes had replaced the stone and swallowed.

"Uh... Hello?"

My voice bounced off the... walls?

A noise caused my head to jerk up. I reached out a hand, only to softly caress the feathers that had cascaded from the heavens. Walls of the features fell down on me, all a variety of color ranging from green, blue, white, brown, and gold.

The sudden flap of what seemed to be wings tore my attention off the feathers.

A beautiful creature flew above, wings spread out as it- he- circled the area.

When I let out an 'ooh', sharp golden eyes pierced mine in an instant.

The bird broke off from his lap across the vast sky, instead circling back and started to move towards me.

As he neared, my mind clicked.

The wings, the color of his body, and underbelly... and his eyes. His eyes were hard, yet they had an eerily familiar look to them.

Eagle.

Instantly, when the thought drifted across my mind, the being flapped his wings wildly and came down to my level.

Tess Rixen.

His voice was low, husky- and it had a strange, raspy echo.

"That's me," I said, fighting to keep my voice from wavering.

He cocked his head to the side. You could not defeat Reiji.

"No," I agreed. "Not yet, anyway."

Perhaps you should look on the positive side. The battle is not over yet, correct?

"I guess. You're... Eagle, right? How are you talking?"

Hm? Oh, that's right, I'm still in my spirit form...

I opened my mouth to question his words when Eagle seemed to vaporize, leaving flickers of aqua sparks in the air.

In his place, a bronze-skinned male stood, his clothes in the fashion of the old ages. A string of golden color hung just below his collarbone, and from it, dangled several pieces of gold jewelry that touched one another and his chest.

Golden armbands were placed on his upper forearm, with the intricate designs traced in ruby. His shirt was a light beige, almost a cream color, loose-fitting.

As expected, the man was bare-footed, and had the baggy pants, made out of the same material his shirt was- probably silk.

His eyes remained the same- sharp, focused, and narrowed. The mane of murky green hair fell across his shoulders, almost looking feathery.

"I prefer my spirit form to this one," Eagle said, his voice sounded the same. "But, either way, speaking like this to our masters does take a rather hard toll on our brains."

"Wow, I have a hot guy for a spirit animal..."

Eagle chuckled, although the noise sounded serious. "I am going to take that as a compliment."

I kept staring.

"As you may know, you're entrapped in a current battle with Reiji... If you win, what are you going to do?"

"Save Shaun, obviously."

Clearly displeased, he shook his head. A murmur of anger rippled through me, as if I had expected him to agree with me. "Why don't you think that's the right way?!"

"I did not say I thought it's not the right way," he disagreed. "You are pursuing it the wrong way. Your mind is blocked and obscured by the need to save your brother.

"In turn, anger fuels your motive. When the time comes between peace and bloodshed, you will be throughly stubborn in choosing the bloodshed to get revenge."

"I would not!"

Eagle looked me straight in the eye, and I was suddenly aware of how glassy and reflective his eyes were- resilient and reminding me of someone. Someone with a similar look in his eyes, but instead of golden, sapphire colors replaced the irises.

"Shaun would always protect you from those in school. He was a genius, and you were tired of being 'Shaun's little sister', and first asked for the pain. The pain that would separate you from your brother."

Liquid fire boiled in my stomach, then cooled as it traveled through my veins. I froze.

He seemed to have no trouble in completely ignoring my shocked expression.

"When you asked someone to slap you, hit you- you asked for it repeatedly. Outside of camp grounds, when no one was around. At some point, everyone heard and came to lash out at you.

"They released all they hated on you. Their words, their hits, were all channeled by their hate. Are you going to fall to that just like they did?"

My breathing had become labored- heavy as I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth.

In my haze, words, like bullets, punctured my skull.

"What are you doing on the ground? Writhing around like an upside down snail?"

"Oh, her. She's a nobody- you should meet her genius of a brother."

"You know, Tess Rixen isn't an identity anymore. You're just gonna be known as Shaun's little sister for the rest of your life."

But still.

Even through the jeers, even though I told him to stay out of my business, Shaun had smacked the fists away, dragged me over the shoulder, and carried my bruised body home as I flickered in and out of consciousness.

"So what are you going to do, Tess Savannah Rixen? Save your brother only to be overshadowed again?"

"Hey, you're the Genius Shaun's sister, right?"

No one asked for my name. I was just a presence.

"Are you just going to lay on the ground like a wimp? And stay there like a worm?"

I was beaten in attempt to make myself be known. To experience pain my brother never knew. The pain of being cast aside, always overshadowed, at the bottom.

Then Riyui's face flickered through my head. Followed by Kato, Grayson, Kimi, Hikaru, and Timon. All of them blinked at me, their expressions a blur of curiosity of what I would choose.

Then, a shadow, with spiked hair I recognized.

Kyoya's voice was steady, smacking against my spine to straighten my posture. "Shouldn't you save your brother with no regrets?"

Tess Rixen, Tess Rixen, Tess Rixen.

I had a name here.

Why did it matter that Shaun was always the prodigy out of the two of us?

I had friends in people he didn't. I had quirks, habits, patterns that he didn't, and vice versa.

"It doesn't matter if I get overshadowed again and again... because wherever there is darkness, there is light.
Stars can not shine without the darkness of space. The sun could not keep up day after day without the moon. The moon could not glow without the sun."

I drew myself to my full height. "So, it does not matter if you are not at the height of society, where everyone knows you. What matters is the fact you have a presence that some people befriend."

For a split second, Eagle's expression didn't shift. That was, until he broke into a thin, closed-eye smile.

"Excellent. You passed the test. Then, since you have without any help, I must go."

The thought of Eagle's human presence leaving kind of depressed me. He seemed solid- like a shoulder to lean on.

"Just remember- do not allow judgement and memories to cloud your mind. Fight through with a clean blade and slate."

His figure started to fade, the voice now coming from around me instead of  from him.

"And before I leave, when you wake up, don't be surprised when you see a rock coming down on your head."

What?