["..."] - character speaking in Russian
*Борись - "Fight!" in Russian (Interestingly, Boris's name in Russian is very similarly written: "Борис". It's just a small fun fact.)
Chapter 24
He grabbed the hand. It was hard to admit, but he was in desperate need of help, and it was time to finally accept it from his team. He hold tightly Tyson's hand, not letting it go by any means.
But the helping grip of the hand suddenly weakened.
Kai looked up at Tyson in question from the ice-float, not understanding his intentions.
This was not how it had happened…
"You're not strong enough, Kai."
The words struck at him with cold shock. Colder than the icy water that burnt the skin on his legs. Not because of their meaning, but the fact that Tyson, of all people, who had always had a strong faith in him, the same boisterous little brat that had always pushed and supported him to go further and look forward, said these words directly to him with a true disappointed look he had never seen on his face before.
It broke something important in Kai.
"You need to be stronger." Tyson said, his voice was distorted with familiar sinister tones. It talked to Kai with a dark vibe and rung with a girl's deep, innocent voice just like before, from a different dream.
"I know! I will. I promise!" Kai hurried to clarify it to his team, but they didn't move, just stared at him with impassive judgement. He felt the cold shiver that coursed through his entire body, though it had nothing to do with the icy water he stood in. With a lump in his throat, Kai realized it was futile to say anything more. He saw the rejection in the eyes.
In the next moment, Tyson shoved away Kai's hand with a firm move, letting him to be swallowed by the darkness that had always conquered his soul. He was drowning again for a long time, and after a while, he gave up fighting against it, surrendering in complete defeat to the demon that was already waiting for him in the shadows.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a bed with a high, dirty wall in front of him as he cried silently. The pain in his neck didn't quieten though he had been returned to his room hours ago.
"Don't worry. The pain will fade. The same happened to me."
Kai stiffened at the voice of his roommate. Since he had witnessed how one of them starved to death, he refused to befriend with anyone. The picture of his suffering roommate was still too vivid in his mind, and he didn't want to live through another loss. He didn't want a replacement or another friend. Kai wanted only one thing.
To go home.
"You don't understand." Kai replied after a long silence, forcing down his crying to sound strong and blunt. He knew crying was an obvious sign of weakness, and he was everything but weak. "They said this tattoo is permanent, not washable. If my grandfather finds it out, he will kill me. But before that… I'll burn this place to the ground."
His tensed, venomous words left the small room in an ominous silence. Kai was lying on his side, staring at the wall – the guards had moved his bed back to its place after the death of his previous roommate –, but he didn't need to see the face of the other boy, he knew he intimidated him.
"I like the idea." The boy said in a small, soft voice, fearing the guard would hear him through the door. "Is your grandfather so scary? He seriously would kill you for that?"
"I don't know." Kai admitted honestly, but he was still convinced that his grandfather would punish him horribly. "I think he would."
Kai heard as the boy shifted on his bed, and in the next moment, a ripping sound caught his attention. He couldn't imagine what he was doing but right then, he couldn't care any less.
"Come here." The boy called for him, and Kai hesitantly rolled on his back to see what his roommate was up to. "Come on!" He urged him when he saw the phoenix kid was not moving.
Kai didn't want to obey to a noone, he was prouder than that, but eventually, his curiosity got better of him, and reluctantly got up and stood not far from the bars that separated the two small rooms. As he moved, the pain in his neck worsened, baiting a hiss out from him.
The boy held a piece of his white bedsheet in his hand, waiting for Kai to come closer, but Kai was cleverer than getting in hand-reach. After the many betrayals he had had to suffer in the past one and a half year, he would have been a fool to trust anyone.
"Closer. I'm not gonna hurt you. Pinky promise."
Kai hesitated and weighed his options. This was just a boy, after all. He was small and weak, Kai could beat him anytime, even in his current state. He looked rather innocent and kind-hearted, almost girly. The slate-haired boy stepped closer to the bar with a guarded expression, remaining alert at any sudden move from the other.
The little boy smiled at him warmly, then started slowly and gently wrapping the ripped bedsheet piece around Kai's neck while Kai was watching him suspiciously. The boy chuckled at Kai's distrust behavior like it had been something to laugh at.
"There. Now, your grandfather won't notice the tattoo the next time he visits you."
Kai looked down at the cloth in wonder. Truthfully, he was not comfortable having a questionably clean rag around his neck, but he couldn't deny its functionality – it did hide the shameful tattoo on his neck and also gave some warmth.
"You look like a hero, now." The boy giggled, and Kai couldn't suppress the smug smirk that pulled the corner of his mouth.
A hero.
He liked the title. It promised him something he didn't have much that time – pride.
The scene darkened and the toned colors swirled around him.
He was walking in infinite circles around the room as always when he got bored or too nervous, his palm against the cold wall and cell bars, waiting nervously for the distant familiar tapping of boots to stop at his door. Kai knew it was Volkov. He could recognize his steps anytime, anywhere. It was not a unique talent, his roommate immediately knew the owner of these steps, too – he jumped out of his own bed and backed to one of the corners with a worried face, breathing heavily in anticipation. He looked terrified and smaller than usual.
Not Kai. He stood firm and ready to anything just like his grandfather had thought him.
Eventually, the tall, menacing man stepped into Kai's room, visibly surprised by the slate-haired boy's new appearance. Volkov paced closer to him, inspecting thoroughly the fabric in his neck in threatening silence.
"What's that in your neck?" He questioned calmly though his voice couldn't have been colder.
Kai had to muster his every courage not to break under the hard glare of the frightening man, and he stubbornly looked up to meet with his googled gaze and almost spat the answer.
"A scarf."
"Hm." Volkov noted nonchalantly, and a small hope rose in Kai's heart. Maybe he could get away with a single disapproving glare this time. Unfortunately, hope was a dangerous thing in this place.
"You look stupid. Take it off."
"No." Kai rejected immediately though he didn't know exactly why. He just felt the irresistible urge to say no to everything what this man told him.
Volkov didn't ask him again, he unceremoniously grabbed Kai and removed the cloth with a quick, ungentle move, exposing the bandage on his neck and Kai winced at the harsh pain.
"What's that?" Volkov demanded immediately. His tone sounded uncharacteristically worried.
The director didn't wait for Kai's answer, he ripped off the bandage, revealing the tattoo under it with a shocked gasp. Kai didn't understand his surprise. Hadn't been his command to mark him just like every other child in the Abbey?
"Who did this?!" Volkov grabbed Kai's shoulders and roughly shook him to get the answer out of him.
"I-I don't know." Kai stammered at the unexpected outburst of the man. He never bothered to recognize the faces of guards. They were equally ignorant and callous.
Volkov didn't pay him more attention, he threw the fabric at Kai, turned on his heels and stormed out of the room, shutting loudly the door after him. Though he was not in the room anymore, Kai could hear his thunderous voice for a while on the corridors.
"Who was it?! Which idiot tattooed the Hiwatari boy?!"
Kai had seen Volkov this furious for the first time then, but he didn't have to wait long to see him in this state again.
The scene blurred away just to fade in once again, with the well-known dirty walls, dark, depressing atmosphere and the air that was constantly heavy with moisture. The familiar steps were coming again, but Kai ignored them.
He was lying on his bed, turned to the wall. It was one of those days when he became mentally too tired and didn't find his strength to do anything. He didn't want to live. Not under these circumstances, not at this place, far from home, far from his family, in such a dirty, nasty place.
The door flew open as always when Volkov walked in, and the storming steps stopped before the bed. Kai still didn't turn around.
"I heard you refuse to train today. It's not Sunday yet, get up!" The lilac-haired man commanded.
When he saw Kai was not obeying, he grabbed the boy's arm and violently pulled him on his legs. Kai wailed under the harsh move, but once he stood in front of the hated man, he stared up at him stubbornly.
"I don't care! I don't want to train anymore! I had enough!"
"Fortunately, it's not you who decide in this question. Now, go, follow your escort to the training room."
"I already told you I'm not going anywhere! Are you deaf?" Kai fought back, gaining his willpower from his Hiwatari blood.
At the impudence, Volkov mechanically slapped him on the face, but Kai had received enough in the past to endure the pain and maintain his balance, responding with only a cold, murderous glare.
"Slap me as many times you want to. You won't do any serious harm on me because then, my grandfather stops giving you money."
"Oh, young Kai." Volkov purred darkly, and despite his impassive mask, Kai couldn't deny the cold shiver running up on his back at the tone. "There are other ways to hurt you without me even touching you."
Kai's eyebrows pulled down in confusion. He didn't understand what the director meant by those words. How was it possible to hurt someone without a touch?
Satisfied with Kai's uncertain expression, Volkov smirked then turned around without any additional word and disappeared behind the door. He didn't go far, the tall, menacing man quickly re-appeared on the other side of the room, where Kai's roommate lived.
The little boy immediately got up from the bed, and submissively bowed his head before the strong man. Volkov stood in front of him and folded his hand behind his back.
"Now, as a punishment of your roommate for being disobedient and arrogantly talking back, I'm going to beat you roughly. You need to know, you did nothing bad, he did. But since I can't hurt him physically, I will punish you in his stead until Kai understands not to defy my commands. Do you understand me?" Volkov talked in such a gentle voice as if he was trying to explain the basic rules of beyblade sport.
The little boy's eyes ran back and forth between Kai and the floor, not understanding entirely the justification in his superior's intentions, but he was too scared to question them. He nodded sadly.
"Good." Volkov approved contently, then looked at Kai behind the bars. "I want you to know, you're forcing me to do this, young Kai. It's your fault. You and your wearing audacity are that control my hands to beat an innocent boy, not me."
With that, his big, curled hand struck at the boy who instantly fell against the bed, basically bouncing back from its metal leg. Volkov didn't give him time to recover or wake up from his numbness, he blew another heavy fist at his little body then threw him against the bars where Kai stood in shock, who barely processed the sight in front of his eyes. Blood instantly painted the boy's face, blinding him as he cried out in pain. Kai looked away, embarrassed and terrified by the sight of the red liquid.
"Don't turn away your head! Look at him! Look what you have done, Kai! This is your fault! He's hurt because of you!"
Volkov kicked the boy on the floor who coughed from the impact, not able to cry anymore.
"Stop it!" Kai shrieked.
"Now, you're begging!" Volkov yelled back with an angry laugh, hitting the child without a break whose head already was a mere blood ball. "Next time you better obey me!"
"Stop it! I said stop it! Right now!" Kai commanded with a scream, paralyzed on the spot of the floor as he noticed the little boy stopped moving and defending himself against the continuous blows.
"Get up! Fight back! Get up!" Kai yelled to encourage his roommate, but he was not even conscious anymore.
"Борись*!" The deep, hoarse voice cried in the darkness, and Kai's muscles twitched in sudden awake.
He was not standing anymore, he was sitting in a big, comfortable bed, tangled with the blanket around him. He didn't feel the Russian cold anymore, he was hot. His body somehow was heavier. Strong, toned muscles tensed under his unconscious command.
After a few, long seconds, Kai realized his own scream woke him up, and the moment the sudden doze of adrenaline left his body, he felt agonizing pain in his side. He winced and instinctively held the spot as if it could tone down the throb. He heard someone talking to him and at that, Kai realized that his troubled sleep had been witnessed by whoever was with him in the same room right now. He was staring at a black haired boy whose golden eyes looked back at him with worry. Kai saw his mouth was moving, but didn't understand the words he was told. The teenage boy was speaking on a different language.
Who was this guy? For some reason, Kai was certain he knew him, but from where? What was his name?
Desperately looking for the answer in his heavily disoriented mind, fearing he was losing his sanity, Kai looked around in the room for anything that could help him to figure out his location and situation, not stopping heaving for a second, and when he understood he was in a hotel room, the memories finally slowly swam in.
He was on a tournament. With his team, the Bladebreakers. And as always, he shared his room with…
"Ray! You're Ray!" Kai stated and grasped the tiger's forearm as if checking he was truly real and not just another tormenting illusion of a dream.
"Yes." Ray confirmed with a noticeable concern in his tone while he watched the captain trying to stand up from the bed, struggling with pain at the same time. Ray gently stopped him. "Careful. Your injuries are still sore after your fight with Boris. Don't make quick movements."
Kai noticed that his momentary disarray had vanished at last, understanding the words Ray was speaking. He couldn't make them out first because his brain was still working in Russian. Losing such a major skill only for a fragment of time it was a terrifying experience for him beside the slowly disappearing disturbing pictures of his nightmares.
Understanding their common language again, Kai immediately felt irritated by the concerned words, but this time, he let it slip because as odd as it was, he actually found comfort in Ray's presence. He had always preferred the solitude, though now, he was almost grateful that he didn't have to face the fading terror of his nightmares alone in the dark room. He was confident that his panic would quieten much, much slower without Ray's company.
His normal, steady breathing slowly returned, and Kai finally loosened his grip on Ray whose hand remained red where he had been held, though the Chinese guy barely spared a glance at that.
"I bring you some water." He offered, and immediately stepped away from Kai to head the bathroom.
In the meantime, Kai did his best to collect himself. It was hard to pin down which part of his dreams was the most horrendous for his mental health. He still could feel the harsh, burning pain in his neck as he subconsciously rubbed the once marked spot. He had always known he had had the BioVolt's tattoo once, but had no memories about the circumstances how he had got it – or how exactly it had been removed.
Still struggling to put together the puzzle pieces of his dreams, trying to create some order among the agitating images, Kai revived as many details as he could with the intention to permanently shackle them to his memories. He was getting tired living in the darkness of his own mind, and whatever hid in the abyss of his remembrances he wanted to know the truth of his past.
As Tyson's disappointed face and his teammates' judging eyes reappeared before him, Kai's face contorted in discomfort. He knew it was only a dream but couldn't shake off his uneasiness as quickly as he wanted to. He was eager to deny it, yet deep down, he knew at some point he was going to need his friends' support in his current mental breakdown, and by the thought of their possible rejection, Kai felt unexplainable amount of anxiety.
He couldn't tell what caused, or why he was having these nightmares now, but it was pointless to figure that out. Something or rather someone in the shadows told him it was not his priority. Kai wanted to believe it was Dranzer, trying to help him in any way to get over this period of his life. But why now?
He had no answers. Though he had serious doubts he could keep enduring the night terrors without sooner or later suffering a severe crack-up.
oOoOo
Ray purposefully delayed his return to the bedroom, leaving some time for Kai to collect his thoughts and pull himself together while he was pouring water in a glass. It was not the first time he saw his captain in such a tormented state after a nightmare, but it had been never this bad. The nightmares were frequent in the past few days and became worse day by day. He was not a professional, but something in Kai was obviously trying to break to the surface that the phoenix had buried deep inside of himself.
When he returned to the bedroom with the water, Kai was already sitting on the edge of his bed, wiping the sweat from his face and hair in his frustration. His trembling still hadn't stopped, but his breathing was normal again at least. At Ray's nearing steps, the captain looked up and reached out his hand for the water.
"Hn." Kai thanked him, sipping the liquid just to do something with his hands in his embarrassment.
Ray sat down on his own bed, facing Kai, thinking over thoroughly how to initiate the conversation they had to have. It was stupid to deny it anymore, the phoenix was in trouble and Ray had to be careful how he articled his next words. He didn't want to scare Kai, but some things must be addressed.
"Is it always the same dream, or they're different?"
Kai sighed, evidently not enthusiastic about the topic. He covered his eyes in his free hand as if trying to hide away from Ray's scrutinizing glare before he slicked back his sweaty hair with it.
"I don't want to talk about it." The captain rejected as it could be expected, but Ray didn't let him brush him off so easily.
"Yeah, I didn't want to be woken up again in the middle of the night either, but… here we are."
Ray knew his words were harsh, and didn't miss how Kai stiffened under their impact, obviously feeling ashamed for causing trouble for him and unintentionally making a scene. Despite emphasizing the opposite many times, in truth, Kai cared for others in some way, and preferred to be unnoticed in their company. But he couldn't fool Ray with his dismissive, blunt remarks anymore.
"I'm not gonna talk about this with anyone, Kai. You can trust me. I understand you're self-conscious about this, but these dreams are keeping you in terror for days, now. It's not normal and sooner or later will affect your performance on the championship. Talk about it. If not with me, at least find someone else you trust. It'll help, believe me." Ray pressed gently but firmly, hoping that Kai eventually would be a partner in the conversation.
A heavy silence blanketed the room in the stillness of the night without any of them saying a word, but Ray sensed that Kai was close to give in. He just needed to be patient a little bit more.
At last, the captain breathed out a weary sigh before he spoke up in a low voice.
"Do you remember Wyatt?"
Ray knitted his eyebrows in concentration as he was rummaging a vague mental-picture about a small, brown boy with big, innocent eyes and enthusiastic attitude. They were famous, Bladebreakers had a big fandom, they had met lots of people in their life. He wondered if it had been the same annoying boy who had followed Kai everywhere like a loyal puppy some years ago, and he had been so obsessed with him that he had even stolen Dranzer. Ray was already opening his mouth to clarify it when Kai spoke again.
"You know, the boy who died in my arms."
Oh.
Ray felt his heart unstoppably sank into his stomach. It had happened such a long time ago, he completely forgot about the boy's unexpected, sudden death. It would have been his last guess that Wyatt was haunting Kai's dreams.
"I remember." Ray said in a similarly low voice. "Are you dreaming of him?"
"No."
Ray became confused by the answer but was wiser than start bombing Kai with prying questions. If he let him enough time and talk with a pace Kai was comfortable with, the captain would speak up by himself in the end and tell him what Ray needed to know.
"But the boy I'm dreaming about reminds me of him. Maybe there are more of them. Their faces are continuously changing. Sometimes it's the same boy, sometimes he's different. It's hard to tell."
Ray listened closely, after all, it was very rare when Kai talked about the things that depressed him or made him upset. Although, he still had to be careful what he asked and not to break the moment, Ray knew it was his turn to ask, otherwise Kai would fall in silence for good. It was not easy to pick a question from the million that restlessly swarm in Ray's head.
"Did you know those kids in your real life?"
Kai shook his head as he was playing with the glass in his hands without a break.
"I don't remember."
"Are they… related to the Abbey somehow? Maybe?" Ray asked cautiously, watching intently Kai's reaction. It was a very sensitive topic for the captain and since their first world championship, when the team had become aware of Kai's past in vague details, he always avoided the opportunities to talk about it with them.
Not surprisingly, Kai tensed at the mention of that place again, but it seemed he wouldn't ultimately close off from the conversation this time. Perhaps, he also saw the reason to lift some of the burden off his shoulder, which was quite unnerving to witness, to be fair. Kai considered it weakness and detested those who shared their problems with others or asked for help, so now, the fact, that he was talking about his dreams, already spoke volumes for itself, and it also expressed Kai's deep trust in Ray.
Kai closed his eyes like he was not feeling well, then slowly nodded.
"I'm dreaming of the Abbey again, yes." He admitted reluctantly as he put the glass on the bedside table. He avoided Ray's eyes while he continued to speak. "It doesn't matter, though. It's in the past already, it can't hurt me anymore. These are just stupid dreams. Don't talk about it to anyone."
Done with the conversation, Kai carefully rose and went to the bathroom, probably to take a shower.
It was over, Kai was definitely not open to discuss his troubles anymore. It was futile to keep interrogating him, but Ray couldn't deny the disappointment he felt. After all, he was also affected by his bad sleeps, interrupting his night rest every time.
Before disappearing behind the bathroom door, Kai stopped and made a note over his shoulder towards Ray.
"It's still early, try to catch some sleep until the training starts." His tone was ordering, but Ray detected the softness in it; it was almost apologetical. After that, the captain closed the bathroom door and Ray was left alone in the dark.
He exhaled a frustrated sigh, but swallowed the biting words that he wanted to throw at Kai's head. He knew the captain's pride, and if he made remarks about his vulnerability now, Kai would never talk about his problems with him ever again, thinking that Ray used it against him intentionally as a weapon.
He let the phoenix get away with it this time. Somehow, he had a feeling that they were going to have opportunities in the future to talk about bad dreams. These things didn't end by themselves, without outside help.
Despite his annoyed thoughts, Ray felt tired enough to sleep back, however, he was still half awake when he heard the bedroom door opening and closing, more or less recognizing that his captain left their bedroom in the middle of the night once again, probably for more training.
oOoOo
"Hilary, you wanted to re-watch Tyson and Kai's final match from the last tournament, right?" Kenny asked the brunette when she entered the common room with a paper in her hand and circles around her eyes, but prepared for the day.
"Huh?" Hilary blinked in confusion, still disoriented in the morning, then the revelation visibly brightened up on her face. "Oh, right. I wanted to check something in the video. But it doesn't matter anymore. I already found out what I needed to know."
"Uhm… okay." Kenny noted uncertainly.
"What did you say? My final match with Kai from the last tournament? I wanna see it, Chief! Let's watch it!" Tyson's excitement instantly uprose, making himself comfortable on the sofa, waiting for Kenny to setup the spontaneous cinema, and getting ready to re-watch his all-time favourite match.
Kenny sighed defeatedly, he knew it was pointless to talk sense into him that the training would be more important. Since Kai was nowhere around, they were late again with their schedule. As if Hilary was reading his mind, she looked around in the common room and asked the presence.
"Does anyone know where's Kai?" She found Ray with her eyes, addressing specifically him as the two boys shared the same bedroom. "Don't tell me he's still sleeping."
"Even the assumption is absurd." Max snorted humorously from the armchair, tightening a screw in his new Draciel that Kenny had built last night. The others – excluding Tyson, who was already deaf and blind watching his epic battle with Kai with an excited smile on his face – agreed with a silent nod.
"No, he left in the night to take a walk. I didn't see him since then." Ray angled the truth; he didn't want his teammates to start shooting questions.
"I bet he's training somewhere." Tyson said absentmindedly, not even taking off his eyes from the screen. Watching the video, the nostalgic smile slowly disappeared from his face, changing into a critical frown. "Kai knows I'm the best beyblader now, so he's training day and night to stand a chance against me the next time we battle."
The team reacted with a wave of their hands or an eyeroll. They all were certain that Kai probably had different reasons to sneak out in the middle of the night, but since they also knew the captain was mysterious and preferred his solitude, they didn't worry too much for him.
Kenny grasped the opportunity and went on with the topic.
"If that's what he's doing right now, the better and wiser. We should do the same. Though I can't understand why he can't train with the team." Kenny sighed again; a common habit he couldn't break anymore. "Today is the last day of the Quarter Finals. We have to play well if we want to keep our position on the competition. Our current results are not so promising thanks to our game set with the Blitzkriegs from yesterday."
Before anyone could respond to the mechanic's unwelcoming perspective, the entrance door of the room opened and the captain himself stepped in. All heads turned at him, taking into account Kai's appearance. He was in dark grey joggers and sweatshirt, not in his usual dark blue or lilac jacket, though it was not the outfit that caught his teammates' attention.
Kai was breathing heavily and held his side again, like he had been running all along until now, his clothes were wet, and he radiated heat from his body. But apart from his naturally tired look after a decent training, it was his extraordinarily messy and disoriented state that made the Bladebreakers furrow their eyebrows, questioning Kai's physical health silently. The strong paleness, the dark circles around his tired eyes, the way his hair, that always ruffled in a perfect way, soaked in sweat now, sticking to his head made him look almost pitiful. Whenever Kai trained, he seemed stronger and more robust as his muscles were tensed and pumped. This time though, his shoulders almost rolled forward as he walked exhaustedly to his bedroom.
The captain didn't miss the heavy silence and intense glares on himself, but ignored the mute questions that were written on his teammates' faces.
"I'm taking a shower, then we can go to start the training. Get ready 'til then." He stated briefly, still panting uncontrollably as he entered the bedroom.
When the door closed behind him, the team shared a silent but meaningful glance.
"Is he okay?" Max asked casually, pausing in the process of his adjustments on Draciel.
"He doesn't look like that." Hilary expressed her concerns.
"He just probably had a rough night. I don't think we have to worry about it. We better get ready." Ray shooed his friends' uneasiness away to diverse their attention.
"I'm gonna finish this video before that." Tyson mumbled, eyes still glued to the screen.
Max noticed the displeased frown on the Dragoon-wielder and took a peek from the video in the armchair. They were at the part when Tyson and Kai had already started their second battle after their drawl, and Kai initiated a heavy attack against Dragoon, but Tyson neutralized it with a strong counterattack that turned Dranzer's own special move against its owner. In the very last moment, Kai was able to dodge it with a harsh, slicing move, letting the fiery feathers harmlessly fall to the ground around them in an elegant way.
"Wow, that looked so cool!" Max awed. "You were so close to finish the match there and win it."
"Hmm." Tyson mused, uncharacteristically morose, but the blonde didn't notice it because his attention was already on the video, too.
Seeing the two boys how much enjoyed the record, Hilary couldn't withhold herself to join them, sitting on Tyson's other side on the sofa and watching it with the same enthusiasm.
"This was one of the most epic battles I've ever seen. I remember that even forgot to blink during the match." Hilary commented, Max absentmindedly agreed, but Tyson just stared glumly at the screen, holding his head in his hand almost in boredom.
After getting ready, Ray watched the three of them from the armchair that Max had occupied previously, waiting patiently for the captain to finally start their day. His thoughts returned to the conversation he had had with Kai in the middle of the night, pondering on what might have changed in the recent weeks that his friend was so stressed that he had to suffer from nightmares. He should figure out when these dreams had started, so maybe they could pinpoint the reason of it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on their door. Ray's eyes slid to Kenny, who was standing in the room, reviewing the training plan what Hilary had prepared, a bit loss without his computer. They shared a look, silently asking each other whether Blitzkriegs were their unexpected guest, but the easiest way to find it out was to respond to the door.
Chief opened the door and looked up at a blondish-brown woman standing in a stylish costume. Her hard-featured face was somehow familiar, but Kenny was sure they had seen each other for the first time in their life.
"May I help you?"
"I'm looking for Kai Hiwatari." The woman said with an authoritative tone, visibly making Kenny sweat immediately.
Ray decided to intervene, and stood from the chair to get in the sight of the woman. His other teammates were too focused on the video and didn't notice the intruder.
"In what matter you're looking for him?"
The woman noticeably became irritated by the question; she huffed a subdued sigh through her nose, clenching the silk gloves in her hands that she had just pulled off.
"That's my…" She began but paused when Kai returned to the common room already in his usual outfit, his hair was still a bit wet after the shower he quickly took, but he looked much better and fresher.
The captain abruptly stopped, and Ray could even catch the glimpse of honest surprise on his face when he locked his eyes with the woman's.
"Что ты делаешь зде–"
Kai asked in Russian, but he couldn't finish his sentence as the woman dashed into the room without hesitation, pushing away Kenny from her way. Rushing to the phoenix, she flew up her hand in the air to slap him on the face, but Kai grabbed her wrist right before she could land the blow.
The three teenagers on the couch now looked up and glared at the odd pair in shock.
oOoOo
["If you try to hit me in front my friends ever again, I swear to your god, I'm gonna hit back."] Kai replied to the not-so-warm greeting in a low, threatening voice.
The woman wrested her hand from Kai's grasp, but her cold stare remained.
["This is how you show your gratitude to your grandfather for everything what he did for us?! Travelling to Dubai to participate on another stupid tournament behind his back, instead of preparing to your studies at the university, so you can be worthy one day to take over his heritage?!"]
["You came all the way here just to tell me that?"] Kai bit back, irritated.
["What nonsense are you talking about? I happen to make a big deal with a very influential businessman who presently spends his time in Dubai. I have no time to run after you and make right your childish, impulsive decisions. I was checking the situation about the city on my flight when I saw the news about the Beyblade World Championship taking place here in this season, and they mentioned your name, too, as a participating former title defender. Imagine my disturbance when I became aware of the fact that you actually abandoned your responsibilities in London, and chose to come here instead!"]
Kai responded with a flat, almost bored expression at the rebuke.
Somebody in the room made a fake, audible cough, and both Kai and the woman turned their head in the direction of the sound that interrupted their conversation. Five pairs of eyes were staring back at them in confusion.
"Would you introduce us to the lady, Kai?" Tyson spoke up from the sofa.
Kai suppressed an eyeroll. He had never expected his two different lives to merge into one in a middle-sized hotel room, but he couldn't help it. It was one thing having nightmares at night, but now he really had to live them in broad daylight, too?
"Why are you still here and not in the training room warming up?" Kai schooled them, switching from Russian, just to take out a small portion of his frustration on his prying team.
"We were waiting for you." Kenny explained dumbly.
"Are we chained together or what? Hilary, did you do what I asked from you yesterday?"
The girl waved the paper in the air as an answer to his question, and Kai nodded at the movement with recognition. Then he lifted back his gaze at the boys.
"Go to the training room and start without me. Hilary prepared some exercises for you, she and Kenny will instruct you. I'll be there in a minute after I talked to my mother."
"Your mother?" Tyson blinked in surprise as if mothers would be rare sights at this part of the planet.
The woman clicked her tongue in her annoyance at Kai's words.
"You should show me more respect as my only son." She stated with a heavy Russian accent, throwing a cutting side glance to her boy that made no impact on him.
["I'm already giving you more than what you deserve."] Kai spat back offhandedly. He noticed his team was still staring at him and his mother dumbfoundedly, not moving to leave. It made him irritated, so he sent them a silent warning with his hostile, pointed glare.
The others immediately understood the message and made their quick leave in their embarrassment. Only Tyson remained still with straight back on the couch, eyeing Kai and his mother back and forth with a heavily occupied look on his face. Kai seldom saw those eyes so understanding, and it made him actually wonder what Tyson was thinking in that moment. When he got over his own confusion, he raised an eyebrow at the dragon, daring him to object his captain. Eventually, when the others called after him from the door, Tyson obeyed and followed the team.
As the door closed, the common room became oddly silent without the team, and Kai found himself in the usual awkward situation when he had to stay in the same room with his mother.
["So, what's the real reason you're here?"] Kai got down to the business to speed up the conversation. He had better things to do. Being tortured with nightmares that could easily be his memories from the Abbey for days, his mother really chose a bad time to see him. He struggled to quieten the anger towards his mother he suddenly felt again for letting him live in that shithole for years, betraying his trust, and doing nothing against it to protect him.
["How rude you are! I travelled six hours and you don't even offer a seat."] She puffed offendedly.
Kai let out a slow, low sigh through his nose. The handicap of his two lives merging into one was that he quickly forgot how snobby and aristocratic his family could behave, and didn't follow the usual protocols of decorum when he was with his team. Simply because he thought it as a burden.
Hoping he could get done with this inconvenient exchange sooner, he waved his hand at the sofa, telling mutely his mother to make her ass comfortable there. She accepted the offer and sat down, though she shot a brief glare to him in the process for the poor invitation. Kai also set himself down in the armchair, outright crossing his legs and arms.
["Can you finally tell me what it is you want from me that you felt the urgent need to pay a visit?"]
At that, his mother scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and slight disappointment.
["I just wanted to see you. It was a long time ago we had the opportunity to talk without your grandfather being present."]
"Hn." Kai was almost caught off-guard by her answer. And, though it was true, Voltaire had been always in his hot tail when he had been forced to live at home, loading him with various responsibilities and small business tasks, he couldn't say he longed after her mother to spend some time together. In his eyes, the woman sitting on the sofa before him was no one else but another stranger whose company he had to endure for the sake of the peace with his grandfather. She meant no more to him like any other boring, greedy businessman Voltaire had deals with.
["I'm pretty busy. I have a tournament to win and a team not to murder in my annoyance. Your timing is not ideal."] Kai said, telling the true. He had enough on his plate without wasting his energy and time on his mother.
["Hn. Yes, I thought so."] Her disappointment was audible now, but her face remained porcelain still. ["Are you doing fine, by the way? You look worn-out."] She tried again, careful not to sound too concern about him.
["Yes, I'm doing fine."] Kai was not thankful for her statement pointing out to his tired state. She basically said he looked weak. And he was everything but weak.
A short silence followed the next moment; none of them knew what more to say.
["How's the tournament going?"] His mother tried again.
["Not bad."] Kai shrugged, already getting tired of the shallow discussion. ["We'll probably end up in the finals without serious struggles, but I don't let the guys slip."]
His mother's red lips turned upward in a smug manner, looking almost proud at Kai.
["You always had a talent to take the lead. You must have inherited that from Father."]
By 'father', she meant Voltaire. Since she was allowed to call him so, she liked referring to him like that; it helped her to live in a delusion that told her and her environment she had a strong bond with her father-in-law and held a major position in the family. Bringing him up though, Kai just remembered to something important.
["Does Grandfather know I'm here?"] Kai asked indifferently. Before he ended this embarrassing conversation, he needed to know this crucial detail in order to prevent another shitstorm breaking out before it was too late.
["Of course not! I didn't tell him anything. He wouldn't survive another heart attack."]
Kai nodded. He didn't feel gratitude for her discretion since it was not meant for him, but it definitely caused less problem. Voltaire could make his life painfully difficult for him during the championship if he had figured out that he was not spending his time with studying in West-Europe.
["My team's waiting for me."] He said suddenly, standing up, indicating clearly to the woman that they were done.
His mother halfheartedly rose from the sofa and didn't resist his request to leave. She stepped to the main door that Kai already opened for her. She flashed a shy, polite smile at him, hoping it would be returned by his son, but Kai just stared back at her impassively. He knew this was her way to disguise the sadness she felt, though he was completely detached of her sentiments. After all, he couldn't stand when she played the good mother.
Eventually, his mother walked out from the room in defeat, busying herself with the gloves in her hand to avoid the cold shoulder of his son. In the corridor, a man in suit and with a somber look on his face stood like a statue, waiting patiently for the Russian woman – her personal bodyguard when she had duties abroad.
Kai followed, leaving the room, too, the door automatically locking itself with a beep after him. He knew his mother would take the elevator, so he intentionally headed for the staircase.
["Kai."]
With a hidden eyeroll, Kai turned back to his mother to find out what it was this time she wanted. For his surprise, she offered him a card with an address on it.
["This is the address of the hotel where I'm staying. If you need me, you'll find me there."]
Kai's eyebrow twitched. If he needed her? What kind of parallel universe did his mother live recently? When had he asked from her anything in the past ten years? He quickly looked around in the hotel corridor, but apart from his mother's bodyguard, no other soul was there to witness this theatre play, so Kai stared almost dumbly at the card, wondering what she wanted to achieve with that. Was it an act with some ulterior motive, or did she suddenly feel conscience smitten for all the things she had missed or hadn't done in her son's life?
His mother waited patiently for Kai to take the card, but he just glared at the piece of stiff paper with hesitation. After some uncomfortable long seconds, he eventually took it. Once they finally parted, he would just throw the card out in the first trash can he saw in his way. He figured he could give her this small gesture, because, though they didn't have the ideal mother-son relationship, he was her only child, and she was rather a failed mother than a calculating person he usually had business with on his grandfather's side. He didn't expect her to be as smart and forward-thinking that would make him cautious with her.
["Take care of yourself."] She said lastly, and Kai turned away with a dismissive "hn" as a reply, pocketing the card without taking a glance on it.
oOoOo
Hilary already assigned exercises to each of the boys, and they were practicing passionately with Kenny's continuous feedback.
"Dragoon's doing fine, but you must keep up the speed if you don't want to lose the momentum before the attack." Kenny examined critically Tyson's performance.
"Alright, alright." The boy replied with a reluctant sigh, and the mechanic looked up from his laptop screen. In the next moment, Dragoon winded up its velocity almost crazily and crashed into the two opposite blades, sending them out from the dish with a firm move.
"Hey! I just got my Draciel back. You don't have to be so harsh, Tyson!" Max exclaimed outright; this was not what Tyson should have done according to Kenny's instructions.
"Sorry!" Tyson shrugged his shoulders with a goofy smile, though secretly, he didn't regret what he did. He always enjoyed feeling Dragoon's unlimited power that no one could stopped anymore. Not even Kai and his Dranzer…
Hilary put her hands on her hips in a rebuking manner.
"What's the matter, Tyson? You're not concentrating properly. It's like you're elsewhere in your head."
"Ah. Well…" He didn't know what to say to that. She was completely right, he couldn't focus on the exercise the way he was supposed to.
"Is there something bothering you?" Ray asked, recognizing instantly the change in Tyson's attitude.
Tyson crossed his arms and stared at the floor, delaying his answer that made the others suspicious, too.
"I don't know." He said honestly. He really didn't know how to put his thoughts into words. "It's just… It was weird to see one of Kai's mother."
"Yeah, now we know from who he inherited that infamous cold glare." Kenny noted grudgingly.
Ray snorted at Tyson's confession.
"I understand what you mean, Tyson, but even Kai was born as a child, probably raised by a mother and a father. Did you think he was just spawned to the mortal world by the Evil himself or what?"
"Well…yeah?" Tyson admitted dumbly, just to ease the tension around him, earning amused giggles from his friends for his efforts before he brought the whole team down. When the laugh died down, he carefully added in a lower voice. "They didn't seem to be so close."
"We can't know for sure what kind of relationship they have. It's not our business to make a judgement by one interaction we witnessed between the two today. Don't jump to hasty conclusions, Tyson." Hilary warned him, trying to remain objective.
"Okay, but his mother didn't even say hello and was ready to hit Kai on the face. What kind of mother does such a thing?" Tyson objected stubbornly. For some reason, his sense of justice felt offended.
"I get you. Neither my mother, nor my father raised a hand on me, no matter how bad I was when I was a child. There's no sorry for any kind of abuse, it's not the right way to educate children." Max agreed, expressing his strict point of view in the matter. However, it was hard to imagine Max as 'bad kid'.
"That's right! Think about it; if she doesn't feel ashamed for slapping his son in front of others, how many times she might resort to this act when Kai was younger and not as strong as today?"
At Tyson's rhetorical question everyone looked down at the floor and pictured the scene in silence. Imagining their captain as a kid was already unnatural itself – even if they had gotten acquainted with him as children some years ago; Kai had always looked older and purposeful like an adult. But considering the possibility that he might have been abused not only in the Abbey but at home by his parents, put each of them at unease.
"We should listen to Hilary." Ray spoke up, hitting a serious tone and breaking the uncomfortable silence. He didn't want to beybattle in a toxic atmosphere, worrying about something they had nothing to do about. "We shall not judge by a brief encounter with his mother and assume she's constantly beating his son. Personally, I don't think Kai's the type who let such things happen to him. If you recall, he immediately stopped his mother before she could do anything."
"But doesn't that just confirm that he was already expecting his mother to do something like that?" Max piped in.
Tyson quickly agreed with him, meanwhile Ray just closed his eyes for his words having backfired to him.
"I was talking about Kai's reflexes. He was raised in the Abbey, I'm sure he can handle his mother."
"We should do something about it." Tyson ignored Ray's words, already thinking of a way he could help.
"Do what? It's Kai we're talking about! He's never liked talking about his childhood, let alone accepting any help from us. On top of that, he already reached the age of majority in his own country, we can't do anything, it's too late." Kenny opposed in his frustration.
"Really? Is he considered an adult? But he's just 18, not 20." Tyson argued, visibly confused by the facts the mechanic had just stated.
"That's only for Japan, Tyson." Max corrected him. "In most states, mostly in the European countries, the age of majority is set to 18. Russia is one of them and, despite living in Japan for a while, Kai's primarily a Russian citizen if I'm not mistaken."
Kenny nodded in confirmation at the blonde's words, leaving not much room for the dragon-wielder to keep up the dispute.
"Let's turn back to the training. Kai'll bite our heads off if he catches us standing and hanging around here." Ray suggested.
"That's not all." Tyson spoke up again, stopping his teammates returning to their duties. His eyes visibly clouded with heavy thoughts. "There's something else…"
Before he could tell them what else he needed to say, the captain appeared in the training room and looked at his team almost in bewilderment.
"If you all have to take a break after ten minutes, you're in bigger need of training than I thought."
Kai walked in further to the training room, all the way to his team, closing the circle they stood in, and waited expectantly for them to react and turn back to the exercises. When they didn't move, Kai instinctively folded his arms before his chest, already having a guess what – or rather who – the topic had been before he stepped into the room.
"What's the matter?" He asked provocatively, curious which idiot would dare to address the issue to him. He didn't have to strain himself to figure out which one of them would have the guts to get involved so boldly with his private life.
"What did your mother want from you?" Tyson asked, the others looked away cowardly, suddenly finding the ceiling and corners of the room interesting, but their body language told Kai they were too curious not to listen.
"That's none of your business, Tyson." Kai rejected scornfully.
"This is where you're wrong!" Tyson objected heatedly. "We're teammates. More than that, friends! How many times we proved you that you can trust us? We've been always there when you needed us. We're a team, if you're in trouble, we all are in the same trouble! And I don't even mention how personal issues can affect the performance of the team collectively."
Kai stared at the rumbustious boy, having caught completely off guard with such an unnecessarily passionate speech. He looked at his other teammates, but noticing their stubborn silence he realized they agreed with Tyson's gibberish. He felt his blood boiled.
"Okay. What the fuck is your problem this time?" His patience grew thin, and he wanted nothing else but to make it clear for everyone that his so-called personal issues concerned only him and no one else, be it friend or family or the god itself. But before that, he needed to figure out what exactly upset Tyson because he honestly didn't know.
Tyson seemed to be as irritated as Kai. He threw his hands apart exaggeratedly, annoyed that Kai played dumb, not understanding the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, so we won't talk about he fact that your mother rushed in our hotel room just to slap you."
Kai's glare deepened at the straight words while the rest of the team turned away their face in secondary shame.
"Why can't he be more considerate?" Hilary mumbled in the background, but Kai didn't pay attention to her.
Truthfully, he almost laughed at the fake drama Tyson was so concerned about, but he was too tired to laugh in a situation like this, when they had much more important responsibilities before the last round of the quarter finals of the tournament than making a tirade over such trivialities like his relationship with his mother.
Kai took a deep breath before he spoke up; he needed to keep his cool. A fight before the beybattles would be not very fortunate for the team.
"Not like it's your business or I care, but why are you bothered with my relationship with my mother?"
Tyson blinked in shock. He couldn't believe Kai still didn't get the point of the situation.
"I want you to be honest not just with me and the team but yourself, too, Kai! How can't you understand that? I want to help you!" He spat back, having fed up with the captain's anti-social attitude.
"First of all, I don't need your help. Secondly, we're talking about a freaking trivial intention of a smack on the face. Are you telling me that, based on a short-tempered reaction, you think my mother is a monster who always hits her child when she's angry with him?"
Tyson replied with a meaningful adamant glare though said nothing.
"You want honesty, Tyson?" Kai asked, stepping one step closer to him. "You get some. Yes, she's a horrible mother. I can only detest her and the existence of my whole family. But so what? It's nothing extraordinary, millions of people hate rightfully their parents for something, just as you hate Hiro for some stupid reason –"
"I don't hate my brother!" Tyson countered immediately, also taking a step closer to the captain in a warning manner.
"But do not forget this one important thing: my personal life is not your fucking concern and you have no right to get involved in any way. I don't care whether you're worried about me or not; I don't care whether you call me your friend or captain or whatever, do not try to intervene in my personal life ever, or I'll teach all of you an essential lesson you'll never forget, I'm gonna make sure of it!"
His last sentences were meant not only for Tyson but for the whole team, so Kai glared at them one by one to make his point.
"I know most of you grew up in a fairy tale with a loving family that made you soft and caring, but the real life is not only rainbows and butterflies. And honestly, I don't mind at all that my family has been harsher with me, because this was what made me strong and become the person I am today."
Looking over his teammates once again in the heavy silence, Kai saw they were no longer staring back with worry or pity but with resentful eyes, which meant he again crossed the line and hurt their feelings. He didn't care. He had enough with everyone nosing into his things. First Ray, then his mother, and now his whole team demanded insight and a part in his life. He wanted nothing else in this miserable world apart from peace and privacy. Did he ask too much?
"If you think–" Tyson began, but Ray stopped him speak further with a hand on his chest. The Japanese looked at his friend in confusion, not understanding why he didn't let him saying the things he needed to tell Kai, but he clenched his jaw and swallowed back the words in the end.
"Now, can we continue the training?" Kai asked and the others finally followed him, though the team practiced in an uncommonly bad mood.
A/N: Ahem... Hallo? Is there anybody still here?
It was not my intention to disappear for such a long time, but life is unpredictable, and I had to face many great, then bad and even some really sad news in the past several months. It was not about not having time to write, I actually worked quite a lot (every day, to be precise) on the story, figuring out new scenes and small details, plot twists in my head, but I was not in proper physical condition to sit down and write. It was very frustrating sometimes, to be honest. That being sad, this chapter may contain more grammatical and stylistic mistakes than usual, as my English writing-skills became a bit rusty. Sorry about that, I hope it doesn't ruin the reading experience too much.
Anyway, I'm not trying to find excuses for not updating for months, just wanted to let you know that I still tried to work on this story in any possible way I could, and hopefully, I'll be able to update more frequently in the (not near) future - but I don't have the guts to make any promise about this, haha. I'm learning from my experience...
Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding my situation! I hope you haven't lost your interest in this story because there's a lot of things that have yet to come, and I can't wait to write these scenes for you. The only thing I can promise and am sure about is that I won't abandon this story, ever. It's one of my important goals in my life to complete it.
Stay safe as always, and thanks a lot for your strong support! I really appreciate it!