Ky didn't visit her the next morning during meditation. To be honest, Maya was quite relieved. The more time they spent alone, the more likely it was that Ky would pick away at her lies, and her old life would fall apart.
She needed more training as well. Her Kairu skills would expose her in an instant, if she couldn't learn how to control it. No matter how hard she tried, she could only manage short bouts of normal Kairu energy. Her inner Kairu was turning black, and it was getting worse by the day. Lokar's little stunt at the tournament was destroying her life.
She had dreaded having lessons for weeks. The only reason they had any respite was because of Ky's tournament win. Even then Team Stax was expected to train independently. Of course, her grace period wouldn't last forever.
There was too much riding on Maya's ability to hold the illusion of normalcy. She wasn't sure how much longer she could manage.
Maya walked down the hallway of the monastery, then came to a stop outside of the boys' room. She heard Ky's voice, and he didn't sound happy. She peeked her head in the doorway, not wanting to disturb Ky.
"But I don't understand! You just got back, why did you have to leave already?"
Maya could see now that Ky was talking to his Dad, the blue projection making the room glow.
"I know Ky, I didn't want to leave. But with Lokar becoming more powerful than ever I can't just stand by. I have to persuade the Redakai council that we need to take action."
"You could've brought me with you. I can help. I'm not a little kid anymore Dad, you can't just shut me out. I haven't seen you in years..." Ky's voice lowered, and Maya had to strain to hear what he was saying. "...For the longest time I wondered if...maybe you were dead."
Maya stepped back out into the hallway, feeling dizzy. She had no right to eavesdrop, yet she couldn't tear herself away from the conversation. Her back slid down the wall, and she rested her head on her knees. She closed her eyes as the discussion continued.
"I know son. And I'm sorry, but I had no control over what happened. And everything I did was to protect you. Please try to understand," His voice was sympathetic, yet his tone indicated that he wouldn't tolerate any backtalk. Ky stayed silent.
"You should get back to your team. Keep training, you have to uphold your rank of Kairu Champion. Goodbye son."
"Bye Dad." And just like that, the meeting was over.
Maya felt worse than before. Then she heard Ky's footsteps approaching her, and before she knew it he was standing right beside her. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Maya?"
She flailed slightly, trying to keep her composure. She smiled weakly, "Hey Ky."
Ky's shoulder's slouched a bit, hands hung at his sides as if he just lost a battle. "I'm assuming you heard most of that, huh?"
Maya stared at the floor, refusing to meet his gaze. "Yeah...I'm sorry Ky." She was mostly apologizing for eavesdropping, but Ky took it a different way.
"It's not your fault, It's just...I see him again and then he leaves, just like that. I wonder if things will ever be the same."
It might not be her fault exactly, but how could she not feel responsible for her grandfather's actions? Especially if it tore Ky up like this? Maya tried to stand up, but it felt like her legs were made of jelly.
Ky offered her his hand, hauling Maya to her feet. He held on to her hand a bit longer than he probably should have. Maya's cheeks heated a bit. It took a few seconds for Ky to notice what he was doing.
"Oh, sorry Maya," Now it was Ky's turn to avert his gaze, smiling sheepishly. But Maya could tell his heart wasn't into it.
"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe we could take a walk or-" She was cut off by the sound of Boomer running towards them.
"Hey, guys!" He stopped just in front of them, panting slightly. Maya briefly wondered if he had ran around the whole monastery trying to find them. "Master B sensed another Kairu deposit. Somewhere in Vietnam I think".
Maya's heart dropped. If she wasn't feeling good before, she was in definite danger of being sick now. There hadn't been any Kairu deposits to find since the Tournament.
"So we're going? R-right now?"
"Yeah? Is there something wrong Maya?" Boomer raised an eyebrow. Ky turned to look at her too.
She tried to get her nerves under control. She clasped her hands behind her back so they wouldn't see she was shaking.
Ky stepped towards her, more concerned now. "Are you feeling okay Maya? You don't look too good."
"No, no! I mean, yeah, I'm fine. Just, uh, y'know...Girl cramps," She put her arms around her stomach as if she were in pain.
Boomer groaned, covering his eyes as if he could shield himself from any mental images. Ky pulled back, face wrinkled in mock disgust. "Ah, geez. Too much info!"
Maya rolled her eyes. "You two are such babies."
Boomer insisted on being overly dramatic "I really, really didn't need to know that!" he shuddered. "You couldn't have just lied to me and said you were sick, had a cold, maybe wanted to puke or something?"
"I'll keep that in mind next time," She said, leaning against the wall. Despite her calm exterior, she felt like she was going to collapse at any moment. She was scared. This mission was going to blow her secret right out of the water.
"Well we better go," Ky said, motioning to the direction Boomer had come from. "Don't want to keep the E-teens waiting". He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Maya hesitated before boarding the X-Scaper, as if she had just developed a fear of heights. She forced herself up two steps, then she froze. Boomer was in front of her and Ky was behind her. She was desperate now. "Um, by the time we get there, they E-teens will probably already have the Kairu. I'm sure Lokar," She tried to keep her voice from shaking at the name of her Grandfather, "sent the E-teens out the moment he sensed Kairu energy. Maybe we should just stay here." It was definitely as pathetic as it sounded.
Boomer sounded confused, but Maya couldn't bring herself to look at him directly. "What are you talking about? Vietnam is basically around the corner compared to some places we've been."
Maya winced. She knew that.
Boomer opened his mouth again to ask more questions, but Ky waved Boomer on to go start up the ship. Boomer reluctantly complied.
They stood in silence for a few moments. Ky climbed up to stand on the same step Maya was on, careful not to bump into her. He put a hand on her shoulder, voice lowering. The compassion and concern in his eyes made Maya's spine tingle. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. I mean, I know you're not feeling well. You could stay here. I bet Master Boddai would have something to help."
She knew Ky was offering her a way out, but in reality she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. To stay behind would be incredibly suspicious, and Master Boddai had known Maya since she was a child. There was no way he wouldn't discover her secret. She wouldn't be allowed to use Kairu, she would get kicked off the team, shunned by her friends and the person who raised her. There really was no solution.
"No, I'll be fine." She tried not to run up the stairs.
Boomer glanced at her as she hurried by, but Maya made her way to the back to fend off any questions the only way she knew how. Meditation. They guys knew not to disturb her when she was focusing. She also needed to control her inner Kairu.
She remained in that state for the entire trip, oblivious to the boy's goofing around or any odd comment thrown her way to see if she was planning to join in on their banter like she usually did. No rational or ego-deflating responses were ever made.
Maya was so absorbed in her effort to conceal her degrading state of mind that she nearly jumped out her seat when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to see that it was Ky's hand, and noticed for the first time that they had landed.
Ky stared at her for a moment, eyes searching hers questioningly. He looked like he wanted to say something, but his gaze hardened and he looked away.
It took Maya a moment to realize she was scowling. She was about to apologize, but Ky interrupted, still refusing to look at her.
"We're here."
"I love forests," Maya said, twirling a leaf between her fingers. They had been walking for a good 10 minutes, and Ky had hardly spoken at all. Boomer seemed to have picked up on the sullen mood and attempted to make a few jokes. They never made a good reception.
"Beats anywhere snowy, that's for sure," He glanced back at Maya, then shifted his attention ahead to Ky, who had been so focused on walking the entire time he didn't seem to hear anything.
Surprisingly, it was him and not Boomer who spoke next. "So, no Kairu sense yet?"
"No," She hadn't really attempted to use her inner Kairu, still clinging to the hope that the E-teens would find the relic first and there would be no battle. The thought made her ashamed, but her fear held more control over her.
At least her teammates knew forcing her Kairu sense never turned out well, so there wasn't much pressure anyways.
Ky turned around and looked at Maya almost accusingly. "You can't sense anything?"
Maya wiped some sweat off of her forehead, hiding her panic at the implication of his words. She was about to suggest Ky could try to sense the Kairu on his own, when daggers of pain stabbed into her mind. With a small cry, she clutched the sides of her head and stumbled forward.
"Maya?"
Maya couldn't respond. She could barely think through the pain,and it soon became so overwhelming that her legs gave way beneath her and her vision went black.
She could vaguely hear her teammates calling out to her, but they seemed so far away. She felt like she was drowning in the inky blackness. Her body spasmed, and she felt a spike of pain as her foot connected with something hard. Silent screams echoed in her mind as she tried, but failed to break out of her vision. After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to dim slightly.
Slowly, an image began to form in her mind. It appeared to be a small clearing in the middle of the forest, but it was fuzzy and unfocused. She saw no relic, which was definitely odd, but it was there. She could sense that much.
The pain and the vision faded quickly, and Maya opened her eyes to see Ky and Boomer staring down at her. They looked scared out of their minds. Boomer also had a giant bruise on his cheek, which was new.
"What...what happened to your face?" Maya croaked, voice hoarse. The metallic taste of blood pervaded her mouth from where she'd bitten into her cheek. She pushed herself up into a sitting position with Ky's help, and wiped away the tears on her face with the heel of her hand.
Boomer put his hand over his bruise. "You kicked me, that's what happened. Seriously though Maya, are you okay? That did not seem like a standard vision."
"I'm fi-"
"Don't say you're fine, Maya. You can't fool us. Especially not after that," Ky interrupted. His voice softened a bit, "You had us scared half to death, are you okay?"
Maya took a shaky breath before answering. "It was a vision, but...It was fuzzy and so painful I could barely think."
Boomer frowned. "That's definitely not normal." He stood up and looked around before focusing back on Ky and Maya. "So what do we do now?"
Ky offered Maya his hand. "Can you stand?" Maya nodded her confirmation and unsteadily rose. Her legs trembled weakly, and Ky slung her arm over his shoulder. One of his arms curled tentatively around her waist. "We really can't keep going, not when Maya's like this."
A shrill shriek resounded throughout the forest, nearly making Maya jump out of her skin.
"Normally I would agree with you Ky, but if Lokar really has all of the Kairu energy that your dad said he does, we can't let him get anymore." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the scream. "Also I'd bet my whole farm that the Imperiaz are already here."
Ky put his free hand up to his forehead as he thought. "Can you make it to the relic Maya?" He noticed her hesitation and added "I can always carry you if you want." He grinned.
Maya rolled her eyes. "Your support is enough, thanks. I-I think I can make it." She pointed a little to the right of the direction which the scream had come from. "We just have to keep walking until we hit a clearing." Maybe she would slow her team down enough that there wouldn't be a challenge. Of course, Boomer was right. Her Grandfather definitely didn't need any more Kairu.
Boomer started to walk on ahead when Maya stopped him. "Can you guys...not tell Master Boddai? Please?"
Both of the boys looked slightly taken aback. Boomer spoke first. "Your vision basically caused you to have a seizure. Don't you think we need to tell Master Boddai?"
"I don't want him to worry. It may have just been a one time thing, or maybe me feeling off this morning made it worse. But if I want to tell him I want to tell him on my own. Do you guys promise?"
Ky looked her straight in the eyes. "Fine. But if it happens again we will tell Master B, okay?"
Maya muttered something non-committal in response.
"Hey, I have a question." Boomer pointed to his face. "How are we going to explain this?"
Ky shrugged. "We'll just say you lost a Kairu battle with a tree root or something."
"What!"
Maya gave Boomer the most pitiful look she could manage, which wasn't hard considering how she felt. "Please?"
"You guys are seriously hurting my pride. But if that's what Maya wants, then operation humiliate Boomer is in effect." He crossed his arms and stomped forward in mock anger. Ky just chuckled.
They walked forward in silence for the most part, except when Maya had to point them back onto the right track.
Ky cleared his throat, diverting Maya's attention from her mental panicking. "I want to apologize."
"For?"
"Snapping at you before. It wasn't fair of me."
"Yeah, well. I wasn't exactly a happy camper so it's not your fault. Although if you're offering an apology then you're forgiven."
Ky raised an eyebrow. "That was easy."
Maya forced herself to focus on Boomer's figure ahead of them. "Friend's forgive each other," She stated matter-of-factly.
"That only took forever!" Boomer exclaimed, throwing his arms open as he took in the clearing. It was actually quite large, but it was totally unremarkable. There was no trace of the relic anywhere. "Is it even here?"
Ky unlatched himself from Maya, who was now able to stand without assistance. He closed his eyes and focused. "It is here, I can sense it now."
"Yeah, well, we better find it before-"
"TEAM STAX! You better tell us where that relic is because I did not tramp through that stupid forest for nothing!" Princess Diara's shrill voice echoed throughout the clearing seconds before she and the rest of her team appeared.
Maya pressed her fingers to her temples in an attempt to fight an oncoming headache. "I think my ears are bleeding."
Ky cracked up a bit, which only made Diara scowl. "You guys better not have found it already!"
"If they found it already they wouldn't be standing there like idiots!" Teeny snapped.
Diara whirled around to face her sister. "I don't like your tone! As your leader I demand respect!" She turned her back on a sputtering Teeny and placed her hands on her hips. "Farm boy! Tell us where the relic is!"
"Let me think about that for a minute," Boomer put his hand on his chin and stared up at the sky for a moment. "No thanks, I'm good."
"Excuse me?"
"Can we please get this show on the road?" Koz pleaded. "I'm dying of boredom just listening to you guys."
Diara stamped her foot. "Fine! Anything to get out of here and away from the rest of you! Kairu challenge!"
Ky threw a concerned look at Maya. She smiled weakly, hoping that Ky wouldn't notice how completely terrified she was.
"Challenge accepted."
The familiar dark clouds and flashes of lighting closed over the clearing.
"Knight ASP! Venom Blast!"
"Ocelot! Doom Jaws!"
"Warnet! Paralysis Spray!"
"Metanoid! Plasma Energy Blast!"
"Froztok! Blizzard Axes!"
Please work. Please, please work! Maya pleaded to any deity who would listen. "Infinita! Fire Vortex!" To her amazement it worked. There was no corroding darkness or urge to destroy everything in sight, unlike the tournament. But something felt...off. She didn't feel powerful like she normally did. She had little time to contemplate this, as Diara was set on taking out Team Stax quickly.
"Viper Gas!" Diara's attack quickly spread throughout the battlefield, obstructing Ky and Boomer from Maya's view. "Koz, Teeny! Distract the other two. I've got this one."
With a jolt, Maya realized Diara had effectively isolated her from the rest of the team, splitting the battleground into three parts.
"You look nervous Maya," Diara taunted.
"You're the one who should be nervous, Diara. Fire Whips!" Maya launched her attack straight at Diara, who had put her arms up in an X to block the attack. To both of their surprise, the attack glanced glanced off her body harmlessly.
"What?" Maya froze, then noticed too late that Diara's equally shocked expression had been replaced by a grin.
Quick as lightning, Diara's hands grabbed the ends of the whips, ripping them forward and causing Maya to ungraciously fall flat on her face. As she struggled to lift herself off of the ground, Diara slithered closer.
"That was too easy! Wish your teammates luck Maya. Venom Blast!"
With that Maya was sent flying backwards, smashing into a giant tree at the edge of a clearing, before sliding down to the base and transforming back to normal. She clutched her head as she was assaulted with a pounding headache. One hit. She was out of the game in one hit. She was completely useless.
The sickly green mist had begun to dissipate at this point, revealing both Boomer and Teeny, as well as Koz and Ky battling in pairs. Boomer was launching attacks at random in a frustrated attempt to hit Teeny, who was buzzing around him, making no move of her own to attack back. Ky had quickly learned about Koz's distraction attempts, and refused to use any more Kairu. Instead, both warriors circled each other, occasionally rushing forward to grapple with the foe, before retreating and starting the pattern over again.
In Maya's opinion it was probably the most backwards Kairu battle ever.
"Koz!" Diara yelled.
Koz shot a quick look in her direction before leaping away. Or attempting to. Ky's hand wrapped around his ankle, yanking him out of the air and slamming him on the ground. "I don't think so! Plasma Energy Blast!"
Koz hissed in pain as he was battered with the attack. The moment it let up bolted away, headed towards Teeny and Boomer. Now it was Diara and Ky, face to face.
"Looks like you're losing Ky. Want to give up yet?"
Ky narrowed his eyes, noticing for the first time that Maya was directly behind him. He mentally cursed himself for not seeing that Maya was in trouble. "We're not through yet."
Diara repositioned herself slightly. "Fine, more fun for us then," She thrust her hands forward, eyes glinting dangerously. "You may wish to take note of what's behind you. Venom Blast!"
Maya. Maya was directly behind him. Ky didn't even have time to defend himself as the thought, and Diara's attack, hit him. If he jumped out of the way Maya would be seriously hurt. It didn't help that Diara put so much power into her attack that it took all he had to stand his ground.
Diara didn't even give Ky enough time to breathe after her attack ended. "Constrictor Crush!"
The attack wrapped around Ky, crushing him. Helpless, Ky felt what was left of his strength draining away rapidly. He noticed Boomer's battle wasn't going well either. As Teeny distracted Boomer, Koz put a quick end to his resistance with an attack from behind. Ky watched his teammate fall to the ground, defeated. Then Ky's transformation gave way and he too landed on the forest floor.
"Ha! So much for Kairu champion," Teeny sneered, taking out her X-reader after she had returned to normal. "I think the Kairu is over there," She pointed to a small pile of leaves.
Diara sniffed. "I'm not getting my hands dirty. Koz, go get it."
Koz rolled his eyes, but ultimately complied with his sister. He brushed away the leaves, then digging for a few moments, removed a dirt-encrusted, half destroyed urn from the ground.
"We came all this way for an ugly pot? Not exactly the prettiest relic ever but I'll take it," Koz attempted to hand it to her, much to her disgust. "I'm not actually taking it! That's your job." She turned to Ky, then shifted her gaze to Boomer. She waved haughtily, "See ya losers."
Bomer groaned, picking himself off the ground, and stiffly made his way over to Ky. "Oh man, that sucked."
Ky looked around at the destroyed clearing, then at his blue-haired teammate curled up in pain. "Yeah, you could say that."
First I'm going to apologize for taking forever with the updating. Exams and final projects and stuff have kept me busy.
I appreciate the reviews and the faves. And I know I'm not exactly the most social person ever, but if you'd like a guaranteed response from me PMing is probably the way to go. I do enjoy talking to people, believe it or not xD
I also attempt to be funny, not really sure if I succeed.
That is all.
