Note: if you care I re-uploaded chapters 1-8 on Jan. 7th. They needed some serious help, I mean I wrote it…a year, two years ago. Wow, I really need to upload faster.

Anyway, I have written most of the next chapter, but it may be a bit longer before I upload as I have #$ing exams. 5 to be exact.

Reviewers – to who I owe so much

Princess Fey – Break through --' Ya, it does seem that every show with boys as main characters end up with a girl OC. What else is new?

Then you may be happy to know, providing you want fewer OCs, that in the sequel girls in the show actually end up with guys in the show. There are more OCs, but they do not interact with the 'guys' much. Not including Kaie.

Avestia – I am happy to know how much you like it. It makes me happy to have people who like it so much. . Out of curiosity, what parts nearly make you cry?

Thanks – to all please R&R!!!

"Okay. Let's do this." Kaie said preparing to once again launch her blade.

This time both Max and Kaie were in the park, as they decided it was too noisy to do in their rooms that early.

Kaie's blade flew off her launcher and as it touched the ground she knelt with her eyes closed. Max moved to pick up her blade only to find himself looking at an old shoe.

"Looking for something?" a voice said

Max looked up to see a gang of four standing over him. Max stood up and said, "May I please have the blade back."

"I don't have any blade-thing." A chorus of "neither do I" followed.

One of them stepped forward, defiantly the biggest and strongest looking of all of them. "Do you mean this thing?" he asked

It was defiantly Kaie's blade. "Yes, I do. May I have it back?"

"No."

"What do you want for it?"

"One thousand dollars. Paid now."

Max calculated rapidly, looking over at Kaie. 'She wouldn't be awake for at least another three minutes' he thought 'If I can stall till then maybe she will be able to help me.'

"Fifty." Max said

"This little man must think that he can bargain with us. Well there is no way you can. Pay it now or you'll never get your blade back." Then he walked over to Kaie.

And he kicked her and she flopped over.

Max saw red and pulled out his blade, ready to lunch, forgetting that if one of the others launched their blade and then he lost he would 'die'.

And he fitted it to his launcher and prepared to launch when all of a sudden there was a rustle in the bushes behind them and four figures that Max knew well emerged.

Ozuma, Merriam, Dunga, and Joseph. The Saint Shields.

"Team Launch Target Aff!" Ozuma yelled.

Four blades flew at the gang members pounding into them, causing them all to run away, except for the guy that had kicked Kaie.

Ozuma stepped up to him and said, "You're outnumbered. Surrender or face our wrath. Scorpions should know better than to challenge the Saint Shields."

He slapped Ozuma across the face, at which point Joseph's, Merriam's, and Dunga's blades flew at him, causing to shield his face and drop Kaie's blade.

The Saint Shields' blades had no mercy and restlessly attacked him until he turned and ran away, and then they called their blades all back to their hand.

Merriam knelt next to Ozuma. "Are you alright?" A red welt was beginning to appear on his face.

"I'll be fine. Max you need to get Kaie back into the position she was in before that idiot kicked her over, or else her soul won't return."

Max didn't stop to question how he knew what was going on, but took Kaie's blade to her and sat her up. Just as he finished doing so her body shivered and then green eyes opened and began to survey the world.

Merriam helped Ozuma to his feet and they all went over to where Max and Kaie sat. As soon as Kaie saw them her eyes went wide.

"Why are you guys here?" she asked.

"All the sacred bit-beasts are here." Ozuma said. "While they were looking after them better now most of them are unable to protect their bit-beasts. Where are here merely to ensure that nothing happens to the bit-beasts while they are unable to protect them." Max clutched his blade closer to him.

"And when we saw the Scorpions we couldn't help but say hi." Joseph added "We have a rivalry that goes back a long way."

Merriam rolled her eyes. "Like three years."

"What happened?" Kaie asked, unsure who the scorpions were or why Ozuma had a red mark on his cheek.

Merriam was the one that answered. "We followed the two of you to the park this morning because we had heard that one of you was using the Soul replenishing spell and we wanted to make sure. When the scorpions showed up, and Max looked like he was having a hard time holding his own we decided to interfere.

Basically we scared them away, but you nearly didn't make it." She said

Wide-eyed Kaie asked what she meant.

"The idiot, as Ozuma accurately put it, kicked you, causing your body to flop over and your soul would have floated forever searching for your body if Max hadn't moved your body back into the same position."

"I'm sorry" Max said "I should have been more careful-"

"There is nothing you could have done." Ozuma said, the red mark on his face now very obvious. "He was trained at the Abby alongside Tala and Kai. He was dispelled when Bio-Volt was overthrown, and has been after those who caused it since. Now Max, Kaie, look after yourself. We will be watching."

And at that the Saint Shields retreated into the forest leaving Max and Kaie alone. They walked back in silence, alert, when Max said, "With all the excitement I forgot to ask what you saw."

Kaie continued walking as she answered. "I saw all the surviving bladers around the world, and their parents. And then I saw all the parents of the bladers who are gone, and their bodies. I think I may have seen, just for a second, the realm where all the others have gone. It is black, lit by a solitary green light, a long way off. It was the same colour as Drigger…but I may have imagined it."

Max said nothing and neither did Kaie all through breakfast. They spent the morning using the AIBS and then, on Judy's advice, decided to take the afternoon off. They both went to Kaie's room and decided to read the books they had been assigned in English.

"What page are you on Kaie?" Max asked.

There was no answer so he leaned over her and saw that she was asleep. Max once again noticed how peaceful she looked in her sleep, and how much alike she and Kai were.

Max continued reading, but he soon fell victim to a lack of sleep.

Judy, not hearing any noise from either her son or Kaie decided to see what the two of them were up to. Neither of them were in Max's room, and when she opened the door to Kaie's room she was greeted by a sight which thought she would never see.

Kaie's book lay on the floor and Kaie lay curled up on her side. Max was asleep next to her and had an arm around her. He was slightly taller than Kaie and her head was tucked neatly under his chin. Both were fast asleep and made an incredibly cute picture.

Judy was not at all surprised to see them together anymore and although the sight of them sleeping together was rather shocking, she knew them both well enough to know that nothing other than sleeping had occurred.

With a small smile she closed the door and went back to working at her computer in her office on the top floor.

They both woke up to Judy knocking on the door telling them to come down for dinner. Max lifted his arm off her as subtly as possible, but Kaie felt it anyways.

Kaie was surprised, first off that she had fallen asleep, and second of all that she had fallen asleep in Max's arms. She realised then that she must really trust him or else her internal warning system would have woken her up.

By this point Max was already off the bed and around on her side.

Kaie stood up, but as fate would have it however, Kaie tripped and fell into Max, who in turn fell on the floor. Kaie landed on top of Max, looking into his blue eyes.

Max felt himself falling onto the floor and then a split second later he found himself looking into Kaie's green eyes. Both of them froze, looking into the others eyes. Both felt overcome by an emotion that was so powerful, that words could not explain it.

Both of them were seized by the emotions of the other. Max's eyes showed uncertainty, fear, loss, but courage, strength and bravery also shone out from their blue depths. Kaie's eyes showed apprehension as well as power, of which were visible only when you looked closely.

Then in a surge of the moment Max closed his arms around Kaie and she was momentarily shielded from the world. Kaie felt safe, something she had not been for so many years, for which she was very grateful.

Kaie felt tears of gratitude well up in her eyes. Max saw her tears and one salty tear trickled down her face and fell onto his cheek, where it dried on his skin.

Both said nothing, but there was a silent understanding between them, a bond that many would call love.

Nothing was said as they went for dinner, nor as they ate. It was at 6:58 that Max said, "It is time", and broke the silence.

Kaie nodded and pulled out her blade and taking a deep breath she launched and stayed still as the four minutes were used.

Max and Draciel stood next to her, protecting her as always.

Kaie's eyes came back to earth, full of two visions, two futures. The future if they won, and the future if they didn't.

Kaie didn't have do elaborate on what she saw, as both knew that it vital that they did not loose this tournament. What Kaie didn't tell Max was about the feeling of doom that surrounded her as she fell asleep that night.

Max slept only after a long thought, about blading and also about a certain other blader which he truly knew that he was in love with.

Kaie didn't sleep till Max did and, like him thought about blades and the future. As well as a blond blader.

Done!!

And I just uploaded Chapter 24 about 20 min. ago and now I am done this. . Hahahahahahhahahahahhahah You must all wait till Friday to receive this upload. Hahahahahahahahahaha

Ahem

Let me know what you think.

Max and Kaie are blading next chapter so there is something there to look forward too. .

PLEASE R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smoke Angel