Out of the Darkness

This fic came about after a remark by Melanie of Level4Chaos about how she really needed to stop drawing angsty pictures of Tala. I replied that I should give it a shot, and after a couple of months of looking at her pics, I came about this little idea, and here it is, my present to Melanie for all her support and a thankyou for her wonderful pic of Kai/Ray/Lee for my fic Frozen. She has also drawn pictures for other writers inspired or for their stories, as well as just gift pics, and I thought it was time to return the favour. I hope she enjoys this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Dedication: For Melanie, who enjoys torturing Tala just as much as the next person… or perhaps maybe just a little bit more…

Note: This is a Demolition Boys fic immediately following the Russian Championship Finals.

Warning: This fic contains shonen ai, torture, and references to rape. It is very angsty, so you are warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade… unfortunately.

Chapter 1

They exchanged a quick look, lavender meeting blue before their eyes snapped back to front, but that momentary glance had been enough to communicate each others suspicions as to why they had been called there.

Boris made another pass, the four boys remaining still, waiting for their mentor to break his silence, anger and fury radiating off him and sending waves of unease through them. The youngest, Ian, shifted marginally, straightening further and risking a glance toward his captain who had remained unmoving, though the threat was thick in the air.

"We lost."

Their attention focused once more on Boris, the man having stopped, facing away from them. He clenched his fists, lips pulled back in a snarl. "We lost!"

He spun around, the boys straightening as he slowly approached, as if he were a predator stalking down his prey. "After all our hard work, our years of research and development, bringing you all closer to perfection, you allowed yourselves to be defeated by a bunch of amateurs."

They remained silent. It was not their place to reply.

Boris moved along the line, eyes falling upon the tallest and oldest of the group. "Spencer, I must commend. Defeating Kai is a victory worth savouring. Kai has been a thorn in our side for years, and to defeat someone who believes himself invincible… is divine."

"But the rest of you," he walked straight passed Ian, gaze intent on the remaining two boys. "Are pathetic. Everything was in your favour. Your opponents were weak, and still you allowed them to crush you like you were nothing."

The captain drew a steady breath. "We underestimated them, sir. Next time we wi–"

"Next time?" Boris swung around, eyes boring into ice blue ones. "Next time, Tala? I'm afraid there will not be a next time. For as we speak the authorities are closing in on Voltaire and the Biovolt Corporation. The BBA has enough information to destroy the company. Luckily they will find nothing to close down the Abbey, but it means the funding for our research will reduce drastically.

"Your loss means our chance for power has come and gone. We will never get that chance again. This was our one and only chance at success, and your incompetence has brought fourth our failure. Do you understand me?"

Tala straightened further. "Yes sir, I understand."

Boris scrutinised him through his goggles, then turned as if to move away, only to swing back around, closed fist catching Tala backhanded across the face. Tala had been prepared for the blow, but the force of it sent him stumbling to the side, leaving him off-balance when Boris attacked again, strike connecting to the solar plexus and doubling him over. The next blow threw Tala off his feet, slamming him back into the wall, sliding down it as he gasped, winded.

Boris made to attack again when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Something the matter, Bryan?"

Bryan's lavender eyes were narrowed to thin slits, fists clenched at his side as he trembled in anger. He did not answer. He did not need to answer.

Boris stepped away from Tala, eyes on the lavender-haired teen. "You want to protect him, don't you? You always want to protect them. After all these years I would have thought you would know better than that by now."

Bryan clenched his jaw, fighting to keep down the anger. He would not lash out, not again. He must have control…

"You want to hit me." Boris moved closer. "You don't like it when I hit them and you want to return the favour. Just as you have done in the past. You are not their bodyguard. You are mine, just like the rest of them. You are my blader, and you will follow my orders. And, like Tala, you are a failure."

Boris's fist caught Bryan in the face, causing him to take a step back in an attempt to absorb it. He found himself pulled up short as a hand closed around his throat, dragging him forward roughly.

"You had Kon right where you wanted him," Boris snarled, grip tightening. "He was injured, weak. And yet you allowed him to defeat you."

"Kon had trick," Bryan forced out, struggling for a breath. "Never knew… bit beasts could do that. Caught me unaware."

"You should have been prepared for anything," Boris said, strangle hold now on the verge of breaking point. "And you should have compensated. You were trained to be able to handle any situation, and you were defeated. You disappoint me, Bryan."

With a sharp movement, he threw Bryan aside, the teen able to do nothing as he slammed into the wall and hit the ground beside Tala, breathing deeply now he could once again do so, body weak from the lack of oxygen.

Boris turned, taking in the remaining two boys. Both stood at attention, but the occasional eye twitch betrayed their concern for their teammates. How touching.

"You two will report to training room B and await for me there. I will be along shortly." They hesitated. "That was an order."

Ian and Spencer took a step back, turning and moving from the room, Ian's eyes dropping to take in his comrades, faint concern reflected in his eyes before he followed Spencer out of the door, the wooden panel swinging closed with a resounding boom.

It has begun…