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Spreading Wings
Chapter Fourteen: "Connections of the Heart"

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It was nearly dawn, and Kai couldn't sleep well, knowing that the person he cared for so much was far away. He walked outside, silently passing through the other sleeping guests. Everyone stayed over, not wanting to separate for fear of lingering Darkness in the streets. Kyoujyu warned them that there were growing forces of darkness, and it could now be loose in the cities. With their Bit beasts, there was a shield protecting the group from being sensed by the Shadows. They were safe, for now…

The dual haired teen looked up at the sky, and it was still covered in dark eerie clouds. He frowned deeply, and walked out towards the gardens. He stopped shortly, looking over his shoulder to see Kyoujyu already awake, whispering to his Bit Beast trapped in her laptop. Beside him sat Hiromi, sleepily leaning her head on the bushy haired teen's shoulder. Kai furrowed his brows, feeling slightly jealous at the couple. What the dual haired teen noticed was that the two were getting closer since those incidents with Ty.

He turned away and walked out of the dojo, not saying anything to anyone. He knew he wasn't supposed to leave the borders of their protection, but he didn't care. He didn't even tell anyone that he didn't even have his own Bit Beast with him. Instead, he somehow has with him Dragoon. He frowned, wondering where his fiery phoenix Bit beast went.

"With Takao-sama…"

Kai froze and looked around for the voice. 'What the-?' He felt his pocket glow, and he took out the bit out, staring a tits glowing form. Then with a flash of light, he was staring at the tiny human form of the great dragon bit beast. The dual haired teen blinked his eyes in surprise. "Dragoon?"

The small blue haired boy smiled at his lover's master. "Remember… you and Takao-sama are connected because of Dranzer and me. But… you two have a much stronger bond that surpasses the connection Dranzer and I have built for you two. That bond was the thing that kept Takao-sama's soul alive, allowing him to come back." Dragoon touched the ground, and he started to pace around gracefully. "You two were already bonded, even before Dranzer and I made that connection to the two of you. You are the one that is keeping Takao-sama alive, and he to you… Remember this, Kai-sama… no matter what, you two will always find away together." The boy smiled up at the dual haired teen.

Kai smiled to himself, and closed his ruby eyes. "I'm just wondering… how is it I have you and Ty has Dranzer."

Dragoon placed a finger on his chin, thinking hard. "Good question…" The boy furrowed his brows. "I'm guessing… because Takao-sama wanted so much to protect you, she sent me to do the job. I think you wanted the same thing as well, and you sent Dranzer." The boy turned around and smiled widely at Kai. "See… you guys have that bond… I can help you Kai-sama… I think I know where Takao-sama is… but…" The boy turned around and went into a defensive stance, with narrowed stormy eyes.

Out from the corners and the ground of the streets, Shadows appeared, hissing at the guests. Kai took in a deep breath, and took out his Beyblade. 'I will find you Ty… because now I know…and I will fight just to get you back with me again…' His Beyblade appeared and his two short swords appeared in each of his hands. He stood beside Ty's Bit beasts, and went into a fighting stance.

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Ty yawned tiredly, and walked out of the room she was staying at in the old castle. Last night, the girl nearly had a heart attack. When she thought that blue haired girl, Mariam, saw her, she ran out not wanting to face that mysterious and grumpy guy's attitude, Ozuma. But she did stay near, not really wanting to spy on them. She remembered their conversation, of them trying to find the Light to save their village and friends. She heard that a few months back their home was attacked by the Darkness, taking over their village. All of their friends were captured, but they escaped knowing of a prophecy. On their search, they met with old friends, Selima and Kane, who also lost their friends and some of their homes.

The blunette frowned, suddenly aware of what was going on now in the world. She figured that ever since she has died, the darkness has awaken and already went on the move to gather souls to revive their sleeping master, the Dark Lord. She knew that the Darkness was awake, but not for this long. 'So then, there are a lot of people out there that are in so much pain… who lost so much… I need to do something…'

The girl strode through the castle, the storm already settled, but the skies were still blanketed with darkened clouds. She made her way to the kitchen, and automatically went through the cabinets to make breakfast. After the food was done, she went on washing the dishes. Last night she didn't have time to explore the castle, only knowing where the guest rooms, her room and the kitchens were. She thought today she would look around, and maybe find her savior, Brooklyn, who has yet to appear.

"Um… excuse me…"

Ty blinked her chocolate eyes and turned around to see the red haired girl shyly peeking through the double doors of the kitchens. The bluenette smiled widely, in a warm gesture, and the other girl stepped into the kitchens, slowly making her way to Ty. "Um… thanks for taking us in and healing us. My name is Selima…"

"Well, my name is Ty, and it was no problem to help you and your friends, Selima-san." The girl blushed and smiled back at the shorter girl. Ty scowled mentally at the height difference.

"By the way… do you know where this is?" Selima asked, looking around at the kitchens.

The blunette laughed to her self and shrugged. "Actually… I have no clue either. I just got here yesterday…" The blunette turned to the red haired girl and pushed her towards the table. "I bet you're hungry. Why not sit and eat, I made plenty of breakfast!" Ty chirped, softly pushing Selima into a chair. "Maybe we can even talk, yes?" She said enthusiastically. Selima blinked her eyes, and laughed to her self.

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Kai silently made his way into the dojo, hoping he won't be detected. The dual haired teen was very tired and worn out from the battle he had with the many Shadows. Dragoon told him it would have been easier, if the four Guardians of the Seal would bond their powers.

The dual haired teen peeked around the corner, seeing no one in sight. He knew that some of the others were already awake, hearing voices from the kitchen and living room. Kai quickly made his way to his own room he slept in, but a hand to his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"I was wondering where you've gone off to. Looks like you didn't really obey your own rules and went out from the borders. Always just like you, Hiwatari."

He turned around with a scowl, looking at the older red-haired teen from his own team. "Invanov…"

The red head shrugged and leaned on to the wall, with is arms crossed. "Tell me, Hiwatari… who is that girl, really? I'm curious, because the only time you've ever been acting like this was when he was still alive." He raised a brow at the younger teen.

Kai shrugged and turned away from his teammate. "It's none of your business, Invanov. It's not like you would care."

"Hey! I'm as much involved in all of this as you are." Yuriy narrowed his icy blue eyes. "But I wonder… if the dead can really be brought back to life… because that girl is like a mirroring image of a walking dead." With that the red head walked away from the younger teen, leaving Kai to glare dangerously at Yuriy's retreating figure.

"Kai?" The dual haired teen blinked his ruby eyes and turned around to find Max gaping at him. "Kai! You didn't!" The blonde took his ex-leader's hand and dragged him into a room. "Don't worry, I'll help heal you… Draciel said I have some healing powers because of my water element."

The dual haired teen pulled back his hand. "It's okay, I can do it myself."

The blonde shook his head. "No! Let me… if I don't, I'd feel guilty for worrying Takao-kun… you know he still cares for you, I can tell." Max smiled up at his ex-leader. "Plus… Rei-kun would be really mad if he found out you went out by yourself." Kai sighed mentally and shrugged at the blonde, letting him do as he wished.

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"I'm so sorry…" Ty bowed her head down, feeling really guilty and sad. "It's all my fault… I should do something…"

Selima shook her head. "No, Ty-san. You didn't do anything. And you wouldn't know anything that was happening; neither does the rest of the world. This Darkness can move about discreetly, undetected. Plus, I heard you were a very good Beyblader, being new to the Championship world."

The blunette turned her face away. "Yeah…right…" Ty closed her chocolate eyes, hiding her emotions from the girl in front of her. 'Should I tell her? Tell her that I am what she is looking for? I-I want to do something…'

The red haired girl tilted her head. "Is something the matter, Ty-san?"

The two jumped in surprise at the unexpected knock to the kitchens. The two girls turned their heads to find three others walking in. Selima's smile widened at the reorganization of her friends. "Hey! You're all awake now!"

Ty stood up when the approached, and offered her seat to the guest. "Here… let me get you something to eat. I bet you're all really hungry." The three other people thanked her silently and sat down. Ty started to prepare them their food, and was trying to hear what the four mysterious people were conversing about quietly among themselves.

"I lost the aura of the Light… it was there yesterday… but it went away." Said the guy with navy blue hair.

Selima frowned. "So what do we do now?"

The girl, Mariam looked up. "We could stay here and recuperate. It seems like there are shields around this place."

"The question is how is the one that placed here? Almost all of the people up here in the north are all taken." Pointed out Ozuma.

Ty blinked her eyes. 'I'm at the northern area of Japan?' The blunette took the plates and placed it in front of the guests. "Um… sorry if it's not that good. I'm not really good at cooking, just enough for me to survive with my grandpa." The girl laughed and scratched the back of her head.

"Oh!" Selima stood up, and smiled at the blunette. "Guys, this is Ty-san. She's the one who helped us." The girl blushed a bit. "These are my friends, Kane, Mariam and Ozuma…" she turned to her friends. "Turns out, Ty-san know how to fight, just like us, and has her own powers."

Ty smiled at them. "I can help you guys… if you let me…"

Kane and Mariam smiled at her. "Sure."

"No." Everyone turned to Ozuma, who was scowling at the girl, with his arms crossed. "This is our battle… This is our own mission. If she wants to help fight, let her help someone else."

Mariam glared at her boyfriend. "What's up with you, Ozuma? Ty-san just wants to help. We can't fight the Darkness all on our own. This is the first time in months since we last saw some other human here, besides us. She can help us find the Light!"

Ozuma turned away his head. He stood up, and glared at Ty before walking away from the kitchens. The blunette frowned sadly. Selima placed a hand at the shorter girl's shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay, Ty-san."

"Yeah… Ozuma-kun is always like that." Kane replied.

Mariam sighed. "Don't mind him… He just doesn't want to trust anyone. So don't think anything of it, Ty-san." The blue haired girl smiled up at Ty reassuringly. Ty smiled in return, but still felt a bit bad.

"What if… what if I can tell you where to find this Light…?" The girl suddenly spoke softly.

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"Here."

Kyoujyu looked up, and caught the small object into his hands. He blinked his emerald eyes and looked into his hand. The bespectacled boy gasped. "Dragoon? He's not with Ty-san? How?"

Kai leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He was in the room of Kyoujyu's with Hiromi, Daichi, Max and Rei present. The rest were equally shocked and puzzled. "Somehow, I have Dragoon, and Ty has Dranzer… I'm not really sure how, but Dragoon can be useful in helping you find his master."

Kyoujyu grinned widely, and dropped down his knees to type away on his laptop. "Thanks. Having Dragoon with us can really help in catching a faint signal of Ty-san's powers or aura. Or… if you would have told us sooner, we could get a lock on Dranzer as well."

"I just found out this morning." Kai replied.

Hiromi tilted her head, watching the dual haired teen. "Um… where were you this morning, anyways, Kai-san?" The dual haired teen didn't make a sign of moving or talking. The brunette sighed. Rei narrowed his eyes, watching his ex-teammate.

"Okay! I think I got something." Everyone became alert, and moved closed to their genius friend. "See this?" The bushy haired teen pointed a finger to a tiny blinking dot. "I'm guessing this is where Ty-san could be."

"Great!" Max clapped his hands together in excitement. "Let's go and save Takao-kun!" The blonde stood up.

Rei tilted his head, and squinted his eyes. "Don't you think that a bit too far from here? How are we going to get there, if noting can work?" Max blinked his eyes, and then slid back down to the ground feeling sad. Rei placed a hand on Max.

"Nothing to worry about." There was a flash of light, and the little blue haired Bit Beast appeared. "I can fly all of you over there!"

Kyoujyu smiled widely. "Oh that's right! Only the four Guardian Bit Beasts are the only ones who can appear in their real forms in this world."

Hiromi jumped up. "Then, let's go!"

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"What's wrong, Ozuma?"

Mariam walked outside into the gardens of the castle. It wasn't much, since this was old and abandoned. There was a path, with out grown bushes on to the side, leading to the center. In the center were benches, covered with some vines, circling the old fountain that wasn't working.

Ozuma sighed, but didn't look up at his girlfriend. "I just don't trust her. There is something about her that make me feel uncomfortable…"

The blue haired teen sat down beside Ozuma, and took his hand. "But there is nothing wrong with Ty-san. She seems perfectly normal to me. She's really kind. Give her chance. I believe she may know how to find the Light for us."

The older teen narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you? She's probably just saying that."

"Actually… the princess will never lie."

The couple jumped at the voice, looking everywhere for the source. There was rustling in a tree, and a young man with ginger hair jumped down to the ground, landing perfectly on his two legs. He wore all white, and had a kind smile placed upon his lips. The teen walked over to the pair. "Kind of dreary here, don't you think?"

Ozuma stood up and glared at the older teen, trying to protect his view from looking at his girlfriend. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he hissed.

"Ozuma!" Mariam warned.

The ginger haired teen shrugged at him. "I'm Brooklyn. I'm the protector for the lovely Princess."

"Ty-san?" Mariam questioned.

Brooklyn grinned at her, and turned around, not looking at them. "Everyone wants the Light… it is important to both our and the Beast's World. If you believe and trust, you might find her closer than you think…" He grinned at them, and walked away calmly back to the castle.

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Ty sighed softly, looking up at the darkened sky. She walked away from the castle grounds, nearing a clearing by the cliff side. She plopped herself to the edge, and swung her legs. "I wish I knew what to do… I'm so clueless as to how to solve this problem. All those people are suffering because of the darkness… and because I died three years ago, the Darkness has awakened… So then… it's my entire fault… I did this, and I need to fix it."

The girl placed a hand on to her heart area, and closed her eyes. "I-I can't let my friends be more involved in this. They might get hurt, and I hate it if they do. I could do it, all on my own." She looked up into the sky. "Don't you think so, Dragoon?"

"No, not really."

The girl blinked her eyes, and turned her head to see Dranzer in his human form, standing behind her. His wings were folded behind him, and his fiery hair flew gently with the tiny breeze. "Dranzer!" The red haired boy casually walked to the edge, and sat down by his master's love. "What… Where's Dragoon?"

The boy shrugged. "I guess… you wanting to protect Kai-sama has sent Dragoon to him. He did the same for you, so I am now with you."

The girl stared at him with awe. "Really? I didn't know I could do that…"

"You're hearts are connected, a bond far stronger than the connection Dragoon and I made for the two of you. Your wills are strong, that it would come true." Dranzer replied in a low tone.

Ty swung her legs, looking up at the sky. "So then… we'll be together no matter what… like you and Dragoon…" She glanced at the fiery boy, who was blushing a bit. The girl closed her eyes, but then frowned. "Dranzer…" The boy looked up at Dragoon's master. "How can I defeat the Darkness… without getting my friends hurt, too involved? It's my fault… I let this happened…"

The boy shook his head. "No, you're not the one in fault for the darkness escaping. Its just fate, and it's been written in a prophecy."

"Prophecy?" The girl questioned.

"Don't worry so much, Takao-sama. You can't do this on your own. The will of your friends are too strong for you to change their minds. They are willing to fight with you, so that you wouldn't disappear from their lives again. This is a war, and it's not a one-man battle. Don't you trust your friends? Don't you believe that they can do it?" The girl nodded her head, and looked away. "Then let them help… you've done enough already for them. Let them have a chance to make you happy once again in you life."

Ty smiled at Dranzer, and hugged the boy. Dranzer was caught off guard, being embraced by the girl. He suddenly felt the girl tremble, and the fiery haired boy wrapped his arms around her in comfort. 'Kai-sama… please hurry… she really needs you.'

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"You guys okay, back there?"

Max smiled brightly. "Yeah!"

Rei looked towards Kyoujyu, and got worried. "Um… I think Kyoujyu is a bit air sick…"

They were up in the air, riding on the storm dragon in his big and real form. Kai, Rei, Max and Kyoujyu all headed towards the direction their friend could be. Hiromi and Daichi stayed behind, to help protect their friends from the lingering Shadows.

Kyoujyu was closing his eyes, thinking about anything but flying. He clutched tightly to his laptop. Max saw his distressed friend, and rubbed the guy's back. "Awww… its okay Kyoujyu. I think we're almost there."

"I can feel Dranzer's presence drawing closer." Dragoon told them telepathically.

Kai looked down, only seeing thick greenery and the hills. Rei gasped and pointed up a head. "Look, there's an old castle up a head! Could she be there?"

"Let's get closer to the surface, Dragoon." Kai shouted to the dragon beast.

"Okay, Kai-sama." Slowly the flying dragon made his way closer to the ground. Suddenly there was a dark blast of energy coming from the forest. Dragoon dodged it, with a little turbulence. Max and Kyoujyu screamed, and Rei and Kai held on to their younger teens. "Looks like trouble. Hold on everyone!"

There were more blasts heading straight at them, and dragoon did his best to dodge all of them. But one hit him, causing the dragon to yell out in pain. Dragoon started to crash down, and touched the ground, skidding through with impact. The four young teens were flung out by force, a few feet away from Dragoon. Then the huge form flashed in light, reducing in size, back to his human form.

Kai groaned, and sat up. He saw the fallen Beast and ran up to him. Rei help Max and Kyoujyu up. "Dragoon, are you okay?"

The boy opened his eyes, and smiled at Kai. "Don't worry… just let me… rest for a… while." The boy glowed, and his form disappeared into Kai's pocket.

The dual haired teen stood up, and saw his friends standing beside him, waiting for his orders. "We need to get out of here quickly. I'm guessing there is a lot of shadows in this forest, and know that we are here."

Rei nodded. "Then, we can use a ride from Drigger." He called for his Bit Beast. "C'mon Drigger!"

There was a flash of light and the true form of the White Tiger appeared, bigger that the four guys. Rei hopped up on to his bit beast, and helped his friends on. "Drigger… there is a castle up a head. We need to get their fast."

"Right. Hold on tight!" Glowing in his green aura, the tiger zoomed away, nearly knocking down the trees in his path.

"Ah! There's more dark being up a head!" Kyoujyu shouted.

Max closed his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll use my shields." The blonde spread wide his arms, and a light of the shield appeared around the moving tiger. He furrowed his brows, trying to keep up the shields. The shadows that appeared in front of them were knocked out of the way. The boy winced a bit.

Kai frowned, watching the struggling boy. 'It's no use… Max is tiring out easily.'

The shields broke, and max was nearly thrown off in impact of his broken powers. Rei caught him, and held him very close to him. "You did your best, koi. Thanks… just rest."

"Sorry…" The boy fluttered close his ocean eyes.

"Hold on really tight, I'll try to fight them off." Drigger told them. He jumped up into the air, and released a blast of power from his mouth, then went out in his path to the castle.

Kyoujyu turned his head behind, seeing as some of the dark creatures were also trying to chase after them. "Let's see if I can help." He closed his eyes, glowing in a green aura. Suddenly vines from the ground grew out, wrapping it self around the trees, blocking the Shadows. Kyoujyu was panting a bit for using his powers.

"Drigger… just keep going. Kai and I will handle them." Rei looked at the dual haired teen, which nodded. The two elder teens flared in their respective auras, and concentrated their powers to fight off the dark beings in their path.

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Ty stood up and gasped. "Did you see that? I think I saw something crash down over there!" The girl pointed at the area where there was flying dust.

"I can feel him… Kai-sama is in trouble." Dranzer said in alarm.

Ty looked at Dranzer with wide eyes. "Then they are here! Let's go help them, Dranzer!"

The boy shook his head. "No, you stay here, Takao-sama. Kai-sama wouldn't want you to get hurt. Don't worry. I will protect them and guide them here." The boy leaped off the cliff and spread his large fiery wings. He flew above the treetops towards the direct he sensed his master was at.

Ty stayed at her spot, with her hands on her heart area. She closed her eyes, and smiled softly. "I knew you would come back to me…Kai…"

To Be Continued…

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((Wah! Sorry it's a bit short, and it wasn't that much exciting. It's really hot back here at my house, and I couldn't concentrate very well. I'm too sleepy to even re-read this chapter for errors…And I don't know what else to say to you readers… Welp, please review! I'll see if I could update before I go back to school next week. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!))