Review Replies
Suzanne: Thanks so much for your review! Ahh, the secret Zip discovered, it is indeed the reason behind everything. Hopefully you'll still be reading by the end, haha! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Brette: Hey there! Thanks for your review! Summer vacation, I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE summer vacation! Don't worry about me writing, I'm on a roll...although having said that I'll probably hit Writer's Block again, haha! Anyway, you find out more about Bryan's past in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
And so I'm back! I actually meant to complete the chapter for Human, or Nemesis, but that didn't happen. But on the brighter note I finished this chapter in ONE DAY! That has to be some kinda record for me! Normally it can take at least two days when I'm feeling particuarly good, but I've never completed a whole chapter in a single day!
Now to the story!
WARNINGS: Warped ideas - not nice ideas. Foul language. Yaoi-ness.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, any unknown characters most likely belong to me.
Author's Note: Thanks to ShadowAngel Tala-Chan (GENIUS that one!) I have decided that Zip's name is a mask for his real name, he called himself Zip to hide the fact he was Ray's father. His real name is Renshu.
Also, the awaited start of Tala and Kai's phyiscal relationship is finally here! For those of you who were expecting a sudden rush of passionate exciting graphic lemon then I'm sorry. I did plan to take it a little further than I have, but then I decided to drag it out a little, it seemed the better thing to do rather than have Tala and Kai realise they're completely obbessed with one another and randomly start having sex. BUT there is a start, not much admittedly, but it's a start.
Hateful Pleasures
Chapter Ten: Cause And Effect
The room was silent and dark as Tala and Kai entered it alone; they had been escorted to the room, but once inside they were left alone. The locked clicked and they listened to the dying footsteps as their escort returned to other duties; the wolf pulled the tie from his neck and threw it on the floor, pulling loose the top buttons and allowing his neck to breathe. Blood had spattered on his suit but he paid no heed to this as he strode to the window and looked out; for the first time he was feeling trapped. He pressed his hand to the cold glass and watched as his body heat fog a circle round his fingers.
"So, when do we leave?"
Kai looked up from slipping out of his jacket "we don't" he replied emotionlessly.
Sharply Tala turned round "did you not see what happened tonight?"
"I saw everything," the phoenix said heavily as he dragged a hand through his hair and sat on the bed; listlessly he tugged at his tie and loosened it "it changes nothing"
"It changes everything" Tala rejected "everything, Kai"
"It changes nothing" Kai repeated lobbing his tie across the room.
"Zip is dead"
"That did not escape me"
Tala continued to stare at the phoenix barely believing what he was hearing "Voltaire did not hesitate to kill Zip, that means that whatever it is he's hiding, he's quite happy to kill for it"
"I'm aware of that" was the reply.
"Oh, and you don't think that's something to concern yourself with?" asked Tala irritably.
"I'm in no danger" answered Kai languidly "the only thing I have to concern myself with is this new bride my grandfather has chosen"
Kai's bride had been chosen that evening. The date had been set, for now. It was too far away for Voltaire's comfort but, for the present, there was nothing he could do to persuade the Abelev family to allow the wedding to be brought forward. Throughout this business arrangement Kai had said nothing; he'd stood by the window, Tala next to him, as the transition had been planned. He'd completely ignored the nervous glances the young lady, his intended, had cast over to him; her looks had clearly indicated her dissatisfaction with the whole situation and she had seemed somewhat intimidated by the tall silent dark figure by the window.
"What about me?"
Tala's voice cut through Kai's train of thought and he glanced back at the wolf, caught off guard by the clear icy blue eyes transfixed upon him "you're a dead man walking" the phoenix said calmly "my grandfather will keep you alive until I am married to ensure I behave, then he will have you killed"
If Tala was taken aback by Kai's lack of interest in the conversation he didn't show it, instead he asked coolly "and you're just going to let that happen, I suppose"
"I have no intention of attending your funeral" Kai rubbed the back of his neck "nor do I intend to marry Miss Abelev"
"Then why are we still here?" the wolf ground out through gritted teeth.
"Because I want to discover why my grandfather has taken such a sudden interest in me"
"Oh, is that why we're still here?" Tala's voice had taken a sarcastic note "and here was me thinking it was because you liked the food"
Kai ignored this "I want to know why my grandfather wants me, I want to know what he's hiding"
"Well, we've discovered bucket loads so far" snapped the redhead.
"I know more than you think"
"Really? Seems to me all you're doing is obeying your grandfather"
"You haven't been paying much attention, have you, Tala" the phoenix sighed and turned his fellow Russian "I know that my grandfather wants me to marry, and marry soon. I know that, somehow, Ray's father is involved. I know he and my grandfather have known each other for longer than I realised, I know there's a reason why my grandfather silenced Zip so quickly"
"And why did Voltaire kill Zip so suddenly?" Tala retorted, "why does he want you? Why marry you off so quickly? Do you know the answer to these questions?" he looked at Kai, their eyes locking as Kai wandered over to stand next to him and look out the window. The phoenix broke their gaze and looked out over the dark night lit only by the white moon above "face it, Hiwatari. You know shit" now Tala was whispering in the phoenix's ear "you've learnt nothing, and all we're doing here is welcoming death with open arms. We need to leave"
"And where would we go?" Kai asked, "tell me, Tala. Do you know the answer to that?"
The wolf nodded "I have an apartment in Moscow, the only other person who knows about it is Bryan"
"And you suggest that we hide out there? For how long exactly? A month? A year? The rest of our lives?"
"Until we find out why Voltaire wants you" Tala said.
Kai turned his head to look at the wolf "I thought you were against the idea to find the truth"
"No, I'm just against the idea to find the truth when we're under the same roof as a madman" Tala answered "I actually agree with you, we should find out what Voltaire is up to. Otherwise we'll be forever hiding from him. But we could make the that investigation just as easily from a secret apartment in Moscow"
"Hn" Kai looked back to the window "you call it secret, but how long will that be the case?"
"Bryan would never tell anyone about the apartment" Tala leant back against the wall as he spoke "we kept it secret for these circumstances, a place we could meet and converse if the occasion ever arose"
"My grandfather does not need Bryan to find the location of an apartment" the phoenix watched the bright white snow sparkle under the light of the moon "he can discover its location all by himself"
"The apartment is a better idea than staying here" was Tala's response "at least we'd be away from Voltaire and his murderous intentions"
The phoenix did not reply for a moment as he continued to look down on the snow of Russian; the night was still, the moon round like a glowing orb. There was no movement across the vast lawn, just the sparkle of the snow and the black shadows from the trees that lined each side of the driveway "as I said before" Kai muttered "you are the only one in danger of dying, therefore it would be wise if you left for this secret apartment. Once my grandfather has discovered you are gone and I remain, he will realise that he does not need to find you in order to control me, his interest in you will fade"
"I'm not going without you" Tala said this before he'd really thought his words through. His sentence fell in to an empty silence as Kai's head jerked to looked at him. The phoenix's face was cast half in shadow but his carved jaw was sharpened further by the white glow shining through the window.
"That's a stupid thing to say" the phoenix said in a hard voice "it's better if we spilt"
"I'm going to leave this Manor" the wolf replied firmly "and when I do, you will be with me. Even if I have to drag you out"
Kai's dark eyes never left Tala's; it was only then they noticed the proximity of the other, Tala leaning against the wall and Kai standing by the window: there was barely a foot between them. And now Tala's eyes were prowling; ghosting over the phoenix's face, the pale neck, and the squared proud shoulders. Kai's shirt was open, the clear edge of his collar bone and smooth skin visible; his colourless skin was almost white as the moon above emitted its soft blurred blush.
The phoenix stood there, silent and still, as he watched Tala's eyes, the wolf's expression before finally resting his red eyes upon the wolf's mouth; there was no sound around them, the room seemed almost thick with atmosphere as something thrilled in Tala's groin. He wasn't sure at what point he'd slid closer to the phoenix; he wasn't even sure at what point his interest the conversation had dwindled and the sudden urge to taste had crept over him. He didn't look at Kai's face, he didn't even think as he slid further still his shoulder still pressed against the wall.
"What are you doing?" Kai asked in a clear voice.
Tala didn't respond. It was too late for that. His mouth closed against Kai's regardless of what reaction this would receive. Almost at once he pulled back, but only so he could lick his lips before pressing their mouths together for a second time; both their eyes were open, Kai's were fixed on Tala's but the wolf was focussed solely on tasting the phoenix's mouth, pushing their lips together briefly before pulling away and trying again. Encouraged by the lack of reaction from Kai, the wolf now came closer and aligned their bodies; his hand had risen as he'd pushed Kai back against the window and now it clamped in to the phoenix's hair.
Still, Kai made no sound, but now his mouth was opening, responding to Tala's succinct and coarse attempts; slowly Tala pushed up against the phoenix harder as Kai's mouth moved to meet his for the first time. Every time Tala pulled away the stronger the urge was to return. His head was telling him to stop, but for the first time Tala was ignoring his head, listening instead to what his body was telling him. Listening to what he wanted to do. Each time he pulled away, the breath of Kai warmed his face, his mouth and he leant in again.
The teasing was infuriating, each cautious taste more thrilling that the last; and every time Tala came in for another, Kai would hold their lips for longer. Their mouths began shaping round the other's, Tala would chew Kai's bottom lip before retreating and Kai would bite gently down on the tip of Tala's tongue. But, every time they moved in for longer, the other moved away.
All thoughts of the conversation were ebbing away, though the situation lingered on in Kai's mind; a few times he tried to think of something to say, tried to return to the subject in hand. But the words made no sense and his brain, for once, was deemed useless and null. His hands hung limply by his sides as dialogue now failed him completely; Tala's right hand was digging in to his hair, while the other was pressed to the glass inches away from Kai's head.
From somewhere in the dark echoing empty corridor outside the room a clock chimed loudly; but instead of halting their actions, it seemed to lead them to another harder and intense feeling. When Tala's mouth met Kai's, he stayed there his lips pressing firmer against Kai's parted mouth; the hand lodged in Kai's hair tightened as the phoenix replied with his own harsher fever.
Now, Tala's lips left Kai's, his face moved from the phoenix's and travelled down to the tilted neck and throat; he nibbled the underside of the phoenix's jaw, before moving farther down to suck the pulsing side of Kai's neck. His action left a bruised mark and a ring of saliva as Kai's head slowly fell back and Tala's mouth fastened on to his collarbone.
For the first time Kai's hands began to move; he slipped them in between the ever heating bodies and began to slip the buttons of his shirt apart, his chest was heaving though still he made no sound save for the occasional weighty breath. As the white material of the shirt fell away Tala moved his head; leaning it heavily sideways so he could close his mouth over the phoenix's lower chest, he left a trail of saliva as he now placed his mouth of Kai's right nipple.
A soft unwelcome short groan emitted from the phoenix's lips and he realised his back was arching, shaping against Tala's bent figure; the contact between them produced a grunt from the wolf who pressed their bodies together, harder and closer. Kai's eyes were closing; Tala's lips, his tongue, the way his mouth closed around-
All at once something clicked; then Kai was pushing the wolf away sharply, roughly. The muscle in his chest hammering loudly as the wolf jolted away from the him like he'd been stung. In their heads the truth of what they'd been doing, thinking about, and wanting, sang louder then any foghorn; for a moment they stared at the other, both recalling the stories from the Abbey, the hushed horror that spread through those cold corridors like a virus. The rumours about what happened to those who had disobeyed Boris's rules. The boys from the Abbey had never been allowed to share a bed, and those who did had suffered…by the hands of their fellow Abbey dwellers.
Then Kai moved, swiftly but smoothly, from in front of Tala to the door, the door of the bathroom. His only means of solitude. Tala hadn't moved, hadn't even turned his head as Kai moved; his mind was still shouting at him, it was still swirling around as what he'd just done perplexed him, puzzled him…excited him. The door shut with a click that almost echoed in a room with no sound. And between the wolf and the phoenix things were left unsaid, unfinished and wanting.
The train chugged through the snowy landscape in the early hours of morning as it travelled from high mountain land to lower white pastures; there was little in the way of buildings and only the odd dead and withered tree were any source of scenery. The passengers were few, not many boarded the night trains but as the morning slowly dragged on more people would appear at the various train stops along the way.
Ray stood by the doors, watching the snow flash by; to his left there was a large red light, warning passengers not to open the door whilst the train moved. On either side of him were the carriages, the odd passenger travelling was either sleeping or watching the world sweep passed. There was not much noise and only one or two actually speaking quietly, but Ray had felt pressured, watched and unsafe; he'd slipped away from his companions as dawn had hit the skyline, Hiro had fallen asleep but Bryan had seen him leave.
Not that the falcon gave a damn about him.
Over and over again the neko-jin head was playing him the same film; the Manor, Bryan, Hiro, the gunfire, the broken glass, the shadow leaning in through the disintegrated window and then the silence. Someone had tried to kill him. Admittedly, this wasn't the first time Ray's life had been under attack; Bryan had made sure of that. But without doubt it was the first time someone had tried to shoot him dead. He remembered the cold hard tiled floor under his body, Hiro's hand pressed firmly on to his back preventing him from rising as the darkened unfocussed person had peered in to make sure he'd hit his mark.
All the tiger could think was that, lying on that cold unfeeling surface, he must have looked as if he was dead as the grave. It was the only reason he could think of, the man hadn't entered the Manor to make completely sure; instead, he'd turned away and disappeared. Did he really think he'd achieved his goal? Or had he merely slunk away to try again?
Ray sighed and shifted his feet uncomfortably. What was really going on around here? How had he got himself mixed up in this? Why was someone trying to kill him?
"Penny for your thoughts?"
The neko-jin started and turned quickly, only to relax when he found Hiro smiling softly at him "s-sorry, I thought- it doesn't really matter…anyway, I thought you were asleep"
"You really think I'm going to doze off at a time like this?" Hiro raised an eyebrow "I don't know about you, but I'm really not in the mood for sleeping"
Ray managed a half smile as he folded his arms and looked back out the window, biting his lip and his eyes lowering.
Hiro watched the despondent Chinese boy and leant up against the wall, reaching out to touch Ray's shoulder so the neko-jin would look at him "it might just be me" he said softly "but are you sure the shooting is the only thing bothering you. I mean, not that a shooting isn't a big deal…it's just, you seem a little too calm about someone trying to shoot you"
"Were you prefer it if I was panicking?" asked the tiger "I could try and act petrified if you wanted"
"No, it's fine. Calm and collected is perfect in fact" Hiro said pushing off the wall and coming to face the tiger; Ray's eyes shifted from the floor to Hiro's mahogany eyes, Hiro reached out again brushing his fingers on Ray's shoulder "whatever's eating you, it won't help the situation if you keep brooding over it"
The neko-jin sighed and held his arms closer to his body as his gaze was locked with Hiro's "if I tell you, will you promise to keep secret? At least until I have the courage to reveal myself"
"Of course" Hiro nodded "this remains between you and me, you don't even have to ask"
Ray's brief smile of gratitude quickly faded as he voiced the knowledge that had been spinning round his head "there was a man who worked at the Abbey" he began "this man was to do Boris's bidding, punish the boys when they'd misbehaved, torture them when they refused their orders. This man beat children, kids; amongst the kids he beat there were Kai, Tala and Bryan" here Ray sighed and he looked back down to his feet once more "he didn't stay all the time at the Abbey, for months at a time he would leave to return to his home and his family. He would bring his family gifts and presents, and then he would return to the Abbey to beat children the same age as his son"
Hiro frowned "son?"
The neko-jin nodded "the name of the this man is Renshu Kon, but to the children of the Abbey he was called Zip"
Hiro leant back for a second time, now against the locked doors that led out of the train "Kon?" he repeated.
Ray nodded again "the man who beat children at the Abbey, the man who is the reason why I'm even involved in all this is Renshu Kon, my father"
Hiro was silent as he took this in; he watched Ray as the neko-jin glumly pushed the hair from his eyes with a sigh, they'd left in a hurry, not even bothering to return to the small rundown house they'd been occupying. As such, Ray's hair was knotted; it was his bandana alone that kept the silky wild raven strands from falling in to his eyes.
"That was the secret you kept from Kai?" asked Hiro "that your father was the one that beat him in the Abbey?"
"How could I tell Kai that?" the tiger gestured with his hands vigorously "I might as well put the noose round my own neck, I can say goodbye to any friendship I had with Kai who's mistrusting me already because he knows I'm keeping something from him. As for Tala and Bryan, as far as they're concerned it's a case of how to kill me"
"That's not going to happen" the older man assured him "for one thing, I will not let them. And that aside, you really think Kai's going to let Tala or Bryan get their hands on you. Yes, Kai might be a little angry, but it's really not your fault and Kai will know that" Hiro stopped as he saw the neko-jin's face darken further, hesitantly he said "Ray, you do know it's not your fault, don't you?"
"Really? Are you sure about that?" Ray's golden eyes lifted to meet Hiro's again "whenever my father arrived from his trips he would always bring me gifts…and whenever he left again, he would always promise to work hard so that he could buy me an even better gift" the neko-jin winced at his own words "my father would beat more children so Boris would pay him more! And I was always excited! I was always looking forward to my father's return because I knew he'd bring me a great present! He used to bring back all sorts of stuff, beyblades, equipment, and launchers! Not to mention-"
"Ray" carefully Hiro reached forwards and framed the neko-jin's face with his hands; he made Ray look at him "you're letting your guilt get the better of you. There is no reason for you to feel any remorse, you were a child, an innocent boy, you didn't know"
"But-"
"No. It's not your fault" Hiro repeated in a firmer voice "yes, chances are Bryan and Tala will blame you, but that's not important. You are not Bryan's friend nor Tala's, you are Kai's friend. And Kai will understand that it wasn't your fault"
"That's not the point!" the tiger persisted "if I hadn't been so excited about the gifts my father bought then he wouldn't have worked as hard to-"
"Ray, if you go around thinking like that you'll regret every step you make" again Hiro overrode him "there's a cause and effect to everything. Sometimes the effect or the cause isn't nice, or right, but there's nothing anyone can do to change that and beating yourself up like this will not change the past…you have to let it go, you understand?"
Their eyes stayed in a fixed gaze that Ray found almost impossible to escape; he could feel Hiro's hands still closed around his face and, for a reason unknown to himself, it calmed him, his shoulders relaxed "I understand"
"Good" Hiro smiled "now, shall we get back to the small case of someone trying to kill you?"
Bryan was sulking. He didn't want Ray here, and he certainly resented Hiro's presence; he could see them now, standing close. Grumbling under his breath he turned his face back to the window; the man sitting three seats behind him reading a book shifted slightly and glanced up, but though the falcon was aware of this, he did not react. No doubt the man was hired; somewhere about his person there would be a weapon ready to take away the neko-jin's life.
Except that Bryan sat between the man and his prey.
On any other occasion Bryan would have laughed, any excuse to take that interfering tiger out of his life would have been a blessing in Bryan's eyes; but, he could not break a promise to Kai. He would not. He did not know how. That being the case Bryan kept his eyes flitting between the neko-jin and the window; he wasn't looking at the scenery but at the reflections cast from inside the train: any movement that man tried to make, and Bryan would have him.
Again the falcon's eyes flicked to the tiger still talking with Hiro. Bryan's lip curled as he thought how easy it would be to simply let the man walk by and kill his target. Mulishly Bryan glared at the neko-jin half visible through the window that led to the in-betweens which linked each carriage to the next. He could see Ray's face; the pointed nose, cut chin and the sharp inquisitive eyes. That face reminded him of someone, a boy Bryan had come across briefly at the Abbey.
As a rule, Boris hadn't allowed anyone but himself to take pleasure in the boys of the Abbey; any two boys found in the same bed were stripped of their clothes and punished for all to watch. Although, that did not mean he didn't want them to watch him take his pleasure, Boris liked letting the boys to watch as he took his own pleasure; Bryan had been one such boy who had sat there, tied to a chair watching Boris and learning that gratification such as this was not meant for him.
However, after Bryan had produced excellent results from a series of tests, Boris had allowed Bryan one chance to see what it was like. He'd given Bryan a boy; some pathetic slim creature that Boris had enjoyed first. He'd locked them in a room together so Bryan could find out exactly what it was he was missing; but Bryan hadn't known what to do.
After months of Boris's lectures that he was never to know pleasure, Bryan had accepted his fate to be nothing more than an emotionless solider; he'd learnt that nothing good would happen to him. So, he'd simply sat down opposite the weeping, bleeding boy and watched him.
For three hours they had sat in that dimly lit room and for a long time the boy had cried and begged Bryan not to touch him; the falcon hadn't stirred, he'd just sat there unmoved by the blood seeping between the naked boy's legs or the tears that stained his face. After what seemed an eternity the boy had begun to realise that Bryan wasn't going to do anything; he'd slowly ceased crying, and then turned his head away unable to look Bryan in the face.
It was that profile face that reminded the falcon now; the same chiselled jaw, the resemblance was weak but it was there. It was enough to recall Bryan's past to him and Bryan hated that. He hated his past, more than he hated Boris or any other bastard who had tortured him. And now he was keeping someone alive who was reminding him of that past.
Bryan's jaw tightened.
He'd been staring at Ray for some time, without really realising it; the neko-jin was exactly Boris's type, that inquisitive look about the eyes, the spirit that refused to be tamed and controlled. Here Ray was, in the middle of snowy Russia, with a powerful man who wanted him dead and yet there was not a sign of fear.
Grudgingly Bryan had to admit that was impressive. He knew a lot of people who would have crumpled under such threats and danger; but Ray stood there, his golden eyes clear from any fear or insecurity.
Once more Bryan remembered that boy in that dull room; it wasn't like he hadn't thought about it. During those three hours he'd thought about it a lot: the boy's body under him, the hot sweaty jerked movements he'd seen Boris make so many times. He'd thought about doing it himself, except the pain on the boy's face hadn't really excited him.
Now Bryan was older he knew more about the subject; sex was a tool for all sorts of reasons, fun, that useless emotion love, as well as lineage and continuation of a family line. The point was it wasn't always one sided; some people came together because they wanted to, because they needed to…it didn't have to hurt.
Many times he'd imagined what it was like. How it would feel…what it would be like to feel that body underneath his-
He came to with a jolt and a muttered curse. Smacking his head against the glass he tore his eyes away from the profile of the neko-jin and back to the reflections juddering on the windows. Glancing over his shoulder he found the man still seated, and reading.
Out the window the white fields and countryside zoomed passed in a blur; it almost hurt the eyes to look at, but Bryan kept his eyes fixed on the windows. He would not look at the neko-jin anymore. Ray brought bad thoughts, and bad thoughts Bryan could do without.
He would not look at the neko-jin anymore.
And so I've also started Bryan's 'interest' in Ray. That too will blossom in to something more.
Next chapter has already been partially planned out in my head: there will be more action, trouble on the train for Ray, while Hiro and Bryan start bickering. Meanwhile Tala and Kai will be forced to face each other after the events by the window. Hopefully you'll be there to read it!
Please leave a review for this chapter.
Thanks for reading!
Kiki