-Ducks behind flying rocks and tomatoes and every other object that people are able to throw-. I'M SO SORRY!! It's been like...4 months ish I'm guessing lol. Well, I do have liable excuses, but I know you guys don't wanna hear me ramble on about something as pointless as excuses lol. So my chapter will be my apology for me not updating sooner!!

PLZ R&R!!

A special thank you MUST go out to Kendo Baby and kaiROXmyWorld for their wonderful ideas for my story! My plot wouldn't be so great if it weren't for you two! I now have some new outstanding ideas for this! I love you both!!

Chapter 12: Returned

The sound reverberated throughout the entire dojo. They all knew where and who it was coming from, but it had to be done. All they could do was wince each time her screams reached their ears.

Kai watched in horror as images flashed through his mind of that day. That day…when she lost her limbs. It was weird how attaching limbs seemed to have been just as painful, if not more painful than actually losing them.

Kaya worked as swiftly as she could without damaging any of Mia's internal blood vessels and nerves. The entire procedure would last about an hour including her arm and leg. Unfortunately she would have to do it one at a time, making the pain last even longer for Mia. But it was all necessary in order for her to use the arm and leg to their full potential, and obeying each of the commands sent out from Mia's nervous system.

"Please, try to hold her down a bit more." Kaya urged Rick. He was helping her hold Mia down as she thrashed around on the couch, sweat pouring down her face as the pain wouldn't cease. "I'm almost done Mia." Kaya told Mia who sighed in relief knowing that the pain was soon to end. Another jolt came up from her shoulder where Kaya was attaching the arm, and another scream came from her vocal chords. She could see Kai sitting on a chair from the corner of her eye and she gave him a weak smile, showing that she was going to be alright.

When he noticed it, all he could do was stare at her. Even with sweat pouring down her face, she was still beautiful. She was slowly starting to get over he brother's death, which wasn't a hard thing to do, and the sparkle from her eyes slowly cam back to life. It was going to be hard without Daryl, and their bond as twins was and always will be unbreakable. Even through death…

"There, all done. Now that wasn't too bad was it?" Kaya chirped cheerfully as Mia groaned. The pain hadn't completely subsided after the 'surgery', and she had to take it easy before she would recover. "I tried to make the metal fifty percent lighter than your last arm and leg, not to mention I had to make a few changes to the length of your new leg. You actually grew at least an inch in the past few years." Kaya continued.

"I told you I grew. Yet no one ever listens to me." Mia growled.

"You might even grow more this time without the heavy metal weighing you down. Like she said, the metal's lighter this time." Rick piped in, trying to add in some more teasing while she was still on the couch in pain.

"It's gotta be illegal; making fun of someone's height when they're in pain like this." Mia whined. She sat up from the couch and tested out the joints of her new limbs. She had to admit, they were definitely lighter. They were also easier to move, and finally she was able to stand properly now. She was even more in balance with the lighter metals. This certainly was starting to look good for her now. Looking down at herself, she blushed at what little clothing she was wearing. She had borrowed a pair of Hilary's jean shorts and black tank tops. The clothing exposed her metal limbs, which Mia didn't quite feel comfortable with. She grabbed her normal clothes and quickly headed into the washroom to change.

"Uncle, I swear that girl is after my Kai. She's just so annoying." Tasha whined while she barged into her uncle's office without any notice from knocking. Boris looked up from his paperwork and he groaned. He was already frustrated from his demotion not too long ago. Apparently this new guy, Dante or whatever his name was, had taken his spot as Voltaire's right hand man, and now he was left doing paperwork instead of working on their new project. It was frustrating enough from that demotion, but now his noisy niece just had to come into the picture.

"What girl? And did you say Kai?" Boris asked his niece.

"Of course I did. I'm only the president of Kai Hiwatari's fan club." Tasha explained for the umpteenth time to her uncle. She didn't care if he treated her like dirt, or that he never paid any attention to her when she was ranting over anything. But he did have money for her to spend on clothes and make-up. "Oh, and I'm out of mascara and eyeliner, I need to buy more. And I wouldn't mind going on a shopping spree again, uncle."

"Nevermind that. What girl are you talking about?"

"I don't know what her name is, but she's a freak. She's got no arm and leg and she's always hanging around my Kai. She should really just hang out with her people instead. You know, those retards that don't have a life and are good for nothing." Tasha said, and sat down in a chair in front of Boris's desk. She took out a nail file and started filing her nails while she put her feet up on top of his desk.

"Take your feet off my desk, girl. And leave my office, you're disrupting my work." Boris brushed her off and Tasha grumbled something unintelligent and stomped out of Boris's office.

"Hey Mia, how's your new arm and leg?" Tyson asked as she stepped out of the dojo with Kai. As usual, the Bladebreakers' along with their friends were training.

"Great, thanks." She replied. It felt right again now that she was in her white trench coat again. The black gloves still fitted perfectly around the metal hand, and it still looked flesh under the leather. She sat down next to Hilary and Kenny as Kai joined the rest of them in training. He somehow managed to get in another argument with Tyson and they were now both launching their Beyblades in another fierce battle.

"Why are they always training so hard? I mean, I thought Beyblading was just something to pass the time." Mia asked both Hilary and Kenny, hoping for some answer.

"It's just something they like to do. Besides, you never know when another tournament is coming up." Hilary answered, although Mia still didn't quite understand it all.

"In tournaments, you're constantly meeting new competitors that are more powerful than anyone can imagine. It's really important for a Blader to always be prepared for any kind of opponent. It may seem stupid to you, since you're not really a Blader that competes in these things. I mean, what you do with your Beyblade is so remarkable that competing in tournaments may even sound silly. But it means a lot to those guys. And Beyblading is nothing but a sport to us. It's…fun." Kenny said.

"I guess I see your point." Mia said slowly. "When Daryl and I were little, we had to know how to Beyblade. It was for the sake of other's lives. I mean, we save people from those terrifying bit beasts all the time, locking them up in the Beyblades. After a while, it became a chore for us. We would call it anything but fun." It was depressing to know she would never be able to see her brother again. But that was life. It had its ups and downs. Mia just had to accept that fact earlier than others.

Hilary abruptly sat up, flattening out her short white skirt after holding a hand out to Mia who was utterly baffled.

"Let's go to the mall and hang out. Come on, it'll be fun." Hilary urged. Mia looked back to the others who were still Blading. Damn, I thought one of the other girls would wanna go with her, but they're too busy training. Maybe I should just pretend to train too…

Before another thought, she was dragged out of the dojo by Hilary and they were off to the mall. Mia, unlike most girls, didn't like shopping that much. She only went when it was absolutely necessary for her. Only one thought came to her mind right now. This was going to be as fun as watching paint dry.

"Sir, something's gone wrong."

"What are you talking about? We were at seventy percent!"

"It suddenly stopped. He's rejecting the program for some reason!"

"Honestly, you people are useless! Can't you do anything right?!"

"Excuse me, but I may have a solution." A man piped in at the door.

"And what may that be?"

"Hey look at this. I bet this would look so good on you!" Hilary squealed as she took a dress off of a hanger. For some reason, Hilary walked into a store famous for its formal wear. It was odd since there was no event that required such a dress. Although Mia did have to admit, it was very elegant. It was a simple red dress that reached to the floor. There was nothing too special about it, but it exaggerated the slenderness of a woman's waist, and it would fit Mia's curved body perfectly.

"Yeah, it probably would look good on me. But then again…" Mia trailed off and stared at her right arm with a saddened expression written on her features. "It would look terrible. Such a beautiful and simple dress, compared to this."

Hilary was suddenly frowning as she realized what Mia had meant. She couldn't even deny it. Mariah and Mariam would always say they would look fat in a nice dress like this, and it was easy to say they wouldn't because that wasn't lying, but Mia's reasons were different, and it was hard to lie to her about it. A metal arm with a beautiful red dress wouldn't fit properly. No wonder she wanted to get their bodies back so badly. Life like hers would be so hard. Hilary thought.

"Let's go get something to eat, I'm kind of hungry. I guess Tyson's starting to rub off on me." Hilary said, trying to ease up their uncomfortable silence. She put the dress back where she found it and they walked out, heading towards the Food Court.

"I'm just gonna head into the washroom." Mia told Hilary, and she walked off towards the entrance of the washrooms.

The cold water felt great, and there was no one in the washrooms. It was quiet, and peaceful. She liked it. She grabbed paper towels and dried her face off, getting ready to head back outside to Hilary. This would be a perfect time to escape, but… I can't do that. Hilary only brought me here 'cause she thought it might cheer me up. I might as well humor her I suppose. Someone bumped into her as she was about to walk out.

"Watch it! These clothes are-you again…?" Tasha eyed her evilly. She also noticed something else about the girl. "What the…? How come you're walking on two limbs now? Are you such a freak of nature that you can grow limbs back?" Tasha asked her surprised. Last time she checked, Mia was crippled.

"I don't have time for this." Mia said as she walked out.

"Hey don't walk out on me!" But Mia just continued walking on. Tasha wanted to chase after her, but she seriously needed to apply more make-up. She had already gone half an hour without re-applying more eyeliner and mascara! "I'll get you back." She muttered under breath.

"What took you so long Mia?" Hilary asked as Mia walked towards her after finding her sitting at one of the tables in the Food Court. "Nevermind that, what do you wanna eat?" She asked without giving Mia a chance to answer her first question.

"I don't really care." Mia replied. Hilary gave an inward sigh as she went to get something to eat.

"Ok, but right after this I wanna go to a few more stores!"

This is gonna be a long day…

"What are you doing? Wait…please, don't! Uncle!! Please…no, please!"

"This won't hurt too much, don't worry."

Exhausted, Mia fell down onto the couch, and was so close to falling asleep…

"HEY SHORTY QUIT SLEEPING, WE'RE GONNA WATCH A MOVIE!!" Tyson shouted, and that 'shorty' comment was definitely directed at Mia.

"Enough with the short remarks! Honestly, can't you people find something better to do than to make fun of my height?!"

"Nope!"

If looks could kill, Tyson would be dead. Well he probably would have died long ago if that statement were true.

"Whatever, which movie are we gonna watch?" Mia asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She could see Tyson grinning, as if he were up to something.

"A horror movie! WHEN THE STRANGER CALLS!"

"…"

"What?!" Tyson asked as Mia stared at him oddly.

"You have way too much enthusiasm. I mean…what's wrong with you? It's not possible to keep so much energy stored away like that."

"So, you have more energy than me, and I always wonder how you keep so much energy in such a small…nevermind!" He stopped right when Mia gave him the death glare.

Why was Mia seated next to Kai? Why was there no one else on the couch with them? Why was everyone grinning as they began the movie? Mia and Kai just look pissed off. As if they would be dense enough to not get what was going on. Although they did notice certain 'couples' starting to cuddle since they were watching a horror movie. The excuse: it's scary.

Not even fifteen minutes into the movie, the doorbell rang, even though it was already well into the night. Mia and Kai bolted up and rushed to the door to get it. They were already sick of the movie.

Mia opened the door and Kai stood behind her. When they saw who it was, their faces paled. It couldn't be, there was no possible way this could happen. They heard the others heading towards the two after they had paused the movie. Every single person paled as well. It was as if they had all just seen a ghost. But then again, maybe they were seeing a ghost.

"Daryl…?" Mia asked, still shocked at the image before her eyes. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but from the expressions on everyone else's faces, she knew she wasn't hallucinating. Once everything started to sink into her head, a smile started to creep up onto her face. It was the first genuine smile anyone in the dojo had showed in the longest time.

"Hey…sis."

"Daryl…Daryl. It can't be…Daryl!" Mia flung herself into her brother's arms. Daryl was caught off guard at first, but he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "This can't be happening; I thought…we all thought…" She said as she sobbed into her brother's embrace.

"I know sis. It's ok, I'm here now. I'll always be here, no matter what happens." He spoke quietly to Mia. Everyone just couldn't believe it, they were all so glad to see Daryl was safe. But Kai had a different reaction. A deep frown appeared on his face. Something's wrong here.

No one noticed this frown however, except for Hiro. The two exchanged glances and just through that one look, they understood what each other was thinking.

"Alright, and here's your dagger and your blade! Welcome back Daryl!" Tyson and Max smiled proudly, for they had finally returned the bit beast and the dagger to its rightful owner. It was already morning, and they had spent most of the night talking with Daryl. Apparently, someone had saved Daryl when he was in the still in the Roman Coliseum's chamber. They had all thought that there was no way to save him, but someone had managed it. Whoever that person was, they were all thankful. But Daryl had never found out who had saved him, he awoke to an empty house and was already nearly healed.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate this." He said. "Say, where's Mia?" He asked as he looked around the room.

"I'm not really sure, but she should be around here somewhere. It's only 11:00 in the morning after all." Max responded.

He paced around the entire dojo looking for her. Where the hell is she? He asked himself. He hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and after Daryl's explanation, his suspicions grew even larger. He needed to find Mia immediately.

Finally, Kai managed to find Mia outside sitting by the pond. He slowly walked up behind her and saw her reflection in the water. She was smiling happily to herself, and he almost didn't want to say anything. She was so happy again, but he had to do this.

"Uh, Mia…"

"What's up Kai?" She turned around to face him and cocked her head to one side curiously. She looked so happy now, her eyes once again held that beautiful sparkle in them, and they no longer held a dark aura.

"I need to talk to you about something…"

"Oh? What is it?"

"Hey Mia! Found you!" Daryl came running up to the both of them as he waved his hand in the air. Mia's face brightened up even more as she waved back to her beloved brother. Finally, things were looking up for her again. She got her limbs back as well as her brother back. Kai frowned at the interruption, and he would not say anything in front of Daryl about this. It would be too awkward.

"Excuse me, I forgot something." Kai said and walked off. He knew it was a lame excuse, and he heard the twins chatting happily to each other about whatever they talked about. But he really wished he hadn't been interrupted. If anyone should know anything, it should be Mia. And Kai desperately needed to tell it to her. For her own safety.

Author's Note:

Hmm, did this seem rushed to you? And this a reply to one of the reviews, although I know I'm not really allowed to give replies. Oh well. One of the reviews asked me if I had an ending planned out for this and stuff. Don't worry, because of those WONDERFUL WONDERFUL ideas that I got from my reviewers, I know everything that's going to happen. I already had everything planned out before, but because of those suggestions I have a new and improved plot for this story! But the ending's still the same lol.

REVIEW PLEASE!!