XP: Oops. I thought I uploaded this chapter already... hahaha...

Sorry for being a little late...

I'll probably write about them trying to run first before the darker parts now...

Thanks to FallenHope-Angel, Kiray Himawari and ash1692 for reviewing!

***Past***

Kai had brought Tala out again, this time to eat at a restaurant. They both walked side by side quietly, window shopping. That was, until, Kai said softly, rather apathetically...

"Ah. It's the Bladebreakers."

"Ah, you mean the Bladebrats," Tala corrected in a bored manner.

"Ah, they're gonna see us," Kai replied in a monotone. They were seeing who would panic first. The Bladebreakers were still quite far away, but they were both heading towards each other.

"Heh, what should be do?" The corner of Tala's lips twitched.

"I don't know," Kai shrugged.

"Neither do I..." Tala's eyes started to show a hint of panic. They were getting close...!

"AH HAHAHA!" Kai laughed, causing Tala to be stunned. Kai threw his arm around Tala's shoulders. "DON'T WE TOTALLY LOOK LIKE KAI AND TALA?"

"Oi, psst, what are you doing?" Tala whispered hurriedly. Was Kai admitting who they were? Kai gave him a look and Tala understood immediately.

"I KNOW RIGHT!" Tala played along, nudging Kai. "HAHA! THOSE FANGIRLS THOUGHT WE WERE KAI AND TALA AND GAVE US PRESENTS!" They both held their stomachs and snickered.

They both noticed the Bladebreakers stared at them in disbelief. "They're not like Tala and Kai at all!" Tyson huffed. He was, in fact, jealous of the presents part.

"They do look like them," Ray mused.

"Their behavior is totally different, though," Max chuckled.

"Hmph! Hey, what's the name of you two?" Tyson asked rudely.

"Kai and Tala," They said in unison, grinning at each other.

"Your real names," Ray said patiently.

"Tyson," Tala said coolly.

"Max," Kai giggled.

"Stop playing around! You guys wanna beybattle to settle this or something?" Tyson growled.

"Beybattle?" Kai and Tala looked at each other and laughed again. "Nah, dude, we don't play with plastic tops," Tala sighed, stifling his laugh.

"Not cool, ya know?" Kai looked at Tala. Tala nodded. And they laughed again, leaving, not looking back at the bewildered faces of the Bladebreakers.

"That was close," Tala smirked. "Kai, I never knew you had that actor side in you."

"Felt like it," Kai shrugged. "Ah, the restaurant's over there." Kai pointed out.

They both walked into the fancy restaurant and sat at a reserved table. When the waiter came, Kai's mouth sprouted a lot of complicated sounding foreign dishes in a clear and accurate manner, which made the waiter scribble and gape like mad, before bowing and walking away.

"Hey, Kai! Why did you order so much?" Tala hissed quietly.

"What?" Kai remained looking rather apathetic.

"We couldn't possibly eat that much!" Tala said, horrified.

"Who cares? Just take a bite of everything, Tala," Kai snorted.

"Kai..." Tala said, looking over at the expensive prices.

"Tala, I just want you to have the best of everything and try everything, you've not experienced much because of the abbey," Kai said with a stern look.

"Fine," Tala sighed. "You rich asshole. And a food waster."

At that, Kai smirked.

Tala beamed when he saw the hugeass parfait the waiter brought. The cold dessert made of layers of fruit, syrup, ice cream, and whipped cream looked very delicious. "OH MY GOD, KAI!" Tala squealed, causing many people to look their way. "I LOVE YOU!"

"Oi, be quiet!" Kai whispered urgently, covering Tala's mouth. Kai had a faint blush on his cheeks. "Don't just go shouting out such embarrassing stuff!"

Tala pulled Kai's hand away, pouting. "But it's true~! Is it really alright for me to eat this?" Tala stared down at the mouth-watering dessert, almost drooling.

"Yeah, go ahead," Kai gestured, smirking proudly.

"Alright then, I'm digging in!" Tala cheered, taking a spoonful of ice-cream and putting it in his mouth. He sighed with contentment. "Aah~ It tastes so good... Here, Kai!" Tala took a spoonful and held it to Kai's lips.

Kai raised an eyebrow but ate it anyway. "Mm, yeah, it's good."

"I know right?" Tala said happily, taking the cherry at the side and plopping it into his mouth. The sweet juice covered his tongue and Tala made a blissful sigh again.

"So, still complaining, Tala?" Kai asked playfully, nudging Tala.

"Not at all!" Tala chirped, laughing, nudging Kai back. Kai chuckled and sipped his wine.

They ate the happiest meal of their life together, before going back to their home.

Tala yawned, leaning against the top of the sofa, near Kai's head. "You're so boring, Kai, always watching the news." Tala hugged the fluffy Taka to his chest. Taka mewled softly. Tala looked at the red helium balloon floating in the corer and smiled.

"Yeah? At least it's better than someone watching Barbie, the girly girl who's exploding with pink," Kai snorted.

"Oi," Tala growled, taking offence. "I couldn't help it. It was something... that couldn't possibly exist in the world! I mean, all the pinkness..."

"And Barney. I caught you watching Barney. The gay purple dinosaur singing about love," Kai smirked.

"Thats! Thats... Uh, erm, I was curious about how dinosaurs were still alive. And how it was trapped in a doll..." Tala faltered.

Kai chuckled, and decided not to torture Tala anymore with his cartoon watching. "You know what I'm watching it for," Kai mumbled.

"...You're too paranoid," Tala snorted. "They're both in separate high security prisons, how could they possibly get out?"

"Mm," Kai said against his bite of strawberry cake.

"...You really like cakes, huh, Kai?" Tala smiled, taking the new tub of ice-cream Kai bought. "Ooh, thanks, Kai." Tala eyes glittered as he plopped down beside Kai on the sofa to eat his ice-cream. Taka hopped to the table, where a warm saucer of milk was waiting for him. He lapped at it happily.

Kai shrugged, throwing the blankets he had around him over Tala as well. The night was cold. It was raining heavily outside, and the sounds of rain hitting the pavement and windows could be heard. Suddenly, a very bright light cracked the sky into two, and a loud rumbling sound was heard as the lights above them suddenly blinked and died out. Taka hissed and jumped onto the sofa, clinging onto the blankets for dear life.

"Tala, relax," Kai said soothingly.

Tala blinked, he hadn't realised that he had Kai's arm in a death grip. "Ah, uh, sorry about that." He slowly let go, until a new burst of lightning lighted up the dark apartment and and a loud booming sound made Tala flinch and curl into a ball on the sofa, hugging his knees.

Kai moved his arm around Tala's shoulders, holding Tala close, a rare act of closeness. Tala hadn't even realised he was trembling.

Flash

A bright light suddenly appeared throughout the dark room, blinding his eyes. He didn't expect what happened next and he cried out in pain.

Thousands of voltages ran through his body, making his body convulse, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

The pain continued, and he let rip a bloodcurdling scream, he wanted the pain to stop, it hurt so much more than anything he ever experienced, he felt like his whole body was burning, his whole body was stabbed with knifes...

He wanted to die. He'd rather die than suffer this pain...

End Flash

Tala pressed into Kai, still trembling, trying to calm himself down. Kai was mummuring comforting Russian words into his ear, and Tala calmed down even though he couldn't really tell what the words meant at the moment.

"I'll go fix the lights," Kai said softly. When he got up, Tala grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

The thunder struck again, and Kai saw the fear, panic and plea in Tala's blue eyes as the hand that gripped his wrist trembled and held on even tighter.

"No, d-don't go," Tala stuttered.

"Okay, I'll stay here. I'm here, Tala," Kai whispered, holding Tala close once more.

"I hate lightning," Tala spat hatefully.

Kai chuckled, "You sound like a kid."

"I do not!" Tala huffed. What he didn't know was that Kai was trying to take his mind off the thunder.

Thunder struck again, and Tala winced, burying his head into Kai's shoulder, whimpering. Kai shushed him, speaking in low, soothing Russian again, and Tala took deep breaths.

Flash

The bright light flashed in front of his eyes.

"No... I-I'm sorry, please, no, anything but that!" Tala begged.

"Hmm," His torturer pretended to consider, and Tala felt hope rise in his heart.

"Well..." His torturer began, before his mouth twisted into a wicked, cruel smile, causing Tala's hopes to be completely shattered. "Orders are orders, and I like to hear you scream."

The pain crashed down onto him at once with the harsh light. Setting his whole body in pain instantly. Tala screamed until his throat was sore, and even then, he couldn't, didn't stop.


End flash

Tala squeezed his eyes shut, grabbbing onto Kai's shirt. Kai covered Tala's ears when another loud sound ripped from the sky. Kai sighed, rubbing soothing circles on Tala's back. "You'll be fine, Tala, the lightning's not going to hurt you. It's not going to hurt you while I'm here. I'll protect you."

Tala looked up at Kai with vulnerable and hurt eyes, asking shakily, "Kai, you won't leave me, right?"

"No, I won't. I won't ever leave you again," Kai said in a determined voice.

"Thank you..." Tala smiled, relief filling his whole body. The next sound of thunder didn't scare him anymore.

"Come on, let's go fix the lights," Kai smirked, holding out his arm. Tala chuckled, hooking his arm around Kai's their bracelets touching with a pleasant sound that made both of them smile. Tala hugged Taka to his chest with the other arm, and together they ventured in the dark to the main circuit box.

Tala looked up at Kai's strong back and smiled brightly when Kai looked back at him questioningly, feeling Tala's gaze on him.

"I'm glad to have you," Tala's eyes shone with gratitude, and he spoke very seriously. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Kai blinked, and his cheeks flushed pink. He was glad it was dark. He turned away, rather embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah, you're getting all sappy on me."

Tala merely smiled, he knew Kai understood his feelings and didn't know how to respond as he was not used to people showing affection towards him like this.

Kai used his free hand to fiddle around with the circuits, and sudenly, the light flickered on again.

"Yay!" Tala cheered childishly, laughing. "This calls for a celebration! To our ice-creams and strawberry cakes!"

"We were eating them before we accoplished anything, Tala," Kai pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Ay, shush, Kai, it doesn't matter. Right, Taka?" Tala laughed lightly.

"Meow!" Taka agreed.

"Alright, alright, fine," Kai rolled his eyes, smiling.

They went back to the comfort of the sofa and the many layers of warm blankets, and the TV flickered on again.

"Boris Balkov has just escaped from the prison. His whereabouts are currently unknown, and the police and trying as hard as they can to find out what happened," The news reporter said calmly. "Left on the wall of his cell, was these ominous words carved on the brick wall, 'I'm coming'."

Kai and Tala looked at each other. Kai had a look of dread, like he knew it was coming but didn't know it would come so soon. Tala had a look of panic, not knowing what to do.

"Tala, we... we need to run," Kai whispered, getting up.

"Run where? Kai, he'll catch us no matter where we run!" Tala said fearfully.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Kai said darkly, looking around the apartment, sorting out what to bring in his head.

"Kai, no, leave me behind," Tala said quietly, looking at his hands.

"Why?" Kai froze.

"I have the metal chip in my head, if he gathers the stuff he has and activates the tracking program, they'll find us... I'd rather one of us survive," Tala pleaded softly. "Run, Kai."

"I'm not going without you!" Kai snarled.

"Kai... The last few days we had... I really enjoyed it, thank you," Tala smiled, before his eyes darkened. "Leave, Kai."

"No!" Kai said stubbornly, grabbing Tala's hand. "You told me not to leave you just minutes ago. Don't be so indecisive! I've already made up my mind, if we have to die, we die together!"

Tala looked up into Kai's eyes, searching for something. They were both silent for a moment, until Tala found what he was looking for. In the midst of desperation, stubbornness, anger, there was care and determination. "What about Taka?" Tala found himself standing up, believing in Kai.

"Mr Dickenson," Kai said simply. "Go put on some more layers of clothing, we're running."

"Okay," Tala agreed, looking deep into Kai's eyes again before he turned to pack up, wearing his coat, scarf, and gloves.

Kai grabbed the keys, his wallet and other important stuff they needed. They both looked back at their apartment.

Before, it had been empty when they first came. Now, it was full of memories. The cute mugs they bought, their obsession with sweets, the half eaten cake and ice-cream, the cacti at the windowsill, the helium balloon hovering in the corner, the clock on their wall, their xbox game console, the different furniture they had ordered together, the kitty bed they had for Taka...

They didn't bear to leave. But they had to.

Tala scooped Taka up into his arms. He looked at Kai with watery eyes. He didn't want to go. This placed was his heaven. "Kai..." Tala said shakily.

"I know, Tala," Kai's eyes were hard-set. He wore his coat and gloves. "Come on, let's go now, hurry."

"Mm," Tala agreed painfully, tearing his eyes away from his home.

His home. Their home.

"Come on, we'll come back, right? We'll be back next time," Kai said soothingly, coaxing Tala to step out of the house.

"Yeah," Tala said hoarsely.

They both knew the chances of that happening. It was almost impossible.

Kai locked the house door with the keys. Tala's heart fell. "Tala," Kai said in concern.

"It's hard to leave everything behind," Tala admitted. "All the good things..."

"So don't. Think of the good things during bad times, to have something to fight for," Kai said coldly, already setting his emotionless mask in place in preparation of what was to come.

"Where do we run to?" Tala asked, his breath coming out as a white cloud. The sky was very dark and misty, and the rain continued on. There were no stars nor moon in sight. A dark, cold night.

"No idea," Kai shrugged. "But every second in freedom means something, Tala."

"Even running away like cowards?" Tala snapped harshly, before lowering his eyes. "Sorry. I'm just so..." Tala took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, before looking up at the sky. "Bitter. Why us?"

"It's us or them, we're sacrificing for others," Kai smirked sadly.

Suddenly, everything they were fighting for, no longer seemed important. They felt selfish but they felt that it was unfair, that they both had to carry this burden instead of anyone else. The thoughts of giving up themselves to help others now seemed stupid and useless. They wanted to be free. They wanted to continue their days of happiness that seemed so impossible in the past, and was about to be stripped from them now.

"Kai..." Tala looked up, hesitant.

"Run," Kai insisted, shaking his head. Tala nodded reluctantly. They had no other choice now.

They first ran to the BBA office. They knew that Mr Dickenson often worked into the late hours of the night. Kai climbed up the water pipe at the side, climbing from window to window until he reached bright window into the lounge outside Mr Dickenson's office. Tala looked up worriedly and bit his lip as Kai first gently put down Taka in the room before climbing in. Taka whined pitifully, and Kai's eyes softened. He patted its head and murmured soothingly to it. After awhile, Kai climbed up and stealthily made his way down.

"Drink this," Kai ordered softly, tossing a bottle of orange juice at Tala. Tala nodded and opened the bottle as Kai took out his phone to call Mr Dickenson.

"Hello? Mr Dickenson... this is Kai," Kai said hurriedly. "I want you to do something for us. First, please open your office door. ...Yes, it's something in the lounge... Do you see the little kitten? Please take care of it for us... Sorry, we're busy at the moment, thank you and goodbye."

"Taka should be fine now, Mr Dickenson is a pretty nice guy," Kai shrugged. He caught the bottle Tala threw to him and drank from it. Tala noticed the bag Kai carried.

"What's inside?" Tala asked curiously, as they began to run as far as they could away from the prison Boris escaped from.

"You'll see later," Kai shrugged, jumping over a railing, Tala following close behind.

They ran together into the dark night.

XP: Hope you liked it!