hehe... hi... yes yes its been a while and for that i'm sorry but i have been soooooooooooo busy and have had one of the worst cases of writers block! anyways i hope u enjoy this chappie!
Chapter 7 - Playful Enemies
As each teen walked outside, they bowed and thanked Master Dickinson for allowing them to stay. As Kai was about to walk out, he turned to the Elder and told him seriously, "As you know I have completed a few of the tests but… the last one… with the other Shadows wasn't part of my test. It was set up. Someone wishes to know about us."
Master Dickinson thought for a second, his face set in a grim expression. Pursing his lips he asked, "Do you know who it could've been?"
Kai shook his head, deciding it best to not tell Master Dickinson how he actually knew one of the Shadows. "No. But I am guessing it is the same group who set this attack up."
"Group? I knew we were set up but why do you suppose it was a group?"
"I have my reasons." Then bowing, Kai thanked Master Dickinson for his hospitality, and walked outside where the other were waiting and escaping any further questions from Master Dickinson.
"Ok," Kai began, "we shall head to the nearest realm to here, which is yours Tyson, the Air Realm. There are a few people there we need to see. We do not have much time to reach them so we must hurry." Looking at each member of the group, Kai studied them. They all stood with packs on their backs and were listening carefully to each word. "Let's go."
The group had been walking for some time now, the scenery still being the same. Trees, trees and oh look, more trees.
"This is boring! And my legs are killing me! Can we please stop for a while?" Tyson's lists of complaints just went on and on, and had been for a while, so by now everyone knew to just ignore him.
"Oh Tyson stop complaining and keep moving you lazy old pig!" almost everyone.
"Who are you calling a pig Hilary?! At least I eat and don't try to eat less so that I'm skinny!"
"I do not do that! Get your facts right! Oh wait, how can you when you've got a brain smaller then a speck of dust!"
"Well at least I've got a brain!"
"Shut up!" shouted Kai, his crimson eyes staring coldly at the pair.
"Sorry." The two mumbled while looking away from each other. Rei, Kenny and Max grinned at each other. No one had been able to get those two under control that fast, until now.
Kai let his eyes change from their usual crimson to brown, and let his hair change to black. He pulled his hood up over his head and ordered a quick, "Someone's up ahead. Just act normal." Before jumping up and into one of the nearby trees.
"Ok then… guess we keep walking." Following his own advice, Rei kept going forward. Seeing Max looking at Kai and following his every move, Rei explained to the golden haired teen, "Max it's probably best to just ignore Kai, otherwise we'll end up giving away his position."
Max turned his head to look at the neko jin and nodded slowly.
Kai!
As the group walked, Kai followed them, jumping from branch to branch. Summoning his red plain mask, Kai closed his eyes before opening them again slowly. He blinked before looking in each direction.
'Perfect, the heat sensors are working.'
'Heat sensors? Oh yes wonderful name for them.'
Kai rolled his eyes at his spirits sarcastic comment. Getting back to task, Kai looked down at the group below him, following their heat signal with his eyes. He looked ahead, searching for more heat signals. There were four; belonging to Manipulators judging from the two different heat signals they gave off. They weren't too far away but they appeared to be waiting for something. 'Or someone' Kai thought as he sped up, going a few metres in front of those below him. Searching for any traps that might be ahead, Kai detected a very small heat source. Studying the object, Kai narrowed his eyes. Explosives. Most likely explosive tags. Though by the looks of things, they would reach the group up ahead before they reached the traps. Kai smirked. Looks like they were going to meet the enemy already.
others!
Rei took a quick glimpse of Kai, who was still hopping form tree to tree. Sensing another precense coming up, Rei placed his hand on his waist, where on it sat a pouch filled with kunai and shuriken.
Seeing Rei place his hand in his pouch Max asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Be prepared. And go faster."
Max picked up the pace, just as he had been told to. They had started running when they saw Kai pick up speed and now they were practically sprinting. Skidding to a halt behind the others, Tyson looked around the clearing they had come to. One lone figure stood before them, and it wasn't Kai.
"Ah I see you've finally arrived." The figure uncrossed his arms and took a few steps towards the group. Each of them automatically went for their weapons. As Rei pulled out his weapons, he quickly looked to Kai, who was perched in a tree, looking down on what was going on.
The figure chuckled. "Oh no reason for those." His voice was slightly muffled and as Rei took in his appearance, he soon understood why. The figure was clad in black boots, but you only got a glimpse of those as a long black cloak covered the rest. The cloak covered all but had no sleeves, showing slightly tanned, strong arms. The collar of the cloak came up and covered the figures mouth and nose, only allowing his icy blue eyes and fiery red hair to be shown. (I guess it is pretty mush a black poncho that comes up with a high collar and covers what was explained.)
'His heat level just dropped.'
'He's hiding his magical energy.'
"So you are the Guardians 'ey?" said the figure as he walked around them slowly. "Shouldn't there be more of you? Those two," he pointed to Hilary and Kenny. "Are definitely not Guardians. I don't even think they are Manipulators!" the figure stopped and stood before them once again. "My team will be here soon. Don't worry."
The figure narrowed his eyes and smirked, glancing in the direction of Kai. 'Ha! This will be fun.' The figure raised his head slightly as he heard a bird call. 'Good. Their coming.'
"Guys…"
"What Kenny?"
"Something isn't right. That birdcall… I don't think it belongs to this realm."
"It could've switched realms, you know, used a portal of some sort."
"I doubt it Tyson."
The group froze as each of them felt a blade to their throat.
"Oh look," the figure stated dryly. "Their here."
Kai!
Kai stood and placed a hand on the trunk of the tree, his other hand going for one of his daggers. He had watched as three figures had jumped from the trees behind the others and had quickly held them captive. Waiting for the perfect time, Kai continued watching the scene unfold.
others!
One was on Kenny, another on both Hilary and Max and another on Tyson and Rei. The one on Tyson and Rei looked at the two before glancing back at the rest of the group held captive. He wore similar attire to the first figure, except he also had a hood pulled over his head; the first figure had his hanging down his back. After looking at the group, the one in between Rei and Tyson looked to the first figure. Only his sharp lavender eyes could be seen as he said, "he's missing."
The one with the hood down nodded before glancing up at the trees. The lavender eyed one got the message. With out anyone seeing it happening, the two figures switched places. The one with the hood down now held the knives to Tyson and Rei's necks while the one with lavender eyes was now in front of the group. Summoning his wings quickly, the lavender-eyed figure flapped them once before jumping up in the air, flying up above the trees. Letting his eyes change to those of a falcon, the figure kept his wings spread out, his wings being brown with white speckles, they too being quite flacon like. Using his now even sharper eyes, the figure searched for his target. He narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of his prey. Tucking his wings in, the figure dived down into the trees at a great speed.
Kai!
Kai looked up, his eyes catching the heat of a person who was heading towards him at an extremely fast speed. Jumping off of the branch he resided on, Kai leapt down to the ground, narrowly missing the strike of the winged figure. As his feet touched the ground, Kai quickly leapt to the right, once again just missing the strike of the winged figure. As the winged figure was about to crash into the ground, he pulled up, flying low to the ground, the figure once again headed for Kai, rearing up so that he hovered just above him. Kai tilted his head up to look at the figure. As he did, his hood fell back, revealing his black hair, which whipped across his face gently as a soft breeze blew through the clearing.
"So nice to see you again Kav." The first figure greeted sarcastically, the one with the wings smirking.
"Hm… I wish I could say the same about you…" this time it was Kai's turn to smirk, while the smirk fell from the winged figure's face, replaced with a glare.
"Remember whose lives are at stake here!" the redhead growled, and as if to prove his point, he pushed the dagger against Rei's throat slightly, drawing a thin line of blood. "So hand them over!"
"Exactly! Hand them over!"
"Look I have what you… want… and you have what I want, so how about we just… swap?"
"Cunning as a fox. Or should I say a wolf?" the figure stiffened and Kai continued. "But… where is the fun in that little deal. You ruin the motive if you do it that way." Kai began to step closer to the redhead. "Think about it. You could just, force me to give them to you. Why go to that trouble only for us to swap so simply. I say we fight or something! There's no fun!"
"Stop playing games!"
"Aw… poor little naïve child. He thinks this is a game!" Kai mocked, pouting slightly. Narrowing his eyes he added, "but who said I was playing?"
The two were now face to face and in the midst of a stare off.
Managing to lean over slightly so that he could whisper to Rei, Max asked, "What is he doing? And who is Kav? And why does he want a fight? Can't he just give them what they want? Or hasn't he noticed that our lives are sort of… how to put this lightly… well… if he continues we wont have lives!"
Turning his head ever so slightly so that he could look into Max's baby blue eyes, Rei just shrugged. Max bit the inside of his mouth before straightening and looking back to Kai.
"Falborg!" the winged figure now stood behind Kai, and at his leaders call, lunged towards the black haired teen. Kai spun and grabbed the fist that clutched the dagger that was coming towards him. The two pushed away from each other and glared.
"But seeing as you wish to play so much… how about you and your 'buddies' join the fight. But then it would be unfair. So you also release the others. Hilary and Kenny sit out and then it will be four on four."
The redhead thought for a second before grinning like a wolf. "Ok but one condition, we play my way." Signalling for his team to follow, he drew the knives away from Tyson and Rei, he pushed the two of them forward, sending them stumbling over to Kai, who quickly pushed them behind him. The same was done to Max but Hilary and Kenny were pushed away from the group and to the edge of the forest.
The winged figure lifted his hands and spun once. When nothing happened, Rei, Max and Tyson exchanged glances. Kai narrowed his eyes. "Step closer to me." He ordered softly. Doing as they were told, the three boys exchanged glances again. Suddenly, huge, gale force winds started blowing along the ground in a large circle around the group. The wind rose in a wall and it soon met at the top, placing everyone, save Hilary and Kenny, inside a dome of wind. As fast as it had happened, the wind quickly died down.
"And the point of that was…?" Tyson asked while waving his hand in circle, looking to the enemy expectantly. No answer.
Kenny and Hilary stepped forward to reach the others but were harshly pushed back, each of them slamming into a near by tree trunk.
"I thought we would make it even more fun by adding a barrier. The attacks will bounce off of the barrier, keeping the battle interesting… and inside…" explained the redhead as he smirked maliciously at Kai, who, much to the annoyance of the enemy and his own team, smiled back. "Joy!" he exclaimed.
"Another condition; we play on my playing field." The shortest member of the enemy's team clawed his hands in a similar way to Rei and began raising the earth. When he had finished, the 'playing field' was no longer flat. Huge bits of earth had been raised, almost like pillars.
"Now for the final touch." The leader pricked his finger with a dagger and held it above his head. As one drop of blood fell to the ground, the earth around it rippled as if it were water being hit by a drop of rain, and the blood seeped into the ground. The leader held his hand out in front of him. Hand open and palm facing downwards, he whispered one word, "ice…"
well there u hav it! i'm guessing by now u've realised who's who... if not u shall see in the next chappie!
bye!
kavbj
