LV: ¬¬; I HAVE to finish this fic soon. *glares at Aya* Because a certain SOMEONE is ALREADY giving me ideas for the sequel!

Aya: ^^; It never hurts to plan ahead.

CL: T_T And the sequel's sequel. And the sequel's sequel's sequel.

LV: That's MORE than a little overboard, Aya. THAT'S INSANE!

Aya: *huffs* Well, fine! We'll hurry up with this one. *tears up* But the sequel is so… exciting!

CL: ¬¬; Thank you for giving that away.

LV: *rolls eyes* To the reviews.

I luv Yugi and Daisuke so :P~ *is coughing* Can't… breathe… *is let go* Nice to see you're enjoying the story, but as for you being the announcer… I'll try to squeeze you in. I've kinda decided to let the characters, original or not, be the announcer. As seen with last chapter… *thinks for a moment* Hey, CL, what happened to Joe, anyway? [CL: :) He ran like the cuccos were on him. And you know how THEY are…] O_o; I almost feel sorry for him… NOT! *grins evilly*

Tsunami Wave~ ^_^ Yep, there ARE a lot of songs, but only ONE seems to make people want to dance *coughGoronscough* and you got it right! Saria's Song! Trust me, I've beaten the game; I know there's an insane amount of songs in that game. They are a bit catchy, though. *shrugs* …Oo; I don't think a watering can will do much against him. He's… kinda sadistic and aggressive. And menacingly malevolent. Yeah. Oo;

Darkspider~ ^^ Glad you liked it! Heh, after what YOU did to him, I don't think he's going to be too worried about a couple of Kendo sticks, heh heh…

PinkDevil~ That's easy; they snitched them from Tyson! Heh heh. Keep enjoying!

Rumi-Chan~ *indignant* I like them?! Aya keeps stealing them! I don't even get to touch them! (Aya: *blows a raspberry at Lunare* All mine! ^_^) ¬¬* Yeah, well I don't need them, you plushie-stealer…

Mugs~ :) That was the point they were getting at, and it apparently works well, as seen in this chapter. As sad as it is to say, Joe's thick-headed in this matter, but I'm sure Kenny and Max will 'thin' the load a bit through 'justification'. (Aya: :D Meaning they'll whoop his ass for Kai while he's with Tyson.) {Joe: *all bloody and bruised* Now WHY does ev'ry kiddo out there hate me!?} ¬¬; …Because you're a pervert that pinched Tyson's arse and admitted you wanted to… y'know… *blushes and coughs* him. {Joe: So?} {All fans reading this: *jumps at him and beats the crap outta him…again*} ^^ There, now I feel better.

Kiina~ O_O! … ^^; You realize I'm now terrified of you, right? [CL: Should I get my arrows out?] ¬¬; CL, it's not a flame; it's a…death threat to continue. Oo; (Aya: :D If Kiina's like this with this boring ol' thing, I can't wait to see the reaction with the sequel!) O_o! Aya! QUIT GIVING THINGS AWAY!!

Fire Mage~ OO! A-another famous Tyka author!? =^^= Thanks for the compliments! *gives a stern look* Hurry up with the next chapter of "High School", will ya? I'm dying to know how Kai reacts to Tala living with Tyson!

Bloody Mary~ {Shade: ^_^ *wags tail and takes the cookies* Baked sweetness. Yum!} ^^ Well, she's happy.

LV: Reviewers receive a Tyson-playing-ocarina plushie, with real music! *passes them out*

Disclaimer: Niyt: She only owns the quartet, the perv' Joe, the shadowy… wolf-thing, and myself. Anything else is copyright whoever created Beyblade. And all Zelda influences are copyright Nintendo.

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

It Takes Time to Heal

~

"Kai…" Tyson said softly, shaking his shoulder gently, "Kai, wake up." The normally stoic boy still remained asleep. Tyson sighed irritably, figuring it wasn't worth the effort. Niyt was still asleep, as well, crystalline wings fluttering every time he exhaled. Quietly, he stood up and headed towards the lake's shores, splashing his face with the cool, clear water.

Tyson looked at his reflection in the water. His eyes were red and puffy from crying during the night, and he seemed pale. He couldn't sleep very well in the forest; his past experiences taught him to always be on guard, especially at night. During the night, his dreams were plagued by the dark, terrible memories of being lost in those cursed woods. He could almost feel every pang of hunger, of anguish, of despair, of fear once more, even now by the warm welcoming light of the sun.

…Wait, the pang of hunger WAS real. It just wasn't as severe as it was in the past because of the meal the night before.

Blushing sheepishly, Tyson stood up and went towards the 'wild orchard', as Niyt put it. Those pears he saw yesterday were looking pretty good, now…

~

"Revenge is sweet…"

"No one will stand in my way…"

"He will regret crossing paths with me…"

Kai's eyes snapped open as his heart raced, apprehension settling uneasily in his gut. He glanced over to where Tyson was sleeping, only to find the spot empty. In a panic, he jolted to a sitting position, noting with heated anxiety that Niyt was still there and not with his appointed charge. He grabbed the fairy, jolting him awake, and held him inches from his face, crimson eyes flaring with fury and fear.

"Where's Tyson!?" He hissed. Niyt gulped but soon regained his composure.

"He's probably out gathering food. Don't be such a worrywart!"

The bitter arctic-red glare hardened, "You call yourself his guardian? You don't even care!"

"I do care! I just don't panic every time he gets out of my eyesight!" He replied hotly, his aura beginning to tint red again.

Kai couldn't rest. The words of the imp still rang through his mind: "Anyone who wanders alone and is caught by the darkness will perish… the three NEVER mingle…"

"You sure act like you don't!"

"Speak for yourself, Ice-boy!"

"I swear, if I had Dranzer with me right now…"

"Well, you don't, so tough!"

"You're such a pain in the--"

"Good grief, I leave you two alone for five minutes and you're already at each other's throats?" Tyson sweatdropped as he walked up, a couple of apples and pears in his arms. Niyt gave Kai a smug look as he perched on Tyson's shoulder.

"Toldja so," He said triumphantly. Tyson raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not even going to ask," He sighed as he tossed Kai one of the fruits. He caught it and eyed Tyson carefully.

"Where do you find these?" He asked, partly out of curiosity and partly out of concern. Tyson gestured over to the clump of trees.

"Found it yesterday. Supply's pretty plentiful. No one's there, either, if that's what you're worried about." Kai scowled.

"I wasn't worried," He grunted. Tyson narrowed his eyes at him.

//Tyson, don't. It's not worth it.// Niyt warned.

/I don't care. He's too stubborn!/ "Why are you still acting like that? There's no one around for miles! Suck up your pride for once!" Kai's eyes snapped open as he glared at Tyson, who made no move to back down.

"You think I can just drop it? It's who I am, Tyson, I can't just become someone else!"

"This isn't the real you; the real you is the person I caught a glimpse of yesterday! This is just a stupid mask!"

Niyt panicked, "Come on, you two, arguing isn't gonna help at all! What happened to the two people who could cooperate with no trouble yesterday!?" {The others are going to KILL me…}

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, de-de-de-de, there they are a-standing in the road…" [1] {I am going to hurt Sen and Shade slowly and painfully… This is humiliating…}

The two boys stopped arguing and sweatdropped as they turned to look at…whatever was singing. They blinked in surprise when they saw a small, leafy bush bouncing along the opposite shore of the lake. Kai raised an eyebrow at this and Tyson felt a large sweatdrop roll down the back of his head, eye twitching at the sight.

"…That has to be the most disturbing thing I've seen in my life," Tyson commented, eyes mere dots as his brow continued to twitch. Kai nodded slowly.

Niyt sighed in relief until he saw the murderous look in Hazel's verdant eyes. He sweatdropped as well, grinning nervously. The look clearly stated that he 'owed him BIG time' for distracting the two boy's from their argument. ­­­

The friendly Dragon and the arctic Phoenix looked at each other before nodding and shaking hands, an unspoken truce exchanged between them.

"Let's hope that never happens again."

~

Sen and Shade ducked behind a tree as the Deku bombarded them with his natural weaponry relentlessly, sweatdropping nervously.

"THAT was THE most HUMILIATING thing you've made me do, Flea-Bag, Stick-Boy! I can't BELIEVE you made me DO that!"

Sen grinned uneasily, "N-now Haz', ol' buddy, ol' pal… Let's not get hasty…"

"HASTY!?! You call that HASTY!? I'LL show YOU hasty!!" Shade's eyes widened fearfully.

"Haz', listen ta 'im! Aren't ya o'erreactin' jus' a little?"

"Overreacting? Overreacting!?!" He fumed, "YOU didn't have to SING something THAT EMBARASSING!!!"

While Hazel kept up his bombardment, Satu whizzed over excitedly.

"You guys!" She chirped, "I finally got the results from the mind-reader spell!" They instantly froze.

"Well?" Shade pressed eagerly, "What're th' results?"

The pale orange fairy beamed, albeit a bit nervously, "As you know, I cast it on them while they were asleep. Tyson kept having nightmares of the time he was lost in the forest alone, and I discovered where."

"And?"

"…It was the Lost Woods, or more specifically, the shadow region." The other three gaped in shock.

"B-but WE don't even go there!" Hazel shivered, "Going there is a death wish! How did he survive?" Satu shrugged.

Shade had paled underneath her fur, "Cloud…" The others looked at her.

"Pardon?"

"Cloud… my ex-pack leader's oldes' son…" She shook her head, "He was huntin' there when 'is meal got stolen an' got injured when tryin' to recover it… Do ya think…?"

They shuddered, not wanting to think of the consequences. A vengeful Wolfos was a dangerous one.

"…Anything else, Satu?" Sen asked warily, wanting to lighten the effect of the news.

She nodded, "Yeah, Tyson lost his mother when he was about six years old. They were very close, along with his sister… I think it began with a 'K'…"

"So?"

"SO," Hazel said, "If they were close, it must mean that if we remind Tyson of his mother, he'll get all sad and Kai will have to cheer him up!"

Sen looked skeptical, "Whose to say that Niyt won't do it first?" Hazel smirked.

"Niyt might give him some well-needed advice or do something stupid to make him laugh," He replied, "but he can't offer a shoulder to cry on."

The others blinked before smirking as well.

"You be gettin' good at this, Haz'. Real good."

"Thanks, I try."

~

{The world's against me. I know it.} Tyson fumed to himself as another animal helped its young along gingerly.

He had lost count of how many wild families he had seen today. It had started with a doe and her fawn, but now it was affecting him.

Badly.

Tyson hated seeing all those happy families, especially now, years after his own had been separated. After a part of him died and half of him was who-knows-where. It hurt him.

The scars never did fully heal, but he had a promise to keep. One that was practically a deathbed promise.

"Kai?" He called out softly, "I…need to take a walk. Y'know, get some fresh air." The boy in question raised an eyebrow.

"You want fresh air… when we're nowhere near civilization?" Tyson flushed.

"I just…feel like I'm suffocating too close to camp. I'll stay around the lake." He got up and walked off hurriedly, making Kai wonder if he had said something to hurt his feelings…again.

Niyt watched him sadly. He knew it was harsh of the others to bring up something the blue-haired boy was touchy about, but if it was the only way for him to know that he didn't have to bear the pain alone…

There was no other way.

"Kai, could you go after him?" He asked, turning to the red-eyed boy, "This is something I can't help him with… but maybe you can." Kai looked up at the dark blue fairy, confused.

What was Tyson hiding…?

~

Tyson sat at the mountain lake's sandy shore, trying to prevent the tears from falling. A memory held close to him that he revealed to no one echoed in his mind.

"…When you're hurt here, Tyson, it's harder to heal… Some people never recover from a hit to the heart…" [2]

So much had happened to him since that night. He had lost so much only hours afterwards. His home was destroyed and his family was split apart like a yawning chasm. Simply remembering all the pain… He bit his lip to prevent himself from crying, but the hot tears stung and were threatening to fall. There was an unnoticed soft rustle behind him.

"Tyson?" He gave a squeak of surprise and quickly brushed away his stray tears. Kai walked up and sat next to the saddened blue-haired boy, who was trying to convince him that he was okay.

"I-I'm fine, Kai. N-nothi-thing's wr-wrong…" He stammered, hoping he didn't hear the catch in his voice. Kai gave him a stern look, much softer than his usual glare.

"You're lying, Tyson. Quit denying it," He said sternly, noting the smaller boy's depressed, tear-streaked face. In a softer tone he added, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tyson shook his head, "I-I told you… I'm okay." He looked at Kai, surprised to see concern and worry in his crimson depths.

"If you're okay, then why are you upset?" He pressed, struggling to keep himself from hugging Tyson tightly, who looked so lost and helpless it was heartbreaking.

Tyson seemed to think this over before his lower lip quivered and he bit down on it to prevent the tears from coming again. Kai was about to get up and leave before Tyson called out to him.

"W-wait…" He whispered, "I-I'll tell…" He took a shaky breath before unfolding his tale.

"W-when I was little…a few months before I turned six…my mother died. S-she died pr-protecting m-me and my twin sister from a-a-a murderer… My sister and I were the targets… My mom fought with all she had, and eventually the guy got sick of it and lunged at my sister and me… M-my mom…" Here he choked, a strangled sob escaping his throat, "S-she threw herself between us a-and…"

Kai watched in shock as Tyson broke down, finally letting all the tears loose. So that was why he had walked off; all the animal families the had seen that day had reminded him of the family he lost.

{To Hell with my image,} He mentally snarled, {This is too much for him! And at such a young age…}

He pulled Tyson into him, letting the sobbing blue-haired boy rest his head on his chest. He put his arms around his quivering form and rubbed his back gingerly, letting his head rest on Tyson's. The boy was too distressed to notice he was being held by the one person he had least expected.

"Shhh…" He soothed, "Just let it out…"

Tyson continued to weep as twilight settled in. They stayed like that until Tyson's tears tears had subsided. Kai looked down at him and saw that he had fallen asleep. His face softened as he brushed a strand of hair away from the midnight-haired boy's eyes.

"He cried himself asleep… I wish there was something I could do for him… Anything…" He sighed as he scooped him up tenderly, taking him back to camp.

In the wind, a soft voice drifted through the trees.

"You'll understand what I meant that night, my son… and that day draws closer… Take care of him, Kai…"

A single star shone brighter as these words echoed silently through the night, high above the two boy's camp, as though watching over them. Niyt looked up at the sky in wonder.

"'I wish I may, I wish I might

I wish that I could have this wish I wish tonight…'"

~End.

LV: ;_; That was sad…

CL: *sulks* At least he KNEW his parents…

Aya: *teary eyed* I need a tissue…

Niyt: *hand his little cousin a tissue and looks at the screen* So now Kai knows about Tyson's past. With this new information, can he continue to give him the support he needs? Will their friends ever find them? *looks around* And where in Farore's name is the perv' everyone was beating up earlier?!

Joe: *runs past screaming with the readers on his tail holding weapons* HEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPP!!!!

Readers: WE'LL SHOW YOU TO MESS WITH KAI'S TYSON!!!!

Niyt: Oo; Well, that answers ONE question. But the only way to know the answers to the others is to wait for the next chapter!

LV/Aya/CL: *watching Joe get chased while eating popcorn* Review!

[1]: LoZ Trivia #2: WHY is Hazel singing this song, out of all the ones possible? (Hint: It deals with a traditional Deku's arsenal, mostly meaning Mad Scrubs, or the red Dekus. Another big hint is in Majora's Mask at the Great Bay; look up at the trees.)

[2]: See Wish I May for the full story.