At first, when I visualized this story, it was very, very full of angst. Then I decided to bring in an element of humor. But, there is a touch of angst in this chapter. This will vary across chapters. 

***Akira's POV***

"... we will arrive at Tokyo International Airport shortly. Please... "

My eyes jerked open when the plane lurched.

~Wake up, sleepyhead...~

"I am already awake," I answered irritatedly under my breath.

Ooh... don't worry. It's just a little lurching. Don't feel afraid. I'm here for you.

I had a sudden urge to throw the bey in my pocket across the plane and tell it to shut up. But such strange behavior would attract unwanted attention and I might get questioned about why I was talking to an 'inanimate' object.

Right, that might pose a problem for you. The voice chuckled. Wouldn't want people to think that you're crazy. By the way, this 'inanimate' bey is not an 'it', this bey's a 'she'.

I sighed,"Could you stop talking?"

Do not make futile requests, child.

There. I resigned myself to my bey's 'holier than thou' mood she was in and the pounding headache that came with it. I only hoped that the hotel would have good coffee and a library nearby.

Someone's daydreaming... reality check! You have to report to Mr. Dickenson immediately after arriving at the airport.

Right. I leaned back in defeat. Today was gonna be a long, long day.

I know, right? My partner sympathized.

My beyblade is called Artemis, after the Greek goddess of archery and the forest. To tell the truth, my Bitbeast is Artemis herself, but she hates being called a Bitbeast. In her opinion, calling the ruler of all Bitspirits a Bitbeast would be... wrong. I disagree.

I quietly listened to her chatter and found myself drifting off. Scenes from my life played before my eyes - good ones, bad ones. It felt as if I was sinking into a bottomless pit, weighted with those memories.

...get out of there, YOU BAKA!

[A/N: Baka means 'fool' in Japanese.]

Who? The voice felt so far away...

OUT!

I jerked awake for the second time, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

Walking down memory lane, are we now? Her voice was terse.

"Maybe." I shook away the foggy remnants and stared straight ahead. I felt my partner tense up. She was worried about me - about what some memories did to me.

Are you sure this is a good idea?

"What are you talking about? "

Coming back to Japan. Her voice was quiet.

"Well... "

What if you bump into him?

"Japan's a fairly big country. Also, if we do, I doubt that he will remember."

She was silent for a while. I looked out of the window.

You don't believe that.

"I... hm." She knew me too well. I quietly admired the aerial view - the wild, sometimes calm ocean, stretching out to all directions like a blue canvas. This canvas was not blank - it was ever changing, with little white ridges and navy colored spots which would be, in reality, big waves and places where the ocean was deeper. From above, the vast ocean seemed collected, I noted, and still somewhat detached.

Like you. "Go to sleep."

I can't.

"Why?"

I have jet lag.

I resisted the urge to snort, "Jet lag happens after travel, not during it."

Oh. She was unfazed. Then maybe it's some unknown sleep disorder Bitspirits have when they are on a plane? I mentally shook my head.

"Stop being such a worrywart, Yumi."

My Bitspirit's name is Artemis, but for some reason, she hates being called by that name. So, she had told me to use some other name for her and only call her 'Artemis' during a beybattle. She had made me dig through tons of Japanese names - God knows why - and get her one 'befitting her status', as she puts it. Finally, we settled on Mayumi. She felt that it spoke of her spot-on accuracy. Then, believe it or not, she asked for a nickname. The conversation went something like this:

Now, I need a nickname!

"Why would you need a nickname? You already have a name."

'Mayumi' is for special occasions.

"Like?"

Like when you are angry and need to scream at me.

"And a nickname is necessary for?"

This is necessary for other situations. For example, you have grown old and all of your teeth have fallen out. You cannot say 'Mayumi' because it's too difficult for you...

"God... Yumi!"

Eh? What's a Yumi?

"Your nickname."

Though she was the most annoying living thing I had ever met, we were similar in certain ways.

Both of us did not like to use our real name.

I gasped involuntarily when the islands came in view.

Welcome to Japan. Yumi imitated the air-hostess's voice and manner of speaking, then laughed.

The view had never grown old. It made me gasp everytime I saw it. From up in the air, colours clashed and mingled, making a feast for the eyes. The cities looked... kinda tiny, I guess. It was a living testimony to the fact that we are, in reality, nothing if compared to the vast world we are a part of.

I have an idea.

I was thrown out of my musings, "What?"

Give up beyblading and become an artist. You are born for it.

It was in these kinds of situations that I wished I wasn't soul-tied to Mayumi.

Was it an accident, or did my parents really wanted it to happen? I shall never know. Their lips are sealed shut, as far as I'm concerned. They will never shout at me, order me about; never look at me with those emotionless eyes of theirs. But, they will also never speak again - never give the answers to the questions in my head. I would never know why all of that happened, never know why they treated their own daughter like that. I will never know what I meant for them. As for what they meant for me, well... I just don't know.

I still remember the suffocation, that feeling of being imprisoned- the sound of my heart beating loudly, echoing in my ears. It was a high-risk, unstable experimental setup anyway.

Then the life support system stopped working.

It was pure hell. I had felt as if I was drowning. If Yumi hadn't offered to help... I would have had choked to death.

Side effect? Our souls merged and now I am half Beyspirit, while she's half human. When I opened my eyes, the lab was totally deserted - and wrecked. Whoever had done it was sadistic enough to damage the life support system and leave me to die. I quietly slipped out of the lab, and after that...

Everything changed.

... kira... Akira... AKIRA!

I had completely spaced out. "Huh?"

Wake up! Where's your duffel bag?

"Do you want to go back to your case?"

No... didn't you hear the announcement?

"Hm... which one?"

The one which said that we are about to land!

"Oh... "