*Unicolyon Gurl*: I know…^_^…ENRIQUE!!!!!!!!!  *runs to Enrique and hugz him tightly*

~kai~: I like Enrique too, he's my third favorite!  ^_^  No kidding, I was wondering about that too, he probably never takes it off…-_-

Beyblader-grl: Yup, I sure am, it's a lot of work!  ^_^  Oh…they have their moments…it's not impossible…

Reicu: Lol, a random machine??  ^_^U

~*~Prodigious Girl*~*: It's not hard, it's impossible, -_-.  If she's not afraid of blood, why doesn't she like killing?  O_o

whisper*2*imaginary: Me too, I totally snap out at the other person.  I know…I was LATE!  O_O

scarlet diamonds: *falls down dizzy from the shake*  I…won't…kill…him…*falls flat on her face*

Just-some-girl1: I hope not!  ^_^

The Great Kuro Neko: Well, I softened Carly up a bit so she wouldn't seem so demanding, but I can be more sarcastic than you!  ^_^

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* ~ ¤ ~ Quøte ~ ¤ ~ *

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."

~ William Shakespeare

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 21: But Dark Enough to Survive?

         Everyone looked shocked and horrified as they stared at Enrique, his body cold and dark, the life sucked out of his normally cheerful face.

"No!  Enrique!" Carly fell on her knees and shook her friend roughly, "Get up, Enrique!  Get up, please!"  She persistently shook him, trying to stir him.

"Is he...?" Holly whispered fearfully, "...dead?"

"No, his spirit was sucked out of him," Hru said, "He's as good as dead though if we don't get his spirit back into his body.  There must be a way to recapture his spirit."

"The Dark Sanctuary could cure him," Willow said hurriedly, "The damage was caused by a Dark monster, the Sanctuary should be able to heal him."

Kai nodded, "It's worth a shot, we have to hurry though, the longer we wait, the more life is sucked outta of him."

Kailee started to cry, "Poor Enrique...I told you this is a bad idea!  He's going to die."

"He's not going to die," Max said soothingly.

"Guys, we're still surrounded," Tala said angrily, "We've gotta get outta here before they decide to drain our spirits too!"

Carly's eyes were sparking in hot anger, she was clenching her bow tightly, "You'll pay for that."
"Carly, don't do anything reckless," Johnny pleaded, grabbing his axe, "Stay here, it's too dangerous for you to fight, normal weapons don't harm the Dark Ghosts."

The Dark Ghost that took Enrique's spirit wailed and moaned in a triumphant way, slipping away.

"Oh no you don't!" Carly yelled, "Come back here, you bastard!  I'll make you pay for hurting Enrique!!!!  So, normal weapons aren't good enough to destroy ghosts huh?  Let's see how you handle a sacred spirit then!!!!  Mystique!"  She launched her blade furiously, "ATTACK!!!!!"  Carly's dragon Bit Beast flared out and let out a stream of ice crystals.  Carly added her own Ice attack into the power and vanquished the Dark Ghost, sending him away screaming.  Carly was still tense, breathing heavily, she still look furious.

There were still a lot of Dark Ghosts though and Holly and Hru were doing their best to destroy them.

"This is getting tiring!" Hru yelled over all the commotion, "Holly and I can't last much longer like this, think of something guys!"

"I wish I could help!" Kai said, banging his fist against the gravestone, "But it took Carly that much power to just destroy one, it'll take us forever."

Then Holly shrieked and Kai whirled around, "Holly!"

Holly was struggling as two ghosts held her still.  The third Dark Ghost laughed evilly and zoomed at Holly.

"Holly!  NO!" Kai gasped as the Dark Ghost flew through her body, "Holly!!!!!!"  Kai tore though the Dark Ghosts blocking his way and ran as fast as he could to her.

"Holly!" Willow cried.

"No, not her too!" Kailee sobbed.

Holly gasped as she felt a sharp pain spread over her body and she went limp for a second, but that was all she felt.  Shuddering at the cold feeling and trembling a bit from the shock, other than that she was fine.  Kicking free, she slashed through the Dark Spirits.

"Holly!" Kai rushed to her, "You're okay!  How - ?"  His auburn eyes were wide with shock and relief.

"I don't know," Holly shrugged, "It just didn't seem to affect me at all.  I felt a sharp stab, that's all."

"Thank Heavens," Kai said, letting out a sigh of relief, "You had me so worried there."

Holly gazed into his sincere hazel eyes and felt her heart flutter, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Kai crossed his arms and looked away, "Good."

Meanwhile Hru did quick work with the rest of the Dark Ghosts, slashing and slicing until defeated them all.  The rest that were still alive were very much spooked and they all flew away, moaning.  Hru noticed that Tala was watching her intently, "What?"  She smirked at him, "Impressed?  Or is it not up to your level?"

"Very," Tala replied with equal causality, his blue eyes sparkling and a hint of a grin appeared on his face.

Hru tried to shake off the strange feeling she had whenever she looked at Tala in the eyes, it was weird and driving her nuts.  It was almost if she felt something for him...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         "Look, his body's going all dark and cold," Carly said, her voice shaking, she sounded really scared, "What if he dies??  He's my best friend, I won't lose him."

"It's okay," Johnny assured, putting his arm around Carly's shoulder, "We'll get him to the Sanctuary."

Carly knocked Johnny's hand away angrily, "It's not okay."  Her emerald eyes shone with tears, but she still refused to let them fall.

Johnny sighed and backed away, Holly put her hand on his shoulder.

"Let's hurry to the Dark Sanctuary," Willow urged, "We're really close."

"The two of us can carry Enrique," Kai said to Johnny.

"No thanks," Carly said, grabbing Enrique's arm and slinging his limp body on her back, "I'll carry him."

Kai and Johnny stared open-mouthed at Carly.

"Are you sure?" Johnny asked dumbly.

"Isn't he heavy?" Kai demanded.

"I don't care how heavy he is!" Carly snapped, "I'm getting him to that Sanctuary even if it kills me in the process!"  She started forward, "I may be a girl, but I'm strong too you know!"

"It's up ahead!" Holly said, pointing, "I see it, thank goodness."

"Don't forget, there's a mage in there," Cassandra said, "He might not welcome us."

Carly growled, "We'll see.  I don't care if he welcomes us or not, I'll fight my way in if I have to!"

They reached the door of the Sanctuary and Willow pushed it open.  The floor was made of a black marble and the walls were white.  The curtains and tapestries were all black though.  But the rooms were lit with a light.  A figure wearing a black cloak came out.

The person bowed slightly to Willow, "Your Highness, we're so happy you have returned to us."

The bladers looked at each others, the voice was mellow and sweet.

"You're- you're a -" Willow stammered, sounding surprised.

The person let down her hood and smiled, "Yes, I'm the Dark Mage."

"You're a lady!" Willow exclaimed, "I thought mages were all men!"
"Not always," the Dark Mage said sweetly, "Can I be of assistance?"

Willow pointed to Enrique who was still slung on Carly's back, "A Dark Ghost passed through him and now he's like that.  We can still save him, right?"

"Come with me," the Dark Mage said softly.  She led them to the healing room and indicated to the glowing beds, "Put him there."

Carly threw Enrique on the bed and slid down on the floor in exhaustion.

"Your friend should be fine in a while," the Dark Mage said gently, "Do not despair, the magic of the Dark Ghosts is weak, if it was stronger magic, then we'd have a problem.

Johnny sat down beside Carly and patted her shoulder.  Carly smiled a bit at him and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"I am so glad you're here, your Highness," the Dark Mage said, "The evil here is destroying the Light Kingdom and harming the balance of the Kingdoms!  They must be stopped."

"I know," Willow said, "We're heading for the Dark Palace after this."

"Then I wish you all the best," the Dark Mage said, "Please be careful, the power of the Dark Warlock is strong and overwhelming."

"They need more creative names," Carly muttered.

Enrique stirred and moaned.  Carly gasped and scrambled over to him, "Enrique!"

"Go away, I'm still sleepy..." Enrique murmured.

Carly frowned and raised her hand and slapped Enrique's face - hard, "Get up you moron, you had me worried to DEATH!"  She balled the hand she used to slap Enrique into a fist, her hand shaking, "You stupid boy…"  Her voice trembled with emotion and relief.

Enrique bolted up, "Huh?  Carly?  Where am I?  What happened?"  He rubbed his cheek with a hand, "Ow…why did you hit me?  What did I do this time…?"
"I was worried to hell, that's what!" Carly exploded, quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "I thought you were dead!"
"You have a funny way of showing that you care," Tala remarked, raising his eyebrow, "By yelling and accusing people, not to mention slapping them."

"Yeah," Carly said furiously, "So remember that the next time I yell or accuse you."

Enrique still looked confused, but he tried his best to calm his best friend down.

"We should get going now," Willow told the Dark Mage, "Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome," the Dark Mage said sincerely, "We're all behind you, your Highness, I know you'll make us proud.  We're all depending on your survival, I don't know how much longer we can live like this.  Please be careful."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         "We're going to the Dark Palace now, right?' Hru asked, "Is it far??  All this nonsense walking is going to drive me nuts!"

"It's still quite a distance away," Willow replied, turning her map card around, "You know guys...maybe we shouldn't go."

"What do you mean we shouldn't go!!!!!" Carly snapped, "Enrique almost died and we're not stopping in the middle of nowhere.  I don't start a job I don't finish."

"Ray's not here," Willow said softly, "And we need his power, we're just not complete without him."

"We don't need anyone," Carly said angrily, "If he wants to sit there and fancy his Kingdom, so be it.  When we do get to my Kingdom, even if I don't have all your help, I can still manage by myself!"

"I'll still come with you," Enrique said loyally.

Carly smiled, "Thanks buddy!" She slung her longbow over her shoulder.

"Carly's right you know," Holly told Willow gently, "We can't stop just because Ray isn't here.  We need to free your Kingdom as well as save mine."

"Oh okay," Willow said reluctantly, "Our next stop is the Dark Forest."

"I don't like the sound of that," Kailee whimpered, "Why does everything have to be Dark?"

"Forests make us vulnerable since we can only stand on the ground," Tala said softly.

"Unless you wanna imitate Tarzan and do some vine swinging," Carly drawled, "We can't fly or anything."

"All we can do is keep our guard up," Kai said seriously, "But if there are more Dark Devils, we could be in trouble.  I don't think we can dodge arrows forever."

"What if there's something else in the Dark Forest?" Max asked nervously, "Like, something more....evil?"

"Then we fight it and slice its head off," Johnny said, grinning.

Holly looked at him as if he was insane, "Remind me never to meet you in the dark."

"I was kidding," Johnny said, "Although it's not a bad idea."

"How about we actually go in, instead of talking about it outside the forest?" Hru suggested sarcastically.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

         "Wow...it's so dark here," Kailee remarked, shivering, "So cold too."

"I hope you weren't expecting a welcoming committee," Kai told his sister, putting his hand firmly on her shoulder, "Don't worry about it, as long as we stick together, it'll be fine."  His voice was brimming with its usual authority.

"I keep on hearing things," Max said, almost bumping into Enrique.

"OW, that's my foot!" Enrique yelped.

"Sor-ry!" Max said, "I told you I can't see a thing!"

"You aren't hearing things," Johnny said, "There are things here, they're just really quiet.  Creatures probably live here and all, but they ain't gonna bother us unless we bother with them."

"I can sense Dark monsters nearby," Willow whispered, "We're getting closer..."

"What do you mean you can 'sense'?" Carly demanded, "This is getting creepy, I'm going to annihilate whatever's here."

"I heard wings flapping," Tala said quietly.

"I wish I could fly," Kailee said brightly, "That'll be fun!"

"Now's not the time Kailee," Kai said sternly, "I hear it now.  This whole Kingdom's been like a listen-and-fight game.  I think my ears are getting sore!"

"Definitely wings," Johnny said, "Not birds though.  The flaps are too quick to be from birds.  Some other creature, maybe gargoyles."

"What are gargoyles?" Kailee squeaked.

"Let's hope you never find out," Kai said.

"I can't stand it," Holly said, "I have to find out.  Go Enchantary!"  She launched her Beyblade and watched as her beautiful angel Bit Beast emerged for her blade, shining light throughout the forest.

"There!" Enrique cried, "Bats!  A whole ton of them!"

"Not just any bats!" Johnny exclaimed, "Vampire bats!"

{ ¤ Vampire Bats ¤ are larger than normal bats with fangs twice as long.  If they manage to sink their fangs into your neck, they'll either turn you into one of them otherwise they may choose to suck your soul out. }

"Did he say v-vampire?" Kailee's voice shook.

The bats screeched under the light and charged at them.

"Ack!" Willow cried as the bats surrounded her and started clawing her arms and trying to bite her neck, "Eeeeew!!"

"Somebody do something!" Kailee shrieked, running around with bats chasing after her.

Carly fixed an arrow in her longbow and locked it in place.  She used it and swatted the weapon around, trying to fend off the bats.

Kai swung his sword around furiously, keeping the bats at a fair distance.

The bats didn't approach Holly at all, so Holly did her best to protect Kailee from harm.

"OW!" Hru yelled as the bats pulled her hair and sniped at her arms, "Let me go you fiends!"

Cassandra yelped as the bats spun around her and she desperately tried to keep them at a distance.

Johnny was cursing loudly as the bats tried to bite his arm, with a swing of his powerful arm, he send his axe flying towards them.

"Leave me alone!" Max groaned, covering his face, "Go away!"

Enrique used his Psychic powers to protect himself from the bats that approached him.  His body glowed orange and the bats flew away immediately.

"Tala!" Hru yelled, grabbing his arm tightly and shaking him hard, "DO something!  Blow them away or something."

Tala grimaced, "Ow, I can't, I can't stand still for one second without being bitten.  Why can't you do something?"  He tried to yank away from Hru, wincing at her grip.  "Stop shaking me!!!"

"There are too many of them, you can blow them away with a gust of your Wind!" Hru exclaimed, "Listen, I'll use my Spirit power to cover for you and you raise your windstorm."

Tala hesitated, his voice brimmed with mistrust, it was obvious that he didn't trust her, "But - I don't know..."

"Trust me!" Hru insisted, her eyes flashing, "I won't them bite you, you think you'd make a good vampire?"

"Since you put it that way," Tala said ironically, "Fine.  You had better keep that promise."

"I will!" Hru said urgently, "Hurry!  Before any of them get bitten!"

Tala started to stir up a windstorm as Hru whacked her weapon at any bat that came close.  Soon, a strong wind knocked the bats out of the sky and landed them roughly on the ground.  After, Cassandra summoned up a wave of water and drenched the bats completely.

Defeated and unable to fly, the bats scampered away as fast as they possible could.

"Good riddance to bad trash," Carly muttered, "Awesome work."

"No one got bitten right?" Johnny asked anxiously.
"I don't think so," Willow said, shaking.

"Kailee?  You okay?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, thanks to Holly," Kailee said, shivering violently.

"Disgusting things," Max shuddered.

"See?  I told you I'd cover for you," Hru said to Tala, dusting herself off, "You can try trusting me once in a while."

Tala paused and said a soft, "Thank you."

Hru looked surprised, she wasn't expecting any thanks at all, "You don't need to thank me, we were working together."

"Maybe," Tala said slowly, "But thanks anyways."  He walked away without looked at her.

//It never fails, just when I think I have him all figured out, he does something to throw me completely off track.// Hru mused, //Am I ever going to understand him?//

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Yay, done!  Wow, remaking the whole layout of my website is hard, hard work!  Sorry, if the replies to the reviews are sorta short.  O_O  I'm almost done remaking my whole website, I just need to find a good web host, if anyone knows any good ones, let me know okay??  Thanx!  ^_^  I've just gotta finish the splash page and than, it's done!  Phew!  Anyways, read and review, I'm up until 12 typing this whole chapter up, hope you like it!  ^_^