AU – Imagine a world in which your entire life was laid out before you with no way of running away. There are no thoughts as to what your dreams and wants are, only those of your superiors and/or your elders. A world in which you are nothing more than a puppet in a Machiavellian society that dictates your every move. Then imagine an escape is revealed in the most unlikely of places that can bring all restrictions tumbling down.
I said I would revise this, and… I did. Whoopsha to me.
Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, e-mailed, instant messaged me – whether it be AIM or MSN – or just bugged me over comments on DA or summat, I thank ye all. And for those of you who only gave me their wishes telepathically, I heard them in my dreams and no I will not submit to bribes of cars and ponies.
Cookies and bishies work much better. XD
NOTE: Rating is subject to change due to language, sexuality, and varied adult situations.
Daisuke: MI doesn't own Beyblade or its characters, but she does own her characters and the plot.
Thanks, Daisuke. ::snug:: And now, on with the fic!
Against All Authority
September 5th, 1994
The eleven-year-old stood in the doorway of the 'playroom' within the Taylor estate. Having been instructed by his grandfather to remain out of sight until he was summoned, he had wandered the corridors and various rooms of the mansion until he had found a pair of large double doors thrown wide open. While there was hardly any furniture within the large room, there were mountains of toys that had been neatly placed in various places. Stuffed animals lined the shelves in a wide range of species including wolves, horses, foxes, and a splattering of dragons. Each animal was made of vibrant fabrics in varying textures and seemed to be made especially for the room's owner.
Silver brows knitted together in a frown as he took in the state of wear on the other toys. A large toy box whose sole purpose seemed to be to hold balls of all kinds – soccer, football, tennis, baseball, and so on – and in various stages of use.
A pair of gloves made for small hands had been thrown on the floor, next to which lay a hockey stick and a puck with a chipped rim, all three objects marked with grass stains, streaks of dirt, and black marks that had to have come from pavement.
The boy cautiously made his way across the room, careful as to not disturb any of the toys, and paused in front of the toy chest. Even though he knew exactly what these toys were and what they were used for, he had never in his life been given the chance to play with them. Such things had been strictly forbidden for as long as he could remember and probably would remain that way for a long time afterward.
He had no idea why he had been told to accompany his grandfather on his trip to the Taylor estate, but he knew that he would be told soon enough. Unless he found out for himself, of course. A large clue had been the fact that Voltaire Hiwatari had refused to let him wear his usual clothes and instead had given him an expensive three-piece suit to wear, the fact that he disliked his new state of dress notwithstanding. To his absolute horror, his nursemaid had been instructed to scrub him thoroughly from head to toe and to make sure that he looked his absolute best for this visit.
On occasion he wondered if his grandfather forgot that he was nearly twelve years old and could take a bath on his own, thank you very much.
"Hey, you! Catch!"
Kai barely had enough time to turn around before a round object struck his shoulder and sent him back a step to regain his balance. It took him only a second to realize what had happened and then his crimson eyes lifted to lock on a small girl standing on the opposite side of the room, a bemused look on her young face. "What was that for?" he demanded, unwilling to admit that her throw had hurt.
The girl ignored his question and frowned, her abnormally large amethyst eyes narrowed. "You were supposed to catch it, dummy."
"You could have warned me first," Kai retorted, not seeming to notice that years of training in social etiquette had been thrown out the window the moment he had been hit by the baseball. Now, he was no longer the heir to a multibillion-dollar corporation but an extremely ticked off eleven-year-old boy.
"I did." The girl gave him an annoyed look and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a surprisingly cold glare. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"What's it to you, pipsqueak?" Oh yes, social niceties were definitely out the window.
"This is my playroom, stupid," she shot back, apparently offended by his insult. Truth be told, she was on the small side, even for a girl her age – which was nine – and whenever teased about her height she was quick to anger. What she didn't know was that it had been the first time he had ever called anyone names or even been in the general vicinity of another child, but when it came to verbal sparring, he was a natural.
Logically speaking, her statement had very little ground on which to attach believability on it. Her appearance was not that of an heir to a powerful company but that of a common child of the inner city. Clad in a pair of gray shorts that reached her knees and were covered in grass stains, a loose blue T-shirt that had several streaks of dirt across them and ratty black sneakers, she looked extremely out of place in the elaborately furnished mansion. Even her hair, which appeared to be a silvery color, was pulled into a messy braid that hung down to her shoulder blades, unruly bangs tipped blue hanging in her small face. While it was plausible that she had at least used these toys – and this observation was supported by the fact that she seemed completely comfortable and familiar with her surroundings – it was extremely unlikely that she was, in fact, the young mistress Taylor.
Fairly positive that his observations were correct, Kai gave her a glare of his own. "It is not, you liar."
"Is so!" she yelled, stamping her foot in frustration. "Go away!"
"Make me."
"Fine!"
To say that Kai was surprised by her advancement was an understatement. He hadn't actually thought she would make him leave, but she seemed fully prepared to do just that. Armed with a baseball bat she stomped toward him and leveled him with a glare that could almost match that of his grandfather, and that was a frightening thought in and of itself.
Unsure of how to deal with this situation, Kai backed up a step and his hand reached back to grab the first thing he touched: a hockey stick.
When the two objects collided, Kai swiftly realized that not only was she experienced with this sort of thing, but also much stronger than she looked. The battle moved to a large cleared area and they traded blows and insults. At least until she somehow overpowered him and sent him sprawling flat on his back, the hockey stick knocked away. In a movement faster than would seem possible for a tiny person such as she, she straddled his stomach and pinned his arms down on the floor before he could push her off, effectively holding him in place.
Furious with the fact that he had been bested by a nine-year-old girl, Kai growled and tried to throw her off but her weight was thrown on his upper body and there was little he could do with his legs. Apparently she was quite well versed in situations like this.
"Say you're sorry," she commanded imperiously.
Kai glared at her and struggled against her hands but she refused to let go. "Why should I?"
Her grip tightened, her fingers digging into his flesh and he winced. "I said say you're sorry!"
"I don't have to apologize to the likes of you."
Once again her grip tightened and he fought back a yell of pain. "Say it!"
His hands were beginning to go numb from the pressure on his wrists and with the added weight on his stomach he found that he was most uncomfortable and despite the humiliation of being bested, he realized that there wasn't much he could do. Unless…
Kai threw his weight forward and turned his legs until he had the girl on her back and their roles were reversed. Wrists pinned above her head and legs caught between his, she was now stuck and absolutely furious, hissing and spitting like a wildcat.
"What in the world is going on?!"
Instead of being hauled off to their guardians, the young woman who became known as the girl's nursemaid Sarah, dragged the two children by the ear into an adjacent room and sat them down on opposite sides, stopping to stand between them. Hands on her hips, her glare shifted from the girl to the boy and then back again. The children continued to glare at each other across the room and the nursemaid threw up her hands in exasperation.
"All right, you two. Now tell me what happened and maybe I won't go and tell your father, Riley, or your grandfather, Kai." Her eyes narrowed further upon seeing the looks of terror on the children's' faces and then her face softened. She had heard rumors of Voltaire Hiwatari's ruthless demeanor and it seemed only common sense to her that the boy would be subject to that temperament and would fear it, although she was unsure if it was fear of his grandfather's disappointment or punishment that brought out the look on the boy's face.
The situation was described after several squabbles for the floor and a few more threats by the nursemaid and it took nearly a half hour to sort out what had happened. While neither child could take the full blame, she knew that the responsibility would essentially fall on Riley's shoulders once her father found out. However, there was always an alternative.
"Now I want you both to apologize and do it nicely or I'll have to call in your guardians." Sarah watched with fierce eyes as both children continued to glare at one another but slowly made their way across the room to stand in front of the nursemaid and reluctantly shake each other's hand. They released as though they had been burned and continued to glare, but managed to mumble their apologies and that seemed to be enough for Sarah. It was highly unlikely that she would get anything better out of the two children, anyway. Things would only get worse once they found out the reason behind the visit.
The reason behind the visit was soon revealed, although Riley only understood part of it and her dissatisfaction was voiced immediately – "But I don't wanna get married!" Kai, on the other hand, looked as though he would be very happy to tear something apart. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond their control – and the silent threat of punishment from their guardians – they had no choice.
It would be on this day, ten years later, the betrothed heirs would be joined in holy matrimony until death do them part.
Even to the casual observer the statement had a decidedly ominous feel to it.
-- To Be Continued --
Gotta thank Jac once again for looking over this for me and giving me advice. She's sorta become my unofficial beta-reader. :P
Chapter One: It's been ten years since the betrothal was formed and while the situation hasn't changed, the two heirs in question have…
Next chapter should be out relatively soon, but while you're waiting please leave a review. All comments are accepted – constructive criticism is nice… – but flames will more or less be ignored.
-- Midnight Insanity