Shitza: What a day… mum and dad have argued and in two different parts of the house. Typically mum occupied the only TV that can show the BB show, oh well, I am not going to beg to see it. Hopefully I can catch it another day.

Good thing, or happy thing for me. I just found a song that fits perfect for the 4th fic. I've been in the look out for ages, but not found the right one. Yay!

Besides, I am not so sure which episode it was. Never mind, this things happens all the time here. Next weekend no Beyblade at all. They decided to show another show both days, 10am-6pm.

BORING!

So, I guess I better return to work. (Sigh) Oh well, better snap out of my little annoyance and continue. This chapter holds a lot of secrets from the Valley, something that will have importance in this fic and the last one. Yet the Greatest Secret will be revealed later, but this has one of the main reasons why people are forbidden to know about it.

Not to mention, as I've noticed that some of the readers didn't seem so happy I choose Tyson to take the glory in the end of the last fic, well here is something to think about as well. His nightmares. Have you ever noticed he seems to have very little pain in his past, well, I just wrote some.

And some happy past for Kai, not that I am going to change his character but I just wanted to give him a beautiful memory. (Sniff)

School starts tomorrow, luckily I only have this to update regularly. I have sort of given up on another fic, so updates may come and go on that one. Haven't updated it for months, not since the beginning of the summer. Guess I should be nice and update soon again, but I am clueless about what to write.

So unlike this one, I know exactly what will happen. It is too detailed to be able to quit unless I get tired of BB. Pray it won't happen for your sakes.

And don't forget to vote, that bit beast is bound to appear soon and so far it is a tie again!

Shitza

Ps: Please excuse the guys' horrid moments in this. It just so happens that I really love to write about dark pasts and brighter presents and haunting nightmares. I am evil, I know!

Jap Words

Sensei: Teacher, Master

Chapter 7 The Difference in Darkness

"Okay, now whose idea was it to go take this road?" Hilary asked knowingly. She glared at Tyson who sighed. "You really have a pig's ability when it comes to direction."

Tyson met the glare with another one. "Well, why don't you lead us on then oh Miss Parrot who can't shut up!"

And so the fight was on again.

"You know, you two surely sound like a married couple!" Kenny said.

"Yeah, when will there be a wedding?" Max asked jokingly. Tyson and Hilary glared back at them. Then she gave Zeo a really dirty look scratching her neck. They hadn't had time to change yet. Zeo looked over to Tyson who gave him a wide grin and a victory sign. Zeo smiled back. Ray sighed scratching his back as well and so Tyson and Zeo both could continue laughing for a while.

Finally the reached what looked like a plain ordinary village. "Finally!" Hilary shouted as she obviously needed a bath and washed clothes after this. But they had barely moved until the Village disappeared leaving a mass of trees.

"What?" she sad disappointed.

"No, it's there!" Max said pointing at yet another Village. But that one disappeared as well.

"What is this place?" Kai asked out loud.

Tyson went to one direction to examine where one of the villages had been and disappeared, but he found nothing.

"Well, it is the Village of Illusion we are looking for." Tyson said over his shoulder like it didn't mean anything. Hilary put her hand on her forehead.

"Illusion, of course! How stupid can we be!" Hilary said. Illusion, don't you get it?"

They stared at her, obviously not.

"You guys are really dim. They told us that most villages close to the hellhole had armours and such. If this village would have to defend itself, but aren't natural warriors, but Illusion powers don't you send out Illusions to confuse them? We've been walking into the same kind of trap as their predators. Quiet effective I must say!"

Ray smacked himself on the forehead as well. Max blushed slightly and Tyson slammed his fist. "Brilliant, why didn't we think of it?" he said. Everyone sweatdropped.

"If so, where is the real village then?" Zeo said wondering. He didn't have to wonder for long as not too far away something shimmered and a village appeared, yet this time it wasn't any Illusion. This one was real and it was also very weird. Every house looked so Grande and big, even bigger then the temple. But like most other things, they were just Illusions.

"I wonder what this Village does, I mean if it's not an armoured one then why did they choose to live this close?" Ray said. Max shrugged and Tyson scratched his head. The blunette looked as if he had an answer with him.

"What do you think Tyson?" Max asked.

"Well, don't get me wrong and think I'm a comic freak but to me it seems this place could be built for the perfect spy or something." Hilary started to giggle shaking his head. Ray rolled his eyes and Max broke out into laughter. Kenny and Kai kept silence however, they had already figured it out.

"Now guys, don't faint when you hear the answer, Tyson is right!" Kenny said. "Espionage is one important matter in every case and thinking they use all this then how hard isn't it for someone with great abilities to spy upon their enemies and be a step ahead of them. Brilliant Tyson, I am surprised you figured it out!"

Tyson blushed while Hilary's mouth dropped to the ground. "You can't be serious Kenny!" she said.

"Well" Kai said. "I could back him up in this! Shut your mouth Hilary and act like a lady for once."

Hilary felt like dropping onto the ground and die or something. Max stopped laughing and stared at Kai as well. Ray shook his head.

"Well, I guess you are the one with the most experience in these things!" he said not mentioning the Abbey. "Let's get to that temple, it is probably the only thing that's not affected at this place."

Everyone else nodded and followed. Strange things did indeed happen as they walked the open road towards the Holy building that existed in every place. Max squealed as some giant spider seemed to attack him and Hilary clung to Tyson as she swore she saw a demon. Zeo gave a jolt of fright seeing blood coming from one of the houses. But all these horrors were really Illusions.

"I wonder how they can separate real stuff from Illusions?" Kenny said as they hurried forward. Just then they could swear they all heard a girl scream from the temple. The temple doors opened and out stumbled Raya, as furious as the red hair on her head. The young purple haired Elite from the Illusion village hurried after her.

"That wasn't funny!" Raya said angrily as the purple haired guy as he finally caught up with her.

"Come on, admit it sweetheart, you simply cannot get enough of me!" the guy said victoriously. "Beside, I am a free guy!"

"And I'm a busy girl! Get lost before I'll cut you in half!" Raya screamed.

The guy simply laughed until Raya drew two knives from her belt. The guy suddenly winced and disappeared.

'Good girl!' Kai thought complimenting.

Raya dusted of the brown long skirt and white tunic she was wearing and then returned towards the temple. She hadn't noticed their arrival until the obvious one had to say it right out!

"Raya, over here!" Tyson said highly. Raya turned and sighed.

"We can talk inside, too many ears around!" she said and continued to walk.

Max made a pointing gesture towards one of the houses. Tyson understood, to many spies around. They all hurried inside, bowed towards the Priest and Priestess of this Village, before hurrying to find Raya. Ray eyed Kai suspiciously, but the older captain didn't show any sign of emotions like usual. Kai swept past them all and entered the room first. He and Raya exchanged gazes. The girl blushed, yet there were no other sign that they were really close to each other. Kai was a really good actor.

"What was all that quarrel about?" Max asked the girl sitting down on the floor. The others followed his example.

Raya sighed. "Marriage problems, Kim isn't the only one who is still single around."

"Is that why you came here, to tell him off?" Hilary asked Raya shook her head. "Nah, he just came in the way. Kim asked me to collect some stuff, she's busy at the moment. Last night there was an attack on the Village and I'm telling you. It gets worse and worse. We have evacuated the children and the sick."

"No women?" Zeo asked bewildered.

"Well, women fight too you know, we even have a tougher program then the men. Most women are archers anyway so most often we stand on the Walls firing arrows down. Now and then there is someone who becomes a soldier but we prefer long distance killing instead of swords. Kim's an archer too, though with her Priestess duties they forced her out. She, like me, learnt to use knives rather quickly, it's all about survival."

There was a moment of pause.

"Besides we have other ways of killing. Blades are a popular version, I haven't met a single villager without at least one blade. You should really go to the Dark Village after this. Apart from Prophecies and such things they have the best blade parts around. I have to go now, got some more stuff to collect. See Yah!"

The red haired girl hurried away. No one saw it but Kai looked a bit sad as she left. Nothing in his expression said anything, it was the eyes. Kai blinked and that expression completely faded.

They stayed at this place once again over night. Once more shared a room with each other and once more Kai set up the rules, especially for Tyson and Hilary. Ray wondered how the situation would have been if it had been Kai and Raya in their clothes. Quite the opposite he guessed.

Nothing special happened while they slept, at least not special enough to wake up to. In the morning the Priest shook them awake telling them it was time to proceed their journey. Two of his soldiers would escort them to the next Village the last one.

As they walked everyone noticed how much darker it became. Hilary grabbed Tyson's hand, trembling. Ray tried to look through the darkness; it took a while for his eyes to get used to the faint Light. Max stumbled forward while Zeo didn't seem to have any problems at all. The turquoise haired blader had been on these roads before and the darkness comforted him.

Half way through Darkness, led by Zeo, they finally met two Soldiers from the Dark Village. Both guards were dressed in cloaks and both carried swords. Zeo bowed before them presenting them all by name and Element. The Bladebreakers let him talk; after all he had been there once.

The two Soldiers took them on safe roads towards the gloomiest place they had ever seen. Everything looked so black, so dark and so hopeless. There was no laughter in this Village, no joy. Just an endless routine of duties needed to be done. Ray looked closer at the houses, which looked as if they grew in black vines from the ground. Kai watched a sick elderly woman slowly walk down the road, helped by a young girl, probably her granddaughter. Max saw a moth quietly try to calm a crying son. Tyson watched a boy, who cried. Two people carried a body out from the house. To his horror and nightmare he saw that the body had to belong to a woman and that the woman was probably the boy's mother.

"Mum!" he said quietly as a tear slid down from his eye. He trembled trying to press the tears back. Hilary stared at him and then hugged him.

Memory

Tyson had only been five years old when it had happened. The neighbourhood had caught a bad tuberculosis. By one of the seemingly worse infected and sick ones were his mother and his grandfather. His mother lay in bed coughing up blood. Tyson spent his time by his mother's side watching her pale face as she tried to reassure everything would be all right after all. His mother was Christian, one of few since Christianity hadn't reached such a huge popularity. She said that God had made a place in heaven for her if anything would happen and that she would see him there. Tyson had translated it in his young mind that she wasn't dying. He had been so wrong, so wrong!

His mother got worse while her father, his grandfather had slowly recovered. His mother's last days in life had been painful and the whole family took turns watching her. The doctors couldn't do anything to help her, it was already too late. His mother died the same day the Sakura trees had stopped to bloom. That was her name, Sakura! Tyson thought that if he would ever have a daughter of his own her name would be Sakura.

End Memory

Even Kai suffered from memories. But these were odd ones he barely could recall. He wasn't even sure he had been there.

Vision

A man walked through the icy woods towards the city. With him he had his wife, a beautiful lady dressed in a long coat to cover her growing stomach from the cold. The man said something in Russian looking back towards his wife with worry. He was anxious about something.

It was as if the teen could follow the couple as they hurried towards a big building. Kai could recognise every step as he hurried through the Russian forest. He could recognise the building too. It was the Abbey, but it was so different from the days his grandfather had run it. The place was a happy place were nuns worked day and night with prayers, traditions, healing and of course to help the gifts from the sky to this world.

"Mother! Father!" Kai said in disbelief as the pair removed their hoods. The nuns bowed towards the pair and led them towards the building.

The vision changed to afterwards, later after his birth. It felt weird to look at the little baby that had been him. The woman cried softly of relief and happiness as the pair gave them a name. The sleeping baby in her arms slowly opened his eyes and grabbed her finger. Even in his young age he had been strong.

Another person walked in. Kai's pupils slithered as he saw his grandfather. But to his disbelief the man smiled, an honest smile. Another figure appeared behind him. His grandmother, and elderly lady with white hair tied to a bun.

"Congratulations the both of you! You have brought the Hiwatari clan one step further. Tall us, what did you name the buy?" the woman asked. Kai's eyes watered seeing his family like this. He never believed feelings like this could grew so deep.

Kai's mother smiled. "Kai… Kai the next Hiwatari."

It must have been a big moment in the woman's life to choose to give the newborn his father's surname. Their families had been enemies. He wondered what had happened to all this love? Surely something must have happened to make his grandfather go from nice to evil… but what?

End Vision

Both blader's shook out from their memory/vision and looked as the sole priestess of darkness appeared from the temple. She had black hair reaching below her waist, flowing in waves around her. Her eyes were dark as well and held an emptiness like if her soul was missing, still she was gentle for she had only committed one bad deed in her life. A deed she so bitterly wished hadn't happen, but we cannot change our pasts. Instead she had devoted her life getting closer to the good side of the darkness to get to know it. For her sacrifice of body and soul she was known for one of the mightiest priestesses in the dark Village's history.

"Welcome to this Village!" she greeted them. "I trust our friend here as guided you safely through our vapours to come here, it was a brave deed. Please, come with me!" she said showing them they way. Hilary hesitated for a moment. The priestess looked like she glided over the ground and either it was just her imagination or the black clouds around her but she thought that the woman didn't have feet at all and that she was nothing more then a shadow.

She was close to correct.

Zeo walked beside the priestess. It amazed the others that young Zagart had already gotten used to this place only after one visit.

The Bladebreakers looked around the temple and to their surprise it was gloriously decorated in black and red. Curtain hung down from the walls and the furniture was made of ebony or black marble.

The office was black as well with violet shades upon the walls. It looked like some kind of universe in one room. Beautiful.

The Priestess gave them each a cup of smoking tea and some rice cakes. They sat in silence drinking and eating. The Priestess sipped her tea through half closed lips. Zeo sat down beside her. She asked him about his powers and he showed her an orb of pure darkness. The priestess smiled seeming pleased with the progress.

If there is one place you will never be able to understand things about it is this Village. Perhaps that was why this was the smallest of them all. It only held about a hundred people, powerful people to be exact. This Village lived close to hell since they felt it was their duty and their pure darkness protected them from the corrupted one. Their prophecies foretold them if anything would happen and with an eternal night they were pale as ghosts and rarely saw light. Many times they walked with shadows around them if they needed to go somewhere.

Max shivered. He didn't like all this darkness it made him feel depressed. He had no idea everyone else felt like him though they had different ways of showing it. Tyson swallowed it with more food, Hilary curled into a ball resting her arms on her legs. Ray tried to ignore it best he could, biting his lower lips with his fangs. At least the pain could distract him. Kai had no problems keeping his mask up and Kenny was crying.

"What is it?" Zeo asked them with concern. They all looked at the turquoise haired teen. "Is the Darkness affecting you this badly?"

They all nodded. The priestess shook her head. "It looks like you will have to teach them then to appreciate darkness or they will get caught up in depression Zeo. Go on, I'll meet you alone here within some hours. Until then I have some things I need to take care of.

That evening Tyson, Ray, Max, Kai, Kenny and Hilary had learnt a lot about the dark powers and as Zeo had told them it was just a balance of powers. The sorrows in their hearts had eased a lot. Having been the heroes in many different situations it was simply natural for them to feel this way.

This time they slept on soft mattresses on the dark floor. To their relief the mattresses, blankets and pillows were white. They all slept within a few hours.

That night Zeo approached the Priestess of darkness with confusion. He wondered what could be so urgent? He soon got his answer when the priestess nodded towards him to sit down. He obeyed.

On the little desk burned one sole candle. "Light often shines away the darkness, few things cane really stop the light once it is strong. Darkness itself doesn't kill light from the very beginning."

She blew out the candle. "It needs a helping hand, for this case it was wind. Something that damages the light so that the darkness can overpower it."

She took out a small necklace from a drawer.

"This is the symbol many humans look up to, for everything dark has a light and everything light has something dark. It is simply a cause of balance."

Zeo slowly pocketed the Yin Yang. "This isn't why you wanted me here, you have already told me this before." He said with a smile. The priestess smiled as well.

"Maybe I have, but never forget those words. The reason you are here is a question. I am asking you to become my apprentice for as far as I can see your dark powers are more potent then anyone else. You may even be stronger then the strongest one wielding dark, but that is too early to say. All I want you to do is to think about it and give me your answer in tomorrow."

Zeo sat paralysed. Become an apprentice to the very priestess was a rare honour. But what about his friends? How could he be able to help them if he stayed here? He didn't know what to do. He returned to their shared room and lay down, falling into an uneasy sleep.

"Let it rip!" Tyson said launching blade in an alleyway. The white blade with the blue dragon soared through the air, hitting a wall to then bounce of into a pile of overturned barrels. The barrels exploded and Dragoon zoomed back into his hand. The blue bit chip glowed in his hand. Dragoon was unusually restless today. There was a slight tension in the air that seemed to affect every bit beast in the team. Tyson had minutes ago walked out to give his blade some practise. Unusually he was up before everyone else.

It was probably around five in the morning. The only reason he was up was because Dragoon had been talking in his sleep and the bit beast had said the same thing. "Release us!" Tyson had asked what he meant and the Dragon had responded. "I want to feel the wind below me again."

That was confusing. His bit beast didn't mean he wanted to leave him forever only to leave the blade. But it still didn't explain the wind beneath.

Half an hour later Kai came out and started to practise some war movements to chase away the stiffness in his body. Tyson sat by the wall in a shadow. Smirking he thought about having some fun and created a whirlwind in his hand. The whirlwind caught up with the teen and tossed him away. Kai growled as Tyson laughed and the next minute Tyson had to duck for Fireballs.

Not long after ray walked out tying his bandanna around his head. He laughed seeing the two bladers caught up in a fight. He shouldn't have as wind and fire hit him hard. Ray stumbled backwards his eyes gleaming with fun as he sent lightning from his hands. Later on Max, who thought they were simply playing, joined in. The four Elements collided with each other causing a hell of racket. People looked out through open windows to find four teens on the ground bruised from the explosion that had sent them five feet backwards.

"Playing like Children?" a voice said suddenly. They all looked up to see Daichi coming up to them. Kim walked after him dragging, what looked like a ox.

"Stupid beast!" she said cursing as the Ox's feet made marks in the ground. "This way!"

Daichi laughed seeing his sister's tries of getting it anywhere. Unfortunately the Ox got free and hurried away. Suddenly it disappeared into the open air and the rope fell to the ground.

Kim sighed. Daichi went to help the Bladebreakers back to their feet. Kim stood cursing after the lost creature and then she walked away into the other direction.

Daichi couldn't stop rolling on the ground laughing. Before Kim left however she dropped a small pouch on the ground. Daichi grinned picking it up. It was filled with gold.

"What was that about?" Ray asked.

"Oh, sis and I made a bet about that Ox. Guess she lost." He said putting the pouch in his pocket. Honestly, we were just on our way for the Decision."

"The Decision?" Tyson asked.

"Well, now you've seen the ten villages we must know where you would like to stay until we can get you out of here?"

The team looked at each other then nodded. Ray declared he wanted to spend time with his sister, Tyson said he wanted to stay by the winds and Max by the water. Kai said he couldn't tolerate the other Villages so he said fire. It would also provide him some decent training as well. They said Kenny was crazy over the Village of wisdom and Tyson told him Hilary had declared the Village of Love as an interesting opportunity. Even if the whole place was Lovesick she had told him that she was safe as long as someone could arrange some kind of mark to keep the proposes away. She had noticed that most women having partners wore a ring on chain around their neck so she had asked the Priestess of love to make one for her. It was false, but no one would notice that.

Zeo had told the others through a note he would like to stay here where they were. How he had known this would arrive they had no idea, but they told Daichi who smiled. "It's Good to hear! I may suggest you move out then and get to those places. However there is one thing you better know."

He bent over to them and whispered a few words. Their eyes widened but they didn't move away. Instead they all leaned closer.

Meanwhile Zeo had taken a stroll down below the walls up to the surface. He needed to think about what the Priestess had asked of him. He had no idea what to do, until he suddenly heard Kim above him.

"Bloody birds get away from me!" she yelled as a herd of crows had started to attack her. Zeo stood below, the girl was some fifty metres over him.

"Oh, this is no use." She said and then whistled a signal. Zeo couldn't believe it as a gold bird flew through the sky n lightning speed getting to her master. As Ruyaka reached the cliff Kim jumped up on its back. A light beam shot from the phoenix beak destroying the evil creatures.

Zeo hurried back towards the Village and went to find the priestess. He found her in her office once more. "Whatever you wish of me, I will grant it sensei!" he said bowing.

TBC

To Reviewers:

Kendo Baby: I am really happy you liked it.

storm-of-insanity: No, the kissing part was originally planned until later. In that part it would have been Kim looking down from a balcony to see her best friend kissing Kai, but I changed it to Ray. Oh, Kim will find out sooner or later and then there will be a lot of fun. It really had nothing to do about it, I just wanted some romance put in.

PhoenixDemonElite: What is a story without a little love? Hope you liked this as well.

Z Star the Hidden Dragon: Oh, don't you just love Shi-Ma? I really do think Daichi and she would make a cute couple. And that rat, well it hasn't anything to do with Animagi, Animagi is to transform yourself into a animal. This is more like what Robert would say in season one in the Russian World Cup about becoming one. Ops, saying too much nearly, but it is a bit more complicated then that and it will bump up soon.

Storms-winter: Well, there will be more couples to come. I have a lot more in store. And yes, wasn't that sequence cute, I really love it. Hope you liked this too.

End Notes:

School has started today, tomorrow the really though days starts so don't expect me to update as almost daily as I've been. I'll try to update but I want to concentrate a bit more upon school this year so there will probably be less work on this once things get though, after all here in Sweden we get exams all year around so unlike the Last Exam days I know many countries have. But I'll try to write some, can't promise however.

Second note for today, don't bother sending those review reply e-mail things that been swirling around. It only gets me more frustrated each time. I am not mad, just tired. I don't sign and don't forward them, say it is a waste of e-mail.

Besides, once a rule like this is placed I will be able to reply as well. They don't say anything about starting notes. And that rule will probably be placed on the news boarder as it is important to us all. But with no rules I am continuing as I am and I am keeping my eyes on it. As far as I know it is polls, chats, stolen fics and those things that are forbidden and things related to it. I have to agree however it can be disturbing with mini chapters and super long replies.

Shitza