A/N: All right...next chappy is ready! I must be thankful
for triple spares at school, otherwise I probably wouldn't have this chapter
completed...in fact, I know that I wouldn't have this chapter completed!
Oh well, its now here for your reading pleasure...so enjoy!
Chapter 30: A Mystery Revealed
Jade could feel her head spinning in a variety of directions, while millions of thoughts raced through her mind. What stuck with her the most however was definitely the kiss...the kiss in which she had shared with Kai but mere minutes ago. Finally their true feelings for one another were expressed and it brought a sense of peace to Jade, knowing that she wouldn't have to hide it anymore. Well, that was partly true. She still had a feeling that neither Kai nor herself would have the guts to tell their teammates- not just yet anyway. Placing a finger against her soft lips she sighed heavily, her body still tingling from the moonlight kiss. The feeling of being held within Kai's arms soothed her, a slight smile drifting across her face. Making her way towards the small, compact bathroom she flicked on the switch, allowing the lights to illuminate the room in a dim veil. Immediately her eyes took focus to the black choker as it reflected brilliantly back at her through the large mirror. The beautiful purple gem was still shining with all its glory, allowing the wolf head to appear as if it were alive.
"I still think this is strange." Jade spoke to herself, rubbing a finger across the chocker, which was still tightly fastened around her neck. "This gem looks exactly like Dazzler...yet I suppose its just coincidence." Shrugging she turned around on her heel, deciding that she'd think no further into the issue. It was a gift from Kai, and that was all that mattered.
'There is far more to me than a simple coincidence!'
Immediately Jade paused, a strange voice echoing throughout her head. The voice was soft and comforting, yet Jade could still feel her heart racing furiously. It wasn't exactly everyday that you hear voices in your head, at least in her case it wasn't! Slowly turning back around she stared directly into the mirror, waiting for the voice to speak again.
"Hello?" Jade questioned, her voice quivering with hints of fear. "Is someone there?" Cocking an eyebrow she studied her reflection curiously, almost as if she was expecting it to speak back to her.
'Your reflection is not talking to you silly girl.'
The voice called out again, this time louder and more confident. Jade felt like screaming right then and there, but really, what good would that do? Besides drawing tons of attention to her room!
"I must be losing it!" Jade declared, shaking her head, hoping that it would make the voice disappear.
'You are not losing it Jade, you are simply hearing my voice.'
"Exactly!" Jade shouted as she quickly burst out of the bathroom and plopped down onto her bed. "Hearing voices in your head isn't exactly what people would consider normal!" Grabbing a hold of one of the pillows she buried her face into it, allowing the soft cushion to form around her neck and cover her ears. "I don't know how you know my name, or how you got into my head. But please...please, just go away!"
'Very well.' The voice replied calmly, yet clearly full of hurt. 'My heart grieves to see you so afraid of me, especially after all the battles that we have been through. Yet I will abide by your wishes.'
Jade felt her breathing quicken at the final words, mostly due to the reference of the word 'battles.' Why did this voice mention such a word? Jade didn't fight battles, unless of course you referred to beyblade matches as battles.
"Beyblade matches..."Jade whispered, quickly pulling back the pillow from her face. "It can't be...Dazzler?" Instantly her eyes began searching, searching desperately for the voice. "Dazzler?!" She questioned again, noticing that the voice hadn't yet returned. Worry suddenly swept across Jade, fearing that she had driven off her bit beast. Quickly scrambling her fingers across the bed stand she found what she was looking for; her fingers tightening around a beyblade. Bringing the purple blade closer to her face, she found herself frowning. The warmth that Jade normally felt seeping from the bit was no longer there...it was gone.
"Dazzler no...you can't leave me!" Jade pleaded, her stomach churning with fear. She noticed the small bit image fading slightly as her heart raced in terror. "You can't!"
'Do not worry, I am here.' The voice suddenly spoke up again, this time causing Jade to smile at the sound of it. She no longer feared the awkward voice, in fact, it was now very comforting.
"So it is you...Dazzler." Suddenly the gem of the choker burst into a flash of purple light, instantly causing the small bit chip to react in very much the same way. Jades mouth drew apart in awe as a small image of Dazzler began to take form, mere inches above the blade- almost as if it were a hologram. Jade swallowed the lump in her throat as Dazzler rustled her twilight wings, before resting them against her sides. Her small, golden eyes gazed upward at Jade as she sat back upon her haunches.
"Th-this is amazing." Jade muttered, clearly unsure of what to say. She was after all talking to her bit beast, something that she would never have thought possible. "How is it...what it...why now? Why haven't you spoken to me before?"
'I have always spoken to you Jade, though my words were not clear to you then.' Dazzler explained, her furry purple head bowing slightly. 'But now you can understand me perfectly, thanks to the shadow gem.'
"You mean, my choker?"
'Precisely, the shadow gem allows my words to be translated into your regular human language. That's why it was of great importance that you found it.'
Jade blinked in confusion, still unsure about everything that had suddenly happened. When she had first witnessed Dazzler as a child, she knew that the two of them shared some kind of a special bond. But she never imagined it to be this strong.
"So I was meant to find this shadow gem...maybe..." Jade paused, remembering back to the day when she had first laid eyes upon it. "Maybe that's what the old man was talking about. Something about wolves being ancient mythical spirits...guardians of the people and their lands."
'He was very much right then. Wolves are sacred spirits, and in ancient times we were called upon to protect villages from evil forces. But I'm afraid there is far more to this shadow gem than meets the eye.' Dazzler answered, the small hologram shifting slightly. 'Though there were many great wolven spirits, the two that were must talked about were the wolves of light and shadow.'
"Light and shadow...that would mean...you're one of them." Jade piped up, listening intently to her wise bit beast. "You were the wolf spirit of shadows."
'You understand things quickly, yet there is far more to me than what I have told you. Because I possess the power of the shadows, my spirit is easily corrupted, and my will can easily be used for destruction.'
"That's it then, you're the reason why Voltaire took me in Hong Kong." Jade muttered, finally beginning to understand things as Dazzler simply nodded.
'Voltaire wants to use me as a weapon of war; he figures if he holds my power, he will be unstoppable. But his dreams are not so reachable, for he cannot simply take me away from you.'
"I think I'm beginning to see things clearer now." Jade nodded, a thousand visions racing past her eyes. "But why did you choose me as a blader? I was a six year old kid, I had no skills at all."
'I was drawn to you...drawn to you because you had a pure heart.' Dazzlers voice spoke softly. 'A pure heart that could not easily be corrupted by power and darkness. But I'm afraid your pureness will not be able to resist the power that will eventually be presented to you. That is why we must find the wolf spirit of light, for she is the only one who can neutralize me.'
"You mean, I too will become corrupted by your power?" Jade questioned, her head suddenly throbbing with pain. "That won't happen, you know power means nothing to me!" She could feel tears beginning to take form in her crystal eyes, while she watched Dazzler tilt her head with sadness. "All right, I believe you." Jade whispered, realizing that all of this had to be true. "Then we need to find the light spirit...where is she?"
'I'm afraid I can't answer that question. All I know is that she too is sealed within a child's blade.'
"Fine then, we'll just have to keep our eyes open. We'll bound to come up against her eventually, I mean...with all the tournaments that we can enter and all." Jade suggested, as the image of Dazzler slowly began to grow fainter and fainter. "Dazzler wait...you can't..."
The sound of the opening door caused Jade to silence what she was going to say, as she watched the hologram quickly disappear. Closing her eyes gently she leaned back against the wall, anticipating everything that was about to happen next. She knew that the person opening the door was none other than her pink haired friend Mariah, and she just knew that she would be swarmed upon with a million questions. Right now Jade didn't want to talk about anything, and she could only think about her conversation with Dazzler. All she ever wanted was to be a great beyblader...she never imagined that things would become so complicated!
"Hellooooo?" A voice suddenly broke through the silence as Jade groaned aloud, falling back onto the bed as she buried her face within the mass of pillows. How obvious could Mariah be in her entrance? It didn't take long for the pink haired girl to fully enter the room, as Jade felt her leapt wildly onto the bed. "Jade, my bestest of best friends...there you are!" Jade felt like breaking out into laughter at Mariah's comments, knowing all to well that the pink haired teen was simply trying to suck up.
"Hi Ria." Jade mumbled from under the pillows, still refusing to look up at the girl. She could feel Mariah shift uncomfortably upon the bed, before resting her head against the flat of Jade's back.
"So, tell me...how did you enjoy the festival?" Mariah asked, her voice chirpy and full of interest. She was desperate to know every little detail about Jade's night, while her golden eyes flashed with excitement.
"It was ok." Jade stated simply, not daring to say anything about her moment with Kai.
"You're lying!" Mariah exclaimed in a sort of sing-song voice. "I know you are!" She began gently banging her head against Jade's back- just light enough so that it would annoy the red haired girl.
"Would you stop that!" Jade finally yelled, pulling her face from out of her cushiony shield as she turned to face Mariah- a mischievous grin across her face. "Do you live to torment me?"
"Of course not, I just live to bug you!" She replied, as Jade shook her head. "Wait, that's the same thing isn't it." Jade simply nodded while Mariah shrugged it off, not really caring that she made a fool of herself- it was after all, only Jade. "Come on Jade, please...tell me what happened!"
"What makes you think anything happened?" Jade questioned, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Oh I dunno." Mariah teased as she pretended to act oblivious. "Maybe because of that!" She exclaimed, her finger pointing directly to the black choker wrapped tightly around Jade's neck. "I know you didn't have that when we last saw each other."
"So, I...umm, bought it."
"Sure ya did," Mariah replied, obviously not the least bit convinced. "Come on Jade, I may be gullible...but I am not that gullible! You didn't buy that choker, but I bet somebody else bought it for you." Immediately Jade's face turned into a full out blush as Mariah giggled at the sight, sending out a playful wink in Jade's direction.
"So maybe I did, but that doesn't matter!" Jade retorted, once again burying herself into the bed as her cheeks began to heat up even more. Blushing...why did she always have to be so obvious? Surprisingly enough Mariah didn't say anything after that, instead she felt the girl laying her head yet again upon her back. Even though she would never admit it, it did feel somewhat good to know that she had someone to talk with, and she had a feeling that Mariah would keep her secrets...which she was definitely thankful for!
The team room was completely covered in shadows as the Bladebreakers sat evenly dispersed across the benches. A large TV sat back near one of the corners, while a variety of images danced across the screen.
"Come on Gary!" Tyson cheered, pumping his fists wildly in the air. "Take those chumps down!"
Max smiled at his friend's enthusiasm, while his blue eyes continued to remain plastered upon the TV. They were in fact watching the beyblade match between the 'White Tigers' and the 'Destructo Kids,' cheering madly as the blades collided into one another. Normally they would've been sitting in the stands, but this time they found themselves in the rather small team room- which actually enabled them to see the action in closer range. The play by play was just as detailed on screen and the voices of AJ Topper and Brad Best was just as clear as ever.
"YEAH!!!" Tyson suddenly exclaimed, flying up from his seated position as he plastered his face against the screen. "They did it, they won!"
The sound of immense clapping suddenly erupted from off the TV, while people began hollering words of excitement. The White Tigers could be seen giving a variety of hugs and high-fives to one another, as the Destructo Kids left the arena discouraged.
"I must say, the White Tigers did an incredible job." Kenny informed, stretching his arms above his head. Shifting his glasses further onto his head he opened up his laptop, as the screen immediately lit up. "Ok Dizzi, time to show us the current standings."
"Yeah, yeah...I'm working on it!" She shot back, the typical sarcasm present in her voice. Max shifted further down the bench in order to get a clearer view of the computer ad they both waited patiently for the information to load. Rei sat further back against the wall, while he continued to watch the celebration scene upon the TV- or more importantly, Mariah. Kai and Jade had disappeared a few minutes ago, declaring that they wanted to catch up on the other beyblade match- Shadow Spirits vs. Demon Seekers.
"They're still not back yet!" Tyson complained, slumping back down onto the wooden bench. "Where are they? The match must be over by now!"
"If you're so worried about them Tyson, why don't you go look for them." Rei suggested, smiling at the frantic navy-haired boy.
"You know Rei, that's exactly what I'm going to do!" Tyson declared, jumping back to his feet as he raced towards the door. "Besides, I am getting rather hungry!"
"And we all know that the cafeteria is just down the hallway," Max chimed in.
A large smile drew across Tyson's lips as he dashed through the door, "Exactly!!"
Jade took a small sip from her pop, watching as the black liquid flowed gracefully through the straw. She shifted uneasily upon the hard, metal chair while her elbows rested gently upon the tabletop. Kai sat across from her, arms folded neatly over his chest, his eyes studying her with curiosity and concern. Ever since they got up this morning he noticed the peculiar change in her attitude, how quiet she appeared to be around everybody.
"Looks like the White Tigers claimed the victory." Kai stated, noticing the new statistics running across the TV screens in the cafeteria. The two of them had made their way over here after witnessing the Shadow Spirits battle. Naturally they won, which meant that they destroyed four other peoples blades and bits. Now the Shadow Spirits moved on to the semi-finals, which meant that they would now be up against the White Tigers.
"Ok, what's wrong?" Kai finally questioned- or rather demanded-realizing that Jade wasn't about to say something anytime soon. He still didn't receive any hopes of an answer and Jade appeared as though she was off in her own dream world. His eyes softened slightly in concern as he ran a finger across Jade's hand. The sudden gesture didn't startle Jade at all, as she reverted her attention upon Kai- allowing their eyes to meet.
"Jade?" Kai questioned again, noticing the dull expression playing across the red heads face. "What's the matter with you?" His questions were sharp and to the point, his voice practically demanding her to answer.
"I-I heard things yesterday." Jade slowly began, the memory of the night before replaying in her mind. "It was Dazzler, she...she was speaking to me." Kai didn't say anything; instead he raised an eyebrow in confusion as she continued. "She said that she was able to speak to me, because of this." Jade paused, reaching her hand up as she wrapped her fingers around the choker.
"Your bit beast was talking to you?" Jade nodded as Kai stared back at her with suspicion. He knew that there was something peculiar about that choker, or Jade's bit beast for that matter. And now, now things were slowly starting to uncover themselves.
"She spoke of some incredible power that she possesses, saying that if she was held in the wrong hands, it could cause massive destruction." Her voice quieted a little, as she rested her chin against her chest. "She said I'd be corrupted by power...that I won't be able to resist it. Then after that I began having these dreams, these strange dreams."
"And this all started with that choker." Kai confirmed, earning a simple nod of Jade's head. "I guess it wasn't such a great gift after all." Jade smiled slowly as she felt Kai's fingers tighten around her hand.
"No, I'm glad you gave it to me." Jade replied, her crystal eyes twinkling within the lights. "Besides, Dazzler said I was meant to find it. So I'm sure it would've made its way to me eventually, even if you didn't give it to me."
Kai nodded his head with understanding, yet he still wasn't completely satisfied. Something told him that his grandfather was apart of this, and he had a feeling that this simple bit beast was the reason for Jade's torture back in Hong Kong.
"ALOHA!" A voice suddenly exclaimed as a familiar navy haired boy plopped himself down in one of the empty seats. Immediately Kai whipped his hand away from Jade's as he glared at the newest addition to the table. Jade couldn't help but smile at Kai's sudden reaction, knowing all to well that he still wasn't comfortable in letting the others know about them.
"Tyson, Aloha means 'hello' in Hawaii." Jade commented, laughing at the teen as he pondered over the statement. "And last time I checked, we were in Mexico!"
"Ehn, close enough!" Tyson replied with a heavy shrug of his shoulders. Kai rolled his eyes at his immature teammate...he would never change.
"Did you hear the White Tigers won their match!" Tyson announced, grabbing a hold of Jade's pop as he shook it rapidly- making sure that there was some left. In the next second that followed, Kai had snatched the container from Tyson's hand, as he placed it back in front of Jade. She mouthed a simple 'thank-you,' as Kai nodded his head, trying his best to not show any other emotions. Tyson on the other hand glanced back and forth between the two teens, eyeing them rather suspiciously. Before he could even think about saying something, the voice of Brad Best and AJ Topper interrupted him, as their images appeared upon the TV screen.
"If you ask me Brad, this is one of the strangest happenings to ever come across in the sport of beyblading." AJ Topper announced, shaking his head at the mere thought of it. "I would've never imagined a beyblading team to forfeit their position in a tournament; especially the White Tigers."
Jade nearly choked on her gulp of pop, spinning around in her chair in order to face the television set. Both Kai and Tyson were struck with surprise, neither of them saying anything.
"I agree completely AJ." Brad Best began, nodding his own head in agreement. "But from what I've heard, the White Tigers forfeited because they couldn't stand to see their bit beasts lost in the battle against the Shadow Spirits."
"No," Jade muttered, hardly believing what she was hearing. "They can't just give up like that, they could still win!"
"I understand why they're doing this." Kai spoke up, his eyes narrowing at the memories that were racing through his head. "They've already had a bad experience with losing their bit beasts, and they just can't stand to see it happen again." Kai dropped his head with guilt at the mentioning of the White Tigers, knowing that he had stolen their blades back in Russia at the World championships.
"That means...that means that the Shadow Spirits automatically move to the finals. Making them our competitors in the final match!" Tyson announced, still deeply into the broadcastings. "Well that's fine by me, cause we'll definitely beat them, and show them that it's not right to destroy anybody's blade!" Jade nodded in agreement, though her mind kept telling her how hard of a challenge it would be.
'We have to win,' Kai thought, refusing to say anything else to his two teammates. 'Cause if we don't, the power of Jade's bit beast will be held in someone else's hands...Voltaire.'
A/N: Done...whew! That was pretty long, 8 pages if I'm not
mistaken! Anywho, I'm hoping that I'll be able to conclude everything in the
next chapter, meaning that Beynamite will finally be complete in a matter of
oh...4 days! YAY, I'm rather happy about that. This story is very long, and I'd
like to see it come to an end.
Well, its not done yet, so you peoples can look forward to one more
chapter...until then, see ya later!
