A/N: Hi, everyone! The new chapter is here!

Wow! I just… I can't believe those reviews of yours! Thank you so much! (hugs you tightly) Your appreciation is just overwhelming! Do you have any idea of how great honour it is to an author that you guys have actually been sticking around for this long, and still haven't gotten fed up? If that doesn't inspire me to try my very hardest, nothing will!

Oh, if there'll be something new between Tyson and Kai… I'm sorry, but I can't really say a lot about that without revealing too much! But people, no worries, whatever happens, their relationship will never become a romantic one!

Okay, okay, I suppose it's time to carry on – I've been a real meanie with keeping you in such suspension for such a long time! 'Hope you'll enjoy chapter 25! You'll find out some more about Tyson's past…

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CHAPTER 25: Challenge

/ When a six-years-old Tyson woke up early in the morning after his mother had been taken away by the tall, purple-hared man and his men, he heard a knock on their door. Frowning, he sneaked out of his bed and tossed to the door of he and Hiro's room, peering out. What he saw made his frown grow even deeper.

By the doorway stood his grandfather, whom he'd seen only about three times before, because the elder and his father were always fighting. Even at that moment, his father was shouting something at the older man in a language Tyson couldn't understand. Eventually the elder managed to shout something back, and his father immediately went mute, stumbling back as if he'd been punched. As the elder went on speaking, with a little less volume, Tyson suddenly noticed the rivers of tears running down his ghostly-pale cheeks. His confusion turned into near-panic when his usually strong and controlled father also broke down into tears as he listened to the older man, burying his face into his hands.

Feeling very cold all of a sudden, Tyson wrapped his arms around himself, shivering.

What the heck was going on? /

¨

Tyson didn't register seconds, minutes and hours slipping by as he sat on his bed, shivering all over, legs brought up against his chest. Nor did he sense the tears rolling down his cheeks.

What he'd found out about his mother… It answered to so many questions. Why his father would never answer the questions concerning her death, why his grandpa didn't want to say another word of her – his only child…

It felt like a part of him had been brutally revived, and it hurt, almost more than he could handle. Everything made so much sense now. He finally understood why he'd felt these… chills run through him the second he'd first seen Boris – and why it'd been like a reunion when he and Kai had first met beside that bridge.

A familiar voice suddenly cut the flood of thoughts. " Dude, I think I should have a little word with you." Gosh, he'd never heard his grandpa's voice that tense, that… sad – or well, not since his mother's funeral. Slowly lifting his chin, he saw the elder stood by the doorway. " Your friends told me about your… discovery, and…" The man cleared his throat nervously. " Can I enter?"

Giving a nod of acceptance, he signalled the man that it was okay to step in. Seeming perhaps even more nervous, the elder closed the door and walked up to him, taking a seat beside him. Thick silence lingered between them for a moment that felt endless, until the man spoke. " Tyson, dude… I'm sorry."

He shook his head, not looking at his grandpa. " You shouldn't be. You… You're not the one who… tortured all those kids…" Tortured Kai…

The elder sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was so stern and harsh that it immediately caught all of Tyson's attention. " I told your father that we should've had this conversation for years ago, but he was so stubborn, said that it would… harm you. But you're almost an adult now. It's about time you'll learn to know certain things." He could feel the man's piercing eyes on him. " Tyson, look at me." Obeying, he met a pair of teary, yet burning orbs. " For all her life, your mother wanted to protect those who couldn't take care of themselves. That's why she became a doctor – and that's why she worked in the Abbey." Tears almost fell, and the old man looked away. " Seeing how much those children suffered was pure torture for her, but she had to go through it – even though it forced her to do things that made her feel sick of guilt. If it wasn't for people like her, all those children would've turned into monsters. She wanted to give them at least a tiny piece of all the love and affection they would've deserved." He once again looked at Tyson, still glimmering eyes harder than stone. " You have to understand that she never wanted to work for Voltaire and Boris. No matter what your father or anyone else tells you, what she did was valuable – or no, vital – for tens of children. Don't ever forget about that."

A couple of tears slid down Tyson's cheeks. When he spoke, his voice was raw and thick with emotions. " How can you know?"

His grandpa looked away again. This time, overwhelming mixture of pain, guilt and sorrow could be seen in his usually gentle eyes. " Because… She wasn't the only one who worked for Biovolt for the sake of those poor kids." The man closed his eyes. " Tyson… I was a guard in the Abbey. I was the one… the one who brought your mom into that hell which claimed her life." Tears slid down his old, paled cheek-skin. " I… I held her… when she died."

¨

/ Himuro (1) Granger had never in his life ran as fast, as desperately, as he did when approaching the completely shattered car-wreck laying under a small Russian bridge. All over the car, fire-fighters, medics and police-men were buzzing around, blocking the view from him. But he didn't have to see who was in the car to know…

Blurred pieces of discussion absently reached his ears. " … doesn't look like an accident…like it'd been pushed off the bridge… murder…"

Tears were running down his cheeks without him noticing it when the mob people suddenly moved so that he saw the woman laying in the car, horrifyingly motionless. " Noriko!"

One of the medics immediately stepped up to him, restraining him. " Sir, you can't…"

" She's my daughter!" he roared in Russian like a full-grown bear, eyes gleaming with tears and sheer desperation. " Please, let me through… Please… I want to… I have to…"
Finally seeming to realize his anguish, the medic nodded and released him. Not bothering to give any signs of gratitude, he dashed like a madman to his daughter, hoping, praying… He paid no attention to the people who moved out of his way when seeing the Biovolt-uniform he was wearing, looks of fear upon their faces.

Almost like fearing that she might break under his fingertips, he carefully brushed Noriko's cheek, bloodied by the horrible wound on her head. " N – Noriko…? Aisuru?"

Slowly, painfully, she inched her eyelids. Despite the immense pain she was definitely in, she smiled slightly when seeing him. " Otou-chan…", she whispered, voice so painfully weak that she was definitely already fading away. Just then, a wave of pain seemed to go through her, as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and grit her teeth, some tears escaping. " It… it hurts… so much…" She cried out in agony and sorrow. " Tasukete kure!"

Tears rolled even harder down his cheeks as he desperately stroked his daughter's hair and face. " I… I can't help you, Noriko… I can't…" He almost choked on his sobs. " Gomen nasai, aisuru… I'm so sorry I failed you…"

She inched her eyelids again, weak ghost of a smile appearing the her terrifyingly pale face. " You never failed me, otou-chan… Never…" She had to gather her strength for a long time before she could continue. " I… I need you… to promise me… Please, take care of Tyson, Hiro and Joshua… They… they won't understand…" Darkening eyes filled with desperate pleading, she looked at him with a gaze that showed she was already far away. " Onegai…"

By then, he was crying so hard he could barely speak. His entire soul was tearing into thousands of pieces when he nodded, having no intention to fail his daughter now. " Of course", he whispered, although he had no idea of how he could fulfil his promise, when he was already falling apart. How could he ever take care of anyone, when he hadn't been able to protect his own child?

Not hearing his thoughts, Noriko smiled, despite all her pain seeming relieved, almost serene. " Arigatou, otou-chan… Daisuki desu…" When her eyes fluttered closed, he could tell she was seeing something no living being could. " Okaa-chan, tadaima…" (A/N: " Mommy, I'm home…")

After that, she took one last, deep breath, before her chest ceased from rising and falling, and she fell completely limp. All colour seemed to fade from her face; it was almost like very life had been sucked out of her.

Himuro's eyes filled with terror, tears fell even harder. " Noriko? NORIKO, NO!" As he threw his head back and screamed, the echo of his voice was left lingering into the barriers of the bridge. " I hate you!" /

¨

About three hours after Tyson's shocking discovery of his family, the dojo was finally calm. With the Russians returned to the BBA-headquarters and Tyson's grandpa going out to give his grandson time to think, it was just the remaining Bladebreakers left.

Discovering that he wouldn't be able to get any sleep that night with millions of thoughts whirling inside his mind, Max decided that he needed some fresh air to sort things out in his head. Getting out of the dojo, he was slightly surprised to find Ray sitting on the stairs of the porch. " Hi", he murmured, taking a seat beside his friend. It took a while before he continued. " Is this all getting a bit too… overwhelming for you too?"

Staring at the his blade he was holding, Ray nodded. " Yeah, 'suppose so." There was a brief, thoughtful pause. " Did you get Tyson to bed?"

It was Max's turn to nod. " Definitely not an easy task, though." He gave a deep sigh, shaking his head. " I've never seen him this messed up, Ray. It scares me."

Ray hesitated for a while before voicing his thoughts. " I can't believe you still look after him like this, after everything he's put you through."

" I still care about him a lot. Nothing's ever gonna change that", Max replied, a distant look in his eyes. " I will never stop watching over him, no matter what happens between us. Nothing he does could ever wipe away how much he means to me."

A smile came to Ray's features. It was almost impossible to believe that this mature person beside him was really the Max Tate he'd learned to know. " You've changed, you know?"

" I guess this… turmoil has affected us all", Max replied softly, a small smile playing on his lips as well. After a while of silence, he got up, stretching. " I think we should go back inside. It's getting cold out here."

Giving a nod of acceptance, Ray also got up and followed him. All of a sudden, just before entering, he frowned when sensing something strange in the air. But as he turned his head, he saw nothing in the darkness.

Must be my imagination playing tricks on me.

What neither he or Max saw was that from the shadows, not too far away, a dark figure observed them.

¨

Night cast its dark shadows over the room where slept far more people that comfortably fit it. Loud snoring punctured the silence as a shadow soundlessly entered. Skilfully avoiding stepping onto any of the people sleeping on the floor, a figure made its way to the small nightstand and placed there a white envelope that shone ghostly in the moonlight. Taking a one last glance around the room, the figure disappeared like one of the shadows.

Ray's eyes snapped open when he woke up from his light sleep, and he quickly scanned through the room, sensing something. He frowned. Nothing seemed to be wrong.

Except for one thing.

Frowning again, he got up and walked up to the nightstand, taking the envelope to his hand.

To the Bladebreakers, it said in a neat handwriting he recognized immediately.

Anxiousness and curiosity filling his mind, he opened the envelope and fished out the small note.

Come to the old warehouse in two hours, and feel free to bring those friends of yours along. It's time to bring certain things into a closure.

Kai Hiwatari

Ray arched an eyebrow. Kai wanted to meet them? What was the Russian up to?

They'd have to go, he soon realized. This was possibly their last chance to get Kai back. They couldn't afford to miss it.

Having made up his mind, he woke up the others and gave the note to them.

¨

It had taken for hours of convincing and pleading, but eventually Mr. Dickinson – with the aid of all the other Russians who were under his care – had managed to persuade Dara to go to sleep. She'd been through rough months, and all the strikes of disappointment attached to the fact that she hardly slept an eyeful per night had really worn her out.

After laying in his bed for hours without even closing his eyes, Tala decided that he desperately needed something else to think about than Kai. He got out of the bed slowly, careful not to wake up Nadja, who'd been curled up beside him. It had taken for hours before she'd finally fallen asleep, and she really needed rest after all the sleepless nights she'd had since her brother's disappearance. Waking her up now would've been the cruelest possible thing to do.

Tala gave her a glance while getting dressed, and couldn't help but smile. Her forehead and nose were slightly wrinkled in an irritated manner, quiet dissatisfied words escaped through her lips. Both of her hands were squeezed into tight balls, as if she'd been angry about something. Locks of chin-length black hair traveled down her slightly rosy cheeks.

Adorable, he decided.

Shaking the thought away, Tala gave her forehead a small, light kiss, and all the wrinkles immediately disappeared under his lips. A soft moan escaped Nadja's lips when he turned around and silently left the room.

Some minutes later, he found himself behind Alissa's door. After giving it a quick thought, he knocked quietly. He wanted to talk to someone, and after his sister had been watching over Dimitrei all night to allow Dara to rest, he figured so did she. " Lissa?" he whispered, inching the door.

" Come in, but be quiet. Dimitrei just fell asleep", Alissa whispered back.

Stepping in and facing the view, he felt smile tucking the corners of his lips. Alissa was laying on her bed, reading a Russian book. Dimitrei was asleep right beside her, snuggled against her and tightly clutching to her shirt. Alissa had carefully placed a warm blanket onto the child, and her other arm was wrapped around him in a protective manner, shielding him from all harm. " Geez, Lissa", Tala whispered. " You're seriously handling him like a real mother."

For a moment, he could've sworn something strange flashed in Alissa's eyes, but the girl quickly disguised it. Putting away the book, she carefully sneaked out of the bed, not willing to disturb Dimitrei's sleep. " What's up?"

Tala shrugged, feeling really embarrassed all of a sudden. He scratched his head. " I… don't know", he replied bluntly. " I just… wanted to talk."

Smiling knowingly, Alissa nodded. " It's okay, Tallie", she assured him, then walked up to a small table on which she had a teapot and some mugs. " This is herbal tea, helps me relax", she explained, then looked at him. " You want some?"

He shrugged again. " Why not. I like it…"

" … extra-strong", Alissa filled in, smirking. " I know. So do I."

As Alissa started preparing the drinks, her back to him, Tala suddenly noticed something that made him frown. Usually, his sister wore long-sleeved shirts that covered her arms, but now… The nightgown revealed a long, awful scar that ran all the way from her shoulder to the tip of her index-finger. And on her shoulder was tattooed a picture of black wings – a Russian tribal tattoo, no doubt about it; Tala had seen quite a number of those in the Abbey, where a huge amount of the kids came from streets and gangs. " You're staring", Alissa stated in a tight voice.

He blinked his eyes. " Sorry… I just…" His frown deepened. " Lissa… Back when you were living on the streets, without me, mom and dad… What did you do?"

Alissa shuttered like she'd been electrocuted, and another one of the tea-mugs fell. She still refused to look at him, but when she spoke, her shivering voice was rigid and quiet. " I… I would rather… not talk about it."

" Lissa…"

Luckily for Alissa, her cell-phone started to ring just then, interrupting Tala. She gathered herself for a while – still not showing her face to him – before taking the phone, picking up. " Ray? Why are you calling this late?" For a long moment, the girl listened, then gave a loud gasp. " What!"

¨

About half an hour from when the gang had received the note, a rather small red-haired boy sat in Mr. Dickinson's office, his green eyes flaming furiously. " That creep just stole my bit-beast! Aren't you going to do a thing to find him?" he roared, face getting a slight red tint of fury and frustration.

It was almost impossible for Mr. D not to roar at the boy. That 'creep' might be my grandson! (2) His face, however, carefully hid all his feelings, and when he spoke, his voice was nothing but calm and even. " Daichi, calm down", he tried to soothe the newest discovery of his agents. " I understand that this is very, very difficult for you, but BBA is already working its hardest. I afraid that at the moment… All you can do is wait."

" Wait!" Daichi yelped in absolute, utter helplessness.

" Yes", Mr. Dickinson stated calmly, smiling just slightly. " Don't worry, Daichi. You will get your Strata Dragoon back. I promise you."

Daichi snorted and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. " Well, those pointless pledges won't make me feel any better now, huh?"

Suddenly, the door of the office was thrown open. Surprised, the two turned their heads to see Tala, Bryan, Alissa and Dara standing there, all with tense, anxious looks upon their faces. Something was definitely up.

Mr. D frowned. " What's wrong?"

" Tyson called us", Tala replied in a voice as uptight as his expression. " Something's come up."

¨

Five minutes later, the Bladebreakers entered the building where Mr. Dickinson held his office. Almost having reached their destination, they suddenly bumped into a very annoyed-looking, small red-haired boy. " Huh, sorry 'bout that!" Tyson apologized.

" Watch where you're going, will you?" the boy growled.

As the gang looked at the boy, they – as well the kid himself – were suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden sensation of familiarity. Tyson felt this searing, nearly insane rage, but also deep companionship, almost respect. Ray and Max, on the other hand, both felt intense irritation, almost hatred, flood through their veins, slowly melting to some form of friendship.

It was almost like a reflection of some other life, another dimension.

The strange moment was, however, soon over as a male-voice called out for the strange boy. " Hey, Sumeragi, are you coming or what?" Looking towards the new voice, the gang noticed a slightly older teenager leaning against a wall. He had his impressively long, silvery hair on a flawless ponytail, and a red circle decorating his forehead. Somehow chillingly familiar blue eyes showed annoyance and arrogance. Looking at them, the boy gave a ghost of a frown, then snorted and turned around, beginning to walk away.

Another glimpse from different dimension.

The redhead rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, Garland. Hold your horses, bossman", the boy replied, then sprinted after the other.

For a long moment the Bladebreakers stood still, staring at the duo disappear in complete stun, unable to understand what had happened. " Wow", Tyson finally stated. " That was… weird."

" Ditto", Kenny confirmed.

With that, they walked into Mr. Dickinson's office, where the others were waiting for them.

" I don't like this, not at all", Mr. D told them extremely seriously after hearing the story and reading the note.

" We have to go there, we have no other choice", Bryan stated in a tone that gave no room for objections.

With a sigh, Mr. D nodded, knowing that he had no choice. Whatever he'd say or do, those teenagers would go to that meeting. And truth to be told, he would've desperately wanted to go with them. " Alright then. I hate the idea, but I'm letting you go." His eyes were stern. " But if you don't call me in an hour, I'm calling the police. Understood?"

" Okay", they all agreed.

" Can Dimitrei stay here in the meantime?" Dara asked. There was clear anxiousness set into her eyes. "He's asleep, and… It… it wouldn't be a good idea to take him along."

Mr. D nodded, smiling slightly. " Yes, of course." The smile, however, soon died, and his eyes became hard. " Be extremely careful, alright? We all know what Voltaire is capable of. There's no knowing what kind of Kai you'll be facing."

¨

The old warehouse was completely dark, thousands of hungry shadows lingered like phantoms on the walls, almost as if waiting for a soul to claim theirs.

Kai was oblivious to the eeriness of his surroundings as he sat nearby the rooftop, burgundy eyes closed. Thoughts whirred messily behind seemingly indifferent expression.

What he was about to do should've felt like he was fulfilling his destiny – after all, this was what he'd been made for. His entire purpose was to become the bearer of the greatest power there is. So… Why was his heart hurting, what was the almost deafening sound inside of him that tried to tell him this was wrong?

Damnit, his head was so messed up by memories and the words – lies – his grandfather had told him that it was impossible to separate truth from imaginary fairytales.

Were those people who'd felt so familiar his friends, or was his mind just creating stories to save his sanity? Were all those painfully beautiful glimpses of past – those feelings of acceptance, trust and friendship – just his imagination?

Suddenly, he heard a voice so thin that he first thought it was just the wind. ' Master.'

Snapping his eyes open, he looked down – and involuntarily gave a small gasp when seeing a girl with impossibly long, fire-red hair standing there, looking straight at him with her ruby-red eyes. She seemed almost… transparent, like she'd been a just a hologram. On her she had a pair of red pants, also red boots and a fire-colored tank-top. In some completely incomprehensible way, he knew that the voice inside his head was hers. " Dranzer…", he whispered, something waking up in the depths his heart.

' Master, remember me, please. Don't let darkness suffocate the fire inside your heart.' Her eyes filled with affection. ' When your friends come, trust them. Trust me.'

Feeling unbearable pain tear through his entire being, Kai squeezed his eyes tightly shut. When he opened them again, the girl was gone. He gave a small, pained sound, for some ridiculous reason feeling like he'd been abandoned.

Suddenly, there was a sensation of warmth against his leg. Frowning, he stuck his hand into his pocket, fishing out Black Dranzer. True enough, the blade was shining this almost frightening dark light.

And at that moment, looking at the invincible black blade, he finally felt absolutely sure about something. Although he could trust on no human-being, this blade was something he could rely on. He could trust on its power – no matter how dark it was.

Just then, the door of the warehouse opened.

¨

Precisely two hours after receiving the note, the gang entered the warehouse, looking around cautiously, prepared for anything. There was no trace of Kai, but they noticed that in the middle of the dusty hall had been built a shining new bey-dish.

So that was Kai's idea of bringing things to closure.

" Tyson… Don't you see what's creepy about this?" Kenny suddenly whispered, his voice shivering a tiniest bit.

" Hmm?" the bluenette absentmindedly inquired, not really paying too much attention to the computer-whiz.

" Back when Kai was the captain of the Blade Sharks… This is the warehouse where he had his 'headquarters'."

When a huge gasp of realization escaped Tyson, Dara frowned. " The Blade Sharks?" she asked.

Tyson merely shook his head, pain showing in his eyes. " It's… a long story."

She nodded, and for a while they looked around in silence, waiting.

" Where is he?" Bryan finally exclaimed, the suspense becoming too much for him. " If he wants to battle, he should at least show up!"

" Impatient, I see", came a familiar voice.

Lifting their gazes, they saw Kai standing on a ledge, looking down at them, face as cold and emotionless as ever. Not saying a word, Kai jumped down and approached them, finally standing a small distance away, arms crossed over his chest.

" What's this about?" Tala asked, his blue eyes filled with suspicion.

" I am going to take your bit-beasts", Kai replied bluntly, not a trace of emotion in his tone. " But first, I want to have a little fun with you."

Dara stepped forward, showing herself to Kai for a first time. Everyone surprised when seeing a familiar flash in Kai's eyes when he saw the girl. Would she manage to trigger his memory?

Dara's eyes were filled with grief. " Kai, please, don't do this to us. We care about you. Don't force us to fight against you."

Kai snorted. " You've all fought me before. What's the difference now?"

Aha, so Kai did remember something.

" We only fought you to bring you back, to save you from Black Dranzer", Ray told Kai in a firm voice. " We do care about you, Kai. Let us help."

Kai lifted an eyebrow. " Help me? Save me? You don't have any idea of how much shit I've been put through because of you! Only Black Dranzer has been there for me!"

" No, Kai." This time it was Nadja. Her eyes were burning. " Giving into the darkness is not an act strength." She seemed outraged. " Believe me when I say this: Voltaire is the one responsible for your pain, not your we! You were the one who taught me that, remember? You were the one who saved me." Her eyes were filled with affection. " Please, Kai. Let us get you out of this. Let us help you remember who are really on your side."

For a long time Kai looked at them, a huge set of emotions flashing in his eyes.

" Kai?" Dara whispered, tears in her eyes. " Please?"

She offered Kai her hand, and the tension could've been cut with a knife as Kai looked at it, debuting. For a short second, he reached out his own hand, but then pulled it back, all emotions disappearing from his auburn eyes. It was almost like something had taken control over him. " I called you here to battle, not to chat. So let's get started, shall we?"

The gang knew perfectly what the price could be, but they also realized that they had no choice. This was their only chance to bring Kai back.

They nodded.

¨

TBC.

¨

A/N: Ough! I can already sense those murderous glares of yours for leaving you on a cliffhanger like that!

I hope I didn't screw up royally with flashing those season three… things. I've only ever seen the episode 'Beyblading spirit' from that season, and that via internet, but I've read so much about it from different sites that I couldn't resist!

But anyway… Will Kai finally get his memories back? You'll finally find out in next chapter! Until then… Please, PLEASE review!

(1) I don't think Tyson's grandpa's name has ever been mentioned in the series, so… Himuro was my own doing. (grins)

(2) I'm not sure if you guys remember this, but in chapter 12, it was mentioned that Mr. Dickinson might be Kai and Nadja's grandfather. Uh-huh…