A/N: I actually updated, whoa, I'm so good. That's what to do with your free periods in school. Either way, hi, it's been a while. Thanks for your continued support, it means a lot to me! This is the last chapter before we time-skip to past the World Championship (and to my favourite parts, ehe), so enjoy!

Damian closed his eyes and counted to ten. He wasn't disappointed. As he reached the last number, he felt Jack's hand remove itself from his shoulder and judging by the stream of air its owner just rushed off in a hurry.

Reopening his eyes, Damian followed his partner slowly, directing a little grin at the group of youths they were marching towards.

"You really shouldn't have done that...," he whispered and his voice was icy. The faces of the boys immediately turned a few shades paler. One of them dropped the pen that had been sullying the wall until a few seconds ago. Not only the wall though. Also a painting of Jack. Jack, who had now arrived, grabbing one of the boys by the wrist, his face distorted by unleashed rage. He reached out and punched. Once. Twice.

"Scum, how dare you even do so much as touch my art, dirty little-!"

The boy sunk down on the floor, a few drops of blood dripping onto his uniform. Jack was strong. Constant training wasn't without its rewards.

"I-it was a test of c-courage...", another of the boys stammered and immediately retreated as he was met with Jack's insane eyes.

"I don't care! I don't care at all! Amateurs, insignificant ugly amateurs... My Art... My... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Even as Jack pressed his hands against his head as if wanting to keep out the unwanted mutilations, Damian remained perfectly calm. It wasn't a surprise to see Jack lose it at only such a small thing. There was hardly any balance in his mind. Damian had seen this before, on Jack and on countless others. It started with little things, but then every ever so small influence could be a trigger. By the end of it they simply broke. Student after student. The engine that was the HD Academy never cared and, by extension, neither did Damian. Maybe it was the fact that Jack hadn't broken yet that kept him drawn to the other.

For a little while Jack just seemed to sink into inexplicable pain, but then his expression returned to normal without any proper transition.

"I challenge you. All of you, together. Immediately." He grinned and his voice has a deep, threatening ring to it, only intensifying with every further syllable. Damian had to chuckle. This could prove to be amusing. He didn't mind the fact that Jack was insane, because when he destroyed opponents that didn't matter at all. It was pleasing to see Jack wreck people's lives artistically. There was something soothing and oddly satisfying in the sight. Damian liked to watch, smirking at just how... Jack it all was. This time was no difference. Jack's deadly precision easily could keep up with all art vandalists and he truly didn't feel like being merciful with them. All his rage easily turned into fighting energy, a desire to take the nonbelievers and integrate them into his gruesome world of art.

At the end, they had to crawl off while Jack took a look at his work, a completely torn stadium depicting a decorated wheel bearing three eyes made from three destroyed beyblades. When the boys passed Damian, he giggled. It was a sound closely resembling breaking glass. "You should have known better.." He whispered it almost gently. "Nobody can touch his work and get away with it."

Jack no longer was this unsolvable riddle he'd been to Damian. Not since he had heard Jack, because every since then Jack was in his possession. Jack was predictably unpredictable. The chaos in Damian's world of order. His opposite. They were like ions. After Jack had taken Damian's attention for himself, the balance had been broken and could only be restored by them being connected. They attracted each other and only closeness could return to instable people to stability.

Jack seemed satisfied as soon as the unfortunate had left the room. He tip-toed over to Damian. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Damian turned to look at Jack, the slightly deranged hair and the sparkling green eyes. He nodded. "Maybe."

"Very well, very well..."

The voice of Dr. Ziggurat tore through the resulting silence. "But this bey isn't good enough for you anymore, Jack. As you know, we've been working on a new one, based on your Arrange System data. For you as well, Damian."

The boys spun around to look at the man behind them, onto whose face a devilish grin seemed to be permantly fixed.

"Oh? Go on~," Jack hummed, but Damian cut right down to business. "Is there a reason you mention that again now?"

Ziggurat nodded. "Of course. I'm sure you've mentioned Battle Bladers in school, right?"

Now it was Jack's turn to nod professionally. "Naturally." It wasn't really all that natural for him though, but in the relating lesson he'd actually graced the lecture with his presence.

"Well, inspired by that fateful tournament, a World Championship will take place soon. This information is completely exclusive - the WBBA decided only minutes ago. I want you two to represent the United States of America."

For a moment there was silence. The World Championship, that was a pretty big thing. None of them had ever had a foreign opponent. At the same time, however, it appeared completely self-explanatory to them that they had been chosen. The HD Academy was the best beyblading school imaginable and with that the students were all the top bladers of America. Among them, Jack and Damian were the best by far, taking the highest courses in each and every subject. Defeating the other students came easy to them. Only, they had never fought each other for the result of that would have been destructive. Both of them were convinced to be able to win such a fight and it was better to leave it at that. Or so Ziggurat had decided, knowing that Damian, the result of a lifelong training project, would be able to beat Jack either way.

Finally, the boys had fully grasped the news and grinned. "It will be an honour to the World Championship," Jack commented and this time Damian could fully approve of his overconfidence. Like always, actually, when Jack spoke about the both of them in the same breath.

Dr. Ziggurat nodded again. "Exactly. Your beys will be finished soon. Damian, yours will be first. Hell Kerbecs is awaiting completion."

Hell Kerbecs... Damian nodded. He intuitively felt that this would be a much stronger bey than any he had ever used for training - his bey, the one created for him as much as the one he was created for.

Ziggurat turned to leave, but Jack held him back. "And mine? What will it be called?"

Not bothering to look back again, Ziggurat replied: "Killer Beafowl."

Even after the doctor had already left the room, Jack still seemed almost electrified, as if he'd had a revelation surpassing all revelations. "Killer Beafowl...", he repeated, wrapping his arms around his upper body - a position reminding Damian a lot of the straight-jacket in which had seen jack so many times. "What a beautiful name... Kira kira... Killer Beafowl... Ah, a deadly peacock, a truly splendid combination."*

Damian definitely couldn't deny that it fit Jack, even if most of the time he was more of a cockalorum.

The week rushed through at terrifying speed as Jack and Damian trained harder than ever. Better, better and better again. Winning the World Championships had to be self-explanatory. The longer he thought about it, the more Damian felt a sense of belonging when it came to Kerbecs. Each time sleeping in the Arrange System capsule he could feel how his data was synchronized with the unfinished bey. It was the channel of his power, his purpose. The knowledge seemed to pulse through him. This bey was the reason he existed...

Despite living in his own world for most of the day, Jack was observant. He, too, could feel this change, this sense of direction, go through Damian and it bothered him. For reasons much more trivial than one would presume. Damian's modified school uniform was still just that - a uniform. Now that the training bey days were to be over, it didn't seem appropriate anymore to lump him in with all the others like that. It disturbed the harmony of exterior appearance and feelings. "That won't do, that won't do", he whispered to himself ever-so often. In truth, he was already inspired. When he mentioned it to Damian the other just shrugged. He merely asked "I've worn these clothes for so long now, what could be wrong with them?" and tilted his head.

But Jack had just ran out frantically and the same evening Damian found him with needle and thread, humming to himself. It was weird to see him creative in such a traditional way. He didn't even see Damian, who remained standing in the doorway, looking at him. So that was what he meant. What kind of insanity might come from this in the end? Jack's every-day look alone was spectacular enough, but now he was sewing for the World Championship, for Damian...

For Damian.

He'd almost have felt dizzy, then he silently marched back to his room. He'd find out soon enough and, after all, Jack couldn't force him to wear it.

Truly, Jack had put effort into this, it was plain to see. The seams looked professional - a level of precision you'd not have thought Jack capable off at first sight. "Isn't it great?" Jack gushed about his own work happily "It took me foreeeever to persuade Dr. Ziggurat to show me the design of Kerbecs, but now your clothes are perfectly adjusted to suit both you and your bey~"

Damian didn't remember Jack ever taking his measures and yet the one-piece suit fit him perfectly, never too tight or too wide. Damian didn't question it. He'd never thought about where clothes came from so he kind of took it for granted that they fit him. It was comfortable. Damian looked down at his body and nodded. Happily, Jack clapped his hands. "Excellent! And now to the highlight!"

An enormous thing that Damian had seen in the background before and which Jack now carried over to them was golden and the sides had a lot of similarity to claws.

"What's that?" Damian asked suspiciously, but Jack didn't reply and without warning he placed the, well, the thing from which a cape hung down, on Damian's shoulders. It was heavy, but not nearly as heavy as expected and Damian, who was much stronger than his frail body would make people think, could carry it effortlessly. Jack was enchanted, stepped back and looked at his work with little cries of enthusiasm, while Damian stepped to the mirror.

In comparison to his previous style, this outfit was flashy and impractical. Damian didn't really know what to think. He didn't like the idea of letting Jack fashion him, but he couldn't say that he disliked the result of his creativity. It was impressing, deserving of respect and -most importantly- it matched Kerbecs.

And then he had to think of Jack sewing, focussed but with a smile on his face. Holding needles between his teeth, hands always in movement. Damian couldn't do anything but keep the clothes on, spinning a little which caused the cape to wave around him.

"Wonderful", Jack sing-songed behind him and leaned forward to whisper in his ear: "Just one last detail's missing..."

Damian looked at him questioningly. "Which detail?"

Jack's fingers held up a leather collar and he grinned mischievously, maybe a little seductively and maybe just plain evil, but yet playful. A most disturbing facial expression either way.

"A collar." Damian said tonelessly. "What gave you the idea I would wear a collar?"

"Oh, I just thought I could convince you one way or another... It will suit you, Damian, I'm sure."

"I still won't do it," Damian huffed.

"But Damian, but Damian..." Jack hummed, his voice going down to deeper octaves. He had a way of ignoring and yet answering all refusal from Damian by just acting more convincing. "Think about it, Damian... Aren't you here to use Kerbecs? You're tied to this bey. Isn't a collar the perfect symbolism? There's no leash either... You stay in control."

"Crazy talk." Damian turned away his look. "In the end it's just because it is you who wants to be the one to put a collar on me."

There was light laughter from Jack and then he brushed his hand through Damian's hair. "Correct. That's part of the plan."

The surprising amount of honesty made Damian face Jack again. Jack might not ever hide his true self, but yet Damian hadn't thought he'd just openly admit to something like this.

"Idiot", he whispered but his voice didn't seem to quite want to leave his throat, because Jack had already pushed his hair back and positioned the leather on his neck.

Damian sensed Jack's fingers searching for the clasp. He had to search with his fingers, for his gaze was firmly yet amusedly directed at Damian's eyes.

Damian let him go on and he himself couldn't have said why. Even for him, it was sometimes hard to think clearly when he was with Jack.

The collar clicked closed and Jack leaned forward to kiss Damian's forehead, only a short touch of lips and hair, nothing more. It was exactly because it was so simple that Damian felt weird about it. He was used to passionate seduction, calm affections were new and to some extent unwanted.

Grinning, Jack left the room. Damian could feel the exact second he passed through the door without even looking. Turning to look back at the mirror, he had to admit Jack was right. It suited him. Of course. Jack would know about such things, wouldn't he?

Damian knew he'd wear the collar tomorrow as well. Maybe the day after, too. It didn't have anything to do with Jack. It was just how it would be. It was completely fine this way.

Preparations for the tournament went on and soon Jack himself appeared in new colours as well, as if he didn't reinvent himself enough already. The new clothes were flashy as expected. He was a peacock with heart and soul and now he was showing off his tail to show the entire world why they should worship him on their knees.

When Damian first saw him like this, Jack was just rushing into his room while he was getting dressed in the morning. He had just put on the pants of his suit, not even finished covering his upper body, when Jack smashed open the door, announced by his acid paint smell as always - a fanfare for the nose.

"Starbreaker!" He exclaimed proudly, but if he had expected that Damian would just know what he meant he was wrong. He earned nothing but a confused look and a headtilt. However, while Damian was still busy wondering, Jack already started explaining. "The team name for the World Championship, silly you! Starbreaker!" Jack spread his arms and Damian wondered if in his world there was some sort of spotlight fixed on him. "Not even the stars can stop us, Damian."

Slowly, he nodded. "Starbreaker", Damian repeated, listening to the sound.

* Killer sounds like 'kira' in Japanese and when doubled as 'kira-kira' it means 'sparkling'.