The Price of Ultimate Perfection
Remember the episode where Kai joined Biovolt and received Black Dranzer? Well, recall what happened when Kai first used Black Dranzer: the whole abbey was nearly destroyed and Kai was so traumatized, he blocked the memory. But WHY was Kai so traumatized?
A/N: Wow. Another one-shot. The first Beyblade one-shot. And just as a note: CHIEF IS VERY OOC! Hope you like it! And review, please?? I LOOOOOOVE REVIEWS! Especially long ones!!! (hint, hint) ^_~
DISCLAIMER: I own only Alexei. Those who have read my previous BB stories starring Alexei, don't expect him to have the same history as in Fighting Fate or Far From Here. His history changes with every story.
LYRICS: Unwanted, Avril Lavigne
Ladies and Gents…
I present to you:
THE PRICE OF ULTIMATE PERFECTION
*2003*
"Hey, Kai?" 13-year-old Tyson asked tentatively one day.
"What is it, Tyson?" 15-year-old Kai asked harshly, not bothering to look up from his PC screen.
"Why'd you join Biovolt that time?"
13-year-old Max Tate and Kenny Dion and 15-year-old Rei Kon all snapped their heads up in unison, staring, appalled, at Tyson's gutsy question. The small time of mutiny by their team captain was never discussed, and certainly not in that forward way. The subject was TA-BOO!
Kai shut the PC calmly, then looked up with his eyes screened against letting any emotion of any kind filter through. Then he shrugged and said simply, "Power. I couldn't resist the pull of Black Dranzer. I was destined to control him." His mouth curved into a slight smile. "Especially when I first held him…" then the smile faded and left him with a lost-boy look for a second before it disappeared.
"What, you just grabbed the thing and got overwhelmed by the power?" Chief asked skeptically. "That's simply not possible."
"That wasn't the first time," Kai shook his head. "And it's possible. Oh, it's possible. The power… it had me captivated just by the sight. I guess I was so obsessed with it I didn't see the danger. Maybe if I had, it wouldn't have happened…"
"What wouldn't have happened?" Max asked immediately.
Kai abruptly shut his mouth and strode out, closing the bedroom door of the suite behind him. There was a quiet click as the lock turned and Rei grumbled, "Well, guess I'm sleeping out here tonight. He's ticked off."
Kai threw himself down onto the bed, shaking uncontrollably. Pretty soon, against his fierce will, the tears began to fall. As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop them, as the memories returned, full force, as if they had happened only yesterday. The mere shame and guilt and remorse and horror at the terrifying addiction to the full power of Black Dranzer was enough to send him over the edge.
*1996*
All that I did was walk over
Start off by shaking your hands
That's how it went
"Observe carefully, fleeters," Boris said condescendingly, as the group of boys were gathered around. "Our scientists have just created a brand-new bitbeast. Behold: Black Dranzer!"
Each boy eagerly looked around, but saw nothing except a regular old Beyblade set in a launcher.
8-year-old Kai Hiwatari, from his spot at the front of the group, with his hands, encased in their new, rather uncomfortable gauntlets, pressed against the dividing windows, turned his head with its itching cheeks to look quizzically at his best friends Tala and Alexei Nicholae, who both shrugged, identical bright blue eyes wide with anticipation.
"And launch in 3… 2… 1… let it rip." The bored voice came over the speakers, and the hundreds of other launchers released, then the last one, releasing a split second later, hit the dish and immediately started taking out Beyblades two at a time.
"Whoa…" Kai whispered, eyes glued to the Blade, now tearing through the dish, trying to find something else to destroy.
"That is one powerful bitbeast," Tala said, coming up to the window. "I would hate to be the one fighting against it."
Alexei scoffed. "You don't fight Black Dranzer. You run the other way… especially if you're the one who tries to controls it. It's unstoppable! Nobody could control that."
"I will," Kai said quietly. Tala and Alexei looked at him in surprise.
"Kai!" Alexei yelped. "You don't just say you're gonna use a bitbeast! Boris issues them, and none of us are strong enough yet to even have the weakest of bitbeasts."
"That's a surefire way to get yourself disposed of, Kai," Tala warned. "I'd be careful about what you say."
"I don't care," Kai repeated, hand absently moving to scratch his cheek.
"Kai! Tala! Alexei!" Boris called sternly. "Come along! And Kai, please don't scratch. You'll ruin the tattoo job and make Ivan have to do it all over again. And you don't want that, do you?"
Kai cast one last, longing glance at the dish, where cautious scientists were now advancing on Black Dranzer, trying to recapture it. Then he said, "I will control him."
*2003*
"Kai Hiwatari, open the door now!" Rei snapped finally, rattling the door handle violently. "I'm sick of this! You're a part of this team, like it or not, and there are no secrets in this team, so get out here before you make me bring security in!"
Rei was surprised a bit when Kai opened the door, crimson eyes surrounded by pink, as if he'd been crying. He glared at Rei warningly, and shut the door behind him to the washroom and a few seconds later, emerged looking slightly more calm and less red-eyed.
"I'm impressed, Rei." Tyson said admiringly. "I didn't think Kai listened to anybody, especially us."
"I'd shut your mouth, Tyson, before I stuff Dragoon down your throat." Kai snarled. Tyson squeaked and shut up.
"So what's going on, Kai?" Rei asked, watching as Kai glared at his hands, where he was gripping something tightly. Gently, he reached and forcefully uncurled Kai's fingers to reveal Black Dranzer, and red marks all around where Kai's skin had been in contact with it.
"Black Dranzer!" Max squeaked, eyes wide as saucers. "What're you doing with it?!"
Kai looked back down and rewrapped his fingers around it, admitting quietly, "I just can't get rid of him. There's too much involved, too many memories, too much power…"
"Oh, we're back to the power thing again, are we?" Chief asked derisively. "Listen, Kai. Beyblades are tops with fancy gadgets. There's no real power involved."
"What do you call the bitbeasts?!" Dizzi demanded indignantly.
"Holograms." Chief answered simply. Dizzi gave a scoff and started screeching at him about how a hologram was in his computer and how he was so narrow-minded and how if he was convinced she didn't really exist, how was she talking like she had a mind of her own?
"Listen, Kenny," Kai snarled. "If you're not interested, get out now. I'm not in the mood to be patient tonight."
"I'll shut up," Chief said and sat down again, Dizzi still shrieking harangues at him.
Kai sighed. "I know, it sounds strange, but I don't know how else to describe it. I'm addicted to the power of Black Dranzer. Ever since I first laid eyes on him in Balkoff Abbey, when I was 8…"
*1996*
I had a smile on my face and I sat up straight
Oh yeah, yeah
I wanted to know you
I wanted to show you
The darkness was settled upon the silent abbey in its slumber and Kai was lying awake, seeing in his mind the sight of Black Dranzer's power over and over again. Finally, he thought, 'I have to touch him. Just touch him. Just once.'
Silently, he rolled out of bed and got dressed, fighting the urge to scratch his cheeks again and pulled on the gauntlets, grimacing as the finger slots pulled at his skin and the blades brushed against sensitive skin. Just as he was opening the door, he heard the sounds of the night guard coming down the hall and he quickly, but silently shut the door and hopped back into bed, closing his eyes just as the monitor opened the door, looked in suspiciously and started shining his flashlight into each child's bunk, checking to make sure all three were in bed.
"Whaddaya doing?" Tala mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes, sitting up.
"Routine check, kid. Go back to sleep." The guard said gruffly and checked the next bed, waking Alexei up. Then he shone it in Kai's eyes. "All right, who left their bed?"
"Not me," all three boys chorused sleepily.
"Well, the door's unlocked." He snapped.
"Maybe they didn't lo—lo—lock it." Alexei yawned before snuggling back down and falling back asleep.
When the guard left, locking the door behind him, Tala shot Kai a suspicious glance. "You were going after Black Dranzer, weren't you?"
"No," Kai answered. "Why would I?"
"Don't lie to me, Kai."
"I'm not."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"Because you're a suspicious guy who doesn't even trust himself."
"Somebody's gotta be the careful one here. Don't you dare even think about going after Black Dranzer, Kai. It's too powerful. Who knows what'll happen."
You don't know me
Don't ignore me
You don't want me there
You just shut me out
"And give me six more! I want ultimate perfection!" Boris yelled as the older boys were doing their drills. Tala and Alexei had been called away earlier that morning to go have a visit with their parents, who had come that day to see how they were doing in their 'boarding school', which was what Boris had always called it to the unsuspecting parents.
Kai stood off in the shadows, longing to join in, but not being able to, because this was a higher level of status. These were Level 5 boys, whereas Kai, Tala and Alexei were Level 2. The actual boys who made to the competing team were Level 10. Most boys here didn't make it to Level 7. They were issued bitbeasts at the gaining of Level 6 status, and if you didn't have a bitbeast by then, you probably weren't going to be around much longer. Even if you were issued it, you probably wouldn't last long.
"Don't bother hanging around, Kai," a voice came from behind him. He whirled around to find Seth Resvan, 15 years old and one of the two Level 9s: the son of one of the scientists at Balkoff Abbey; standing behind him. "Boris is already ticked off enough at you. Besides, he issues status levels for a reason. You're just too inexperienced to be trying these drills."
Too inexperienced. Oh, he hated those two words.
"Come with me to the labs," Seth offered. Immediately, Kai perked up and happily dashed after Seth, who shook his head while rolling his eyes.
You don't know me
Don't ignore me
If you had your way
You'd just shut me up
Eagerly, Kai watched as Doctor Resvan relaunched Black Dranzer, and drank in every flash of light that flared from the blade as it dodged around the scientists waiting to capture it.
The blade suddenly launched itself in the air, breaking through the glass divider and flying towards Kai's face. Instinctively, Kai whipped a hand up and caught the blade. A sensation of perfection in blade form was coursing through his veins and he stared transfixed at the black phoenix on the disk. "Black Dranzer… Ultimate perfection…" he whispered, never tearing his gaze away until Doctor Resvan snatched it out of his hands and said, "No. You're too young, too inexperienced and the bitbeast is too new."
There it was again: too inexperienced. Well, how was he supposed to get more experience if nobody would let him try new things?
*2003*
Make me go away
"But Kai," Max said slowly. "Explain this to me. Why do you have Black Dranzer now, if they didn't give to you then?"
"That was the way they made me agree to join." Kai answered. "They offered me Black Dranzer."
"I don't get it, though." Tyson piped up. "Why all the secrets? So you wanted a powerful bitbeast. Who doesn't?"
Kai lowered his gaze, biting his lower lip. "Because of what happened when I first used him."
"What?" Rei asked.
*1996*
No, I just don't understand why
You won't talk to me
It hurts that I'm so unwanted for nothing
That night, Tala and Alexei were moody and unsociable, as they usually were after a visit with their parents. Kai, sick of the glumness in the room, pulled the covers up over his head and waited for the two to fall asleep. It took a few hours, but finally Tala dropped off and Kai slipped out into the hallway and into the shadows to evade cameras.
He reached the labs with no problems, and broke through the glass with surprisingly little effort. Landing on the dish, he reached for Black Dranzer, just beyond his grasp and slid it out of the mechanical launcher. Loading it onto his own launcher, he hesitated when he heard a voice say "Kai!"
He looked up to see Alexei, wide-eyed.
"Don't do it, Kai." Alexei pleaded. "Even the scientists can't control him, and they're the ones who created him. You're only Level 2, Kai."
"I don't care," Kai said and yelled, "LET IT RIP!"
Black Dranzer launched, but instead of landing on the dish, it hovered in mid-air, glowing with ethereal light.
"Uh-oh," Kai said.
"I told you—"
BAM!
*2003*
Don't talk words against me
I wanted to know you
I wanted to show you
Make me go away
Kai stopped abruptly as the tremors started again, remembering the explosion.
"Kai?" Rei asked immediately, eyes wide. "Kai, are you all right?"
Kai didn't appear to hear him. "I never meant for it to happen. It was so loud, but it didn't make any sound at the same time. It was burning hot, but I was freezing cold. I could feel all the glass shattering, and the dish exploding, and I could hear everyone screaming…" He was breathing hard, as if he was having a panic attack.
"Kai," Rei said softly, touching him on the shoulder. He jumped back in surprise when Kai jerked away.
*1996*
I tried to belong
It didn't seem wrong
My head aches
Kai awoke to hear the agonized groans and screams of the other boys in the abbey. "What's going on?"
He sat up and opened his eyes to find Boris striding purposely towards him. Involuntarily, he started to shake.
"What were you thinking?!" Boris hissed, grabbing Kai by the arm and dragging him outside.
The abbey was no more. Every section surrounding the laboratory was annihilated, the sections surrounding those were damaged beyond repair, and beyond that were more sections that suffered severe damage. Very few buildings had no damage done.
Kai stared in fascinated horror as the medical doctors in the abbey and additional paramedics dashed around the scene, and boys glared at him from pallets as they clutched bleeding arms or sides.
"See what you did? See what you did?!" Boris growled, shaking the terrified young boy. "Thanks to your actions, this is what is left of your grandfather's legacy, of my abbey!" He dragged Kai off to a shed.
"Now, see what you've done." Boris told him, shoving him into the shed with a hastily scrawled sign: Morgue.
Kai's eyes widened. Then he started screaming.
It's been so long
I'll write this song
If that's what it takes
Boris opened the shed door and hauled out the bloody boy. "That's just the ones they've found, Kai. God knows how many won't be found. You've killed 15 boys so far, Kai. THAT'S OVER 25% OF OUR FLEETERS!"
"Boris, sir, we've just finished on the Nicholae boy. We had to replace about 85% of him."
Boris smiled, a nasty little smile. "Very well. Kai, come along and see what you've done to Tala."
Tala was lying motionless on the pallet, most of him covered in bandages. Kai couldn't bring himself to speak, but Tala seemed to notice his presence. Then, in a strangely apathetic tone, he said "What happened to Alexei?"
Kai ducked his head. Boris took this opportunity to respond.
"Your friend here has killed him."
Make me go away
Make me go away