So here we are folks, another story. I don't really know what to say about this fic but if you like the beyblade characters turned into kids, then I do hope you'll enjoy this.

I got the inspiration for this story from a pic I found of Ray struggling to hold a chibi Brian. Pairings inside.

I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters, only the plot and characters I have made myself, chances of seeing an OC here are very slim.

read and enjoy my dear readers.

Chapter 1

The Kids

It was a quiet day in BakutenCity. A man sat in his office at a well known enterprise, looking through some paperwork. He had two toned hair that consisted of spiky grey forelocks and flat dark blue tresses in the back. His eyes were a deep crimson colour, retaining a venomous allure that pierced the soul of anybody who looked into them. He was a notorious businessman who always got his way by any means possible. The man lifted his gaze from the document he held when his assistant entered the room after knocking. "Mr. Hiwatari, Mr. Kon is here to see you. Should I send him in?" "Yes and do so quickly." The woman wasted no time, ushering a black haired gold eyed man into the large office. He was handsome, just like the dual haired male in front of him. Words were only spoken once the assistant was gone. "Kai, it's great to see ya." "As it is to see you, Rei. How are things in your part of town?" "Same as usual. I came to tell you that there's a meeting with Mr. Dickenson in two days. I'm not sure what it's about. He won't disclose any information." "I very dislike those kinds of meetings. What time?" "Around midday. I've been told we're meeting him at a restaurant in Takao's part of town. He seems to run an honest enough company. Kenny did some research on him and he's got a really clean slate." Kai heaved a sigh and put his paperwork down. Something about this meeting was bothering him. "Any idea what kind of company he runs?" "At first glance it looks like a normal company. Other than that we're all in the dark. You up for lunch? I was thinking about stopping at Oliver's joint this afternoon." "Sure give me a minute. Stupid idiotic foolish Italians think they can wrap me around their finger." Rei stifled a laugh. For months, Kai had been struggling to shake off a connoisseur of women who owned a business that specialised in ladies fashion. Enriqué Giancarlo wouldn't take no for an answer. After sorting his files out, Kai threw on a black trench coat regardless of how hot it was outside. "Alright let's get going. I only have one hour for lunch." "Dude you really need to sort out your working hours. I don't know how Emily puts up with you."

Kai scoffed at Rei's comment, not willing to bring his wife into the conversation. They arrived at a fancy French restaurant within ten minutes. Rei had apparently already made a reservation for them and ordered the food. He knew Kai's food preference by now. They'd been friends since high school. Rei was a foreign exchange student whilst Kai was a regular antisocial punk. Kai had warmed up to Rei after a while and offered him to live in Japan at his mansion. Though really it had been the plan of Kai's evil grandfather, Soichiro Hiwatari. The man was power hungry and it destroyed him in the end. From what Kai knew, Rei had strong ties back in China and some fights had broken out between him and his friends since childhood. But Rei had come a long way since then. Gone was the shy, somewhat cocky teen. Now Rei ran a company that dealt in the safety and care of animals, wild and domestic. He owned a string of other businesses across the globe to protect endangered animals. Hiwatari Enterprise specialised more in warfare and weaponry. "So." Kai began, hoping to strike a conversation and pass the time they were waiting for the food to arrive. "How are things back in China? I know your friends were pretty upset all those years ago when you moved over here." Rei sighed, telling Kai that things weren't looking up. "Well they still think I've betrayed them. I never told you much about my old home did I?" "Not really and neither did I bother asking. Just looking at you I could see you were a village boy." "Yeah. Ever heard of the White Tiger Hills?" Kai raised an eyebrow but recalled something of that sort. "I don't know much." "Well there's a village nestled in the mountains and that's where I grew up. We don't have any modern day technology there so we have to hunt for our meat or send somebody into the city for food. Farming and hunting are two of the biggest ways of life out there. Very few ever get the chance I got to come and see the world. I'm grateful but being released from my cage also caused rifts to form." "Between you and your friends." Rei nodded silently, not wanting to continue the subject and Kai understood. He'd been by Rei's side throughout the turbulence that was the breaking of bonds between friends. He wondered what Rei's old friends were doing now twelve years on. Kai stopped thinking when the food arrived, delivered personally by the head chef, Oliver Polanski.

Not a lot happened after dinner. Kai and Rei went back to their companies and got on with the work they did. Kai got home close to nine in the evening to find a ginger haired green eyed woman in the sitting room of his five storey mansion. "You're late, Kai." "I'm always late, Emily. You should know that by now. The roads were blocked up a long way so I had to take another route to get home." This was true on Kai's part. There had been a huge accident that caused a severe roadblock. Emily didn't believe this story. She often suspected there was another woman in Kai's life and that he loved the mystery girl more. "Don't believe me? Check the news." Emily did as she was told and checked the evening news channel. Reports about the accident were on every news program and Emily clearly saw Kai's red/black Spyker C8 Laviolette LM 85 reversing and taking a different road. As further proof, Kai handed Emily his SATNAV which tracked his journey. He knew Emily had suspicions about him cheating on her. He was a very famous man and every woman wanted him. But he was a faithful husband. Not once had he even looked at another woman, even when he was alone. "Emily, this has gotta stop. I've never cheated on you and it's not going to happen. We've been married for three years now and I've given you everything you ever wanted." "Not everything." "Emily?" "There's one subject you always avoid when I try to talk to you." Kai knew where Emily was taking things, turning on his heel and walking to the door. "See what I mean?! We're 25 years old Kai! Three years of marriage and you still refuse to talk about having kids!" Kai wasn't willing to get into another fight with Emily about starting a family so he went to bed, giving his fiery tempered wife time to calm down. She knew better than anyone that Kai hated kids with a passion. Soichiro, Kai's grandfather, was to blame for that. Kai's past had not been pleasant, especially after his parents died. But Emily was blind to how Kai grew up. He was frightened to tell her, fearing Emily would abandon him if he told her. All she knew was that Kai lost his parents at a young age. Kai slipped out of his suit and into a pair of night shorts before clambering into the large king size four poster bed. About an hour later, Emily joined him in a silk night gown. She hugged Kai tightly and kissed his broad shoulder. "Kai I'm sorry. I know it's been hard for you since your grandfather was locked up but you've got to move on." Kai said nothing, just laid there with his eyes half open. Deep down he knew Emily was right.

Two days later Kai was preparing for the meeting with Mr. Dickenson. He'd cancelled all appointments for that timeframe and headed off to the restaurant at around quarter to twelve. Outside he met with a buff blonde haired blue eyed man and blue haired brown eyed fellow. There was also a short geeky looking brunette who had his eyes hidden. "Hey Kai." The bluenette greeted, extending his hand in a friendly way. Kai took one look at the gesture and immediately folded his arms tightly. "Pfft. Why you gotta be such a jerk Kai? Is it because you're the richest out of all of us?" Kai remained silent and the blonde came to his defence. "C'mon Takao you know it's nothing like that. Kai's just not a people person yet. Give him some time to come around. So Kai." The blonde now turned to Kai cheerfully. "Have you done any research on this guy? I've only heard rumours from my reporters." "Couldn't seriously be bothered to look up a person who won't even give details about the meeting's briefing, Max." The man now known to be Max just sighed. "I honestly don't know how you got so famous Kai. Really I don't. Anyway, Rei should be here at any minute. It's not like him to be late. Usually you're the one to arrive last." Kai paid no further attention to the trio, focusing his eyes on the street to see if he could spy Rei's car. When the Chinese male did arrive he was with somebody in their limo. His companion was a short fat man with white hair, a white moustache and brown eyes. "Ah good afternoon lads. I'm Mr. Dickenson. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Before we head inside, this is my assistant, Hiromi." Mr. Dickenson stepped aside to reveal a pretty brown haired ruby eyed girl wearing a skirt that was high above her knees. The shirt she wore was also straining to contain large breasts. Obviously this assistant was quite the office slut. She bowed and mumbled a quiet hello when her eyes rested on Kai. It was clear he scared her. "Now that we're all acquainted, let's head inside. I'm sure you must all be hungry." Before Takao could say anything, Kai gave him a warning glare that told him to behave. They found their table soon enough. It was right at the back and large enough to fit them all at. Despite his intimidating appearance, Kai pulled a chair out for Hiromi making her blush bright red. She mumbled a thank you and sat down. Takao couldn't believe what he'd just seen.

Once the food was ordered, Mr. Dickenson got down to the wire. "Now boys, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here. I apologise for not giving any information about this meeting but I simply didn't want word of it to reach the wrong ears so it was better to just keep our appointment under a normal guise." "So Mr.D. What is it that you do?" It was the brunette male to speak, his voice a bit squeaky. "Well Kenny my company specializes in the welfare of children and young adults. I'm afraid this will be a bit of a sore subject for you, Mr. Hiwatari as it concerns something your grandfather did." Kai visibly paled, if that was even possible given his skin was already almost pure white. "I'm sorry m'boy but it's about time you knew exactly how horrible Soichiro was." The others watched Kai carefully to see how he would react. But he just sat there staring into his glass of wine. Mr. Dickenson released a small sigh and stroked his moustache. "I'll start at the beginning. Soichiro Hiwatari was a worldwide billionaire as I'm sure you've learned and he was quite a tyrant. Not only did he supply weaponry to war torn countries, but he also trained soldiers. This is where things get serious. Soichiro did not train adults in the ways of war. Instead, he took strong children and abused them in many ways." If anybody had been watching Kai, they would've seen him flinch pretty badly. He excused himself from the table, using the bathroom as an excuse. Sadly Mr. Dickenson saw through this. "I feel horrible making him relive all those memories but you all have the right to know. After all, I need your help." Rei cleared his throat calmly to get attention drawn to him. "But what has Kai got to do with any of this child soldier stuff, Mr.D?" "Because he was one." Everyone, including Hiromi gasped in shock and horror. "Soichiro killed his son and daughter in law just to get his hands on Kai. Then he abused him in all manners of horrible ways. Numerous times he almost killed Kai because of his greed. Even now Soichiro is locked up, the men he'd employed to break those children are still committing these heinous crimes. I'm grateful that you all fought to have Soichiro imprisoned but it was too late to save Kai. What Soichiro did, he'll never forget or live down." "That would explain the scars. Whenever I asked Kai about them he'd just shut down." "A self defence mechanism he developed no doubt."

Rei, Max, Takao and Kenny worried about Kai when he spent more that five minutes in the men's room so Rei went to check on him. He found Kai leaning on the side lined with sinks, his eyes closed tightly. "Kai?" "Leave me alone." "And let you do something stupid? Put the knife down, Kai. Committing suicide isn't the answer." The dual haired male let out a fairly heavy sigh and set an army knife on the side. Rei quickly swiped the blade away from his friend, concern glowing in his gold eyes. "Kai why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you." "And I suppose you could've prevented the slaughter of my parents? Nobody could help me, Rei. And they still can't." "Because you won't let anybody try!" The next thing Kai knew his right cheek was stinging badly after receiving a slap from Rei, who was furious by this point. "Kai, I know Soichiro put you through a lot of things. I was by your side through most of them. I never understood why some nights you'd blatantly ignore me. But now I see that you weren't trying to hurt me. It was the opposite, wasn't it? Soichiro threatened to hurt me if you so much as cracked a smile in my direction." Kai's silence proved Rei's point. The black haired male placed a hand upon Kai's shoulder, his eyes now soft. "You're not alone Kai. Me and the guys are always a phone call away if you need us. And Emily will always be at your side for better or worse. Now come on. Let's hear what else Mr.D has to say." "I already know. He wants us to look after a child that was abused in the same ways as me. It's written all over his face." Rei didn't know what to say when Kai fell to his knees, tears forming quiet rivulets down his cheeks. The pain was already becoming too much for the stoic businessman. Rei wasn't sure how much more Kai could stand. Kai didn't bother fighting when Rei pulled him into a comforting embrace. It reminded him of his mother and the unconditional love she showered him with. He recovered quickly, drying his crimson eyes of unshed tears. Putting his emotional walls back up, Kai stepped out of the men's room as if nothing had happened. The others were glad to see him safe. Rei knew by the look he got from Mr. Dickenson that the man would question him about what had happened in the bathroom. "Now that you're both back…" "Cut the crap old man and tell theses guys why you're really here. It's not just to make me remember the worst time of my life. You want US to look after a child that has suffered the same as me. Well forget it. I have no time for a child like that." "B-But Kai."

Kai said nothing further. He just strode out of the restaurant casually. Mr. Dickenson heaved a very heavy sigh, knowing he'd gone about things the wrong way. Rei however was displeased with the old man's approach. It was clear in his catlike eyes for all to see. "Mr. Dickenson, I understand you have no ill intentions but attending a meeting with Kai adopting that kind of approach is not wise. Next time I might not get to Kai before he slits either his wrists or neck." "You're not serious Rei?" "Sorry Takao, it's true. Kai's close to breaking. And if we don't do something soon he'll be lost forever." Rei turned his fierce gaze back to the old man beside him. "You seem to know a lot about Kai's past, Mr. Dickenson. Things I never learned whilst I lived under the same roof as Kai himself. His grandfather had invited me to live here in Japan with him and Kai, saying it would be good for his grandson to have a brother. From what you've said, he apparently had a different purpose in mind for me." "You catch on quick m'boy. Yes I do believe that Soichiro would've turned you into one of his soldiers and used you in a movement against China, your home country. That vile fool was plotting to take over the world. But I know Kai so well because his mother was one of me best secretaries. He was born in an abbey in Russia from what I remember. Susumu and Sonia were so happy when Kai had been born. I visited them at their home every week to see how things were going." "What about that abbey?" It was Takao to speak this time, his eyes dancing with wonder. "I know very little about it I'm afraid. Apparently it was run by Soichiro himself. Sadly Kai's father had no idea since it was under the identity of an all boys' academy. Kai started attending the abbey when he was three. That's when he started to change slightly." Mr. Dickenson paused to sip at his wine, giving the others tine to process the information he'd given them. "These changes involved Kai being cold towards his father, Susumu. Even Sonia was receiving similar treatment. Soichiro heard how well Kai was doing at the age of five so he had him kidnapped. Sonia was five months pregnant with a little girl so in a way, Soichiro killed her and Susumu for two reasons. The first, to claim Kai and the second, to prevent a girl being born into the Hiwatari bloodline." "That's just horrible." "And the worst part is, Kai saw his parents being murdered right before his young eyes. It still haunts him to this day."

Rei, Max, Takao and Kenny now felt that they really didn't know Kai at all if they didn't know what he'd been through. Hiromi was holding back tears so Mr. Dickenson sent her to get some fresh air. "This must be pretty trying for her." "Yes it is. Hiromi insisted I bring her along to meet you all. She's a good girl but still so innocent." Max caught Mr. Dickenson's attention by clearing his throat, a common thing for this group by the looks of things. "Mr.D, is it true what Kai said? About you wanting us to help an abused child to recover from their ordeals?" "Yes Max, Kai was right. I often forget how well he can see through people. Four boys were rescued recently in Russia. They're only around three to four years old but they've already been through a lot. None of my staff can get through to these boys at all. I'm sorry to ask such a thing of you but the truth is, there's nobody else I can trust with the boys." "It's okay Mr. Dickenson." Kenny chimed. He was taking everything rather well. "We understand the hardships involved with this task you're asking of us." "Yeah we'd be happy to help those little half pint bean sprouts get back on their feet." Takao's voice held a joking tone so his comment didn't rub off the wrong way. "I'm glad to hear it. But I really must try to convince Kai. It's the only way I can see that he'll be able to recover from his own troubles." "You could try Emily. She's been unlucky getting a kid out of Kai. Plus he'll give into her whining eventually." "Alright Max, I'll do that. Will she be at home this afternoon?" "Yeah I think so. Emily often does her work from home." Mr. Dickenson nodded with a beaming smile and raised his glass. "You have my sincerest thanks, boys. You can collect the children tomorrow afternoon from my headquarters. For now let us enjoy our dinner." Hiromi returned shortly after the toast and was given the good news which put a smile back on her face. With the meeting over, Mr. Dickenson headed off to see Emily about convincing her stubborn husband. She understood the situation and promised to get Kai's approval as soon as she could. Kai came home a little after ten pm and was immediately grilled by Emily about being cold and heartless. He gave into her ranting after two whole hours otherwise he'd never get any sleep. Kai couldn't sleep for a while so he sat thinking. Mainly if helping this child could really guide him to the clean and clear side of life. Emily managed to distract Kai by getting him excited for some adult fun in bed.

The next day at one pm Kai and the others went to Mr. Dickenson's main office building to collect the abused boys. Since there were only four boys, Kenny would be missing out. The receptionist told the men where to go with a warm smile that made Kai grimace. She reminded him of all the office sluts who constantly tried to have their way with him. They arrived outside Mr. Dickenson's room within minutes but heard nothing inside. Kai stepped forward and knocked softly on the door, an uncommon thing for him. A call from the other side drew the four men inside. There they saw four boys no taller than their knees unless you counted the tallest who stood at Kai's mid thigh. Kai's attention was caught by a red haired blue eyed boy. His hair formed partial devil horns, giving him a creepy look. Next to him was an indigo haired red eyed boy. He was shorter than the rest. A grey haired grey eyed boy stood beside the tallest toddler, glaring at the adults hatefully. Lastly was the tall boy. He had spiked up dark blonde hair and brown eyes. Age wise, the shortest lad looked around three, the mid sized duo appeared to be about four and the biggest could easily pass for a five year old. Mr. Dickenson smiled from behind his desk and stood up. "Ah I'm glad you could make it. Now boys I must warn you that the children speak no English so please be patient with them while they learn. I've matched you all to the most suitable child. Takao, you'll be taking Sergei." Mr.D pointed his hand towards the tallest boy. "Max, you've got Ivan. Do be careful, he's a little bit of a prankster." Max hoped the boys' pranks were as little as his height, looking worriedly at the bluenette. "Rei, I've paired you with Boris. I'll need to have words with you in private about what he's suffered." The grey haired child gave Rei daggers but also looked frightened. "And Kai, you'll be receiving Yuriy. He's got quite a temper but I'm sure you'll do fine. You can all take the boys now or spend a bit of time getting to know them. It's your choice." Kai obviously wanted to leave, taking Yuriy by the wrist and leading him out of the room. With the redhead gone, the remaining three seemed to pale. "Hey boys. Don't worry, we won't hurt you." Max knelt down in front of the tots and they visibly moved away from him. "This is gonna be tougher than I thought. Ivan." The small bluenette looked at Max, his eyes wide with fright. "Whaddya say we go and get something to eat?" Ivan's eyes danced but before he could take Max's hand, Sergei intervened.

Mr. Dickenson explained that the boys had a brother complex, with Sergei being the big brother. They looked out for each other. Max knew if he wanted to take Ivan, he'd have to persuade Sergei. Luckily a member of staff spoke fluent Russian so they explained to the boys what was going on. Sergei gave Max a look that told him to watch his back. Ivan happily plodded along by Max's side, gripping his trousers tightly. He'd clearly spent less time being abused. Or sought comfort to escape excessive abuse. Sergei observed Takao from his place beside Boris. This giant of a child didn't appear to be frightened of bigger people. Not yet anyway. Sergei looked to his remaining brother worriedly before he left with Takao. Now only Rei and Boris were left in the room. "So Mr.D." Rei started, sitting himself at the desk. "How is Boris so different to the others?" "Well Rei, the poor boy has suffered sexual abuse and Boris is still pretty traumatised by the things he's gone through. I paired him with you because you're patient. I know you'd never force a child to come out of hiding. Those brutes also messed with his head. Just please be careful." "I'll do my best. Well Boris, time to get you to your new room." Rei approached Boris slowly so not to frighten him. His clothes were tattered and torn not to mention filthy. Boris trailed behind Rei but close enough so he wouldn't get lost, his grey eyes darting from left to right just to make sure nobody was going to pounce on him. Looking around the parking lot, Rei saw no sign of the others. "Well Boris. Guess we'd better go and get you some new clothes." Boris flinched when the passenger door to Rei's car was opened for him. "Hop in little buddy. There's nothing to be scared of." 'I'll have to brief Mariam about Boris's trauma so she doesn't flip at him. The poor thing is frightened enough.' Boris approached the car slowly and clambered into the passenger seat with some struggle. Rei fought back the urge to help his new son, not wanting to scare the child. He thought it better to wait until Boris asked for help. Rei made a mental note to get the car cleaned before taking it to work. Boris eventually found his way into the seat and sat absolutely still, almost as if he were a statue. Rei moved to fasten the seatbelt, noticing how Boris shrunk in fear. "There now I won't bite. I'm just going to fasten your seatbelt. Otherwise the police will pull us over."

Rei grinned at how Boris struggled to pronounce the English word. He got the feeling this kid was a fast learner. Being so young, Boris couldn't quite say the L properly. Rei closed the door calmly and slid into the driver's seat. With his seatbelt on, Rei turned the engine over and it growled to life. The machine roared a couple of times as the accelerator pedal was pressed, soon settling into a satisfying purr. Boris seemed frightened of the noise, shaking like a leaf. "Sorry Boris. I'll bring a less noisy car next time." "Carr?" "You're getting the hang of it. That's right. This is a 'Car'. It's how a lot of adults, like myself." Rei gestured at himself so Boris might understand better. "Get around on a daily basis. Now let's get you some new clothes to wear. Don't be afraid to ask for anything." Boris watched Rei fondly as he set the car into reverse to get out of the parking space, then into first gear which set the car into a forward movement. The drive was quiet unless you counted the faint growl of the car engine or the handbrake when it was pulled. Overall it took about half an hour to get to the shopping mall. Rei sighed when he saw how packed the place was. "Great, just our luck. Boris." Rei gently touched said boy and he flinched severely. "Boris, I need you to hold my hand while we're inside otherwise I could lose you." Boris showed little understanding of the words spoken to him. He got out of the car when Rei opened the door for him. Rei then extended his hand to Boris. This gesture caused the grey haired tot to feel uncertain. He'd never held a mans' hand before. Boris couldn't even remember his mother ever offering hers. In the end he settled for holding onto a pocket on Rei's cargo trousers that was low enough for him to reach. "Alright just hold on tightly. If we're lucky your friends will be here." Rei walked slowly so Boris could keep up easily, looking down every few seconds to make sure he didn't lose the boy. Navigating the mall wasn't easy. Whenever a huge crowd came by, Rei gently took hold of Boris's arm so he didn't get swept away. Soon they arrived at a clothes shop, stepping inside feeling relieved. Boris, despite how fierce he'd been at the office, was quivering at Rei's side, his tiny hands desperately clutching the pocket he used as a hand. "There now Boris, you're safe." Rei crouched beside Boris and gently stroked his back only to be bitten on the arm. "Okay I get the message. No touching. So is there anything catching your attention kiddo?" Boris ignored Rei and wandered off, the oriental male right behind him. Rei figured Boris was trying to lose him.

Rei spent a few minutes chasing Boris around the aisles until a burgundy jacket caught the runaway tot's attention. It was lined with white fur and had some belts and white stripes on it. The underside of the arms was also white. "Boris, that jacket is far too big for you. Only a big boy can wear it. You have to grow up a bit first. Let's look over here." Boris however would not move from the burgundy jacket so Rei picked a size sixteen from the rack. "Now come on. You can't have this until you're older though." Boris sighed in defeat and once again took hold of Rei's trouser pocket. Within the hour, Boris had several new sets of clothes, one of which he wore now since his old clothes were so horridly tattered. Rei's arms ached after carrying so many bags. He briefly cleaned Boris's seat before allowing the boy to sit down. Boris had no problems getting into the car this time, and fastened the seatbelt on his own. Rei still had to close the door because Boris's tiny arms couldn't reach. They spent a few more hours out on the town before going home. Rei's wife was already there by the time Rei and their foster son got back. She was a pretty woman with long sea blue hair and piercing green eyes. Boris watched quietly as Rei gave affection to this strange person, noticing something big and squishy pressing against Rei's chest. "You look shattered Rei." "Well Mariam I have had to get Boris geared up for his stay with us. Is the bed ready? I think he's tired." The woman now named Mariam giggled and stroked Rei's cheek. "Yes it's all set. So how bad is it?" "Depends how bad you think a four year old being raped is. He's also gone through mental trauma. Maybe he'll warm up to you a bit faster since you're not a man. Just remember Mariam, Boris speaks no English and has a hard time understanding what we say to him. For now I'll put the tyke to bed." "But Rei you just went around the town." "I'll be fine love." Rei kissed Mariam's cheek softly and took Boris to his room. Rei realised too late that he hadn't gotten the boy any pyjamas. "Rats. Well for tonight you'll just have to use one of my old shirts. I'll be right back." Rei vanished and returned minutes later with a small yellow t-shirt to find Boris was already half naked. "I guess you learned how to dress yourself already. Here. I won't look, I promise." True to his word, Rei turned around so Boris could finish getting ready for bed.

With the makeshift nightie on, Boris had to brush his teeth. So that Rei could catch his breath, Mariam helped the tot with the task. He was wary of her too. Once Boris was finally ready for bed, Mariam took him to his new bedroom. She stood back and watched as Rei took Boris into his arms, testing to see how the boy would react. Boris freaked. He flailed his small arms, eventually landing a hardly painful slap to Rei's cheek but the hand stayed put. Tears began to build in Boris's eyes as Rei struggled to hold him. To avoid hurting the child, Rei put him down and settled the covers over his tiny shoulders. Mariam gained a rough idea of how Boris was abused by his actions towards Rei. Since the boy would not let them near to kiss his forehead, Rei and Mariam went to their own room. In the west part of town, Takao was having no real problems with Sergei. True the boy was stubborn but he didn't fight like Boris did. Takao's wife Mathilda wasn't sure about the arrangement. She had short pink hair and pink eyes. She watched quietly by the door as Takao tucked Sergei into bed for the first time. "Hey sport. Time to get some sleep now. I'm sure the others are fine so don't you worry chum. I'll see you in the morning kiddo." Sergei gave Takao a warning glance which made the carefree adult back off. The light was turned down low and the door left open ajar should Sergei need anything. Sergei watched the door closely for roughly five minutes before sleep claimed him. To the north, Max had very few issues with Ivan. The boy clung to Max wherever he went. No woman lived with Max so it was just him and Ivan. Both of them had a lot of energy so they were a perfect match. Max tucked Ivan into bed and kissed the hyperactive tot on the forehead. Ivan's eyes closed slowly as he drifted to the world of dreams. Max slipped into his own bed and breathed a sigh of relief. Not too long after Max went to sleep, he felt something crawling under the covers. Ivan froze like a deer caught in headlights until he received a gentle pat on the head. "Come on then. Guess you can't sleep huh?" Ivan shook his tiny head, snuggling closer to Max's rugged frame with a yawn. "Don't worry Ivan. I'm sure your brothers are fine. I have to go to work tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?" Max slapped himself mentally when he realised Ivan couldn't understand him, pulling the boy close to give him the comfort he craved.

In the south part of town, Yuriy was being extremely stubborn. Kai had lost his last shred of patience with the boy a long time ago and was now yelling back at the four year old in Russian. First it caught Yuriy off guard but he soon stopped caring and just barked back whatever insults he'd learned from the abbey. Emily had told Kai numerous times that fighting fire with fire wasn't going to help with Yuriy but he was too riled up to hear her. She stepped in however when Kai raised his hand to Yuriy. "That's enough Kai! Stop it!" "Get out of the way Emily." Kai's voice was low and held a venomous tone. Emily stood her ground, arms spread wide to protect Yuriy. The boy was confused by this behaviour. Nobody had ever shielded him from harm before. "This brat has to learn his place." "Oh and I suppose beating him up will do that will it? Yuriy has been through enough already. He's here to get away from all that and live a happy life." "Abused children don't get the choice to have a happy life after the trauma." "And how do you know this?" "I thought the old man explained it when he begged for your help in convincing me to take this rat." "Mr. Dickenson only told me that you had knowledge in the area. Is there something he's hiding? That you also won't tell me?!" Kai turned away, now feeling every bit the victim that Yuriy did. "Depends. Would you run if I told you what Soichiro really did to his only grandson? The plans he had to take over the world with one specific young soldier on the frontlines? Can you handle the truth of my reality, Emily?" Kai faced his wife, eyes now betraying him. In those crimson pits Emily saw clearly why Kai behaved the way he did. She moved to hold Kai but he jerked out of her reach. "Kai I. I don't know what to say." "Well as a heads up I don't want your pity. Nor sympathy. I don't need it." "But you need help." "So you'd send me to a psychiatrist?! Have me declared mental?!" "That's not what they do to everyone! I know you can be helped Kai! You just need to let us in!" "My only chance of help died in front of me twenty years ago." Kai now walked away, his head hung low. Emily's heart sank as she turned once more to Yuriy. "Alright, no more fighting. Off to bed with you young man." Yuriy didn't resist as Emily gently guided him to his bed. You could tell Kai didn't care for this boy. He didn't get anything fancy. Just second hand stuff that would serve him most of his life at the mansion. Yuriy allowed Emily to kiss him on the forehead and stroke his pale bruised cheek. "Goodnight Yuriy." The room went dark and so did Yuriy's world.

So that's it for chapter one. Will Kai's life get worse now Emily knows his darkest secret? Will she walk away or stay with him? Only time can tell. Anyhowsie, the next chapter could take a few days, maybe even months to complete. So I pledge that you please be patient.

A pre-emptive thank you to anybody who reviews