SS-Hi again. ^^;; Not too many reviews but hey…it's just starting. I don't mind.

Tym-You minded for SSM…

SS-*ahem* Let's not go there ok?

Tym-Fine.

SS-Now that the prologue's over (OMG, I didn't combine the prologue with the first chapter like I usually do! -_-# Oh well), we can get into the characters a bit more and introduce s'more stuff. After all, there's a festival! That's got to bring in some interesting things.

Tym-We'll see…let's begin already.

SS-Nu-uh…I want to thank those who took the time to review ^^ love you people!

~

Nekowingzero-Thanks for the support! I'll continue on with my imagination.

B-Such an easy name to remember. Glad you like it so far.

Anime girl8-It's a festival anything's possible, or you can just read and find out.

Platinum Rei-It's going to be a very interesting road ^_~ Hope you like this chapter.

maedhros-What color is Rei's ear? Hm…didn't think anyone would ask me that…but it's white with green stipes.

Porticulis-Hey, good to see a familiar face…or penname anyway. You like? =) Cool, I'll do my best with it. And what do you mean…not…yet? *gets suspicious*

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Loving Legends

Chapter 1 – The festival of Yuki

DISCLAIMER: … see prologue ^^

~*~*~*~

It was pretty late when Kai and his roommate returned home. With all the money he earned from being  "hired help", he was able to afford a fairly large house overlooking the forest and the mountains. Mainly he wanted it because of the balcony; the fact that it was attached to the mini-mansion was luck.

          "Are we going back out there tomorrow?" Kai turned to Tyson, who had slumped into the couch. He answered in an impassive tone.

          "Yes." The younger groaned.

          "Aw…but the festival is tomorrow! Remember? The festival of Yuki…it only comes once a year Kai!" He was actually right for a change. Tomorrow was the day all the people of Shimpi gathered to celebrate the memory of Yuki, the name of the girl and the name of the first unicorn ever discovered in the Umber Woods. Of course it was just a legend, but so were the animals that roamed in the forest.

According to the tale, a man by the name of Zishi spotted a unicorn three years ago on that very day and managed to capture and bring it to Kuna circle (The center of Shimpi village). Everyone was amazed by the unicorn, they wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't standing in front of them.

          Zishi was planning on freeing it that night, but the others wanted to keep it. A fight broke out right there and lasted for quite a while until the unicorn managed to bite off the ropes tying it to the pole. Using its mighty wings, it took flight and returned to Umber Woods. It wasn't until it was already in the air that Zishi spotted his daughter, Yuki, on the unicorn's back. Everyone tried to stop it but it was too late. The creature and the girl were gone.

          A few days later the people in the village had a memorial service for Yuki and from then on had a festival in her honor on that very day every year. It reminds everyone that the creatures in the forest are a blessing and we shouldn't take them for granted. Somehow though, there was never a law made that forbade people from capturing these animals. It was frowned upon, but no one really did anything about it since mostly everyone wanted one.

Kai never went to the festival; he thought it was a waste of time. But that didn't keep his long-time (and in his opinion, annoying) friend Tyson and his buddy Kenny from going. Every year they would try to get Kai to go with them, and every year he found a way to get out of it. Why did the bluenette put up with him? Well, besides knowing the boy since childhood, it was Tyson who gave him the idea of becoming "hired help". He noticed how Kai had a knack for finding and capturing his pet dog every time it ran to the woods so he suggested it to him. That's really the only reason why he was now his roommate. Kai felt that he owed him for all that he had, so even though he didn't always like it, he invited the boy to live with him.

"Fine, you can go tomorrow."

"Oh yea!" He cheered as he jumped around the room. They had been tracking the creature in the woods for four days straight, and it was finally getting to him. He normally didn't follow Kai on his missions, but he wanted some adventure and a little break from the ordinary so he convinced Kai to bring him and his friend Kenny along. "Hey…why don't you co-"

"No."

"Aw come on Kai, you need to relax more and enjoy yourself! That's what the festival's for! Hardly anyone works on that day…you shouldn't have to either." The bluenette shrugged and walked up the stairs.

"In case you've forgotten Tyson, I have a job to do."

"Oh those guys won't mind if you take one day off. Besides, you know that you can catch this thing the day after if you set your mind to it." Kai shook his head.

"Tala and Bryan are paying us top dollar for those two creatures and I'm not about to give up a day of tracking just to celebrate some girl."

"Well if it wasn't for that girl and that unicorn you might not even be where you are right now! Geez…you're such a wet blanket sometimes Kai." He heard a 'hn' and then a door shut, signaling that the conversation was over. "Humph…sourpuss. Oh well, his loss." He proceeded to his own room across the hall, wanting to go to sleep early so that he could wake up early and go to the festival.

~*~

          "Where were you today Rei?" The boy glanced at the ground while the questioner tapped his foot.

          "…Out…"

          "Out where?"

          "Uh…out with…Driger. Yea! I took him to the summit again." Robert starred at him intently.

          "Hm…" Rei snapped his head up and grinned.

          "Really! I just lost track of time. I'm sorry." Something told the older boy that he was lying, but it seemed like no harm was done so he let it go.

          "Just try and remember to keep track of time next time." With that he flew off. Yes, he was like them too. A unique creature with dark purple hair and matching lavender wings. He had claws (Not as prominent as Rei's) and a tail too, though his was skinny with a tuft of hair at the end. He wore a plain white shirt and black pants, not much of a fashion statement, but it was all for the better. For all the times he told Rei and Max not to go into town, he actually spent most of his time there. He helped out at a university and so far no one suspected him of being anything but a member of the staff.

          It was no use arguing with him though, Robert always had good reasons why he could go to town and they couldn't. For one, his special features weren't as noticeable as theirs, it was easier for him to blend in since his wings and tail could be concealed with a coat unlike Rei and he had no markings on his face like Max. He also knew how to act in public, it wasn't that Rei and Max were wild; it was just that they could quite easily get in over their heads and forget that if they were discovered they'd be captured and auctioned off to the highest bidder.

          Even though there were plenty of other mythical animals residing in Umber Woods, not many were part human and part animal. In fact, Robert told them that they were the only ones. That plus a whole bunch of other reasons added to one thing…the duo weren't allowed to go into town or even go close to it. Ever since he found them eight or nine years ago, Robert made it his responsibility to look after them. He was only two or three years older then they were (1), but it was as if he were their father. Rei and Max appreciated it; they just wished he wouldn't be so protective. After all, should the need arise, like today, they could take care of themselves. Too bad he didn't think so.

          Hearing that the conversation was over, Max flew in and landed next to Rei. "Are you sure it's safe to go into town tomorrow?"

          "Of course. I mean…it's a festival celebrating Yuki. It's almost like they're celebrating us! And besides, we were never caught the other times." The blonde smiled.

          "Nope! No one can catch us!"

          "Though there was that time we ran too fast and our coats accidentally got caught on that low branch." The blonde nodded enthusiastically.

          "Oh and the time when that girl let go of her balloon and I flew up and got it for her."

          "What about when someone stepped on my tail and I nearly scratched his eyes out?"

          "That was a good one." Like most kids, Rei and Max laughed about their mistakes and kept bringing up more. There wasn't a year that the two had not almost been caught at the festival of Yuki, yet they continued to go each year. They wore a different disguise every time, hoping to go unnoticed long enough to enjoy the festivities. Then they would run back to the safety of their mountainside and laugh about it some more.

          As they prepared to go to sleep they talked about the plan for tomorrow, unaware of the surprises waiting for them.

~*~

          As the sunlight filtered into the room, the occupant of the bed turned to the other side, refusing to get up. The bluenette grabbed another pillow and placed it over his head in attempts to block out the bright rays. While he succeeded in that, he couldn't block out the next thing…a loud snoring sound coming from his roommate.

          "Argh…Tyson…" Kai gave up and reluctantly got out from under the warm covers. He snatched a pillow on his way out and headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall. Before he entered, he opened the door to the other boy's room and launched it at his face. He then closed the door, knowing that he had hit the target.

          "Hey! Oww…what was that for?!"

          "For being you."

(About half and hour later)

          The two had managed to survive another morning together and were now walking to Kenny's house. It was just down the block, right next to the local bakery. He shared the small house with a girl named Emily, and though they claimed to just be friends, Tyson and Kai knew better. He knocked rather loudly on the door and smiled when his friend greeted him.

          "Morning Chief! Ready to go?" The brunette nodded and ran to the closet.

          "Sure. Just let me get my jacket."

          "No problem. Oh, hi Emily. You want to come with us?" The orange-haired girl that had emerged from the living room shook her head.

          "No thanks Tyson. I'm going out with Mariah, but we're going to the festival a little later, so maybe I'll see you there."

          "Oh, all right. Tell her I said hi."

          "Of course." Mariah was a pink-haired girl that knew Emily since they were little. She lived a little farther away with Lee, Kevin, and Gary, the boys she considered her family.

          "Ok guys I'm ready." Kenny came running with Dizzi (His computerized friend in his laptop) in hand. "Bye Emily."

          "See you later Kenny. And are you actually going to the festival this year, Kai?"

          "No. I'm just going for a bit to meet someone, then I'm going to continue searching."

          "Still haven't found the creature yet?"

          "Obviously not."

          "I told you it was harder then it seems. Oh well, good luck with it."

          "Hn." She closed the door and they left. That's when Tyson spoke up.

          "You're meeting someone at the festival Kai? Who?" He crossed his arms.

          "Tala. He wants to know how the search is going."

          "Well you can tell him no dice." He didn't respond to that, in fact, he remained silent even as they entered the festival.

~*~

"Hurry up Rei! Robert just left and I don't want to miss a minute of the festival!"

          "I know I know! Hold on!" Rei grabbed the finishing touch on to his ensemble, a dark ribbon, and tied it around his waist. Making sure it was secure; they made their way to the side of the forest, smiling when they saw all the balloons and streamers.

          "Ready?"

          "You bet. Let's go." They both stepped out and walked calmly into the crowd, hoping to blend in. Both were wearing their normal clothes, and had a tan coat and hood on, it was long enough to cover Rei's tail and big enough to hide Max's wings. They were set, and were ready to enjoy another Yiku fair.

          Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, eating the delicious food and playing entertaining games, all interrelated to Yiku and the unicorn. Tyson and Kenny were jumping all over the place, looking at one thing and then another every minute. Kai stood at a respectable distance, not really wanting people to know that he knew the two. Then a flash of red caught his eyes; he turned to see the source. It was what he expected, one of his acquaintances and present client, Tala.

          "Good to see you Kai. I trust the mission's going smoothly?"

          "It's coming along."

          "Yes, well, do you think you could make it come along a little faster?" Kai smirked.

          "So impatient. Don't worry, you'll get them, have I ever broken a promise? Or a deal?" Tala matched his grin.

          "No, not yet. And I hope this won't be the first."

          "It won't. You can expect the creatures within one or two weeks."

          "One or two weeks? You're losing your touch."

          "They're more elusive then the others. Even with Dranzer it's been a rocky path so to speak." He pulled out the rope he had used to catch the creature's tail the other day and showed it to him. "This one's smarter then the rest. It's definitely special."

          "Hm, that's why I want it, and the other as well." He turned to leave. "Call me when you have them and we can talk about payment." With that he left, disappearing into the crowd of people. Kai stuffed the rope back into his cloak and decided that this was the best time to start on his search again. And then he remembered that he had given Tyson the reinforced net yesterday and he had yet to return it to him.

'Oh damn…where did they go?' He proceeded to find them, heading back into the throng of people.

Meanwhile, Max and Rei were observing the stands, trying to decide which of the delicious treats they should eat first. "Wow, they really went all out this year didn't they?" Max said, as he gazed at all the decorations and banners.

          "Definitely, I'm glad we got here early-hey look!" Rei pointed to the stage a few yards away from them. It had pictures of unicorns and little girls around it, and a big red banner on top.

          "It's the play! Come on, let's see it!" The blonde grabbed Rei's hand and pulled him over, not wanting to miss the reenactment of Yuki and her meeting with the unicorn. They saw it every year, loving the childish touches added in by the students of the Shimpi elementary school. When the two got closer Max pouted. "Oh man…" Turns out they were still setting everything up, and it wasn't going to be ready for another hour or so.

          "Guess we'll just have to wait." He tugged at his cloak. "Let's go back to the stands, we can get something to eat, walk around some more, and then come back to see it, ok?" The blonde nodded and followed him.

~*~

In the meantime, Kai had found Tyson and Kenny sitting on a bench near the stage, eating the goodies they had bought. "Why am I not surprised that you're already eating?" He asked as he took the net from the boy's backpack.

          "Give us a break Kai, we didn't eat that much breakfast since someone rushed us out." The bluenette just turned away.

          "Considering how long it takes you to pick out what you want to eat, we would have been there for hours before you were done." Then he left, heading for the forest to continue his tracking.

          "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

          "Nah, no matter what side of the bed he wakes up on he'll be like that." He picked up another muffin. "I don't think he'll change unless someone else is there to wake up with him, and we know that won't happen anytime soon." Kenny tilted his head slightly, and then checked his watch.

          "Speaking of time, you better hurry. Emily said that she and Mariah would be arriving in a couple minutes." He packed up his stuff while Tyson groaned.

          "Honestly Kenny if you want to be with Emily so badly you should have gone with her earlier." He stuffed the last bit of muffin in his mouth before gathering his stuff and following the shorter boy.

~*~

Max was still hesitant about straying from the stage sight. "What if we miss it?" Rei glanced back.     

          "I don't think we will. They always play the music before it starts remember? And you know that I can get us there pretty quick, so there's no need to wor-ow!" Since he wasn't looking where he was going he accidentally bumped into someone, causing him to fall onto the ground.

          "You ok Rei?" The raven-haired youth nodded and turned towards the person he had connected with.

          "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He grinned, stood up and dusted himself off while the other merely shrugged it off.

          "It's…" That's when the guy got a good look at who had run into him. "…ok." He had eyes of the purest golden color, brighter than amber, and a bright smile on his face. Kai would have continued to stare into his eyes until he realized that he had things to do. "Forget it." With that he walked past them and back into the crowd. Rei's gaze followed the boy as he left, curious as to why he had been distant at first.

          "Hm…" Max poked his arm. "What?" He handed him the net that he had found on the ground.

          "Look what I found. I think that guy dropped it when you crashed into him." Rei took it and examined it for a minute before pocketing it.

          "He's gone now, but I'm sure we'll run into him again if we keep walking around."

          "Well I don't know about me but I'm sure you will run into him." He said as he snickered. Rei glared at him before shaking his head and resuming his walk.

          As Kai neared the entrance to the Umber Woods, he reached for his net only to find that it was gone. "What?" Checking his other pockets he cursed. "What happened to it-oh no…" It suddenly dawned on him that he had probably dropped it when he ran into that boy with the warm, golden eyes and the bright smile and the soft dark hair – he had to find him. Turning on his heel he jogged back to the festival, determined to find the boy.

          The idea was easier said than done, it seemed like more people had arrived now and his chances of finding that boy were diminishing. 'Damn it.' So he started his search on a rather dreadful note, hoping that luck was on his side.  

(About an hour later)

          Rei and Max had forgotten about finding the boy they had run into earlier and were now enjoying the festival. The two had walked around the entire area twice, admiring the decorations and watching the little skits spread throughout the fair. Now they were resting on a bench by the smaller stage on the opposite side of the bigger one, snacking on caramel apples and listening to the music being performed by a local band on the adjacent platform.

          "Um…we should have gotten these before." Max stated as he took another bite from his. Rei wiped his mouth with a napkin and questioned him.

          "Why?"

          "Because then we could have gotten another one by now." The older boy had to smile, he was really glad that the blonde was having fun. Besides exploring, there really wasn't much to do on their side of the mountain. And since Robert had forbidden them from coming to town they were often bored. Rei knew how to keep himself occupied, but Max, being younger, could quite easily lose interest in trivial tasks and retreat to their tree.

          The raven-haired boy didn't like seeing his friend depressed like that, it wasn't who he was. Max was a cheerful, energetic youth who shouldn't have to be confined to the forest. That's why Rei went out of his way trying to find new ways of getting into town everyday. Even though Robert made it his responsibility to look after both of them, Rei took it upon himself to watch after Max and his well-being.

Before Robert took them in it was just the two boys fending for themselves. And since Rei was older by a few months he had to keep an eye on Max. They've been together for as long as either of them could remember, that's why they try not to part from each other if it was possible.

 "Well, later we can get another one." The blonde nodded and licked the sticky substance from his lips. Rei laughed, he had missed a big spot by his cheek. "You missed a spot." He poked the boy's cheek, telling him where it was.

"Huh?" He wiped it with a tissue. "Better?" Rei sighed, picked up the napkin and cleaned up the spot for him. "Thank you." The older boy just smiled and took another bite of his apple, most of the caramel already gone.

"What do you want to do after we finish these?" The neko-jin shrugged.

"I don't know. They play should be starting soon, maybe we can wait by the stage." His friend nodded and got up.

"Let's go now so that by the time we get there, we'll be done."

"Ok." Rei got up and went with him, not noticing the blur of blue behind him.

Kai had just passed them by, so absorbed with finding them that he didn't catch the boy as he walked away. 'This is getting ridiculous, I'm wasting too much time.' A sudden silence followed by a surge of music broke Kai's train of thought. 'Now what?'

~*~

"Come on Rei hurry! The play's about to start!" Max grabbed the older boy by the wrist as they dashed across the fair grounds, making their way to the stage.

"Don't worry Max, we'll get there!" The two weaved between the crowds, trying not to run into anyone. "You can let go of my hand, I can run on my own you know!" The blonde wasn't really listening, in fact, he was laughing, running this fast was just like flying, which he loved. The part about dodging the people was icing on the cake.

Rei had miraculously made it to the theatre in one piece, though his wrist was a little red. He didn't bother to mention it to Max; the blonde was enjoying himself too much. Besides that, he was still hyper from the caramel apple, so his complaint wouldn't even faze him. The music continued for a few more minutes and then it softened. Lights went on, people started clapping, and the curtain pulled back…the show was finally starting.

~*~

As the majority of the crowd had disappeared to see the play, Kai thought that it might not be a bad idea. 'Maybe I'll find him there, and if I don't, I know I'll find Tyson and Kenny. They can help me find the boy.' Making up his mind he to leisurely walked towards the stage.

          By the time Kai made it, they were at the part where the fight was going on and the unicorn was starting to break free of its bonds. Scanning the crowd, he couldn't see Tyson or Kenny anywhere. 'They're probably in front with the rest of the children.' He was about to walk closer until a bit of black caught his eye. He turned just in time to see two boys come to a stop a few feet away from him, one blonde, the other, the raven-haired boy he had been searching for. 'There he is!'

          Kai walked over to him and was about to say something until something unexpected happened. It was a new special effect, the horse on stage disappeared and a fake one was up in the air, flying around the audience. Everyone gasped and clapped in amazement as it circled the stage and went out to the people again. A gust of wind followed as the horse returned to the stage and that's when it happened. Kai looked up and his eyes widened. Hidden in the mess of raven hair was a pair of feline ears. At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but now he was curious. So as the play continued, he took out his pocketknife and cut the sash holding Rei's coat together. As if fell to the ground, the bluenette was shocked to see a green striped tail trailing down the boy's legs.

          'No way!' Feeling that something was wrong Rei noticed that his ribbon had fell and people could see his tail. He gasped, especially when Kai grabbed his wrist. He turned his head to meet Kai's ruby eyes. "I found you." Rei tensed and tried to get away.

          "Let go of me!" Only Max saw what was going on, as everyone else was caught up in the play. He tried to get Kai off.

          "Hey let go of him!" Kai anticipated this and pulled Rei away, getting away from the crowd. "Stop!" The blonde went after him, his own sash coming undone. When they were near the entrance to the forest Kai tried to bind the boy.

          "Stop struggling, you're only making things harder!" Of course he didn't stop he only fought harder.

          "No way! And get taken somewhere with a jerk like you?! I'd rather skin myself!" He tried to hit him with his tail, but it didn't work. It was like the to hadn't met earlier, the previous emotions forgotten.

          "I'm not going to hurt you! Just stop fighting me!"

          "Like hell I will!" Then he had an idea. Using his tail as a distraction, Rei then bared his claws and attacked Kai's wrist.

          "Ah! Shit!" He let go instantly and grabbed his injured hand; drops of blood falling from the three slash marks. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

          "Oh I'm sorry, it's just that I was raised to defend myself when strangers try and drag me somewhere, forgive me for my stupidity!" He yelled sarcastically.

          "I told you I wasn't going to hurt you, I only wanted to get to know you. It's not everyday you see someone who's half human half animal." Rei rubbed his wrist.

          "Excuse you I'm half human half tiger, got it?!"

          "Sorry if I'm not critical to detail right now I'm kind of concentrating on my bloody hand! Which you contributed to by the way!"

          "If you hadn't grabbed me earlier it never would have happened! If you wanted to get to know me you should have kindly asked me aside like normal people do!" They glared at each other, ruby clashing with gold, both battling for dominance. Then they broke the contest when a voice called out.

          "Rei!" The neko-jin turned away to see his friend running towards him. "Rei, why are you just standing there like a statue?! Get away from him!" Realization hit him and he took his friend's advice. He sprinted off into the forest, with Kai close behind. "Hurry Rei he's right behind-ow!" Before he could finish his warning someone bumped into him.

          "Ow….that smarts…"

"Tyson are you ok? What did you run into?" Emily chimed in.

"Yea, you should really watch where you're going." The guys plue Emily and Mariah, who had met up with them a little earlier looked over to see a blonde boy sitting up, rubbing his head.

          "Someone get the license of that truck…"

          "Wow! Chief do you see what I see?!" That got Max's attention, he saw the two boys starring at him and then he knew why. When he fell, his cloak went with it, revealing his set of wings. Kenny adjusted him glasses and gasped.

          "If you see what I see then oh my god…" Mariah gasped.

          "Is…is that really real?!"

"Kai will never believe this." Max glared at them and stood up.

          "Yea? Well you can't believe what you can't see." He ran off, taking flight in a matter of seconds.

          "Ah…come on Kenny, we gotta follow him!" They too ran into the forest, intent on catching up with the boy, unintentionally leaving the girls behind.

          "Wait for us you guys!" They tailed them, not wanting to lose them.

'Oh man oh man we really messed up this time. I just hope Robert isn't back yet. Otherwise he'll be the only human/creature left. Oh, Rei!' Max descended, spotting his friend amongst the trees. "Rei!" The raven-haired boy looked up.

          "Max!" He reached out with his hand.

          "Grab a hold! I'll fly you there!"

          "No, I'll slow you down. Go on! I'll meet you there."

          "You sure? He's right behind you."

          "Don't worry about me, just get ready." He nodded and flew onward towards their mountain.

          'Man, that guy won't give up. Well he'll find out that there's more to me then meets the eye.' Soon they reached the clearing, where the waterfall was. 'Try and catch me now.' When he got within five feet of the lake he dove in, swimming down under the cascade.

          'Where's he going?' Kai thought as he saw the boy disappear beneath the watery depths. 'Well you can't lose me that easily.' Forgetting about his injured hand, Kai dove in after him, feeling a stinging sensation. That didn't stop him though. He could make out the boy swimming through a hole under the falls so he followed.

          When Rei was on the other side, he spotted Max's friend, Draciel, swimming gracefully, more gracefully then Rei, through the crystal water. He surfaced with a gasp and quickly got out. He called out to the giant turtle. "Draciel! There's an intruder coming!" The great beast poked its head out and nodded, then proceeded to block the entrance.

          Seeing the hole disappearing Kai picked up his speed, kicking through before the turtle could close it off. "Just great…Draciel defensive maneuvers!" The shell-covered animal surfaced and brought its mighty body down upon the water, creating a massive tidal wave to charge at Kai.

          'Damn.' He thought, he knew he couldn't swim away from it, so he took a deep breath and dove underneath, escaping the attack.

          "Draciel, don't let him get away!" The turtle went under too and prepared to come in for a close range strike. Thinking quickly Kai dug through his pockets and pulled out a small black ball. He threw it at the beast, and when it hit a wave of smoke appeared, stopping him in his tracks. "Oh no! Draciel! Are you ok?!" The turtle surfaced a few seconds later, swimming to the boy. He kneeled down and patted his head. "You did great, I'm sorry you had to take that smoke though." It made a low rumbling sound, but Rei understood. He said something along the lines of, "It's ok Rei I'm fine." Kai surfaced too, and climbed out, coughing a bit.

          "Some defense." Rei stood up and growled at him.

          "What do you think you were doing throwing a smoke bomb in the clear waters of our lake?!"

          "Well with that behemoth coming towards me what else was I supposed to do?" They were interrupted when Max came flying down, carrying the two other boys with him.

          "Look what I found." He dropped them by Kai and then landed next to Rei.

          "Why did you bring them in?!"

          "They were trying to blow the mountainside to get in. I rather have them in here then have a hole in our mountain. There were two girls too, but they were far behind, I don't think they'll be a problem." As Rei nodded Max noticed Draciel in the murky water. "Huh? Draciel!" He ran to his friend and hugged him as best he could. "Are you ok? What happened to you? And what happened to our lake?!"

          "It was him." Rei pointed to the bluenette across from him. "This whole thing is his fault."

~*~*~*~

(1) Robert is 17, which makes Rei 15 and Max is about to turn 15 in a week or so. That'll be mentioned later. ^^ Kai, Tyson and most of the other characters (Unless specified) are also 15.

SS-Weird place to end, but I have to…it's late and I'm tired.

Tym-The chapter's too long…too much to read. @.@

SS-That's your opinion, and I was planning on cutting it off when Rei ran into the forest…but everything was too tightly tied together.

Tym-You and your excuses. Oh well, maybe readers will be more interested if you put more into your chapter anyway.

SS-Exactly! But…I don't know. We'll see where things go. Please review! Tell me what you think!