Note: I still don't own Beyblade, two of my friends are arguing, and I almost got hit by a dairy truck! See if I ever drink milk again.

Chapter 17: Toki: Friend or Foe?

What does he mean 'take our gods'? Ray thought. Or barely thought. His head still hurt in this warped area.

"Now, which one of the conscious guardians is willing to battle me?" Ciro smirked menacingly.

"I will!" Tysa stepped up with her beyblade, but Ray stopped her. "What?"

"I'll battle him," Ray told her.

"But, Ray…if you lose…you'll lose Driger forever…if that's what he's talking about, that is." Tysa looked at him, worried.

"Hey," Ray smiled gently, "You say that like I will lose." Tysa nodded, but kept the worried look.

"Have you made a decision, yet?" Ciro sounded bored. Ray nodded. "Good then." A beyblading ring appeared between Ciro and the teens. Ray stepped up to the ring.

"Ray…uh…" Ray looked behind him. Tysa was looking to the side with her hands behind her back looking nervous. "If you lose…" Tysa then went back to her usual temperamental face, "I'll never forgive you! You hear me!" Ray smiled and nodded. He then turned back to the ring and Ciro and armed his beyblade.

"3…" Ray started. "2…1…Let it Rip!" Ray released Driger in the ring and a black beyblade flew out of Ciro's sleeve. Driger and the other blade seemed neck and neck.

"Driger! Give this guy the Tiger Claw!" Ray commanded. Ciro seemed surprised on how powerful the beyblade was, but didn't say anything. After a while of harsh beatings from the Tiger Claw, Ciro's beyblade was knocked out of the ring.

"Yeah, Ray!" Tysa punched the air happily as everything went back to normal.

"Alright. You've lost." Ray told Ciro. "Now, free Salima!" Ciro was in a kneeling position and said nothing. Then, Ciro started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ray growled.

"Nothing. Except…you!" Ciro laughed.

"What?" Ray became more confused.

"You should've let that girl battle! Now, I know more about a Guardian's power source!" Ciro kept laughing.

"A guardian?" Ray became even more confused. That stopped Ciro's laughter.

"You mean…you really don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Ray's confused meter had gone from a 30 to 70 in five seconds. That's a record.

"Never mind." Ciro shook his head. "I'll see you all later." With that, Ciro vanished into the shadows. The wind chains on Salima vanished and she woke up.

"Uhhnn…" Salima groaned. "Who was that guy?"

"Psycho from loony bin." Tysa stated suddenly. It seemed to work and the three teens went to the tournament stadium. When Salima stepped in the stadium, she stopped for a while, like everything else, then everything started again.

"Huh?" Ray asked confused. The confusion was making him lose it. Tysa looked around the room. She looked into the shadows behind her and saw a familiar hooded figure, who nodded. Then, the figure ran off.

Toki…did he stop time for us?

"Ray! Tysa!" Hilary ran up to them. "C'mon! The first round is about to start!" Tysa was only half listening to her friend. Wasn't Toki a member of the Hún Dún? And why did that Ciro guy call her Líng Luán?

The night after the tournament, Tysa did some more hacking with Kenny's laptop.

Wa ha ha ha ha. Sorry, Kenny, but this is an emergency.

She typed in "Líng Luán on the computer's search, but got nothing except for a name "Róng Líng-Chén". Tysa stared at the name for a minute. The name had the same last name as her mother. She thought about the possibility of relation, but shook her head. Her mother had no relations. She was an only child. Then an idea struck her. Hún Dún was Chinese wasn't it? Maybe…

Tysa typed "Líng Luán" in the computer's translator. Instead of a simple definition, the computer stopped.

"What?" Tysa yelled silently. "Come on you piece of junk!"

"That is not for you to know." Toki appeared behind Tysa.

"I have a right don't I?" Tysa scowled. "Unfreeze this computer!"

"I have a right to not do that, don't I?" Tysa scowled again.

"Whose side are you on anyway? You help me more than once, your buddy takes information about one of my friends bit-beasts, then you freeze a computer with the information I have a right to know!"

"You may have a right to know, but not now. The side I take is the side for the better. Your friends and your 'bit-beasts' must be careful of their familiar enemy. And know this. Líng Luán is not your name, so I don't see why you want to look it up. But, then again," Toki chuckled. "neither is Tysa." Tysa became definitely freaked out now.

"What do you mean 'my name's not Tysa'? Of course it is!"

"If you remember your mother…" Toki started to walk away. "you and your brother might actually remember."

"Remember what?"

"Your lost memories…vanished through out time…could you let your mother go so easily?" Tysa felt tears come to her eyes when he said that. She subconsciously gripped her beyblade.

"I…" Tysa was about to argue, but looked down realizing the truth in Toki's words. Had she let her mother go? Did she mean to? "I…hey!" Toki had vanished again. Tysa scowled. It was getting so you couldn't tell the bad guys from the good anymore.

"So…it was him." Tysa turned around and saw Kai, looking at the shadows in front, then at her.

"It was who, Kai? Have you…met Toki before?"

"Toki, huh? Is that his name?" Tysa nodded.

"So, uh…what are you doing in my house?"

"Huh?" Kai seemed surprised at the question.

"Why—are—you—in—my—house?" Tysa repeated. Kai held up two fingers.

"What?" Tysa seemed confused.

"Two reasons." Kai told her. "I saw that Toki guy come into your house."

"Ok…"Tysa nodded. "And the second reason…" Kai's cheeks turned a slight shade of red. Instead of words, he turned away and starting walking for the window.

"Hey! Wait! I thought we learned what happens if you don't answer my questions!" Tysa walked behind him. Kai stopped as he got to the window and looked at Tysa. He smirked.

"Just try and keep up."

Tysa was surprised at how fast Kai was. Of course, she was keeping up with him, but it surprised her nonetheless.

Tyson told me Kai was part of some sort of gang…guess this is natural. Tysa thought as they slowed down.

"So, why couldn't you tell me in the house?" Tysa asked. Kai kept his back towards Tysa. "Kai?" Suddenly, Kai started laughing. "Kai?" Tysa's voice sounded more worried. Then, the shadows started to envelop Kai, to Tysa's surprise. When they left though, it wasn't Kai that was standing there.

Oops. Did I do a cliff hanger again? Oh well. You just gotta deal with it sometimes. Unless you're Bill Gates. Then you can pay people to hurry up. Assuming that none of you people are Bill Gates or any other rich guy that can actually pay me, I'm gonna take my sweet little time. I'm thinking about writing one-shots from this universe. :D

Mizuki Sakura