Cries of a loner

By 3-Jose-6

Chapter VIII: All for one and one for all

Kai was roughly shoved onto the seat before his grandfather's desk. He was pinned down by two men holding onto his shoulders, even though he had long given up trying to run away.

"Now Kai, it is time to discuss your punishment for deserting me. We are the team that made you, Kai. This is where you belong. And soon, we will rule this planet, TOGETHER!" Voltaire cried, raising his fist to empathise his point.

Kai stayed silent, staring at the man who stood in front of the large arch shaped window. He examined every detail and stared into the twisted mind, wondering how on earth he could be related to this sick man.

'Why is it me? Why is it always me? Why can't I just be normal, like everyone else? Why is it, that whenever I get a little bit of happiness, it gets ripped away? You shouldn't have tried to reach out to me, Ray. I hope seeing a part of my wretched life hasn't scarred you too badly.' Kai thought, tuning his mind out from his grandfather's rant.

Ray skidded into Tyson's yard, white braid flying out behind him as he ran. He threw the wooden door to the side, diving into the Dojo.

"Whoa Ray, what's the hurry dude?!" Tyson said, standing up.

"Hey Ray, what's up, buddy?" Max greeted with a smile.

"…Kai." Ray could only manage to say.

"What about the sourpuss? Has he wandered off again?" Tyson whined, acting dramatic.

That snapped Ray back into action. "No! Will you all just stop acting like Kai's the enemy! Maybe if you just gave him a chance he'd open up more. Kai cares so much, you're just too blind to see it!"

Tyson raised his hands to calm Ray down. "Ray, cool it, pal. What are you talking about?"

Ray stormed over to him. "Kai! He's been taken by his grandfather!"

Tyson, Daichi, Max, Kenny and Hillary gasped.

"You mean he betrayed us AGAIN!" Tyson yelled, stamping his foot angrily.

"No! NO! He didn't want to go, he didn't have to! He went so they wouldn't hurt us!"

"What?"

"I'll explain on the way, just c'mon. We've got to save Kai!" Ray cried, dashing out the door.

The others hurriedly pulled their shoes on and ran after the fast moving Neko-jin.

"Ray! Wait up!" Tyson shouted, trying to keep up with him. "Where are we going?!"

"Voltaire's mansion."

"So Kai's there?" Tyson questioned.

"Yes. And we've got to get him out." Ray spoke with determination.

"And how are we going to do that?" Daichi called from the back.

"I think we need to think of a strategy!" Kenny cried. "And it would help if we knew all the facts!" He added, trying to hold onto his laptop.

"There's no time!" Ray explained. "We just got to get Kai out!"

They narrowly avoided getting hit by a car as they crossed the road. The driver yelled abuse, but none of them looked back, though Hillary called out, "SORRY!"

"There!" Ray shouted, pointing at the large dark house looming on the horizon.

"Whoa, spooky!" Tyson commented, running beside Ray.

"Er guys, I really don't think it's a good idea to go in there." Kenny shrieked, hoping there was some way around it.

"We can't just leave Kai!" Max said, having realised how serious the situation was.

"Ooh." Kenny exclaimed, swallowing hard.

As they reached the tall black gate they looked up, and up, and up.

"Great, how are we supposed to get in?" Tyson said.

"However Ray got in before." Max suggested, turning to face his friend.

"I was kidnapped before, then I got out by being chucked out! They totally locked the place up. I guess I didn't fully think this part through, but we got to get in somehow!" Ray said guiltily, his mind working rapidly to think of an entrance.

The gates were tall and painted dark black with intimidating spikes on the top, and they didn't look blunt. Deep green plants wound around the bottom, giving the dark mansion an eerie effect and making it look almost haunted. There was a twisting path that led up to the large wooden doors, large enough for cars to travel up. There were small lights either side of the path, their glow dim and golden.

"Aw, the gaps too small!" Daichi moaned, trying to squeeze in between the bars of the gate.

"Can't you find a way in, Chief?" Hillary asked, looking hopefully at the bespectacled boy.

"Well, let me do a scan of the premises and see if I can pick anything up." Kenny sat down on the cold pavement, opening up his laptop and tapping away on the keys.

The other stood around him in silence, waiting. They watched as an image of the large house appeared on the screen and little parts flashed, highlighting security cameras and alarms.

"Ooh, it's hopeless." Kenny groaned, clicking to examine the house from every angle.

"No way! I'm not giving up, we got to save Kai and we're not going till we have!" Tyson gave his usual determined speech.

"But how are we supposed to get in! Every inch of the grounds are covered with alarms or heavily guarded by security cameras. Everyone and everything is being watched." The Chief said, checking it again and again.

"They won't be able to watch us if they get blown up." Daichi said, taking out his blade.

"NO! Daichi wait!" Kenny cried.

It was too late, strata dragoon sailed through the bars of the gate and into the trees and over several old statues, taking out every security camera and alarm it came across.

"GO! STRATA DRAGOON!" Daichi commanded, sending his blade crashing back into the lock on the gate, blowing it off.

"Yeah! Alright, go Daichi!" Tyson cheered, punching the air enthusiastically. "Of course I could have done better, but not bad. Not bad at all, partner!"

"C'mon let's go!" Ray said, shoving the heavy gate open with the help of Max.

Daichi caught his blade as it flew back and they ran up the path, unknowingly being watched by several hidden cameras.

"So grandson." Voltaire drawled, sitting superiorly at his desk. "I see your little team has grown much stronger in the past two years. No doubt a result of a Hiwatari's influence."

Kai's slate coloured bangs hung over his eyes, shadowing them. He sat still, as unmoving as a stone figure, he seemed momentarily dead. But he was still listening to every word that passed his grandfather's lips, he sensed every movement the elder Hiwatari made.

And every second longer he sat, his anger grew.

"Well Kai. I do believe their power may come in useful to us. Perhaps my men should pay your friends a little visit." Voltaire suggested, leaning forward with that sadistic smirk ever present.

Kai's head snapped up at that. "Don't you hurt them! Leave them alone, you promised! You have me, isn't that enough?!" He stood up in fury before the men either side of him forced him to sit down again.

Voltaire laughed mockingly. Grey eyes glinting with an eerie dark light. "But Kai, you can never have too much power. And I do believe your little friends are the key to creating an unstoppable force."

"No! You can't harm them, I won't let you! I though we had a deal! You get me and you leave them alone, that's what we agreed." Kai growled, eyes flashing with anger.

Voltaire's smirk grew wider. "Tell me, Kai. Why do you protect them so strongly? I am intrigued as to why you put yourself on the line for them. It is not as if they would do the same for you. No one would do that for you.Would they?"

Kai's eyes widened and the angry expression melted into his normal mask of indifference. His mouth, which was open to fire back a comment slowly closed as he was defeated into silence.

He watched him grandfather intently. He saw his lips move but he heard nothing of what he said, only a tyrant of other voices in his head.

"The sourpuss has wandered off again!"

"Quit being such a wet blanket."

"He thinks he's too good for us."

"Why don't you try smiling or are you afraid your face will crack?!"

"Kai doesn't care what we say about him!"

"It's not like he minds!"

"Kai's like a robot, he doesn't react to insults."

"Can't you ever smile?"

"Kai doesn't feel."

"Kai doesn't feel."

"He doesn't care."

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out. He could still hear the voices, mocking him, insulting, uncaring. The voices of the people who were his so-called friends.

It was then that he realised the truth. They didn't want him.

Why was he protecting them? They would never do the same for him.

He was alone.

Always alone.

"We're coming, Kai. Hang in there." Ray whispered. His eyes narrowed in determination as they ran up the path toward the dark mansion that held their former leader captive.