XP: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist writing T_T I'm supposed to be studying my butt off now.
Anyway, thanks to my reviewers! Thank you, some stuff, Vixen-Von-Rouge, Rangerapprentice and Dane Serfani!
Background: The Blitzkrieg Boys are being sent to different places to live with different families. In this chapter, we show Ian in Rei's village.
Ian is the easiest to write, for me :)
Hope you like it!
***Ian's chapter start***
Ian frowned unhappily as he was brought to the village. All he could see, were straw and wood huts, forests and wilderness. Not one drop of technology! No way of escape accept for blindly entering the forests. It was such a rural, tiny village. He could hear the laughter of the village kids as they played and beybattled nearby, and saw busy women doing laundry, and men going out to catch food for the day.
"Welcome to the village, Ian," Rei offered with a bright smile.
Maybe Rei wasn't so bad, but it didn't mean that Ian would get along with him. Ian could deal with him for one full day, probably, but to live together for weeks, months and years might be a problem. Still, to him, he got one of the better deals. After all, Bryan was staying with Tyson! The two hot-heads would surely clash due to their stubbornness.
"Oh hey, look who's here, one of the Russian bastards," Kevin commented from his perch on top of the tree.
"Kevin!" Mariah chided, from another nearby tree. "That's mean!"
"Oh~ So cats do like to climb trees," Ian mocked back. "Can you come down, you poor kitties? Shall I go get help?"
"Why you little-!" Kevin snarled, jumping down in front of Ian. "I oughta-"
"Kevin. Stop," Lee commanded, appearing from the shadows behind a tree. "No fighting. He will be staying with us for a long time." Lee turned to Ian. "Hello, Ian. I hope we all get along."
Ian snorted. He could see the displeasure on Lee's face. Lee was probably forced to go along with this and was being civil to him to listen to the orders of his elders.
Ian sulked. But he did realise they were making an effort to continue speaking japanese to him instead of their native chinese. He could hear the complicated mumblings of a foreign language behind him. He appreciated that. Not that he would voice it out, of course.
"I'll show you where you stay," Rei piped up, as Gary moved forward to help grab Ian's luggage. "You'll be staying in my house. All of us stay close to each other though, so you can look for any of us if you need help."
"Thank you," Ian mumbled, trudging his feet to follow them. Rei smiled at his words.
He was, of course, shown into a tiny hut. There was barely anything! There were futons on the floor and a cupboard at the side. It was appalling. No refrigerator and no aircon?! Well he guessed he could deal. The abbey was just like this after all, with its cells. But it was way cooler over there! It was like being in a sauna currently.
"Sorry that it's a bit small," Rei said sheepishly. "We eat meals together at the elder's hall, where everyone is gathered."
Ian blinked, thinking for a moment. Where were Rei's parents? "Hey, where are your parents?"
"The White Tigers are all orphans," Rei said simply, causing a look of shock to cross Ian's face. Rei gave a little smile when he saw it. "We lost our parents in the war. But it's alright. Everyone in the village is really friendly and we feel like one big family." Rei cheered up, beaming. "Would you like to go see the other kids? I help to teach them beyblade. They're really cute."
Teaching...? Was it like the mass beyblading trainings in the abbey? With his curiosity piqued, Ian nodded.
The white tigers were waiting outside for them, and together they went to an area slightly further away from the village, where there was a large clearing. Many kids were already beyblading in beydishes made by wood. They all looked up when the White Tigers arrived.
"Lao shi!" They greeted. (1)
Afterwards came complicated babble of chinese as the kids excitedly talked to the white tigers. Some of them were gesticulating at him curiously, wondering who the outsider was. Ian saw that all of them had golden eyes and feline like features. They really were a clan of cat people.
Ian sat at the side and watched disbelievingly as Rei patiently coached them on beyblading techniques while the other White Tigers helped give pointers to those who were battling. It was just so... lax. All of the kids were laughing and enjoying themselves, and in Ian's eyes, making a fool of beyblading and not taking it seriously. Ian snorted to himself, thinking condescendingly. Then again, what did he expect of village kids?
"Yao gen wo wan ma?(2)" A small chinese boy asked him. He was dressed in traditional chinese clothing, and had red hair as red as Tala's, but had gleaming golden eyes.
"I'm sorry, but what the hell did you just say?" Ian quirked an eyebrow.
"He wants to play with you," Mariah explained, being close to where they were as she judged a beybattle.
Ian thought about it as the boy waited patiently. Maybe he should utterly thrash the boy and send him home crying. Making he should send all of them home crying. Then maybe he'd be kicked out of the village.
"Okay then," Ian replied, standing up and dusting himself off.
A crowd of other boys and girls gathered as they wanted to see the new boy's abilities. Ian's lips curled into a smirk as they stood on the opposite sides of the beydish.
"Let it rip!"
Ian's beyblade sent the other's flying once it was launched, making the beyblade fly into the air. It was over before it started.
There was silence for a moment as Ian stared at the boy, gauging his reactions.
"Wa!" The other children cheered, and started to talk amongst themselves.
"Ian, wasn't that too harsh?"Lee questioned at the little boy stared at where his beyblade had landed.
"Duo yi ci!(3)" The other boy looked back at Ian excitedly. "Gen wo wan!(4)" He repeated. He dashed to go get his beyblade, standing back at the beydish, looking up at Ian with twinking eyes.
Okay, if that's the way he want it, Ian shrugged.
That day, Ian understood the perseverance of nekojins. He defeated the boy over and over again, as Lee watched their match. Lee was offering new advice and pointers each round, and over time, the boy had slowly lasted longer and longer before Ian defeated him. Before they realised, the sky had already darkened. Ian had approximately beaten the boy 50 times. Still, the boy was cheery as he bowed to Ian, thanking him for his matches.
Strange boy, Ian thought to himself, forgetting his original goal of beating him until he cried. In the abbey, almost every boy cried when they lost. Then again, it was because they had to receive punishments.
"Ian, it's time for dinner," Rei informed, wiping the sweat from his eyebrow, panting tiredly. Ian himself had barely broken a sweat. However, he had seen Rei fighting against Kevin and many other boys.
"Xie xie lao shi!(5)" The many children bowed, before laughing and racing each other to the dining hall.
"Do you do this everyday?" Ian quirked an eyebrow.
"There's not much else to do," Rei admitted. "Well, if you like, though, you can come everyday. I'll show you some other hang out spots. Like maybe the river. You can fish and swim there."
Ian nodded slowly.
"Heck no, he's coming with us everyday?" Kevin gagged. "I don't wanna see his face everyday."
"Kevin!" Mariah frowned. "The elders told us to take good care of him."
"Aww, too bad for little kitty boy," Ian cooed. Obviously he has found his main target for annoying.
"Don't call me that, you shortie!" Kevin snarled.
"Aww, what's wrong? Want some milk?" Ian mocked.
"Okay, you two need to stop this, we're reaching the dining hall," Lee said firmly.
When they entered, Ian was shocked to hear the loud bustling of excitement. There were round tables everywhere, with the seats taken and filled up by many children, a few adults and a lot of elders. Wow. Ian blinked as he was led to a large table at the side. Suddenly, there was silence as an elder stood in the middle, speaking chinese loudly.
Ian stumbled when Lee gave him a light push. "Go on, Ian. The elder wants to introduce you."
Tentatively, Ian made him way around the cramped tables, until he stood next to the elder with a looked of hesitance.
There was even more chinese spoken and from it Ian could hear "Ian Papov" and "Blitzkrieg Boys".
Then there was clapping and cheering and Ian made his way back self-consciously, seating in the seat Rei left open for him.
There were many chinese dishes on the table, and Ian picked up his chopsticks, poking at his bowl of rice. He was not accustomed to eating with so many people. There was about ten people every table.
"Do you know how to use the chopsticks? Want me to get you a fork?" Rei asked nicely.
"It's fine," Ian shook his head. He managed to use to chopsticks quite well despite his incorrect holding method. He held them like a pen.
The food was nice, Ian admitted. But he would definitely get sick of it in a few weeks, given that the food was almost always the same. Plus, while the excited buzz of chatter in the air was nice right now, it wasn't guaranteed that he wouldn't be annoyed by it a few days later. There was just an aura of unity and warmness in the air, while made you feel at home.
When they were done, Rei led him outside. "We bathe in the river," Rei said awkwardly, knowing that a disappointed look would fall on Ian's face. "The guys bathe first, then the girls bathe when it is much darker."
Ian nodded stiffly. He followed Rei. He was used to mass bathing in the abbey, but there were always the Blitzkrieg Boys with him. They reached the river, and they could see a handful of village boys already laughing and playing in the river. Their clothes were strewn about or hung on trees, and their shoes were set a few footsteps away from the edge of the river. Rei took of their shoes, and hesitantly, Ian followed him. Rei then led him to a large tree and started to take off his clothes, showing the multiple scars on his body.
"Are those... from Bryan?" Ian murmured, resisting the urge to lightly run his fingers along those scars.
Rei nodded, quickly getting into the water as he felt self-conscious under Ian's scrutiny. Once in the water, he regained his confidence and smiled up at Ian, before turning away and swimming towards where the White Tigers, minus Mariah, were. Ian soon stepped into the water as well, hanging out near the water's edge. When he looked up, he could see the beautiful sunset in the horizon, and as the water's waves lapped at his body in a steady, soothing rhythm, Ian thought that maybe this place wasn't so bad afterall.
He closed his eyes as he relaxed, tense shoulders dropping.
When he opened them again, the sky had darkened, and Rei was beside him, looking up at the starry sky. In the rural parts of China, the sky was free from pollution, and hundreds of twinkling stars could be seen shining up in the sky, making Ian stare in awe.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Rei whispered.
Ian nodded. He wished the Blitzkrieg boys could see this with him.
"Rei, why are you still talking with him?" Kevin whined, swimming over.
"Come on Kevin, Ian isn't that bad," Rei frowned.
"Is someone jealous?" Ian teased, and Kevin bristled.
"No!" Kevin shouted, drawing the gazes of several boys. "It's just that... Rei finally came back and... all he does is be with you because you're the new boy!"
Ian sweatdropped. "You just admitted it, kid."
"Aw, Kev," Rei said sympathetically. "I'm sorry... I promise I'll pay more attention to you."
"Kevin, stop bothering Rei," Lee pulled Kevin away gently as the boy sulked. "Sorry Rei. He just misses you."
"I know," Rei smiled, reaching out and ruffling Kevin's hair.
"Ugh. I can't watch this any longer," Ian rolled his eyes, getting out of the river. He tugged on his clothes quickly.
"See you back at my house. Don't wander too far," Rei warned carefully.
"Yeah, yeah," Ian waved his hand as a dismissal, leaving quickly. "Cats are such an affectionate bunch..." He found Rei's house with some trouble, before going in and rummaging through his bag. He opened his laptop, checking for internet connection first. Obviously, there was no such luck. Being the hacker of the Blitzkrieg team, Ian has received technological gadgets, like this laptop. And after they were out of Biovolt, Ian insisted for a psp. Mr Dickenson had bought him one.
Switching it on, Ian started to play mindlessly on his futon until Rei came back. Rei smiled at him, taking off his shoes at the door. He moved in and started to heat a kettle, intent on brewing some tea before he slept, probably a habit. He sat next to Ian and watched him kill monsters for a little bit. "Max and Tyson liked games like that too," Rei said with a grin. "Although I'm a total noob. They made me try and couldn't get off my case about how much I sucked for days."
"That's too bad," Ian replied, no hint of mockery in his voice. He wasn't really empathetic either. But Rei was happy with his response. At least he was being responsive, not being a jerk and throwing out hostility. Rei started to pour tea into two small cups, handing one to Ian.
Ian sipped at it gently, careful not to scald his tongue as he paused his game. Rei finished before him, and set his cup down near the kettle. "Well, I'm going to sleep now. See you tomorrow morning, Ian."
Ian nodded, and he soon finished up as well, lying on the floor. As he laid down, all the foreign scents of the wood, the tea, and herbs invaded his senses. He rolled around, as it was too warm to settle in one spot. He could hear the crickets chirping loudly outside, as well as the mating calls of numerous insects outside that he couldn't name. It was loud and annoying, and when Ian closed his eyes, the sounds only sounded more amplified. Frustrated as he couldn't sleep, after what seemed like hours, he slipped out of the house, sitting at the porch.
"This sucks," Ian sighed. He could hear the light snoring of some of the villages as well. Ian slapped at his arm as a mosquito attempted to bite him. Ian yawned tiredly. He continued to look up at the dark sky, twinkling with the little white stars. He missed the Blitzkrieg boys already. He missed the deadly silent cells of the abbey. He missed the cool floor and walls. He missed his team mates that slept curled up close to each other. He was even missing the smell of blood, because this place smelt so foreign and clean, in a way. The air suddenly felt way too fresh now.
He missed training until the brink of exhaustion, because then he could fall right asleep. Now, his body was under stimulated, unused to doing nothing. Ian suddenly felt the itch to move and exercise, and got up on his feet. He used his memory to go back to that large clearing. He started to practice his launching repeatedly, into the wooden beydish. He heard rustling of leaves, and turned sharply, calling out without thinking.
"Tala?"
"Huh? No, I'm not Tala," Mariah replied in confusion.
Ian frowned and turned back to his mindless launching. In the past, whenever he couldn't sleep, Tala would be up along with him. Because Tala was an extremely light sleeper, unlike Bryan and Spencer.
"...Couldn't sleep?" Mariah asked awkwardly, twirling a lock of her pink hair.
"Speaking the obvious much?" Ian snorted.
Mariah ignored the light jibe. "I... I heard about what the abbey boys go through. I overheard parts of the meeting that Lee and Rei were in along with Mr Dickenson and the bba people. I'm sorry about Kevin's attitude to you until now. He doesn't understand. Lee is trying his best to be nice, and Rei is naturally friendly. I hope that you will find your stay here pleasant."
"Don't pity me," Ian replied harshly. He could clearly hear it in Mariah's tone.
Mariah flinched. "I wasn't!"
"You think you guys are so kind for tolerating me?" Ian huffed. "I'd rather be back in the abbey!"
"What? But the abbey tortures and mistreats underaged boys..." Mariah replied in confusion.
"Like your warm and humid villages isn't a deviant form of torture?" Ian responded with an amused smirk. "Like being thrown into a foreign land and being torn from the people you know isn't torture?"
"How rude! Our village is perfectly nice!" Mariah placed her hand on her hips in agitation. "At least we don't hit boys until they pass out! We don't kill millions of little boys who don't make the mark!"
"Oh yeah? And who was the one cursing and glaring at the Blitzkrieg boys in hatred and wishing we'd die?" Ian retorted.
"W-well! That was when you guys just stole our bitbeasts! I didn't know that Biovolt was the mastermind! I didn't know that they beat you and trained you to follow their commands..." Mariah's hands dropped down from her hips, and her eyes were now downcast.
"Oh? And knowing about Biovolt changes your opinion of me because of what?" Ian scoffed, a cynical smirk forming on his lips. "In the end, aren't you just showing me a twisted sense of pity just to feel better about yourself because your life is soooo much better than me?"
Mariah was flabbergasted by the hostility in Ian's voice. "No! I just feel bad that I've been wronging you guys, and when I knew about the horrible things you went through, and the things you never had, I just... I feel so sad. That's why, I want us all to get along while you're here, and maybe we can show you what you've missed out on!"
"Show me what I've missed out on, in this kinda shithole?" Ian questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Tears were starting to form in Mariah's eyes as her words didn't reach Ian.
"Hey! Why are you making my sister cry?" Lee appeared, pushing Mariah behind his back protectively, a look of distrust on his face.
Ian rolled his eyes. "Ask her why she bothered me in the first place."
"Lee... Lee, it's not his fault," Mariah said weakly. "Making him feel welcome takes time, afterall."
"But he hurt your feelings!" Lee growled protectively.
"Kitty-boy, I live by hurting people's feelings," Ian smirked.
"But you don't have to anymore!" Mariah wailed, not understanding Ian's logic.
"Come on Mariah, you need to calm down before you wake the village," Lee hushed, patting his little sister's back as tears ran down her cheeks in frustration and hurt.
He led her away, presumably back to their house, as Lee glared behind him at Ian. Ian just stuck his tongue out childishly at the man.
"This sucks," Ian mumbled again, closing his eyes as he sat down on the cool ground. The crickets sounded louder than ever. He had just managed to get even more enemies. Well, he had no doubt that Mariah and Rei would try to change him though. Right now, in this foreign land, Ian felt the loneliest he had ever been, and he sighed as he wondered how the Blitzkrieg boys were doing.
It's hard to believe, but I do miss the abbey...
***End of Ian's chapter***
XP: Here are the translations!
1)Lao Shi: Teacher
2) Yao gen wo wan mah? Do you want to play with me?
3)Duo yi ci: One more time!
4)Gen wo wan: Play with me!
5)Xie xie laoshi: Thanks teacher!
XP: Do you think I should do rotation? (Send the Blitzkrieg Boys to different places again after a week or something) Thanks for reading! :D
