SS-Hi hi minna-san! I felt like I had to get back into writing my stories so that I didn't get too school-centered. Everything in moderation.

Tym-Some of your other stories *ahem* SSM *ahem* are non-moderation.

SS-I'm…taking my time with that one. Anyway, I'm just getting this idea out there to see how it goes. If people like it…I'll continue. If not…I promise I'll try harder with SSM. Now before everyone leaves, let's begin!

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Loving Legends

Prologue

DISCLAIMER: Do we own BeyBlade? …no. The characters? …no. The story? …no-oh wait…heh, that one's ok.

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He sprinted through the woods, ignoring the branches and bushes he met with along the way. He had finally caught a glimpse of the creature he had been searching for and he wasn't about to lose the trail. The boy had to admit, whatever this thing was; it sure was fast…and smart. Three times it had almost lost him, throwing the chaser off with false paths and turns.

          Despite all this he kept going, sensing that he was catching up. He stopped suddenly in a small clearing, listening intently for the creature's next move. His wild sky blue bangs were waving gently in the wind, their unusual color contrasting his blood red eyes yet matching the azure markings on his face. He was wearing a black tank top and baggy navy blue pants. A white scarf was tied loosely around his neck and his ensemble was topped off with a long emerald cape, no doubt useful for camouflage.

          His sensitive hearing caught a slight rustle in the bushes behind him, but he ignored it. He had been thrown off by that trick before, and so he waited for the real thing, knowing the creature was going to try and escape again. The boy pulled out a rope that hung by his belt and tied one end into a circle, getting ready to end the chase. Another breeze came and he cursed, it was harder to tell where the creature was moving now that all the shrubs were rustling. Thankfully a twig snapping caught his attention. The chaser turned to his right in time to see the figure jump from his hiding spot and dash towards the waterfall.

          The boy had been in the Umber Woods many times before, always searching for something or another for one of his most wealthy clients. You could call him a bounty hunter, but he preferred "hired help", for its more positive connotation. And he was the best "hired help" available in the small town, able to find and retrieve just about anything in the Umber Woods…for the right price. You see, even though the town wasn't too big, it was very popular, mainly for the Umber Woods. Within the forests' dark depths lay many wondrous treasures ranging from useful herbal plants, to valuable minerals and jewels. However, what the boy was usually hired to find were the mysterious creatures that lurked the wooded area.

          Unicorns, phoenixes, gryphons, fairies, once a dragon and even mermaids. All seemed to take refuge in the woods by Shimpi village, which was great for the hunter. People paid top dollar for any creature they could think of, and it was this boy's job to find them and bring them to the buyers. This job though, was taking much longer then he had thought. Just recently he had been asked to find two unique creatures that he had never heard of. The boy wouldn't have believed it unless the client hadn't shown him pictures of the two figures. Granted they were blurry and out of focus, but it was enough. Not to mention the reward was quite hefty. So that's why the boy was currently sprinting though the forest, he was so close to catching the creature…he could almost see the tail…caught a glimpse of the hair…he could even make out the shape…he looked human.

          'You're mine.' He thought as he jumped out of the clearing and threw the rope, it hovered above the target and descended as quickly as it was thrown, ringing the figure's tail.

          "Ah…" It cried out as it stopped dead in its tracks. The boy kept a firm grip on the rope's end and started reeling in his catch. The figure was reluctant to go though and pulled against him with just as much force. It was a deadlock, and the boy couldn't even see the creature for it was on the other side of the thick brush.

          "It's…it's no use struggling…you're…mine." He pulled as hard as he could, determined to bring him in. Giving it one final jerk he flew backwards and landed on the lush earth. "What?!" Then he noticed that the other end of the line had been cut with something sharp. "Argh…" He got up and ran through the brush, only to find the waterfall and the mountain behind it. "Damn it." You had to go a long way before you reached the other side of the mountain, so he knew that the creature couldn't have gone far. He looked around, but there was no sign of it anywhere. "Next time you won't be so lucky…" He coiled up the rope and hung it on his belt again.

          "Kai!" The bluenette didn't turn at the sound of his name, already knowing whom it was. In seconds another boy with blue hair came trampling out of the greenery, stopping in front of the hunter. "G-Guess it got away a-again huh?"

          "Obviously." Soon another boy, shorter than the first came out, clutching a laptop in his arms.

          "Did you see it?"

          "Hn."

          "Man…I never thought that catching an animal would be so hard!" The first boy collapsed onto the floor.

          "It's not an animal." Both starred at him.

          "What do you mean it's not an animal? What the hell have we been tracking for days then?" Kai still didn't turn, instead he whistled three times and held his arm out. In seconds a brilliant red bird came and landed itself on his gloved wrist, nuzzling her owner's neck affectionately.

          "It's not a real animal, but I guess it's not really human either." He replied, stroking the phoenix's silky feathers gently. The shorter boy called out.

          "I though you said you didn't see it."

          "I only caught a glimpse of it, but it was enough. It looked human." He began to walk back into the forest. "We're done for today, let's go."

          "Geez, why does he drag us all the way into the middle of the Umber Woods, run off, and then say to go back when we finally catch up with him?"

          "Well you're the one who wanted adventure Tyson." The boy helped him up.

          "I know that Kenny but I never thought it would be this hard…or this exhausting." With that the two jogged after Kai, not wanting to lose him again.

Meanwhile…

          After running for a few seconds, the creature had found his tree and climbed up it, settling on one of the higher branches. There he rubbed his tail, particularly the spot where Kai's rope had been. Good thing he was able to cut through it with his claws, otherwise he would have been a goner for sure. He had to be more careful, next time the boy would probably bring a stronger cord.

          He was a unique creature indeed, he looked human at first glance, but some of his dominating features said otherwise. Hidden beneath his messy jet-black hair lay a pair of feline ears, barely noticeable unless seen from above. He also had a pair of fangs that were visible when he grinned, and claws that he wasn't afraid to use. But probably the dead give-a-way would be his white tail, lined with dark green stripes. Aside from that he looked normal. He wore a clingy green t-shirt and slightly baggy brown pants. Though the boy did have striking golden eyes, it wasn't that people didn't have them…it was just that it was a one in a million kind of thing.

"There you are Rei." The figure on the branch looked up and smiled as his friend landed next to him. "I've been looking all over for you…or rather…Robert has been looking for you." The boy was another unique creature, most likely the other one that Kai was sent to find. He too appeared normal, bushy blonde hair, sea-green eyes, a blue t-shirt over a long green one and auburn shorts. He was completely normal…except for the set of pure white wings protruding from his back. That and the purple marks under his eyes and the splotches on his arms and legs that resembled a turtle. That was the reason Rei sometimes playfully called him "turtle-dove". The blonde didn't mind though, on occasion he would call Rei "neko" for his feline features. It was all in good fun.

"You got to stop disappearing like that or he'll get suspicious," It was then that he noticed the red ring around the boy's normally white tail and put two and two together. "Don't tell me you went into town again."

          "No, I didn't. I was about to…but then that guy started chasing me again."

          "Looks like he actually caught you this time too. Are you ok?" The raven-haired boy rubbed his tail a little.

          "I'm fine Max…it stings a bit though."

          "Well, you better hide it from Robert, he'll kill you if he finds out that you went to town again."

          "I know…I know…" They were there in silence for a while, until a smile crept up on the blonde's face.

          "So…we're still going tomorrow right?" Rei grinned and nodded.

          "Of course. How can we pass up a festival?" Max laughed and stretched out his wings, taking off with a few flaps while Rei skillfully jumped down the towering tree and sprinted off in the direction of his friend. If they intended on going to that fair, they had to prepare. After all, it was a big event, and what's a party without a costume?

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SS-Tell me what you think! Continue? Trash? I'm all ears.

Tym-Can I voice my opinions?

SS-…um…*tosses him a cookie*

Tym- ^___^ *runs off*

SS-That's my boy. Sweet Dweams minna-san.