Chapter 3: In the Middle of Nowhere

Sakura laughed a bit as she heard Tala's complaint.

Tala smiled, knowing that he ACTUALLY made someone laugh.

Sakura took out her beyblade and frowned, remembering how she earned it.

Tala blinked a bit as he noticed the sad look on her face.

"What's with the face?" he asked.

Sakura was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Tala's voice.

"It's nothing..." she said, not wanting to talk about it.

Tala couldn't help but worry.

"Something's obviously wrong." he said.

Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes without him noticing.

"Well, if you MUST know," she began to say. "It was about 8 years ago…"

-Flashback 8 years ago-

A 9-year-old Sakura was standing next to a tall, broad-shouldered man with a beard and mustache that was starting to grow. He had dirty blonde hair and navy blue eyes. His name was Thomas Himuri. He was also known as Sakura's father.

"Daddy? Why are we here?" little Sakura asked her father.

Thomas placed his hand on Sakura's head, smiling sweetly at her.

"I have some work to do. Besides, I couldn't leave you by yourself at home ever since your mother passed away." he said.

"Oh… But promise me, you'll be careful. I don't wanna lose you too." she said, making huge puppy dog eyes, trying to make herself adorably cute.

Thomas smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

"I promise." he said sweetly as he lifted her off the ground and rested her on his shoulders, holding onto her arms so she won't fall.

Little Sakura smiled at him. "I love you, Daddy." she said.

"I love you too, Sakura." Thomas said as he started walking towards the lumber mine, with Sakura on his shoulders.

While walking towards the lumber mine where Thomas worked, someone came running towards them with a scared look on his face.

"Thomas! There's big trouble!" the man said, fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Thomas asked.

"There's trouble down at the mine! We're being under siege by some creep and his men!" he said, the fear in his voice was easy to notice.

"What! I'm on my way!" Thomas said as he gently took Sakura off his shoulders and on the ground gently.

"Listen to me, Sakura. I need you to stay here. If anything happens to me," he paused, giving her a golden beyblade with a bitbeast that looked like a blue lion with light blue angel wings on the chip. "Guardian Driger will be there to protect you. It'll feel like I'm there with you."

Sakura took the beyblade and looked at it then back at her father.

"Daddy?" she said, confused and scared.

Thomas smiled and pulled her into a hug, tears forming in his eyes.

"I love you, Sakura." he said, the sadness in his voice obvious.

He pulled back from the hug and looked into his daughter's eyes.

"Take care, my little angel." he said and then ran to see what was happening.

Sakura stood there, hoping and praying that her father would come back alive.

But after a minute or two, she heard a gunshot.

Sakura gasped, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was who got shot.

"DADDY!" she shouted as she ran to see what happened.

She then stopped in her tracks, seeing her father on the ground, dying. A bullet wound on his chest.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears but then fell freely down her face.

"DADDY!" she shouted as she ran to her father's side, kneeling beside him.

Thomas looked at her weakly.

"S-Sakura…." he said very weakly.

"Daddy! Don't leave me!" Sakura cried, tears still falling freely.

"Listen to me… There's a cabin in the middle of the forest right near here…. That'll be your new home… Guardian Driger will guide you…." he explained to her.

"I'm not leaving you, Daddy! I love you!" she cried once more.

Thomas smiled weakly and placed his hand gently on her cheek.

"I love you too, Sakura…. Take care… my little angel…" he said.

Then his hand fell to the ground, not moving at all.

Sakura started crying. He was gone.

"DADDY!"

-End Flashback-

"And that's what happened…" Sakura said, finished explaining what had happened; feeling tears form but quickly wiped them away.

Tala made a sad look, feeling terrible.

What they didn't know was that Kai was standing near the open window in his room, hearing every single word that Sakura said.

"What about your mother? What happened to her?" Tala asked, then cursed himself mentally for asking that question.

"She died from Leukemia when I was 5. My father was the only family I had left." Sakura answered.

Kai surprisingly made a sad look, actually feeling sorry for Sakura.

Tala didn't know what to say. First, her mother passed away from a disease, then her father gets killed and now she's living all alone without any friends.

"My father was right. Guardian Driger has protected me. It feels like that my father is actually Guardian Driger, watching over me; like he's my guardian angel, only trapped in a beyblade." Sakura said.

Suddenly, they heard an evil laugh coming from behind them. They quickly turned around to find none other than Boris!

"YOU! What do you want!" Tala growled, glaring evilly at him.

"Just paying a little visit. Also, I've come for Sakura. Hand her over and your lives will be spared." Boris threatened as his men were about to surround them.

Sakura grew scared. Why were they after HER?

"I don't think so!" said a voice.

Sakura turned around and saw Kai jump out of the window and land on his feet, glaring at Boris.

"You'll have to go through me first!" he said.

"Counting me as well!" Tala said.

Sakura couldn't believe it. They were trying to protect her.

"Is that a fact? Well, then. I guess we'll just have to take you ALL!" Boris shouted.

Suddenly, Sakura, Tala, and Kai were knocked unconscious.

Several hours later, Kai woke up to find himself in a forest.

He saw Sakura right beside him, unconscious.

He shook her slightly. "Sakura! Wake up!" he said.

Sakura winced and blinked a bit while opening her eyes.

"What… happened? Where am I?" she asked, slowly sitting up.

"I don't know." Kai answered, clueless on where he was.

Kai then noticed Tala and hit his head hard, causing him to wake up, sitting up quickly.

"OWW! Jeez! What was that for!" Tala shouted, rubbing his head.

Kai just smirked. "I felt like it." He said.

Tala growled then realized what was around him.

"Where the heck are we?" he asked.

"In the middle of nowhere…" Sakura answered.