I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter. The past couple of months haven't been the best for me. But things are starting to look up. Halloween was great, got covered in fake blood. And I spent the following day taking part in the 'Manchester Zombie Aid Walk', which involved dressing up as a zombie and just walking around the city centre - including the mall while it was closed - banging on shop windows and groaning! Unfortunately we didn't break the world record for most people dressed as a zombie in one place, though there were still over a thousand of us.

For anyone who celebrates it; I hope you all had a good Bonfire Night. Mine was fun except the bit where the firework fell sideways and a rocket shot into my leg. Sobered me up quicker than blinking. And I spent the weekend in Lincoln visiting my best friend in University. I was hoping to this chapter up sooner - having a week off work and everything - but as you can tell I ended up with a rather busy schedule.


So there was this woman and she was on an airplane,

and she's flying to meet her fiancé, sailing high above the largest ocean on planet earth.

And she was seated next to this man, who she had tried to start conversations with and really the only thing she heard him say was to order his Bloody Mary,

And she's sitting there, and she's reading this really arduous magazine article about a third world country that she couldn't even pronounce the name of.

And she's feeling very bored and very despondent,

and then suddenly there's this huge mechanical failure, and one of the engines gave out and they started just falling - thirty thousand feet.

And the pilot's on the microphone and he's saying: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Oh My God, I'm Sorry" and apologizing.

And she looks at the man and she says: "Where are we going?"

And he looks at her and he says:

"We're going to a party, it's a birthday party. It's your birthday party, happy birthday darling. We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much."

The Bottom of Everything by Bright Eyes


Chapter 28 - Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Despite the glorious weather from the day before, rain thundered down as though the sun would never shine again. The mood inside the BBA headquarters seemed to have changed with the weather, Ray Kon noted as he sat in the cafeteria with his home-made bento in front of him.

It was past one in the afternoon, and he had just under an hour before his tutor expected him back. Ray had hoped during his lunch break he would have the time to go see Mr. Dickinson and make an attempt to collect those files off his computer which he so desperately wished to look at. However, upon arriving at the BBA earlier that day, soaked to the bone and seething like an angry cat, his will to do anything had evaporated.

Ray sighed and placed his chopsticks down on the table, glancing unhappily at his barely touched lunch. His appetite had faded and he was left with a twisted feeling prodding at his gut.

Unconsciously, his left hand slipped of the table and felt at the pocket on his trousers where he could feel a small, rectangular object that was in fact the memory stick Kenny had given him only the day before. Through the material he toyed with the little stick of plastic while he asked himself some questions he probably should have considered beforehand.

Would he really be able to find and copy these files? How would he get onto the computer which belonged to the chairman of the BBA?

Did he actually have the nerve to go behind Mr. Dickinson's back?

And Ray could safely say he didn't know the answer to a single one of these questions.

Ray never really was a big risk taker. Not like Tyson. That's why he never mentioned anything about these files to the bluenette. Tyson was one to dash ahead without much thought of action or consequences and he had a way of forcing these traits onto to other people. The last thing Ray needed was Tyson pressuring him to stop being such a good boy and just take the plunge. He'd much rather hang back and stick to what he knows.

And Ray - despite what many believe - does know how to be cunning and sneaky.

With a deep breath, he placed his bento back into his satchel which he then slung over his shoulder and stood up. Quick and graceful, without so much as a squeak from his shoes, Ray had crossed the cafeteria and slipped through the doors completely unnoticed by anyone else. Fortunately nobody paid him much attention as he hurried down the hallway either. Men and women passed by him, noses buried in files or checking their mobile phones; far too preoccupied with their work to even realize that the young man who had just glided past them was in fact a member of the very team they'd assisted in creating.

But Ray didn't mind. In fact, he found it somewhat thrilling to know that these men and women were so caught up in their work they barely had time to look up. It was amazing how the sport of Beyblade affected so many people of all ages. It didn't matter what they did, if - like him - they choose to participate in the actual sport or if they were behind the scenes, developing new equipment or organizing the tournaments - it meant so much to these people.

Stopping by a large window with the city stretching out in front of him under the darkening clouds; Ray gently laid his hand on the windowsill. He could feel the flaking paint beneath his fingertips, and even as he glanced down, the white flecks were already attaching themselves to his skin. His eyes wandered up again. In the distance he could just about make out the Seaside Dome stadium.

That's where the Bladebreakers were first created. Where their journey first started. Where the beginning of their friendships are rooted.

Well, their friendship with Kai took a lot longer to grow, but it did eventually. And now, just when it was so close to blooming; it seemed to have been torn and scattered. Ray might just have been exaggerating - heck, it had only been two days since they had last seen him - but Ray felt that their parting had been one that Kai intended to be final.

What if Kai thought this friendship caused too much trouble? What if he never came back?

Ray didn't want the team to fall apart. Schooling wasn't the only reason he'd chosen to stay in Japan. Being with the Bladebreakers was so different to being with The White Tigers. He did not want to lose what they had created together.

Could he convince himself that simply getting background information on Kai - finding out things that Kai had never felt they need to know - would be enough to keep them together?

Maybe.

But he would never know unless he tried would he?


"Chief?"

"Yeah, Tyson?"

Tyson shifted awkwardly in his plastic chair, his open school-bag on his lap. He was squinting at a little paper booklet - or maybe a pamphlet - just poking out of the top of his bag. The expression on his face was something that could be described anywhere from confused to completely lost.

"Err, Tyson...?" Kenny repeated when the other teen did not answer him. He glanced across Tyson to where Max was slumped with his face in his hands, watching them with a bored expression.

Kenny fidgeted when still it seemed he was being ignored when it was Tyson who had asked for his attention in the first place. Raising his small hand and curling his fingers into a fist, he coughed. And then he coughed again, a little more loudly this time.

And then came the very exaggerated cough.

Finally, Max kicked Tyson under the table.

"Arh! Maxie! What was - !"

"What were you saying to the Chief before you lost yourself in your own blissful world?" Max said sweetly with a little smile, tilting his head to the side and fluttering his eyelashes; completely ignoring the accusing pout that Tyson was giving him as he rubbed his tender shin, a nice bruise surely rising.

Tyson stuck his nose up in the air.

"Quiet, Blondie!" Tyson demanded. A triumphant smirk began to settle on his face which caused Max and Kenny to exchange almost apprehensive glances with one another.

Before Max even had time to role his eyes and divert his attention somewhere else as his mind planned, Tyson swiped out the pamphlet he had been so fixated on and waved it frantically in Max's face.

"Jealous, dude! Totally jealous!" He declared loudly and with an accusing finger hovering inches away from Max's wide and startled blue eyes, which flickered slightly to the left to see Kenny's perplexed expression over Tyson's shoulder.

"What - ?" Max's jaw simply drooped, words failing him as his mind became unable to process thoughts with Tyson's gleefully mad face shining in front of him..

"You!" Tyson began loudly and proudly, his finger tapping the pamphlet tauntingly, "are so jealous because I got 98/100 on this science test!"

Max blinked slowly before he finally took a good look at the pamphlet in clenched in Tyson's hand. On the front cover in big, back, bold letter it read, "First Term Science Test" and Max recognized it as the science test they had taken only a week before. Only Tyson hadn't actually taken that test.

"Tyson -"

"JEALOUS!"

Max sighed and snatched the pamphlet from Tyson's grasp, flicking through the pages before stopping on a random page and selecting the first question he saw.

"Tyson, what is kinetic energy?" He asked in a bored voice.

Tyson's sunny expression sank rapidly; his lips parting and eyes rolling upwards as he fell into deep thought.

"Kinetic energy...?" He repeated slowly, his sniffed a little, "that's like, chemistry, right?"

"Physics!" Kenny chirped up from Tyson's other side. Tyson threw him a glare over his shoulder.

"I knew that," he said. "Now where was I? Kinetic energy... kinetic energy..."

Without warning, Tyson's hand shot and he snatched the test pamphlet back from Max, throwing it under his eyes and reading the answer wrote underneath.

"The energy of movement!" He exclaimed, waving the page in front of Max's face again, pointing at the answer. "See! I knew that because I got it right in the test!" Just to prove his point, he jumped around in his seat and shoved the pamphlet underneath Kenny's nose as well, dancing a victory dance with his upper body until...

"Wait..." Tyson paused, bringing the pamphlet back to his own eyes, "this isn't my handwriting..."

Focusing his eyes onto the black ink, Tyson finally realized that the neat and absolutely miniscule handwriting was drastically different to his own. His nose crinkled as he flicked through the next few pages of the test pamphlet; the pieces of this puzzle were not quite falling into place.

"Tyson..." Max began slowly, as though he were talking to a stupid five year old, "You. Did. Not. Take. This. Test - Kai did."

Frown lines appeared in Tyson's forehead as the news sank in.

"So, basically, if it was me who had of taken this test, I would have failed?" He asked.

Max nodded sympathetically.

"Yeah, most likely," he said, before his face broke into a huge smile. "Oh, but the look on Hilary's face! Dude, priceless!"

Tyson seemed to perk up at hearing that. He glanced sideways at Max - ignoring Kenny groan from his other side - with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Really?" He inquired with amusement dancing in his voice; light bulbs glowing in his eyes when Max confirmed with a nod. Tyson let out a little cackle of laughter as he stood from his seat.

"Hilary! Oh, Hilary!!!" Tyson sang across the classroom, amusement growing as said girl twitched with annoyance. Hilary, slid around in her seat, revealing her desk which had her books, pens and pencils all lined up neatly and accordingly. The look upon her face screamed FAKE. The smile was forced and the twitch below her left eye was the cause of great pressure not to glare.

"Yes, Tyson?" She answered in a sweet but stiff voice.

Tyson bared his teeth in an open grin, waving the test pamphlet over his head enthusiastically. "Remember this! How did you score again, my dear?"

Triumph soared throughout Tyson's body, through every nerve and vein, as Hilary bristled with anger - Tyson swore he could see her hair standing on end. The twitching beneath her eye became apparent to everyone in the room, and if this conversation had taken place in anywhere else but school - because Hilary adores school - the fuming teenage girl would have probably shredded Tyson apart then and there. Instead, with amazing self control, Hilary turned her back on him - although the murderous expression stayed in place as she seized four of her neatly aliened pencils and snapped them in half all at once.

Tyson fell back into his chair, mind screaming 'VICTORY' and he allowed himself to laugh aloud.

"You know she's going to make you pay for that, Tyson," Kenny whispered to him once he had calmed down. Unfortunately, while still high on his pedestal, Tyson did not allow the thought of Hilary's vengeful nature tear him down.

Instead, he just smirked.

"Bring it on!"


"I'm really sorry, Mr. Dickinson."

"Don't fret, m'boy," Mr. Dickinson chuckled, rising from his chair behind his desk. "It was an easy mistake to make. I believe everybody at some point accidentally puts something through the wash without realizing."

Ray gave an apologetic look again, as he shuffled his feet nervously.

"Yeah, I know," he said, "but I didn't mean to cause a fuss."

"Now, don't you worry," Mr. Dickinson replied as he came to stand next to the teen, "my secretary has the original letters on her computer. We'll have you a new set within a few minutes."

Ray's heart sank as he realized Mr. Dickinson was expecting him to go with him to the secretary's office. Drawing his bottom lip in between his teeth, his eyes scanned the room frantically while Mr. Dickinson picked up his walking cane. In the most desperate attempt to but some time to think, Ray strode over to the shelf behind the chairman's desk - which held many framed photographs and newspaper cuttings - and picked up a photo album with stood half opened.

"Hey, what's this?" He inquired at a louder volume than needed.

"Hm? Oh, that!" Mr. Dickinson said with some excitement in his voice, placing an aged hand on Ray's shoulder. "That, m'boy, is an album of every team the BBA have helped to create, including the Bladebreakers."

Ray suddenly found himself more interested that he had intended. He flicked through the pages, engrossed in the photos which displayed many youngsters holding their beyblades triumphantly. In some images, none other than Mr. Dickinson himself was present; jolly smile set in place.

"I didn't know of these other teams..." Ray commented, his eyes grazing each photo delicately, looking at each face carefully but no form of recognition hit him.

"Well, none of these teams have ever been as successful as the Bladebrakers are," Mr. Dickinson began. "Most of them were formed in small towns where the BBA were promoting the sport and went on to win small competitions and such. But I'm very proud of them all.

"You stay here, and have a good look at it, m'boy. I'll go fetch those forms."

Ray barely looked up as Mr. Dickinson open the door and stepped out of his office. As he left, Ray's eyes scanned over a photo of a full team of girls - probably no older than ten - all desperately clutching a big trophy with manic grins on their faces. It was only as the door closed with a little snap! did Ray look up and notice he was alone in the office.

Alone in Mr. Dickinson's office.

Isn't that what he wanted?

Then why was he stood there gawping like a fish while the clock ticked by?

When realization hit, Ray let out a hiss - sounding incredibly like a cat who's tail had just been stood on - and scrambled over to the computer, which - with some magnificent stroke of luck - had been left turned on! He leaned over the desk, his face scrunching up as he fumbled around in the deep pocket of his trousers looking for the memory stick.

Even with this great opportunity standing directly in front of him, Ray couldn't help but feel a little pessimistic. For someone with such a balanced personality and a firm believer in karma; this whole situation just happened a little too easily for Ray's liking.

He finally retrieved the memory stick from his pocket while his eyes stayed firmly glued to the door; his feline-enhanced hearing trying to pick up any sounds from outside the office. For at least a minute, Ray made no movement whatsoever. Instead he simply fixed his attention on the door as he tried to convince himself that he could not risk losing this chance to retrieve information.

He took a deep break and allowed himself to drop back into Mr. Dickinson's comfy leather chair. His yellow, cat-like eyes left the door and locked onto the screen of the lap-top in front of him. He glared.

"You won't beat me!" He declared defiantly.

Running his fingers gently over the touch-pad, Ray moved the curser to the bottom left-hand corner and clicked the 'Start' button and the popped up. He tried to ignore his wildly beating heart as he selected 'Computer'. The new window opened, and Ray took a moment to listen for any sounds coming from outside the office again. On the left hand side, was the 'Search' option.

So far, so good, he thought as he clicked upon it, a small bar appearing underneath in which he began to type.

'Kai -'

He needn't bother to continue as files beginning with the letter K appeared on screen, and when he hit the following A and I, many files disappeared, leaving only one named: Kai Hiwatari.

A small smile graced Ray's lips as he congratulated himself. Though he didn't allow himself to celebrate yet, noting that his hand were quivering slightly as he un-capped the memory stick and searched for the correct drive to plug in the USB.

After connecting the USB, he waited nervously as another smaller window popped up in the middle of the screen.

Open folder to view files was one of the general options and also the one that Ray clicked upon, that small window disappearing only to be replaced by a larger and completely empty one.

'Copy the files that you want to see and put them on here' Max's words flashed through Ray's mind as he went back to the window with Kai's files in it.

Right click, copy and then paste.

And that's that. Done, over, complete. It went easier than Ray could have ever imagined; he had time to waste... or spare on other things. A pointed fang crept over his lip as he smirked yet mentally slapped himself for being so a curious little kitty. He brought the curser back over to the 'Search' box and clicked. If he had the time, there was no reason why he couldn't have a peek at Kenny's, Tyson's and Max's files. And his own, of course. Instead of searching for them separately, Ray chooses a quicker option and decided to type the word 'Bladebreakers' and see what comes up.

However, Ray only managed to type the letter B when a scroll bar appeared below with all the files on Mr. Dickinson's computer beginning with that letter. He glanced down searching for Bladebreakers when something else caught his keen eyes, which then widened, eyes narrowing to slits.

There - at the very top of the scroll bar - sat two words that had Ray's heart thudding against his ribcage. Butterflies, getting aggressive and growing in size as time passed beating rapidly in his stomach. His hands quivered as he moved the curser over the two words and double-clicked; the file appearing on the white, empty screen. He stared.

Balcov Abbey.

What on earth!? What is this? Why is it on Mr. Dickinson's computer? What information could possibly be in this file? Who's names could appear...?


"Yes, thank you very much!"

Mr. Dickinson's cheery voice sounded as he closed the door to his secretary's little office situated only down the hall from his own. In his hand he held the newly printed copies of the consent forms which Ray had asked for. He hummed quietly to himself as he made his way back down the hall, pausing outside the door to his office as he shuffled the forms around, taking them into the same hand in which he held his walking cane.

He placed his hand on the door handle and began to push down.

"Mr. Dickinson!"


Ray had sat - eyes transfixed on the file which sat upon on the screen of the laptop - for at least two minutes. He debated whether or not he should look now.

That decision shot out of his head as a jerk on the door handle across the room sent his heart flying up his throat. He choked. Panic seeping through every crevice of his mind as his eyes shot up, wide and startled. Time seemed to stand still as his pupils - as thin as pin-heads - stared frantically at the handle which slowly descended and Ray found himself frozen where he was. He was about to get caught and he couldn't do anything to save himself!

"Mr. Dickinson!"

A female voice was heard from a distance, and Ray sighed with relief as the door handle snapped back up to its original place. Forcing himself to relax, Ray listened carefully as he heard Mr. Dickinson's voice - muffled through the door - and another converse.

Pushing aside the mild panic and digging out his courage, Ray right clicked the file marked Balkov Abbey and copied it before selecting the window (E:) and pasting it next to the files containing information on Kai. His heart had not slowed down to a comforting speed yet, so he did all of this in an agitated and desperately quick speed. His body jerked again as his sensitive ears picked up the very light sound of a hand grasping the door handle again.


Mr. Dickinson chuckled again, giving a small wave to his secretary who closed a folder she was holding before placing his hand back on the door handle.

"The dead-line isn't until next week so we have plenty of time," Mr. Dickinson said pleasantly.

"Of course, Chairman. Please do call me if you need anything," she replied, turning around and making her way back to her own small office. Mr. Dickinson's gripped the door hand and pushed down, successfully opening the door with no more distractions. He closed the door behind him and smiled. Ray was sat on his cozy, little settee still flicking through the photo album, his eyes glued to the pictures.

Mr. Dickinson shuffled over and held the new forms out for Ray. It took the raven-haired teen a few seconds before he looked up. He placed the album on his lap, the photo he had been viewing was the most recent to be placed within the album. It was taken when the Bladebreakers became champions of the world in Moscow. Ray smiled to himself before closing the pages and looking up.

"Thanks, Mr. Dickinson," Ray said as he took the forms and placing the photo album back on the self.

"Not a problem, Ray," Mr. Dickinson smiled. "You'd better be going now, m'boy. Your tutoring will start soon."

"Yes, Sir," Ray waved goodbye and heading across the office and opening the door.

"And Ray?" Mr. Dickinson called from his place behind his desk. Ray turned, giving his attention back the BBA chairman. "Try not to place those copies into the wash this time!"

Ray smiled sheepishly as he backed out of the room, closing the door on Mr. Dickinson's light-hearted and merry laughter. He gently folded the new copies of the consent forms for the upcoming beyblade tournament and placed them in his deep trouser pockets. As his hand disappeared into the black material, Ray's fingers brushed against the smooth plastic surface of the memory stick. Only, unlike before, the memory stick now contained the data he's been so stressed about getting a hold of. It was so surreal. How could it have been so easy? What the heck had he been worrying for?

And not only would Ray be leaving with the information on Kai, but also an added bonus.

Balkov Abbey.

However, Ray couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. Did they really want to know all the secrets of the Abbey. If Kai's past was anything to go by then maybe there are some things that should just stay hidden.

Ray shook his head. Well it was too late now. Whatever is in that file was about to come to light for the Bladebreakers.


At the Hiwatari's mansion, Leana frantically searched the kitchen for the first aid box. She had known exactly where it was, however, in her current state of mind she seemed to have completely forgotten. Scurrying around on her hands and knees, she checked all the cupboards underneath the work units. knocking bottles of detergent and kitchen cleaner out of her way.

"Top cupboard, Leana," came a deep voice from behind her.

Leana jumped at the voice, clutching at her chest where her heart would be as she turned to face the person who spoke standing in the doorway leading to the dining room. Leana wiped the panicked look from her face and turned her expression into indifference.

"Of course. Thank you, Lord Voltaire," she replied rather coldly, as she rose to her feet. Voltaire's expression darkened as he noticed the icy tone Leana regarded him with. However he said nothing, and simply left the room.

Leana opened one of the many cupboards hanging from the walls, her memory rebooting as she remembered exactly where she had left the first aid supplies after she last used them. The dark green box was lifted into her hands, and Leana stared at it with a sense of Deja Vu. Last time she had opened and used the contents of this box was strikingly familiar to the situation she was in now.

Only ten minutes before - having dismissed the other servants for the day - had Voltaire ordered Leana and Anthony to get Kai out of the basement. And like every other time this happened, Voltaire would disappear to his office in Tokyo and not reappear until the late hours of night. Sometimes this helped. She was always the one who would clean and bandage Kai's injuries. Sometimes... Leana became so frustrated she felt like physically hurting the man just to see how he would like it. It was a silly thought, standing at only 5 foot 2 inches, Leana would hardly cause any real damage and then she would lose her job.

Sometimes she hated Voltaire. But who would look after Kai if she was not there?

Leana inhaled sharply, her fingers grasping the medical box as she held it close to her chest. For minutes she stood in silence, eyes closed as the many bright lights in the ceiling beamed down on her shaking figure. It was only as the front door closed with a snap that she was brought back to the present.

"Leana...?" A different voice spoke from behind her, and she turned to face the person which she already knew was Anthony.

She smiled weakly at him, noting his rather grave looking face. The poor young man hated these situations as much as she did. Even though he probably didn't feel the same sort of love she felt for Kai; there were never any positive emotions when they repeated these actions.

"Could you run a bath?" Anthony asked, looking at the floor and Leana sensed those similar feelings they shared of disgust and self-hatred. "I'll go get him"

Biting her lip, Leana nodded. She scurried from the room, past Anthony and towards the staircase, still clutching the box to her chest.


Anthony could only watch as Leana passed him. He wanted to say something her, comfort her in some way. But words... words were just meaningless. What could he say? Cheer up. It'll be alright. Kai will be fine.

This sort of depression wasn't something you could just lift with words. The only chance they had of things ever being alright was if Voltaire suddenly stopped caring for his business and made his family a top priority. And only when that happened would Kai ever be fine.

How the future looked grim.

With Leana upstairs, Anthony switched off the lights in the kitchen, wandered across the empty entrance hall - his every move echoing against the walls - and made his way down into the cellar. The stone walls and large, menacing metal doors aliened parallel to either other should has become a familiar sight to him; but Anthony always felt a wave of unpleasantness wash over him when he came down here. The eerie look of a prison. The silence and cold air. It did nothing to calm his wildly beating heart which he felt pounding throughout his body. The mansion was such a beautiful home, but it held some ugly secrets beneath.

Breathing heavily, Anthony placed his hands on the cold metal bar on the end door on the left which kept it securely locked. With a slight grunt he lifted it, a small but awful squeaking sound - like nails on chalkboard - echoed throughout the stone hall before he gently pushed the door open.

His eyes flew around the room in one swift motion, landing and freezing on a figure propped up against the wall to his right. Anthony exhaled as he took in the sight. Coated in a fair amount of blood, Kai appeared to be sleeping. His head was hanging forward, chin on his chest with his legs straight out in front of him. A blanket covered most of his body.

Anthony walked over to him, taking light steps as though fearful of the teen. He slowly crouched down and gently placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, giving him a little shake.

"Kai?" He breathed, before clearing his throat and adding more volume to his voice. "Kai?"

Kai's body jerked a little, a tiny cry escaping his lips as he was pulled back into consciousness. His head slowly rose up, eyes closing half-way as the light blinded him. Kai sniffed a few times and slowly looked around before his vision rested on Anthony. He squinted and opened his mouth, but didn't seem to be able to get any words out.

"Where do you hurt?" Anthony asked as soon as he had Kai's attention. Kai closed his mouth and swallowed - throat burning - and Anthony noted how his lips were dry and cracked.

Kai didn't answer for a while. He seemed to be concentrating on breathing or allowing his mind to catch up with time. Finally he spoke:

"W-what day is it?" His voice was extremely hoarse and strained.

"It's Wednesday. Nearly 8pm. What hurts?" Anthony replied hurriedly. However, Kai didn't seem to be keeping up with the conversation. Either that or he just enjoyed not answering Anthony's questions. After taking a few very deep and painful sounding breaths, Kai licked his lips and forced his voice to work again.

"Should you be down here?"

Anthony sighed and gave up asking the questions. He leaned forwards and gently placed a hand under each of Kai's armpits, one hand creeping around his back.

"Your Grandfather wants you out and cleaned up by the time he gets back."

Kai didn't answer this time, only concentrated on pushing his body up. He knew it was very unlikely he would be able to walk on his own, but he refused to allow Anthony to carry him out of here. He tried not to rely on the arms wrapped around his torso, helping him to stand and forced his legs to sustain his weight. He inhaled sharply as his right ankle began to throb. Luckily some of the swelling had gone down and it wasn't as painful as he anticipated, but it still hurt and it would take a while for the bruising to fade.

Once Kai was on his feet, Anthony moved to his side. He had one arm still wrapped around Kai's back, steadying him, but not holding too tightly as he learned all too well that the teen was most likely going to have at least one broken rib. His uneven breathing was a good clue. He noted that Kai was trying not to accept his support but failing. He limped slowly - stumbling on occasion and consequently forcing his to seize Anthony's jumper to stop him from falling - over the door, which Anthony walking awkwardly beside him.

Anthony stopped himself from sighing in frustrating. He knew Kai was stubborn. He knew Kai would always insist he didn't need help. But if he could just let go of his pride for one minute and let himself be carried; Anthony knew they could be upstairs by now.

But no. This was Kai Hiwatari.

Battered, bruised, hardly standing and barely thinking straight, somehow he still managed to cling to whatever the hell was left of his dignity.

"Anthony?" Kai croaked suddenly.

Anthony glanced at the teen he was holding up. Head bowed and eyes most likely glued on the floor - he couldn't tell, those unruly slate bangs hid his face. "Yeah?"

Kai's ragged breathing sounded heavier. Maybe it was because of the closed, narrow space or maybe because walking was excruciatingly difficult for him at that moment.

"Did you say my Grandfather was out?" He asked after a while as they began climbing the stairs out of the basement.

Anthony's face softened, his heart panged with sorrow. It was such a sad, stupid situation. Kai: proud, strong, intelligent, resilient... And stupidly loyal. So stupid. Why did he choose to come back here? He could have escaped all of this. Took his second chance and used it wisely. Why did he keep coming back to Voltaire. After everything?

"Yeah, he's out..." Anthony said softly.

Why did he keep clinging to that silly hope that one day they'd have a normal relationship? That dream he'd one day be treated properly. That he'd be loved.

"...Oh."


Well, that's that for now. I'm going to try and make my chapter longer again because they were getting quite short. Next chapter is pretty much a direct continuation of this one.

I know I mentioned that there'd be a couple more chapters before Kai is released from cellar but it turns out I didn't have as much to write about Ray's bit as I thought. I'll be honest when I say Ray isn't exactly one of my favourite characters... in fact I think he's my least favourite, out of like, everyone. I just thought he was really boring and then in G-rev he got really cocky. And he can't do cocky. But I try my best to write him fairly. Although I always find it's easier to write your favourite characters than it is anyone else.

Okay, two requests. 1) I've got a new poll on my profile about my future fanfics that I'd appreciate if you voted on. And 2) REVIEW! (Please)


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Your spelling and grammar makes retards cry.

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Quote from the bible of

KirstieKatastrophe™ aka Phoenix-falling