Play Things

Chapter Two

Longing

Watching her as she made her way up the narrow hall, Kai stealthily eased himself up against the wall, ignoring the horrible pain that shot through his backside. Damn that fucking bastard, the moment he heard the padding of feet coming down the foyer, he immediately winced back and waited for Boris to yank open the cell. Instead, however, a dark haired girl replaced the menacing aura that was Biovolt. The way she looked into the cell's with that condescending look made him angry, no one pities each other in this place and what right did she have -- a complete stranger -- to feel sorry for them?

Emotion was weakness, liberty was a load of shit, "help" was merely a waste of breath, and friendship was a whole other ball game. To think he actually let his guard down, made a few friends and actually felt like things were going to be okay, were going to be normal for once in his life. Life just loved to screw him around again and again.

He closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh of sudden relief, soon it would be all over and he wouldn't have to deal with anymore of this crap, he wouldn't fight it anymore and he sure as hell wouldn't bow down to Voltaire. The clicking of the cell door only aggravated him, but didn't stir him from his soft slumber; at least let him have this moment of peace. The clicking turned brutal as the door was being jarred open.

"Having trouble with the lock, Boris?"

"You could say that" come the rather feminine reply. Kai's eyes snapped open only to meet the figure of that rather small looking girl; she had the leg of a plastic chair jarred between the lock of the cell and the side of the cell door, where she found it was beyond him.

"Are you deaf, or just dumb?" he snapped "I said get the fuck out of here" she only seemed to roll her eyes and kept going with her useless activity, to his surprise the door was actually starting to give way. Heaving another sigh the Russian moved towards the cell doors - rather painfully - and put both his hands to the side of the door.

Storm looked at him with her blue eyes and furrowed her brows "What are you doing?" she asked in irritation. Kai looked at her, the same irritation flowing through his crimson gaze as he tried to help pry the steel door open. Why had she even come back? Boris was sure to be here soon and she could have escaped… Baka, she was going to get killed just because of her damn good morals or whatever the fuck was driving her to do this supposedly good deed. What was she trying to accomplish?

A sharp crack made Kai jump from his thoughts and fall through the place where the door had just been. The chair had managed to prey the double lock open and by some miracle, the barred door hadn't even been secured properly. Prompting himself up, he stared at the crazy girl, she seemed hesitant to come near him and he really didn't blame her. Reaching out, she gently brushed her hand over his arm as some sort of indication that she wanted to help me stand; Kai didn't hesitate the offer and shakily stood, making sure to lean on the small girl.

Storm really didn't know what to make of him, in fact she really didn't know him at all, and her sense of what's good and what's wrong was what had drawn her back to him. She was merely a puppet in the show of life, with karma stringing her along and the audience laughing at every move she made. It wasn't like she was totally opposed at running for safety, it was that damn look he had given her, that look of absolute pain and pent up rage. Storm had not seen that look before in anyone, the people she grew up with were all vibrant and full of life and greed, but this young man was locked up and suffering a life no one should go through.

Why couldn't she be like those selfish vibrant people? Why did she get stuck with the seemingly good conscience? Hoisting his arm over her shoulder, she gave him a short look and smiled.

"I can take your weight, so you don't need to hesitate in leaning against me" she informed him. Kai didn't seem to much bigger then herself, it looked as if he hadn't been fed in days, which made him a little to light for her liking. He looked around five foot seven, maybe eight, which wasn't that much taller to Storm's five foot seven stance. Just all the more easier to lug the guy around.

With a curt grunt from the Russian, Storm took it as a way of saying yes and moved towards the far end corridor that would lead them - supposedly - outside towards the nearest exit. Their one problem now was making it out before someone noticed the mangled mess of that cell door and the warped chair that lay beside it.

Strawberry blond hair fluttered about in the winter breeze, the girl's small frame shuddering from the abnormally cold impact. Winter in New York City was a bigger blasphemy then her parents had let on, at least she had the knowledge that Russia wasn't any better for her sister.

A short laugh escaped her lips, served the bitch right. All that moaning and groaning about never leaving Australia, about never having a good holiday was all raining down on her. With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, the girl was lucky to get what she got, the spoilt brat wasn't even blood related to her and her parents, yet, her parents treated the blue eyed brat like gold.

Turning away from the cities view of her balcony, the blond teen looked towards the small tabletop that held her cell phone, the tune of 'Dangerous' by Akon ringing through the large apartment.

She picked the silver pocket shaped object up and wrinkled her button nose in disdain at the caller identification "Mom?"

She heard a definite sigh on the other end and furrowed her thin brows "What's up?" she tried again. A sob could be heard from the other end and panic rose in the girl's throat "Mom, tell me what's wrong?" she demanded, a more urgent tone in her voice.

"H-have… you heard from your sister, Elisabeth?" her mother asked in a choked sob.

What sort of a question was that? Of course she hadn't heard from her sister, Storm never called Elisabeth unless she desperately needed something.

"No, should I have heard from her?" her tone was quizzical, almost curious, but Elisabeth would be damned if she were to give in to the deluded world of her adopted little sister.

There was a slight pause before her mother gasped, obviously trying to hold back tears, and whimpered "No, no. It's just that, well, she's missing" she hurried out the answer.

Elisabeth felt a slight pang of worry jab her heart, but shoved it aside before rolling her eyes. Of course her sister was missing; Storm was always missing, whether it be in the shopping center when she was five years old or walking off down the street without so much as telling anyone where she was going or whom she was going with.

"Storm doesn't know how to stay still, mom. You of all people should know that. You called me yesterday afternoon, remember? When Storm was out at the market, I called her and she was fine, she will turn up soon" she drawled, as if talking to a woman who had just lost their pet dog.

"You don't understand, Elisabeth. Yesterday after you called your father and I to tell us Storm was on her way home, we went out to dinner at the hotel's restaurant, but as soon as we came back, she still wasn't home. Artem, the bell boy told us she had come back and went straight to our room" her mother's voice became more panicked at every detail "Storm has been missing since yesterday evening."

As much as Elisabeth made out she disliked the little sister that stole her parents away, a sharp pang of fear ran cold through her veins, taking over her mind as thoughts and flashbacks of their childhood ran through her mind. A sharp intake of breath on the other line jumped her from her thoughts as Elisabeth blinked and sighed "Mom, I'll call you back later." without waiting for an answer, Elisabeth pressed the 'call end' button on her phone and dialed a new number.

"Hello? Yes, I'd like to book a flight for this evening, if possible, please…"

"Boris, sir" the young man stepped into the small furnished office area, narrowing his blue eyes at the man in question.

"Report, Tala?" Boris's voice was deep and throaty, swaying in the brink of cracked. The young man opposite of him cracked his jaw in a smirk, literally almost cracking his jaw bone in an effort to achieve such muscles to work. It had been a while to give reason for achievement, and in this case he had to push himself in order to act as if he had done such a thing.

"Kai Hiwatari has just escaped from his barricade, sir; he and his accomplice are making their way towards the docking bay as we speak." Tala's voice was strict, almost holding some form of authority, but lacking in a commanding tone.

Boris Balkov grinned, the corners of both his black eyes turning to crow's feet from simple gesture. Tala had no idea what Boris was planning and it wasn't as if he cared what he had planned for Kai, Boris had instructed Tala to loosen up the locks on Kai's cell while he slept; Tala was only following orders and really hadn't expected Kai to take the bait so easily. The fact that that girl had helped him out only added to the plan to bring down the great Phoenix.

A curt nod was all the Wolf needed. With a curt nod back at his trainer, Tala left the room - all to eagerly - and made his way down the narrow hallway, towards the docking bay where his rival was sure to have headed, be it the only means of exiting this dreadful place. Pulling his Wolborg from its holster, he sighed and nodded at familiar faces. This wasn't going to be a very entertaining afternoon, not with Kai in his weakened state and then there was the issue of that girl getting in his way. He may have had it out for Kai's blood, but he wasn't prepared to put another life in jeopardy.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and I know its been agers since an update, but keep reading. :)