Tyson feels the breeze as it passes through his hair. He takes a deep breath in, and looks over a hill. Okay, I'm done. So, yeah, they're still in Russia. A guy has appeared into their lives and they're being attacked. Will the guy be their savior or their ultimate enemy? Maybe he's the mastermind behind all of this chaos that they have been going through. Yes, that got to be it! He's the evil mastermind behind the whole thing! It wasn't Boris or Voltaire, but this guy! I finally solve the mystery!!!
The BladeBreakers were being surrounded by the creatures. The flame guy was to their right, the vegetable in front of them, and the ghosts all around them. There was something to their left since something had launched an attack that brought on the newest surprise; the guy that had suddenly appeared next to them. There was a flying creature next to him, and was just as alert as they were.
"Boom Bubble! Pah!" The creature called before expanding his tiny body and shooting a fast bubble out of its mouth. It was aimed at the vegetable, hitting it with a powerful force. It was knocked into a tree, but it wasn't taken out.
The flame guy came running towards them, throwing a fireball. A water wall appeared suddenly, making sure that the flame didn't come near them. Rei looked at Max, seeing that he was having a coughing session. He heard blades launching, turning to see that Tyson and Kai had launched their Beyblades at the fire man.
They did their tornado attack, but around the creature as if trying to take out the fire that is on him. The creature was screaming as it was guarding its face from the wind. He flexed and flames came off his body, landing on the tornado and beyond. Kai and Tyson called their blades back since they didn't want flames to land on their blades. Rei launched at it when it came charging at them, bringing out his staff to keep flame guy a safe distance away. Rei noticed quickly that the creature wasn't a good fighter, but the creature wasn't about to back down. It was like they were forced to fight, and they were going to fight with everything they had. That reminded him that there were ghost around as well, making him weary to make sure that he wasn't ambushed. Though, Rei wondered why they were fighting so fiercely, if they are forced to fight.
Kai looked around, seeing that the creature that came with the guy was now fighting two creatures and the new one was an egg with legs. The guy was still alert, since the ghosts were still around. Kai could feel the pull that they were creating. It was making him remember what happen the last time. Max started to cough again, making Kai worry since he wasn't coughing this much when he and Rei came back. Ed was holding onto him protectively, still carrying him in his arms.
"Boom Bubble!" The creature called again, but this time the attack was powerful enough to make them crash into the trees. The ghosts were stilled for a moment before leaving quietly.
"We have to go, kids." The guy said, turning towards them.
"Rei!" Kai called as they gathered what they could. Rei kicked it on its side, knocking the wind out of it for a moment. He looked to his leg, seeing that it wasn't on fire before backing up and following the mystery guy out of their camp and back into the forest.
Kai and Tyson were behind the guy with their launchers in hand. Rei was behind Ed and Max, who wasn't having any problem running with Max in his arms. Rei noticed that Max was still coughing pretty hard, making him worry since he didn't know why. He looked behind him, seeing that the fire man was coming after them. He was thinking quickly, knowing that they would have to lose him quickly. He stopped quickly and merged with Byakko to lift up the earth around him, causing a mini landslide at the creature. Rei stayed long enough to make sure that it worked.
They followed the guy all over the place. They were going up and down, taking sharp turns and quick burst of runs. Rei was wondering where they were going, and noticing that they weren't taking any particular path. The longer they were following the guy, the wearier they were becoming.
"Stop!" The guy said, holding out a hand in front of them. The team stopped nearly dropped. Everyone was breathing hard, minus Rei. "Is something wrong with him?"
"Who the hell.. are you?" Kai asked as they were recovering.
He gave off a weird smile. "My name is TK!" He said with a big smile. Rei noticed how the smile was, looking away for a moment before going over towards Max and Ed.
"Hey," Rei said gently, "Are you okay?" Max nodded his head, covering his mouth with his hand as another coughing session starting. Rei placed his hand on Max's forehead, feeling that he was cold. "Do we have more blankets?" Rei looked at the others.
"Not that I know of." Kai said, "What's wrong?"
"He's really cold. A fire should be started up again."
Kai nodded, looking at the guy again, "We'll deal with you later, but don't think that this means we trust you." He looked at Tyson and Kenny, "I'll look for some wood and you guys gather as much stuff to get him warmed up."
They nodded and started to go searching for their things. Rei was also doing the same thing, though keeping an eye on the guy. Ed smiled, glad that they all cared this much about Max.
"Do you want me to help?" The guy asked Kai as he started out.
"You're staying in a place where we can watch you." Kai knew that Rei would stop him if he tries something, so he wasn't worried about the group. He walked off as he was taking deep breaths.
It was silent as Kai was collecting the wood. It wasn't helping his nerves that he couldn't see anything. He was trying to be quiet as he possibly could, keeping his mind focus on the task at hand. He didn't want anything to distract him from listening around him. When he gathered all the wood that he could carry, he started to hear something whistling through the trees. Kai was glad that he was able to come up with a way to keep his hands free. He got Dranzer out slowly as he slowly went back the way he came. He set up markings that would be obvious in the dark so he could find his way. He was alert until he was in the circle where everyone could see him. He tried to act like he wasn't scared as he got the fire started, but he didn't know how well it was going.
Once the fire was set up, Rei got to work on cooking up something. Rei was making Max something to sooth his throat and hopefully calm him down. "How are you feeling?" Kai asked as Rei worked.
Max just looked at him, looking very sick as he leaned against Ed. Max didn't really know what was going on around him. He knew that they had to move, but he didn't know why. He knew that everyone was concerned, but he wondered where Rei was. The look on Kai's face told Max that he was very worried before he started to cough again.
"Here." Rei said as he went over to Max and Ed. Kai moved aside so that Rei could do his thing. "Max, you need to drink this." Rei said soothingly. As soon as he stopped coughing, Rei moved his hands and placed the cup near his mouth. Max slowly drank it, noticing how warm it was in his mouth. It was helping a lot, it seemed. He looked at Rei, seeing him smiling. "It's working. I get you another cup when you're done with this, okay?"
Max smiled as he nodded his head. Rei handed the cup to Ed so that Max could finish it up as he got another cup ready. Kai sighed in relief, glad to hear that everything was going okay for Max. "Should Max sleep?" Kai asked, knowing that they had another issue to deal with.
"The medicine won't put him to sleep, but if he thinks he should, then he should." Rei said as he went back over to Max, "Max, we got a new guy with us. He helped us escape the last encounter with those creatures. Do you want to hear what's going on or do you want to sleep? I'll tell you what was told in the morning, okay?" He took the cup from Ed as Rei handed him the next.
"I'm fine." Max said in a whispery voice and with a smile, "I want to listen in. I'll rest after that, okay?"
"What do you want to know?" Kai asked.
"Name and why he helped us." Max looked at him. "I'll get everything else when I wake up."
Kai looked at the man, "Name and why you helped us, now!"
The guy looked disappointed before taking a moment to clear his throat, "My name is TK."
"And my name is Patamon! We're here to find two people." The creature said with a smile.
Everyone was shocked that it talked, but only Rei noticed that that reaction was what they both were aiming for. "That doesn't explain why you're helping us. That only explains why you're in this forest." Rei pointed out, being the only one that was able to get over the shock.
"We're superheroes!" TK said, both of them striking a pose before standing again, "It's what we do."
Rei looked at Max, "Is that enough for you?"
Max nodded, glad that Rei was really concern for him, "Yeah, thanks." He finished off his drink and cuddled next to Ed more. Rei merged with Byakko a bit to move Ed closer to the fire.
"Is he going to be okay?" Ed asked as Rei got up.
"Tomorrow will give us the right answer. The best thing for him now will be to rest and stay as warm as possible."
Ed nodded, "I'll listen in as well."
Rei nodded, looking back at the guy, "Are you working for the sponsors of this tournament?"
"Nope!" TK said with a smile.
"Then there's no sense in getting us all colds, so come by the fire." Rei said with a sigh, heading over to sit next to Ed.
Everyone else followed, with Kai the closest one to the guy and the talking creature. Tyson was one the other side of Ed and Kenny was next to Rei. Kai was nearest to Tyson, but somehow didn't feel all that threatened by this man. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew somewhere in his heart that this guy was okay. Though, it was odd since it took about this long for him to trust his teammates completely like his does now. The only reason he knows he can trust Ed is because of Max.
"Okay, what is that creature?" Tyson asked finally.
"I will not allow you to call me 'that creature'. We have some dignity to us as well." Patamon said.
"What are you?" Kenny asked.
"I'm the same as those creatures that we were fighting off." Patamon said.
"Though, unlike them," TK said in an unusual tone than he was using before, "Patamon is my lifetime partner in crime." He smiled, but it wasn't in the same way as it was before.
"Those creatures don't seem to be able to be tamed." Ed commented.
"The ones that we fought, and the ones that you will fight, are ones that are being controlled by someone else. We're here to free them of their imprisonment."
"Who's controlling them?"
"It's someone that is old and of their world as well. He has existed since the beginning of my own journey, and apparently much longer. He has been able to find a way to control many of the creatures to do his work for him. Though, fortunately it can only take affect when they are in our world."
"We're still in our world?" Tyson asked. "I thought we walked through some portal to get here. We couldn't even get to the place where we started."
TK blinked before Patamon sighed, "He meant that this world is part of your world and mine. It's more of your world than ours, since it's more connected to your world than mine."
"So you're saying that we're in a world that's in-between the two?" Kai asked.
"Yeah, basically. There are many worlds like that, each loosely linked to other worlds and even more loosely connected to my world."
"Why does that seem a little hard to swallow?" Kenny asked, "That would mean that there are parallel worlds and other dimensions and ways for particles to move between each other. Like all the stuff you would read in science fiction stories."
"In fact," TK interrupted, "it's more like that than you realize. The shift in atoms and you're in another world. But, it's also more complex than that, but a lot harder to explain. I only understand it because I've met people who have traveled to other worlds that were parallel to our own and heard their stories. I've also had to learn about the more complex side, for various reasons."
"We're not going anywhere, unless we're attacked." Rei pointed out.
TK smiled, "Perhaps at a different time and setting. The subject is a bit hard to swallow, especially for kids."
"I'm not a kid!" Ed said in a soft yell.
"You're not?" TK blinked and the same with Patamon.
That got Ed's blood boiling, "I'm nineteen."
"Oh, sorry." TK gave an apagogic smile, "I was told that this tournament was only for kids."
"Which means that you didn't wander into this forest by accident, did you?" Rei pointed out quickly. "How did you get in without someone spotting you, and so far into the forest?"
"The security was nonexistent so that prove to be the easiest part."
"There were people all around the area when we entered. Are you saying that they weren't guards?"
"That's right. They weren't familiar with each other and they weren't all that cautious about letting us wander right in."
"Then how did you get so far in?"
"I have a map!" He held it up. Rei noticed that it looked nothing like the map that Neith had. "I'm trying to get to the center, since that seems to be the focus point to all of this mess."
"We're heading there too." Tyson pointed out. "Though, there are supposed to be teams with maps of the area."
"And I guess you guys weren't given one?"
"Yeah, though we're hoping that the other teams that we know did get one."
"The ghost creatures are called Bakumon and they're not around for no reason." He said with a sigh, "I'm glad that none of you were caught, but I've already seen Jade and Krypton being taken by them…"
"You know Jade and Krypton?" Everyone asked, including Ed. "What do you mean, taken?" Kai asked next, "What happened to them?" There was a genuine fear in his eyes that he wasn't allowing to appear anywhere else.
TK looked sad for a moment, "The person I'm after has them now, I'm afraid."
"The best thing to do right now is rest." Rei said before Kai moved. "If we don't have the strength to fight, we're no good to them."
Kai looked into the fire, angry at himself that he could do nothing. "How do you know their names?" Kai asked after a moment.
"We're here to find them."
"How do you know them?" Kai looked at him, not letting the hate out of his eyes.
Rei noticed how sad both of them looked when Kai gave them that look. Somehow, it reminded him of how Seto Kaiba was eyeing him funny all those months ago. Did this guy also know something about Kai's past? "I can't tell…"
"What the hell do you mean?" Kai asked, more anger in his eyes than before. Rei remembered that Kai now thought of them as family since he never went back home. "What the hell do you mean you can't tell us?"
"Secrets.." Before TK could even finish his sentence, Rei had to jump in before Kai did something to him. Rei had to keep Kai's hands planted on the ground so that he wouldn't get up from his sitting position. He was really glad that Kai wasn't about to struggle with him like Jade did a few days ago.
"Secrets?!" Kai yelled, his eyes telling you he was beyond mad, "Their lives could be at risk and all you care about is protecting your damn secrets?!" Everyone else knew that Kai was thinking of something to say. Everyone knew, with maybe the exception of Ed, that Jade and Krypton didn't want their past to be known. This guy seemed to have those answers.
TK got up, though he wasn't looking at anyone, "I'll be over there for a while. I won't leave and I won't be out of your sights. If you want me back over here, please send someone over to retrieve me." He looked at Kai with a sorrowful expression, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how I know them just yet." He and Patamon went a bit away from the camp. Rei was the only one able to see him through the thick darkness.
"Damn it!" Kai yelled as he lowered his head to the ground. Rei let go of his hands, knowing that he wasn't going to do something more. "Can you see them?" He asked without raising his head.
"Yeah, I can still see them. They're not all that far, but it's hard to see them normally because of low visibility."
"You scared me for a moment there, Kai." Tyson said with a sigh. "I thought you were really going to hurt the guy."
"Why do you think I grabbed his arms?" Rei asked, "Kai was going to do something… And if I was in Kai's position, I would probably do the same thing."
"We all want to know them better…" Kenny said. "So I guess nothing new came up while you were living with them."
"Nothing." Kai said, grabbing some dirt, "They didn't tell me anything new. I knew how sensitive they are about their past… I didn't want to be locked out forever…" Kai hit the ground, hating how a stranger was able to hold so much information about the people he loved the most, the most important people he now wanted to protect. He hit the ground harder so that he wouldn't cry at the failure he was now.
Everyone just let Kai be in his silence. Rei could see that Ed understood what Kai was displaying, so he wasn't at a total lost. Just how much did Max trust this guy? Rei then noticed how trusting Kai was being. It was probably because Max had his back that Kai could trust him. But this other guy was a different matter. Kai hadn't turned his back to him, hadn't branded him a person that they couldn't rely on in the future. Will that view change tomorrow?
Tyson hated how gloomy it was getting. Sure, his partner could be angst at times, but nothing like this. Though, Tyson knew that it was more of deeper emotions that Kai was hurting. He remembered that Kai was willing to run out into the snow to follow them. He recalled how panic struck Kai was when Kai opened the door to his room with a slam. He looked like he had been lost, and he looked like he was about to lose his mind. He then remembered the Shadow game penalty that Kai suffered. That he would live his worst fear, or something like that. The look in Kai's eyes as he came out of that illusion was the same look he held that night. Tyson looked at his partner, wondering what torment he was suffering alone. "So, should we trust this guy? If he isn't giving us what we need to hear, then should we keep him around? What if he's just a guy that Boris or your grandfather hired to trick us? They obviously know that we're here."
"If they have those creatures working for them, I'm sure they wouldn't need someone to trick us." Kenny said. "Though, it's your call, Kai."
"You've been silent for a while, Ed." Kai said, though not looking up, "What do you think Max would say and what's your opinion?"
Rei noticed that Ed was taken back yet again at how welcoming Kai was being. He wondered what kind of picture Max had given him of Kai. "I think that we should air on the side of caution. I've taught Max about the principles of Equivalent Exchange, which states that nothing is gained without giving something up in return."
"So," Kenny jumped in, "we should side on caution because we don't know what safety we would be giving up if we trust him completely?"
"That's right. I've met my fair share of people who seem to be trustworthy on the first appearance, but turn out to be your enemy or the villainous mastermind. But, on the same token, I've also met people who were at first appearance enemies, but then came to be allies because I came to understand them."
"So we should give him time to know which one he is?" Tyson summed up, "But we don't have that time. It's not like we have a few years for him to give us his life story."
"But there are ways to investigate someone." Rei said.
"How? We don't even know all that much about him, except for his name, which could be false." Kenny said. "There's no way for us to get that information."
"Well, there are many layers of seeing. People with secrets talk in a way that tells you want they know without ever saying the words. Then there are ways that you can pick up on clues to get you closer to the truth. I'm not an expert on it, since I learned it all from a show, but I do believe that it can be done."
"We could all go to him and see if we can get particular information from him." Tyson offered, wanting to get involved, "Like, we each pick topics to look into and go over to ask him."
"I guess that would be the only way to go about it. But, obviously, they would have to be discrete and you would have to ask in a way that only you would know the meaning of the answer." Rei said.
"And we should take intervals for when we ask him." Kenny offered, "So we can store what we know on my laptop and analysis it later when Max is up."
"What do you think, Kai? Maybe we can get him to slip on something." Tyson looked at his partner, hoping that this would make him feel better.
"Alright, it's worth a shot." Kai looked up, "Ed, would you mind staying back since we need Max to get better. I don't want to move him since he would have moments when he would be in the cold."
Ed nodded, "I was going to suggest it myself. Though, why are you guys interested in hearing what Max has to say about this?"
"Well, for one, he's our teammate." Tyson said, "And we've come to learn that it's a lot better to hear all the opinions of our teammates since we've all got something to say about anything."
"Plus, we don't really want to leave him out of the loop." Kenny said.
"If we learn anything about Jade and Krypton, I'm sure his mom would want to hear of it, since she was so interested in them before." Kai said.
"And we all know how good he is as a strategist." Rei said with a smile, "He was even able to beat Kai twice, and once when he didn't have Draciel with him."
"He never mentioned that you guys use him as a strategist." Ed said.
"We would never use him, but we also never seen it in motion until now." Tyson said.
"According to Rei, Max has been able to see through loop holes in our battle attacks and they have been slowly working towards getting their perfected." Kai said. They don't talk about what the other side is planning, since that would ruin the fun of those matches, but they do talk about everyone's progress.
"Wait, you haven't been giving secret information to Rei, have you?" Tyson asked, eyeing Kai suspiciously.
"Why would I ever do that? We're the ones that started this whole thing."
Tyson kept eyeing him the same way, making Rei laugh. "I promise that Kai didn't. The only thing we talked about considering that was how everyone was improving and show talents we didn't realize we had."
"Really? Like what?" Kenny asked.
"Well, we already said that Max is a great strategist, but he's also good at analyzing quickly."
"That's all thanks to the training that I gave him." Ed said with pride.
"Tyson was getting better at smooth transitions in his grandfather's form of kendo." Kai said, "That transfer into a Beybattle in many ways, from not wasting movements while in middle of battle and not stopping to think all that much when something unexpected happens. I do have to say that even I started to use some of it, since I noticed how valuable it was." Kai said, smiling at Tyson. Tyson grinned back, glad to hear that it was noticed what he was doing. "Rei has also been getting better at controlling his awesome powers and fighting techniques. He has been able to calculate just how much would be needed and adjust with each blow. Also, he has been getting a lot quicker with his response."
"So, with Max's quick analogical skills and my ability to follow through any plan he comes up with, we do make a really awesome team." Rei said with a smile, "And Kai has been getting a lot better able everything. In all areas, he has been learning from all of us and adapting it to suit him. Though, the one spot where he got all of us beat is his creativity." Rei looked at Kai, "He's able to come up with a new attack style just by watching something take action in front of him. Not many can do that, and I should know. I fought a lot of good opponents when I left my village."
Kai knew that was true. A few of their new attacks came from him watching birds while walking around with Jade or Rei, but they also came from other places too. Kai looked at Kenny, "You're skills have improved too, since you were able to come up with great launchers for both Tyson and Rei and I'm sure you already have designs of new Beyblades for everyone that you wanted to run by Jade and Krypton, right?"
Kenny paused for a moment before nodding, "I thought that they would object, so I was going to wait for the right moment to show them. Though, I guess I have to analyze Max a bit more before I can get his Beyblade and launcher right."
"You just leave that part to us." Ed said, "We're able to come up with designs of our own."
"I guess you would be better at knowing what he would need… So, what are we going to do about TK and Patamon?" Kenny looked at Kai.
"Do you want to go ask him questions?" Kai asked.
"Wouldn't too many be over doing it?"
"Not when we want to know… but I guess he would catch on quicker if we send too many… I already know that Rei and I are going to ask him questions, do you want to help too, Tyson?" He looked over towards his partner.
"You bet!" Tyson said with a smile. "I'll go first, so what should I ask?" Tyson got up from his spot.
"What are you going to do with the information we gather?" Rei asked Kai.
"Decide if he should come back to the fire or not… I'm sure that if we don't trust them that they would be fine on their own…"
Rei nodded before looking at Tyson, "How about if you ask about the creatures?"
"Sure, though when do I stop?"
"When you sense that you should, though also don't drag it out. If he doesn't answer a question, then move on to something else."
"Right." Tyson said before heading over to where they went, hoping that he was going the right way. The creature and the guy were fighting each other as if they were sparing. They stopped when Tyson was close enough to see them.
"You want to ask something?" TK asked, both of them stopping to look at him.
"I was wondering if you could tell me about the creatures we've been running into. I mean, we've been ambushed twice and randomly attack twice already in one day and they're all so diverse from each other."
They looked at each other before TK smiled, "Alright, what do you want to know?"
"Um.. How about why you need to partner up with one of them?"
TK closed his eyes and smiled with a sweet memory, "It's our destiny." TK looked at him, "Being partners has been what we were born to do. There are other people that had the same destiny as me, but they have other creatures as their lifetime partners…"
"That's awesome!" Tyson said with excitement, reminding him of his partnership with Dragoon. "What does this destiny have you do?"
"Well, we have to defeat my world from all the evil that can occur within it." Patamon said, "We also prevent my fellow creatures from entering into your world so that there isn't mass confusion and lose. We're a very powerful species that can hardly be matched by anything Earth has."
"So, in other words, you guys keep the world safe?"
"Yep! Give the hat kid a prize!"
That reminded Tyson that they were impolite about giving their names in return, "Why are you guys so diverse?"
"Think of us as animals from your world. We all evolved in a way that allows us to survive in our own unique environments."
"Is that bubble attack the only thing you're able to do?"
"In this form, yeah."
"This form?"
"We're able to evolve into stronger creatures. There are many levels that we can obtain and stay at if we wish it. We all have our own unique ways of reaching those levels, but most get it through winning battles with each other. The way that I get it is through TK since he's like my energy source that supplies me just enough to reach those levels without having to fight other creatures. I only fight in order to protect, since that's where my abilities really shine."
"Awesome. Do you fight all the battles when it comes to the other creatures?"
"Depends on the situation," TK answered, "since I might have something else that I need to take care of so I have to let Patamon fight. Or, if it's only fair that Patamon fights since they're both creatures. Whenever I can, I try to help out."
"That's totally awesome! Thanks for answering my questions and my name is Tyson." Tyson headed back to the others before stopping. He remembered that they weren't allowed to kill the creatures because of Rei. He wondered if they were similar to them in the fact that they can't come back. "Oh," he turned towards them, "what happens to them when they are killed?"
"They get turned into an egg. It's the lowest form that they can have and all the creatures return to it when they die." TK smiled at Tyson and Tyson instantly noticed that something was happening because of that smile, "But, that doesn't mean that when they do die that it's not sad. Some of them don't have their former memories, some do. So, even if they do get reborn, there is a high chance that they would forget what they were before. Have you been killing them?"
"We only killed one before we decided that it wasn't right."
TK smiled again, "I'm glad, because they are living creatures with precious lives that shouldn't be taken without a good reason."
Tyson nodded, liking the feeling that he just suddenly got inspired. He went back on his way, really glad that it was easy to find his way back. "I think I got good information."
"So, tell us." Kenny said as he opened his laptop.
"Well, according to him, he and Patamon are partners because it's their destiny. There are also other people that are like them as well. The way he put it reminded me of us with our Bit Beast, so that's probably the easiest way to explain it. Oh, and I didn't tell him that part, since I know that we have to be weary.
"Anyway, they have to defend both our world and Patamon's world from evil, though I'm not sure what kinds. They also prevent the creatures from entering into our world so that we don't have to face them and worry about being killed off or worst.
"They're similar to our animals, since there is diversity with them because of their location, though they defer by the fact that they can evolve and I guess devolve to different levels of power. Normal creatures had to fight in order to reach other levels, but Patamon cuts that part out because TK is his source of energy when he evolves.
"TK also helps Patamon fight when it is needed." Tyson finished up.
"So that means that the journey that TK mentioned before was probably their trial and error times." Rei summed up, "And probably on that journey, they had learned about Jade and Krypton and about other worlds."
"What about their deaths?" Kenny asked.
"He said that they are living creatures so we should treat them as if taking their lives is our last resort. Though, they do have a form in which they all return to when killed so they're not gone forever. TK did say, though, that there is a chance that they don't remember their former lives when they emerge again."
"Since they're living creatures, we'll continue to treat them as such and continue to deal with them in a matter that doesn't involve killing them." Kai finalized. He closed his eyes, glad that they had only taken one. He looked at Tyson, "Anything else?"
"That's all I asked about. Though, when I went up to them, they seem to be sparing."
"I'll measure how strong they are, as well as other things." Rei said, getting up. "Should I go over?" He looked at Kai.
Kai shook his head, "Not yet."
Rei sat down, "Something bugging you?"
"I just want it to appear like we're going up to him on our own. I don't want him to think that this is some kind of plan thing, otherwise we might not get the truth."
Rei nodded, "Good idea.. When are you going to decide?"
"When I talked to him… you'll know the answer if he comes back with me."
"Oh, I also told him my name." Tyson said. "So, wherever you're done, you should do the same."
"Why did you?" Rei asked, "I mean, it's not a bad thing, but I'm curious."
"He gave us his name. I thought that it was only fair… Also… I was getting inspired by him as well.." Tyson said shyly.
"How so?" Kai asked.
"I don't know… I mean, it wasn't like he was saying that I could do anything. I'm not even sure what I got inspired about, but I could feel it."
"Did he ask why you ask about their death?" Rei asked.
"He smiled and said that he was glad that we only killed one."
"Sounds like he had experience in such things too…"
"What makes you think that?" Ed asked.
"Because once you take a life, it stays with you for a long time unless you're twisted. I've seen it before." Kai noticed that it was a memory that pained him greatly, though he wasn't sure how deeply everyone else could see it. Kai looked at Ed, to see that Ed also had similar experience, by the look in his eyes.
"I'm sure he sees us in the same light." Kai said, trying to help Ed since it would also go to Max. "He does know what we decided, right?" He looked at his partner.
He nodded, "That's why he smiled."
"Maybe you should ask about that." Kai looked at Rei, "See if he had to kill before."
"So you want him to know that we talked about their conservation?"
"I'm sure that you can bring it up without it seeming like it." Kai said with a smile. "Should now be a good amount of time?"
"I'll wait a bit more. Should I see if he had killed something or killed the creatures?"
"He said that he didn't have to fight them all that much." Tyson said, "Patamon did most of the fighting, though he said that he would if it was needed."
"Maybe he's seen it before." Ed said, "Or was there to witness it occurring. That could be worth asking."
Rei nodded, "And I have to make it seem like this never happen. Shouldn't be too hard."
Kai didn't like how Rei was now treating it. Did he make him do something that he didn't want to do? "If you can't, that's okay." Rei looked at him, "If you need to tell the truth, go ahead. I mean, I'm not even sure that the façade would work, so if it seems like you're cornered, tell him the truth."
Rei raised an eyebrow before smiling and shaking his head, "If that happens, I'll do so, but I don't think I'll get caught."
"Well, if you don't feel right about it either, then don't lie."
Rei nodded with a smile, "I'll go now." Rei got up and headed over.
"What's up?" Tyson asked once they couldn't hear Rei.
"He looked like he was being forced to do something that he didn't want to do. That or I was saying something that brought up something."
"Why do you think that?" Ed asked.
"It's the way that he laughed at it. It just didn't feel right."
"Kai has seen Rei in situations which we haven't and we do know he does act differently depending who's around him." Tyson explained, "None of us knows him greatly, but Kai is better at spotting it than we are."
Rei walked up to TK and Patamon, seeing that they were still sparing. Rei wasn't making a sound as he was coming up on them, so that he could observe for a while. They weren't just randomly fighting each other. There was a structure to it. They were using a form that Rei didn't know, and it didn't seem to have anything that was familiar to him. He knows that forms change over time and that different people change it from dojo to dojo. This was making Rei really curious about this form. Rei then made a noise, having them immediately look in his direction. They relaxed when they saw it was him.
"Sorry, we didn't hear you coming." TK said.
"That's okay. Do you mind if we spar? I'm a fighter myself." Rei asked with a smile.
TK and Patamon looked at each other, "Sure." TK smiled.
"We are going up against the creatures." Rei pointed out, seeing that he wasn't thinking about letting Patamon join in.
"Do you want us to go easy on you?" Patamon asked.
"You can determine that when we spar."
"Okay, come over here and we'll start." TK said.
Rei went over towards them, getting into a stance before launching at them. In the first contact, Rei could tell that they were holding a lot back. In the second, they had both adjusted their power to compensate what they found with the first. Every contact he had with TK was just confirming and adjusting for both of them. Rei noticed that he was getting him to go higher than he would normally go. During the middle, like around the two hundredth contact, Rei remembered about Patamon. He then went into focusing on him too while still pushing TK. Patamon was just in the air, not moving.
Around the five hundredth mark, TK stopped the sparing. "You're really good." He said with a smile, "Though, you should have a go with Patamon just by himself."
"Patamon didn't even jump in." Rei pointed out.
"Didn't get a chance. So, how about it?"
"Sure." Rei decided that he would ask stuff later, since he should get a feel for it. Patamon replaced TK and they went at it again. They started at the same level that Rei and TK stopped, but Rei noticed that there was still a power struggle going on with them too. They were still adjusting, still trying to find the common ground. Rei was noticing that it was some different about this one, though. He noticed that Patamon was trying to trick him as they went up, something that Rei was familiar with. He knew that sometimes it isn't about strength, but cunning as well. Were they testing him?
"Okay, that's good." TK said and they both stopped. Rei was glad that he wasn't getting tired, though was worried that Patamon was in the same state.
"Thanks." Rei said with a smile. "What form were you guys practicing? When I walk in on you guys."
TK smiled to himself at some memory, "It's a form that we came up. Did you like it?"
"It had nothing that I've seen before."
"You're very young." Pointing out that he probably didn't know a lot of forms as it is. "Though, you are very good."
"I like martial arts and I have met talented masters that have shown me a lot of forms."
"Quick mind as well. That's good to have, especially with these creatures." Patamon said. "All the creatures have a set amount of attacks that they can do."
"Sounds like you want us to do them in." Rei was glad that he could get that in without help. "Have you had to do so before?"
Patamon went over to TK, landing on his head, "Evil creatures, we had. Patamon was taken from me once… It had become a big deal for other reasons. So, it became a rule for us to not kill them without a good cause."
"How do you define what a 'good cause' is?" Rei asked, wanting to know.
TK smiled, "That's the most important thing to ask. What defines you the right to take away a life and what makes you a killer? Our motives were redefined with each new creature because they each have their own reasons and motives for going after you."
"So we have to see if we have that right… What about for revenge? I mean, I know that we don't have any right currently."
TK walked over to Rei and placed his hand on his shoulder. Rei noticed that Tyson was talking about, "The way you know if it's right to take their life is placing a human in their place. If a human did the same thing, would you take their life? That's how you know if it's right."
Rei nodded, "That's a good judgment."
"Good. Oh, do you know of a swordsman that lives on a hill with a forest on one side and the ocean on the other?"
Rei blinked for a moment, "I've heard of such a person."
"I know him as well. Sage Date is his name. He trained me and Patamon for a long time."
Rei realized that they were okay. After all, he knows that his students should be wise students, at the very least. But, it wasn't his decision to make on whether to trust him. Rei smiled, "I got the impression that he was a very wise and virtuous man. I hope that all his students are the same. My name is Rei." Rei headed back towards everyone. He was glad to have heard that. He was starting to worry that maybe that he would have to take their live for something. Though, if anything happens to Kai, Rei might just have to.
Rei laughed at himself, knowing that he wasn't really all that satisfied with how nothing was settled with Patamon and TK. He knew that they weren't at their best, but Rei was getting them there. Rei knew that they were holding a lot back, and it was getting Rei that he didn't know how he compared. It was settling well with Rei, and it was making him laugh since this is how Jade and Krypton would respond. In fact, this is how they responded once.
"How did it go?" Kenny asked.
Rei sat down next to Kai, "They're stronger than me, I think." Rei admitted to them, though it pained his ego to do so.
"You spend most of it fighting them?" Tyson asked.
"They were using a form that I have never seen before and it wasn't connected to anything that I've seen."
"And you know a lot of forms, I bet." Kai said, knowing it to be true. "Can you see if it was connected to something?"
"Even if it's a changed form from something, or people came up with it on their own, it all comes from somewhere. I can at least see that connection, but not the linage of how it got to the final form."
"And it wasn't connected to anything you learned?"
"Or seen."
"I can see how that makes them amazing. Did you get to see them at full strength?"
"No, we never reached a place where they were above me. We were always adjusting our power with each blow. I was trying to get Patamon higher, though it didn't work."
"Did it ever get serious?" Tyson asked. "I know that you can get serious even when sparing." There were times that Kai had called off their matches because of Rei, though it was never mentioned that it was Rei. Tyson only knew because he knew how Rei fought and he did ask the next morning.
"No, not that I could tell. Though, TK did call it off both times, so maybe they were seeing something that I wasn't… And the first time I fought them, it was supposed to be both of them, but Patamon stepped in. They could've held back for a reason."
"Maybe it was something on their side too." Kai pointed out, "Something that they only saw."
"I guess that could be it." Rei thought over, knowing that's how Kai saved him a bunch of times. "They killed evil creatures and he lost Patamon. The issue of killing in general became an issue later in their journey, so that probably means that they got a solid idea on what it means to kill them."
"Did you ask?" Ed asked.
"They said that we would have to put a human in the place of the creature. If we could kill a human for the same act, then it's reasonable."
"Which goes back to treating them like a living being." Tyson added.
Rei nodded, "It also seems like the situation over the life and death was more than one occasion."
"They could've lost many lives." Tyson suggested. That reminded Kai about Jade and Krypton. They lost their relatives, making them into the people they are today. Kai knew that the lost of life changes people. Did killing the creatures leave a deep mark as well?
"Kai," Kai looked at Rei, since he whispered, "do they know about the kendo?"
Kai nodded, "That you went somewhere to get help."
Rei nodded, "TK told me that he knows the person that I went to go see." Rei told everyone, which kinda surprised Kai, but made him glad. "Max, I'm going to assume, told you about it."
"Yeah, he did." Ed said.
"Though, what does that mean?" Kenny asked.
"Well, I know that this person is very trustworthy and wise and virtuous. TK said that they trained under him, so he probably is a good guy. But, I'm only letting you know for your judgment. I'm not saying that being his student should make him automatically a good person, since a student can have a different mindset than their master." Rei looked at Kai at the end.
Kai nodded, "I'm going to take my own opinion when I talk to him, though I will take your observations into consideration. Did you give him your name as well?"
Rei nodded, "It is only fair."
Kai nodded, before looking at Ed and Kenny, "Do you want your own introductions?"
"I'm fine with you telling my name." Kenny said.
"Ed?"
"I'll do ours, if he comes."
Kai nodded, "Though, we won't have this discussion with mine."
"I'll leave my laptop on." Kenny said, "We'll be asleep to make it seem like we never had this. If he ask, just say that you wanted to check some data that I collected. And only put key words that would make you remember."
"Someone would have to stay awake, since it would say that we trust him or we're not worry." Rei said.
"Good point." Kai said, "So, when I leave, everyone will decide who that will be. I'll use Dizzy to remind myself what we talked about so everyone will know. Do we take shifts?"
"Only if Tyson wants to get up." Rei said as a joke.
"How about if the watchman can't stay up?" Tyson suggested. "For tonight, I mean. We'll come up with a better system when we know how Max is doing."
Kai nodded, "How has he been, anyway?" He looked at Ed.
"Hasn't stirred, though he's still cold."
"Do you have an idea what's going on?"
He shook his head, "No. I wish I did."
Kai nodded, "Okay." Kai took in a breath quietly, "Rei, did you enjoy sparing with them?"
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun." Rei smiled, "And I hate to admit, but it also leaves a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't see how far I was compare to them and see if I could actually beat them."
"Would you see, if given the chance?"
"Probably… though I should keep it in check. I don't want to be a fighting fiend."
"You won't be." Kai smiled softly. Kai got up, "My turn." He said as he went over towards the forest.
"Who wants to keep watch?" Rei asked.
"I'm heading to bed." Kenny said, "We can't have our reasoning fail." He pulled out some blanket and curled it around him, sleeping in a sitting position.
"You should get some sleep." Rei said to Ed. "Are you going to follow Kenny or lay down?"
"Same as Kenny." Ed said. Tyson got up and placed a blanket over his shoulders. Tyson grabbed some more blankets, handing one to Rei.
"I think Kai would like you to keep him company."
Rei took the blanket, "It's not like we know each other all that well."
"I know." Tyson sat down, "But, I know that he knows that you are able to watch his back better than most of us."
"That doesn't mean that none of you can."
Tyson sighed, "If Kai comes back troubled, you're the best person to help him. And the same thing goes for you. When you're troubled, Kai is the best person to help you."
"You really think so?"
Tyson nodded, "Yeah, and I don't mind. I know that it's because you got Kai to care openly about the rest of us."
"That only shows why I'm good for him."
"Kai doesn't let those people go." Tyson smiled, "I know that when we were all here last, that he was trying to get rid of us because we were reminding him of the path he wanted to be on." He wrapped the blanket around him, "Besides all that, we can all see how worry he is about you and that's the only way for us to see that there is something wrong."
Rei smiled, knowing that's true, "Okay, I'll stay up."
Tyson nodded and laid on the ground, "Wake me up if you need me."
As Kai was walking over to TK and Patamon, Kai could feel that something was happening. It was like he needed to see what was going on around him in a different light. Kai stopped for a moment to look around. He didn't feel like there was something around him, though he thought there was something about the darkness that was there. He put his hand to his chest, remembering what he remembered he felt all those years ago.
He went back to walking, seeing that TK was looking off into the forest with Patamon on his head. Kai didn't know why, but TK seemed like a candle. He wasn't shining or anything, but he does seem like a light. He looked behind him, to see Kai. Kai still didn't feel threaten, and it was bugging him, "Hey."
Kai sat down beside him. Patamon flew into his lap and Kai subconsciously started to pet him. Kai didn't know why, though, "Don't worry. I'm not here to ask about Jade and Krypton."
"How are you guys connected to them?"
"They were our coaches before they became our friends." Kai decided that he would keep his personal relationship with them a secret still. "I had some trouble with my own family so I've come to live with them." Kai decided that he would explain why he was the most troubled with not knowing.
"I guess that means you're the closest to them. I'm sorry."
"It's alright." Kai smiled a bit, "I got into a fight with them before they left this morning, so I'm worried that it's my fault that they came in."
"I guess that's the way they grew up." TK looked ahead. "I've known them since they were kids, but I lost in touch with their parents a long time ago."
"How did you know that they were here?"
"I also know Kaiba." TK smiled.
"So he sent you?"
"Yeah, I was supposed to look after them and bring them back home. He told me that he couldn't gain their trust so he wanted me to."
"I don't think they would trust you so easily."
"My unique connection to them is how they would trust me." TK smiled. "You have a good ban with you, though. Are you the leader or is the nineteen boy the leader?"
"I'm the leader."
"I'm glad that they had gained loyal friends. How were they?"
"They were great people. Cold at first, but they warmed up to us. They also have a home back in Japan. Krypton was able to captivate a lot of people so that they respect him, and Jade was able to stay kind so that they loved her. They're both very smart and Jade knows how to control Krypton. It makes all of our days to see them smile."
"I'm glad to hear that." TK smiled softly. He laid his head against the tree he was leaning against.
"Were you watching us when we were in trouble?"
"Kinda. I knew that there were going to be groups of kids in this forest, though I thought that after a whole day you would at least have someone guarding you guys. I was planning on leaving when you and Rei came back, but decided to stay."
"Why?" Kai looked at him.
"It looked like you two were going to sleep." Patamon said.
Kai guessed that they probably did look like that, wrapped in their blankets. "What is wrong with that one friend? The one that was coughing." TK asked.
"We don't even know. All we do know is that he's very cold."
"That's not a good thing, especially in this country. Was he like that before he left?"
"Not that I know of. The last time he slept, he was fine." Kai then remembered that he was even outside with Rei and Max was fine. He wished he knew what was wrong.
"I guess you have a lot on your mind."
"That's only the tip of it." Kai said honestly before looking at him, "Why don't I feel like I can't trust you?"
TK blinked, "So you trust me?"
Kai didn't want to admit it yet, "I don't feel threatened by you and I don't feel that you pose a threat to my team."
TK chuckled, "I never thought that we were being tested so much. I guess it's because we have a lot of pure hope for goodness and peace."
"That doesn't sound like a good reason to me." Kai said, somehow thought it was funny.
"Were Tyson and Rei seeing if we could be trusted?" Patamon asked.
"Maybe." Kai didn't want their plan to be fully seen, "They just wanted to know something that they were curious about. I'm the only one that wants to know if we can trust you."
"Rei is a good fighter." TK said, "I'm sure that he probably doesn't feel right about not finishing the sparing."
"Why makes you think that?" Kai wanted it to seem like they weren't talking about it.
"It's a feeling that I'm getting."
"More like you're not satisfied with it." Patamon said, though Kai noticed that there was a certain tone that Patamon had.
TK rubbed his head, "You weren't either." TK said in a childish tone.
"Would you fight him if given the chance?" Kai asked, wanting to know. He could see that Rei would want that, since he probably wasn't going all out.
"Fight or spar?" TK asked.
"There's a difference?"
"Fighting would imply that we would have no hold backs and there is a goal at the end of fight that we're both trying to obtain. Sparing would imply that we go at it for however long we want, but it isn't for a goal and we can hold back. Sparing is training and fighting is battling."
"Which one would you be comfortable doing?" Rei figured that since Rei sparred with him that this answer would give Rei some insight to them.
"Sparring. I don't mind fighting, but I need to keep certain emotions in check and fighting can easily bring those out."
"Unique to you only?"
He nodded, "Yeah. I have a condition that is dangerous when out of hand. I've learned to keep it in check, but I know that I can lose control if I don't watch it."
"So that's why you didn't fight the creatures."
"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled.
"That's why I'm going to fight a lot." Patamon said. "I'm not even strong enough to handle TK when he's dangerous."
"Is anyone?" Kai asked, getting a weird feeling as he was holding Patamon. He would have to ask Rei about it later.
"Yeah, but he has something else that is important to his time. Patamon keeps me in line so I don't overdo it, so you don't have to worry about it." TK explained with a smile.
Kai nodded, believing him because of what Rei observed. "What did you think of Rei?"
"He has a lot of talent. Though, it's hard to say how strong he is since we never allowed him to reach it. Since we needed to constantly needed to adjust our strength, I say that he's probably within our league."
"You guys have a league?"
"Yeah. There is group of us that have gathered and I can say with certainty that we have a lot of power. So, we judge people with a lot of skill or power by comparing them to us. We also use us to judge how much potential someone has."
"What does that give you? Do you include them in your group?"
"It gives us an idea on what people are allowing themselves to do. If their achievements get under our skin because we can be competed, we would be able to surpass them since we know how close they are to our power."
"So you know other's powers so that you can beat them?"
"Yeah, but we would also be able to use that in order to nurture as well."
"So someone from your group would train Rei, since he's so good?"
"We would offer, at the very least. Do you want the very best for Rei?"
"I know that Rei loves to better himself in fighting styles and techniques. I think he wants to be the best, so I'm just wondering."
TK nodded, "We live in Japan, so we'll get in contact with Rei later, okay?"
Kai nodded, thinking that he got his answer. Kai stood up, "You can come back to the campsite if you want."
"Do we take that as we trust you?" Patamon asked, who was still in Kai's arms.
"Yeah." Kai smiled at Patamon. TK got up, "Do we get to know your names as well?"
"My name is Kai and the one the laptop is Kenny. The other two want to give their own introductions in the morning. Our team is called the BladeBreakers."
TK nodded, "Glad to meet everyone."
Kai led them back to where they were camping. Rei was the only one that was still up. Rei smiled a bit as they came to the fire. Kai looked at TK, "We'll keep watch if you want some sleep. I'm sure that you're not going to get much."
TK nodded, "We'll take that, thanks. Though, you kids better get some sleep later."
Kai nodded and handed Patamon back to TK before going over towards Kenny's computer. Rei watched as TK brought out a blanket and wrapped it around him and Patamon. They were sleeping in the same manner as Ed and Kenny, but in a more readiness to react than they were. Kai wrote down what was discussed as it was fresh, rather than key words. Though, if Rei and he discussed anything, that won't be put into the laptop. Once he was done, he saved the stuff and close the laptop, placing it back with Kenny in a way that would keep it save. He looked up to see that TK and Patamon were asleep.
"I see that you trust them." Rei smiled.
"I never got the feeling that I couldn't." Kai got out a blanket, though it wasn't all that warm since he gave the one he was using before to Max. The blankets that were for Krypton and Jade were given to him as well. He sat down next to Rei, "I don't know why, though."
"Well, as you came back, it seemed like you were a kid."
"Really? Maybe that's what I was feeling." Kai looked at the fire, "I got this weird feeling was I was petting Patamon. And during the whole time, I wasn't afraid or worried. I guess the best feeling I could describe it was that I was feeling at home."
"I guess it was a good feeling for you." Rei smiled, "Though, isn't this the first time you found something like that?"
"I did find that in Jade and Krypton."
"But not immediately, right?"
"Good point." Kai said, sighing, "So maybe there's something about him and Patamon."
"Your past?"
"Who knows… I want to get Jade and Krypton back before I go soul searching."
Rei nodded, "Okay, I'll keep an open mind for you, then."
Kai smiled, "Thanks."
And that's it for this long night. So now, the mystery man and his stuff creature have gained the trust of the BladeBreakers, what will they do now? Will they protect them or will they part ways later? They never gave the BladeBreakers any really information, but the BladeBreakers feel satisfy. I wonder if TK's band will gather Rei into their circle. And why does Kai feel safe around these two?