~Coming Home~ ©EirlysLavellan
~Beyblade~ ©Takao Aoki

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Beyblade that right belongs strictly to Takao Aoki. I do however, own any unrecognizable characters and the plot line. Also as a disclaimer - I drew inspiration from movies/games/stories such as Indiana Jones, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Uncharted: All rights reserved to each creator/writer of these original plots. Any historical references were researched extensively by myself and bent for flexibility to fit the outlines of this story when necessary as this is a work of fiction.


Coming Home
03: The Adventure Begins

Mykie sighed to herself as she pulled her hair back into a messy bun, her fringe falling across her brow and curtaining part of her face from view as she leaned over the sink in the bathroom. Not a day before, Mykie, Sullivan, Ray and Kai had arrived in Istanbul, Turkey and had checked into a hotel in hopes of securing the notebook and already Mykie wanted to turn tail and return to her flat in London. It wasn't very often that she felt like running away from a problem, but the two ex-champion bladers were enough to offset any excitement she felt towards the job they had presented to her.

Running her hand along the side of her face she took a long look at herself. Her olive toned skin was bordering on a slightly more russet tone due to her time in the sun, the flesh smooth and unblemished save for a few scars here and there. Her hair, which curled naturally into a beachy texture, was pulled away from her face and showing her pierced ears as well as the tattoo that lay on her shoulder and just barely met the base of her neck, her fringe covering her brow as usual and framing her heart-shaped face. A glance at the silvery-lavender tips brought the slightest joy to her as it added a splash of color that was very much needed – she made a note to thank Ginny for convincing her to get balayage highlights throughout the length of her mane as it was just what she needed. She sighed deeply, a frown tugging her full lips downwards on her otherwise youthful features – her eyes while normally wide and bright, seemed dull and matched the darker circles that fell under her eyes. Shaking her head she pushed away from the vanity and adjusted her dark henley top, a series of three layered tanks could be seen underneath from where the looser fabric was unbuttoned and tucked into her fitted skinny jeans.

"Hey, you almost done in there kid?"

Blinking and looking down at her watch, Mykie sighed, "Crap. Sorry, Sully, I didn't realize how long I was taking." Opening the door she offered the older man a forced smile and he shook his head at her.

"Didn't know you cared about your teeth so much…" After a moment, he frowned, "You know you don't actually have to go through with this right?"

"I know, but something's telling me that something big could come from this…it all depends on what we find in that notebook."

"So, what you're saying is we're dicking these guys over?"

Mykie shook her head with a more genuine smile, "Not necessarily. We're gonna help 'em with the whole bit portal thing, but no one ever said we couldn't keep what we find along the way."

"Look, I'm just trying to figure out why you're putting your neck out on the line. I mean, if it's because two relatively good lookin' guys came outta the wood work and approached you with an interesting venture – I wouldn't blame ya, but I'd tell ya you're getting your head up too high in this thing."

"It's not that at all," Mykie snorted as she laced up her mid-shin high combat boots, "Think about it, Sully. Hernán Cortés was notably one of the most well known conquistadors of his time and especially in the Americas, he's the whole reason why the Aztec Empire fell. When Azteca fell, where do you think all of that treasure went?"

"You think that his notebook will tell us."

"Exactly!" She smiled, "I mean there's no way a man like Cortés would walk away empty handed after defeating one of the most powerful empires of the time and give everything back to the King of Spain, Charles I, especially since he was a mutineer and was trying to obtain clemency for his crimes against the crown for ignoring direct orders."

"Like how much are we talkin' here 'cause bills aren't gonna pay themselves y'know." Sullivan stated around the mouth of his cigar. Mykie only offered him a sly grin as she reached for her notebook.

"Well, lemme put it this way Sully…" She opened to a more recent page and handed it to him. "After his conquest in Azteca a higher more prestigious title was given to Antonio de Mendoza even though Cortésdid all the work. A lot of his voyages following were undocumented, or so it's believed, and then suddenly he winds up back in Spain – wealthy, though bitter, and dies peacefully."

Sullivan only spared her an irritated look, "Myke, the point while I'm young."

"Alright, alright, I'm getting to that. Now, Cortés was known to have an interpreter that he later sired a child with. Her name was Malinalli…" At Sullivan's blank look she sighed in exasperation, "Malintzin, Doña Marina, La Malinche…the woman who's always portrayed as a temptress in all those Mexican telenovelas you used to watch." When he seemed to recognize who she was talking about she continued, "She was known to follow him wherever he went and aided him in turning her countrymen against each other, or so they say, but what if she was the key prize to getting everything from the Empire."

"You lost me."

Sighing she flipped to another page in her notebook, "I can't confirm it for sure until I have Cortés' notebook, but if she made off with half of the Empire's riches then there's gotta be thousands worth in undiscovered treasure."

"I like the thousands part…"

"I knew you would."

"So, say we manage to get this notebook off of your contact, which I'm still really not fond of, how do you plan on masking all this?"

Mykie sighed, "I don't know. We'll figure it out, but since I have half the clues…"

"With Cortés' notebook you'll have all of 'em and be able to sweep the treasure out from anyone planning on following us…namely this friend of yours…I gotta hand it to ya kid, you managed to turn this around for me."

"What can I say, I live to please Sullivan. Now what say you to getting our lovely guests and heading down to the museum?"

Sullivan gave her a wolfish smile, "Sounds like a plan to me."

oOo

Kai watched the petite woman carefully as she paced back and forth as they waited for her contact to show themselves and give them the notebook. She seemed tense and the looks that the older man kept shooting her were ones of both annoyance and concern – not unlike a look a parent would give their child for their impenitence and the Russian shook off the slight stab of jealousy. The closest thing he had to a parental figure was Mr. Dickinson, the happily retired chairman to the BBA. In the years since he had been a teenager, the old man had provided him with many words of wisdom and a gently guided hand that he had been reluctant to take because of his own upbringing, but he appreciated it more as an adult and so had made sure he visited the old man on a weekly basis.

"Calm down, Mykie…"

"I'm trying to…"

Sullivan scoffed, "Well try harder because it looks like your friend sent out a watch dog."

Kai raised his eyes briefly to look at the tall and muscular man – it was clear he was native to the region with dark hair and bold, thick brows. He had slight scruff around his face that hid a few scars and his eyes were a piercing silver. He was openly staring down the young woman who scoffed openly and loud enough for the taller man to hear.

"Well maybe the watch dog would be kind enough to tell my friend that it's rude to keep guests waiting."

"Zhen vhat vould be dha point of making heem stand zhere."

Looking up he noticed a woman standing with her arms crossed and a wide smile on her painted lips. She was taller than Mykie by six inches and wore a professional pantsuit and heels combo, her long hair piled into an intricate updo at the top of her head and it didn't miss his notice the amount of jewelry this woman wore. Frowning he watched as Mykie forced a pleasant smile to her lips and embraced the woman.

"Ah, Zeynap it's good to see you."

The woman only smiled pleasantly, "I vould have newer guessed vith zhat talk."

"You know how I run, what can I say…" She shrugged before crossing her arms, "So, what's say we get this show on the road huh?"

"Yes, I agree." Zeynap then turned her eyes to where Sullivan had stood, "Ah, Sulliwan Roberts, it iz good to see you again."

"Likewise, Miss Kaplan."

It quickly became clear to him that words were weighed heavily here and he quickly leaned closer to Ray, "Try not to mention anything about why we're here."

"Why's that?"

"Look at the way their talking…everything is very restrained…if you're forced to say anything keep it tailored."

"Got it."

"Ah!" Looking up Kai was met with dark, raven-esque irises that appeared hollow and devoid of any life. Her eyes unnerved him, but Kai had certainly faced worse things in his life. "And vho are zhese handsome men you hawe here, Mika?"

Kai ignored the fact that the woman had called Mykie something different and briefly turned his eyes to the petite woman. Her body language said enough and Kai knew to keep his answers very vague, however, she stepped in before he could answer her. "They're my interns."

"Interns?"

"Yeah, so a little young for you Zeynap, but that's why I'm here."

"Ah, yes…" Though she seemed to have acquiesced, the lingering look she gave both him and Ray made him uncomfortable. It was as if she was a cat with a mouse and Kai hated being put in situations that made him the metaphorical mouse. She then turned a pleasant smile towards Mykie, "Right zhis way. I vill admeet I vas sorprised vhen you called, Mika."

"Oh really?" Sully and the woman shared a brief look before she turned her attention back to the Turkish woman, "Why's that?"

"You only ewer call vhen you vant somezhing."

"Now that's not entirely true, I called you just last year for your birthday."

"You called seexs months ago for a trensfer of Francis Drake's maps and zhen you find El Dorado."

"I didn't find anything. There was no archeological discovery because the fabled Golden City was just a statue of brass."

When Ray turned a questioning look to Sullivan the old man sighed and leaned closer to him, "It was a cursed treasure that had the capability of turning living humans into these twisted monsters. We didn't exactly want that information to get out to the public so we sent it deep into the ocean and forged all of our findings."

"Oh…"

"Sounds far-fetched to me."

Sullivan glared at the Russian, "Considering you battle other people with spinning tops and have a mythological spirit beast sealed into it, I don't think you got much room to talk."

"Well, I doubt the zombie apocalypse is gonna be brought on by a thousand year old statue."

With a snicker from the Neko-jin and a bemused look from the older man, Kai turned his eyes back to the two women walking further ahead of them. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company for the most part, but Kai could definitely tell that the reactions were forced and with a questioning look to Sullivan the man shook his head.

"I'll tell ya about it when we're out of here."

With a nod, he frowned to himself. It was clear that Mykie hadn't been exaggerating when she told them that the world they had walked into was much darker than the reality they were used to, though Kai was no stranger to the darker side of things given his own background. He honestly wondered how far this was going to take them and what was going to come of it when they were done. He sincerely hoped it would ease up tensions within the newer bit beasts that were appearing and he sighed as warmth filled him. Dranzer had never truly spoken to him unless she felt she needed to and mostly because in his early years he hadn't truly respected the beast. It took a great deal of learning and then almost losing her to truly understand that Dranzer was the only being that he could openly rely on. Instead of speaking to him, when he needed to be reminded of his purpose she would allow her presence to be known in the form of heat – the feeling had brought him much comfort when he had been in Russia as a child and reminded him of the warmth of a summer day or even the warmth of a mother's arms. With the shake of his head he dislodged any and all thoughts regarding his mother before frowning as the two women stepped into the office ahead of them.

"Despite our differences, Mika, it iz wanderful to know you ztill remember vhere to go in need."

Mykie shrugged, "I don't forget the people who help me out, Zeynap."

"Yes…I suppose you don't." Reaching into the drawer in her desk, the Turkish woman pulled out an aged notebook and offered the shorter woman a cat-like smile. "Here iz zhe book. Do you hawe vhat ve agreed on?"

Mykie smirked at the woman, "I'll need to authenticate the book…" With a glare, Zeynap handed it over to her and allowed her to inspect it. After a moment, Mykie nodded and handed it to Sullivan, "Another opinion," she had stated easily at the suspicious look on the Turkish woman's face. After a moment Sully nodded and Mykie placed the notebook on the desk in front of her and reached into her shirt. Kai and Ray watched in interest as she pulled out the long cord she wore, one they both recognized as the cord she wore her bit chip on, the metal glinting in the florescent lights of the office. "The chip as promised."

"I'll need to authenticate it…"

"Of course," She smiled easily and removed the ring from its holdings.

Zeynap turned it over in her hands and pulled out a loupe before turning the chip over in her hands, "Titanium disk…and the legendary God of Foxes" Kai's brow quirked as he and Ray shared another look, "How iz it you came upon zhis again?"

"Family heirloom."

"Ah, I suppose zhat makes senze…" Zeynap murmured before placing the ring on the table in front of Mykie and smiling, "Well it iz authentic."

"Well, you can never say I wasn't honest." Kai watched as she grabbed the chip from the desk and turned the silver over in her fingers before jumping as Sullivan began coughing violently. Ray immediately began patting the old man on the back and he waved his hands in an effort to say he was alright – even Zeynap's eyes had snapped towards the man and as Kai looked back at Mykie he noticed that she didn't seem all that phased, though there was light concern in her eyes.

Just what was she planning?

After a moment, Sullivan got his breathing under control and thanked Ray before nodding to the two women, "Sorry about that…lungs aren't what they used to be."

"I told you to lay off the smoking." Sullivan waved off Mykie's comment as he turned away from them and used his hand to cover his smirk. The woman sighed before handing the chip back to Zeynap and taking the book in her hand. "Are we concluded on business?"

The woman nodded easily, "Yes, zhank you for zhis Mika…I'm sure to complete zhe exhibit now." Her look then turned critical, "You zeem to be completely at ease wizh zhis…won't your family be sad to see zhis go?"

Mykie sighed, "It's fine. I'd rather it be here then get lost when I'm on a site." She then smiled before shaking hands with the woman once more. "Thank you Zeynap, I'm sure we'll be in touch soon."

"Certainly."

With the business concluded, Mykie nodded to the men before stepping out of the office and while to anyone else it would look leisurely, Kai could certainly tell something was up.

"You really just traded your bit beast for a notebook!?

Mykie ignored the Neko-jin's angered voice as she walked quickly down the hallway and leaving the three men to catch up to her. She knew they weren't in the clear just yet and she wanted to make sure there were no ears or eyes on them before she explained herself. Kai, however, was more perceptive than she had given him credit for.

"What's going on?"

"We're leaving and getting out of here as quickly as possible." Mykie answered quietly before turning her head over her shoulder, "Thanks for that back there, by the way."

"Anytime kid."

Ray frowned, "Wait I'm confused…what just happened?"

After looking between both Mykie and Sullivan, Kai growled, "You just scammed them didn't you?"

"That's such a harsh word," She sighed, "All I did was keep what was mine to begin with, but we can argue about this later, we need to get out of here before she decides to look more into the Arseni's chip." After a moment she looked down at her phone and smiled at Sullivan, "Looks like I'm gonna have to buy a new phone though…"

Sullivan could only laugh while Ray and Kai looked at each other with looks of skepticism.

oOo

They had managed to get back to London, where Mykie had effectively destroyed her phone before boarding in Turkey – the woman appeared more paranoid and after a brief explanation from Sullivan stating that she had been bugged before, Kai and Ray both understood her caution.

"So explain something to me because I'm actually really confused," Ray frowned after a minute as he looked at the ring around her neck, "Why even promise your bit beast's chip when you didn't want to give it up in the first place?"

Mykie leaned on the table and sighed, "Well treasure hunters have a very easy way of obtaining any kind of fancy and expensive treasure they want to cash in for a couple hundred grand. This chip is one of a kind as is Arseni as a bit beast."

"God of Foxes?"

She turned her eyes to the Russian and nodded, "I don't know much more on him just because there's very little documentation and he rarely feels it necessary to share much about himself so I've very little to go on. Nevertheless, I discovered a long time ago that people wanted his chip and therefore him…I've spent more time preventing that and it's why he goes everywhere I go."

"So what not promise something else?" Ray inquired with furrowed brows, brushing his fringe from his sculpted features, "Like the ring you keep with you all the time."

She merely frowned at him, "This ring was passed down in my family for generations and so it's one of a kind." She pulled the cord out of her shirt, pausing for a brief moment before passing it to Kai, who turned it over in his hands.

"Sic Parvis Magna?"

"Greatness from small beginnings…" Kai and Mykie looked at one another as they both answered Ray's question. The Neko-jin glanced between the two in surprise before watching as Kai handed the ring back to the mauve-haired woman, who made fast work of putting the necklace back around her neck, watching as she traced it with her fingers. "I thought Francis Drake didn't have any children."

Mykie offered him a coy smile, "Fan of pirates there, Hiwatari?" When he only smirked she continued, "Well he supposedly didn't, but he was the oldest of twelve siblings, most of which were boys – so maybe I'm not directly related back to the explorer, but the Drake name is something I certainly inherited. My mother seemed to think we were."

Sullivan coughed awkwardly before clearing his throat in an effort to distract from her last comment and Kai's brow arched beneath the curtain of his own fringe at the thankful look Mykie passed to him, "So what does Cortés have to say about all of this?"

"Yeah," Ray piped up as he stood from his seat and walked closer to where the notebook sat open on the table. "I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not curious."

"Well, the most I've been able to make out yet is that he was studying Magellan's own voyages extremely close. At the time both of them would have been sailing, Magellan for Portugal and Cortés for Spain, they would have been in competition with each other. From what's detailed in his notebook, apparently he had a brief run-in with Magellan after Magellan had denounced his Portuguese citizenship because King Manuel wouldn't support his voyage to head westward in an effort to make it to the Spice Islands."

"How do you know that?"

Mykie looked up at Kai, noting that he was more interested than being sarcastic, "Well, history tells us that. His voyage west was funded by the Spanish, not the Portuguese and was ultimately his last voyage as he never made it back home."

"So, you're saying that Cortés had a run-in with him…"

"Yeah," Mykie smiled, turning the notebook to Kai and showing him the passage, "Apparently they were both vying for King Charles I's attention when it came to expeditions. Cortés wanted to head west in search of riches, while Magellan was looking to corner the spice trade. While gold was good, spice was the real treasure during their days and so when Charles I chose to support Magellan, Cortés became angry that someone outside of his own country was supported over someone of that nation. But the main reasoning behind Charles I choosing to invest in Magellan's voyage was because his grandparents, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had supported Columbus' voyage in 1492 and that had bore more results than any of their own countrymen."

"So, what happened?"

"Well that's where it gets weird." She admitted as she looked up at Sullivan, "Apparently, Cortés was looking for something he called the Clave al cielo…or the Key to Heaven…Here it says he never found it, but he did find the Portam spiritibus…I'm not sure why one is in Spanish, while the other is in Latin, but it could be because the Gate of Spirits is older?"

"So…you mean that the Gate of Spirits is the gate we need to focus on in order to figure out why bit beasts are going haywire. How do we find this stuff?"

Mykie frowned deeply in thought, "I'm honestly not sure…the only thing I can come up with is if we went to the burial site of Cortés and see what's buried with the old man."

"Do you have no shame?"

"Not really, no."

"I'm not rifling around a tomb."

"Do you seriously not know what treasure hunter means?"

"I know what it means thanks."

"Guys," Kai cut in with a grunt as he cupped his chin in thought. Mykie and Ray shared a look before turning their attention to the Russian as he glanced between both Cortés' notebook and Mykie's. "I think it's written in Spanish because it doesn't actually have a name – I mean if Cortés knew what it was actually called he would have had the proper name for it…meanwhile the Gate is titled in Latin because it must have been something that he discovered."

Mykie considered the Russian's point before frowning down at the book, "If that's the case maybe Cortés never found the key…but if he found the gate then that's a good sign."

"So we need to find the key…is that right?"

When Mykie nodded, Ray turned his attention to Sullivan as he stepped up to the table and glared at the younger woman, "You know kid, I thought this would've been simpler…"

"Me too, Sully."

"So what's our next move?"

"I…I don't know yet."

"Well it sounds like we need to figure out what happened to the key." Mykie looked up as Kai crossed his arms, his garnet eyes piercing, "Is there any information in there about the gate itself?"

Mykie flipped through the notebook and frowned. It seemed as if Cortés had taken note of something inside the notebook and she immediately connected the images, "These are ancient Aztec symbols…so that must be where the gate is, but…"

Kai circled the table and stood next to her so he could see the images as well, his brows pinching together tightly over his eyes, "Is there any way to translate this?"

"Gimmie a sec," She murmured as she stared at the symbols before noting the small paragraph written beneath. After a moment she seemed to understand what it was saying. "It's vague, but it translates to: give unto the gods and goddesses the sacrifice in blood to appease their wills and spirits for the protection of the four sacred beasts; the four seasons: Air, Fire, Earth and Water – the Serpent of the North, the Phoenix of the South, the Tiger of the West and the Turtle of the East." She frowned deeply after a moment, stumbling around the translation for a brief moment as it was translated from Aztecan into 16th century Spanish. "For the land of the gods and goddesses houses them and protects all others – the Gateway of Spirits shall not open unless the Key of Heaven should be used. That's all he's got translated here…I'm assuming it was his mistress who translated the original symbols, but I can't read the rest."

"Well that tells us absolutely nothing."

Mykie ignored Sullivan as he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, her fingers playing with the necklace around her neck. "Sic Parvis Magna…" repeating the phrase seemed to slowly make things clearer for her and she turned sharply, her body jerking slightly from where she had been completely still a moment before. She grabbed a map before tracing out a route from Spain in a red marker. After she finished she grabbed a blue marker and drew another route out of Spain and smiled to herself. "The Pacific Islands…"

"What?"

Mykie looked up at Kai and smiled widely. "Our first clue has to be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

"Why do you think it's there?"

"Well, on his voyage to obtain a faster route to the Spice Islands, Magellan made a stop at one of the Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that he had found in order to restock on supplies – Cortés while on the run from the crown for acts of mutiny also made a stop on these islands after following Magellan…You said that your bit beast was suddenly attacked right?"

Ray frowned, "Yeah…"

"And your bit beast said there was a weakness in the Western Gate…"

Kai nodded in reply and watched as she spun the map for them to see. "At one point in the voyages, both Cortés and Magellan's paths met. Suddenly in their logs the next entry is nearly four months after they encountered each other…don't you find that odd?"

"Um…can't say that I see where you're going with this…"

Mykie sighed in exasperation, "At one point they were either working together or they were looking for the same thing."

"Ohhhh…."

"What?" Ray asked as he looked at Sullivan, "What is it?"

"You think Magellan found the key that Cortés was lookin' for."

"Yes!" She smiled, "It goes directly along with what Cortés was able to have translated and how Magellan had rightfully gotten his way with the King of Spain over Cortés. They would have been trying to one-up the other in an attempt at receiving fame and fortune. And how ironic is it that two wielders of the Sacred Beasts are standing right in front of me?" She grinned suddenly as she dropped the map on the table, "Dranzer, the phoenix and the guardian of the South and Driger the white tiger and the guardian of the West."

"Oh my god…Tyson and Max…" Kai nodded as Ray gaped, if there were issues with both of their bit beasts it was only a matter of time before Dragoon and Draciel would begin to act strange. "And all of this ties into this portal you were talking about a few days ago?"

Mykie nodded, "Yeah…which also means the bit portal is the Gateway of Spirits that Cortés must have found."

"So…we've got a plan?"

"Yeah, we got a plan."

Sullivan shook his head with a smile, "I'll go and get The Maria ready."

"The Maria?"

Mykie grinned at the Neko-jin, "Sully's biplane. She'll get us where we need to go and especially since we don't need you two drawing attention to yourselves."

"Ha ha, really funny."

"Anyway, I'm gonna go and get some things ready for the trip." Mykie stated as she gathered up the journals, "You guys are more than welcome to look around – we're probably gonna be leaving in a few hours." Without waiting for the two men to answer her, she turned and made her way back upstairs. With a deep sigh she leaned against her door as soon as she managed to close it, her eyes sliding closed as she attempted to relax. Pushing herself off of the door, she began gathering things she would inevitably need for the trip and making sure everything was compact and could fit into a backpack.

Being a treasure hunter was not a glamorous life and Mykie had learned that at a young age. As she looked around her room in an effort to find anything else she had missed, her eyes found the picture of her parents – one that was given to her after they had died and she frowned. Normally she hid the picture in an effort to put her best foot forward, but for some reason it had been sitting out on her night table. Taking the photo into her hands she frowned down at the two people staring back at her.

"Hey, Mykie, Sullivan's –"

Immediately the photo was put down as she turned to look at the Neko-jin, his amber eyes wide as he realized he had clearly disturbed her thoughts. Offering a disarming smile, she tapped the photo against her fingers before looking up at him. "Sorry, erm…it's just…what can I do for you?"

"Well, Sullivan sent me up here to tell you he's ready whenever you are…"

"Ah, gotcha. I didn't realize what time it was…"

After a moment of silence, where he watched her cast one more look to the photo before grabbing her bag, the Neko-jin frowned slightly, "I didn't mean to intrude…"

"It's okay…I was just kinda lost in thought for a bit…"

Shooting her a look, he glanced at the photo, "The people in the photo…"

She forced a smile, "My parents…" Clearing her throat she placed the photo back on her night table, "Anyway, we should probably get going…Sully tends to get impatient when he's left to waiting."

Ray nodded as he exited the room and waiting as she closed the door behind her. He didn't ask her about the picture in fear of it being too personal of a question, but the image was burned into his mind's eye. The photo had been of a couple and clearly Mykie's parents.

Her mother was certainly beautiful, clearly of Arab descent, with a wild and untamed mane of curls that nearly formed a large mane and made her long face seem slim and angular, even. Her skin was smooth and even, a gorgeous shade of russet – her lips full, much like Mykie's, and had been painted in the picture a deep ruby red. Her eyes had been a unique shade of brown almost appearing a hazel and she had worn a loose, white cable-knitted sweater and seemed to be of slim but athletic build. Her father had dwarfed the woman, his arm tossed carelessly over the woman's shoulders, his skin was absent the melanin that his wife clearly had. His hair was a lighter brown and his eyes were a stormy amethyst an odd mix of both grey and purple that made the man much more unique looking. A more heart-shaped face leaned against the hair of his wife and a joyous smile had been on his face which brightened his otherwise serious features and softening them. He had worn a deep blue t-shirt that had brought out a more blue hue to his eyes and his facial hair had been trimmed and neat in a mustache-goatee.

Chancing a look at the woman next to him, Ray could see she had taken after her parents rather well. She had her mother's hair and while she was a significantly lighter complexion than the woman pictured, she too had melanin present in her skin. The only traces of her father he could see was her eyes, her face and even her apparent taste in clothing – otherwise she completely took after her mother. Frowning softly, Ray couldn't help but feel his guilt rearing its ugly head once more as he thought about the expression on her face when he had practically barged into her room. Her expression seemed torn between being poignant and thunderous, the picture nearly being crushed between her clenching fingers.

"Do you guys need anything before we leave?"

Ray looked up from his contemplation and stared at her briefly, "Not that Kai's mentioned. I know I don't necessarily need anything – we brought enough clothes and stuff to last us." He watched as Mykie bobbed her head in understanding. "If you don't mind me asking, how long do you think this'll take?"

"Well do you want my honest answer or the one that screams rainbows and unicorns?" She inquired with a humorous look on her face. The Neko-jin considered her question, shooting her a deadpanned expression.

"Should I be afraid to ask now? Because I am."

Chuckling, Mykie shook her head, "It honestly will depend…"

"On what?"

"Well…in my experience up to this point, there's always someone I'm competing with for a lost civilization or treasure…"

"Is that what happened with El Dorado?"

"Something like that," She answered.

Ray shot her another bemused look, "And what happened to them?"

"Well…" Mykie shot dryly, "When people shoot at you, you shoot back and ask questions later."

Ray stopped walking and watched as Mykie continued ahead of him to where Kai was standing and clearly waiting for them – Sullivan standing just a bit ahead next to the van. Ginny sat in the driver's seat, clearly their driver to the airport so they could get to Sullivan's biplane that would take them out to the Pacific Islands. Ginny had expressed her luck when they had split up for a short time to get their things together and he almost envied the younger woman for not being involved at all in the danger he was about to partake in whether he understood just what that meant or not. Shaking his head he sighed deeply in an effort to quell his nerves as he stepped out of the flat.

"Well…that's definitely not comforting."


Author's Note: Hey there guys! So normally I'd put this in the beginning, but I figured I'd let you all jump right into the story this time! Any who, I'm so sorry about the lack of update for this story - I recently had computer problems and my old one blue screened me :( but I'm back using a netbook/tablet until I can save up to get another one.

Thank you all for the continued support and remember: all reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update; with that said I'd love to hear what you guys think of it anyway! The next update should be out in the next few weeks since I have to go back and rewrite most of the story since my old computer took the story with it D; But we'll get through this I promise!

I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter we're finally starting the full adventure!

Much Love xoxo
Eirlys