LV: Oo; To think I never thought this would get popular…

CL: ¬¬; To think I have some dignity left…

Aya: ^__^ To think I'm famous! *gets bottled by LV* HEY!

LV: I don't think we need hot air, Aya.

CL: Review time.

Mugs~ O_o; Well, I see you have your hands full with that Ron guy… :D He likes the fairies, huh? He doesn't have to worry. Now that Kai knows about Niyt, the little guy doesn't have to hide around him. *grins evilly* Yep, he's a perverted old guy. I added him in for humor purposes. ^~ Keep in mind that the two still need to get together, and they don't KNOW about the other four. But don't worry, later on, there'll be LOTS of fluff.

Rumi-Chan~ *is about to take the plushies and it gets stolen by Aya… again* ¬¬* How the heck do you keep getting out!? And isn't the Tyka plushie beyblade fanatic gave ME enough for you!? (Aya: ^_____^ *snuggles both plushies* That's for me to know and you to find out, and no, it ain't!) *rolls eyes* It's not that my brother's playing's BAD--that would be lying, he's with a professional marching band for a reason--it's just that he'll play loud and give me an unnecessary headache. I'm a violinist myself… I can't play too well, though. Xx;

Darkspider~ Oo; I'm not going to hurt OR kill you! The way I figure it, if the author is threatened, it causes unnecessary stress. And stress isn't good for the self-esteem. *nods* I should know… ^~ Yes, the dirty ol' man! Get ticked when he gropes your favorite Bladebreaker! Laugh hysterically when he gets what he deserves! He's not appearing much anymore, so rejoice! *throws confetti in the air* (Aya: Oo;) [CL: Keep her busy; I'll get something for her to snack on.]

Bloody Mary~ {Shade: *eye twitches* I'm not a feckin' GUY! I'm a gal! A GAL!!!} O_o; Ignore her; she has a short fuse… Too bad you don't play Zelda, I know a good author in that section who has a wolf-boy in her story. If you want, her penname's Snowsilver. Her Wolfos are a LOT different from mine, though… [CL: Yeah, and I DON'T act like her Link, either!] Oo; Right. ^~ Yes, poor Tyson and Kai… NOT! *cackles* (Aya: Where's the friggin' snack!?) [CL: I can't find any!]

Kiina~ *grins evilly* As my fairy said earlier: That's for me to know and you to find out! So read on!

Tsunami Wave~ =^^=; Aw, thanks… I guess? To answer your question, Tyson's not FROM Hyrule, but he's been there. Like Aya, Niyt is an assigned fairy to a human, not a Kokiri like the other fairies are. Certain humans, such as myself, are chosen for this role; Tyson's one of them. The idea of Aya actually came to me roughly two years ago when I was at a low point in my depression--before you ask, yes, I still have depression; I just don't care anymore. Remember Tyson's chapter when he said his mother died protecting him? He felt guilty about it and became quiet and withdrawn, until Niyt came to him on the night of his birthday that year, a few months after the incident. He's been the way we know him best ever since, all because of Niyt. But as for him going to Hyrule when he was ten? :D You'll find out here.

LV: All reviewers get… an unlimited supply of golden love arrows? *glares* Aya… WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THIS!?!?

Aya: ^^; That… I shouldn't do it?

CL: *twitches* We're doomed…

Aya: But they're perfect for spur-of-the-moment fluff stories! You CAN'T deny them THAT!

Disclaimer: I'm going to hurt that fairy SLOWLY and PAINFULLY… Oh, and I don't own Beyblade and the Zelda influences. However, I do own Niyt and the matchmaking quartet.

Notes: …: translation, //…//: Niyt's telepathy to Tyson, /…/: Tyson's telepathy to Niyt, ~…~: group thoughts, {…}: single person's thoughts.

Experience is the Best Teacher

~With Tyson and Kai

"Okay, I'm going to look around for any danger. You stay here and try to signal for help," Kai ordered as Tyson nodded. Niyt looked at Tyson indignantly.

//But you know more about survival in a forest than he does!//

/I know, but he doesn't!/

"What are you two talking about?" Kai said suspiciously, eyeing Niyt in particular. The said fairy huffed before responding.

"I just had to share a comment with MY friend, is that a crime?" He declared hotly, daring Kai to challenge him.

He snarled, "You're getting on my nerves, Glowbug…" Tyson sweatdropped at the two as a glaring contest ensued. If Niyt were to use his magic to become human, it would show that he was older than Tyson by three years. [1] Because of this, he had a bit of a protective streak when it came to Tyson, especially since he was particularly vulnerable since his mother's death. He was like the big brother Tyson never had. Now though…

"Quit it, you two!" He snapped, bringing them back from their fantasies of ripping the other apart with the dentures of an old lady… if they were handy, "We won't get anywhere if you're gonna argue all the time! I'll take charge!"

He turned to Kai, "You can scout around like you wanted to, but also bring back some firewood, will ya?" Kai, though a little annoyed by the sudden change of authority, nodded, stalking off. Tyson looked at Niyt, "We're going to look for a decent spot and get some food." Niyt peered around and saw several rocks nearby.

"Hey!" He called out [2], flying over to the rocks, "If you push these together, it'll make a good base. Throw a couple of branches on top and you're in business!" Tyson smiled.

"Protection from wind, sun, AND rain!" He nodded affirmatively, "Great going! Now all we need is to collect some grub." Niyt's aura tinted a sickly green.

"You didn't mean what I thought you meant… right?" He gagged. Tyson snickered quietly at him before donning a quasi-serious façade.

"Well, if worse comes to worst, we'll have no choice. Hope you like caterpillar a la mode!"

"Ugh, that's sick!"

"No, being forced to eat raw and partially rotten meat because you couldn't start a fire is sick," Tyson grimaced at the memory, but shook it off. He spied a raspberry bush on the other side of the lake, "Now, berries, on the other hand, are a sweet treat!" He rushed off, leaving Niyt behind with the camp.

"Hey! What about ME!?" He huffed, even though he knew Tyson couldn't hear him. He sighed before looking over the site, "Well, I might as well help, since I can finally use my magic without worrying anyone might see me." He closed his eyes in concentration, before a bright flash of blue light surrounded him. When it died down, a human Niyt remained.

He got to work, rolling the stones so the barrier would face the wind. But as the stone blockade was finally rolled into place and secured, he was pulled into the bushes by a dark arm.

He gave a small yelp and turned to his attacker, and was caught off guard upon seeing a dark face with bright pale crystal blue eyes. He saw the other three and was surprised to see a pale orange fairy among them.

"Satu? Aya's friend?" He blinked and the other fairy squealed mutely.

"I knew I knew you!" She chirped, "You always were a bit on the slow side, Niyt. Really shows how different you are from your younger cousin." He nodded sheepishly as he reverted back to his fairy form.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, now eyeing the other three judgmentally, "And what're you doing with them?"

Shade snorted, "Wha's it look 'ike, Niyt? We're settin' the boys up!" Niyt glared at her.

"Great. A Wolfos. Tyson's had enough to do with them," He hissed before getting up to leave.

"Wait!" Hazel pleaded, "We need your help! Tyson knows you better, and we're not allowed to go home until those two admit their feelings for each other!" That stopped him.

"Why?" He asked curiously. Sen rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, y'see, Aya's got this little matchmaking class going on, and Shade kinda made the four of us join. We turned out to be her elite students and since she couldn't do this job herself, she made us do it. Now we're kinda stuck here because of our plan, and we felt like you could help us. So… please?" Niyt's eyes narrowed in anger.

"You're the ones who brought those Guays, weren't you!?" He hissed, "Do you realize how dangerous that was?! They could've gotten killed!" The others winced; they had no idea he was this protective.

"So… you know about Kai and Tyson?" Satu asked, smiling nervously. He gave her a look.

"What kind of idiot would I be if I didn't see it? Kai wouldn't let me near Tyson until he regained consciousness, and Tyson was acting like a complete moron all morning because Kai complimented his playing," He huffed. The others smirked.

"So will you help?" Hazel implored. The dark blue fairy glared at Shade one last time before sighing.

"Okay, I'll help," He sniffed conceitedly, "But ONLY if that… thing is kept away from Tyson." Shade snorted a 'fine' before Sen got up and walked off.

He tipped his hat, "Please excuse me. I've gotta go scare Kai out of his wits now. I bid you…adieu!" With that, he backflipped and vanished. Niyt left to finish the campsite. Hazel turned to Shade.

"What do you think Niyt meant by 'Tyson's had enough to do with them', Shade?" She sighed.

"Pack leader's oldest son got 'is meal stolen from 'im once, 'bout four years ago. Almost caught th' thief an' shredded 'im, but th' kid--'bout th' age of them Kokiri--drove 'im off wit' a sharp bone. Cut 'im a good scar 'long th' face, right 'tween th' eyes. Th' fella's still out for revenge…" Hazel shuddered. A Wolfos seeking revenge wasn't a pretty sight; they had a terribly accurate memory and never forgot a scent.

But as long as the Wolfos didn't know where Tyson was, he couldn't follow…

…Right?

~

Kai looked around, a small bundle of dry twigs in his arms. He kept having the feeling he was being watched, and mentally kicked himself for the umpteenth time for not bringing Dranzer with him.

Out of all the times he brought her [3] with him, he chose this time to leave the red phoenix behind.

"Life sucks," He muttered under his breath.

"So do you, mister!" Kai's head bolted up to see a dark, crystal-eyed imp in red and gold clothing sitting cross-legged on a high stump, a bone flute in its hand. It cackled mischievously, irritating Kai to no end.

"What are you, some kind of runaway freak show?" He snapped. It cackled again and tipped its hat.

"Good afternoon to ya too! But you're a bit touchy today, no?" It said innocently, "Or is it that time of the month for you?" It ducked as a stick flew past its head, a string of curses following it, "My my! Such foul language! Too bad I've no soap, you'd need the whole bar!"

Kai gritted his teeth, "What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing?" The imp chuckled.

"Now now, no need to get violent! Look what happened to me!" He grinned, "I used to be a well-liked little boy, and now I'm a silly little forest imp! All because of the curse." Kai froze.

"…Curse?"

The imp (though we know who HE is) nodded, "Yep! Anyone who wanders alone and is caught by the darkness will perish and become one of the mountain's secret keepers of the undead. Or an imp. Be thankful you're still young, you'll just be an imp. Though some people DO turn into fairies… That might be the fate of your little blue-haired friend. The mountain spirits like him, but the problem is the three NEVER mingle."

Kai had to stop himself from shaking. If he and Tyson stayed apart too long… he'd never see the other boy again?

"But then again, your friend HAS a fairy, so he's protected from the curse. Sort of. Oh well. Same rule applies to them. This place is strict, no?"

He didn't get an answer. Sen opened his eyes to see nothing but the tip of a white scarf disappear quickly between the branches. He smirked.

"That wasn't as creepy as I would've hoped, but the message got through clear enough," He shrugged, dematerializing into thin air.

Now for the others to pull through their parts…

~

Tyson hummed to himself as he finished picking the multiple berries and nuts and lifted the bunch in his jacket. After seeing the raspberry bush, he had noticed a slew of them and all other kinds right behind the single bush, not to mention several fruit and nut trees.

"Man, what luck! Raspberries, blueberries, apples, pecans, walnuts… the works!" He whistled, "I wonder if Kai had any luck…"

He noticed the campsite was nearly complete. The housing, courtesy of a now-sleeping Niyt, was sturdy and secure. An area was set aside for dried food storage and making a fire. The only things missing were a place to store fresh food and decent bedding.

Tyson placed the jacket down and gently took the small fairy in his hands, "Hey, Niyt. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing to write home about," He yawned, stretching his wings, "I made the shelter… had a small run-in with a squirrel… y'know, the usual." Tyson chuckled.

"You silly little fairy."

"This 'silly little fairy' saved your hide a few years back!"

The blue-haired boy sighed. Niyt wasn't always so defensive. Before he had received Dragoon, he was quite laid-back, letting Tyson do just about whatever he wanted. But after that, along with meeting the team, he became madly jealous that he wasn't the full center of attention, the only constant Tyson relied on. But his fear of being caught by his 'unworthy' friends overweighed his jealousy, the reason he always hid and spoke telepathically when they weren't alone.

A rustle from the bushes told Tyson that Kai had returned. He walked briskly to the site, an eyebrow raised at the already built shelter.

"You got done quickly," He commented. Niyt huffed.

"Hey, I built it!"

"Somehow, I highly doubt that," Kai smirked, causing the blue fairy to go ballistic. Tyson snickered at the raving Niyt and continued with organizing the food.

In the back of his mind, Tyson was actually glad most of this happened. This could be the opportunity he was waiting for to tell Kai.

Little did he know, Kai was thinking the same thing.

And little did they know, a dark gray, almost black wolf like creature had entered the woods. It sniffed the air once and found a scent it hadn't smelled in years…

The scent of a human boy.

"They say there's no sweeter meal than revenge. I'm just going to have to test that theory…" With that it let loose a piercing, bone-chilling howl.

The hunt was on.

~

"What do you MEAN the mountain's cursed!?!" Max screamed panic-struck, grabbing Joe's collar and shaking him around like a rag doll. [4]

"Max, let go of him; he can't talk if you shake him around like that," Rei placated, though inwardly he was just as infuriated and alarmed as the blonde was. He reluctantly let go, muttering about how much pain the old man would be in later.

"That's why they call it 'Lost Mountain'," He wheezed, "Everyone who sets foot on that mountain is never heard from again. Several trackers have gone with satellite signals and THAT was three years ago; they couldn't and STILL can't find a trace of them. The locals say the mountain spirits are joined with another world." Max put on a smile, but the vein throbbing on his forehead gave away his real emotions about it.

"Locals? In case you haven't noticed… there AREN'T any locals within a two hundred mile radius!!"

"What kind of sick-minded freak flies over a CURSED and ISOLATED mountain!?" Dizzi huffed as Joe leered pervertedly.

"Well, y'see, I was gonna get my co-pilot to fly while I talked to that cute little blue-haired ang--"

"HENTAI!!" Two Kendo sticks promptly walloped him across the back of his head. Rei sweatdropped at Kenny and Max, who were glaring daggers at the dirty-minded old man who was now cowering while nursing his head.

{Note to self: never get on their bad side.}

"You were going to take advantage of him!" Kenny shouted angrily, "Of all the dirty, sick-minded things…!"

"What a lech!" Dizzi snorted, "If I weren't stuck in this laptop, I'd knock you into the next millennium!"

"I can't believe you!" Max snarled, "You are SO lucky Kai wasn't here to hear that, or you'd be in bigger trouble!"

Rei sighed, feeling a headache coming on. It was going to be a long night…

~

The fire crackled as the two boys ate their share of the meal. Night had fallen quickly, and the fire before them was the only source of warmth they had. Kai was once again silently impressed at Tyson's outdoor skills, but once more made no move to comment on them. Now though, it was pestering him to no end how he knew so much.

"Tyson?" He finally said, looking over at the blue-haired boy. He mentally choked when Tyson looked over, seemingly glowing in the light of the fire, "How come you act like this has happened to you before?"

"…Because it has." Kai blinked, caught off-guard by this answer. Tyson signed and continued.

"When I was ten, I got lost in the woods. It was kinda like this, with no one around for miles. Niyt was the only company I had. I was scared beyond belief, you wouldn't believe half the stuff I ran into." He shuddered for a moment, a frightening memory drifting through his mind.

"After a month and a half, I finally found my way out. I had barely escaped with my life. But the experience taught me something: courage, determination, never giving up when things got rough or taking things for granted. I never let that pass me. It's become a part of me, so to say."

Kai smirked softly, "So that's why you always get us kicked out of restaurants. You probably were starving when you came back." Niyt burst out laughing at this and Tyson flushed a deep scarlet.

"Hah hah, very funny," He mumbled, before looking Kai in the eye, "You're a lot more open now that we're not with the others. Why?"

This time, the garnet-eyed boy sighed, "I have a reputation to keep. You know me. It probably would give Kenny a heart attack to see me having fun." Tyson laughed.

"It probably would," He grinned, "Along with everybody else." Kai rolled his eyes and thwacked him playfully across the head. Niyt chuckled at the two; the plan the other four had was actually working. Without the pressures of society, they could reveal who they were inside.

Tyson rummaged in his pocket before pulling something out. Niyt's aura brightened immediately.

"Your ocarina! You still have it!" He cried gleefully, his posture attentive. Tyson nodded.

"One of the reasons I like them so much. They're quite durable, easy to play, they have a nice sound, and they're small enough to carry around!" He nodded before returning to cleaning the clay instrument out. Kai watched with amusement. He could tell from earlier that morning Tyson had a passion for the instrument. Eyeing the ocarina carefully, Tyson was finally satisfied at its condition, and looked at Kai with a cheerful gleam in his eye.

"Care for a tune?" He asked merrily, to which Kai nodded, "Okay, and for further enjoyment, Niyt, the dancing fairy!" Niyt suddenly froze, looking at Tyson fearfully.

"Oh no… Tyson, please! ANYTHING but that! Spare me the humility!" He pleaded. The almost predatory gleam in the young boy's eyes told him he wasn't going to change his mind. He whimpered.

The song kicked in full swing. An upbeat melody immediately filled the air, reminding all who heard of the forest surroundings. It seemed to have a magical quality, because soon after the music started, Niyt's begging was lost, and he was now bobbing and dipping in the air in an almost possessed manner. A fairly amusing site for Kai, and he noticed the song was similar in quality to the one he heard earlier: friendly and innocent, but with a natural touch. [5] Unconsciously, he began to tap his foot along with the music.

Maybe being alone in a forest with Tyson wasn't as bad as he had originally thought…

~

Shade's eye twitched as she fought all instinct to jump up and dance along to the familiar music. Sen was having just as much trouble keeping still, and Hazel had buried himself to prevent him from doing so. Satu gripped tightly to a lithe branch in an effort to prevent herself from dancing and blowing their cover.

"I hate that kid…" Hazel grumbled from his spot, a tad muffled as his snout was just barely out of the ground.

"I hate that song…" Sen gritted out, his fingers itching to grab his bone flute.

"Don't hate, just get annoyed," Satu blinked, her grip tightening.

Shade snarled to herself, "Of all th' kids in all th' worl', this one had to know this song…"

There was a beat of silence.

"…Did I mention I hate this song?"

"Sen?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut it."

~End Chapter.

LV: *laughs* Well, THAT ended on a funny note!

CL: *snickers* Never knew that song was so addictive…

Aya: ^_^ And CL isn't the announcer anymore! Please welcome our guest from the story, Joe the dirty ol' man! *drags him out*

Joe: All right, what'll happen to poor ol' me now that those crazy kids hit me with those sticks? And what was that wolf thing? Will the lil' cutie and Demon-boy ever get off of Lost Mountain?

LV: ¬¬* You realize I'm the authoress and I can bring "Demon-boy" and "those crazy kids" here if I want, right?

Joe: *huffs* You've got no control o'er me! I'm a free man!

LV: *scowls* Your loss. *smiles sweetly* CL?

CL: :D *unsheathes his sword* Would you prefer to be sliced, diced, or slashed to streamers?

Joe: O_o!

Aya: ^^ Review!

[1]: Oo; I never did mention their ages, did I? ^^; This is in complete disregard to the second and third series, (meaning that Shippu guy everyone's claiming to be Tyson's big brother is nonexistent) so Tyson's fourteen, making Rei and Max fourteen, as well. Kenny's thirteen and Kai's fifteen. Sorry!

[2]: O_o! Ack! Navi reference! *cowers* Not that I don't like her, 'cause she's a LOT better than Tatl, but don't kill me for making Niyt sound like Navi there!

[3]: Yes, I happen to think that Dranzer's a girl, too!

[4]: Woohoo! Way ta go, Max!

[5]: :D Can any Ocarina of Time fan guess the name of this song? You should know it…