Chapter Ten

One week later…

In the absence of a body the village had just erected a small stone cross in the cemetery emblazoned with the name 'Tyson Granger', his year of birth and death and just a basic 'In Loving Memory'. It wasn't flash or anything but summed up Tyson's death. Everybody in the village, whether they were close to him or not, was saddened by the events of a week earlier and now only had memories of the young man with his spikes of blue hair that a small baseball cap attempted to reign in.

His funeral had been a quiet ceremony attended only by his closest friends and family. Tyson's grandfather was at the front of the congregation who were gathered in the blustery graveyard with leaves whipping up into the air. The man standing next to him watched them casually float to the ground before tightening up his coat to keep out the chill and whistling nervously to himself. This was Tyson's dad who had, naturally, returned from his latest archaeology trip to say goodbye to his son, a son who he feared he didn't really know because of his long trips abroad. Tyson's father sighed as he thought back to his son's beaming face, the first thing he would see upon returning to the country and entering their home.

Behind Tyson's two closest family members were his best friends: Max, Ray and Kai, all standing in thick coats with their gloved hands by their sides, nervously looking around the barren and depressing square of grass, soil and stone that was the local graveyard. They had never imagined that they would be standing here. Then again they'd never imagined that they would have had to walk through the forest to break the news to Tyson's grandfather that he had passed away. They had never imagined a search of the waters by the cliff would not turn up Tyson's body. They had never imagined that the events of the last weeks would have ended in this. Max sighed as he choked back a tear, trying to avoid looking at Tyson's grave as best as he could. He was nervous about the next few minutes as he would have to get up in front of these people who knew Tyson dearly – his family, his friends and behind them acquaintances and villagers – and speak about him. He didn't enjoy speaking in front of lots of people and this cold Autumnal morning was no different.

Tyson's father had already given an emotional speech five minutes previously, choking back the tears as he spoke about the son he had lost, his hand resting on the gravestone as if he was putting his arm around his child. By the end of his speech, which had gone from his sparse notes held on a scrappy piece of paper in his left hand to a more off-the-cuff and from the heart speech, Tyson's father had become unable to speak and so returned to standing by his own father. When the time came, Tyson's grandfather tapped Max on the shoulder.

'You ready?'

Max nodded, swallowing hard and walking away from Ray and Kai to stand by the stone.

'Erm…' was all he could manage as he tried to think of how to start. The wind in the graveyard was making the hairs on his arms stand on end, making the already uncomfortable situation even more nerve-racking. 'I don't really know what to say today. Obviously we're all here to remember Tyson Granger and say our goodbyes. I feel awkward standing up here as I feel like it should be Kai standing and speaking as he knows him the best.'

Kai didn't make any sort of movement when his name passed Max's lips. It was not Kai's style to talk emotionally about anyone – not even himself – so he had passed on the opportunity to speak at Tyson's funeral, even though he was hurting inside. The problem with Kai was that he was unable to express his feelings in words and felt that any sort of emotional outpouring would damage his reputation as a cold and precise person, especially in the Beyblade sense.

'Well as you know we were there when Tyson – passed away – although I'm sure we all wish that the events of that day a week ago hadn't happened, but they did. If there was anything that I could do to change the events of that day then I would but I haven't got those powers. I'm sure we all wish we could get a time machine and travel back…

'Tyson will forever be remembered as a great person and an excellent Beyblader. I'm sure he'll be looking down on us all this morning and smiling before turning to play a game of Beyblade with God. I'm sure of it.'

Max paused for breath, his throat tightening and a tear slipping from his eye.

'It just leaves me to say thank you to Tyson for being a fantastic friend and a Beyblade mentor.'

Max put his hand in the back pocket of his jeans and removed a small red object which he unfolded, revealing it to be Tyson's discarded baseball cap. He slipped it onto one of the arms of the cross.

'Thanks Tyson.'

The funeral came to an end shortly after that with everyone dispersing in different directions to return to their daily lives. Having said a few words of comfort to Tyson's father, Max, Ray and Kai headed off on their own, silence being the only topic of conversation as they walked across the bitterly cold graveyard, their eyes falling on the names that lined each and every gravestone. It was Kai that eventually broke the silence though he continued staring at the ground as he walked, refusing to look at his two companions.

'It's all the fault of the Mystical Warriors that this happened,' he began, his voice harsher than Max and Ray had ever known it. 'We have to do something to make sure this never happens again. I propose we bury those Opal Beyblades in the forest where no one will ever find them and then we get revenge.'

'Shouldn't we use the Beyblades for this revenge?' Ray suggested, knowing that they were the most powerful 'blades they had. Kai was quick to reply in an even harsher tone.

'What? And risk them stealing them off us and starting all over again? Has Tyson's death meant nothing to you? These 'blades need burying deep in the ground away from wandering fingers. Tonight we shall do that then we will get our revenge…'

Kai's mumblings were interrupted by the sound of quickening footsteps coming up from behind them. The trio stopped and turned to let the person catch up. As they did they saw it to be a girl of about their age with shiny brown hair tied back in a ponytail, a bright, pretty face and clothes that didn't leave much to their teenage imaginations. She turned to face the group, her arms folded tightly underneath her breasts.

'Hi. You must be Kai, Max and Ray. Nice to meet you!' she said in a bubbly, slightly high-pitched voice. She hugged herself more tightly to keep in the warmth, looking around at the graveyard and biting her lip. 'It's just a shame that it's not a better day than this.'

Suddenly all the joy in her voice faded and she looked sad; her eyes became darker and less spell-binding. Max was the first to ask about her.

'Hi. I'm Max. And you are?'

'Saki, you might not know me.'

'No,' Kai said suspiciously as he started to walk along the path once more. The other three did the same, talking as they passed further through the graveyard.

'Well I'm a friend of Tyson's. Well, was.'

There was a moment of awkward silence before she continued.

'I really want to hear about what happened.'

'We don't want to talk about it,' Kai said between gritted teeth.

'But it could help…'

'We don't want to talk about it!' Kai shouted, looking at Saki with pure hatred before storming off down the path. Saki began to cry; Max tried his best to comfort her.

'Don't mind Kai; he's upset. Well, we all are.'

'I just want to know that… well, I wish I'd told him before…'

'What?' Max asked, stopping and turning to face her, lifting her chin up and noticing her red eyes from crying.

'I wish I'd told him that I really like him…'

'You mean – like love…'

'I suppose so… but now I just won't have the chance.

'But that's life I suppose. But if this is life then I don't know if I want it.'

'Don't say that. It'll get better,' Max said, looking over to the distance and speaking as if he didn't have control over his words. 'It's just… that's life.'

Max shook himself from his own thoughts and turned to Saki who was still unbelievably pretty even when upset.

'Let's find a seat,' he said, 'Then I can tell you what happened. Hopefully that should make you feel better.'

'Hopefully,' Saki replied, wiping the tears from her eyes, as they headed over to the nearest bench.

Time was going very slowly that day. Max and Ray had tried their best to sum up the events of the last few weeks for Saki, culminating in the death of their shared friend. As the afternoon began to ebb away the three of them headed back into the village. Kai had stormed off ahead and was probably at home by the time they got back. It was then that they revealed to Saki the second reason that the village was in mourning on that day to. On every available space on every wall were posters asking for any sightings of one teenager who had gone missing seven days previously. Max found a lump stuck in his throat again as he stared at the photo on the poster of a smiling messy-haired teenager and read the name below: 'Kenny'. He hadn't been seen since he'd left the group to find whatever it had been that he was looking for. Kenny had been so mysterious about it that they couldn't help anyone in locating him. Each day, until early evening, local people were out in the forest combing the area looking for clues but had yet to find anything. The combination of Tyson's death and Kenny's disappearance had created a thick black cloud of depression that hung over the village. As Max moved away from the 'missing' poster to speak to Ray and Saki he could see the search group returning, their faces dishevelled and their trousers caked with mud. Max sighed.

'This is why Kai snapped earlier. Though he doesn't like to admit it he's lost two big friends in the same week. He thinks that the Mystical Warriors have got to Kenny as revenge, but obviously we can't prove it.'

'Well what can we do?'

'Nothing. Just watch out for the Mystical Warriors. They shouldn't be too dangerous without the Opal Beyblades.'

'Which reminds me,' Ray piped up, adjusting his collar. 'Kai still wants us to meet in the woods tonight to bury the 'blades once and for all.'

'I'll be there,' Max said with a sigh. 'They've caused nothing but trouble since we first set eyes on them.'

The afternoon melted into the evening which in turn gave way to night. As the sun finally dipped under the horizon three figures entered the centre of the woods, the tallest armed with a large shovel and the shortest carrying a suitcase. The sun was just about lighting up their faces but was mostly concentrated on casting long shadows on the ground of the gnarled trees all around. The three figures were determined to do their work that night by burying the cause of their problems. Max, Ray and Kai were going to hide the Opal Beyblades for good, with the thought that three of their friends – Kenny, Tyson and Dizzi – had all disappeared, died or been destroyed because of them.

Kai took the shovel and began digging a large hole in the earthy floor, discarding huge clods of earth behind him, ignoring his sweating and panting and choosing to complete his job. When he found the hole to be big enough, he gestured over to Max who passed him the suitcase. With muddy, sweaty and cut hands, Kai unlocked the briefcase, observed that all four 'blades were neatly secured inside, and then locked it again, dropping it unceremoniously into the hole before resuming his spade work, this time returning the earth into the recess and patting it down to hide it from prying eyes. Their job done, Kai hitched the spade back onto his shoulder and returned with Max and Ray to the nearest path.

'So that's our job done,' Ray observed. Kai shook his head but did not turn around from his leading position.

'No. It's only half done. For now we get revenge on those that have inflicted pain on us. The Mystical Warriors will wish they hadn't messed with us. We shall avenge the death of Tyson and the disappearance of Kenny. And we shall do it tonight.'

As the three young men passed through the woods, Max and Ray shivering with cold and looking at each other with a sense of apprehension about what was going to happen that night, they didn't realise that exactly a week ago another band of individuals was walking through the forest with a similar ambition.

One week earlier…

The leader, unsurprisingly leading the group, was also walking through the forest but with the three remaining Mystical Warriors. All were tired from the Beyblade battles and cliff side fight that had preceded their walk. The Warriors were especially tired and plotting how to escape the wrath of the leader who was no doubt thinking about killing them as he had done with all the other failures before them. The leader, however, had other ideas that, unknown to him, would save him from an immediate death. The power that had been protecting him had been taken away but he didn't know this and only the Warriors were slightly aware of it because of the lack of tension and electricity in the air. The leader spoke:

'In exactly one weeks time,' he began, his voice booming, echoing off the trees, 'we shall get our revenge. Those kids think they can beat us but we shall prove them wrong. A week today we shall return to the village and find those Beybladers, get our Opal Beyblades back and then destroy them before we destroy the whole world!'

The four men continued to walk through the forest, now in complete silence aside from the snapping of twigs under their feet. The leader had just admitted his first weakness; he knew he wasn't able to retrieve the 'blades himself but with the Mystical Warriors he could.

They had other ideas, however, and were already planning in their heads to use the leader's plan against them when the two groups would meet in a week's time. That would be when the answers come out. And the Mystical Warriors were happy for them to be exposed.

But the events that were to happen seven days later would be something not one person walking through the woods could have imagined…

To be continued…