Hey to all happy reviewers! Thanks for all the glorious feedback I was so surprised! Still, I was glad despite digging through at of them in my in-box in my email. Much love to you all, you are so great! Also, I'm now on holiday for the week, meaning more updates! Hope you like that! Hope you enjoy this chapter, as I felt it was somewhat challenging to get down in words, but I did my best. Hope you all like it, though I will understand if some of you criticise, It may have been rushed and completely out of place! Let me know if you spot OOCness, I hate that happening in my work!
Special compliments to Dark White Wolf again, she does marvellous things for me, I owe her a lot! Check out her many stories, as well as the ones in her other name Maresia Eterna. They can be found on my favourite's list, so look them up, they are fabulous! Now for the reviews!
Dark White Wolf: Thanks for saying that, I was freaked out a bit in thinking it wasn't any good. I'll always mention your work (the readers need something else after reading this, something that won't put them to sleep) More on the new girl and Kai and Sky talking this chapter, glad you liked it. Yes, Tala jokes sometimes, just to show he's not completely controlled, there's hope for him as a good guy! I know I can count on you, and more updates now I'm on a break!
Paris Super Girls: I read some of your stuff, which I loved! Please continue and I'll always say my opinions here cause my review button won't work. Anyway, your images and description as well as character building is wonderful, keep it up and I'll read more. Give all my hate to Sarah, at least she's the only annoying person around. Too bad, well you can dream of Kai can't you, so it will be nice. Glad you liked the pairing, and happy you liked the present! Ray/Mariah is one of my favourite pairings too! They will feature in my future stories, which I hope you'll like. Thanks a lot for all your support!
Calm Soul: I'm pleased the talk didn't sound lame. The pairing will show more in the chapter, as will more information on Tala's mystery girl (name will come out too!) Thanks for all the great words and hope you update soon too!
grand admiral chelli: I did try to make it individual and I'm happy it intrigues you. As for the girl, considering the circumstances it would make someone seem very messed up, physically and mentally. Thanks a lot and she will show more human signs in the chapter.
Fluffy Kitten and Alley Cat: thanks, I'm pleased you enjoyed and yes, Tala may be changing, but that may also provoke the enemy, and cause a lot of confusion!
DarkZero313: Yes, they are pests, but will be dealt with, I promise. Pleased you liked the interaction, the change in Tala and they mystery girl. More on her this chapter, and keep reading if you wish to find out about their plans, though in a few more chapters there will be signs of revolution. (Hint)
Summary AU: In the war zone in the battle between Bio-volt and BBA revolutionaries, many young bladers are taken captive in prison camps. They are desperate to escape, but can they trust supposed enemies, and let love develop in a place of hatred and deceit? KaixOC and other pairings
Tormented Souls Chapter 6: Closer Contact
"Well, she all yours sir," the man saluted the young officer as he closed the pack of the truck and put the rope in his hands. "She didn't half fuss when we loaded her in, freshly caught too. Found her lying out in the middle of a village the soldiers just took. She was screaming and crying out about something or other, but calmed down after the long trip here. Don't think she'll be too much trouble."
Snapping out of the daze he was in, Tala nodded to the husky brute as he walked around to the front, and drove out of the docking area back to headquarters, no doubt having other duties to tend to. Once the vehicle was gone, he stared absentmindedly at the rope, attached to the pale withering frame of a human being.
Shaking his head to sort his thoughts, he put on a cold expression in hopes of intimidating her. However, all she did was stare right back blankly. Rosy eyes pierced through aqua ones, and the red head had never felt so confused. She was a lowly prisoner, no threat, yet those orbs, lifeless like living dead, were haunting. Trying to appear calm, he yanked hard on the rope.
"Come on," he sneered, tugging for her to follow him. She did but seemed to be struggling, caught off guard by the action, like she had never seen it coming.
They remained silent on the walk over to the enlistment post. She had to be given a serial number, accommodation and proper listing in duties. The corporal registered her as number 9653, putting her in where Emily stayed beforehand with Rioko and Daisy. The man took her through to the female Bio-Volt examiner. True, they never cared for prisoners, but they were checked on first arrival, just to make sure they were fit, good enough to pull their weight in work, no point if they could barely stand. In those cases they were simply disposed of, no question.
Tala could have stalked back inside and rested up inside for the rest of the day easily, instead of freezing himself out the chilly air ventilating into the makeshift cabin for examining and intake. However, he didn't budge at all, merely lean on the doorframe at the front, waiting in some contentment until they brought the new girl out again. He could have got one of the lower ranks to take her to her workstation and make sure one of the other captives showed her the ropes, but he decided not to. He would deal with this personally.
It was really perplexing to him who this new transfer was. Sure, when all of them came in they were rattled, probably lost family and friends, but usually they all had some fight in them, resisting ever so slightly at the best of times. Hell, the bitch had never stopped fighting back since she got here! Still, this one seemed really down all over. They would all shatter sooner or alter, maybe after a month or so, but this girl seemed to have had her spirit broken already, before even starting her work.
He glanced over when she was trooped out of the examining area, the doctor confirming she was well and fit to work no issues with her limbs, pretty strong despite her frailty. Maybe after eating she would build up some stamina. Grabbing the chart to check things over as he escorted her to the confined area, he was too busy leaving with the new girl in tow to hear the important words of the female physician.
The officer didn't really pay attention to the breathing soul he was commanding to follow; though the rope jolted a bit, as she paused at some points, quite confused. This began to irritate him severely, and he grew more and more infuriated with each stop or silent objection. Finally, he tugged her to the corner of the compound, close to the prisoner section so he could drop her off quickly when he had to. Right now he needed to deal with this before she drove him up the wall.
"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but don't think I'm going easy on you because you're new, I never take pity on anyone, especially the enemy! Now, care to explain why you seem to think it's okay to constantly halt a superior just to take in the scenery huh?" he questioned angrily as he faced her, though her head was downcast, gazing at her feet messy straggling green and red hair covering her face.
Now he was really annoyed at her! Not only insolent and a brat, but was now ignoring him all together. He was beginning to regret his choice of the morning; at least the bitch acknowledged him in some crude form. This was just ridiculous, and he refused to take such annoying behaviour! Grabbing her shoulder roughly, he got her up to eye level, head now propped up and surprised by feeling her head almost pulled off her neck. Her budding pink orbs still held no real emotion, just an empty void. No fear or consent, as if she hadn't even realised what was going on around her at all.
"Hey! I'm talking to you, and I expect some response! What's wrong with you?" he spat, and did get a reaction, though not the one he wanted.
Cocking her head to one side curiously, she seemed intrigued at the occurrence going on now. The eyes now held some weird and bizarre twinkle, that of a child who was learning things for the first time though still showing some eerie look within their depths. It appeared that the touch had set her off anew, and was now exploring from that…because she reached up a little, placing a hand on Tala's face!
"What the fuck! Get your grimy hand off me you little whore!" he snapped. He was shocked to say the least as he put his hand over hers to take it away. However she had other plans, taking it and cupping it within her own in a childish manner. Now the youth's anger was being replaced by obscurity, unsure about this weird creature now.
'This is completely insane. This little bitch is absolutely out her tiny mind! I don't know what she's playing at but I don't like it at all! Why does she seem so relaxed with what she's doing? Isn't she scared or angry like all the other filth we keep? Maybe she's just playing mind games in hope of getting away. Right now I couldn't care, as long as she stops touching me, that is just fucking freaky! I don't care…even if her hands are pretty soft…Great! Now she's infecting me with her psycho bitch germs!'
Grunting, Tala tried to free his hand, but despite his mind commanding him, his fingers had gone numb. Maybe from the cold, or the strangeness of her hold, even both, that he couldn't be positive of at all. Still, despite his distaste of this, something was kind in the grip, though unfamiliar, which was putting the Russian on edge. Anything foreign to him he tried his best to avoid, but this time not all of him agreed. He was contradicting his thoughts against his actions, very unusual for the normally straightforward officer.
He suddenly felt a new sensation as the girl readjusted his hand in hers, so his palm now faced upwards. Now she seemed to be scribbling into his skin with her fingers gently, making complex patterns and touches at his fingertips. Now he was really growing nervous at what she was up to.
"Okay, now what are you doing? Can't you even answer me you little cow?" he said though it didn't come out as fiercely as his normal tones. It was softer; more confused than angry now, and even, dare it be said, a somewhat concerned manner. Not that he cared, surely not, but still, he was used to breaking people down, but never seeing it to this extent up close. This time it wasn't even his doing for God's sake! He was trying to pick up on this, before a small eruption interrupted his thoughts, much to his surprise.
"Coral." a small voice blurted out contentiously.
The young man blinked, once again seeing something in those rosebud orbs. She was now clutching hand again desperately, fussing to make him understand. Raising a brow, he kept thinking on what the word meant, until he noticed a worn woven bracelet on her wrist, mad eof coloured thread and beads. The tiny gems must have been letters to say something, though they were all filthy and some were missing. Only one was clear; the biggest emerald bead with a red 'C' carved into it. That was when it clicked.
"You're…Coral?" he questioned, only to see her look more dazed. Words didn't seem to go through her, but then he had a crazy thought. He gently put his finger to her, squeezing her hand a bit to get attention. These new feelings were making him act weird, but his plan worked, as she nodded squeezed back.
"Coral! My name is Coral." she fussed which freaked out the red head more so than before. Just glad that it was settled, he reached down for her chart, which he had dropped in the snow at her reactions. Funnily enough, one sheet was sticking out from the rest by accident. Taking a close look in case he had to sign files he saw it was the medical profile. He was about to put it back when he saw a red lining in her records, showing some fancy definitions, clerical garbage, yet it was clear all over. He turned his head back to the creature, who was waiting expectantly for him to take her hand again. Tala realised she needed it, the help of others to live, oblivious to what was happening around her.
She was blind and deaf.
After a considerably amount of huffing and scrabbling complaints from the girl over his shoulder, Kai managed to get her up the stairs into the main mansion base, on the higher floors of the large estate and into his private room. She certainly had a mouth on her, a lot like Tala, no wonder the contradicted so much! Finally in solitude where he could get some proper answers, he strutted over to the large bed, tossing her unceremoniously onto the mattress with a muffled thump. Scrabbling to sit up, she look considerable irritated.
"Watch it pal! Just because you're not as nasty as some of those other asses you associate with doesn't mean I won't flatten you on the spot if you try anything funny!" she hissed. Like an infant, she hunched up with her knees to her chin, arms around her legs, though still scowling a bit. It didn't cause any great reaction as Kai merely smirked at it, leaving silently.
"Where the fuck are you going now? Hey you…"
"Remember it's Kai okay, and I'm getting a first aid kid in closet to treat you…and possibly a sewing box so I can stitch that mouth of your shut for all the language your spouting…Skyla." he stated quite profoundly.
He moved into the large built in supply cupboard on the other side of the room where all necessities were kept for emergency, such as an air raid when it was too risky to go to the larger storage room downstairs. Unless of course you wanted to have the roof collapse on you, or a shell drop on you head! Still, it only took a short time to find it on one of the shelves, and when he came out again the officer saw her in the exact same position, too stubborn to move. It was obvious she still didn't completely trust him yet.
"Don't look so sour, this isn't going to hurt for God's sake." he exclaimed as she wriggled away as he sat by her on the bed and fumbled with the supplies in the kit, looking for antiseptic.
"Look who's talking! You're the one who doesn't seem to depict any of what you fell on your face." she retorted though Kai still didn't seem fazed.
"I let my actions speak of themselves, just sit still…"
"AH! Fuck that hurts! What is that, bloody acid that's burning my skin!" she screamed struggling as he dabbed the swollen bite mark of the guard dog on her leg.
"Don't move around, you'll only make it worse. It's not that painful, you act as if you never been treated for wounds before."
"That's because I haven't! Unfortunately our posts here don't come with a health plan." she hissed.
"I still say you are exaggerating, now what…"he said, but stopped abruptly.
In treating the inflicted marks, Kai had made sure there wasn't any sign of infection spreading, but as he took a closer look, he saw more than what he hoped. On the other side of her leg, more scars of past punishments were wearing into her skin. The varied in colour and size, no two were exactly the same. Old blood and puss encrusted over the damaged areas, showing they had reopened several times from lashings. He guessed this was what Boris had put that precious whip of his to work on. He could already picture in his mind, poor Skyla chained down in the cells the way he found her, the evil torture master cackling at the pain and suffering he caused her to feel. He wasn't sure why, but it got him extremely angry.
'Why do I even care about her to act this way? I'm not close to her, I only first saw her yesterday for fuck's sake, and yet…why couldn't I get images of our staring out of my mind before? Okay, all of those prisoners seem downtrodden…but she's different. There is a fighting spirit within her that refuses to let it be. She has determination and from what I can tell loyalty to the others in her situation. That's something these bastards never possessed, all too bothered with their own power. What are you keeping a secret? I'll find out, cause if so, I may be able to escape my grandfather, with your help Skyla.'
"What's so shocking? You're friends and allies find my pain funny." she spat, moving away to cover up the shame. Despite this, he moved a bit closer, now even more intrigued.
"Who dealt those blows?"
"It's variety, your commander let's them have turns. I'm always down in that festering pit, so they've all have at least one shot at me. Boris made the biggest ones on my back, and he opens them over and over again, making me come down with viruses and infections. Ian's grimy little hand enjoy slashing my stomach, Spencer prefers to knock it in my shoulders and neck, hoping he'll cut a vein, but he's too fucking stupid to ever hit the right spot. Bryan goes by the book, right on the chest in aiming for my organs in hope I'll just keel over, and the ones on my thighs, which you were inspecting, are courtesy of your pal Tala." she finished, hissing at the thought of each one of them in turn.
The hate swirled in the Russians mind, to think he knew of them for so long and this is what they had been doing in his absence. It was horrific to think about, making him want to throw up. He was beginning to rethink his opinions on Tala, though he couldn't blame him entirely. They had both been brought up the same way, harsh rules inflicted by military background. Unfortunately the red head wasn't as strong as Kai and had submitted to the years of being told emotion was a weakness. No one could blame them though, he had barely hung on himself. It was only when he was sent to missions did he gain some freedom to recover from the brainwashing he had to deal with.
"You still go on, don't you?" he questioned, making her gaze at him, still searching for his motives.
"I was told I should never give in until I fulfilled my wishes. I need to get out of here, but I won't leave them all behind, we've been together too long and seen too much pain to abandon one another. We've all seen our companions either shipped out to the city, or…just disappearing, so we had to stick together, I have to leave with them, I refuse to lose any more friends!" she exasperated, holding back the anguish wanting to burst out of her. She suddenly felt a strong arm around her, ushering her into the warmth of a body.
"I know what it means to feel like that…more than you know. Better let it out, you're sick enough without adding emotional trauma on the list." he soothed, not at all sure of why he was acting this way, she was bringing things out of him he never thought of before, and surprisingly, it felt…nice.
Breathing slightly raspy, Sky closed her sapphire eyes and dared herself to do something she had never done in years. Something she couldn't do for fear of weakening in this awful place. Something she had held back through all the suffering and torment she had endured throughout her lifetime. Something she never thought she could do again, especially in front of anyone, most particularly someone she barely knew and was supposedly an enemy of the highest stature. She broke down and wept silently, letting salty teary drip onto the fine sheets, as she rubbed her limbs in an attempt to warm herself.
This was surprising to Kai, sure he had got her to express the pain, but never thought it would come to such a magnitude. The suffering he had witnessed on arrival of all those people seemed to be nothing compared to the way Sky was releasing the amount of pain held back for so long. Not only did the agony root to this place, but even further back, to her life beforehand, perhaps why she was so desperate to leave, having felt enough life drained out of her.
Still, he didn't realise how close the were getting, as she ended up tilting into his chest to restrain the tears, soaking his short a bit, though he didn't truly care about that. His arms found a way to wrap around her waist so the embrace grew tighter. Trying to calm her a little, Kai rocked her back and forth so she was soothed more so.
Skyla couldn't place what was running through her now, but this endearing person had actually got through her and a Bio-Volt soldier non-the less. Still, she could no longer deny he wasn't like the other officers. This couldn't be false, or an act of fake kindness. If so, then his touch wouldn't be so comforting. She had always been able to read others, you had to find a technique there if you wished to know whom you could trust or not. She could depict who was truly cruel and she would never see as an ally, but he didn't have the same arrogance as the others of his rank. Could she let him know the truth about her plots? Could he be of help in their escape? She couldn't be sure, but right now it didn't seem to matter, too lost in the feeling being shown now.
Once she had ceased her flow of tears, Sky straightened herself out, but it wasn't the end of things yet. As she looked up, eyes still somewhat puffy, she met a pair of crimson orbs. He was holding her still, and right now the captive wasn't sure what was working through his mind. It should have been an awkward moment, from which she tried to move away from him, but he didn't budge with his grip.
Lightly he brought a hand up to touch her face as before. Unaware of it, Skyla leaned into the palm as she felt the fingers brush her cheek. She attempted to avert her eyes, but the hold he had made sure she couldn't turn away. It was still calming, though when she felt the bed under her shift, she knew he was now even closer, and that startled her a bit.
"What are you…"she muttered, but being silenced as the tips of his fingers brushing over her lips, with Kai giving the tiniest grin.
"Just proving to you whose side I'm on." he whispered
With that, he moved in more and more, the contact quite electric. Biting her lip, Sky could have felt more nervous, yet the intensity was addictive at the same time. Without realising what her body was doing, she was tilting up to him as well. In that short time things had changed so drastically for both of them, though they were not thinking of that now, as they continued to move until they were inches apart, ready to experience new emotion flowing through them. Soon they were at the final edge, eyes flickering closed, willing to express and feel the new sensation, lips nearly tingling, caressing, touching…
