LV: *blinks* … Oo That's a lot for one chapter.
Aya: ^_____^ And you thought no one would like this story…!
CL: *gaping*
LV: Oo …Reviews…
Kiina~ Oo; *in a squeaky voice* I'm writing! ^^;
Yami Princess~ Yep, it's Saria's Song! ^^ And I'm continuing!
Bloody Mary~ *thinks about it and nods* Yeah, he would need it too, but they generally came to grips with that in the show. Nanny-like instincts? Oo; {Hazel: Oo; I got chocolate?} For having to put up with your embarrassing act. {Hazel: Oh.}
Tsunami Wave~ {Hazel: *nods sadly* Yep, poor me…} {Sen and Shade: *covered in bruises* WHAT ABOUT US!? WE'RE the ones who got hurt!} {Evil Wolfos: *cocks an eyebrow at Dragoon and steps on him* THIS is all? Pathetic… *glares at TW* You want in on my hit list, don't you?} Oo; Down, boy!
Ashleigh~ I'm continuing!
MidnightLoner~ --; Doesn't ANYONE read the author's notes and review responses? Tyson's not FROM Hyrule, but he's BEEN there! And Shade's a Wolfos, not to be confused with the other one; Sen's a Skullkid; Hazel's the Deku; and Satu's the fairy! They're there for humor reasons. They always act like that. Oo;
eternal radiance~ Let's all pat Tyson on the back, now. *pat pat* I'm glad you think it's cute. Here's the next chapter!
Rumi-Chan~ (Aya: *lunges at them and ricochets off* Wah! O_o!) ^^ Thanks! *huggles them* (Aya: ¬¬* I'll get them… Now for research… *stalks off*)
DaughterofDeath~ T.T; Well, you get to the point.
Mugs~ *raises eyebrow* I was WONDERING when he was gonna start smart-mouthing you. =^^= This is one of your favorites? Aw, now I feel special…
Hikari Yamasa~ =^^= Thanks! Here's the next chapter!
Yami Yousei~ Oo; You don't even like Tyka and you still enjoyed this? =^^= I feel loved. I know that Tyson's dub surname is Granger, but I like Kinomiya better. It sounds nicer. [CL: O_O! Fangirl! HELP!!! *runs off screaming*] Oo; He can look monsters in the eye without flinching but can't face a girl without having spasms…
I luv Yugi and Daisuke so :p~ Sad, but cute. I'll agree with you on that. [CL: *looking at the WoMD in his hands* Oo; Do I really need this? I mean, I do have bombs and all…] (Aya: *jumps back from sulking and snuggles the plushies* Yay! ^^ I'm all happy again! *glares at LV* But I'll get your plushies yet! You just wait and see…!) Oo… Okay. I don't need the life insurance by ways of muses as much as my characters, though… {Sen/Satu/Hazel/Shade: OW! *rubs head* That hurt…} {Niyt: Ow! Hey, I was AGAINST the idea! Leave me out of it!}
kawaii-kirei~ {Shade: ^^ *wags tail* Yep! They love my acce't! I like it lots, too!} ¬¬; She's gonna be like that all day…
Darkspider~ Oh, sorry to hear that you're sick. It sucks. Hope this helps!
Fire Mage~ *Aya steals plushie…again* --; Well, so much for THAT… (Aya: ^____^ HAH! Nyah nyah-nyah nyah-nyah nyah! *blows raspberry*) ¬¬* Oh, I'll SO get you for that…!
LV: Reviewers receive a year's supply of their favorite cookie and ice cream. I'm running out of ideas here…
Disclaimer: Own it, I do not. Own Niyt, Joe, the evil Wolfos (Cloud), and the four matchmakers, I do. Stop talking like Bowyer, I must… (Sorry, I am. Super Mario RPG on the brain, I have. Sucks, this does.)
Notes: …: translation, //…//: Niyt's telepathy to Tyson, /…/: Tyson's telepathy to Niyt, ~…~: group thoughts, {…}: single person's thoughts.
Key to the Lock
~
The morning sun shone on the lake's crystal surface. Birds chirped, welcoming the day with their song. The scent of the fresh forest soothing the frazzled nerves of one young boy.
Tyson opened his eyes groggily, the sunlight reflected in the lake blinding him momentarily. Memories of the night before were foggy, all except his breakdown. But he could've sworn that someone had comforted him…
He sat up, rubbing his head tenderly. He tried to remember, but it came as a blank. It couldn't have been Niyt; he rarely used his magic, even back when he was a little boy, plus it wasn't his voice that soothed him. If Niyt didn't do it, and he was alone with the exception of his team captain, then… Tyson froze as his eyes widened in realization.
Kai had comforted him. Kai, the cold-as-ice, hard-as-steel boy who, as far as anyone knew, cared only about winning. His secret love. He shook his head.
{There's no way he would've. I mean, he's Kai! He wouldn't waste his time on me…}
"One day, you will find a heart that is a lock, closed to everyone, even you…"
His mother's words echoed in his mind. Wasn't Kai like that?
"And yet, only you will be able to unlock it, for your heart is the key…"
Hadn't he said to himself before that he WANTED to be Kai's key? That he wanted to be the first to see his true self under the ice?
Yes, he decided. He had said that mere days ago, in his mind, in his heart. There was no denying it. It was truth.
Niyt chose that moment to flit in, checking up on his charge.
"Hey Tyson, you okay?" He asked, landing on his shoulder. Tyson nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine now," He smiled kindly, "What happened last night?"
Niyt sighed, "According to Kai, you broke down crying while telling him about your mother. You cried yourself to sleep and he brought you back to camp." Tyson flushed.
"He brought me back to camp?" He repeated, squeaking in surprise, "As in, carried me?" Niyt nodded, clearly amused at the meek behavior the normally foolhardy yet compassionate boy was displaying. Tyson went beet red.
"He's probably gonna think I'm some sort of crybaby or something…" He muttered as he let his head fall in his hands. Niyt thwapped him.
"He doesn't think you're a crybaby! It's the first time he's seen you cry, remember? It isn't the first time he's seen you depressed, but this was bad. Tell me, Tyson, does it still really hurt you to think of your mom? How come when Kai does something, it means more to you? Was everything I've done for you worth nothing? Answer me!"
Tyson's head shot up, eyes narrowed in outrage, "Excuse me? I think my hearing's a bit bad. I thought I heard you demand an answer." Niyt's normally dark blue aura changed a bitter reddish-green.
"Yeah, I did! I'm sick and tired of doing things for you and not get any credit! But if those stupid friends of yours do the same thing, you thank them! Especially KAI!" He hissed, ire flaming out of his small form, "I'm your oldest and truest friend, mister; I demand more respect! I don't want to be treated second best! I want the attention I had when you were younger! When I was your only real friend!" Tyson glared coldly at him.
"I can't believe you! You're jealous of them! If you were a true friend, you'd let others in my life, not keep me to yourself! That's really selfish, Pixie-Boy!" He spat, slightly hurt at the accusation, "And you know how I am! I swore an oath on the night of my mother's death to treat everyone as my friend; I don't plan on breaking that oath because of your jealousy!"
"So what if I'm jealous? I have every right to be when I'm thrown to the side like yesterday's newspaper! After all that I've done for you, this is the thanks I get? I swore an oath, too, mister. I swore to guide and protect you!"
"If that's the case," He stated coldly, "why are you trying to keep me to yourself? Isn't a guardian supposed to be there to guide you, and let you experience the world?"
Niyt growled, "Keep my job out of this, Tyson! It's all KAI'S fault!"
"Niyt! Keep Kai out of this!" Tyson snapped, "He didn't do anything!"
"He's the entire reason, Tyson! You're too damn BLIND to see it!"
That did it. "Niyt, you're such a BUG!! Why can't you just accept the fact that I don't need you now like I did then!?"
Niyt stared at Tyson disbelievingly, "Fine. I'm sick and tired of this disrespect. You have until tonight to decide, Tyson. Kai… or me." With that, he flew off. Tyson watched him go before letting his head fall back in his hands.
"I'm such an idiot…" He whispered to himself so Kai couldn't hear him, "How am I supposed to choose between my best friend and Kai?"
~
Niyt sulked as Satu flew up to him, buzzing angrily.
"I can't believe you did that!" She snapped, "You can't possibly expect Tyson to choose between his oldest friend and the guy he likes! He's torn in two!" He looked up at her with blank, emotionless eyes.
"Trust me, Satu, there's a good reason why I did that," He stated impassively, "In order to test his heart, there must be challenges. This is a challenge. If he truly loves Kai, then he'll let me go."
Satu's features hardened, "And if he chooses you?"
"He won't. I know it." Satu slapped him in rage.
"Get a grip on yourself, asshole! You're like an older brother to Tyson, but he loves Kai; you know that better than anybody! BOTH of you mean a lot to him!" She said hotly, "You're basically asking him to choose between saving himself or saving his mother! You might THINK he'll choose himself, but there's a pretty damn good chance he'll choose his mother's life over his own! He's just lucky now that BOTH you and Kai didn't enforce it, otherwise he wouldn't be able to handle it at all! He'd sooner leave BOTH of you than choose between you! Get over your stupid jealous streak and suck up your pride!"
"Speaking of mothers, it wasn't MY idea to bring up that memory!" He snapped in response, "If you freaks hadn't have interfered, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
"You're one to talk!" Sen snarled, "I scared Kai into staying close to Tyson, the two of them are closer now due to what happened last night! Away from people, they're opening up! Everything was going FINE until that argument five minutes ago! It's YOUR fault!"
"Quit defending your girlfriend, Skullkid!"
"For the LAST time, SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!!" [1]
Hazel nodded in agreement, "Yeah, everything was running like clockwork until you threw in a wrench with that argument! Tyson was right, you ARE selfish!"
"I'm beginnin' ta see why mos' Guardi'n Fairies are gals…" Shade snorted, "They be easier ta get alon' wit'. An' they dun get jealous as easy, eith'r."
"Didn't I say to GO AWAY?"
"Nope, not yet!" Sen grinned.
Hazel shook his head, "Seriously, you should apologize to Tyson. That's cruel to make him choose. What would Aya think? Oh wait, I know what she'd think. She'd call you a hypocrite, because you were forced to choose between your two admirers, one of which was your best friend since forever, and the other the girl you were crushing on for years." Niyt choked.
"S-She TOLD you about that!?" He squeaked. The four nodded.
"She said you wanted to go with your crush, but you were afraid of loosing the bond you and your life-long friend had. They gave you an ultimatum, didn't they? And you were chosen the very next day to go to the human world to guard Tyson, and you left before you could give an answer? Why? Because you were scared of the consequences. They've probably both moved on, knowing you weren't coming back. You're putting Tyson in that very same situation, the one you left to AVOID. That isn't fair, to him, to Kai, and to yourself." He sighed, "Come on guys. There's nothing we can do to change his mind." Reluctantly, the four left.
Niyt sat there in thought, Hazel's words running through his head.
"I… I'm sorry… Flit… Neia… Tyson… Kai… Tyson and Kai!" He bolted up, "I need to go back and let Tyson forget about choosing! Apologize for upsetting him! Aw man, Flit always said I needed to keep my big mouth shut…!" He shot back towards camp, hoping he wasn't too late.
~
"I can't believe he's trying to make me choose between him and you," Tyson muttered as Kai looked at him oddly.
"And I still don't see why he's acting like a girl on PMS," Kai grunted. He had come back to camp after Niyt had flown off, seeing Tyson let his head fall into his hands and catching the words Tyson had said to himself.
Tyson quirked an eyebrow at him, "'Girl on PMS'?"
The boy in question sighed, "Yeah. He let me go to comfort you last night, and today he's got a grudge against me for it?" Tyson sweatdropped. Kai did have a point.
An odd one, but a point, nonetheless.
Tyson sighed as he fingered the silver ring underneath his shirt, the one Kai had gotten for him last Christmas. It was easy to say that Niyt had mixed feelings about Kai. He never was really fond of him, initially because of his rudeness and indifference to others. After the Black Dranzer incident, it was because of his betrayal and the fact he broke Tyson's heart choosing power over hi--the team. Yeah, that was it. 'He's a control freak, Tyson.' and 'Why do you like someone who only cares about himself?' were common comments from the dark blue fairy, along with 'Rei's much more polite, choose him!', 'Max's attitude suits yours better.', and 'At least Kenny can keep you in line, and I can have Dizzi to talk to, too.'. But as the Fates would have it, Tyson could never see himself with anyone but Kai. The others were more like brothers than anything. Besides, Max and Rei, or whichever got to him first, would kill him if he tried to separate them. An angry Rei was pretty scary. But an angry Max… He shuddered.
"You still have that ring?" He heard Kai say with surprise evident in his voice. Tyson blushed faintly; Kai must've seen him fingering it.
"Yeah, I've always had it," He replied with mock indignation, taking it out of its hiding place. The silver ring glimmered in the sunlight, the designs engraved in its surface holding an almost golden sheen. A starry ribbon of light was among the designs, attached to a delicate key. The key was unlocking a heart-shaped lock, which was opening with pools of light escaping from the keyhole. Engraved along the inside of the ring were the words, 'Every lock has a key'. It had been like that since Tyson first saw it in the shop window, generally ignored by everyone, save him.
"I'm just a bit surprised, since I never saw it again," Kai smirked, "After all, we know how you are."
Tyson huffed, "Hey! Just because I'm a bit messy doesn't mean I'm not organized! I still know where everything is!" [2]
"Right. I believe you."
"…Hey, don't laugh! I'm not kidding!"
Kai continued to give him an amused look, annoying him to no end. His serious façade returned, "Why did it mean so much to you?"
"It… reminded me of my mother… Of something she said the night she died. I guess, since I've got nothing but pictures left of her, it was a way to remember her…" He paused to look up at Kai, "Did you know she loved Christmas, because it took place in winter? She always enjoyed the sight of snow; it enlightened her. She was pining away the entire time she was studying anthropology in Egypt, where she met my dad. I suppose it meant a lot to me for that reason, too; because you gave it to me at her favorite time of year." Kai nodded. From what he collected the night before and the news he heard just now, he and his mother were very close.
Tyson then pulled out his ocarina again, "I don't know why, but I feel like playing. I didn't get to yesterday…" Kai shrugged.
"Do whatever you like, Ty." Tyson promptly blew a harsh note, eyes wide in shock.
"D-did you just call me Ty?" He gaped, staring at Kai, who seemed very uncomfortable at the sudden behavior. Tyson noticed this and calmed himself down a bit.
"Sorry," He said, clearly embarrassed, "It's just that no one's called me that for nearly eight years. My sister used to call me that all the time." Kai suddenly became interested.
"You mentioned her last night, too. I take it you two were close?" He nodded, albeit a bit sourly.
"Yeah, we were practically joined at the hip," He stated sulkily as a bitter undertone crept into his voice, "until Mom died and my Aunt Cheres fought with my dad for custody, thinking her brother was too inept at taking care of us. So they separated us, my aunt taking my sister and my dad taking me." He smiled faintly at a past memory, "Ah, Kas… I wonder what happened to her…"
"TYSON!!" They both jumped slightly at the sudden shouting. The boy in question was nearly toppled over by the dark blue fairy spurting with apologies and begging forgiveness.
"I'msosorryfortryingtomakeyouchoosebetweenmeandKaiI'majealouscreeppleaseforgiveme!!!" Tyson sweatdropped.
"Take a breath, Niyt! Chill!" He commented, giving him a weird look, "Man, Kai, you were right. He is acting like a girl on PMS." Kai smirked as Niyt glared at him.
"YOU," he pointed at Kai, "stay outta this." He turned back to Tyson, "Look, I'm really sorry that I was so selfish that I gave you that ultimatum. It wasn't fair at all. I shouldn't have done that. You were right, I am jealous, but that's because I was worried; I was in a situation just like that before, and now I have nobody, 'cause I doubt either of them would take me back after leaving without even saying goodbye." He looked up to meet Tyson's gaze, "Will you ever forgive me?"
Tyson gave him an odd look before smiling, "Now, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Niyt squealed before throwing himself at Tyson again.
"Oh, thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…!"
"We get the picture, buddy."
"Sorry!"
~
"Okay, boys," Joe said as he prepared his tool box and supplies, "She should be ready to run in a few days. Then we'll take 'er to the skies to find yer cu--friends." He covered quickly as Kenny and Max glared at him again. One hit with those sticks was enough; he still had a headache thinking about it.
Plus all those nightmares with a bunch of other teenagers chasing him with weapons shouting at him to keep his hands off the small blue-haired boy… He shivered. [3]
Rei watched with a tired and irritated look in his golden eyes. Several times in the last two days Max and Kenny had to be restrained from strangling the old man, and he wasn't doing any better. The way he kept looking at Max was driving him up the wall, but he kept his cool and dragged the blond boy away before he realized what was going on and tried to kill Joe himself. Just because Tyson wasn't around, it didn't give him the right to look at another kid!
…Not that Tyson enjoys it, but you know what he means.
"I hope we find Kai and Tyson soon," Kenny sighed forlornly when Joe left to start the repairs. The others nodded.
"Yeah," Max added, a worried look in his ocean blue eyes, "We have no idea what's out there, plus Joe says the mountain's cursed…"
Rei gave them a look, "Hey guys, chin up. We'll find them, safe and sound. Kai won't let anything happen to Tyson, and Tyson won't let anything happen to Kai. Besides…" He smiled mischievously, "this could be the break we've been waiting for. They are alone, after all…"
"Oh yeah! Bring on the Tyka!" Dizzi whooped from her spot in Kenny's lap. The other three sweatdropped.
"Dizzi…" Kenny said nervously, "You worry me." Max and Rei nodded in agreement.
She huffed, "Spoilsports…"
~
In another part of the woods, the dark wolf like creature sniffed the air again, a vengeful gleam in his cold blood-red eyes.
"I know your scent anywhere, boy… You won't escape me again…"
He took off in the direction of the scent. His bone-chilling howl filled the air again, causing several forest creatures to duck into their homes in fright. But he wasn't interested in them.
"This time, boy, you won't be so lucky… I swear it."
~End CHAPTER. (Forgot to put this last time; sorry! ^^;)
LV: Oo; Leave it to Dizzi to lighten the mood. And that Wolfos knows how to ruin it.
Aya: *huffs* See? My family's terrible! He broke Flit's heart; I liked her, she was cool!
CL: *grumbles* At least he HAS a family…
LV: ¬¬; Okay, CL, that's getting old. Quit sulking.
Tyson: Yeah, at least you didn't see your mom DIE right in front of you. *to readers* Niyt finally apologized for being a jerk, and now I don't have to choose between him and Kai--thank the Gods. But it seems that the wolf creature now knows where Kai and I are. That's not good. Will he find us? Find out next chapter of Forever and Always!
LV: You're pretty good at this.
Tyson: ^^ To quote the Deku last chapter, "Thanks, I try."
[1]: --; Well, someone's still in denial…
[2]: All those guilty of this, raise your hand. *raises hand sheepishly* ^^;
[3]: *whistles innocently* What? You seriously didn't think I'd leave something that funny out, right?
