"I see that college has taken its toll on you Tyson."
"What do you mean? This was only the freshman five!"
"Looks more like the ten if you ask me."
"Hey!"
He laughed heartily, his friends splashing each other with warm sea water. The sun rained down upon them as gulls above cawed loudly. He sighed and lay on his back, stretching.
"Summer is really nice… I love the waves and the sense of peace."
The blue haired man emerged from beneath the waves, having taken a dive next to his friend. He spat out some water and shouted to his friend who lay on the beach.
"Ray you never bring your bathing suit man! What's up with that?"
"I don't like showing off Tyson."
"Yeah right." Tyson replied, sticking his tongue out at him. "You're almost as much of a show off as Kai and I are!"
Ray's golden eyes traced back to his other friend, who was lying on a beach towel merely enjoying the rays of the sun. He was in a bathing suit as well.
"No sense arguing Ray," Kai said, flicking back his grey hair. "Tyson's too bullheaded really."
"Hey! I heard that!"
Ray laughed again, letting the airs of the summer heat calm him down and put his worries to ease. They had each had a problem before coming together for summer break. Tyson had just graduated college and was working at a new job starting in the fall, Max had gotten an internship in a mechanical engineering company, and Ray had just left his previous girlfriend.
Kai was the only one who didn't seem to have any disappointments though.
"Kai… you said that you had something to tell us didn't you?" Ray asked, turning over on his side. His eyes bore into Kai, who took off his sunglasses and sat up, shaking his head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ray smirked.
"Typical."
Years had passed since they had spent the majority of their time together, and since they were kids. Each one of them was close to their thirties now, and only now did trouble begin to brew for each one of them.
"You'd think that Tyson had gone for a better major… but he chose law enforcement…"
"He's perfect for it." A blond haired man sat down next to them, a towel to his neck. "If I know Tyson, and I think we all do, then we know that he'll be just fine. He's the bearer of everything justified and good in the world."
Ray smiled and sat up, letting some sand fall through his fingers as he nodded his head.
"I'm glad that each one of us got a chance to see each other this year… seems like forever since we hung out."
His friend nodded, Kai pursing his lips.
"It has been a while Max…" he stated, lifting his eyes. "Each one of us has changed… grown. We're older, more… accomplished."
"If you call going to college and getting FAT accomplished!"
"You're gonna get it Max!"
Ray watched as his friends laughed and dug their heads into the sand, playing around and taking in the summer air. He was glad to be their friend, he was glad he knew them.
They had all grown up together practically, their bonds were always tested and every time his team came up against a challenge they broke through and their strength reigned supreme.
"What about Daichi? Have you heard from him at all?" Ray asked, taking a sip of a drink he had next to him.
"Last week I spoke to him on the phone. Said he was starting high school and that he was a little nervous about it."
"Wow, Daichi's in high school already?" Max exclaimed, following Tyson's comment. They sat down on beach towels together and sipped their drinks, wiping off sweat in the summer sun.
"I can't believe time's gone that fast! Seems like just yesterday we were beybattling in tournaments and Tyson was getting crowned world champion."
Tyson blushed at Max's comment, holding a hand over his head. "I can't believe it either… those trophies are collecting dust!"
"Where are they Tyson?" asked Ray, tilting his head. "Back in the day those things meant everything to you."
"Yeah well, since I started college and everything I figured I might as well put them in storage, you know, for memories sake."
Memories.
The group silenced at Tyson's words, Ray feeling the aura shift. The sun was still blaring down on them, but now reminisce overcame them. Looking up into the clear blue sky, Ray's golden eyes traced a single seagull flying overhead and flapping wings.
"Remember… the first time we battled?"
"Course I do… someone like you…" Tyson muttered under his breath now, clearly musing at the memory. Ray smiled at him softly, nudging him with an arm.
"Hey, no need to get all sentimental on us now…"
"Hahaha I know… but…" Tyson sipped at his drink again and this time held his cup in his hand, gazing into the glass.
"You know… if it weren't for you guys… I don't think…"
Silence overcame them again as Ray saw Tyson mentally searching for words. He bit his lip, feeling a sense of happiness melt his heart.
"Same here."
"Yeah."
"Mmhmm."
Together, they smiled at each other and together they locked eyes.
"We're the BladeBreakers… or we once were… and we… we…"
"We're best friends, Tyson." Kai finished, holding out his hand to Tyson. Tyson blinked twice and swallowed, Ray spying a bit of overwhelming emotion come out of Tyson's eyes.
"Best friends."
"Forever."
Their hands clasped together in a handshake, and soon another hand was placed on top of theirs, followed by the last hand. Ray smiled softly at his friends, each one of them meeting his eyes before going onto the next.
We're more than that.
We're family.
On the edge of South America there stands a lonely island, desolate of all life. Mammals, amphibians and reptiles alike cannot thrive there. The weather is extreme at best, the summers hot and almost impossible to bear, the winters frigid, freezing over both soil and rock. No living thing can thrive on this island.
Nothing that is of this world can at least.
They bowed to him and lowered their gaze. He was all powerful and all knowing, they would not and could not challenge his authority. The one with red hair swallowed and shook a bit in fear, knowing full well that this being could destroy them all on the spot; save for his mercy that he spared them.
"All seeing one… have you decided to return to your original state?"
His voice squeaked out only barely and the almighty one turned to him, the raging eyes piercing through the darkness.
Alone on this island was where he remained for thousands and thousands of years… some men say that they see him leave every so often to go back into the outer world where he originated. He alone could thrive on the island; he alone could survive the conditions.
He alone.
The soft sand melted under his weight and supported him, the red haired man daring to look up at the one that they called holy.
Blue and green auras surrounded them, little flashes of light beaming in and out of the darkness. The only color he could see was a sea green blue, the color of the plants that lay dormant around them.
"Avert your eyes human."
The holy one commanded him and he would obey, his colleagues knowing very well that if he would obey, they would too. The holy one was not to be perturbed.
"Many pardons holy one but… what is it you need from us?"
The night weighed heavily on them, the man feeling the darkness creep from all around. His skin crawled with the thought of losing his life right here on the spot to the holy one, as man and nature were powerless against his mighty beast.
The stars in the sky were bright that night, but the holy one was the one controlling everything around them. Every living thing he could control, every molecule, every soul, every thought, every word, everything was under his control.
The holy one was a mystery to them all; his presence was omnipotent but yet the holy one chose to reveal himself now to them. Although he could not see the holy one's true form, he could behold the mighty size of the holy one, taking in the glory of his size and form. He was humanoid in shadow, yet he stood much taller than any living man ever could. The piercing eyes were animalistic, yet had human value to them.
The holy one could mask his true form.
"Ozuma… you have aided me many a time in concealing my true form… I have disguised myself as a human for far too long now… and the one I relied on is now incapable of keeping his promise to me…"
Ozuma swallowed again, feeling a cold sweat bead down his forehead. Strange sounds erupted from his right and from his peripheral vision he could see that blue lights were approaching them cautiously, the plants beginning to arise and awaken.
"I need a decoy… or at least a cover up… I need papers. I need documents that state who I am as a human… and cover up my need for medicinal actions…" the holy one trailed off before coming back to his point, Ozuma paying close attention to the holy one's deep voice.
"Also…"
Ozuma could feel his head moving without his permission to look upwards towards a hand holding out something that he recognized. His eyes widened as he continued to stare.
"You broke it?"
A necklace was flung at him, nearly catching his eye. The pendant on the necklace was broken into pieces, the holy one speaking again.
"That necklace you gave me held out for far too little a time… I need something more powerful… more capable of storing the energy that I have."
"M-Master if you may…" a female voice made Ozuma snap his head backwards at the woman who was kneeling down with her younger brother by her side. Ozuma hissed at her.
"Miriam! What are you doing?"
"We have something Ozuma! Why not give it to him? It… it was part of our mission too… we have to protect what the master cares about… meaning everything on this planet."
"Miriam!"
The blue haired woman lifted her head to the holy one and spoke confidently, her green eyes tracing the shadow of the beast that overwhelmed them with his power.
"Master, in my hand I have something to offer you… a power core cell."
Slowly standing up, Miriam tossed the holy one something small and shiny, catching Ozuma's eye briefly before the holy one's hand came up to snatch the thing out of the air. The hand came closer to the shadows and eventually was blacked out, the holy one's eyes examining the object in hand.
"This is another necklace… much like my old one." The holy one sneered at her, exposing his long fangs. "What makes this so different?"
Ozuma quickly stood up at Miriam began to crumble under her own weight, Ozuma seeing that the holy one was not pleased at all with her offering to him. She cried out in agony and held her head, her nose beginning to bleed a bit.
Psychic.
"Please master!" Ozuma begged, holding up his friend for dear life. "That necklace is much stronger than your last one! That necklace can hide your form for sure!"
A few seconds passed before Miriam was released of the holy one's hold, the woman falling to the sand and crying out loud, tears dripping down her face to mix in with the blood that now soiled the blue ground.
"Master please," Ozuma fell to his knees, bowing his head deeply. "This necklace requires daily drainage… we have prepared you some containers that you can keep to maintain energy balance… this way, you will never be out of power containment options."
"And what of the containers? Where will they be held?"
"Wherever you want them to be held my liege…"
"What of the energy?"
"Stored in energy confinement… that is what we lined the containers with. You drain your energy into those cells and then the necklace becomes empty. The energy is then stored in the form of a gas that can be safely released into the atmosphere without any harm to the environment."
"How do I know the drain's effect?"
"Your body will physically feel the difference… you will feel more human… but once the necklace begins to get full, it will glow red in warning."
The holy one bore his fangs again before shifting back into the darkness, his eyes set on Ozuma intently.
"Ozuma I am putting my faith in you… If you so happen to fail me…"
"I will not Master…" Ozuma put his head to the ground now, his eyes shut tight. "Please… Please Master…"
"Call me by my proper name human." The holy one commanded, his voice sending shock waves of power through Ozuma's spine and down into the ground.
"Yes Master Z!" he muttered, fear taking a hold of him and shaking him down to his core. "Yes Master Z… your will be done."
Z growled and slowly the Earth shook, Ozuma falling to the ground and feeling the sand rumble beneath his fingers. His eyes gazed up at the monstrosity that he called his master, and inside he felt powerless.
Z was the grandmaster of all things.
"Give me that!"
"Sore loser!"
Ray sighed as he gulped down the last of his noodles, chewing slowly and watching as both Tyson and Max fought over who would get the last bit of ramen. The dim lighting overhead cast shadows upon them, and as Ray picked up his bowl he wondered how long the feeling of summer would last.
"Got it!"
"No fair!"
Kai put down his chopsticks and shook his head, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"You two are too much."
Tyson smirked at Kai, waving his tongue at him.
"Just because YOU don't have fun doesn't mean we can't."
"Ha ha."
Ray placed his dish in the sink and turned on the water, making himself a cup of hot tea. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Max approaching him, Ray's ears catching the sounds of Tyson and Kai in the back.
"What have you been up to since we saw you last Ray?"
"Oh you know… the usual." He replied casually, setting a kettle on the stove in the kitchen. The night was setting in fast and as he picked out his tea leaves Ray noticed that Max stared at him peculiarly. Ray turned to Max fully, taking a step back from him. Both men locked their gaze.
"Uhm… Max?"
Max blinked and came a little closer to him; Ray feeling like his personal space was being invaded. Ray turned his head a little to the side, trying to avoid Max's gaze.
"What's up Max? Something on my face?"
Max stared at him a bit longer before backing off and putting a hand to his neck, rubbing. Ray stared back at him as well, his eyes narrowing.
"What did you see Max?" Ray inquired.
The crickets could be heard now, their chirps sounding off in the distance in patterns of threes and fours. They talked and danced, filling the silent night with sweet echoes. Ray's ears perked.
"Ray…" Max began, now seeming a little concerned. Ray stepped forward, trying to reason with what Max was saying.
"Max, what is it? You can tell me."
The others were still going at their argument in the back, so Ray's focus was completely on Max. He did not know what to think.
"Did… did you always have…"
In his chest Ray could feel his heartbeat change, a feeling of pressure and anxiety overcame him… what was Max saying?
"What're you-"
"Guys?"
Ray snapped to attention when Tyson called to him, Ray seeing that his friends were staring at him weirdly. The crickets outside stopped chirping as well, the air in the house seeming silent and eerie.
All the while Kai was staring at Ray with wondering eyes… as if Kai knew something that the others did not. Ray stared back at him, noticing now that Kai was the one who was twitching his eyebrow. Upon quick examination Ray could also see that Kai's finger was moving back and forth, almost nervously.
What is he thinking?
"Kai? Ray?"
Both men turned to Max now, who bit his lip after he spoke.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to start anything… I just…" he turned to Ray solely now.
"I wanted to know if Ray… always stared at Kai like that."
"Like what?" Ray asked, his heart now calming.
"I'm sorry if I got personal…" Max felt the back of his neck, his hand coming down to his side once again.
"I was up real close, sorry about that. I was just seeing about that strange look in your eye…. You had this real strange look in your eye when you were looking at Kai."
Ray's ears picked up on Kai moving behind him, Ray turning to see Kai stand in his socks before them. He held his hands by his sides in fists and would not return their gaze. A cool breeze blew in through the open door to their right, Ray seeing a flicker of dim light hit Kai's face.
His cold grey eyes shone for a split second before Kai finally managed to let down his shoulders, his tense body almost racking with relief.
"I just…" he paused for a minute. "I need to go to bed."
Before the others could stop him, Kai was in the hallway and through the separate room doors. The night settled in fully now, the crickets getting back into their grove of chirping and Ray sensing a shift in aura from the fog.
Max took a deep breath in and set himself down upon the floor again, rubbing his temples with both his fingers. Tyson followed him in his actions, both men looking at each other worriedly.
The pot for Ray's tea went off.
"Are you worried about Kai?" Tyson began.
Max's blue eyes bore into his friend as Ray silently poured his cup of tea. He had chosen Chamomile tea leaves.
"Yeah… he hasn't told us much in the last week since he got here…. I mean it's summer vacation after all. And I wanna spend it with you guys as much as I can. Him being like that… makes me think he doesn't wanna be with us."
Ray sat down now, crossing his legs and flicking his ponytail back across his shoulders and letting his hair drift down to the floor.
"You think he may be hiding something?"
Tyson grimaced.
"What would he have to hide? I mean it's Kai after all… when it comes to things like this he's usually pretty good about letting us know. He's let us know when he's been in trouble before… why wouldn't he come clean now?"
"Maybe he's just scared…. He has to put on the lone wolf act you know." Ray answered, taking a sip of his tea.
"Somehow I don't think that's what's bothering him…" Max stared into the wood of the table, somehow absorbed by the deep burgundy colors. Inside his mind, Ray knew that Kai was the only one of them who had not opened up about anything he had done regarding his spring or winter. Tyson had of course gone to college and was beginning his second year come the following fall; Max had that internship, but Kai…
Kai was an open slate.
Kai could have done anything from starting a drug ring to joining the local swim club and they wouldn't have known.
To think that Kai has something horrible up his sleeve… that's a terrible thing to think! But with his odd behavior… you have to admit… he does seem suspicious.
The aroma from his tea woke Ray up as he focused back on Max, who was talking to Tyson about some rumors he had heard on the news.
Ray took a deep breath and decided to inhale the aroma of his tea, letting the calm tea scent fill his core and make him at peace. The deep scent and the feel of the cold air on his skin made him shiver a bit, Ray feeling the ever growing presence of the moon upon his side. The lights may have been on in Tyson's house, but Ray would have never known.
His fingers wound around his cup and slowly Ray stood, his eyes stuck to the image of the glowing moon before him. Pure white and shining in the sky, Ray felt drawn to the moon above him, his legs steadily leading him towards her majesty.
The cool air whipped around him and made his hair flow elegantly; his senses awoke when his toes felt the grass beneath him, and as he stood Ray felt as if he left the world behind.
Every trouble, every thought, and every emotion he had ever felt he left behind in some other world that he could not call his own.
This was not his home.
When I look at things like this… I have to think… there's no way that Kai could be doing anything wrong. He's Kai after all… he's just Kai. He isn't some crazy psychopath that we know nothing about. He's not someone that we think is a danger to himself or others. He's… he's gotta be thinking or hiding something really important…
Maybe he's just scared.
Maybe… he's…
"Ray?"
Breaking out of his trance almost feverishly, Ray spun around to see his friends staring at him with wide eyes. The three of them stood in silence for a few moments before Ray broke into a smile, his head tilting cutely and a chuckle emerging from him.
"He's just Kai guys… there's nothing… nothing to be worried about."
Absolutely nothing.