Authors Note;;
I'd likee to give a big thanks to Pummy, Kiray Himawari, Suzanna, Soul less life, Mellisuga Helena, and Vampangelkai for reviewing- hopefully this chapter will clear a little bit of the questions up. From this point onward the true plot will be kicking into gear, so watch out for the action packed next chapter- it might even be up tonight ;)
CHAPTER 3 - Deja vu
A familiar silence had enveloped the house, and Rei found himself awake wondering about the upcoming match against the Demolition Boys. If what Kai said was true, then it would take everything they had to defeat the other Team. Glancing down at the Blade in his hand, he felt reassured by the green glow of the Bit-Beast within it, though he couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged. Driger had already left him once for being unworthy of wielding him, and Rei didn't want to feel the loneliness of being separated from the Tiger again. Just as much as he was a part of the Blade, Driger was a part of him.
Sitting up in his bed to see the clock, he groaned softly when he saw that it was only 3:00 am, and Rei let the blankets fall to his waist as he looked over at the bed a few feet away from his own. Max was sound asleep, as he often was. Though Tysons snoring could keep the younger boy awake, Max was actually a fairly heavy sleeper on other terms. Sliding out of bed, he slipped a pair of socks on that were on the floor by his bed, and slowly slipped out of the room.
All of that thinking had given him a headache, and, knowing he wouldn't be back to bed, he headed downstairs in hopes that some fresh air would help him. He hadn't bothered with a shirt today, the night being to humid to bother, and he paused in the kitchen a moment to grab a glass of water before heading toward the front door. He stopped short, however, upon noticing that it was open. Brows furrowed as stood there, wondering where he had seen this image before.
With the same curiosity of the previous night he stalked forward, cautious but confident. Peering out the door, he found Kai standing by the stairs, his back turned to him. Eyes widened as a feeling made it's way through him. Where had he seen this? He felt unnerved and on edge, so you can see why he jumped when Kai's voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Can't sleep?" asked the older teen, who had heard the boy coming.
Not turning when he heard the screen door open, he was a little surprised to see Rei step up beside him, looking out over the massive field to the forest beyond. The crimson eyed boy also noticed that his silent companion had chosen to go shirtless, leaving him with a clear view of the bite he'd left on his neck. It was a blemish of blue and purple just between the shoulder and neck, the two symmetrical puncture marks looking strangely out of place on the Chinese boys otherwise smooth skin.
He immediately looked away from the mark that taunted him, but Rei had noticed him observing it.
"Do you know what it is? I wanted to ask you about it earlier." Eyes narrowed as he stared out over the field, refusing to look back over at the Tiger.
"Why would I know what it is?" he said sharply, feigning ignorance.
Once again Rei bristled at the harsh tone. "I thought maybe I'd done something when I passed out last night. You found me, so I thought you might know something." he explained before taking a seat on the step. "Sorry for asking." he added coldly.
Kai frowned at the tone of Rei's voice, but didn't say anything, and for a long while there was a silence between them. Ruby gaze however, was drawn back to the mark on the raven haired boys neck.
"Does it..hurt?"
Rei hadn't been expecting Kai to say anything more to him that night, but to his surprise the boy seamed to be concerned for him. Forgetting his annoyance for the other male, Rei leaned back on to his hands, a soft smirk pulling his lips up. "Yeah." He answered honestly.
Kai's jaw clenched a moment before relaxing- he'd known something like that had to be painful, so why did it bother him so much to hear about it?
Noticing that Kai was growing tense, Rei was quick to fix his mistake." It's just kind of sensitive, like when something brushes up against it."
Kai could hear the lie in the boys voice, and with a roll of his eyes ignored the words."You should cover it with something. Those marks...they look deep You don't want to get it infected." said Kai. Rei nodded, and even though his companion wasn't looking at him, he knew that Kai was aware of it.
"So why are you up at this hour? Don't you have to get up early for training?" Inquired Rae from his seat on the steps.
"I could ask you the same thing." he replied with a subtle smirk.
"Oh? I was just having trouble sleeping. The Finals are coming up and...I'm not really sure what to expect.." Rei trailed off, not able to bring up his fear of having Driger taken from him again. If he lost against the Demolition Boys, they had the ability to snatch his beloved Bit-Beast, and though he'd always return for Driger somehow, the loss wasn't something he wanted to experience again.
Kai, sensing his Reis anxiety, descended the stairs in a quick stride, making for the back of the house, where the gardens stood. "Coming? " he called over his shoulder when the Chinese boy didn't follow.
Eyes widened in surprise, but the Tiger rose none the less, jogging after the older boy. They went in silence up one of the many paths into he massive system of plants and flowers. There was a comfortable silence between them, and after a few minutes, Rei found that Kai had led them to a Beyblade Dish. "Kai?" questioned the younger boy, not sure what the point of this was.
"You said you didn't know what to expect...I can show you." Tala and the rest of them had undergone the same experiments as Kai had, and so each of them were also able to control their Bit-Beasts to the fullest. To be as destructive as possible was what Boris had wanted, and to do that, he had come up with another way to bring life to the Bit-Beasts, a way that didn't necissarily involve test tube cloning.
Rei, not expecting this, could only nod and step up to the dish. The boys squared off, each catching the others eye as the prepared to launch.
"Three, Two, One- Let It Rip!".
The Blades collided in the dish immediately, neither one interested in playing a game of cat and mouse. Sparks flew as the two tops clashed, each one trying to out do the other with brute force. For about 30 seconds Kai let this go on, and then it began.
The moment he had launched his blade there had been a pull from somewhere deep inside him. Emotions that were not his own began to boil over within him, and he could feel a pressure in his head. Rage, Greed, Fire. This, was the power of Black Dranzer. Though he no longer controlled the black beyblade, he was still tainted with the power thanks to Boris's experiments.
The center of Kais beyblade began to pulse red as Dranzer began to react to the power seething through Kai. The Phoenix fed off it, stealing the strength it's welder offered and using it for himself. Driger, sensing the challenge of Kais Beast, began to react, and in a moment of blinding green light the White Tiger sprung forth, his semi-transparent fur shining and his massive jaws parted in a feral snarl.
With a screech the Phoenix burst from it's chip, massive wings propelling him into the air. Rei gasped, eyes slitting in synchronization to Drigers as his eyes fell on Dranzer. The bird was not the spirit looking creature that his Driger was any longer, and instead was as solid and real looking as he and Kai themselves. It's feathers crackled like fire, vicious claws and a hooked beak of gold accenting the pitch black eyes.
And then Driger began to change. In a glow his body suddenly became just as solid as Kais Dranzer, and the yellow eyed tiger roared in fury as he was brought to full life in their realm. Rei was speechless, and during this time Kai took his chance.
"Dranzer, now!" the bird reacted instantly, diving like an arrow of fire toward Driger. In his shock Rei hesitated, and by the time he called for Driger to move it was to late, and Kai's Phoenix had it's claws sunk into the back of the massive cat. At the moment that horror struck Rei at the sight of seeing blood run from the open wound of his Beast, pain erupted in his shoulder, a searing, hot pain.
Doubling over he fought to stay on his feet, but was prompted to do so by Kai.
"Focus Rei!" Kai snarled, forcing the boy back into reality. "The experiments Boris ran physically linked the Demolition Boys to their Bit-Beasts. They're blades can then draw on the power of their wielder at an outrageous rate, and are able to influence their opponents into a temporary state of connection, meaning that any harm that befalls the Beast befalls the wielder as well!"
Rei, who still couldn't believe what he was hearing, would have been angry at Kai for putting him in danger if he wasn't sure that the older boy knew exactly what he was doing, and since Rei would have to face a much tougher, much less merciful opponent in just a whiles time, he would use the experience to his advantage.
. "Driger- Tiger Claw Attack!" Massive claws unsheathed themselves, and with a painful wrench of his body the feral cat slashed out at the bird. The white tiger hooked into the birds thigh, ripping the flesh in an explosion of burning feathers that lost their fire and floated to the ground around them.
With a muffled cry Kai fell to one knees, his pantleg ripping open as if Drigers claws had hit him instead of the bird. "Kai!" called Rei, and had been about to run to him when the older teen stopped him by shouting another command to his blade.
"Dranzer, don't let up!" As if the bird had decided it before his master had even said a word, the massive creature dove at Driger again, but this time Rei was ready. "Fall back Driger- use your speed to wear him out!"
In the dish Kai's navy blade tore after Reis, lunging at him again and again, each time missing by a fraction of a second, but in the sky was where the real show was going on. Above them, in complete realness, Dranzer circled tightly around Driger, diving and clawing at him, and each time missing by a hairs width. Despite the tigers injury, he was still faster than the bird by just a bit, managing to keep himself out of harms way.
Kai, by this time, had risen to his feet, and though his pantleg was shredded and blood ran down his leg from a series of gashes on his thigh, he seamed unpleased save for a drop of sweat on his brow.
"How do I beat something that can kill me?" asked Rei, panic laced with determination befalling his features.
"Strategy and strength. When fighting in the Finals you'll have to use your opponents weaknesses against them, otherwise you'll lose- not just the match, but Driger to.
The words seamed to spark something in Rei, whose eyes narrowed to slit." No way will I let that happen again! Driger, tear em apart!"
With a snarl the cat dodged to the left just as the Phoenix's head rushed by him, and with a powerful jump landed on the fiery birds back. Immediately Rei felt the tempreture rise around him, as if he'd just stepped into a sauna. His senses were overwhelmed with humidity and he became light headed, but a second later he was brought back to reality by another snarl of pain from Kai, who had doubled over as the back of his shirt was torn open and blood splattered to the ground at the boys feet.
Before Rei could call it off, Kai ordered his blade to finish it.
With Driger still on his back the flaming bird soared up into the sky, wings spreading wide before he began to plummet toward the ground in a vicious spiral. Rei's eyes widened- what could he do?
Driger, whose fangs were still buried into the back of the bird, reached out with a massive paw to to swipe the side of his opponent, and both Dranzer and Kai winced as the side of Kais shirt was shredded and Dranzers side recieved another slash simultaneously.
Still free falling, a moment before the ground met them, Dranzer flipped, using the force of the fall to smash the Tiger into the dirt. Rei's body exploded in pain and he was thrown backwards into the dirt, as if it had been him run into the ground. The boy collapsed as a wall of dust enveloped everything. When everything settled, Rei was exhausted on the ground, Driger motionless meters away with a massive bird perched atop it, as if it were about to dig into a kill. In the dish Kais blade spun beside a motionless one.
"Dranzer- take Driger away." The words sent a wave of panic through Rei, who, despite feeling like he'd just fallen off a building, felt like he'd just got a shot of adrenaline to the heart. He was stumbling to his feet, blood dripping from various cuts and scrapes along his body, which ached painfully. "No!" he begged, as he stumbled toward the body of his injured tiger, who was beginning to glow along with Dranzer. Slowly their bodies began to fade, and after a second, were but green and red smoke floating toward Kais blade, that was still spinning inches away from Reis motionless one.
"Stop!"
/ "Stop!" \\ the memory of Rei's command in the Gardens shook him, and in his surprise his focus faltered. The red glow of Dranzers mist released Driger, and the Green mist entered it's own Blade instead. Rei dove for the top, snatching it from the dome in a panic before picking up Kai's blade which had slowed to a stop after it's Beast returned.
Kai helped him out of the dish before he was handed his top. "This is what you can expect from Tala, Brian, Ian, and Spencer- but they wont give your Beast back if you lose."
"How can this be?" whispered Rei as he sunk to the ground on his knees- he needed a rest. Kai, seeing that the younger teen wasn't ready to move quite yet, sunk down in the grass in front of him.
"Boris found a way to better fuse our DNA to our Bit-Beasts. The piece of them that is in us makes us stronger than most, and we can endure more. Because the part of the Beast that is in us is a copy, like a clone, we can transfer it's power into the Bit in our Blade by opening up a 'Link'. Though our Bit-Beast will get stronger, we'll get weaker from them drawing their power from us, and we also risk suffering their injuries with them. Use a little more energy and you can extend that Link to your opponent, meaning they'll connect on a similar level with their blade causing the Beast to take solid form. Once you do this, you are able to drag their Beast into your own Blade once they are weak enough."
Rei couldn't believe what he was hearing, How did one fuse their DNA with a monsters? But more importantly..."Can they use these Bit-Beasts?"
"Yes, and there's no telling how many Beasts a blade might have. That's how Voltaire plans to protect Biovolt- by creating these all powerful blades with multiple Beasts in them. When one goes down there will always be another to take it's place." continued Kai.
"But if they draw power from their bladder, how can they control more than two or three of the Beasts without draining themselves to death?" asked Rei, golden eyes clouded with confusion.
"They can't. Once their energy is totally used they die, and the Blades passed on to the next competent blader. Nobodies' ever been able to control more than three before collapsing and dying- that's why I never tried to use anything other than Black Dranzer." he explained.
After this a long moment of silence passed between them as Rei tried to comprehend just what he'd experienced. "Do the others know?"
Kai shook his head. He'd told them all about how Boris was capturing and cloning the Bit-Beasts into the real thing for Biovolt, but never that he, nor the Demolition Boys, had this kind of power.
"You have to show them this Kai- Tyson and Max deserve to know just what the Demolition Boys are capable of." begged Rei, knowing that the crimson eyed male wouldn't be keen on sharing his secrets with anyone else.
"It's not that easy ." Kai mumbled softly.
"What do you mean 'it's not that easy' ? All we have to do is-"
"Rei!" Growled Kai, cutting off the raven haired teen. "There are...consequences to using this power, and if I do it again so soon..." his words trailed off, not wanting to give to much away. Rei, who was afraid that his friend would suffer a fatality of some sort if he was forced into battling like that so soon, just nodded.
"Can you choose when to 'access' this power, or does it happen on it's own?" asked Rei after another moment of silence.
"I can always feel it there, like a pull, but I can usually control it." 'Usually.' he thought. If he fought again to soon, and Dranzer drew to much energy from him, the beast inside him would start to struggle under the binds Kai had on it, and the dual haired boy couldn't afford the risk that meant taking. Wanting to change the subject from himself his let his gaze fall on Rei.
The shirtless boys had numerous scratched and small cuts on his chest and arms along with a few cuts in his pants. There was a particularly large cut on his cheek, but nothing compared to the nasty gash that had his back covered in blood. His loose hanging hair was getting wet from the red substance, and his pants were beginning to stain. "That's pretty bad- we should go take care of it." mumbled the older boy before slowly getting to his feet
Rei followed suit, chuckling softly before replying with a quick, "You don't look much better yourself."
Kai led the way up the front steps of the porch, trying with success to keep the limp from his leg. Though Driger had gotten his claws into the Phoenix good, Kai found that he had not suffered severe injuries, and the muscle and tendon beneath the torn flesh was left in tact. Rae, too, had not suffered any serious injuries, though he seemed rather week, and so when they stepped through the front door Kai ordered him to go take a shower. There was no point in covering up your wounds just to trap dirt in them.
Slowly and as quietly as possible the pair ascended the stairs and turned into the hallway, heading for their respective rooms. "Your gonna wake Max up."
Rei froze with his hand on the doorknob when he realized Kai was right- turning on the shower would disturb his blond friend, and he silently cursed not having his own room.
"Just grab your clothes- you can use mine." he said nonchalantly before opening the door to his own room and disappearing inside.
Tiptoeing into his own room Rei put Driger down on his dresser, hand lingering on it for just a moment as he realized he had almost lost him again. It had been almost easy for Kai to overpower him, and the younger teen knew that if he were going to have any chance of defeating the Demolition Boys, if any of them were to have a chance, they were going to have to step things up.
Reaching into a drawer he grabbed a shirt, pants, and pair of socks before slipping out without causing Max to stir. Quickly he made his way to the Kai's room, knocking softly before slipping. The older boy was in the middle of taking his shirt of, and Rei found his cheeks flush softly as he found himself staring.
"Bathrooms over there." motioned Kai after tossing his shirt to the ground by his bed, turning to try and see the gash on his back in the dressers mirror. Rei, who hadn't been able to see it before now, winced visibly. 'Driger did that...?' he thought to himself, mentally kicking himself for letting the cat be so rough.
Right between Kais' shoulder blades were two startlingly deep puncture wounds. They bled freely, though it didn't look as if any serious damage had been dealt. There was something about this though that cause Rei to pause- the marks on Kais back looked like a much bigger version of the ones on his neck- minus the bruising.
Noticing the look on the golden eyed boys face Kai turned his back away from him, motioning to the bathroom. "It's fine." he said sharply, "Go take your shower."
For a moment the younger male hesitated, but with a tired nod he passed Kai and entered the bathroom. Once the door was shut, he paused in front of the mirror, gazing at himself. Dirt was strewn all over him, stinging some of the cuts that littered his body. Most were minor scrapes that bled lightly, but there was one on his cheek and another on his ribs that burned a little more than the others. Then his eyes went to the mark on his neck.
There was still a bruise around it, but in just one day it had faded considerably, and the puncture marks were beginning to scab over, indicating they had already begun healing.
It couldn't be possible that teeth had made those marks, could it? Despite the suspicion that rose within him, Rei shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous." he said with a weak laugh, "There's no such thing as bloodsuckers."
With that he turned the water on and stepped inside the shower. Immediately he wanted to shy away from the water, witch assaulted his wounds mercilessly. Biting down he forced himself to remain still, letting the soft thunder of the shower press against him, cleaning his flesh and injuries. It was hard to just stand there. His body was exhausted and the heat from the water was making him light-headed...
The moment the bathroom door shut behind Rei, Kai visibly relaxed. The beast inside him had stirred upon sensing the blood and energy seeping freely from the other boy, and Kai had been plagued with whispers in his mind, the sound of his own distorted voice tempting him. The crimson eyed teen was in control though, and he simply snarled in his head and pushed the thoughts away, arguing that they weren't truly his own.
Stepping over to a small cupboard in the corner of the room he opened it to reveal a medical kit, witch he promptly pulled out. Hearing that the shower had started and that Rei was occupied, Kai quickly changed into a pair of navy shorts, allowing him to get a good look at the damage to his thigh. Four, clean cut slices ran down the outside of his leg. The bleeding had stopped, but there was a persistent throb of pain that wouldn't fade.
Pulling the cap off of the alcohol he bit down on the shirt he'd removed only a few moments ago before pouring the fluid right on the wound. He winced sharply, biting back a groan of discomfort as the open gashes were assailed by the infection eating liquid. Putting the bottle aside he let it sit a few moment before covering it with an antibacterial strip and wrapping it tightly. By the time he'd finished bandaging the one on his ribs the water in the bathroom had turned off, and Rei was stepping out, a pair of loose fitting shorts clinging to his slim waist..
"Aren't you gonna shower too?" he asked in confusion, noting that Kai had already begun to bandage himself.
"Tomorrow. Your cuts had dirt in them, mine don't." he replied casually. Rei wasn't exactly sure this was the case, but he wasn't in the mood to argue tonight.
"Here." Kai handed him the bottle of alcohol and a few smaller bandages so that Rei could cover the slice on his cheek and the one on his ribs. Standing in front of the mirror so he could see what he was doing, the raven haired boy went to work. He wasn't fond of the sharp shooting pain that came from pressing the cool fluid against his cuts, especially since he felt like he'd just tenderized them by showering. In a few minutes however, he had the worst of the smaller cuts done. 'What about my back...?'
"Kai, do you think you could...?" asked Rei with an apologetic grin, motioning to his back.
With a soft sight of irritance the other male rose and made his way to the dresser- at least this way he could get Rei to cover his as well."Turn around." he said gruffly before reaching for the alcohol.
The boy obliged and, facing the mirror so he could partially see Kai in the reflection, exposed his back to the boy. Kai noticed immediately that the wound, though free of dirt, was red and puffy from being irritated by the water. On top of that, Rei seemed to be unknowingly shaking. It was subtle, and at first the older teen didn't even notice, but after a moment he was positive. Maybe that battle hadn't been the best idea after all. Rei was still getting his strength back from their encounter in the Garden, and Kai couldn't help but feel like an idiot- he'd just taken more blood from the Tiger! No wonder he could see the exhaustion in the boys form.
As Kai twisted the cap off the disinfectant, Rei suddenly lost his nerve.
"Do we really have to use that stuff? I mean I just cleaned it in the shower..." In the mirrors reflection he could see Kai smirk at his uncertainty, and putting on his 'brave face', the neko 'hmph'ed' defiantly before adding, "Nevermind- just do it."
Placing a hand on Rei's uninjured to keep him still, he then poured a good bit right on to the clawed shoulder. Rei hissed loudly while trying to hide his disdain, the muscles in his back tensing as it arched away from the bottle. "Stand still." growled Kai, as he pulled the boy back toward him. With the worst of it over he placed a sterilized strip over the raw gashes before grabbing the bandage and dressing the wound.
"Thanks." muttered Rei as his eyes drooped. Everything was starting to catch up with him, but he couldn't go to bed yet. Grabbing the alcohol of the dresser he turned around to grin wickedly at Kai. "Your turn."
Kai should have known that the neko would have offered to do his anyway even if it was only to get back at him. With a challenging rise of his brow he switched spots with the boy, now the one to stand in front of the mirror. He watched Rei in the reflection, studying his laceration. The boy, who had been smug only a moment ago, now had his face twisted into a look of determined sympathy. Kai could tell he wasn't keen on inflicting anymore pain than the cut itself was doing, but Rei knew it had to be done.
Slowly, almost dreading it, Rei tipped the bottle and let the components run down Kais back. The older boy bit back his pain much better than Rei had, though it was still clear that it hurt. Reaching for the sterilized pad and bandage, Rei went to work with shaking hands. He found that Kai had much more tolerance than he, for the older boy didn't wince once during the process, and to his dismay Rei found himself wondering if Kai had done this often in his past. From what he'd told the team of the Abbey, it was all too likely that the boy had found himself in this situation before.
After a minute or two of fussing with the bandage, Rei found himself satisfied and finished up, eyes drooping heavily. Kai, noticing the boys sway in the mirror, narrowed his carmine eyes in confusion before he understood. A moment later, Rei collapsed, and Kai spun around just in time to catch the boy in his arms.
"Rei!" called the older teen, worry in his voice. Though the raven haired boy was still conscious, he couldn't seam to gather his legs beneath him, and with lids half closed, he found himself utterly limp in Kais arms. 'He's so warm...' it was an odd thought for the situation, but the Tiger just hadn't been expecting it- Kai was such a cold person Rei just hadn't expected such warmth.
With a frown the Russian gathered the younger boy in his arms, walking over to his bed and carefully placing him on the sheets. The navy comforter, which was pulled down by Reis feet was hastily grabbed and draped over the boy in a single, effortless movement. "Kai...it's really not necessary-"
"Shut it Kon." interupted the elder with a soft laugh before reaching over to turn off the light. He, once again, would stop by the hallways closet and grab an extra blanket before heading downstairs to the couch.
Authors Note;; Read and Review! Also, I have a new story coming out soon, it too is a Rei X Kai fic, so keep an eye out for that. I am going to try and have the fourth chapter up by tonight as I was a little longer delivering the third than I planned ^^