A/N: OK, wow; here at last after, what? FIVE YEARS?! lol. I finally got the next chapter out! I'm sure any/all of my old fans of this series have all moved on by now and I don't expect to be seeing any reviews from them, unfortunately :( I deeply regret that this took me so long to update, and I'm not sure if anyone will even read it, but honestly, I don't think I'll be able to live with myself if I don't, finally finish. Anyway, A LOT has changed since I started this and as it happens, I have very little free time so I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, though it is a WIP.

Having said that, I hope this chapter makes up for my super long absence. I realise that it is ridiculously long and I do apologise if it's overwhelming, but I will say that there is a reason for it, I swear (though I'm not sure how good a reason it is lol). Anyway, I think that's about it and certainly that's enough rambling. :P Hope this update makes anyone who might actually be reading it as happy as it made me to (finally!) write it! Much love and thanks in advance for your support!

Disclaimer: I, of course, own nothing but my OC's and the very idea of this crazy story. :P


"What did you do?!"

"I-I-I-I-...I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I was just s-so n-nervous! It just s-slipped!"

Tala stared wide-eyed and with mouth agape at the shattered glass on the floor; the liquid it had once contained oozing out into a hall-wide puddle. His eyes lingered there for a moment before lifting to stare at the brunette who'd caused the mess with a look of horror.

"He's gonna KILL me!" Demetra whimpered with her own wide, terrified eyes. "What'll I do Tala?! He'll beat the hell outta me! Last time I couldn't walk for a week! Please! PLEASE! You gotta help me, man!"

Tala swallowed hard as his mind descended into a chaotic state. He had to do something! She was one of few of his allies, his friend, his family! He had to do something!

"Get up!" The redhead barked, reaching for the brunette's arm and roughly yanking her to her feet. "And wipe away those stupid tears!... Alright, calm down... just gimme a minute to-"

"Tala! What happened here?!"

Two heads snapped towards the mouth of the long hall to see a familiar, sinister man approaching them with a malicious expression on his face. Tala released Demetra's arm and straightened confidently as he turned to face the tall man approaching them, subtly and simultaneously stepping slightly in front of her as he did. His face was the image of calm, cool indifference, but inside he was a raging mass of nerves and emotions.

"It was an accident, Boris." The redhead replied evenly as the tall man finally reached them. "The damn thing was wet and it slipped out of my hands."

Beside him, Demetra's eyes widened.

"Tala-!"

"Shut up!" He barked at her, not bothering to look at her as he instead glared at the newcomer. "I'm a big boy, Demetra. I don't need some scrawny pipsqueak trying to be my hero. Just keep your mouth shut."

Ignoring the girl, the new arrival set his cold gaze on Tala and his eyes narrowed.

"That was... something very important, Tala. Very... expensive." Boris' evil red eyes narrowed further and this time there was a devious glint in them as the corner of his mouth turned up ever-so-slightly. "Now, just how do you expect to pay for something so expensive?"

Tala's teeth clenched tightly and he tried his best to look menacing instead of like the frightened rabbit he felt like on the inside.

"You know I can't." He seethed.

Boris' smarmy smirk widened.

"Well then..." He drawled sickeningly. "Looks like you're in a bit of a bind... If you can't pay for what you've broken, then I guess we'll have to think of another form of payment. It just so happens I got a new toy today... what's say we try it out, hm? Help me brake it in?"

Tala's teeth clenched and he swallowed hard, while beside him, Demetra looked ready to burst into tears.

"Tala!" She hissed in his ear as Boris turned to walk back down the hall again. "Tala you can't go with him! I saw his new weapon, it looks like some kinda sick medieval torture device! It'll probably kill you! You can't go with him!"

Tala shook his arm free of Demetra's death grip, eyes not leaving the man still walking away.

"He's not going to kill me." The redhead replied in an attempt to sound annoyed. However, his voice shook much more then he'd intended. "I'm too useful to him, and it'll be too big a pain to cover it up."

Demetra opened her mouth to speak again but she didn't get the chance.

"Come along, Tala. You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

Tala's teeth were grinding so hard he half expected to see sparks erupting from his mouth. Still, without another word, the redhead followed after his would-be torturer, while behind him a certain brunette watched after them with a broken expression.

Hour-long minutes later, after following Boris through the familiar maze of the Abbey, Tala stepped through an also sickeningly familiar door that made him think of the gate to hell. After shutting said door behind them, Boris turned to the redhead with a malicious expression that expressed just how much he was going to thoroughly enjoy their time together.

"Now then, let's begin, shall we?"

Tala said nothing, he simply lifted his chin proudly and clenched both his jaw and fists as Boris lifted his own meaty hand. Bright sapphire blues closed and the face they were set in wrinkled with disgust as it prepared for impact.


Brilliant sapphire orbs shot open as an icy sting erupted over the entirety of the body they belonged to. Tala shot up in bed, coughing and sputtering as he fought to get his bearings; wondering why he was suddenly drowning when only a moment ago he was bracing for a beating. Still immersed in his dream-like stupor, it took him a few moments to realise that he had been dreaming, he was now awake, and although he wasn't drowning he was in fact completely drenched from head to toe.

Looking down at the soaking wet sheets and the large chunks of ice all over his bed, Tala's eyes finally lifted to scowl at the tall brunette standing over and looking down at him.

"Oh good. You're up." Demetra said bluntly.

Tala's expression was nothing short of murderous, but with the way his hair and clothes drooped and clung to him, he didn't look quite as intimidating as he normally did.

"What the-?! Are you actually as stupid and mental as I thought?!" He demanded savagely.

Demetra didn't so much as flinch or bat an eyelash as she stared down her nose at him with crossed arms.

"I called you." She said tonelessly. "You didn't wake up. I did what I had to."

Tala was about to shout obscenities at her as she turned and headed for the door, but he didn't get the chance as the brunette cut him off rather sharply.

"Get up." She added coldly. "Our ride is on its way. We're supposed to meet them somewhere, they said you'd know where."

With nothing more to say, Demetra left the room and slammed the door behind her with a terse bang.

Tala's teeth were both grinding and chattering as he seethed at the door the brunette had just gone through. His fists were curled at his sides and his jaw was clenched so tightly the tension was actually beginning to hurt.

"I could do it." He muttered to himself in a foul mood. "I could kill her and just drop her through the ice somewhere... tell that stuck-up brother of hers that she left in the middle of the night and didn't come back... They'd never find her... Yea, I could do that..."

Really, he really could make her disappear rather easily, and honestly, who would blame him? Would anyone actually miss her? Wouldn't he be doing the world a HUGE favour?

Tala heaved a heavy, angry sigh and reached up to run his hands roughly down over his face. Honestly, was there a more aggravating and irritating woman ever born? And more importantly, just how had he gotten so darn lucky as to have been stuck alone with the spoiled, rich brat in the middle of a frozen wasteland.

Removing his hands from his face, Tala looked down at the bed and the soaked sheets. Ignoring his chattering teeth he peeled them back and swung his legs over the side. Allowing himself to stretch, he waited for all his joints to pop and muscles to come alive again before finally getting to his feet. Absently, he glanced to the clock beside the bed and couldn't help releasing a loud, irritated groan.

The clock read four-thirty am.

"Of course it is." He growled angrily. "Only normal people actually wait for the sun to rise!"

Doing his best to control his savage temper, Tala turned back towards his bed and proceeded to strip it with a vengeance. Once it was bare, he hung the wet sheets neatly around the room before fetching a clean set from a chest of drawers and proceeding to re-dress the bed.

Once the bed was dressed again, complete with hospital corners and a drum-tight top, Tala finally turned and approached his duffel bag laying on top of the chest. He gripped the hem of his shirt and made to yank it over his head when something caught his eye and made him pause. His gaze had fallen on one of the dozen beds in the room - the farthest one away from him to be exact. He frowned as he looked the bed over, noting to himself that it was the sloppiest and saddest excuse for a made bed that he'd ever seen. Without realising what he was doing, Tala moved around his own bed and approached the other one completely across the room.

"Idiot." The redhead muttered under his breath. "Don't you get enough beatings as it is? Why do you always have to make it worse for yourself? Just make your damn bed!"

With a heavy, irritated sigh, Tala finally reached the bed and began pulling at the corners to tighten and fix it the way he knew it was supposed to look. Seriously, why were they always so careless? Why did they insist on pushing their luck, on making so much extra trouble for themselves when all they had to do was stop being so damn lazy and careless?! Why did they tempt the devil so?!

Tala snorted indignantly as he gave a corner of the sheets a sharp tug. Of course, he knew why they were so careless. It was because they all knew he was there; there to pick up the slack, there to help them, there to fix their mistakes. Sure, he might act like the supreme king of cool and carelessness, but they all knew that he would rather shoot himself then sit back and watch his team, his friends, his family, get hurt when there was something he could do about it. It had always been like that; someone else screwed up, Tala took the blame on himself - at least whenever and wherever he could.

It wasn't until Tala reached for the pillows he'd tossed on the floor beside the bed that something struck him like a physical slap across the face.

"What the hell am I doing?!"

Dropping the pillows on the floor again, the redhead stared in a stunned stupor at the bed before him, now military pristine and a perfect coin trampoline.

It wasn't until that very moment that a flood of images assailed him and Tala felt himself stumble backwards as if he'd been pushed, only to plop down on the bed behind him as his mind whirred dizzyingly.

Why had he moved to help Demetra? Help her like she were one of his own, help her as if to spare her of some of the horrors and disgust he'd known for so long. It had been so natural, so obvious. It was like a reflex, just like it had always been where his team was concerned.

But Demetra wasn't one of his team, she wasn't one of them. So why on earth had he thought to help her, to protect her like she actually meant something to him, like he actually cared about her.

A deep frown creased Tala's face as he suddenly remembered the dream he'd been immersed in just before he'd been so rudely awakened. A scowl quickly replaced the frown as the redhead realised that although it wasn't quite historically correct, the dream wasn't merely a dream, it was a memory; except that instead of Demetra, the person he'd taken the blame for that time had been small, scrawny Ian.

Now a vicious growl escaped him as Tala remembered, and he felt his fists clench yet again. He was furious; furious at himself for allowing himself to think for one moment that Demetra Nakamura was worth protecting, furious at himself for daring to lot her in with people who actually deserved help and to be saved and preserved, and furious at his heart and mind for allowing such an unworthy person to replace someone actually worthwhile in a memory she had no business being a part of.

With one last scowl, Tala hoisted himself to a standing position again, ignored the violent shivering raking his body best he could, and whirled away form the offending bed to stalk back across the room.

Demetra wasn't one of them; she wasn't in danger (probably never had been in her entire, spoiled life), she didn't need someone to watch her back, and she didn't need or deserve anyone's protection, certainly not at the expense of their own. He didn't know what wires in his brain were crossed or what parts had short-circuited, but whatever it was, he was determined not to spare the bane of his existence another single thought. What did he care if Demetra's bed remained unproperly made? What did he care if she had no basic survival skills? What did he care if she was useless as breasts on a bull? Not like Boris or his sick puppies were around anymore to make them regret their carelessness or human tendencies.

Tala snorted in disgust.

"Too bad that old demon isn't still around." He thought bitterly. "Just this once..."

Admittedly feeling a stab of guilt, Tala pushed it aside as he rifled through his bag to grab some fresh, clean clothes. Sure, he might not exactly enjoy it, but he was certain that had Boris still been around, he'd be sitting back silently with crossed arms as he'd watch Demetra punished for her own pride and sheer stupidity.

A small smirk pulled at the corners of Tala's lips at this.

"Yea." He muttered under his breath as he grabbed his clothes and made for the door. "You're one person I'd enjoy seeing punished. Maybe a good beating would knock you off your high horse and force some humanity into that cold soul."

It was hard to ignore that part of himself screaming that he was a hypocrite, that he was the last person on earth with a right to comment on someone's lack of humanity. However, hard as it was, Tala did indeed manage to ignore the irritating voice as he lifted his head high and finally made his way out of the room.


A long, drawn out sigh of content echoed through the bathroom as Tala stood under the scorching water of the shower. His hands were braced against the wall in front of him, the same one the cascading water was flowing from. Lowering his head into the stream, Tala allowed the searing water to drive off the bone-chill he'd acquired since waking up, and instead closed his eyes as his skin began to tingle and take on an angry red hue.

"Vile beast..." The redhead spat angrily, dislodging the water streaming before him. "If the devil ever had a daughter..."

This thought trailed off as a searing, white-hot pain tore through his back. Clenching his teeth for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, Tala's eyes opened and looked down. He frowned to see thin red streams swirling around the drain before sinking into the black hole dead-centre. Straightening, the redhead looked over his shoulder, knowing he wouldn't see but needing to look anyway. It hurt to twist his body enough to see anything, and indeed said body screamed at him in agony until he straightened again, panting now, as he once again braced his hands and arms on the wall.

He knew his back was bleeding; he could feel the hot, thick, wetness streaming down his back and legs. He knew the hot water wasn't good for it and he knew he was going to suffer severely for this little moment of stupidity later. Still, he couldn't bring himself to pull out of the water, and instead he leaned into the stream and hissed in a strange mix of satisfaction and exquisite torture as the scorching water tore at the raw flesh between his shoulder blades and down his back.

Tala's teeth clenched so hard his jaw screamed at him to ease up, but the redhead only deftly noticed. The excruciation in his back was throbbing, blinding; it felt like someone was ripping the flesh from his bones with a ninetails; and indeed, Tala felt his body screaming with the mere effort to remain standing.

After forcing himself to remain under the water as long as he could suffer, Tala finally allowed himself to straighten again in favour of grabbing a bar of soap to actually clean up the way a shower was meant for. However, as soon as he pushed off the wall, the sudden movement was more then the redhead's body was ready for and it fought back in rebellion. Tala's eyes squeezed shut as a wave of nausea and dizziness rocked his entire body. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that his body refused to move.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, his world stopped spinning and his stomach stopped twisting enough for the redhead to haphazardly finish his shower and reach for the faucet with violently trembling hands. Through slightly blurry eyes, Tala turned the water off with some effort, pushed the shower door open with what seemed like all his remaining strength, and stumbled out into the bathroom.

His body still screaming in protest, Tala had to pause a moment to endure another wave of nausea before eventually forcing his shaky legs forward. However, it only took him a moment to realise that said legs were not on his side and were indeed prepared to betray him. So, summoning up all his remaining strength, he thrust himself forward, doing his best to ignore the third sickening wave that rocked him, and all but fell against the counter.

Panting heavily, Tala lifted his head to stare at the large mirror before him. After hesitating a moment only, he reached up and swiped a hand across the surface to clean the steam before staring with disgust at the reflection staring back at him. The eyes looking back at him were wild with pain and torment and the face they were set into matched them perfectly. If it wasn't for the lobster red hue of his skin, thanks to nearly being boiled alive, Tala was sure his pallor would hold no colour at all.

Still panting, the redhead released a heavy, aggravated sigh now and turned around to lean against the counter instead. Looking over his shoulder this time earned him a full-view of what he wanted to see, but it wasn't a beautiful sight to say the least. His lips creased into a frown so deep it appeared to threaten to rip his fair features. Eyes rolling over his own back, Tala had to admit that he looked pretty damn bad. The entirety of his back was a raw, bloody mess of inflamed tortured flesh. The long gashes he'd acquired such a short time ago began under his neck between his shoulder blades and trailed down the entire length of his back to end at harsh, deep angles just above his backside.

"Wretched, vile, woman!" The redhead hissed, reaching a hand over his shoulder to gently finger the tip of one of the gashes. When the tortured flesh rebuked him for being so stupid, Tala released a pained hiss and whipped his hand away.

Opening a drawer beside him, Tala pulled out a well-worn first aid kit and placed it beside him on the counter. He opened the container and pulled out a multitude of objects before looking back over his shoulder again at the mess that was his own back. Dousing a wad of gauze in alcohol, the redhead hissed violently when he reached with it over his shoulder to press it to one of the massive gashes. His vision swimming, he clenched his eyes shut as he waited for the pain to subside enough to continue.

"There is only one consolation to this." Tala thought bitterly. Opening his eyes again he once more stared at the wounds on his back and his eyes lingered there as his thoughts continued. "Knowing I gave you the same sentiment to remember me by... that more than makes this all worth it!"

Tala thought about this. Yes, he knew Demetra was a good actor - so was he! - but he'd seen her torn and bloody flesh in just as big a mess as his was and however she might pretend like it was no big deal, it gave Tala great satisfaction knowing that there was no way her body was treating her any better than his was. Sure, she might have been ever-so-slightly more intelligent so as to not make the torture worse, but be that as it may, he knew she was likely in just as much pain as he was, or at the very least either had been or would be. Not to mention that she was going to have one helluva scar for the rest of her life, and he; Tala Ivanov, was the one to whom credit belonged.

A satisfied smirk coming to his face, Tala once again pressed the alcohol pad to his wound and this time it was a little more bearable as he thought of the brunette across the building. Truly, it was easier to bare his own pain, when he knew for a fact that the person who had caused it was certainly suffering just as much as he was.

The smirk widened.

Yes, that was a very comforting thought indeed.


When Tala finally exited the bathroom, the considerably cooler air hit him like running into a wall and he had to stop a moment to close his eyes and take a deep, appreciative breath. After a few moments, he resumed the task of towel-drying his hair for a bit before turning partially and tossing the towel back into the still-open bathroom. A part of him long beaten into submission by someone other then himself screamed at him to march back in there and pick that towel up before either him or someone he cared about got in trouble!

However, that voice was easy to ignore this time - he was still mad at it for betraying him that morning! Besides, there was no longer anyone around to care if he left a towel on the floor or not...

Except the people who came after him and had to clean up a dirty, mouldy old towel...

Tala heaved a heavy sigh of irritation. He'd pick it up before they left.

Now thoroughly annoyed again, Tala fixed his expression into an extremely sour one and glanced to his left towards the main room. There he saw the brunette who'd quickly become his bane, casually sitting by the fire messing with her blade and seeming to be completely oblivious towards him. Tala's eyes roved towards the front door and he scowled as he noted the few bags she'd unpacked the night before sitting there. Lifting his wrist, he noted that it was nearly six am and frowned in spite of himself. Had he really spent that long nursing his wounds and feeling sorry for himself? And more curious still, wasn't it strange that no one had come looking for him to try and rush him along? Hadn't the resident spoiled brat said that their ride was on the way? Surely they'd have been there by now?

Unless they were dead.

Just then the redhead remembered something else the brunette had said; that he was supposed to lead her somewhere only he knew about - probably the pond with the old abandoned fishing shack beside it; it was only a few miles from the village, he'd have to confirm it to be sure. Oh well, he'd leave as soon as he was good and ready and not a damn minute before.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, Tala turned and made for the bunk room again. Once inside, he added a few more articles of clothing atop what he was already wearing, then proceeded to neatly pack the rest of his things with practised ease and speed. In no time, the limited luggage he'd bothered to unpack was re-packed, the wet sheets he'd hung up around were now dry and everything seemed like it was as it should be. After pulling the previously soaked sheets down and neatly depositing them into a massive basket at the back of the room, Tala took one last sweep of the room, deemed it was acceptable to leave, and hoisted his bag - with a little more effort and discomfort then normal - over his shoulder and finally left the room.

On his way to the front door, sapphire blue orbs shifted towards his housemate in the large main room. He snorted with irritation as he noted the girl was in the exact same place he'd last seen her, not yet dressed for their journey, and seemingly completely uninclined to move. Looking to the front door again, he also noted that her bags were still in the exact same position as well.

"I damn well hope you don't expect me to carry your bags out for you, princess!" Tala seethed in his head as he made his way to the front door. "Then again, there's probably some poor sap getting dragged out of bed just for that this morning..."

With a heavy sigh of annoyance, Tala approached the front door, rudely kicked the luggage already there aside, and proceeded to yank the front door open just a little more forcefully than necessary before stepping briskly through it.

The frigid Russian air smacked the redhead in the face like a physical thing, and he found himself forcing a sharp, deep breath to regain his wits. Sure, he wasn't exactly a morning person, but it wasn't normally that hard to drag himself out of bed and get his day started. However, it had also been a very long time since something had plagued and tortured his mind so much so that he had trouble sleeping. Tala recalled his restless night tossing and turning in his bed, which made him angrier and more irritated still as he also recalled how little trouble his companion had seemed to have sleeping. He'd watched her silhouette late the night before walk confidently into the near-darkness like she owned the place, march up to the farthest bed from him, strip down to God-only-knew what, and crawled under the sheets. In mere moments he'd heard the sound of her breathing change and had to resist the childish urge to hurl something at her for the sheer fact that she'd had the gall, the nerve to walk in there and go straight to sleep without a care in the world, or so much as pretending to be bothered by their little incident earlier, while Tala himself had nearly driven himself mad trying to still the heated thoughts in his head enough to sleep.

It had been his lesson! His last laugh for her insult the night before! She was the one who was supposed to be tossing and turning, she was the one who was supposed to be driven mad by what he'd done to her, she was the one who was supposed to be clenching her sheets and sweating and trying to keep herself from springing across the room and jumping his bones!

Not the other way around!

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath only seemed to help a little as Tala remembered what time it was the last time he'd looked at the clock before sleep finally claimed him. The last time he'd glanced at the numbers it had mockingly shown him it was nearly three am.

Damn was he ever tired.

Finally taking a long, deep breath, Tala forced his foul mood under control and forced his bleary eyes open. For a moment he stared out into the slowly brightening scenery dumbly. It looked so bland, so empty. Why was he up this early again? Why didn't he just go back to bed and wake up at a decent hour?

Tala's jaw was pried open, as the biggest yawn he was sure he'd ever produced, ripped out of his mouth with enough force to actually stretch his face until he could feel his cheeks tense with the effort.

"What I wouldn't give for a real bed right now..." The redhead grumbled once his mouth was back to it's original shape. He reached up then to sleepily rub his itchy and heavy eyes. "Soon as I get to the village, I swear-"

The rest of his sentence was cut short as a loud chime sounded from his pocket. Cringing as the sound seemed like a gun shot in the deathly silent morning, Tala reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Lifting the back of one hand to his mouth to stifle another wide yawn, Tala lifted the one holding his cell in front of his face and blinked tiredly at the screen as he opened it and read the new text message, apparently from Kai.

"Stupid question; U up? Gonna go ahead and assume U R. Leaving the village around 9. Should get to the shack around 9:30 or so. Don't be late."

Tala was staring at his cell with mouth agape, unable to believe what he was reading. Before he had a chance to reply, the blunette sent him a second message.

"BTW; don't "loose" or "damage" the package. Unless ur sure u can make it look like an accident. Her brother is pretty... protective."

Ignoring the second obviously teasing message, the redhead stared at the screen before him for a long time before finally lowering it and staring blankly ahead of him.

"No." He said in a dazed disbelief, staring at the empty blankness before him. "No. This can't be happening... There's no way I was stupid enough to fall for this.."

Still, the longer he stared, the quicker Tala realised exactly what had happened, and the chill of the air evaporated as the redhead felt his blood begin to boil. Clenching his teeth tightly, Tala's face wrinkled in disgust and anger.

"Fine." He seethed through his teeth. "Fine. You wanna play, Princess? Let's play!"

Taking another long, laboured breath, Tala forced back as much of his temper as he could manage and slowly, calmly turned back to the front door. Admittedly, he wasn't entirely surprised when the knob merely jiggled in his hand instead of completing a full turn. Knowing it was useless, Tala lifted his fist, pride causing him to hesitate a moment, before finally, begrudgingly, forcing himself to knock loudly at the door. Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. After trying twice more, Tala finally released a deeply aggravated breath and turned away from the building.

"You think this is the first time I've been barred out of somewhere I've wanted to go?" The redhead asked rhetorically as he looked around. "You think this is the first time someone's tried to get rid of me? Make a fool out of me?"

Tala snorted humorlessly as he approached the mound of snow that was the ski-doos and proceeded to dig them out by hand.

"Better men then you have tried, girlie." He seethed. "And failed miserably."

Once he'd dug the rigs and all they carried out of the snow, Tala sized it all up for a moment. He then turned back towards the building and crossed his arms, one hand going to his chin as he surveyed the scenery and his options.

"Hmm..." The redhead hummed thoughtfully. "Not getting in through the windows; there's only three and there's no way I'm getting through either of 'em..."

One window was the one on the front door and it was barely big enough to get your head through. As for the other two windows; one was in the living room and one in the kitchen which he'd used the night before. However, both were located over ridiculously high drops with no way to get up to them. And if that wasn't enough, the bloody things were shatter-proof and locked from the inside.

No one could say the Russians weren't prepared against invasion and break-ins - though perhaps not a lot of thought gone into fire escape.

His eyes leaving the door and windows, Tala lifted his gaze to the roof, doing his best to ignore the violent shivers raking his body, and steady bone-chill that was seemingly seeping into his very soul.

"Guess there's only one other option..." The redhead muttered to himself with chattering teeth. He clenched them tightly yet again to quell their quivering and instead frowned deeply. "So. How am I going to get up there...?"

After brainstorming until he could no longer feel his toes, and fingers had begun to follow suit, an idea finally formed in the Russian's mind and he promptly turned back and approached the ski-doos. Thankfully, both riders had only bothered to unpack the necessities the night before, meaning everything else they'd brought was still strapped to the trailers. Without hesitating or bothering to use any care, Tala began roughly yanking cords and ties and pulling everything loose. Roughly grabbing whatever he could lift, Tala hoisted the luggage and approached the cabin. Tossing the objects in his hands none too gently towards the cabin, he then turned and walked back to the rigs. It took several trips but eventually the redhead had pulled nearly every object and piece of luggage from the trailers and haphazardly piled it all up against the cabin. He frowned as his gaze trailed up the luggage mountain and continued to the top of the cabin. Had it always been that tall? It hadn't seemed nearly as high until this very moment.

"Not enough..." The redhead muttered as he sized up the considerable gap between the top of the pile and the lip of the roof.

Looking back at the trailers, Tala noted that there was nothing of any use left. With another heavy sigh, he looked back towards the cabin again and stared. On the one hand, he could scrap the whole idea, huddle up on the step and wait out the cold until someone arrived to fetch them. He could also re-pack his ski-doo, jump aboard, and leave the spoiled snot inside behind (making sure to take the key to her rig with him for good measure); yea, that would surely teach her a lesson! Or, he could climb the luggage mountain, take a chance, and pray there really was a God out there somewhere who'd take pity enough on him not to let him fall to his death, dash his brains out all over the Russian winterland and allow the queen of spoiled snots to actually have the last laugh.

It wasn't until another cruel gust of bitter, icy wind seemed to scrape his very bones that Tala decided.

Eyeing up the leaning tower of luggage with his best stink eye, Tala hesitated for a moment only before approaching the pile and slowly making his way up it. At about half-way the luggage began to shift and sway dangerously, and Tala was having severe second thoughts about what he was doing. He was just toying with the idea of abandoning his mission, jumping to safety, marching up to the front door and pounding until his knuckles bled or the idiot who'd locked him out opened the damn door.

However, as the redhead tediously picked his way up the tower, a certain odd-shaped bag shifted under his feet and in less than a heartbeat the entire tower began to give way. Everything happened so fast and Tala was never so thankful for his above-average reflexes as he was at that moment. One moment, he'd been climbing the sketchy ladder, the next his feet were moving out from under him without his permission. More of a reflex then a coherent thought, Tala bent his knees and sprung upward with all his might. Fortunately, his hand managed to grip the edge of the roof just in time; unfortunately if he decided to change his mind about his idea, he was too late.

Looking down, Tala noted with a frown the previously piled luggage scattered across the ground. Heaving a heavy sigh, he looked back up at the roof and threw his free hand up to grab the lip and hopefully lend his other a little help. The build-up of ice on the roof bit into the redhead's skin as he gripped tightly and it made him wince. His body was currently being raked with violent shivers and said fingers were already so numb he was amazed he was actually able to force a strong enough grip to keep hanging on. The cold made everything hurt much more then it should and stole away most of the strength and breath that would have normally come so easy for him. With more effort then he'd expected and muscles straining, Tala finally hauled himself up over the edge of the roof and paused a minute on his hands and knees as he took a few precious moments to regain his breath and bearings.

With one last look and frown towards the ground he'd just been standing on, Tala carefully got to his feet and slowly picked his way across the roof. After crossing nearly the length of it, he crouched down in front of a large rectangle sticking a few inches out of the snow. Brushing the snow from atop and around what happened to be a sky light, Tala cupped his hands over his eyes and leaned down to peer through. There was no sign of life or movement from inside, simply the ugly, sterile patterned floor of the room it looked down upon.

Snorting humorlessly, Tala leaned back and reached out to pull at the latch, growling when it refused to move. He peered through the glass again at the latch inside and noted with frustration that it was unlocked - meaning the window was frozen solid.

"This just get's better and better." He growled through his chattering teeth.

Now in a more foul mood then he'd been in since beginning the entire trip, Tala's thoughts ran wild with all the ways he could kill a person and hide the body as he reached up and pulled his outermost sweater over his head. Muttering angered curses and violent thoughts to himself, Tala proceeded to wrap the sweater around his hand and arm as he imagined the face of the person he loathed more then almost any other soul in his minds eye, desperately wishing it was a certain brunette in front of him rather than a piece of lifeless glass. With her face in his mind and a murderous look in his eye, Tala drew back his fist and slammed it down hard on the thick glass.

At first it appeared that the only thing he'd earned himself was a wicked pain shooting up his hand and arm. Expertly ignoring his pain, Tala drew his fist back a second time and this time, immediately upon contact, the glass spidered and splintered until the entire surface was nothing but tiny barely-held-together shards.

The pain shooting up his wrapped limb was now excruciating, and his entire hand felt like it was on fire; probably a few dislocated knuckles. He was sure he'd felt worse.

He just couldn't recall when.

Admittedly with a little more difficulty now, Tala once again ignored the harsh throbbing as he drew back his fist a third and final time.

This time the redhead had barely touched the glass before both it, and the frame holding it, imploded inwards and downwards to land on the floor inside with a mighty crash. Feeling a smirk of satisfaction at his dramatic episode, Tala positioned himself, gripped the sides of the gaping hole he'd created, and without the slightest hesitation dropped through it.


Demetra smirked to herself as she left the bunk room behind. She'd never really considered herself a childish person, perhaps a little too much of Keisha and Victoria's antics had rubbed off on her over the years. Yet despite this, she couldn't quite bring herself to regret what she'd done. So she'd given him a rude awakening, so what? Was that really so bad? Besides, he'd have to be an idiot to think he didn't have something coming to him after that stupid stunt he'd pulled the night before.

"Hmph! He deserves a lot more than a douse of cold water after what he did." She grumped to herself as she headed for the kitchen. "Just who the hell does he think he is!?"

After fixing herself a makeshift breakfast and a cup of coffee, she took both into the main room to get cosy by the fire. As she nibbled on granola squares and dried fruit, she took her blade apart and worked at meticulously polishing all the little pieces. She was doing such when Tala finally emerged from the bunk room, grumbling, and made his way into the bathroom. It wasn't until she heard the bathroom door shut (none too gently), and the shower turn on that she finally paused in her polishing to glance up.

"Well, doesn't seem like he's in too much of a hurry to get going." She thought in mild amusement. "Guess he didn't fall for my little joke. That or he already called someone and realised I may not have been entirely honest. Oh well."

Smirking to herself in amusement, Demetra looked back down at her scrapped blade again and resumed what she was doing. She figured she was going to have to sleep with one eye open for a while after her own little stunt, if the scathing look on the redhead's face moments ago was any indication, but so be it. After all, not like she had to worry about damaging any sort of relationship between them.

Demetra snorted at that thought. No, there was certainly no worries about any lost love, because she was sure it wasn't possible for any two people to loathe each other any more then they both already did.

She was just thinking about said feelings towards the redhead when suddenly the still fresh savage wounds on her chest began to sear wickedly, harsh enough to take her breath away. Releasing a sharp cry, Demetra's hand shot up to her chest and she clenched the front of her shirt tightly in her fist as she waited for the unexpected pain to subside. On reflex, her gaze shot towards the bathroom door and she stared at it for a moment as she listened to the running water beyond it. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for; perhaps a cry of pain from there was well (as ridiculous as she felt for expecting it - like Tala could somehow feel her pain through his matching scar or something!), but when she heard nothing but the sounds of the shower, the brunette clenched her teeth and tore her gaze away from the door. After a number of laboured breaths, Demetra was finally able to get a handle on the torturous pain enough to lift a second trembling hand to her shirt. Hesitating a moment or two, she carefully lifted the hem of her thick black sweater and looked down, blinking in astonishment to see wet blotches of crimson red seeping through the heavy bandages trailing down her chest and stomach.

"What the-?!"

Staring for another few moments, Demetra deemed that while it hurt like nothing else she'd ever felt before, the throbbing was at least constant and not getting worse, and for the moment at least, she was sure she wasn't going to bleed to death.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Demetra pulled her sweater back down and tipped her head back against the huge overstuffed chair she was sitting on, her eyes clenching painfully shut as she tried to ignore the steady throbbing and scalp-tingling shocks of pain that were racking through her.

With a deep frown on her face now, Demetra's thoughts began to swirl and her consciousness swam as the vicious agony she was feeling brought back heady memories of a very recent night, and the events that led up to a very life-altering confrontation.


Entrancing silver eyes stared out the huge front-facing window as their owner watched the happenings below it with a look of displeasure. It wasn't the first time so many people had been in her home - a certain other brunette and redhead did certainly love their parties - however, it was the first time her home had been open to so many people she had such a disdain for.

Demetra snorted irritably as the Majestics team walked confidently towards her massive house like they owned the place, and her lips curled in distaste as she looked them all over. She wasn't thrilled about the party or the multitude of people who were arriving and expected to arrive, but she did promise the girls to at least be civil and make an appearance. She watched another car pull up and spew out the familiar American team, and she couldn't help but smile ever so slightly in spite of herself as she watched a beloved redheaded blur shoot from the mansion and into the arms of a certain happy-go-lucky blonde. She watched the two share a sweet moment and tried to ignore the strange feelings stirring inside her, and after the two finally began to approach the house as well, Demetra decided she'd might as well face the inevitable.

With a heavy sigh of annoyance, she was just about to turn away from the window when the motion of yet another approaching car made a sweep of the circular drive and slowed to a stop before the front steps. Unable to hide her curiosity, Demetra turned back towards the window again and waited to see who would emerge from the bright yellow taxi cab. Her curiosity was quickly satisfied and her face screwed up in an unattractive scowl as she watched her currently least favourite person exit the cab, followed closely but his teammates.

Tala Ivanov stepped out of the cab and looked up at the mansion before him unblinkingly. Demetra's scowl deepened as she noted he seemed to be judging and, after a few moments, seemed to judge it poorly as he made a face and began to approach the building without a word or waiting for his teammates. She was loathe to admit it (and she'd die before admitting it aloud, even to herself), but the redhead looked damn good - too good if she were completely honest.

He was wearing a surprisingly stylish white coat, undone, with black buttons and an orange shirt underneath. His black pants fit him just a little too well and the heavy black boots on his feet added an edgy feel to the whole outfit.

Releasing a low growl this time, Demetra finally turned fully away from the window and stalked towards the door to her bedroom, nearly tearing it from its hinges as she slammed it hard enough on the way out to make it quiver as if in fear.

-;-

"What an utter waste of time. I could be training right now... Just look at them all, making complete fools of themselves."

A look of extreme annoyance was etched onto Demetra's face as she sat against the wall on one of the settees in the large room that had been designated for dancing. The party was in full swing, and with crossed arms and legs, her eyes scanned the sea of people, unable to believe how completely careless and ridiculous most of them looked.

"I know I promised the girls I'd stick around for a while, but honestly, would anyone really notice if I checked out early? There aren't exactly people lining up to chat with me."

Which was fine with her, because there really weren't many - if any - of them whom she was inclined to waste precious time talking to either.

She was just debating on attempting an escape when an attractively deep voice to her left broke her from her thoughts.

"Well, well. I didn't really peg you as the party type, gotta say; I'm surprised."

Silver eyes turned towards the sound and trailed up the handsome body of Kai Hiwatari. Demetra looked him over for a moment and although she wasn't normally one to notice the opposite sex - except as competition - she had to admit that this particular blunette was one of the most attractive men she'd ever laid eyes on; enough so that something unfamiliar stirred not so deep down inside her as her gaze rolled over him.

When finally her eyes met his, she was a little annoyed when she noted that he seemed to have noticed her not-so-subtle once-over (if the maddening amused and cocky smirk on his face was any indication), and even more so when she felt her own face warm ever-so-slightly. Finally she forced an indifferent expression on her face and looked away from the blunette.

"Well I guess you were wrong, Hiwatari. Clearly I'm sitting here trying to pick out my next dance partner."

Despite her sarcasm, Kai gave her an amused snort.

"Smart ass. Never pegged you to have a sense of humour either, guess you're just full of surprises."

"Indeed." Demetra replied bluntly, not looking at him. However, a movement in the corner of her eye made her turn back to him and she blinked once to see his hand extended down to her.

"What?" She asked tonelessly.

"Dance with me." Kai bluntly stated rather then asked. Demetra looked at him like he'd just confessed his undying love for her.

"You must be joking." She stated in response, unamused. "I don't dance."

Just as the blunette was about to reply, the music changed and a slow number drifted through the room as people began to pair off. Demetra looked up into Kai's face with a dull expression.

"What timing. Almost as if it was planned."

This time Kai openly laughed.

"Get over yourself, I don't want to dance with you that badly. Just a coincidence." He moved his outstretched hand closer to her suggestively. "Come on, one dance. It won't kill you. Besides, I'm not that hard to look at; I think you can stand to be seen with me for a few minutes."

That comment tickled Demetra's funny bone as her previous thoughts came back to her.

"I think you're well aware just how easy on the eyes you are, Mr. Hiwatari." She thought in mild amusement.

After tossing the idea around in her head for a few moments, Demetra finally released a heavy sigh and reached up to place her hand in the blunette's - and she was a little disturbed by just how much she liked the feel of his large masculine fingers closing around her considerably slighter ones.

"Alright, fine." She said simply as she got to her feet. "But don't think this is going to lead to anything more than what it is; one dance. That's it."

A wide amused smirk stretched across Kai's face as he turned towards the other dancers and led his partner out among them.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He teased, turning towards her once they'd stopped.

Demetra mentally cursed to feel her pulse quicken in her chest when the blunette faced her and wrapped his free hand around her waist to rest intimately on her lower back. She forced a swallow she tried her damnedest to hide from him as her own hand automatically lifted to his shoulder, and she found it suddenly very difficult to look away from his face as he pulled himself close to her and swept her up into a slow and lazy pace to match the music.

"Oh come on, Demetra!" She scolded herself angrily. "It's a dance, not a mating ritual!"

OK, so she wasn't exactly used to dancing - very few people had ever been brave enough to ask her, and fewer still the ones she'd actually ever said yes to - and she wasn't used to being this intimately close to the opposite sex. And maybe this was the first time she'd ever actually been attracted to someone before. So what?

Demetra frowned slightly as she looked into the blunette's handsome face. She was used to guys being afraid - terrified even! - of her, and she liked it that way! But Kai seemed anything but afraid and the thought both annoyed and unnerved her.

"Quit looking at me like that." Kai said suddenly, half annoyed himself and half amused. "If I'm only going to get one dance, think you can at least pretend like it's not the most awful experience of your life?"

A mix of amusement stirred inside Demetra and surprisingly she relaxed slightly.

"I don't know if I'd say it's my most awful experience." She teased, surprising herself. Was she seriously flirting?

Kai smirked again, although this time, it looked very similar to a smile.

"I'll try not to take offence to that." He teased back. "Let's see if I can make it a little more enjoyable."

Surprising the brunette again, Kai pulled back from his partner slightly and twisted his hand to give her a gentle twirl. Not expecting it, Demetra was unable to resist a small pleasant smile, and this time when she faced her partner again and he once more wrapped his arm around her, there was an unmistakable small smile on his face as well.

"Look at that." He said softly. "She does know how to smile. Should I feel privileged?"

Once again a sickening flutter stirred somewhere inside her and Demetra's expression softened as she looked up at him.

"Extremely." She said simply. "I don't offer them very often."

"Then I guess it's my lucky night." Kai replied, his tone still slightly teasing and soft-spoken, but the look in his eyes nearly took the brunette's breath away - a look she'd seen guys give girls countless times but never one directed at her. "Especially since it was such a beautiful smile."

Demetra felt an unpleasant heat wash over her and this time it was much harder to swallow against her dry throat as she looked up at him. Kai's smile widened slightly as he spun her around one more time and pulled her back to him just as the last note of the song signalled its ending.

"You clean up good by the way." He said somewhat playfully as he released her but kept a hold of her hand.

Demetra absently took a quick glance down at herself and noted the outfit she had agreed on. If she'd had it her way she wouldn't have dressed up at all, but at that moment she was glad for once that she'd let her girls talk her into getting a little fancy.

As it turned out, she'd decided on a pair of form-hugging stone washed grey jeans that hung a little low on her hips. Her top was a deep red, halter v-neck that slanted upwards at her sides and showed off a little of said hips. She'd chosen to wear a stylish white jacket with 3/4 inch sleeves and a high collar, and Victoria had all but forced her into a pair of sexy white pumps that showed off her pretty painted toes (courtesy of Keisha, who had painted the nails on her beautiful hands to match as well). As an added bonus, Kage had talked her into borrowing her favourite silver bangle and matching dangling earrings; and somehow, the three of them had managed to convince her to let them curl her hair into a mass of wild curls, swept to the side and pinned just so at the back of her head. Since she was going this far, the brunette decided she might as well go all the way, and surprised the girls by applying a little makeup to enhance her features, mimicking the smoky eye effect she'd observed so many other girls wear.

Looking back up at the blunette, her rarely painted lips curled into a small smirk.

"I do, don't I?" She replied teasingly. She debated on telling the blunette her thoughts on his own attractiveness, but her pride made her hesitate too long and Kai spoke before she could decide.

"Yes, you do." He responded with an amused smirk of his own. "And there's nothing more attractive than a confident woman."

Demetra's breath hitched in shock when he lifted her fingers then to brush his lips across them.

"Thanks for the one dance. I guess this is where you take your leave... unless I've managed to convince you that one more wouldn't be so bad?"

"Is he drunk?!" The brunette wondered in a stunned stupor. "I thought Kai Hiwatari was supposed to be some stoic, emotionless, brick wall! What the hell is wrong with him?!"

Admittedly, he'd certainly thrown her for a loop and she had to admit that had this been a battle, he would have easily won the upper hand.

Mentally shaking her thoughts aside, Demetra glanced around uncertainly at the couples around them, boogying and jiving enthusiastically to the much faster song now. She hated to admit it, but although it might not be the worst thing in the world to spend a little more time with the blunette, she had absolutely no dancing skills whatsoever, and she wasn't particularly inclined to make a fool out of herself in front of not just him but a room full of others.

Opening her mouth to formulate a reply, Demetra hadn't managed a single word before she was interrupted, and both her and her partner turned to the side to see a maddeningly familiar unpleasant sight before them.

"Oh come on Kai, I knew you had some questionable tastes but this one takes the cake. I guess you really don't care what company you keep."

Kai's usual expression returned to his face as he gave the redhead who'd just appeared an unamused look.

"Obviously not." He said bluntly. "I'm still hanging around you."

Ignoring the insult, Tala merely smirked as he stopped before the two and looked Kai's partner over.

"Who would of thought the ice princess herself would be the dancing type... unless, you're really just a one-trick-pony." The smirk on his face turned malicious now. "Go on, why don't you take him up on his offer? Let's see your moves your highness. Or is beybattle the only thing you're any good for?"

Demetra's face heated again, but this time for a completely different reason, as her eyes narrowed on the redhead. Her fists clenched at her sides as she glared a hole through him, her mind racing wildly to come up with a response that wouldn't let on just how right he was - at least about her not being able to dance a lick.

"Look who's talking." Kai replied in annoyance. "You're no choreographer yourself, Tala."

Tala snorted in amusement.

"Hey, I can hold my own. At least enough not to embarrass myself. What about you, princess?"

Demetra's blood was boiling now and what had once been a rare precious moment had suddenly burst like a popped bubble. However, she'd be damned if she was going to let the nasty redhead know just how much he had riled her up. So forcing an indifferent expression, she lifted her nose in the air and looked down it at him.

"Get over yourself, Ivanov." She said simply. "I have nothing to prove to you and to be honest; your opinion of me and my skills - any of my skills - goes about as far as a slug on a salt trail."

Turning back to her previous partner then, Demetra lowered her face again and her expression softened, though only slightly.

"I said one dance." She said simply. "And you got it. I'm sure you'll have little trouble finding another partner willing to be seen with you. Enjoy your night... Kai."

Kai frowned deeply as he watched Demetra turn and walk away from him. He watched her until her form had become swallowed up in the crowd before sighing heavily and turning an irritated glare on the redhead beside him.

"Do you try to be a grade A ass, Tala? Or is it just another nasty flaw you were born with?"

Tala said nothing, he simply closed his eyes and smirked as the blunette turned and disappeared into the crowd as well.

-;-

"Get over it, Demetra. He's not worth the brain power it takes to be angry! Why do you let him bait you so!?"

The swift click of Demetra's footsteps resounded loudly as she stalked angrily down the hall, and away form the happenings of the noisy room behind her. She didn't understand why the redheaded pain in the ass always managed to so easily get so deep under her skin, why she let him, but the fact was; he did. Every time he opened his mouth was like nails on a chalkboard and she always found herself wanting to jump him and beat the taunting expression he always wore right off his face. She never understood how, with just one word or look, the redhead was always able to break through her calm and cool exterior and ruffle her feathers so badly when virtually no one else on earth was able to stir her.

"How can one man be so damn irritating! I honestly don't think I've ever so thoroughly detested anyone so much in my life!"

As if purely to spite her, Demetra came to an abrupt halt and clenched her teeth when she heard the now familiar voice of the bane of her existence.

"Running away suits you. You should remember that the next time you're in the dish; at least then you won't embarrass yourself the way you did at the tournament."

Looking over her shoulder at him, Demetra's steely silver eyes gave the redhead in question a cold glare.

"There's a big difference in running away, and simply walking away from something unworthy of your time." She replied in a low tone. She then turned away from him and continued walking again, this time forcing herself to appear as calm and indifferent as she could possibly manage.

"You might look and act like royalty, princess, but I know the difference. You're just a spoiled little rich brat, trying to look tough playing a big boys game."

Demetra brought up solid now and it took everything in her not to whirl on the Russian and pummel him senseless. However, knowing he was just looking for a rise out of her, she once more forced herself to remain calm as she lifted her chin slightly and spoke to him without turning back around.

"Is that what you think?" She asked coldly, a dangerous edge to her voice. "In that case, since I'm such a weak little girl, why don't you show me your superior skills big boy?"

That said, Demetra started walking again, a new destination in mind; and after a few moments silence, she heard footsteps behind her as the redhead obviously wordlessly took her bait and followed after her.

-;-

Demetra didn't look at her opponent as she stood facing him across the massive beydish in their state-of-the-art training room, choosing instead to check over her blade and set up her equipment. She was amazed that the redhead had refrained so long from commenting on the room.

"Hmph. No wonder you think yourself a real blader; with your own personal stadium in your house, you can play pro-blader all day long."

The brunette rolled her eyes; and there it was.

"The thing about make-believe, Ivanov;" Demetra said calmly, still not looking at him. "is that if you play enough, when the time comes for playtime to be over-"

She looked up now and locked eyes with him, her gaze hard and menacing.

"you find that all that practice made you pretty damn good and ready for the real thing."

Tala didn't offer a verbal reply, but the taunting smirk and look in his eye spoke volumes as he lifted his hands; already armed with his launcher and beyblade, towards the dish. Without a word, Demetra lifted her blade and launcher as well and fixed her opponent with a harsh glare as they counted themselves down.

"Three. Two. One. Let it rip!"


The sound of the bathroom door opening disturbed Demetra's thoughts as she was shaken from her memory. Looking up across the room, her breath was momentarily stolen as she took in the sight of her tour guide.

Tala had yet to notice her, so the brunette took a moment to watch him. Although there was no damn chance on God's green earth she'd ever admit it aloud, she couldn't deny that the redhead was terribly attractive - especially with the way his long-sleeved white shirt clung to his no doubt still damp body - a body she happened to know was very firm and attractively well-shaped, no thanks to his less-than-amusing trick the night before. Her gaze continued on to take in the way his white pants with orange stripe hugged his hips and that very attractive-

Appalled at herself, (especially for ogling the enemy, no matter how shockingly nice his rear-end was), Demetra forced herself to stop her oh-so-obvious admiring before she got caught, and looked up instead to watch the still (thankfully) oblivious redhead towel dry his silky locks. She was unable to resist a half-annoyed, half-weary sigh as she watched him and couldn't help but think what a waste the entire package that was Tala really was.

"How tragic that such an attractive container is so full of such a maddeningly ugly substance." The brunette grumbled to herself. "I suppose it's true what they say; the most outwardly beautiful ones are usually the most ugly on the inside."

A deep frown on her face, Demetra forced herself to tear her gaze away from the redhead and focus her attention back on her blade again. Soon enough she was once more absorbed in what she was doing, and didn't look up again until she heard Tala emerge from the bunk room once more. Pretending to ignore him, she simply glanced up from under her lashes as she watched him - now considerably more dressed for the cold - carry his bags to the front door and proceed to prepare to leave.

Thinking about her own little form of revenge, Demetra smirked in satisfaction as she pulled a set of headphones from her pocket and inserted them in her ears. She turned the volume on her music player way up, knowing there'd be hell to pay once Tala realised that she hadn't exactly been honest with him. So, awaiting the inevitable, she allowed herself to get lost in the music as she finally finished up with her blade and pieced it back together. Laying her head back against the back of the chair now, she closed her eyes as her thoughts tuned out the music and once more travelled back to her still vivid recent memories.


Perfect pearly whites ground harshly, and a bead of cold sweat ran down their owners back as she did her best to hold her ground against the onslaught. Resisting a violent shiver, Demetra threw her arms up to guard her face as yet another wicked wave of ice and snow nearly knocked her off her feet. By now the training room looked like a war zone and there was virtually nothing left that made it recognisable as the same room it had been - even the dish was completely obliterated and at that point their battle was all over the destroyed room as it raged intensely on.

"Damn it! He's much stronger then I gave him credit for!" Demetra thought with clenched teeth, unable to resist being slightly impressed. "It's not like he's dominating the battle, but he's not giving me a second to so much as breathe! I can't shake him at all!"

Whipping her hands back down again as soon as there was a break in the vicious attack, Demetra lifted her chin and her arm snapped up to point at Tala.

"Trea! Pillar of fire!"

In an instant, her black, white and red blade pulled a sharp U-turn, and instead of fleeing it rounded on its opponent and hurtled towards it. Just before their blades struck, Demetra's blade glowed a sinister red on top and almost immediately a scorching vortex of flame rose and towered up from it. The sudden force and heat of it was enough to surprise the redhead, and he lifted an arm to shield his own face as he was forced to take a wide step back.

Taking her chance at a rebound, Demetra's fists clenched at her sides as she glared through the flames into the face of her enemy.

"You think you're God's greatest gift to this world, don't you?!" She yelled over the rage of their battle. A spark of satisfaction lit her face as her blade slammed hard into Tala's, making him flinch. "You think you're the best thing that ever happened to beyblade! That you're the best there is, no one can begin to measure up to you!"

She struck him again and this time her chest swelled with pride when the redhead actually stumbled.

"Well, guess what?! You're pathetic! You're just some narcissistic snot with a pumped up ego and an inflated sense of self worth! And you're nowhere near my league! And furthermore-"

Her fists lifted from her sides now as she gave the redhead an intense glare and screamed at him in fury.

"I'm no pampered princess in a gilded tower, afraid of the world and unable to defend herself! It's time I show you just how wrong about me you really are, Ivanov!"

She was nothing short of savage now, and the flames in her eyes burned furiously as she gave Tala a look of hatred.

"I'll make you regret ever looking down your nose at me! TREA! INFERNO!"

Her entire blade glowed red-hot now, and Demetra smirked in satisfaction as a massive ball of fire erupted from it and swelled to a horrifying volume, which - much to her pleasure - made Tala's eyes widen in shock as he stared up at it. The huge ball of flame shot towards Tala and Demetra felt herself go giddy with delight as she anticipated her victory.

However, just as she was sure victory was hers, a loud gasp tore from her lips as Demetra watched the wall of flames suddenly split down the middle as if they were a paper bag being violently ripped open. Her own eyes wide now, she watched in disbelief as Tala's blade shot through the flames, cutting a wide V behind it as it hurtled towards her at a deadly speed. It was everything she could do to defend herself, and indeed she only narrowly did so as her blade shot towards her and struck the oncoming projectile just before it struck her full-on in the face.

"Anyone ever tell you you talk too much?!" Tala growled furiously. Looking up at him Demetra was admittedly a little stunned to see the wild and animalistic rage on his face. "I don't think I'm better than you, princess, I know it! Don't you dare think for a second you're anywhere near my league!"

The look on his face was truly terrifying and for moment, Demetra's breath caught in her throat as she watched him. As she stared transfixed, as sense of respect for the redhead welled up inside her and she was forced to admit that he was without a doubt the strongest opponent she'd ever faced - even more so than her beloved brother, whom she was convinced no one would ever be able to come close to. Along with the respect, Demetra was furious with herself as she realised that she was deeply attracted to Tala's strength and will, and the thought made her all the more insane with anger.

"There's nothing attractive about him!" She scolded herself. "He's a loathsome, condescending waste of time and I will not let him continue to disrespect me or my team! When this battle is through, Tala Ivanov will regret the day he ever thought me inferior!"

Shaking off her shock and distraction, Demetra's head lowered slightly and she gave Tala a savage glare.

"Enough!" She screamed over the noise. "You will give me the respect I deserve, even if it means I have to take it by force!"

Tala's wild expression darkened as he met her glare with a challenging one of his own.

"You want respect?!" Tala roared. "COME AND GET IT!"

Both opponents arms lifted from their sides now, and violent screams tore from their throats as both their blades glowed threateningly. As one, both their arms shot out towards each other and their blades followed suit, hurtling towards the person opposite them at breakneck speed.

It all happened so fast, but both opponents felt as if time had slowed down as their enemy's blades reached them and a snarling bitbeast rose from each one.

Demetra's eyes widened and her breath halted as she stared up at the menacing form of Tala's infamous Wolborg. She'd seen the beast on television countless times and even a few times in person at the tournament, and neither time had she really considered it to be particularly intimidating. However, as it towered over her then, she felt her blood run cold, and for the first time in her life, she had to admit that there was actually someone out there, besides her family, worthy of respect.

Frozen in place, there was nothing Demetra could do as the mighty infamous beast lifted a sizeable paw and slashed down hard. A blood-curdling scream tore from her throat as she felt her flesh rip open. Reflexively, Demetra simultaneously looked down and wrapped her arms around herself as she fell to her knees. She grimaced to see shockingly gruesome, deep gashes running from just below her neck down to the bottom of her stomach. The pain was surreal and by far the most excruciating thing she'd ever experienced. Her vision swam and her body swayed slightly as she did her best to will herself not to pass out.

With some effort, Demetra looked up, and through blurry eyes, was able to see her opponent also down on one knee with an arm around his body and one hand resting on the ground to steady himself. He didn't have any marks on his chest but the brunette could see crimson splatters on the floor, too much to have come from the wounds he'd already acquired in their battle, and right then she knew her plan had worked; that Trea had managed to land a sneak attack from behind, just as she'd intended.

After a moment or two, Tala looked up at her and while his eyes swam in agony, there was also a savage, murderous look in his eyes - one Demetra figured was a perfect match for her own expression.

Both an unspoken agreement and mutual hatred passed between the two then, and with all their remaining strength, both managed to haul themselves unsteadily up on their feet. Demetra's body screamed at her in protest and a wave of nausea rocked her as she once again fought the urge to pass out.

"Ready to give up?" She hissed maliciously, though her voice was thick with pain.

"You wish." Tala replied seethingly, though he himself looked like he was fighting to remain standing. "You think this is the first time I've bled?! Please! Compared to what I've been through, this is about as bad as a scraped knee!"

Demetra was a little taken aback. He might be completely bluffing but if he was he was a damn good actor. Swallowing hard, the brunette blinked at the redhead for a moment only before forcing herself to focus again and setting her face in a mask of fury.

"Is that so?" She said tauntingly. "Then let's continue, and I'll show you what real pain feels like! Trea, let's teach this disrespectful snot a lesson he clearly hasn't learned yet! ATTACK!"

Tala snorted humorously.

"Better then you have tried - and failed miserably! Wolborg! ATTACK!"

Gearing up for the final showdown, the two blades ceased circling each other and instead shot inwards. Both opponents braced themselves for the collision, but neither was prepared as the two blades met with a brain-rattling explosion that knocked both off their feet and sent them soaring backwards.

Demetra hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her, and her body slid back several feet before it stopped. Hour-long minutes passed before she was finally able to breathe, and when she could, she coughed and sputtered and took great greedy gulps of breath as she forced herself shakily up. Once she was able to get her bearings, she struggled to her feet - this time with much more difficulty - and again lifted her eyes to her opponent.

Obviously visibly shaken, she was mildly satisfied to see the redhead only just getting to his feet as well. When their gazes met this time, whatever respect they'd gained for each other during the battle was severely eclipsed by the obvious loathing simmering on both opponents faces.

Although it looked like either one could will themselves to go on all night, Demetra knew she wasn't going to be able to stay conscious much longer, and she'd be damned if she was going to give the obnoxious Russian the satisfaction of knowing he'd outlasted her. If she wanted to win, she had to make her move fast - and make it count.

"As fun as this has been," She began as evenly as she could. "there comes a time when all good things must end!"

Lifting her arm one last time, Demetra flung it towards her opponent.

"TREA! PILLAR OF FIRE!"

"Dream on, princess! If anyone's gonna come out victorious here-" Tala clenched his fists and lifted his hands at his sides as another wild look took hold of his face. "-it's gonna be me! WOLBORG! NOVAE ROG!"

Once again, the two blades rounded on each other and their owners held their breaths as they braced for the final impact. However, before a decisive winner could be crowned, two foreign blades appeared and effortlessly knocked out the two battling opponents.

Demetra stared down at her still blade in nothing short of a violent rage. After all that! After everything she'd gone through, all the effort and pain and suffering, and after pouring her entire heart and soul into this one battle, to have quite literally given copious amounts of blood, sweat and tears; to have her victory stolen from her! Did these people have a death wish?!

Whirling around, Demetra's eyes locked on the familiar faces of her teammate Kage Kohn and Kai Hiwatari, only deftly registering the multitude of people now standing around gawking behind them in awe, shock and horror.


Demetra was pulled from her memories this time by a certain song blaring through her headphones, and she sighed at the appropriateness of it.

"Back off, I'll take you on. Headstrong, I'll take on anyone. I know that you are wrong. And this is not where you belong..."

Still, appropriate or not, she didn't want to be swallowed up by the memories again just yet so she decided to take out her player and change the song. However, noticing the time and that over half an hour had passed since Tala had gone outside, she paused the music instead and popped the headphones out of her ears as a thought occurred to her.

"I expected him to be back quickly and jumping down my throat after making a call or something... What is he doing out there for so long...? He couldn't have left, could he? He's a jerk but even he wouldn't be cruel enough to just leave me here would he...?

After considering this for a few moments, the brunette eventually sweatdropped as she decided that yes, Tala Ivanov most certainly would be that cruel.

Feeling a little weary now, and admittedly a little weary, Demetra released a heavy sigh as she wrapped the cord of her headphones around her player and stuffed it back into her pocket. She was just considering getting up to go investigate when the sudden sound of something on the roof gave her pause. Stopping to listen, her eyes looked up and her gaze travelled across the ceiling as they followed what sounded like footprints on the roof. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she considered the sound. Obviously they were footprints, and obviously they belonged to Tala; this she was sure of. What she didn't understand was what on earth the redhead was doing up there. Was he trying to prank her back somehow, to scare her, to burn the building down with her inside and therefor erasing the bane of his existence from the earth? What the hell was he doing!?

For a moment, there was silence, silencing her own thoughts as well as she strained to listen, but a moment later, the brunette was startled as a loud bang sounded from the roof. She barely had time to wonder what on earth the sound was when a second one sounded, louder than the last and making her bolt upright. The brunette's head was on a swivel as her gaze darted wildly all around both the roof and the room. She was just considering getting up to try and identify the racket when all of a sudden the loudest bang yet echoed through the entire structure, and Demetra nearly jumped out of her skin when the near-by skylight imploded from the roof and dropped down to the floor with a mighty crash, instantly shattering it into millions of pieces.

She was staring at the broken glass on the floor in utter shock, her mind racing a mile a minute, when down through the hole in the roof dropped the person she'd just been thinking about like a heavy stone, which made Demetra nearly hit the ceiling from surprise. Tala landed with a heavy thud in absolute perfection like it was the sort of thing he did all the time; one knee to the floor, both fists pressed down, and his head lowered to cast a deep shadow on his face.

A shiver ran down Demetra's spine as she looked him over, ignoring her heart now threatening to strangle her. A normal person might have laughed at the dramaticness of it all, but Demetra was too shocked to do anything but stare.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but it felt like much longer as Demetra unconsciously held her breath and awaited the redhead's next move. Finally, after what felt like an eternity later, Tala rose slowly, meticulously, to his feet, his head still down and in shadow and not looking at her. Forcing herself to sober up, Demetra fixed her expression in a look of mocking indifference as she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"What? Your swollen ego couldn't fit through the door?" She taunted with a smirk.

Although she was able to retain the appearance of indifference, Demetra's breath caught in her throat as the redhead finally lifted his head and levelled her with an intimidating and fiery gaze.

"You think a locked door scares me?" He asked lowly, dangerously.

Demetra blinked at him in genuine confusion.

"What are you-"

"Nice try." Tala cut her off. "And guess what, princess? You're at my mercy in this God-forsaken wasteland, which means you're stuck here until I'm good and ready to leave, and not another damn second sooner."

Demetra blinked at the redhead and continued to stare at him in bewilderment, her brows only furrowing as he slowly approached her like a predator stalking his prey. Once again her breath hitched as he stopped dangerously close to her and leaned down, his hands coming to rest on the chair either side of her as he leaned down close enough into her face to feel his chilly breath on her cheeks. It was everything she could do to remain collected as his deliciously masculine scent enveloped her and, holding her breath to try and retain her wits, Demetra did her best to keep his gaze.

Something flickered in Tala's eyes as she looked into his but just as quick as it had appeared it was gone.

"I know you think you're so clever." He whispered in a dangerous hiss. "But you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Making an enemy out of me will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make."

Her mind already swirling from his scent and closeness, Demetra found it very difficult to ignore the thundering of her heart against her rib cage; although to her credit, she still appeared calm and collected on the outside.

Tala kept her pinned with is gaze for hour-long minutes until finally he pulled back and straightened up. To the brunette's surprise, he said nothing else as he simply turned on his heel and walked away.

Demetra watched the redhead walk away with a deep frown on her face. She didn't want to think that he'd rattled her so, but clearly he did. Still, she was proud of herself for her outward collectiveness.

"The idiot probably locked himself out when he went outside and blames me for it." She thought in mild amusement. "Too bad I didn't think of it. But if he thinks it was me, then bonus."

Eventually, after gathering and silencing the majority of her irritating thoughts, she sighed and reached into her pocket to pull out her music player again. Before she had the chance to insert her earbuds however, the redhead returned. Silver eyes were glued to him once more, though he chose to ignore her, and she watched as he approached an overstuffed chair a short distance away, casually lowered himself onto it, and wrapped himself in the thick and heavy blanket he'd brought with him.

Eyeing him suspiciously for a few moments, Demetra watched the redhead seemingly settle in without a care in the world and close his eyes. Unable to contain herself any longer, she narrowed her eyes at him as she addressed him in annoyance.

"What are you doing?"

"Going fishing." The redhead replied sarcastically without opening his eyes. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm catching up on the sleep that some irritating brat stole from me."

Ignoring the intentional jab, Demetra's eyes narrowed further.

"Yes, but why are you doing it right there?"

This time Tala's eyes opened and he pinned her with another cold stare.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you out of my sight again so long as I'm stuck with you?" He replied icily. "I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, Nakamura. And before you think of another annoying prank, I'll give you a fair warning; I'm normally an extremely light sleeper, and I can assure you; you won't be getting close enough to me a second time to pull off another stupid stunt like this morning."

Fixing her with a extra cold glare for good measure, Tala stared at her for another minute before closing his eyes again.

Demetra snorted indignantly and moved to stick her earbuds back into her ears. She started up her music again and tipped her head back in an attempt to get comfortable, but the feat proved impossible. Lolling her head to the side, she eyed the redhead in the opposite chair wearily, admittedly unnerved by him, and eventually released a heavy sigh. It was no use; she simply couldn't relax with him just sitting there so closely to her; even if he did appear to be asleep.

With an irritated frown, Demetra stuffed her player back into her pocket and stood up, leaving the redhead behind as she went to look for something else to occupy herself until it was time to leave.

-;-

"What an idiot." Demetra grumbled under her breath as she was picking up the remnants of Tala's mess. "It's bad enough that he locked himself out, but who goes up on a roof and busts through a skylight, I mean seriously!"

A thought occurred to her then and she paused to entertain it.

"And for that matter... how the hell did he even get up there!?"

The moment of distraction cost her, and Demetra cursed under her breath and lifted her thumb to suck her finger as thick drops of blood instantly formed from the small slice. Wondering why she was stupidly picking up the glass anyway, Demetra sighed and stood up to fetch the broom and dustpan she'd seen earlier.

Once she returned, she crouched down again and began sweeping the pile of glass into the pan. She'd already found a tall step stool and patched up the hole in the roof with a large black tarp she'd found, and was now wondering why she was doing what the redhead obviously couldn't be bothered to do.

"If this is the sort of thing I've got to look forward to for the next few months," She grumbled to herself, "then this is going to be a long damn year!"

She was still grumbling and muttering under her breath when her cell began to ring from her pocket. Looking at the screen and noting her brother's name, she looked up across the room at the redhead still in the same position. He seemed to be sleeping, but remembering his comment earlier, she decided not to chance it and instead rose to her feet to walk across the building - hopefully out of ear shot - before lifting her cell to answer her call.

"Hello." She greeted a little dully.

"That's a rather blunt greeting." Her brother answered. "Are you still upset with me?"

Demetra's jaw worked for a moment. Truth be told, she was still a little miffed at her brother, but her mood had more to do with the events of her morning.

"Not really." She muttered, only half true. There was a sigh from the other end before Breal replied.

"Right. That's convincing." The blunette said sarcastically. "Well anyway, I want you to meet the other Russian bladers at a shack along the route to the village around nine thirty. Kai was already talking to Tala so he should already be aware of the plan. Are you ready?"

"You know I am."

"I thought as much, yes... So, how is everything?"

Taking a moment to consider all the happenings since leaving her brother behind, the brunette did her best to remain somewhat calm as she replied to his simple question.

"Blissful." She said sarcastically through slightly clenched teeth. "I'm so very glad I chose Russia for my training..."

There was a long pause and Demetra was just beginning to regret her moody response when Breal finally spoke up again.

"I know Tala Ivanov is an extremely unpleasant irritant." His low voice rumbled quietly. "And I know he's not your favourite person. But it's only for a while, and I really do think this is for the best. Just consider this a learning experience; a chance to gather information and data on the Russian bladers, learn their strengths and weaknesses. It'll make it easier to beat them at worlds next year."

Demetra sighed heavily and crossed her free arm under her breasts as she looked up to glare at the ceiling.

"I will, brother." She grumbled reluctantly. "And I'll do it well... I'll make my time here count."

"I know you will." Breal replied, still softly. "And I'll make you a deal; just give it a month, if you can't handle it, or if he becomes too much; I'll pull you out."

Now Demetra felt like a foolish child, and she knew - though not to be hurtful - that it was exactly her brother's intention. He knew she couldn't turn down a challenge, and knew his words would prick her pride.

"That's not necessary..." She mumbled. "I can handle it..."

She could see her brother smirking in amusement in her minds eye and had to resist another sigh. She knew Breal really would take her away if she wanted him too, but she also knew that he was well aware that she would have to be half-dead to request it. Once again, her brother knew how to press the right buttons to move her in the right direction - even if she stubbornly resisted.

"I know you can." Breal said, his tone normal again now. "You're the strongest person I know Demetra."

There was another long silence and this time when he blunette spoke, his voice was softer and quieter than she'd ever heard from him.

"I'm sorry I'm always away so much, and not around as much as I should be... I hope you know that everything I do, I do for you. I just want to make sure you get everything you deserve, everything that's owed you, your birthright... everything you missed out on for so many years..."

Demetra's gaze lowered to the ground and stared at it, unable to form a response. Thankfully, Breal continued, saving her the trouble.

"I always hated our parents for letting you go, their reasons be damned, and I swore if I ever found you, I'd rescue you and never leave you alone again, you'd always be able to trust me, and I'd never fail to be there for you if and when you ever needed me, no matter what... I never dreamed that when I did find you you'd have a little family of your own, much-less that you'd refuse to come home with me without them!"

Demetra couldn't resist a small smile at that as she recalled her stubborn little self facing off against this handsome young man coming to steal her away from her sisters.

Breal continued.

"I thought all little girls dreamed of huge houses and riches and being spoiled rotten. But you were so different than anything I ever imagined... and I never regretted any decision I ever made concerning you... I know I don't say it nearly as much as I should but... you know I love you don't you?"

Bright silver eyes widened now in shock and slight alarm as their owner was suddenly overcome with a rare onslaught of emotion. It was the most she'd ever heard Breal speak at once, and he was saying so many things that were just so out of character for him it was completely unnerving. She'd rarely heard him say some of the things he had, and she was sure he'd never actually said he lover her, even though she'd always known it. He rarely drank so being intoxicated was most likely out of the question. Only one other thing came to Demetra's mind and it exploded from her lips before she could even think to reconsider it.

"Are you dying!?" She blurted in a sort of wild panic.

The sound that came from the other end shocked her more than any of his words.

"No, I'm not dying." Breal said in amusement after a laugh.

Demetra wasn't sure when the last time was that she'd heard her brother really, truly laugh. She stared at the floor again in nothing short of extreme shock as she fought for a response.

"Anyway, about this afternoon."

Once again her brother's normal, toneless voice sounded on the other end of the line, and Demetra felt herself relax, not sure if she could handle any more shocks from her brother just then. The two easily transitioned into a comfortable exchange of information; when and where they would meet up, the fact that Breal was still going to be a few days but would join her shortly, and a few other titbits of information they each thought the other should know. Finally, they seemed to have expressed everything that needed to be said.

"I suppose that's about it for now." Breal said eventually. "Remember, be sure not to make away with the redhead, you'll never find the village without him."

"As I said yesterday; what you're saying is, I just have to wait until I get to the village." Demetra grumbled, only half jokingly.

"It would be much more convenient to let him live." Breal replied tonelessly. "Much less hassle. Besides, life is a much better punishment than death."

Demetra snorted humourlessly.

"If you insist. I guess I'll see you in a few days."

"I promise. Goodbye, Demetra."

"Goodbye, Breal. See you soon."

Demetra took the cell from her ear and hung up. She replaced it in her pocket before looking across the room at the mess she'd been cleaning. Lifting her wrist to check the time, she noted it was still a while before they were to leave. Looking then at the redhead still apparently snoozing in his chair, she released a heavy sigh and moved to stalk back to finish the task she'd appointed herself.

"It was bad enough cleaning up after two children I loved." She grumped, thinking of two of her beloved, occasionally mischievous, sisters. "Now I've got to clean up after a surly snot-nosed brat."

Well, one thing was sure; she wouldn't be making a habit of cleaning up Tala's messes! She just wasn't about to take the blame for them either.


Her gut-wrenching scream tore through him as Tala stared with a mix of emotions at the girl on her knees in front of him; gagged, hands bound behind her back and in a broken and beaten state all too familiar to him.

"Go ahead, Tala, I know you want to. It's the perfect opportunity, she can't even fight back."

Tala's stomach twisted sickeningly as the hand Boris had buried in Demetra's hair yanked hard and thrust her head backwards, exposing her beautiful and delicate throat to the redhead, and causing another violent scream to rent the air.

"Come on, I know you've been dying to see her on her knees since the first day you met her." Boris taunted cruelly. "Didn't you say you wouldn't mind seeing her punished? This way you can do it yourself."

A wave of guilt and nausea rocked Tala as his own words came back to him. It only intensified when the brunette below him looked up at him with a tortured expression and watery eyes.

"I didn't mean it..." The redhead muttered, trying his damnedest to make it sound angry instead of guilt-ridden.

"Oh but you did." Boris taunted, his evil smirk widening. Tala's stomach twisted again as he was forced to admit the scum was right. "And there's no shame in it. A man like you deserves respect, am I right? Who does she think she is; this spoiled, pampered, rich brat? She who's never known a moment of hardship or heartache in her life? What makes her think she has the right to disrespect someone as mighty and strong as you, hm?"

Tala looked away from the both of them, the guilt inside him intensifying as he realised they were all thoughts he had indeed entertained, and hearing them said aloud only made them sound that much worse.

"Come now, there's no need to feel bad." Boris droned on. "After all, what's a woman but a servant to men? And a servant deserves to be punished for their disrespect. So don't be shy, give her what she deserves, what you want to. You can do it. After all, it's in your blood!"

Tala's head snapped up at this and he gave the man before him a furious glare.

"I'm nothing like him!" The redhead snarled viciously.

Boris' smirk widened enough it threatened to split his face.

"Oh but you are. You're your father's son, Tala." He reached down and snatched Demetra's face, digging his fingers into the soft flesh of her cheeks enough to make her cry out again, and jerking it towards the redhead. "Why else would you entertain thoughts of hitting such a pretty, helpless thing?"

Tala's chest was heaving now as a multitude of emotions assaulted him at once.

"They're just-... I'd never-..."

"Tell you what." Boris interrupted now. "I'll make you a deal; you walk over here and prove to me you're the same man as your father, just one strike to her pretty little face, and I'll leave you and the boys alone - forever. You'll never see me again."

His entire expression was malicious now, and the grin seemed to glow wickedly from within.

"Now doesn't that sound nice? Her, in exchange for you. That's a fair trade. You said it yourself; who would honestly miss her?"

Once again, the words felt like a punch to the redhead's gut, and this time he stumbled back in disgust and horror as images from long ago assailed him; images of his father standing over his mother after another one of his drunken fits, images of his mother shielding him from the man who was supposed to protect them, images of her bruised and beaten unconscious body when she was unable to take any more, images of that same man standing over him when he needed a new target, and images of his own reflection after the beatings he'd received himself when his father no longer had anyone else to take his anger out on.

Finally, Tala blinked away the onslaught and his teeth and fists clenched tightly, both an attempt to stop the quivering in them.

"You're the one who's just like him." He growled angrily. "And I'll never be the monster the two of you are!"

Taking one last look at the girl on her knees, Tala did his best to ignore the pleading look on her face and the tears now streaming from her brilliant silver eyes. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to tear his gaze from her and whirled around to walk away.

He'd only taken a few steps however when the wicked voice that had haunted him for so long cut through him yet again.

"Suit yourself. Deny it for now, but I'll show you yet that you're exactly like us."

This time the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the air and the scream that tore through Demetra cut through Tala's very soul.

Whirling around again, his bright icy eyes widened in horror to see the brunette now lying on the ground silent, her brown locks covering most of her face except for her pretty mouth and the trickle of blood draining from her lips.

A savage swirl of emotions raged inside Tala as he was once more assaulted with the images of his mother laying unconscious much the same way.

"She's without a doubt the most irritating pain in the ass I've ever met.." Tala thought wildly. "But I didn't mean it!... She doesn't deserve this... no one deserves this..."

Tala turned a savage glare on the man before him now.

"You monster!" He hissed furiously. "Anyone shameful enough to hit a woman has no right to call himself a man!"

With that, he hurled himself at the being he considered to be evil incarnate, fist raised and finally ready to fight back.

However, Boris was prepared for him and with unnatural reflexes, reached out to snatch Tala's neck in nothing short of a blur. The redhead wrapped his hands around the cold fingers crushing his throat, desperately attempting to pry them off, but it was useless.

"Stupid boy." Boris hissed in his face as he began to shake the redhead violently. "You should have accepted my offer. Guess I'll be sticking around!"

"Damn you! I'll kill you you demon! I'LL KILL YOU!"


"Woah! Tala, it's me! Wake up!"

Icy blue eyes shot open, and it took Tala a few moments to get his bearings, but eventually his gaze locked onto a familiar blunette instead of the boogeyman who haunted his dreams.

Kai was staring at the wild look on the redhead's face with a stunned expression of his own.

"That was close, if I had any worse reflexes my head would be rolling across the floor right now." Kai crossed his arms as he looked down at Tala with a slightly amused smirk on his face. "Rough night huh?"

Tala frowned and straightened in the chair. He tossed aside the blanket tangled around him and leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

"I had another nightmare about that psycho..." He mumbled tiredly, decidedly leaving out the fact that a certain brunette had also made an appearance this time.

Kai's smirk dropped into a deep frown.

"I figured as much." The blunette replied quietly. "You alright?"

"Yea." Tala replied simply. He then looked up at Kai through bleary eyes. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought we were supposed to meet up with you."

Kai rolled his eyes now.

"That was the plan." He said in mild annoyance. "But Ian and Brian were driving me insane and I needed some peace. Everything's all packed up and Demetra's ready to go."

The blunette lifted an eyebrow then as an amused expression crossed his face.

"By the way; what the hell did you do to the skylight...? And the luggage?"

Tala released a deep, aggravated sigh as he reached up to run his hands down over his face.

"Don't ask."