Never An Absolution

-

Title – Never An Absolution

Warnings – Yaoi, language.

Rating – PG-13 for now.

Authors Notes - This is my new idea. I do not own Beyblade, nor do I own the end of The Man In The Iron Mask, and therefore I will not repeat this, cos you all know it anyway.

-

He paused, eyes widening slightly as he saw at least forty men running towards him, and in one fluid motion he reached across to the door and slammed it closed, forcing his weight against it as he felt another body do the same. A glance from the corner of his eye told him it was his most loyal companion Rei, and he looked to the right to find his second bodyguard Johnny hefting the long barricade into his arms.

Almost in sync the two younger males moved their bodies away from the door but kept their hands on it, bracing it closed as the long slab of wood was dropped into the steel holds with a grunt. His blood was singing through his veins, his heart pounding so hard eh thought it might burst through his chest, his lungs so tight he wondered how he could still breathe.

"Trapped." Rei announced unnecessarily, for they all knew it.

Tala swallowed and turned around, letting his weight slump against the wooden barrier behind him, head falling back and making a quiet 'thunk' as it connected. "These doors are solid oak, a foot thick, the Vampires will not break through it any time soon." He replied as he pulled another large breath of air into his lungs, trying to think as rationally as he could in his current position. "We are in the Bastille, are we not Johnny?"

The older redhead gave a curt nod, arms folded before his chest, eyes fastened to his charge.

"There is only one more entrance, and as we saw the Vampires are already closing in on that. There is no escape from here, my forefathers made sure of that a little too well."

Rei allowed a hand to touch the slender shoulder, drawing a pair of shockingly blue eyes onto him. "What should we do?" He asked softly.

"...we fight." Tala answered. "We have no choice, for we are cornered. At least let us say that when we fell we took some of these demons with us!" He pushed himself away from the door and drew his sword, pleased to note his bodyguards did the same, a determined look in their eyes.

Lowering his free hand he grasped the crossbow from his waist, glancing down with disappointment as he noticed that only two of the deadly silver stakes remained from what had began as a dozen. When he loaded one, and was sure the other two had done the same, he nodded. He closed his eyes and murmured a soft Fae prayer to Ashera, hearing the low whispers of agreement and atonement from both Johnny and Rei.

Straightening his back, hands down by his sides, he moved, swiftly and silently, revealing himself to the Vampires as they lined up at the bottom of the hall, blocking their only exit. He lifted his eyes a little higher, locking his gaze onto the amused but steely gaze of the Vampire King, who merely smirked at the show of blatant defiance. "Charge them." He commanded simply.

The three aimed at the same time and fired, three Vampires falling in piles of burning ash as they tossed the crossbows back towards the way they had come. It would take too long to reload, and so they put a little distance between themselves, waiting for the inevitable battle that would occur when the Vampire troops reached them.

Kai looked to the general of his grandfather's army, noticing that his eyes were misted with some ancient memory. "Bryan?" He queried softly to gain the lavender-haired male's attention.

Eyes that shared their colour with that of the moon shifted to him, clear and sharp as always. "Highness?"

"You seem to be thinking very hard."

"Memories." The broader male shrugged, eyes moving back to the battle and watching as his men fell one by one to the skilled swords of the Fae.

"Cowards!" Voltaire snarled, turning furious eyes to his General, who had stepped away from the prince to grab the hand on an injured soldier, dragging him to safety. "Twenty men run from three?!"

"The corridor nullifies our number." Bryan responded blankly, shooting a glare at Voltaire as he heard a sword unsheathe and saw Kai move past him. "And no one has the stomach to fight their prince." He inclined his head at the lean redhead, who thrust his sword into the stomach of a soldier and snapped around, the sharp steel slicing through the body that was swiftly disintegrating into ashes to block an attack from Kai.

Tala parried with the Vampire prince for several moments, his free hand forming a crystal behind his back. Feeling the slick chill on his fingertips he smirked and threw it at the ground, forcing the bluenette backwards. His unbalanced footing was lost as his heels met the slippery ice and he was sent stumbling. The attack that followed caused him to let himself fall to the ground, deflecting the blow, and he made a noise low in his throat as his back connected with the stone floors.

A booted foot landed on his chest as a sword moved swiftly downwards, but before it could make contact the Fae was jerked backwards by Bryan's arm. Tala used the momentum of the pull to duck and throw himself under the broader male's arm, rolling backwards and hopping nimbly to his feet, backing quickly towards his bodyguards, who were getting the same idea and also moving back the way they had come.

As a few Vampire troops made moves to follow, Kai held up his hand, halting them instantly as he shook his head and stalked quickly towards his grandfather. "The corridor up there is even smaller. If we move the men there then they will all die."

Voltaire nodded angrily, eyes narrowed into a fierce glare. "I cannot believe this." He hissed, shaking his head in pure rage before closing his eyes as he thought. He had seen the flicker of respect that had flashed through Bryan's eyes as the three remaining Fae had fought...and if Bryan held respect for them, he knew that the rest of his men would have that same respect, only a lot more of it. They were very easily influenced...he smirked suddenly and blinked open his eyes.

"Prince Tala!" He called, voice soft and congenial as he awaited some response. He received none but continued anyway. "Your parents are dead, your army destroyed, there is no need for this battle. Lay down your sword, and I will be lenient with you. I will let you live. And I will give your men a swift execution, if you surrender now!"

Tala heard the voice turn from controlled to furious, and he couldn't help but shoot an amused stare at 'his men'.

The two bodyguards shared a look as their new King poked his head round the corner to stare at the Vampires, and Johnny tentatively broached the subject with him. "Tala," he said quietly, catching the redhead's focus focus and drawing it to him.

Tala couldn't help but notice that both of them had the same look on their faces, as if they'd made some silent but unanimous decision. "Yes Johnny?" He replied, eyes narrowing quickly in suspicion.

"Perhaps you should accept his offer, for we are dead anyway. You need not die with us."

When Tala looked unconvinced he continued. "You know I am right Tala."

Tala looked to Rei, who lowered his eyes in shame. The Neko-jin felt as if -somehow- he had betrayed his friend by agreeing with Johnny. He saw the expression on Tala's face, a dark storm-cloud of anger.

"You expect me to bargain your lives to Voltaire, so that I might live and be used as a toy by him? To become a bed-warmer, an object to be used and abused? Never!" He growled. "I'd sooner die right here, fighting with you all by my side. Discard your oath to protect me unto death, because in this situation death would be better than the alternative!"

None of them spoke for a moment, and Tala took a deep breath to calm himself after his outburst. From the heavily barred door behind them came a powerful pounding, and they all knew that the Vampires were trying to break it down. "Listen to me, all of you, for I am your King and only surviving royalty left. Time is running out. We will fight them. They have armed themselves with guns. We will charge. They will stand and fight. But if we must die – if we must die, let it be like this. With honour."

He twirled his sword, the tip at the ground, and two swords quickly joined his. "All for one, one for all." Rei murmured, smiling slightly.

Tala eased his sword back, eyes focused on something just behind Rei. "Crossbows." He said simply.

"Crossbows?" Rei repeated, glancing behind himself to see what his King was talking about.

"We all have one stake left." Tala began hurriedly. "We will take the bows. No doubt that when we charge they will fire. If we live, we shall fire a volley into them. Listen to me carefully, I want to damage them. I want to make sure they suffer a great loss, just as we have. After they fire, their guns will create a lot of smoke. Stupid fools use gunpowder and the result of gunpowder is smoke. It will hide us from them, give us all time to aim and fire, and then allow us the surprise we need to take down even more of them. I will shoot Voltaire. However, if only one of you are left – hit Voltaire. I do not care if all three of you aim at him should I die, I want him to lead me into the afterlife."

They all nodded, knowing Tala's aim would never allow him to miss. Rei quickly picked up the crossbows and handed one to each of them. They moved with the grace of the Fae, and had the bows equipped and attached to their hips. "Ashra!" Tala yelled, lifting his sword and running, the others following.

Kai heard the battle cry, but he was still surprised when he saw the three Fae run towards them, swords drawn and glinting in the dim light, their loose clothes swirling about them like shadows in the forest, their hair flying, legs taking on a life of their own as they ran towards a sight that would have had most cowering in terror.

He noticed that all of his troops had a similar reaction, just staring in shock as the last of the proud Fae family charged them, awed by the dashing, beautiful bravery of it. "Magnificent valour..." He heard Bryan breathe softly beside him, and nodded in agreement.

Voltaire, however, did not share this view and glared at his men. "Shoot them." He ordered, voice strained with anger and shock. When none of his men moved he grabbed one of their shoulders, starling him, and caused the first gun to go off with a solid blast, the powder in the weapon flashing and crashing.

Slowly the others began shooting also, and Kai couldn't help but notice that his men were turning their eyes away from their targets, as if not wanting to see the beauty that they were destroying. He watched as the small metal balls flew down the hallway, sparking off the stone walls and floor, ricocheting...but still the three charged fearlessly towards them.

In the confines of the Bastille's stone corridor the noise was deafening, and the space before the soldiers was blanketed with the dense grey smoke of the gunpowder. None could see anything beyond it, and since the echoes had died, all was quiet. "Draw blades!" Voltaire shouted, not ready to take a chance.

Truth be told, he had wanted the Fae prince alive. He was a very pretty little thing, always had been, and he had wanted to add the boy to his Harem of Royals. However, in death he was useless. His men knew he wanted him alive, and should he have somehow--

Kai watched in total shock as three silver stakes flew from the smoke, one catching his grandfather dead in the chest. The proud Vampire appeared just as stunned as he stared down at the protruding stake, his features paling as his fingertips began to crumble, then his hands, his arms.

His legs collapsed, and his torso stood for only a single moment, staring through the smoke at the emerging figures, before it too evaporated into a pile of smouldering dust.

Kai stared at the three, noting that only two were injured – the prince and the redhead at his side. The prince limped on his right leg, face impassive even as he tossed away his crossbow and prepared to fight to the death.

Johnny could feel the burning ache radiating from where the bullet had caught his shoulder, and he had a feeling that the limb might even have been dislocated by the impact. He could barely feel his left arm at all, and was thankful that he used his right to fight.

Rei couldn't help but wonder how and why all the bullets had missed him, he had been certain they'd been running to their death, and yet they all stood alive and ready to fight again. He couldn't help the smirk that curled his lips. He was proud that he had been accepted into this Fae family, and honoured that he would die in their name.

Tala wasn't thinking at all, his body moving on instinct alone as he dodged to the side, slashing the throat of the soldier who ran at him. Tala found himself facing the Vampire prince once more, and it wasn't long before the second male joined in, and he found it difficult to defend against the two rapid sets of attacks and move on his injured leg. Even the slightest pressure made him feel as though he would collapse, and his head was spinning with the blood loss.

He assumed that this was why he had been foolish enough to duck underneath the lilac-haired soldier's swing, then find himself trapped tightly against the rock hard chest of the bluenette, his sword lying neatly against his throat as he called for his men to halt.

Sure enough Johnny and Rei did too, staring in wide-eyed disbelief at the scene before them. "Drop your weapons and surrender." Kai ordered, and was pleased to note that they began to lower their weapons to the ground. That was, until, the redhead he held captive spoke.

"Don't you dare!" He snapped, remaining as still and tense as a statue. "Kill as many as you can!"

The pair looked torn between following his orders and worrying for his life. Kai spotted the weakness immediately and pressed the blade a little harder against the slender neck, a small pearl of crimson trickling swiftly down the expanse of ivory flesh. He dipped his head so his lips were beside the younger male's ear. "Hush now princling." He murmured, but quickly drew his head back as Tala threw his back, aiming to loosen his grip.

Tala glared at the two, his eyes repeating what he had said before – forsake your oath and do as I say. They didn't listen, and continued lowering their swords slowly. In a desperate attempt to make them see sense he threw his head forward, snapping it to the side, and was disappointed when he was met by thin air.

Kai had seen the attempt coming and had moved his sword swiftly to stop the Fae from slitting his own throat, and he quickly fisted a hand in the soft crimson locks, tugging the lean body closer to his and tilting his head back, keeping it immobile as the prince hissed and snarled curses in his native tongue. He locked eyes with the redhead, who he assumed to be second-in-command. "Now please."

The swords clattered noisily to the ground as Rei and Johnny stopped lowering and just released their grip on the weapons, eyes focused on their King. Bryan waved to a few guards, who moved swiftly and captured their hands, and another hurriedly placed shackles around their wrists.

The guards led them out, and Kai wondered how on Earth he would manage to transport the redhead he held without Tala doing any more physical harm to him, his men, or himself. He tightened his grip when the lithe redhead began to squirm in his grasp as he thought, and he almost missed the hiss that escaped the slightly struggling Fae. "You're despicable!"

Kai spun him around, knowing the blood lost from his thigh and the quickness of the turn would leave him disorientated for a moment, allowing him to slide his arm around the lean torso, pinning the redhead's arms between their bodies as he smirked down into the icy cyan depths. "You're upset." He chuckled, head tilting slightly.

He didn't flinch as he felt a sudden warmth at his cheek, his smirk falling into a discontented frown and his eyes hardening into a glare. "Etiquette now...and you are wrong, by the way..." He lifted his sword and brought the steel hilt down sharply, feeling it connect with a jerk. The body in his arms became suddenly heavier and he sheathed his sword swiftly, wiping away the spit on his cheek before hoisting the prone body into his arms. "...that was despicable."

-

Okay, this is only the prologue. Please take the time to tell me what you think.