Hey everybody! How goes it? I am having such a HUGE writing craving right now. I just can't seem to stop coming up with ideas! It's like a never ending string of words is running through my head!
I know I say this every chapter, but I would like to thank all of my reviewers. Here are your responses.
Shizuka-Yuki: Hmmm…am I going to write you a song. I don't know. I was just kinda being sarcastic. You do love my evilness!
I-Ain't-No-F'in-Angel: Sheesh your name is hard to type out! Anyway, yes, Rei will be in this chapter. And don't break your foot! You'll hurt yourself! That's what my mom always does to me and my sister. Every time one of us says ow, she goes "Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself!" So now I'm telling you, don't do that, you'll hurt yourself! I have some pretty nutso friends myself, so you're not alone. You said that yours pulled all of Mariah's hair out. Hmm…a bald Mariah. Now that's scary.
Glitter-Cat91: I know what you mean. I'll find this really great story, and the author will already be on chapter thirty! I mean, that's a lot of missed chapters!
Phoenix from the Flames-2: I'm glad you love it! And don't worry, I plan to make this a long story.
Rememberx: Suspense is one of my favorite things to read, so I'm glad that I can crate suspense for other people. As for a hint…maybe. Then again, maybe not. I'm glad you like my descriptions! I'll try to keep it as detailed as possible without boring you to death.
Storm-of-Insanity: Everyone seems to like angst here! I know I do! It's fun to write too! I just hope that the reason we like it so much isn't because we're all mental.
BeyMistress05: I don't just live fluffy. I LOVES HIM! He is my favoritist thing in the whole wide world! Plus, he helps me keep Rei in check. I told him that if he doesn't stay in character that I'm going to sick fluffy on him, so right now he's lying on the floor, pretending to be unconscious. (I haven't told him about the 7th chapter yet ; )) I read your profile! Do you really have a brother named Rei? Why is it that all the Reis that I've heard of are guys! I am so not a guy! Anyway, were are you from? I'm Japanese/Chinese, but I live in the U.S.
Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.
Quote of the Update: Rei: I hate Mr. Baker! If he makes us do this marching drill one more time, I will be forced to get homicidal! Holly: Rei, you're scaring me. Rei: I wasn't being serious Holly. Well, maybe a little. But I swear to God that if he doesn't cool it, then for senior prank next year, me and Kylie are going to suspend him from the flag pole! (I said that earlier today when I was pissed off at him. I still am, and I've already got half of the band on my side for that whole flag pole thing!)
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Voltaire Hiwatari was not a patient man. He had no tolerance for insolence or disobedience of any kind. So when he received some shocking news from one of his spies in Japan, you can imagine how impatient he was to find out how he could have been so easily deceived.
It seemed as though the only person he could get information out of was Kai. The boy was still very weak and exhausted from his punishment when he had dragged his limp body out of his cell, but as I said before, Voltaire Hiwatari was not a patient man, and therefore wasted no time in taking Kai to his office to interrogate him. Time was slipping away from him like sand through an hour glass. He didn't have enough time to wait for Kai to heal.
Once Voltaire had made it into his office, he snapped his fingers and the man holding Kai threw him to the ground. Kai landed roughly on his stomach, wincing in pain from his wounds. Voltaire could hear his short, gasping breaths and see the faint rise and fall of his chest as he struggled to breathe.
"So Kai," Voltaire began as he watched Kai weakly push himself up on his hands and knees, "I have just received some rather shocking news from my spy unit stationed in Japan. News about a certain someone that you happen to know quite well. Do you know who that someone is?"
Kai weakly raised his head so that he made eye contact with Voltaire. "How should I, you God damn bastard?" he whispered
Rage swirled around in his grandfather's eyes. Kai had barley enough time to bat an eye before he was sprawled on the floor again, his damaged lungs gasping for air. He looked up to see Voltaire standing over him, his hand raised.
"Don't even try to play your little games with me today, boy! I can see right through them. Now, tell me how you did it!"
Kai struggled to get into a standing position. "How…did I…do…what?" he gasped.
"You know perfectly well what I mean Kai! How did you help her escape!"
"Huh?"
"Stop that right now!" Voltaire gave Kai a swift kick in the ribs, sending him up against the wall of the office. He crumpled onto the plush carpet, taking in short, shaky breaths.
"Don't play stupid with me! How did you help her escape! How did you manage to get her out of the abbey without me knowing? I have eyes everywhere! In this building, in the Abbey, and throughout the entire world! There was no way she could have gotten away by herself! She was far too weak! Now tell me, how did you help her!"
Kai lifted his glazed crimson eyes to stare at Voltaire. He took in a few more rasping breaths before being able to whisper a barely audible work. "Who?"
"Stephania, you fool! Your God damned sister! She's alive! She's in Japan! This information is entirely and utterly impossible! She's supposed to be dead! I did countless tests on her and trained her harder than anyone else, so I know that there's no way she had the brain power to formulate such a brilliant plan of escape without me knowing about it! I know you helped her! So tell me how!"
Even if Kai had the strength to answer his grandfather, he still wouldn't have. He was to deeply submerged in the endless lines of thoughts that were running through his head. Stephania? Alive? It couldn't be. So, all the countless nights he had spent crying himself to sleep, all the thoughts of killing himself, all the pain, was for nothing? Why would she do something like this and not tell him? Why would she run away and not take him too? She knew of all the horrible things that they did to him, of all the experiments and torturous training sessions. So, why did she leave him?
"Answer me when I'm talking to you, Kai!" He picked Kai up by the throat, suspending him in mid air, cutting off his already diminished air supply. Kai could feel the bruises forming on his neck as his grandfather strangled him. He tried to raise his arms so he could pull the evil man's hands off of his neck, but no avail. He couldn't so much as move a finger, let alone raise his whole arm.
"If you won't tell me how you helped her escape from me, Kai, then you shall be punished." He threw Kai roughly to the floor, watching him as he struggled to draw air.
"Take him back to the punishment room. I want him to suffer." The man obliged, lifting Kai off of the ground and carrying him out of the room. Once they were gone, Voltaire let out a fierce howl of rage and punched a hole clear through the wall. He stood there, breathing heavily, his hand still clenched into a tight fist.
"I will find you, Stephania. Mark my words.
Yamahoshi Hospital
Rei could feel the darkness enshrouding him begin to spread. He could feel himself drifting farther and farther away from the world. Even though he was slipping deeper into oblivion, he could still hear muffled shouts around him. He couldn't make out what any of the voices around him, except for one.
'Mariah?'
So, Mariah was here with him? Rei was glad that she was here. All the pain that had been numbed for so long was starting to come back to him and it was good to have her there with him.
He tried to focus on the words that she was saying to him. He could tell right away that they were in Chinese. After all, it was his first language.
"Rei," she said in a pleading voice. "Rei, please come back to me. Don't give up now. I need you, Rei. (Obviously that's a translation) I know you can fight this. Please, just hold on a little longer."
Where was he anyway? And what were all the shouts about? And another thing, what was Mariah talking about? He didn't have time to answer those questions because the heavy darkness that had been seconds before trying to swallow him whole had finally lifted, and he could finally see the light again.
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Mariah was kneeling next to Rei's bed, sobbing and clutching his limp hand in her own. She had awoken to the sound of nearly every machine surrounding Rei going off. Before she knew it, doctors were flooding the room, desperately trying to keep him alive. They had paid no attention to her, being far to concerned with Rei, so she had been aloud to stay with him. She was currently whispering words of encouragement to him in Chinese, hoping that it would help coax him back into consciousness.
Then, the worse thing that could have possibly happened, happened. The heart monitor flat lined. Mariah forced herself to block out the terrible sound, telling herself that Rei could and would pull through this.
"Rei," she pleaded. "Rei, please come back to me. Don't give up now. I need you, Rei. I know you can fight this." Rei's body continued to lay motionless, the doctors continued to run frantically around the room, and the heart monitor continued to flat line.
"No," she breathed. "NO!" She began to shake his thin shoulders, desperate to wake him up. "No Rei! You can't leave! You just can't! Please Rei, don't leave now! I'm not ready to say goodbye! Please!"
She sobbed into his arm, all the hope that she had lost. "Please," she whispered. She began to repeat his name over and over again, her voice muffled by her sobs. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Rei's arm began to twitch from underneath her. She raised her head to look at his face, and was delighted to find that he was breathing again. A large smile spread across her face, a smile no one had seen in days.
His golden eyes slowly opened to stare into her bloodshot ones. Despite the tear stains on her cheeks and the disheveled state of her hair and close, Mariah became the happiest being alive on earth when she saw his eyes open again.
"M-Mariah?" he asked in a soft whisper.
"Rei!" She threw her arms around him and began to cry endless tears of joy. "Oh Rei, I thought you'd left me!"
"Mariah, I'm…happy…to see…y-you to…but, I…can't breath."
Mariah abruptly pulled away from him, her cheeks a deep shade of red. "Sorry."
Rei just smiled, then winced in pain. "Rei, are you ok?" She tried to get to him, but the doctors began to crowd the bed. A nurse took a hold of her and led her out of the room.
"Come on, honey. You need to go now."
"WHAT! I can't go! He's my best friend and he needs me!"
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. Just relax and we'll take care of everything, I promise."
Mariah sniffled. "Really?"
"Really. Now why don't you go back to the waiting room with your other friends and we'll come get you when you can see him again."
Mariah obliged and walked back into the waiting room. But when she got there, she found it strangely empty.
"Wha—where is everyone?"
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"I told you so."
"Don't rub it in."
"But I did, didn't I? You were so sure that I was some kind of stalker or something. And don't try to deny it either, because I saw you watching me the entire time like a hawk. But I told you so!"
"Why can't you be more like your brother and stop talking?"
Stephania just crossed her arms over her chest. She had told him so. When they had tried to call Tala so she could prove her relation to Kai, the only person they were able to contact was Bryan. He said that Tala couldn't talk to them because he was supposedly 'busy'. But Stephania knew better. He couldn't talk because Boris was probably punishing him for something. She hoped that if he was getting punished that it was for something that had hurt that twisted old man. Like, punching him in the nose.
Bryan had been shocked and disbelieving when they had told him about Stephania, but all they had to do was stick her on the phone and he explained everything to them. Now that they knew that she was telling the truth, they were heading back to the waiting room.
When they got there they noticed Mariah sitting in one of the plastic chairs, staring at her hands.
"Well hello there, Sleeping Beauty. What's wrong?" asked Lee once he saw her tear streaked cheeks and bloodshot eyes. As soon as she heard Lee's voice, her head shot up.
"Oh Lee, where were you? And who's she?"
"I'll explain later, just tell me what happened."
"The most wonderful thing has happened, Lee. Rei's awake!" All of them let out gasps and began bombardering her with questions, except Stephania of course, since she didn't even know who Rei was.
"Guys, stop it!" she yelled. The waiting room became silent. Mariah let out a short, agitated sigh. "Thank you. Now, if you want to know about Rei, then you have to tell me about her first." She pointed a finger at Stephania.
Everyone exchanged glances. Should they tell her? Mariah wasn't known for her ability to keep secrets, and if word of Stephania's faked death leaked out, she could be dragged back to the Abbey again. Could they really trust Mariah with that big of a secret?
"Um…well…"
"Yes?" pressed Mariah.
"She's…um…"
"She's a friend of ours!" finished Tyson. All eyes turned to him.
"And what is she doing here? Does she know Rei?"
"Well…no."
"Then why is she here?"
"Because…because…"
"Because she's our new coach." The seven pairs of eyes shifted over to Max.
"You sent out applications for a new coach at a time like this!"
"No, of course not! We sent them out a couple of weeks ago! She's been on the team for a week."
"I see. Now I'll ask you again. What is she doing here?"
"She's here for…um…"
"Emotional support," stated Kenny.
"Yeah, that's it! Emotional support."
Mariah stared at them for a few seconds, then shook her head and looked back at Lee.
"Whatever. It's not important right now. So, you guys want to know about Rei, right?"
They all nodded. "Ok, this is what happened…"
Unknown Location
Kai sat in a slumped position against the cold stone wall, looking over his new cuts and bruises. The punishment this time around wasn't nearly as bad as last time; he didn't even pass out. He wondered why his grandfather didn't just kill him. Did he want him to suffer slowly? And was he really that confident that no one would find him? Maybe, or, as Kai had suspected early, maybe not. Kai wasn't a slow person. In fact, he could pick up things ten times faster than most grown adults. He knew his grandfather well enough to know that there was something else going on. For some reason, Voltaire wanted Kai to think that he wanted to kill him, but he was certain that that was just a cover-up plan.
Voltaire had said that after he killed Kai that he would use Tala to fulfill his plans of world domination. While it was true that Tala was more obedient then he was, it was not true that he was close to Kai's level of physical and mental strength. If Voltaire used Tala to take over the world, it was a given that, once again, he would fail.
Kai was no stranger to his family's reputation about having amazing physical and mental strength. Since Kai was the last in the line of Hiwataris, besides Stephania, who was said to be alive, Voltaire wasn't just going to give up on him without a fight. Kai wasn't sure if he should even believe that Stephania alive. After all, no one could prove that she was still alive. And just seeing someone who looked like her wasn't proof. Then again, if Voltaire believed it, it might just be true. Of course, his grandfather could be a real idiot sometimes, even if he did have an IQ of 174.
Kai would find out sooner or later if Voltaire's real plan was to kill him. He couldn't keep his real plans for Kai hidden forever. And when he did reveal his true motives, Kai would be ready to smash them into pieces.
Balkov Abbey
Tala sat on the edge of the bed in his room at the Abbey. He looked over his arms and chest, bandaging the bleeding cuts he had gotten for his punishment. He didn't really care though. It was worth it to be able to punch that bastard in the nose. If he was lucky, Boris's nose would be broken. He laughed as he remembered the look on his face when he had punched him. Tala had been wanting to do that for a long time.
Bryan suddenly burst into the room, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide. "Tala! You're never going to believe this!"
"What is it Bryan? What's wrong?" he asked, a small hint of worry in his voice.
Bryan shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. It's Stephania. She's alive!"
Tala stopped bandaging in mid air. His mouth fell open and the roll of bandage dropped from his hand. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I just got done talking with her." Tala stood up and began walking out of the room.
"Wait a minute! Where are you going!"
"To Japan."
"Are you out of your mind! That's, like, 5000 miles away!"
"So?"
"Well, how are you going to get there?"
"Don't know."
"Just hold up, Tala." Bryan grabbed his shoulder, only to have Tala shake him off.
"Listen to me, Bryan. Kai's in trouble and Stephania is the only person I know that could help me. I have to go."
Tala and Bryan stared at each other for a moment, then Tala continued to walk out of the room.
"Tala?" Bryan called once he was halfway down the hall. "Tala! Hey, Tala! Wait up! I'm coming too!"
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I know that Rei wasn't in the chapter for very long, but I kept my promise! I said that he'd be in this chapter and he was! I finally brought Tala back into the story. In all honesty, I totally forgot about him! Anyway, Rei should be around more in the next chapter, so don't anybody worry!
