I don't own Beyblade, just the plot to the story, so enjoy and try not to hate me too much afterwards!
Note: Set between the end of Brooklyn and Kai's battle and before Takao and Brooklyn's battle.
Crimson Tears
Narrowed walls of dark grey encircled Kai as he stumbled down the hallways of the BEGA building, eyes glazed over and breathing laboured from his previous battle.
A sudden wave of dizziness overcame him as he fell back against the wall and slid down to his knees, his body shaking slightly.
Kai's glazed ruby orbs stared at the ceiling light, images of his friends passed by his eyes. Takao...Rei...Max...Kenny...Hilary, even Daichi.
He let a small smile grace his features as their images flashed by. "Yeah, it was all worth it, as long as I was able to help them."
His gaze was brought back down to the beyblade stationed in his hand, the shining sapphire blue metal with the gold and red Phoenix poised directly in the center.
Kai let the small metal top fall from his hand and roll to a stop on the floor. He whispered a goodbye to his faithful bit beast as long cracks enveloped every part of the beyblade.
A faint cry from Dranzer alerted him that she was gone, gone to a place of rest, though he faintly wondered if she was actually willing to stay or if she would return.
A low and almost inaudible groan escaped his mouth as his breath hitched in his throat. The blur of grey mixing with crimson was all he seen before his vision faded to white.
Where am I...?
Is there anyone there...?
Am I...all alone again...?
...YES...
The long drawn out hiss snapped Kai out of his dreamlike state. He frantically looked around hoping to find the person, eyes darting left to right quickly but there was nothing left to be seen in the black void he hovered in.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" he provoked clenching his fist before him for emphasis, though he found it hard to keep steady since he was so weak from his battle with Brooklyn.
How soon we forget, can't you tell who I am? Or are you truely so moronic that you can't figure it out on your own?
Kai growled as rage deep within him spiked to an all time high, by now his fists as clecnhed so hard that small ringlets of blood were falling into the black abyss around him.
"Only a coward lurks in the shadows, show yourself now!"
Hypocrite...
Kai quirked an eyebrow in confusion, "What?"
You have the nerve to call me a coward after all the time you spent lurking in the darkness. You betrayed your friends for power and returned to them for revenge! Not exactly noble conduct I must say... But it doesn't matter now, I'll see to that fact myself...
"What do you want from me?" Kai asked, eyes narrowing upon the dark nothingness before him
I only want what I deserve, what you stole from me!
"Stole?" Kai asked in disbelief and confusion. "What did I ever do to you! I don't even know who you are!"
Oh, don't you?
Loud footsteps echoed all around him. Kai struggled to keep himself calm but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the slow drawl of the footsteps. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he sttempted to stop his body from shaking.
The temperature seemed to turn icy cold as the footsteps got closer and closer. By now it had become so cold, Kai's breath could be seen floating before him but it soon hitched as a light erupted before him.
His company walked into the light and stared at Kai with hollow, sadistic crimson eyes.
"Well Kai, now do you see?"
Kai nodded hesitantly as he stared at the person before him. His company was dressed in baggy blue pants that hung loosely to his lower form but was held with a scarlet belt. A black tank top clung greedily to his lithe muscles acsented by the scarlet armguards with small metal blades on the top of them, to top it all off was a pure white scarf around his neck.
A small breeze drifted by, sending the long ends of the scarf floating back and ruffling his navy and slate hair gently.
Kai couldn't believe it, for him time had literally came to a standstill as he stared at the other version of himself with disbelieving ruby eyes.
"It..can't be...you're not me!" Kai whispered as he took a step back, shaking his head and telling himself that this wasn't real, that it was all just a dream, yes, just a dream.
"Oh but I am Kai. I am the darker part of you, I guess you could call me Yami. And this is no dream. You thought you could just seal me away when I wasn't good enough for you, when I was unnecessary? Well you can just think again. That day at the lake in Russia, do you remember?" the other Kai or "Yami" as he dubbed himself, questioned the original.
"The lake...when I fought my friends with Black Dranzer?"
"Yesss!" Yami hissed like a snake as he took a step towards Kai, who stumbled backwards in reflex.
"You opened up to me Kai, you let me be a part of your life but then your foolish friends came along and with them you sealed me away. I truely did drown that day Kai, in the lake. I sank to the bottom as the ice reformed and locked me away, but now I'm free thanks to you!" Yami spoke in glee as he continued to edge closer to Kai, who continued to back away.
"What do you mean, how could I have let you escape!" Kai shouted in anger though he continued to back away in fear.
"Your battle with that idiotic Brooklyn is what stirred me from my slumber. Your "Beyblade Spirit" as you do call it, woke me, but I was still trapped here. Your defences were too strong for me to escape but," Yami grinned sadistically as he continued, "When the battle ended and Dranzer left..."
"I had nothing left to protect me from freeing you," Kai finished with a whisper, his movements freezing in place.
"And now that I'm back, I want life again, one where you won't be able to stop me from fulfilling my desires," Yami chuckled darkly as he stopped his movements.
"And to do that, I need you out of the picture." Raising his hand in the air, he let a red light glitter in it for a moment before it exploded into thin ribbons and wrapped themselves around Kai, stringing him completely in place as a few strung off into the darkness like chains.
Panicing, Kai thrashed around violently but stopped soon after to scream in pain as the strings ripped into his already fragile body, lines of crimson appearing over those from the battle with Brooklyn. Even his face wasn't spared frm the torture as a piece of the ribbon cut dangerously close to his eye causing droplets of blood to fall from it, almost giving the impression of crimson tears.
Whimpering slightly, he tried to stop his body from shaking under the freezing air that surrounded his body and the pure fear that welled within him.
Yami smirked at the true Kai's expression, one of terror and pure fear that certainly was a rare treat. Walking up to the original he stared intently into terrified ruby orbs with his own sadistic crimson ones before staring at the bloody tears trailing down Kai's cheeks.
Leaning up slightly, Yami licked the ruby beads off of Kai's injured cheek, regarding the look of disgust on Kai's face through the corner of his eye. The dark one allowed the sweet coppery liquid to roll off his tongue and envelop his senses, moaning lightly at the delicious texture.
"Your blood tastes sweet Kai, care to try?" Yami taunted, watching as Kai turned up his nose ever so slightly in revoltion with an evil smirk.
"Are you sure? It is quite delicious, try some." With that the twisted teen carefully wiped a bead of Kai's blood on his finger and placed it in Kai's mouth, shutting Kai's mouth with his free hand to force feed the substance to the other.
Kai had to use all of his will power to refain from being sick as his own blood rolled down his throat, though he had swallowed a lot of his own blood that day, this was by far the worst because it was him who was giving it to him, him who was tainting it.
Yami shook his head as he pulled away from his original side, "You are amusing, aren't you Kai? I'd love to play some more, but freedom awaits and it's time for you to say goodnight."
Yami raised his hand as it glowed the same crucial red as blood, watching as Kai screamed in pain with each and every ribbon digging tightly into his body like a hot knife through butter.
TAKAO! REI! MAX! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! PLEASE HELP ME! His mind screamed in panic as the dark laughter of Yami echoed through the black and now crimson abyss.
No one could help him, no one would help him... he had betrayed their trust too many times and this was the price he had to pay, the price paid in blood.
"I'm sorry..."he whispered as a numb feeling took over his body, a deep feeling of regret flowing through his being. He regretted betraying his friends, regretted not telling them how much they meant to him, regretted not having lived the way he wanted, regretted not being loved by any of them...
A single crystalline tear rolled down his cheek, cleaning the blood underneath slightly, as if purifying it, but it was too late now, far too late.
A final tug ripped through his body by the ribbons but it was barely felt by the teen who was feeling another pain beyond compare.
Kai hung limply by the ribbons that supported him like chains, staring into nothingness forever more, the tortured soul who died not because of his wounds but because of his inner despair and regret.
Yami narrowed his eyes at the limp form, watching as Kai's blood formed a pool underneath his hanging body and around Yami's feet.
"It is done..." he whispered to the empty world around him before walking away and vanishing in the darkness, leaving the original Kai there for all eternity, the only light around him being the single glittering tear that floated in a red river...
A small jolt shook Kai's body as crimson eyes shot open to stare at a pure white ceiling. Blinking he stared to his side to see a number of machines decorating the white room. Bandages covered a large portion of his body and wires were attached to several places on his arms and chest.
Grunting, he easily tugged the wires from his body and got out of the bed he lay in, stretching his aching body in the process.
His clothes lay in a folded pile in the corner chest of the room having been replaced by hospital robes. Walking over to them he picked up the ripped garments and flung them on his body along with a jacket that lay strewn across the chair, perhaps from a recent visitor.
He smirked at that, Who would want to visit this loser... his mind questioned rhetorically as he slid the jacket onto his lithe form.
His thoughts were interrupted though by the high and dramatic voice come from the televison set in the corner.
"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls to the final match of the Justice 5 tournament! Were the world champion, Takao, will face the final member of the BEGA team..."
"Takao..." He smirked, "Takao, get ready to meet the new Kai." Yami smirked as he left the hospital grounds, leaving his past behind him as he closed the doors...