Konnichiwa everyone! Thanks for choosing to continue to read this fic, and thanks for all the reviews! I love you all! Anyway…I'm having a great time writing this fic, so I guess it was a good idea to post it after all. Hi C.P, interesting review. Hope everything goes okay for you and your family. I'll email ya (oh, could you please give me your 2nd email address again but space out the letters cos doesn't show it up otherwise, grr…thankies!) Quackabbott, hopefully mentioning your name will make you smile, just like I did when I read your review! I do think your funny! Also, about Kai, even I'm not sure who he truly resembles. He's like a mixture of characters I guess. At the beginning of my fic he acts like Shugo (.hack manga) with his lack of interest in video games, and he sorta has resemblances to Balmung (.hack games). Any readers know who Kai is like most? Before I continue to the next chapter, just let me congratulate every author here, even if you aren't a member of and don't write anime stories. Everyone has an imagination and those who use it to write stories, no matter how good or bad they think it is, deserves praise. So there you are, I've done my 'pep' talk.

To the next chappy! Yeah!

Kai : You've really gotta learn to shut up.

Me : Heh heh…pulling Kai's cheek in an annoying way…

Chapter 6: The cause of the corruption

"Mustard…on cereal?" I can't believe my friend Max sometimes…

"It's great! Really yummy!"

"Yuck." I guess I should be glad to be eating at Max's place. His Dad's a real good cook, easily on par with the Chef's working at my place. But Max's taste in food is a little less than to be desired...

"So, your another fan of this crazy game too, Kai! I've heard lots about it! Max, you can play on it after you've done your chores, okay?"

"Sure, thanks."

So whilst Max cleans up in the Hobby Shop his Dad runs, I sit down and relax in the big comfortable armchair in the front room.

I have wings.

Max has a bracelet.

Where are they from?

What did we get them for, I mean, Rei was with us too, but he didn't get anything…

Were me and Max chosen…?

"Earth to Kai! We can log back into The World! I'm done!" What! He's done already? Time really flies by...

Max shakes my shoulders hard, and the next thing I know I've put the headset back on.

"Hey...we've got mail!" Max exclaims happily. "It's from Rei. He wants to meet us in the town and says to check the message board."

"Message board?" What is the point of a message board when there's flash mail?

"Here! Oh look, it's a message from CC Corp warning players of restricted areas..."

"Boring...let's just log in." Yep, I can be pretty impatient.

"But Kai..." Enough with the childish whining! "It might be important..."

"Too late!" You could say I'm a quick learner, as I log us into the Root Town no prob.

"There you guys are!" Rei waves us over. There's a slight breeze in the air that makes Rei's hair fly all over the place. Doesn't it annoy him? I wonder...

"Hey, we read the message board...sorta..." Max gives me a look, which I shrug off naturally.

"Well then. We're going back to that field." Rei smiles. "A friend of mine is already there. He's a Blademaster, like you Kai!"

"Bet he doesn't have wings..." I mutter, forgetting that Rei has kitty ears. I mentally smack myself.

"Funny. No he doesn't, but he's quite a high level."

"What are we waiting for! LET'S GO!" I swear Max had sugar on his cereal as well as mustard. Double yuck.

Flash. We have returned to the corrupted field...

"Ah, konnichiwa Rei. These are the two you spoke of, are they...?" A character just a little shorter than Rei stood in a similar outfit to me, but in blue, next to a tree. "Kai and Max, I presume..." He extended his hand, his blue hair tousled down his back.

"HI!" Of-course Max is excited to meet someone new. I, however, don't like the look of this guy.

"Ah, yes. A strange bracelet and wings...odd pair, aren't you!" He laughed. "I am Tyson, a Blademaster, one of the best if I say so myself. I am aiming to collect powerful weapons and armour. And my pack is full of items!" Yeah, just like you're full of hot air. This Tyson jerk really gets on my nerves, and I've just met him!

"So, Ty, you ready to check out the dungeon?"

Dungeon! I remember Max saying something about that. This spells trouble, especially with that Tyson guy. How can he be a friend of Rei?

"I was born ready! C'mon, follow me!" Born ready my ass. I wish I could come up with some sorta smart reply, but nothing. God, what's wrong with me? I used to have one-liners to burn!

We enter the dungeon through what looked like a shell. And from there on in, it was running, fighting, more running, more fighting...you get the picture.

"Enemies!" Max cries out, readying his daggers. Rei starts chanting some spells and I get ready to slice and dice myself some fish...

But...Tyson jumps in front of me and does the honour!

"Easy. I knew it wouldn't be a challenge! I mean, this is only a level 2 area. Good work everyone! Kai, I think you need to practice with your sword..." Grr...who does he think he's talking to anyway?

So we keep on going, finding and opening treasure chests. I managed to get myself two health drinks, a 'fool' and an antidote. Not bad for my first trip, eh?

"D...do you hear that, guys..." Rei says suddenly as we walk down a long, straight corridor.

"Here what?" Max asks as Rei tightens his grip on his stick.

"It's coming from down those stairs, isn't it." Tyson says, pointing. Rei nods. I wonder why he's so nervous. Max grabs my arm.

"We should check it out. No worries, guys! I'll protect you!" Tyson gives a victory sign. I sigh. If he's the only protection we've got, we're doomed. But I'm not afraid. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it.

Wait! I'm beginning to sound like a hothead myself!

"Isn't this exciting!" Max exclaims, though he still hasn't let go of my arm, much to my annoyance.

Tyson goes down the steps first, followed by me and Max and Rei last. I can hear the neko-jin holding his breath.

"I...I think we've found the cause of the corruption..." Tyson stammers, suddenly sounding less confident. A loud noise fills the area.

Not good.

"W...what is it?" Max asks, hiding behind me, in-between my wings.

"It's...it's Skieth!" Rei shouts.

Skieth, huh...

Must be my lucky day...

TBC

Okies, me done. So we met Tyson, and actually, he's annoying (no surprises there!) Sos to any Tyson fans, but I wanted a character that Kai could hate and maybe even be jealous of (sorta like in Beyblade itself...) I've finally used the Skieth idea from Chiyo-Phoenix. Thanks pal! And I did try to make Ty a bit like Sanjuro. I'll try harder in the next chappy…Whoa…I'm getting more and more Tala fans reading this! Don't worry guys, my plan is he'll show up in either the next chapter or the one after. Hope that's not too long for you to wait!

Come to think of it, this chappy stinks! Doesn't it! I mean, I haven't described Skieth yet, we don't know much about Tyson (and I failed miserably trying to make him sound like Sanjuro…), and it was kinda boring…and I neglected Kukki! (Don't worry, the evil pig will return…)

I'm having a bad day…but it can't be writer's block with all you nice reviewers, can it…?

Anyway, enough babble from me.

Kai : 'Bout time…

Me : pouts So, err, I'm off to go play Star Ocean and possibly .hack just incase they inspire me more…

Byezies!

Minako Angel out xxx

(A:N/ Just for you Quackbbott! Dunno if ya know this, but I wanna up your Japanese vocab! Kai means shellfish or seashell! Strange huh! Ja ne x)

(A:N/2 Err, just incase someone reviews and tells me that you can get waaay more items than what Kai got in the Dungeon, let me remind you that there are 3 other people with him and I guess they were item hoggers, especially Tyson! K! Sayonara then!)