Hi guys!
My gratefulness for this chapter goes to: CleverPhoenix, NEVERMORE DARKNESS, GreyOtakuGirl, pheonix80, d1bontemp, Kavbj, vd. alfredo, Lhune, Mashy-Gaara4life, sasukechica, FallenHope-Angel, mimi007, GatewaysDiary, and marishk91!
I love hearing from all of you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters.
"…" talking
("…") Russian
'…' thoughts
Italics flashback
Bold Italics Bitbeasts talking
Note: Anyone who is looking for an amazing story about the lives of the Blitzkrieg Boys should check out the fic, On The Three by WindStar. It is an incredible story, with a whole series to go along with it.
Chapter 28: Well-being vs. Friendship
Tala stayed with Kai for several hours after their moment of remorse. Tala did most of the talking for obvious reasons, but the majority of the time the two just enjoyed each other's company, content with the silence. When Tala was finally forced to leave, albeit a bit less forcefully this time, the doctor promised to let him back in first thing in the morning.
As Kai watched the redhead drudgingly exit, the doctor then proceeded into his room, closing the door behind him. Considering feigning sleep again, he sided against it, knowing the man had already seen him awake. He eyed the doctor suspiciously though. His faith in anyone with medical instruments had been shattered a long time ago.
("I just have a few questions for you, Mr. Hiwatari.")
Fixing a glare on the doctor, Kai shifted himself so he was sitting up. He felt a strike of pain shoot through his back, but ignoring it he sat upright for the first time in several days. He was not going to talk to some stranger lying down like a helpless weakling.
He watched as the doctor surveyed his actions.
'At least he's not trying to force me back down like those idiot nurses would have,' he thought to himself.
("First of all, there are no medical files on record for you anywhere. For future reference and to help you best we can now, we need a copy of them. Do you know where we could get one?")
'Yeah, try Voltaire's firepit.'
Forcing his voice to stay strong and clear, he spoke slowly, ("I have no medical records. I do not get sick and therefore have no use for them.") Taking deep breaths, he stared the doctor down as if to challenge his response.
("Medical records do not just concern illnesses. They keep track of your entire medical history. You must have something like that.") The doctor held a clipboard at ready, preparing to write down anything of interest.
("The only thing of the sort you may find…") Stopping for a few breaths, Kai steadied himself. ("are BBA documents. They keep health records of all bladers.") He did not mind giving out this information. His record with the BBA was impeccable. Not so much as a cold would be noted on his file. Hopefully his good health would get him out of here quicker.
The doctor scribbled a few things onto his clipboard, obviously making a note to refer to the BBA.
("Okay, that was an easy one,") said the doctor. ("Now for a bit more difficult one. Can you tell me how you got your injuries?")
Kai froze at the question. He knew it was coming eventually, but this was too soon.
Images of Boris and Voltaire mixed in his mind, becoming demons of pain and fury. Pushing them down, he managed to stay composed.
("They were from a beybattle,") were the only words he managed to get out though.
The doctor looked skeptical.
("A beybattle? Hmm…Okay I'll bite. I have seen those on television and I know they get pretty wild. But that excuse can only account for the cuts and maybe a few of the bruises. I want the truth.")
Kai stayed silent.
("Kai, I am a doctor. My patient's health is my responsibility. Now tell me the truth. Were your injuries inflicted intentionally? Were you abused?")
The words cut like a knife. Plain as day the doctor had said it. The "A-word". A word that can only be associated with humiliation and shame.
"I'll tell!" shouted a ten year old Kai. "If I tell Mr. Dickinson he will stop you from doing this. He was nicer than you!"
Slap! He fell to the floor hard, blood dripping from his already bruising nose.
"You brat!" shouted Voltaire. "You really think that man will care! No one gives a damn in this world about you but me! You are rubbish, and I still keep you! You think anyone else will want you?" With a kick of his boot, he sent the small boy across the room.
"And even if you did tell, all it would do is show people how pathetic and worthless you really are. You are nothing! Just filthy and stained with your blood and the blood of all those you hurt!" Voltaire crossed the room, grabbing Kai by his shirt and lifting him off the ground so he could face him.
"Go ahead and tell people what I do to you. They'll laugh and have sympathy for me because I have to deal with you. I do this to make you stronger. The fact that you cannot take it only proves your weakness. And if you did tell, people would only look at you with disgust. They'd have no respect for you and you're failure to endure would only bring humiliation to the Hiwatari name. No one wants filth, and look at yourself, you are disgusting." Shoving Kai's face towards the mirror, the blue-haired boy saw a demon where his reflection should have been.
Coated in blood, the face was swollen, distorted beyond repair. No one would want him. He was contaminated, and whether it was because his head had been hit one too many times, all of Voltaire's words seemed to speak the truth.
Voltaire dropped him to the ground, done for tonight, but the boy barely moved, sitting in a heap by Voltaire's feet.
"Remember this, Kai, if you ever do tell, such shame will be brought upon you that it will be the worst disgrace ever to befall onto the Hiwatari name. I will disown you."
("Kai, answer my question.") Taken from his reverie by the doctor's words, Kai jumped.
("No one has ever laid a hand on me! How dare you ask me such a thing! You don't even know me!") Forgetting to stay calm, his breathing began getting more rapid. ("Get out! Get out of this room! I don't trust you or your stupid hospital so just leave me alone!")
Astounded at the boy's sudden change in attitude the doctor became torn between whether to try to calm the boy or do as he said. Remembering what happened the last time he tried to sedate him though, he chose the latter of the two.
("Okay, Kai, I'm leaving. Just calm down. Breathe.") Then, rechecking to make sure the boy was not in any danger of hyperventilating, he left the room, searching for a nurse who he could use to stay with the boy.
Left alone, Kai fought to control his breathing. Each breath was a short gasp, but he didn't care. Struggling to get to his feet, he blocked out each tremor of pain, the fresh memory serving as an anesthetic. Making his way across his room, he finally ended up at the sink, where he furiously began scrubbing his arms and face. He was dirty, and he needed to get rid of that everlasting feeling.
"They're in jail! They're in jail!" Although odd lyrics for a happy dance, Tyson and Max bounced around the waiting room excitedly after hearing Mr. Dickinson's news, while Ray watched on in amusement.
The elder man had come to tell Bruce of his findings, but it seemed hard to keep things quiet in such a small area.
"So they are locked up for good now?" asked Bruce.
"That's what the report said. There are still several….investigations happening though. I still can't believe the magnitude of the mess those two men caused." Collapsing on a chair next to his friend, Mr. Dickinson let out a sigh.
"They're in jail! They're in jail!" The two men ignored the younger boys' dance across the room.
"Did they say what they were charged with?" asked Bruce. Mr. Dickinson grimaced.
"Yes. And to my horror I think you may be right. There may be some validity in your theory about Voltaire and Kai's relationship." The old man seemed utterly worn out by this whole ordeal.
"I did not want to be right, Stanley. I'm sorry," said Bruce, putting a comforting hand on the other's shoulder.
"No. It was an old man's blindness that allowed this to go on for so long. I should be apologizing."
The two sat in silence aside from the singing of the boys.
"So now that they are in jail, where will Kai go when he is released?" asked Bruce, the thought popping into his head.
"I have no idea," admitted Mr. Dickinson. "I have custody only during tournaments, and I am afraid I am too old and too busy for anyone to allow me full custody. I will try arranging something, but if it doesn't work out he may have to resort to a foster home." The idea seemed unpleasant to both of the men, lingering in their thoughts like a bad aftertaste.
"They're in jail! They're in jail!"
"Will you two shut up! We can here you from halfway down the hall! " Arriving back at the waiting room with Bryan, Tala barked at the two younger boys.
"But Tala, Voltaire and Boris are in jail! Isn't that great news!" exclaimed Max.
"Yeah. Just peachy!" said Tala in mock-excitement, while Bryan stood next to him looking like he had just swallowed a lemon. The latter had caught up with Tala on his way back from Kai's room, and had wasted no time in telling his captain what he saw on TV. The two were well aware of what was taking place.
"What's wrong with you two?" asked Ray, a bit upset the two weren't a bit more happy with the news. 'Didn't anything ever please these guys?'
"They are going back to jail, that's what's wrong. They should be getting sent straight to the electric chair, but apparently the authorities need more evidence," explained the red-head.
'Whoa,' thought Ray. 'These guys are in this for blood. I hadn't even thought about execution.'
"What's wrong with jail? They will be locked up for good and you won't have to deal with them," said Tyson.
"Gee! Then it will rain candy and rainbows will light up the sky," sneered Bryan. "Where do you think Voltaire and Boris were before all this happened? They escaped. And I can promise you that they will do the same thing again. Voltaire practically drives the economy of Russia. It is not hard to find a cop in need of some more money in return for a key or two." As Bryan spoke, the three boys' faces fell. It was unfair! It was unjust! But it was true.
The three became so depressed that they became almost angry the next second when they heard Tala chuckle.
"You just love crushing people's hopes and dreams, don't ya, Bry?" The falcon in reply just gave a toothy grin which resembled more of a grimace.
"Well," said Tala turning back to the Bladebreakers, "Glad we had this chat." And indeed, he did seem to actually be happier than anyone had seen him since the rescue. Of course that had to do with his visit with Kai, but the others did not know that. He went to go sit down, when Ray stopped him in his tracks.
"How aren't you upset?" his voice was dark, his usual cheerfulness sucked out of him. "How can you just smile like that…like nothing is wrong?"
Tension racked the air for a moment as the others waited anxiously for the red-head's answer. But Ray was the only one who heard it. Switching to Mandarin, Tala addressed the neko-jin directly, menace ringing throughout each word.
"You don't think I am upset, kitty-cat? You don't think I'm not furious that the men who ruined my life and the lives of my team always seem to walk away? Let me let you in on a little secret, Ray," his voice fell to a rapid whisper, but the anger was as palpable as if the teen was screaming. "Biovolt has haunted me for the last ten years of my life and I would love nothing better than to destroy anyone or anything that has to do with that place." Tala cocked his head, a painful smile adorning his face.
"We are all trained killers, did you know that? We have been taught how to cause such torture that it would make grown men beg for mercy. If I ever let my guard down enough to show my true anger at this hypocritical world, I would cause such devastation that I'd be the very next soul on that execution list. That is what happened yesterday. I lost my cool, and punched my brother's face in. And he's one of the closest people to me. So believe me when I say it's better for us to shrug it off. After all, Biovolt's been one-uping us our whole lives, why would anything be different this time?"
Ray watched with horror in his eyes as Tala spoke with such emptiness, articulating each word slowly to prove his point. Ray realized that he was truly afraid of the teen, even after everything he had done for him the last few days. Tala must of noticed the fear in his eyes though, because he quickly changed his tone.
"Don't worry, kitty-cat. This is not your world, it's ours. You are merely here until Kai recovers, and then you'll be happily off, back to that life of ignorance in Japan." He gave Ray a pat on the cheek and walked away, causing the teen to jump, almost as if awakened from a spell.
Looking around, he saw Max and Tyson gawking, trying to make some sense of what Tala said, and he spotted Bryan's back, turning the corner with Tala.
"What did he say, Ray?" Still a bit shell-shocked, Ray stared back at Tyson confused.
"Um…he…." Luckily for Ray, he was spared the task of explaining when Kai's doctor entered the waiting room.
"Mr. Dickinson?" The doctor's thick, Russian accent seemed to boom through the room and the two men in the corner as well as the three boys went over, all anxious for any news about their comrade. The doctor gave them all a wary glance, having the intention of only addressing the elder man, but then deemed it futile, considering the boys seemed to be closer with Kai than the man was.
"You three were with Kai when he received his injuries, correct?" asked the doctor, staring at the youngest members of the group.
"Yeah," answered Tyson, becoming suspicious. The doctor shifted awkwardly.
"Then you will know better than anyone that I speak the truth. You may not want to hear this, but it is quite obvious that Kai's state came about from prolonged abuse to his body. Intentional abuse."
The doctor paused to allow the information to set. Then continuing, "In light of the recent media coverage of Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov's capture, I can easily draw conclusions as to who was the cause of Kai Hiwatari's condition."
Mr. Dickinson let out a small gasp, but quickly gestured for the man to go on.
"The well-being of my patients is my utmost concern, and I must ensure that the boy will not end up in the hands of that man again. I would like to submit his injuries and experiences as evidence against Boris Balkov and Voltaire Hiwatari. Such an obvious testimony of their…unthinkable treatment to a minor will surely be enough to keep them away. The problem is, I need permission."
As the doctor finished, Ray almost wished Tala was here so that he could give the doctor the exact same conversation he had given him only moments earlier. This man believed there was a chance Boris and Voltaire would remain in jail too, and that a cell would be enough to keep them away from Kai.
Ray didn't know who's opinion to trust. A doctor with years of schooling, or a teenager who's actions didn't always seem very sane? He wanted to deny it, but in this situation the latter probably was the one that was right. Tala knew Biovolt, this man didn't, and the chances of the two breaking out of prison again were highly probable. Before he could say anything though, Mr. Dickinson cut in.
"Of course. You have my permission to do whatever is in your power to keep those men away from Kai." The doctor stared at the old man in sympathy, obviously sensing the strain he was under.
"That's very kind of you, but I am not talking about your permission. I need Kai's." Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"Then why come to us? The boy is upstairs, isn't he?"
The doctor nodded rapidly. "Yes he is, but he refuses to tell me anything. He's…he is saying that no one touched him, that his injuries were from one of those beybattles. I have been in this field of work for almost two decades now. I can promise you that a beybattle is not the reason that boy is in a hospital bed right now."
Max, Tyson and Ray all gazed at one another incredulously, each wondering the same thing.
"You are closer with him then me. Will you talk with him? Get him to tell you what happened. Sometimes it is difficult for people who are abused to admit it. Just help him to accept the fact, and try to get his permission to use himself as evidence." Taking a breath, the doctor glanced at each one of the forlorn faces.
"It will be difficult. But I promise that getting him to talk will be the first step to his recovery." As each of the members of the room fully absorbed what the doctor just said, silence one again filled the room.
Surprisingly, it was Max who spoke up first.
"Alright, I'm in. When can we see him?" Tyson and Ray's jaws practically dropped to the ground.
"As soon as you are ready. I will have to ask if he minds visitors first, but if he says no, then you will all be allowed in."
Max nodded. "Just…Can you give us a few minutes, please?" The doctor agreed, apologized for bringing such awful news, and then proceeded back through the hospital hallway.
"Max!" As soon as the doctor left, Tyson turned on his best friend. "What are you thinking? We can't agree to this! Kai's trusting us to keep his secrets, not force them out of him!"
Max shook his head adamantly. "No Tyson! Kai needs our help. He is just too stubborn to admit it. He…" Willing his voice not to crack, the turtle-blader continued, "He wants our help, Ty. I know it. He just doesn't know how to ask for it."
About to retort back, Tyson took a breath, but Ray stopped him. "I think…Max might be right on this one Ty."
Gaping at his friend, Tyson seemed at a loss for words. "But…But you said it yourself, Ray. You were the one that didn't want us to tell in the first place! And you were right, he would never trust us again if we did!"
Ray looked into the garnet eyes across from him. "I don't care about that anymore, Tyson. Kai needs help. He needs to admit this and talk about it. I don't care whether he trusts us again after this, I just want him to be Kai again. If that means risking our friendship then so be it. His well-being is more important."
Ray's solemnity seemed to penetrate everyone in the room, and any spark of an argument against what the doctor had asked of them was quickly extinguished. Ray was absolutely right, and even Tyson agreed Kai's welfare was well worth their friendship. After all he had done for them, it was now their turn to give a little back in return. He just hoped that their confrontation would help Kai, and not add anymore pain to his suffering.
I just love writing bipolar Tala. It's fun!
Just for the record, I have no idea how the legal system works in Russia. I am completely making it to fit this story, so don't take anything for fact.
Thanks so much for reading and I would love to hear from you in a review!
-FlamingIce94
P.S. Sorry it was so short, but I want the entire next chapter to be dedicated to their confrontation. It should be up soon though because it's already half started. Till then!
