Chapter 6
Tyson sat at the table beside Daichi, wolfing his breakfast down as fast as he could. Kai had, unwillingly, given the team 10 more minutes for breakfast, courtesy of Ray's persistent begging and pleading. Kai, who was waiting beside the kitchen door, surveyed the room. He studied his teammates intently, noting all of their movements form the slight tiredness of Tyson to the hyperactivity of Daichi and Max. He looked over at Hillary, who was at that very moment lecturing both Daichi and Tyson for 'eating like pigs at the table'. Kai had just finished his assessment, when an overexcited Kenny rushed into the kitchen towards him.
"So, when will you be leaving Kai?"
"Leaving?" he asked with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.
"You know to go and find out that information we needed"
"What information?" Tyson asked, spraying Ray and Max with bits of pancakes in the process.
"Don't talk with your mouth full Tyson!" scolded Hilary.
"The one for my database"
"What database?"
"Tyson," sighed an exasperated Kenny, "my beybladers database. I thought Kai was going to go and find out some information about that Alexis guy. From what I found out, mind you its not much, is that that beyblader can seriously blade. And I need some information now. So Kai, have you decided when your going?" he turned back to his captain.
Kai stood in silence looking down at the smaller boy.
"Kai…"
"It's Tuesday…so I'll go next Thursday." With that, he turned and left the kitchen.
"Oh great Kenny…you pissed him off…now he's probably going to make us train twice as hard," groaned Daichi.
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"Tai…?" Alexis squeaked. She shot straight up. She breathed in deeply, swinging her legs nimbly over to the left hand side of the bed, "OW!" She gasped as her ankles and heels collided with a cold wall. She looked to her left confused, where was she? Then slowly recognition of her dark surroundings dawned on her. She was at Skreknell. So what was it that had awoken her? What had made her remember Tai? Then she heard it, a low sobbing sound coming from somewhere to her right. She frowned, 'Tala? He's crying?' She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, this time on the right, and settled them onto the pile of clothes beneath her feet. Getting up, she walked over to the other bed occupying the room. She stood over the bed and watched as Tala sobbed in his sleep, 'I wonder what he's dreaming of' she sunk onto the bed and wrapped her arm around the older boy's shoulders. Lifting him ever so slightly, she shifted her position till his head rested on her chest and she was able to cuddle him to her chest. Still sobs seemed to rip through her captain's body as he shuddered at whatever was in his dream. She began to rock him slightly, singing a small song that she had invented for such an occasion. She smiled as she sang, her mind roaming back in time to the first time she had ever used it.
Flashback
Alexis's eyes opened, she had awoken to the sound of low sobbing. Swinging her legs over the left hand side of the bed, she then made her way to the small bed at the other end of the cramped room. Pulling the covers off of the small girl occupying the bed, Alexis muttered some unintelligible words in Russian. She lifted the younger girl in her arms and settled down onto the bed with the small youngster in her arms. Rocking backwards and forwards, Alexis began to hum a tune trying to sooth the girl in her arms. Then without realizing she began to sing a rhyme, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tai oh Tai
You don't need to cry,
'Coz I'm right here by your side.
I will cry if you cry
So my little Tai
Please understand
That I hate it when you cry,
Every time I hear you cry
I let out a little sigh.
Do you know that when you cry a little piece of my heart will die?
By the end of the little rhyme Alexis realized that the little girl had stopped crying and was now sleeping peacefully. Her left arm wrapped around Alexis's waist, while her right clung onto a thick strand of Alexis's hair. Alexis smiled at their contrast. Where Alexis's hair was black and red, Tai's hair was like a river of platinum. Alexis was tall for her age, her bone structure more defined than the average female neko-jin, yet Tai was so delicate people were afraid of breaking her when they hugged her. Where Alexis sat in silence, loving the peace and quite, Tai was bubbly and loved singing and dancing. Alexis allowed a grin to spread as she looked down at the little girl's face, 'she looks like an angel…my little angel,' she thought. She pushed back the platinum locks on Tai's forehead. The large crystal orbs flickered open for a moment, but shut again as she nestled into Alexis's front.
End Flashback
Alexis looked down at Tala's sleeping form; something was different. Then she realized that the sleeping teen had stopped crying, 'He must have stopped while I was remembering the old times. I guess I zoned out for a while.' Lifting Tala off of her, she got off of the bed and put him back onto the mattress. She looked at him properly for the first time; he was wearing nothing except for a pair of boxers. Alexis felt a blush rise on her cheeks, so she hastily covered the boy up and tucked the sheets around him.
Sighing, she turned her head over to where she remembered the clock would be. She did a double take. The hands on the clock's face were glowing in the dark. She smiled, and then stiffened. She had just heard something and she knew what it was. Someone had unlocked the front door. Although it was downstairs, her sensitive neko-jin hearing picked up the sound quickly. Spinning on her heel, she moved to the door unlocking it and opening it as quietly as possible. Edging out to the landing and then to the top of the stairs, she listened to any telltale sounds that would give away the intruders whereabouts. He was downstairs, and if she wasn't mistaken, in the living room. Creeping ever so quietly down the stairs, she listened harder and looked around her eyes seeing the outlines of objects clearer than the normal person would. 'Whoever is downstairs is going to get a surprise when they meet me'. She was now crouched in the shadows to the side of the living room door. Peeking around the doorframe, she could see the entire room and there in the end of the room, with his back to her; the intruder stood and was fiddling with some tools and the grandfather clock on the mantelpiece. She scowled. Slinking into the room, she made her way all the way up to the intruder and readied herself. She brought her hand down hardly onto the intruder's shoulder, shocking the living daylights out of him.
"FUCK!"
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a low voice, which was muffled courtesy of the bandana. The intruder didn't even reply, quickly jumping into an attack. He brought his foot round, trying to kick her in the head. Alexis caught his foot when it was millimetres away. She pushed him with all her might, making him collapse into the fireplace. He jumped up and aimed a heavy tool at her. She ducked, but that gave him the opportunity to get up and lunge at her. Spinning around, she rammed her fist into his gut, but instead of hearing the usual 'Oof', she heard a chuckle as her forearm was grabbed and twisted behind her back. Quickly she kicked the intruder in the shin, knocked the back of her head into his nose, elbowed him in the stomach and pulled her arm out of his grasp. The man was now cursing fluently in Russian under his breath. He lunged at her again, but she jumped nimbly up onto the back of the couch. The intruder continued to try and catch her, but she jumped off of the back and landed on all fours. Looking up at him, she quickly analysed the situation. She pounced, like a tiger up onto the back of the couch and onto the intruder. He now was on his back with his arms pinned above his head and Alexis straddling his chest. Quickly, she pulled the wrap that Tala used to tie her hair up out of her pyjama pocket. The man seemed to be out of his daze and began to struggle. She head butted him in the nose, again and then sunk her fist into his gut. The man was winded and now Alexis was able to turn him over onto his front without him protesting. Tying the man's arms behind his back with the wrap, she slowly moved to his feet where she took out the shoelaces from both of the boots, tying them around his ankles.
"Make one move and I'll knock you out with your own tool box."
She quickly bound out of the room and up the stairs. Rushing into her and Tala's room, she shook her captain awake and dragged him out of the bed, ignoring his protests. She pulled him behind her into Ivan and the others' room and yelled, "WE HAVE A BURGLAR IN THE HOUSE!"
Bryan, Ivan and Spencer all shot out of the bed and towards the door, and then stopped. As one, they turned around and Ivan said, "If there's a burglar, why did you shout? He could have gotten away, you fool." Alexis didn't even bother answering his question. Dragging Tala by one hand and Ivan by the other, she led the team downstairs and into the living room. The boys all sucked in huge breaths once they saw the intruder tied up and barely conscious on the ground. Tala crouched by the man and asked, "Why are you here?"
"Shut the fuck up and UNTIE MEEE!"
Bryan pounced onto the man's back and pulled him by his hair, "That's my captain you're talking to like that. Now show some respect, or…" he looked around the room, "I'll shove that spanner up your arse. So now answer us nicely, why are you here?"
"I'm not telling you."
"Well that's too bad," hissed Bryan.
"'Coz if we don't get a good answer, we'll still shove that spanner up your arse," continued Spencer. Ivan lifted afore mentioned spanner off of the ground and wielded it menacingly. Bryan got off of the man's back and Spencer lifted him up and dumped him onto a chair, tying him up with the wrap that Alexis had used. Noticing the wrap, Tala turned around and grinned at Alexis. Alexis smirked at him from behind her bandana, but although her mouth was hidden, Tala had gotten to know her so well that he knew she was smirking.
"Well done Alexis," he praised, "that was one hell of a job."
Alexis purred involuntarily, Tala's grin widened. Turning back to the man on the chair, he studied him quietly as Spencer, Bryan and Ivan took it in turns to try and interrogate the man using very graphic threats. "Turn on the light Ivan," ordered Tala. As soon as the light was on, Tala's eyes were narrowed. "I know who he is, and who he works for."
The team fell silent. At this Alexis studied the man closer, "Isn't that…Mr. Grey face?"
"Yes," said Bryan smirking at Alexis's nickname for the man before them.
Tala looked the man up and down, from his battered face to his tattered trousers, "It's Stanislov, Balkov's manservant and right hand man." (You know the guy who opened the door for Alexis in the prologue)
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