Slow Chemical
Chapter 8
Sitting in the locker room that he and his partner shared, Rob continuously glanced at the clock. Soon he and Kane were set to fight Triple H and Ric Flair in a tag team match, and his companion had yet to arrive.
Kane promised that he was going to be there.
He had promised!
Hearing the door open, RVD turned his head in that direction with the hope that it was his partner.
It was Eric Bischoff, "Your match is next. Get ready."
"What if Kane doesn't show up?" Rob asked.
"Then it is a handicap match."
Standing in the ring, facing the two who had jumped his partner just a week before, Rob felt a small twinge of apprehension. He could easily handle Ric Flair, and could even hold his own and perhaps even defeat HHH, but both simultaneously?
If that wasn't enough, neither were known for their honor.
Where could Kane be?!
Was it possible that his partner was so used to solitude that the thought of companionship was too much for him to bear?
Apparently it was.
Backstage, Kane watched the unfolding battle with a mixture of guilt and faked nonchalance. It was better this way. It was for Rob's own good, even.
This would help the martial artist realize that he was better off without the mentally challenged monster.
Yet, as he watched his partner get slammed against the mat by the overpowering Cerebral Assassin, Kane could not repress a stab of guilt.
"Kane!" a voice abruptly cried from behind. Startled, he turned to see Terri. "Where have you been?! You're supposed to be in the ring!"
The big man shook his head. "Rob is better off without me."
"Kane…" the small diva said, her voice softening. He turned to face her. "Rob needs you. He's been looking everywhere for you. Now, he's getting beaten down out in the ring because you're not there to help him! Why…do you always push everyone who cares about you away?"
"Terri…there are… things you don't understand…" the big man's voice was just above a whisper.
"Because you never let me…" Terri gently touched his arm. "I can only imagine how scary this must be for you, but if you keep running you will always be alone. Do you really want that?"
There was a long pause. How could she possibly understand?
How could anyone possibly understand?
This was one of the most difficult things he's ever had to do, and her words made it no easier.
What made things so much worse was that he couldn't determine whether or not this was the best solution. His mind was plagued with doubts that he couldn't dispel, as well as a nauseating pang of remorse.
Finally, the big man opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly a strangled cry emitted from the video. Kane turned to see his partner trapped in a leg lock with Ric Flair. Seeing his companion in pain brought a wave of inexplicable rage through him.
Even if their separation was for the best, he would be damned before he allowed them to hurt Rob any further.
"Go to him, Kane-" Terri began, but before she could finish he was already racing out the door and towards the ring.
The pain was almost too much for the martial artist to bear. He could feel the bones in his legs straining under the pressure, and could feel his resolve beginning to wane.
Many times he had reached for the ropes, and every time they were knocked away by the vicious Cerebral Assassin. There was no way he could defeat both of them. Determination alone prevented him from tapping and taking the easy way out.
Suddenly, a cry escaped Flair and the pain in the young man's legs eased dramatically. Weakly, he looked up at his savior to find Kane! The big man hurled Nature Boy over the ropes. Triple H immediately raced into the ring and charged at the larger man. Kane kicked him in the abdomen and as he doubled over grabbed his head. With a roar the Big Red Machine threw HHH over the ropes.
"K…Kane…" Rob murmured. He was immensely relieved, as well as a bit surprised.
Kane had come to protect him!
Ric Flair had just pushed himself onto his feet, using the ring for support, when Kane leaned over the ropes and grabbed him by his hair. With a vicious yank, he pulled the older man up.
The Nature Boy cried out painfully, grabbing onto the Big Red Machine's arm in order to ease the strain on his hair. "Please, h-have mercy! You don't want to hurt an innocent old man-"
Kane gripped his throat with an ungloved hand. "I'm not hurting an innocent old man!"
With that said, he choke slammed Ric Flair onto the mat. Rob Van Dam then exerted the rest of his strength by pushing himself up and crawling over to pin his adversary.
One. Two. Three.
They had won! Not only that, but Kane had kept his word!
"You came back…" Rob whispered weakly as his partner knelt down by his side.
"Are you alright?" The big man asked, his voice tinged with concern. The martial artist laughed.
"I am, now that you're here," he replied with another laugh. Afterwards RVD slid out of the ring under the ropes and landed lightly on his feet. Kane grabbed hold of the ropes and flipped backwards, landing with surprising grace next to his partner.
Looking up at the long distance between himself and the exit, Rob tested his injured leg by placing more weight on it. A bolt of pain shot through the weakened appendage, and he bit his lip from crying out. This was going to be a long walk.
Suddenly, the martial artist was literally swept off of his feet by his powerful companion. Lifting him up, Kane tilted his head towards the exit. "Your leg doesn't look good, Rob. We should probably try to put as little weight on it as possible."
Immensely surprised by his friend's sudden actions, RVD could only nod in response…
While the paramedics were examining RVD's leg, Kane snuck out of the room. Just outside, he listened to the doctors' diagnosis. Fortunately, although the bone was bruised, it was not broken. They stated that if Rob placed minimal weight on it, his injured leg would be fine in a few days.
That was all Kane needed to know. Before his resolve could waiver, the big man briskly walked out of the arena.
He felt guilty for deserting his partner yet again, but truly felt that it was for the best. At least Rob's injuries were minimal, and he would recover quickly. At least his abandonment would not leave his friend physically ravaged, as it could have if he had not stepped in during the previous match.
Abandonment…
It was for the best. Kane repeated those words like a mantra as his walk picked up into a sprint. He ran as fast as he could, not knowing where he was going at the same time not caring. Each step put him farther away from the arena, and from the person who was dangerously close to breaking the walls Kane had so carefully erected.
It was for the best. He would no longer be vulnerable to betrayal, and Rob would no longer have to put up with the drama. Both would benefit. It was for the best.
No matter how many times he repeated the simple phrase, he could not will himself to believe it…
"You failed me, Kane."
The soft-spoken words frightened him more than if had it been a ear-shattering scream. So calm, so devoid of emotion, a simple statement that signified the horrible punishment that would soon follow.
"S…sor…" the child uttered, trying desperately to speak. In the back of his mind, he could vaguely remember a time when vocal communication was possible for him. Yet now it felt as if it was beyond his reach. His throat was so dry, his mentality so wrecked, he could barely coordinate his thoughts into something coherent, much less verbalize those thoughts.
"Don't bother," the old, heavyset man said. His voice was still painfully soft. "You can't speak. There's nothing you would have to say that's worth hearing, anyway. So stupid, and with such horrific scars, I'm the only one who would ever put up with you! After everything I've done for you, all I need is for you to competently obey orders. And you can't even do that!"
Kane couldn't even remember what exactly he had done to deserve his master's wrath. So careful he had been, so intent on following every command. Even when his psyche shriveled within the confines of his mind at the unspeakable acts he was forced into, he always obeyed his orders completely.
Apparently he had done something wrong, or he wouldn't have been in this predicament. An unidentifiable feeling of nausea weighed at the pit of his stomach. He hated himself for angering his master, even when he didn't know what he had done to provoke it.
"You will have to be punished," the old man hissed, his voice taking a sinister edge. The child cringed in horror as his father grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him towards the basement…
Kane sat up abruptly, covered in a cold sweat. The room was silent except for his own labored breathing. Chills coursed through him, through the hands that clutched the blankets in a white-knuckled grasp.
He was in a small hotel room. The only light source came from the moon shining through a considerably large window. So empty, the interior of the room, as he had not bothered to decorate. So dark, the light barely shining through the grimy window sill. It looked so sickeningly familiar…
Shaking uncontrollably, he reached for a glass of water only to accidentally knock it down with a startling crash. Biting his bottom lip, he suddenly wished feverishly that Rob was there. So tenderhearted and playful, in a strange way the big man always felt safe with him. Nothing bad ever happened when they were together, and despite all difficulties they always persevered…
Kane shook his head to rid himself of the thought. The martial artist made him weak, vulnerable, and would only betray him in the end.
Just like everyone else.
He clenched both hands into fists, annoyed that he couldn't stop them from trembling.
Besides, he didn't even know where Rob was.
But…Rob did have a cell phone. A phone that, except during his matches, he always kept with him…
Glancing at the clock, Kane immediately shook his head.
1:37am…
It's too late to call.
Kane's hand hovered over the small cord phone that laid on the bedside table.
Rob wouldn't want to speak to me anyway.
Hearing a dial tone, Kane stared down at the dimly glowing buttons. Despite his internal dialog, he shakily began to punch in the numbers from memory.
"How pathetic," the big man sighed inwardly. "Calling him because of some stupid nightmare."
Yet, as he heard the phone ring on the other line, he could not will himself to hang up. Suddenly, a tired but characteristically cheerful voice erupted on the other line, "hullo?"
Kane's breath caught in his throat. Internally he berated himself for waking him up, and although he wanted to say something to explain his actions his mouth felt dry and refused to work.
"Hullo?" Despite the conflict Rob's gentle voice evoked, at the same time it brought him immense comfort. It made the nightmare seem so far away, barely at the edges of his awareness. "Hulllloooooo?"
"R-Rob…?" Kane immediately wished he hadn't responded. His voice sounded so weak, pathetic even. Yet he couldn't muster up anything stronger.
"Kane?!" Rob exclaimed. "Hey Champ! What's wrong?"
After abandoning him at the arena, Kane had expected him to be angry, or disappointed at least. Yet within his voice the big man found no traces of either.
"D…Did I wake you?" he asked softly.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Rob replied. "Are you ok? You don't sound good."
"How's your leg…?" Kane inquired, cradling the phone close to his ear.
"Oh, it's fine! Just got to be careful with it for the next few days." Rob answered with a laugh. There was a long pause. "Do you, uh, wanna come over? I got a TV here with cable, and we can make fun of the stupid late-night shows…"
"Sure…um…where are-"
"I'm at Comfort Inn, by Westshore…Room 275." RVD quickly responded.
"I think I know where that is," Kane said after a moment. "…I'll be there shortly."
Kane had kept his word, he had come to the match that they both were supposed to participate in. Rob had been worried that the Big Red Machine was not going to show up at all.
Yet, afterwards RVD wondered if his friend had come just to fulfill his promise, and never intended to return. As if, somehow, saving him had been his way of saying goodbye.
Needless to say, Kane's call had been an enormous relief. However, at the same time, the big man's tone of voice worried him. He sounded so…frightened, like a lost child. Wanting to see him, as well as remove him from whatever environment that was causing his current mental state, Rob invited him over. The martial artist never planned on taking no for an answer but, to his relief, his companion immediately agreed.
Hanging up the phone, Rob slumped back with a sigh.
Maybe, finally, he will be able to show Kane that, unlike everyone else, Rob wasn't going to give up on him…
As the two sat side-by-side on the small, single bed and made comments on the various nighttime programs, Rob watched his partner out of the corner of his eye. Whatever had bothered him earlier was still there. Although Kane tried forcibly to hide it, the martial artist noticed that both of his hands were shaking, as well as the anxious tone of his voice.
When I was a kid, I was kept in the basement…
Although it was dark, the big man still wore his mask.
A mask that covered imaginary scars…
He didn't seem to have a mind of his own…as if everything he thought and believed mirrored the bullshit the fat man fed him…
Rob shifted closer and placed one his hand on top of Kane's, drawing a strange look from the older man. "Hey…if there's anything you want to talk about, you can always talk to me, ok?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
"Yeah, ok…" he answered nervously. RVD decided not to push the matter further. With a sigh, he tried to think of something they could do that would get his friend's mind off whatever was haunting him. Television didn't appear to be too effective.
"AHA!" the martial artist cried, jumping off of the bed and startling the hell out of his partner.
"What?! What is it?!" Kane exclaimed, but Rob didn't answer. Ignoring the painful protests of his injured leg, he raced to his bag and started fishing through it. Occasionally the younger man would throw a piece of clothing behind him in order to lighten his search.
"I'm positive I brought it…c'mon, I know it's there…" RVD muttered to himself. The Big Red Machine only watched him in blank puzzlement. "There it is!"
Whirling around to face his partner, the martial artist held out the object he had been searching for. Upon viewing it, Kane laughed hysterically, at one point even having to hold onto the edge of the bed for support.
They spent the following hours playing "Hungry Hungry Hippos"…
Author's Notes: Why do I bother to fight it? It is like fighting against the forces of nature, against the currents of a river, against the hands of time. In other words, this fic will likely become slash. I hope that it does not deter any of you from reading further (although I highly doubt it - LoL), and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I may not be able to update for a little while, as I am moving out tomorrow and won't have access to this computer for at least a week or so. I'm also going to be starting work, and will not likely have time. However, I will keep up on this story. I never let my stories stay idle for long (it drives me crazy to have an incomplete story).
