Emptiness
By: Black Dranzer
".." speaking and thinking
//..// Russian or other language translations (not jap tho)
++..++ speaking and thinking of non-human beings
~*~*~*~ Scene Change ~*~*~*~
~~flashback sequences~~
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I only own any of the characters that you haven't seen in the original Beyblade series.
In the last chapter of Emptiness:
((As her eyes settled on Tala sitting at the back of the room on his bed, Kazuki's memory came back in harsh flashes. The day she met the boy, the connection she found with their minds, but worst of all, the sight of the knife stuck in his stomach. She fell to the ground, clutching her head, much to the surprise of Boris and Bryan, whom stared at her shaking form. Then, with as much suddenness as it had come, the flashes had disappeared, leaving Kazuki with a jumble of fizzled memories. The only ones that remained clear were those of the red haired boy and another..))
(("You two will battle here," he said, leading the two inside, "I expect top performance or you will be here for the rest of the day."
"Yes sir," both replied as the two took their places on opposite ends of the room.
"Good," Boris replied and ascended to the observation platform where he sat down to watch.
Kazuki raised her launcher and directed it at Tala, almost reluctantly, but her arms became rigid the second Tala raised his own gun launcher with relentlessness in his eyes.
"Let it rip!" both shouted, sending their beyblades to the center of the room.))
(("Wolborg! Keep pressing the attack!" Tala shouted as he forced all of his rage into the wolf.
Wolborg roared its approval and charged towards the swan, almost tearing its wing off as it tackled it to the ground.
Kazuki was startled by the bit beast's raw power and looked over at Tala. To her amazement, she saw almost pure hatred in his eyes, and all of it was directed at her. That moment caused her to loose momentum and Zenborg's energy drained away. In a matter of seconds, Wolborg stood victorious over Zenborg's unspinning beyblade.))
((Black Dranzer immediately flew out of her resting place and opened her golden eyes to look at Boris.
++I am out master,++ she said with a deep bow and turned to Tala, ++Let's begin.++
Tala nodded and aimed his gun shooter while Black Dranzer readied her own bow shooter.
"Let it rip!" they both shouted and once again, the Tala forced his attack.
"Wolborg! Crush her again!"
++Not this time, boy,++ Black Dranzer hissed, ++I am a different opponent,++))
((Black Dranzer looked at the swan with a frown, ++What are you doing? Attack him!++ But the white swan continued to stare at Black Dranzer, until a glint of recognition filled its eyes and it cried out in fury before bashing Tala's beyblade aside. But it didn't stop at that, Black Dranzer looked upon the white swan in shock as it headed towards her at full speed, eyes full of anger.))
(("What's wrong Zenborg?" Kazuki commanded.
Her bit beast looked down at the girl with sympathy and moved its wing towards her face. The feather tip was just about to touch Kazuki when what seemed to be a black streak of light emitted out of the beyblade and wrapped itself around Zenborg, almost strangling it as it pulled the white swan back into the beyblade.))
((++That Zenborg,++ she said with a growl, ++she still remembers?++
"I suppose," Boris replied, "This will cause a major setback."
++Don't worry master,++ Black Dranzer replied, ++I suppose I will have no problems using the Yami, it is, after all, an empty spirit,++))
(("Tell me exactly what happened, and now!" he growled, he didn't like where this was going.
"He set up a bomb and-and he said the boys couldn't have escaped!" the man finally finished, shaking from Boris' grip.))
((Jackie suddenly grabbed Kai's shirt and pushed him back into the bed. Kai, surprised at the girl's strength, sat down and was rewarded with another stab of pain.
"Don't you understand?" Jackie shouted at him, and Kai felt droplets of tears fall onto his face, "Johnny helped you so that you could be safe! Not so that you could go and kill yourself! If you train in the condition you're in now, it'll most likely lead to fatal injuries that can't be fixed!" At that, the girl fell crying into his arms, "I don't want you to disappear as well!"))
(("What happened to Changer?" the boy suddenly asked, making Jackie look up at him in surprise.
She bit her lower lip and carefully took off the top jacket that covered her whole arm. Kai watched as she revealed bandages on her arm over the shot she had received last night. "Robert helped me while the others were in here," she said, "But he promised to keep it a secret."))
((That night, while their parents were preoccupied, Johnny pulled Jackie aside.
"Here," he said, and held out his clenched fist.
"What is it?" Jackie asked as she put her hands close to her brother's hands and watched him open his hands.
Her eyes widened in surprise and joy as Spectrya's bit lay glinting in the light.
"Oh thank you Johnny!" she cried as she hugged her brother tightly and jumped with joy.
"Whatever," Johnny said as he gently pulled his sister off of him, "But I'm not buying you birthday presents for five years!"
Jackie laughed and stuck out her tongue, "Fine!"))
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fall
In the privacy of the abandoned part of Balkov Abbey, a boy held onto a picture frame.
Within the frame was the photo of a young boy with shoulder-length red hair.
"Dimitri," the boy whispered as he held the picture closer to him.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps sounded and the boy's head snapped up as the frame disappeared into the inner folds of his jacket.
Boris Balkov stomped down the halls near to where the boy stood.
The man though, made no acknowledgement to the boy's presence and stomped on with a battered abbey worker trailing after him.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Bryan silently made his way down the hall, the cold mask he usually wore now present on his face.
~*~*~*~
Kazuki sat quietly on her bed as Black Dranzer's presence watched over her.
++What is wrong?++ she asked.
Kazuki pulled her knees up to her chin and replied, "My mind is a blur. I know I hate that person named Kai, but I can't recollect why,"
Black Dranzer formed herself into her human spirit shape and put her hands on Kazuki's shoulder, ++You hate him because of me,++
Kazuki looked up, "Because of you mother? Why?" then, another harsh flash and the memory became clearer.
"The collapse of the abbey," she remembered, "There were falling bricks everywhere. Alexander and I escaped, but mother,"
She then covered her mouth as the worst day of her life repeated itself in front of her eyes.
"Mother, you," she started, but Black Dranzer placed a spiritual finger on her lips.
++You need not remember every detail,++ Black Dranzer hushed, ++It is too painful,++
Kazuki slowly nodded as she bit her lips and looked up at Black Dranzer.
"That is why you don't have your own body, is it not?" she asked.
++That is partially true,++ Black Dranzer mused, then, Kazuki felt the anger rising in her counterpart, ++But now, we can get back at him for what he has done. Not only for taking my life, but for destroying yours as well,++
Kazuki silently had doubts about Black Dranzer. Her mother had never been one to take revenge, or even think of harming another creature. But Black Dranzer seemed to lust for blood. Deeper down, she could roughly feel that something isn't right about Black Dranzer, that it isn't human at all. But her doubts where choked down by how much she wanted to have a mother again. She knew that not everything about Black Dranzer made sense, but it did not matter. Didn't she now have a mother? Maybe it was best if her mother wanted revenge as well. That way, she would not have to live with the feeling that she had done something her mother had not wanted.
++Kazuki?++ Black Dranzer's voice broke into her thoughts, ++Are you alright?++
"I-I am fine, mother," she replied and smiled weakly at her.
Black Dranzer gave her a nod and disappeared in a wisp of spiritual energy.
As soon as she was back inside of her, Kazuki felt Black Dranzer's thought patterns change from soft and caring ones to hard and brooding.
"I wonder what she is thinking about?" she wondered, but fell asleep on her bed before she could think further.
++Your doubts are useless,++ Black Dranzer's looming form appeared once again, ++For the time for spiritual consumption is close at hand. As soon as I have 'feasted' enough, this body will be mine,++
~*~*~*~
Johnny's eyes snapped open.
He had heard voices start up and the sound of stomping footsteps pass by, though they were muffled.
Looking around, he saw nothing but darkness for a minute before his eyes accustomed to the lack of light and things focused.
The first thing he noticed was that he was sitting on a very cold floor, not damp, but freezing like ice. When he tried to stand up, he found that shackles bound his legs and arms, allowing little free movement.
"Where the hell is this?" he growled to himself and was surprised to hear a voice answer.
"Balkov Abbey, Moscow, Russia," the voice was deeper than his, so he supposed it was a man somewhere to his right.
Looking into the darkness, he made out the form of the speaker and saw him turn around.
"You're Johnny, am I mistaken?" the man asked. It carried not threat, just a dull curiosity.
"Yea," Johnny replied slowly, "And who are you?"
"We met," the man replied, "I'm Kyle, from the hotel,"
That was like a slap across Johnny's face as he recalled the events of the night.
"Why are we here? Where are the others? Did they get caught too?" the chain of questions poured out of his mouth.
"Slow down," the man replied calmly, then shifted his position so that he had a clear view of Johnny with the limited amount of light, "The others are fine, you and I are the only two invited to this comfortable dungeon in the middle of a frozen country,"
Johnny noted the sarcasm in the man's voice and frowned. How could he be so calm in a situation like this?
"How can we get out of here?" he asked, though he didn't expect the man knew the answer as he is still sitting in the cell.
"Can't do much but wait," the man replied, confirming Johnny's suspicions.
"Wait for what? To be frozen?" Johnny scoffed.
"No," the man answered, "We wait until I can get Schneider to power up enough,"
"Schneider?" Johnny asked, "What's that?"
"My bit beast," the man replied as he fumbled around his clothes and brought out a flaming-orange beyblade.
That reminded Johnny of something and he searched around his own pockets, searching for Salamulyon.
The feeling of smooth metal met his fingers and he pulled his beyblade out, only to find that the bit had been taken away.
"Noticed eh?" Kyle said bitterly, "Boris isn't a fool to let us keep our bit beasts."
Johnny then noticed that the man's beyblade was missing its bit as well.
"Then how is your bit beast going to help us?" Johnny sneered.
"I have my ways," the man responded and Johnny saw a secret smirk appear on his face.
Again, the boy looked at his own red beyblade and its missing bit. With a sigh, he stuffed it back into his pocket and propped his head on one hand as he sat with his legs crossed.
"By the way," Johnny realized, "What's your relation to Kai? What was he doing at your hotel room?"
The man didn't reply right away and Johnny thought he was either sleeping or ignoring him, so he was just about to ask again when, "I'm his relative,"
"Wha-?" Johnny's mouth fell open, "You're his relative?"
"What? Don't believe me?" Kyle retorted, "That's your choice,"
"He doesn't resemble you in any way!" Johnny countered, "And he's never mentioned you before,"
"Well, he probably never said anything else about himself either," the man laughed.
"True," Johnny had to agree.
"And on the other hand," the man said, "He resembles his father down to almost every detail,"
"Are you his father's brother or something?" Johnny inquired.
"Not exactly," but the man was cut off by the sound of footsteps stopping near his cell.
"There is to be no talking between the two of you any further," an abbey worker said menacingly, "It is by strict orders that I am to keep you two from communicating with each other."
"They why are we in cells next to each other?" Kyle asked with sarcasm.
The abbey worker didn't reply, but instead pushed a button on the wall.
Johnny heard Kyle scream out in pain as what seemed to be electricity flowed through his shackles.
"We only keep two cells equipped with electrocution devices," the abbey worker explained smugly, "Would you like me to prove that that kid's cell is electrically wired as well?"
"Leave him alone," Kyle growled, "The conversation's over anyways,"
"It is, is it?" the abbey worker mocked, thoroughly enjoying himself, "Then- "But he didn't get to finish as another pair of footsteps stopped outside the cells.
"You know it is against the rules to use the electrocution device without orders," a cold voice growled.
The abbey worker turned around to look at the newcomer and he frowned.
"I have orders to keep these two from communicating," the abbey worker said defiantly.
"The orders you were given don't state the use of the device," the other person replied.
"Yes, but the device is here to-"the abbey worker suddenly gave a yelp of pain as the other person took him into an arm lock.
"Your orders don't include the device," he said again.
The abbey worker nodded slowly, though giving in to another yelp of pain.
Finally, he was released and walked off away from the cells.
Looking up, Johnny was surprised to see Bryan standing in front of the cell with his arms crossed.
As if noticing the look, Bryan glared at Johnny openly, "Is there something wrong with your eyes?"
"No," Johnny replied with his own glare, "But why did you-?"
"If you think I'm doing it for your benefit, think again," Bryan replied as he started to walk away, "I'm just making sure that you are whole and intact before the 'feast'. 'She' doesn't like her meals to be harmed before she does the damage,"
A cold laugh followed, sending chills down Johnny's back.
Feast? She? What was Bryan talking about?
In the cell beside him, the man looked silently at Bryan's retreating form.
"You've been taught hide your pain with cruelty," he said, "But I know that Dimitri still haunts you to this day"
Bryan stopped dead.
"You," he growled, not turning around, "Who told you?"
"No one needs to tell me," Kyle replied, "I saw it happen,"
Bryan seemed to stiffen even more than before and Johnny saw his fists clench.
There was a dreadful silence filling the already soundless dungeons as both Johnny and Kyle waited for Bryan's response.
To their surprise, Bryan laughed.
"Don't think that you can affect me with your meaningless words," he said as he turned to face them, eyes glinting dangerously, "My heart can't ache after all these years. I've already thrown it away the day Dimitri died,"
"He didn't die," Kyle replied softly, sympathy haunting his voice.
Bryan's eyes hardened, "To me, he did. I don't consider the present him to be my brother anymore. Boris has manipulated him too far," A hint of sad defiance stood in his voice as he said those last words.
"There is a way of bringing him back," Kyle started, but the door to the dungeon had slammed shut, blocking out his words.
~*~*~*~
"Show it to me, now!" Boris demanded as he slammed open the door.
"M-master Boris, I can explain," the abbey worker that had been sent out to spy on the Bladebreakers started, but he was harshly cut off by the slamming of a hand across his face.
Boris, who had just slapped the abbey worker aside, grabbed the abbey worker who had piloted the helicopter and growled, "Show me the tape,"
The man cowered beneath the other man's glare and fumbled with his pockets before handing Boris the videotape that was installed at the head of the helicopter.
Boris slammed the videotape into a near-by computer video player and watched as the picture appeared.
"You better not have lead any police back here," Boris threatened as he plastered his eyes to the screen.
He watched the struggle the abbey worker had had with Kai and the appearance of the other bladers. Lastly, he saw the man sneak away and climb onto the helicopter in the corner of the screen.
Then came the blast of fire as the bombs went off.
He frowned as the camera was blocked by black smoke. It then cleared up a few moments later, revealing a fire-filled screen. Pausing the tape, Boris searched the screen for any sign of police officers or patrol cars, but saw none.
"We are sorry, Master," the abbey worker whom had been knocked down started, but Boris cut him off.
"Did I say you can speak?" he growled, turning the screen of, without waiting for an answer, he continued, "No, so the next time you think you are allowed to open your mouth, don't,"
With that, Boris turned off the video.
++Is there something wrong?++ Black Dranzer's voice suddenly asked.
Boris almost jumped in surprise, but merely looked down at Black Dranzer's form, which had silently slipped into the room without notice.
"These fools," Boris said, pointing at the two other men in the room, "They've set off a bomb that, they claim, has blown up the Bladebreakers,"
++I don't know, nor care, much for the others,++ Black Dranzer said, ++But Kai is still alive,++
Boris looked at the girl in surprise, "How do you know?"
++Instinct,++ Black Dranzer replied simply, trying not to say too much.
"Don't lie to me," Boris growled, "I am not in the mood for this petty talk,"
++It's our bond,++ Black Dranzer replied slowly, seeing Boris' eyebrow raise, ++The one between me and Dranzer. I feel his living presence.++
"Very well then, I will just assume you are correct," Boris replied after a moment of pause.
Black Dranzer bowed shortly and said, ++I will need to return now, Kazuki is waking up,++
Boris waved her out and sat down heavily in an office chair.
"That stupid bond," he growled, "Even after I tried to cut off all of the side effects.."
~*~*~*~
"What was it?" Kai asked Dranzer as he sat on his bed, clutching his head.
A moment ago, a spear-like feeling of hatred had passed through his mind, though he was sure it was not his own.
Dranzer didn't reply for a moment.
"Dranzer?"
What sounded like a sigh came from his bit beast before it appeared before him.
++I suppose I have kept this secret long enough,++ Dranzer said quietly as it spread its wings and wrapped them around a surprised Kai.
"Secret?" the boy asked. The thought of pushing Dranzer away occurred in the back of his mind, but he knew that he really didn't want to.
++I must not go into direct detail,++ Dranzer said, ++The 'prophecy' does not allow it, but you have to know, even if it is a rough summary,++
Kai looked up into the eyes of his phoenix bit beast.
"I don't understand," he said, "What are you talking about?"
Dranzer looked back into the boy's eyes and he saw a ring of fiery sadness that surrounded its eyes.
++I cannot allow you to remain ignorant of the battle that's to come,++ Dranzer continued, ++Even if it goes against Yuri's wishes,++
"Yuri?" Kai's eyes widened in recognition, "You mean, my father?"
Dranzer gave him something like a smile, ++At least you know your father,++
A frown appeared across the boy's features as he pushed Dranzer's wings away.
"It doesn't matter if I know him or not," he said with insolence, "As far as I know, he never served his role well,"
Dranzer suddenly screeched out with what sounded to Kai like a roar of fury.
++How dare you look down upon your father like that?++ it demanded, in a tone Kai had never heard before, ++Do you know why he couldn't be here by your side today? Do you know why you hardly remember his face at all?++
"I don't and I wouldn't want to know," Kai replied, though he had to admit, Dranzer' s tone struck fear into him.
++Then I suppose you wouldn't want to know how he died,++ Dranzer said back, colder than before.
There was a pause, "No," came Kai's final reply.
He didn't have to turn around to know that Dranzer had disappeared within its beyblade.
With reproachful eyes, he looked at his beyblade, no longer emitting the soothing warmth of Dranzer.
Regret came through his mind as he picked up the beyblade and stared at Dranzer's bit chip. He had almost expected Dranzer to leave him, but the image of the phoenix was still present.
++I won't leave you, no matter how much you offend me,++ he heard its voice quietly declare, ++But the only reason is of the pact I have made to my former master. I cannot disrespect his orders,++
"I-"Kai started, but the voice had already disappeared, leaving the boy to sit silently on his bedside.
Looking out the window, Kai let the tears he had been holding in fall out, glinting in the moonlight.
"It's not that I don't want to know," he said quietly, "It's just that..I can't accept the truth. Not before I right the plentiful wrongs I have created,"
~*~*~*~
In the shower room, Tala removed his top and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The scar on his stomach stretched only a few inches, but in his mind, it left a larger mark.
A harsh smirk appeared on his face as he turned and stepped into one of the shower cubicles and started to turn on the tap. He winced a bit as he felt warm water through his hands. An eyebrow rose at this. He had never known there to be hot water in the shower rooms. He let the water flow for a few minutes, filling the shower cubicle with hot steam. He let the thick air surround him, all the while reminiscing what he had determined as he had been chained to his bed.
After the incident with the blank wall, he had decided once and for all that he should just let himself to return to what he had been doing for the past years, perfecting his beyblade skills, and not put his mind on anything else any longer. After all, there was nothing else to strive for, not anymore.
Tala punched the wall of the cubicle softly, and was surprised to find the shower hose turn on. Warm water drenched him head to toe and he almost choked from the downpour.
Steadying himself, he let the warm water soak him. That was when he noticed that his hair was starting to loose it's shape and was plastered against his skull.
"It's going to take forever to get it back up again," he cursed. He had never taken a hot bath before ever since he could remember, mostly because there was no hot water to begin with, but he didn't want to ruin his hair either.
Shrugging the annoyance off, he let himself enjoy the rest of the shower and finally stepped out of the cubicle five minutes later, with his hair lying about his head in wet, droopy strands.
Taking a look at himself in the mirror, Tala wiped away the steam and came face to face with his own reflection.
With a start, he noticed another red mark appear on his chest, close to his heart. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was yet another scar. This one, though, seemed to be very old and has almost fully healed, only being revealed by the hot water. Something stirred in his mind, and he pulled back, not wanting to look at his red hair hanging down to his shoulders.
With a frown, he quickly started to dry his hair, using a spare towel he had brought. Knowing it would take too long to hand dry his hair, he pulled on his clothes and walked out of the shower room, deciding to let his hair dry on its own.
As he reached the door to his shared room, he remembered that he had forgotten his towel back in the shower room and turned around to retrieve it, only to almost crash into Bryan, who had just turned the corner.
Without a word, Tala walked past the other boy and continued down the hall, leaving a speechless Bryan behind.
He didn't see Bryan's eyes widen, nor did he notice the quick movement of the other boy's hand to his jacket pocket.
A name floated down the hall, noticed by no one except the speaker himself.
~~FINI~~
By: Black Dranzer
".." speaking and thinking
//..// Russian or other language translations (not jap tho)
++..++ speaking and thinking of non-human beings
~*~*~*~ Scene Change ~*~*~*~
~~flashback sequences~~
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I only own any of the characters that you haven't seen in the original Beyblade series.
In the last chapter of Emptiness:
((As her eyes settled on Tala sitting at the back of the room on his bed, Kazuki's memory came back in harsh flashes. The day she met the boy, the connection she found with their minds, but worst of all, the sight of the knife stuck in his stomach. She fell to the ground, clutching her head, much to the surprise of Boris and Bryan, whom stared at her shaking form. Then, with as much suddenness as it had come, the flashes had disappeared, leaving Kazuki with a jumble of fizzled memories. The only ones that remained clear were those of the red haired boy and another..))
(("You two will battle here," he said, leading the two inside, "I expect top performance or you will be here for the rest of the day."
"Yes sir," both replied as the two took their places on opposite ends of the room.
"Good," Boris replied and ascended to the observation platform where he sat down to watch.
Kazuki raised her launcher and directed it at Tala, almost reluctantly, but her arms became rigid the second Tala raised his own gun launcher with relentlessness in his eyes.
"Let it rip!" both shouted, sending their beyblades to the center of the room.))
(("Wolborg! Keep pressing the attack!" Tala shouted as he forced all of his rage into the wolf.
Wolborg roared its approval and charged towards the swan, almost tearing its wing off as it tackled it to the ground.
Kazuki was startled by the bit beast's raw power and looked over at Tala. To her amazement, she saw almost pure hatred in his eyes, and all of it was directed at her. That moment caused her to loose momentum and Zenborg's energy drained away. In a matter of seconds, Wolborg stood victorious over Zenborg's unspinning beyblade.))
((Black Dranzer immediately flew out of her resting place and opened her golden eyes to look at Boris.
++I am out master,++ she said with a deep bow and turned to Tala, ++Let's begin.++
Tala nodded and aimed his gun shooter while Black Dranzer readied her own bow shooter.
"Let it rip!" they both shouted and once again, the Tala forced his attack.
"Wolborg! Crush her again!"
++Not this time, boy,++ Black Dranzer hissed, ++I am a different opponent,++))
((Black Dranzer looked at the swan with a frown, ++What are you doing? Attack him!++ But the white swan continued to stare at Black Dranzer, until a glint of recognition filled its eyes and it cried out in fury before bashing Tala's beyblade aside. But it didn't stop at that, Black Dranzer looked upon the white swan in shock as it headed towards her at full speed, eyes full of anger.))
(("What's wrong Zenborg?" Kazuki commanded.
Her bit beast looked down at the girl with sympathy and moved its wing towards her face. The feather tip was just about to touch Kazuki when what seemed to be a black streak of light emitted out of the beyblade and wrapped itself around Zenborg, almost strangling it as it pulled the white swan back into the beyblade.))
((++That Zenborg,++ she said with a growl, ++she still remembers?++
"I suppose," Boris replied, "This will cause a major setback."
++Don't worry master,++ Black Dranzer replied, ++I suppose I will have no problems using the Yami, it is, after all, an empty spirit,++))
(("Tell me exactly what happened, and now!" he growled, he didn't like where this was going.
"He set up a bomb and-and he said the boys couldn't have escaped!" the man finally finished, shaking from Boris' grip.))
((Jackie suddenly grabbed Kai's shirt and pushed him back into the bed. Kai, surprised at the girl's strength, sat down and was rewarded with another stab of pain.
"Don't you understand?" Jackie shouted at him, and Kai felt droplets of tears fall onto his face, "Johnny helped you so that you could be safe! Not so that you could go and kill yourself! If you train in the condition you're in now, it'll most likely lead to fatal injuries that can't be fixed!" At that, the girl fell crying into his arms, "I don't want you to disappear as well!"))
(("What happened to Changer?" the boy suddenly asked, making Jackie look up at him in surprise.
She bit her lower lip and carefully took off the top jacket that covered her whole arm. Kai watched as she revealed bandages on her arm over the shot she had received last night. "Robert helped me while the others were in here," she said, "But he promised to keep it a secret."))
((That night, while their parents were preoccupied, Johnny pulled Jackie aside.
"Here," he said, and held out his clenched fist.
"What is it?" Jackie asked as she put her hands close to her brother's hands and watched him open his hands.
Her eyes widened in surprise and joy as Spectrya's bit lay glinting in the light.
"Oh thank you Johnny!" she cried as she hugged her brother tightly and jumped with joy.
"Whatever," Johnny said as he gently pulled his sister off of him, "But I'm not buying you birthday presents for five years!"
Jackie laughed and stuck out her tongue, "Fine!"))
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fall
In the privacy of the abandoned part of Balkov Abbey, a boy held onto a picture frame.
Within the frame was the photo of a young boy with shoulder-length red hair.
"Dimitri," the boy whispered as he held the picture closer to him.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps sounded and the boy's head snapped up as the frame disappeared into the inner folds of his jacket.
Boris Balkov stomped down the halls near to where the boy stood.
The man though, made no acknowledgement to the boy's presence and stomped on with a battered abbey worker trailing after him.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Bryan silently made his way down the hall, the cold mask he usually wore now present on his face.
~*~*~*~
Kazuki sat quietly on her bed as Black Dranzer's presence watched over her.
++What is wrong?++ she asked.
Kazuki pulled her knees up to her chin and replied, "My mind is a blur. I know I hate that person named Kai, but I can't recollect why,"
Black Dranzer formed herself into her human spirit shape and put her hands on Kazuki's shoulder, ++You hate him because of me,++
Kazuki looked up, "Because of you mother? Why?" then, another harsh flash and the memory became clearer.
"The collapse of the abbey," she remembered, "There were falling bricks everywhere. Alexander and I escaped, but mother,"
She then covered her mouth as the worst day of her life repeated itself in front of her eyes.
"Mother, you," she started, but Black Dranzer placed a spiritual finger on her lips.
++You need not remember every detail,++ Black Dranzer hushed, ++It is too painful,++
Kazuki slowly nodded as she bit her lips and looked up at Black Dranzer.
"That is why you don't have your own body, is it not?" she asked.
++That is partially true,++ Black Dranzer mused, then, Kazuki felt the anger rising in her counterpart, ++But now, we can get back at him for what he has done. Not only for taking my life, but for destroying yours as well,++
Kazuki silently had doubts about Black Dranzer. Her mother had never been one to take revenge, or even think of harming another creature. But Black Dranzer seemed to lust for blood. Deeper down, she could roughly feel that something isn't right about Black Dranzer, that it isn't human at all. But her doubts where choked down by how much she wanted to have a mother again. She knew that not everything about Black Dranzer made sense, but it did not matter. Didn't she now have a mother? Maybe it was best if her mother wanted revenge as well. That way, she would not have to live with the feeling that she had done something her mother had not wanted.
++Kazuki?++ Black Dranzer's voice broke into her thoughts, ++Are you alright?++
"I-I am fine, mother," she replied and smiled weakly at her.
Black Dranzer gave her a nod and disappeared in a wisp of spiritual energy.
As soon as she was back inside of her, Kazuki felt Black Dranzer's thought patterns change from soft and caring ones to hard and brooding.
"I wonder what she is thinking about?" she wondered, but fell asleep on her bed before she could think further.
++Your doubts are useless,++ Black Dranzer's looming form appeared once again, ++For the time for spiritual consumption is close at hand. As soon as I have 'feasted' enough, this body will be mine,++
~*~*~*~
Johnny's eyes snapped open.
He had heard voices start up and the sound of stomping footsteps pass by, though they were muffled.
Looking around, he saw nothing but darkness for a minute before his eyes accustomed to the lack of light and things focused.
The first thing he noticed was that he was sitting on a very cold floor, not damp, but freezing like ice. When he tried to stand up, he found that shackles bound his legs and arms, allowing little free movement.
"Where the hell is this?" he growled to himself and was surprised to hear a voice answer.
"Balkov Abbey, Moscow, Russia," the voice was deeper than his, so he supposed it was a man somewhere to his right.
Looking into the darkness, he made out the form of the speaker and saw him turn around.
"You're Johnny, am I mistaken?" the man asked. It carried not threat, just a dull curiosity.
"Yea," Johnny replied slowly, "And who are you?"
"We met," the man replied, "I'm Kyle, from the hotel,"
That was like a slap across Johnny's face as he recalled the events of the night.
"Why are we here? Where are the others? Did they get caught too?" the chain of questions poured out of his mouth.
"Slow down," the man replied calmly, then shifted his position so that he had a clear view of Johnny with the limited amount of light, "The others are fine, you and I are the only two invited to this comfortable dungeon in the middle of a frozen country,"
Johnny noted the sarcasm in the man's voice and frowned. How could he be so calm in a situation like this?
"How can we get out of here?" he asked, though he didn't expect the man knew the answer as he is still sitting in the cell.
"Can't do much but wait," the man replied, confirming Johnny's suspicions.
"Wait for what? To be frozen?" Johnny scoffed.
"No," the man answered, "We wait until I can get Schneider to power up enough,"
"Schneider?" Johnny asked, "What's that?"
"My bit beast," the man replied as he fumbled around his clothes and brought out a flaming-orange beyblade.
That reminded Johnny of something and he searched around his own pockets, searching for Salamulyon.
The feeling of smooth metal met his fingers and he pulled his beyblade out, only to find that the bit had been taken away.
"Noticed eh?" Kyle said bitterly, "Boris isn't a fool to let us keep our bit beasts."
Johnny then noticed that the man's beyblade was missing its bit as well.
"Then how is your bit beast going to help us?" Johnny sneered.
"I have my ways," the man responded and Johnny saw a secret smirk appear on his face.
Again, the boy looked at his own red beyblade and its missing bit. With a sigh, he stuffed it back into his pocket and propped his head on one hand as he sat with his legs crossed.
"By the way," Johnny realized, "What's your relation to Kai? What was he doing at your hotel room?"
The man didn't reply right away and Johnny thought he was either sleeping or ignoring him, so he was just about to ask again when, "I'm his relative,"
"Wha-?" Johnny's mouth fell open, "You're his relative?"
"What? Don't believe me?" Kyle retorted, "That's your choice,"
"He doesn't resemble you in any way!" Johnny countered, "And he's never mentioned you before,"
"Well, he probably never said anything else about himself either," the man laughed.
"True," Johnny had to agree.
"And on the other hand," the man said, "He resembles his father down to almost every detail,"
"Are you his father's brother or something?" Johnny inquired.
"Not exactly," but the man was cut off by the sound of footsteps stopping near his cell.
"There is to be no talking between the two of you any further," an abbey worker said menacingly, "It is by strict orders that I am to keep you two from communicating with each other."
"They why are we in cells next to each other?" Kyle asked with sarcasm.
The abbey worker didn't reply, but instead pushed a button on the wall.
Johnny heard Kyle scream out in pain as what seemed to be electricity flowed through his shackles.
"We only keep two cells equipped with electrocution devices," the abbey worker explained smugly, "Would you like me to prove that that kid's cell is electrically wired as well?"
"Leave him alone," Kyle growled, "The conversation's over anyways,"
"It is, is it?" the abbey worker mocked, thoroughly enjoying himself, "Then- "But he didn't get to finish as another pair of footsteps stopped outside the cells.
"You know it is against the rules to use the electrocution device without orders," a cold voice growled.
The abbey worker turned around to look at the newcomer and he frowned.
"I have orders to keep these two from communicating," the abbey worker said defiantly.
"The orders you were given don't state the use of the device," the other person replied.
"Yes, but the device is here to-"the abbey worker suddenly gave a yelp of pain as the other person took him into an arm lock.
"Your orders don't include the device," he said again.
The abbey worker nodded slowly, though giving in to another yelp of pain.
Finally, he was released and walked off away from the cells.
Looking up, Johnny was surprised to see Bryan standing in front of the cell with his arms crossed.
As if noticing the look, Bryan glared at Johnny openly, "Is there something wrong with your eyes?"
"No," Johnny replied with his own glare, "But why did you-?"
"If you think I'm doing it for your benefit, think again," Bryan replied as he started to walk away, "I'm just making sure that you are whole and intact before the 'feast'. 'She' doesn't like her meals to be harmed before she does the damage,"
A cold laugh followed, sending chills down Johnny's back.
Feast? She? What was Bryan talking about?
In the cell beside him, the man looked silently at Bryan's retreating form.
"You've been taught hide your pain with cruelty," he said, "But I know that Dimitri still haunts you to this day"
Bryan stopped dead.
"You," he growled, not turning around, "Who told you?"
"No one needs to tell me," Kyle replied, "I saw it happen,"
Bryan seemed to stiffen even more than before and Johnny saw his fists clench.
There was a dreadful silence filling the already soundless dungeons as both Johnny and Kyle waited for Bryan's response.
To their surprise, Bryan laughed.
"Don't think that you can affect me with your meaningless words," he said as he turned to face them, eyes glinting dangerously, "My heart can't ache after all these years. I've already thrown it away the day Dimitri died,"
"He didn't die," Kyle replied softly, sympathy haunting his voice.
Bryan's eyes hardened, "To me, he did. I don't consider the present him to be my brother anymore. Boris has manipulated him too far," A hint of sad defiance stood in his voice as he said those last words.
"There is a way of bringing him back," Kyle started, but the door to the dungeon had slammed shut, blocking out his words.
~*~*~*~
"Show it to me, now!" Boris demanded as he slammed open the door.
"M-master Boris, I can explain," the abbey worker that had been sent out to spy on the Bladebreakers started, but he was harshly cut off by the slamming of a hand across his face.
Boris, who had just slapped the abbey worker aside, grabbed the abbey worker who had piloted the helicopter and growled, "Show me the tape,"
The man cowered beneath the other man's glare and fumbled with his pockets before handing Boris the videotape that was installed at the head of the helicopter.
Boris slammed the videotape into a near-by computer video player and watched as the picture appeared.
"You better not have lead any police back here," Boris threatened as he plastered his eyes to the screen.
He watched the struggle the abbey worker had had with Kai and the appearance of the other bladers. Lastly, he saw the man sneak away and climb onto the helicopter in the corner of the screen.
Then came the blast of fire as the bombs went off.
He frowned as the camera was blocked by black smoke. It then cleared up a few moments later, revealing a fire-filled screen. Pausing the tape, Boris searched the screen for any sign of police officers or patrol cars, but saw none.
"We are sorry, Master," the abbey worker whom had been knocked down started, but Boris cut him off.
"Did I say you can speak?" he growled, turning the screen of, without waiting for an answer, he continued, "No, so the next time you think you are allowed to open your mouth, don't,"
With that, Boris turned off the video.
++Is there something wrong?++ Black Dranzer's voice suddenly asked.
Boris almost jumped in surprise, but merely looked down at Black Dranzer's form, which had silently slipped into the room without notice.
"These fools," Boris said, pointing at the two other men in the room, "They've set off a bomb that, they claim, has blown up the Bladebreakers,"
++I don't know, nor care, much for the others,++ Black Dranzer said, ++But Kai is still alive,++
Boris looked at the girl in surprise, "How do you know?"
++Instinct,++ Black Dranzer replied simply, trying not to say too much.
"Don't lie to me," Boris growled, "I am not in the mood for this petty talk,"
++It's our bond,++ Black Dranzer replied slowly, seeing Boris' eyebrow raise, ++The one between me and Dranzer. I feel his living presence.++
"Very well then, I will just assume you are correct," Boris replied after a moment of pause.
Black Dranzer bowed shortly and said, ++I will need to return now, Kazuki is waking up,++
Boris waved her out and sat down heavily in an office chair.
"That stupid bond," he growled, "Even after I tried to cut off all of the side effects.."
~*~*~*~
"What was it?" Kai asked Dranzer as he sat on his bed, clutching his head.
A moment ago, a spear-like feeling of hatred had passed through his mind, though he was sure it was not his own.
Dranzer didn't reply for a moment.
"Dranzer?"
What sounded like a sigh came from his bit beast before it appeared before him.
++I suppose I have kept this secret long enough,++ Dranzer said quietly as it spread its wings and wrapped them around a surprised Kai.
"Secret?" the boy asked. The thought of pushing Dranzer away occurred in the back of his mind, but he knew that he really didn't want to.
++I must not go into direct detail,++ Dranzer said, ++The 'prophecy' does not allow it, but you have to know, even if it is a rough summary,++
Kai looked up into the eyes of his phoenix bit beast.
"I don't understand," he said, "What are you talking about?"
Dranzer looked back into the boy's eyes and he saw a ring of fiery sadness that surrounded its eyes.
++I cannot allow you to remain ignorant of the battle that's to come,++ Dranzer continued, ++Even if it goes against Yuri's wishes,++
"Yuri?" Kai's eyes widened in recognition, "You mean, my father?"
Dranzer gave him something like a smile, ++At least you know your father,++
A frown appeared across the boy's features as he pushed Dranzer's wings away.
"It doesn't matter if I know him or not," he said with insolence, "As far as I know, he never served his role well,"
Dranzer suddenly screeched out with what sounded to Kai like a roar of fury.
++How dare you look down upon your father like that?++ it demanded, in a tone Kai had never heard before, ++Do you know why he couldn't be here by your side today? Do you know why you hardly remember his face at all?++
"I don't and I wouldn't want to know," Kai replied, though he had to admit, Dranzer' s tone struck fear into him.
++Then I suppose you wouldn't want to know how he died,++ Dranzer said back, colder than before.
There was a pause, "No," came Kai's final reply.
He didn't have to turn around to know that Dranzer had disappeared within its beyblade.
With reproachful eyes, he looked at his beyblade, no longer emitting the soothing warmth of Dranzer.
Regret came through his mind as he picked up the beyblade and stared at Dranzer's bit chip. He had almost expected Dranzer to leave him, but the image of the phoenix was still present.
++I won't leave you, no matter how much you offend me,++ he heard its voice quietly declare, ++But the only reason is of the pact I have made to my former master. I cannot disrespect his orders,++
"I-"Kai started, but the voice had already disappeared, leaving the boy to sit silently on his bedside.
Looking out the window, Kai let the tears he had been holding in fall out, glinting in the moonlight.
"It's not that I don't want to know," he said quietly, "It's just that..I can't accept the truth. Not before I right the plentiful wrongs I have created,"
~*~*~*~
In the shower room, Tala removed his top and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The scar on his stomach stretched only a few inches, but in his mind, it left a larger mark.
A harsh smirk appeared on his face as he turned and stepped into one of the shower cubicles and started to turn on the tap. He winced a bit as he felt warm water through his hands. An eyebrow rose at this. He had never known there to be hot water in the shower rooms. He let the water flow for a few minutes, filling the shower cubicle with hot steam. He let the thick air surround him, all the while reminiscing what he had determined as he had been chained to his bed.
After the incident with the blank wall, he had decided once and for all that he should just let himself to return to what he had been doing for the past years, perfecting his beyblade skills, and not put his mind on anything else any longer. After all, there was nothing else to strive for, not anymore.
Tala punched the wall of the cubicle softly, and was surprised to find the shower hose turn on. Warm water drenched him head to toe and he almost choked from the downpour.
Steadying himself, he let the warm water soak him. That was when he noticed that his hair was starting to loose it's shape and was plastered against his skull.
"It's going to take forever to get it back up again," he cursed. He had never taken a hot bath before ever since he could remember, mostly because there was no hot water to begin with, but he didn't want to ruin his hair either.
Shrugging the annoyance off, he let himself enjoy the rest of the shower and finally stepped out of the cubicle five minutes later, with his hair lying about his head in wet, droopy strands.
Taking a look at himself in the mirror, Tala wiped away the steam and came face to face with his own reflection.
With a start, he noticed another red mark appear on his chest, close to his heart. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was yet another scar. This one, though, seemed to be very old and has almost fully healed, only being revealed by the hot water. Something stirred in his mind, and he pulled back, not wanting to look at his red hair hanging down to his shoulders.
With a frown, he quickly started to dry his hair, using a spare towel he had brought. Knowing it would take too long to hand dry his hair, he pulled on his clothes and walked out of the shower room, deciding to let his hair dry on its own.
As he reached the door to his shared room, he remembered that he had forgotten his towel back in the shower room and turned around to retrieve it, only to almost crash into Bryan, who had just turned the corner.
Without a word, Tala walked past the other boy and continued down the hall, leaving a speechless Bryan behind.
He didn't see Bryan's eyes widen, nor did he notice the quick movement of the other boy's hand to his jacket pocket.
A name floated down the hall, noticed by no one except the speaker himself.
~~FINI~~