A.N. I know it's been a long,long time since I last updated, but better late than never! Thankyou to all reviewers.

Enjoy.

Chapter 19

The blade of the sword pointed up towards the sky, Kai holding it steady with both hands.

All eyes were fixed upon it.

Saska stood up and moved next to him, gently putting her hands over his. They glanced into each other's eyes, understanding flickering in both for a brief moment before Kai released the Kinomya Sword to Tyson's Grandmother.

Giving Kai a small smile, she closed her eyes and focused her magical energy through her arms and into the hilt of the ancient weapon.

For the second time that day, the sword began to glow a pale blue, first hazy, then vivid. They were all transfixed by the awesome power that radiated in front of them. Without thinking, Kai stepped forward and copied Saska's earlier action and placed his hands on top of hers.

Suddenly he found himself in the bitbeasts world of nothingness. He had been here before when Dranzer had taken him to help Tyson, when they had lost him in Russia.

Squinting his eyes against the light, he saw Saska move over to him. She made a movement with one hand, motioning him to look around. He realised they were in what seemed to be an orb, or sphere, and they were in the centre of it.

"It keeps us from floating away into the darkness" Saska whispered in his ear.

He looked at her questioningly.

"We are being protected" was all she would say. The words were spoken softly, as she continued to stare at the sphere of blue light surrounding them.

"What ….?" He started to ask, but was shushed when Saska motioned for silence abruptly with her hand.

"Listen" she breathed at him, pausing to look behind them in wonder. "Feel with your heart and soul" she looked at him deeply in the eyes. "Who else is here?"

Kai looked annoyed and glared at her for a moment before closing his eyes and allowing his senses to take over, feeling for the sensations that Saska was talking about.

"Kai" Then he heard a voice. The same voice he had heard in the Dojo calling him after Tyson vanished.

"Kai" the ghostly voice whispered, it was so close to him, as if someone was standing right next to him and spoke in his ear. It was familiar, and it wasn't.

"Kai, my son". His eyes snapped open and he gasped in realisation.

"Natalia…Mother?" His heart was beating so hard and fast he thought it might burst out of his chest. He had never known his mother, and he was not sure how to react.

"Yes my son" the voice of Natalia answered, the ghostly sound coming form all around them now.

Saska once again put a comforting hand on Kai's shoulder. "They are both here, your mother and my daughter". Kai looked at her confused and angry. "They are protecting us from the remainder of Dragoons power. Tyson is not here though."

"Then where in hell is he?" he demanded, shrugging her hand off his shoulder.

"He is not dead, only the spirits of those killed by this sword remain here my son" replied Natalia's soft voice.

"We can feel his aura, but Dragoon is cut off from us. He has changed back into the mad creature of before. His old master has returned to claim him." Murmured a new voice.

"Suki" Saska asked, "Can you tell us where they are?"

"No, only that a blackness draws ever closer, Tyson has been separated from Dragoon, their connection must be returned for them both to survive" she replied.

"But I heard Tyson" Kai suddenly retorted. "I heard him. He's in the sword too. Where is he?" he yelled at the spirits.

"You heard his voice, yes, but if you are wondering why the sword glowed when you touched it, that was us." Natalia answered.

"We were protecting you, as we protect all our family. We could not let Tala kill you." Reviled Suki. "Tyson is bodiless, his soul is floating around. It's the result of the power that is enhancing Dragoon. Had they still been connected when it happened, he would be dead."

Kai clenched his fists in relief, and frustration. "So how do I reverse this?" His loud voice demanded answers. "Tell me what to do!"

The ghosts of Natalia and Suki began to take form in front of them. Saska gasped at the sight of her daughter, she still looked young, but it was eerie the way that they shimmered and stared at them with unblinking eyes.

Kai stared hard at his mother. He had never seen her before, not even a photo. But he knew her straight away, because he looked just like her. Glancing at Tyson's mother, he was surprised to see that he could have been looking at Tyson's twin sister. There was no doubt in his mind that these spirits were their parents.

He regained his posture and demanded once more "How do I fix this?"

"First you must get Dragoons chip" started Suki.

"I have Dragoons chip already!" Kai answered swiftly, keen to get to the next part.

"You must place it on the hilt of this sword" continued Natalia, "We will do the rest, though we will need Saska's help to seal away Black Dragoon" Both spirits turned to face Saska, who nodded her head in agreement.

"I know my dears, this is what I came to do" Saska had already accepted her fate.

Kai frowned as he looked between them.

"What do you mean? What will happen to Dragoon? What about Tyson?" He demanded, feeling like he just missed out on something.

"Don't you worry yourself about it my boy" Saska told him "Lets get to the bit your waiting for"

"Tyson shall remain lost until he is reunited with Dragoon, and Dragoon needs Tyson to become the bit beast he was before the darkness arrived."

"But we must be quick, for the blackness comes ever closer, I can feel it" Finished Natalia.

"Right, lets do it then!" Kai ordered.

Saska grabbed Kai's arm and pulled them both back out of the sword and into their own bodies.

The people sitting around them jumped as Saska and Kai suddenly jerked and moved apart.

Saska lowered the sword and looked at Kai. "Give me Dragoons chip, Kai, we must do this now!"

Kai pulled the chip out of its hideaway, holding it between his thumb and finger he observed its beauty, he moved his eyes from it to look at Saska and then the others in the group. "This has to be done to safe Tyson," he told them, "Move back, all of you"

He gently placed the chip in Saska's out stretched hand.

"This will work Kai. Everything will be as it should." She reassured him, then to the group she said "Don't come near me, whatever happens, whatever you see, stay away!" Grandpa Granger looked ready to object, "Promise me you won't interfere!"

Sighing, as one they swore to agree with Saska's words.

"Good. Now my dears, here we go…." She was about to start when the sky went black and they heard an almighty roar from above them, running out into the garden, they saw that they just might be too late.

B

Rei carried Max away from the factory that Brian had trapped them in. As he jogged back along the alley, he glanced down at Max's pale face, his eyes still closed.

The streets were still pretty empty, but Rei kept to the side roads anyway. Not wanting people to recognise them.

He had made it as far as the park when Max's eyes started to flutter open, but they felt too heavy, so he tried to move his arms, only to find himself unable to move at all because someone was holding him tightly.

"Urgh.." He murmured, feeling sick, dizzy, and completely disoriented.

Rei stopped, relief flooding through him. Quickly he stopped under a near by tree and gently put the blond haired boy on the grass. Kneeling next to him, he pushed away a wisp of hair that had fallen over his still closed eyes.

"Max" whispered Rei, then he spoke a little louder "Max, come on Maxie, wake up. It's me, Rei. Max wake up."

Max groaned again, a little stronger this time, hearing someone call his name, but unable to place who it was at the moment. The voice became desperate, urging him to open his eyes.

So he complied.

Rei smiled with joy as Max forced himself to wake up and as his blue eyes became open at last he found himself staring at a very confused face.

Max tried to speak "wh…wha…a…I…?" the words would not come out properly.

Rei wondered if Max was concussed, and looked hard into Max's eyes to see if he was looking right at him.

This made Max jump a little, and Rei found his own voice again.

"Max, it's okay, everything is alright now. Brian is gone, he's gone."

Max blinked owlishly at him, and tried to sit up. Rei allowed him.

Taking a deep, unsteady breath Max tried to speak again "Wha…what…ha…hap…en?" Max was becoming frustrated. Why couldn't he talk properly?

"You don't remember?" Rei asked, frowning "Brian tricked us and caught you. He must have hit you over the head or something, that's why you're slurring and confused" he pondered to both himself and Max. "Lets get back to the Dojo".

Pulling Max off the ground, his slung one of Max's arms over his shoulder and put his spare arm around Max's waist to support him.

Together, they stumbled off through the park not knowing what they where going to find when they got to Tyson's house.

B

Tala made his escape from Kai, and ran off down the road to the river.

He then punched the wall with his fist in anger at his loss of the world champion blader once again. How did he disappear so quickly?

Unless……

Tala looked up and saw the clouds start to change into an un-natural, eerie grey, then turn a foreboding black.

"So, you have captured Dragoon. But I wonder what the Blade breakers will do about it?" Wondered Tala out loud to himself.

Pulling his own blade out from his clothes, he clutched it in his hand before making his way back to the Dojo to see how his enemy would defeat his enemy.

B

Next chapter...

More 'action' as they all come together for the final confrontation.