Elan Vitale:

Chapter 6: That Which Is Master

A/N: [Disclimers] I do not own them. Yes, it's true. I don't. Whaaaattt??? You didn't know? Really??? So now you DO!

Yay! Sixth chappy already! That was quick, right? ^-^ Hehehe! Again, this will take a serious side. I don't know though, I might be able to inject some humor parts in the beginning. The real sad stuff will probably appear somewhere in the middle or near the end. And yes, I am trying to lengthen it as much as I see possible. As usual, read, review, and enjoy!!!

P.S.

aZn* pRyD: Thanks for that reading tip! The fic was great! ^-^ I got loads of ideas!

To all other reviewers: Thanks for the reviews! Really appreciate it! ^-^

Oh, and I've noticed too that Serena's becoming more and more like an extra only as this goes along. Therefore, I'll make it up to her in this chapter!

***

The phone was ringing of the hook. Serena rushed over from the kitchen to answer the phone. She carefully picked it up all the while balancing a lunch tray in her other hand.

"Hello? This is the Hiwatari residence. How may I help you?" She said politely.

"Is Kai home?" Master Voltaire's voice sounded from the other line. He sounded really pissed off. Serena straightened up as if he were talking to her directly. The tray gave a slight wobble as she paused to steady herself at the same time. Voltaire, after all, demanded top performance in all his servants at all times or else.

"Yes, Master Voltaire." She replied in a composed voice.

"Good. Make sure he doesn't leave the premises at any cost. I will be home soon and I wish to talk to him in my room the moment I arrive. Is that understood?" He said sternly. She silently gulped. Something serious must've happened for Voltaire to use this tone of voice.

"Yes, Master Voltaire." She replied. "Is there anything else you wish to be done?"

"No, that will be all." Voltaire sighed. "Carry on."

With that, the other line died away. Serena sighed. She couldn't fathom how she'd survived her first two months with only him for company. In that short duration of time, he had whipped her, beaten her, locked her up in the basement without anything to eat for three days, and broken her jaw so bad it had to be sawed in place. On one occasion, he had unintentionally slashed her across the stomach for something she had not even done. A slap was the least anyone got for disobeying his orders.

Those memories sent shivers down her spine. And all of those times, he had used that particular tone of voice. She silently dreaded for Kai. At the same time feeling thankful it wasn't her doing again, like all those times before.

Serena headed to Kai's room where she knew he retreated to.

~~~

"When we got out it turned out to be a pretty ok day after all." Oliver exclaimed as they biked the rich countryside. They rented a few bikes from a small shop near the train station. They soon found out also that the Hiwatari mansion was surrounded by rich greenery and loads of forest.

"Yeah, whatever." Kai grumbled his favorite phrase. He was planning to do more research on that girl, Serena. Now, just because these rich brats came, he had to spend the rest of his day out in the sunshine. Damn.

"Yup! And it's making me feel a lot better!" Tyson heaved a sigh. He pulled up next to the scowling Johnny.

"Well, I still don't see what makes this place so great." Johnny mumbled distastefully, glancing around the plains of flowers they were biking through at the moment.

"Well, if you don't like it, go home. I've got a lot on my hands right now as it is. I don't need a burden such as yourself spoiling my day." Kai shot back. He sped up as Johnny raced behind him, a glower evident on his face.

"I'll teach you to mess with a Mc Gregor, Kai! You won't get away with this, I swear!" Johnny yelled after Kai as the two of them entered one of the forests.

"Hmm, let's see…" Enrique said playfully, speeding up a little to level with Tyson, Oliver and Max. "The king of sarcasm versus the ruler of the underworld. How very intriguing!"

Oliver let out a snort as Tyson and Max bust into gales of laughter.

"But we better not lose them. They both might end up in the city after chasing each other around like that." Robert said thoughtfully, also speeding up and moving ahead towards the forest in which Kai and Johnny disappeared to. Oliver, Tyson, and Max sped up too and entered the forest. After they did though, Tyson realized they had left something.

"What is it, Tyson?" Max questioned after Tyson stopped his bike.

"We left Kenny!" Tyson panicked. Max smiled and put a foot down to stop his bike.

"No we didn't. He said he didn't want to bike around the country after we had lunch. Said he was going back to the mansion. Weren't you paying attention or was all your attention on the food only?" Max chucked and rode on, motioning Tyson to follow.

~~~

"Where's Master Kai???" Serena pleaded at the stony faces in the servant's quarters. She went to serve him his lunch as usual when to her surprise she couldn't find him anywhere. She looked all over the house for him, but still no sign of him. In desperation, she called together all the servants to inquire them one by one the whereabouts of the young master.

"H-He left…with the rest of his friends from Europe…" Mia stuttered silently. The others gave grunts of accord as well.

"No. Don't tell me that. Please don't…" Serena said, shaking her head. "B-Because Master Voltaire…o-ordered…"

Mia gasped and ran to her friend who was about to burst into tears, not for herself, but for Master Kai. She knew Serena never stuttered or hesitated as much as she could help it. Even during any of her 'punishments'. That was why everyone silently respected her for her strength of character.

"What is it? What's going on?" A young man aged 18 or so inquired as he entered the dead silent room. On top of that, everyone looked as of someone had just died. The boy had short, untidy brown hair and eerie yellow eyes, much like a hawk's, and a handsome face. The servants, including Mia and Serena, looked at him and a wave of terror were evident on each their faces at once.

"Ke-Kennison?" Mia spluttered. "Master Voltaire…is back…isn't he…?"

"Yeah." Kennison replied languidly, leaning onto the doorframe. "And he seemed really pissed this time too…"

Kennison was the Hiwatari's chauffeur; therefore wherever the masters went, he went. That would also be why he was not usually seen around the house except on special occasions when both masters were present. Everyone knew that Master Voltaire mostly uses him though. A beep sounded from the side of the room Kennison walked over and spoke into it softly. An angry voice was heard in reply to his soft murmurs. After a while, he pressed a button and looked down. A moment of silence passed

"Serena…" Kennison said softly, taking his eyes off the floor and looking her in the eye. "Master Voltaire wants you."

Kenny gasped at what he heard. He took a peek in the room and felt the tension immediately. Something was definitely wrong. And the look of sheer terror on Serena's face was indescribable. He rushed back to find Kai and the others before some thing terrible happened, hoping he wasn't too late.

~~~

"H-Hey Kai!!! Johnny! Wait up!" Tyson, Max, and Oliver shouted. They had caught up with Kai and Johnny. The only thing was, apparently, one of them had taken a painful stumble down a slope, away from the path. Now, they were down there in the field of flowers, fist up, and ready to strike at each other.

"I'm warning you, Kai. We highlanders are noted for our quick fist." Johnny smirked as he threw a punch, which Kai easily avoided. Kai did a spectacular counter in the face that sent Johnny flying back.

"Quick but ineffective you mean." It was now Kai's turn to smirk at the winded boy who was on his butt.

"Grrrr! I'll get you for that!" Johnny growled and jumped up, wiping blood from his busted lip. He charged for Kai again.   Kai, assuming he was going to ram him down, got out of the way. Unfortunately, Johnny did a double take and caught him with a kick at the back. Kai staggered forward.

"Looks like beyblading isn't all they do best, huh?" Enrique commented breezily, taking a seat on a ledge nearby.

"Johnny is also the king of brawls after all, isn't he?" Robert said in reply.

"Yeah! Go Kai!" Tyson cheered on as Kai threw another punch at Johnny.

"Yeah! Goooo Kai!" Max exclaimed along with Tyson.

"Come on Johnny!" Oliver shouted as Johnny avoided the punch and countered with a kick to the groin. Kai sensed he would try something dirty like that so he jumped back before it hit him.

"Heh. You're not that good, Johnny." Kai smiled menacingly. Johnny returned the smile.

"Neither are you, chum." Johnny smirked as he stepped on Kai's open foot. Kai couldn't help it. He hoped once but was soon thrown back by a punch in the face.

Kai put a hand up to his face and felt something red and sticky drip down to his mouth. His nose was bleeding. He wiped his nose hastily with his thumb and grit his teeth. He readied his right hand for a powerful punch and waited until Johnny seemed too occupied with his right and oblivious of his left side's defense. Doubling back, Kai quickly switched arm and swung as hard as he could with his left arm. He hit Johnny hard in the gut. Johnny lurched back for a second before falling down on the soft grass in a dead faint.

"Humph. Amateur." Kai sighed as he hauled himself up to where the original path was, leaving the fainted Johnny. Oliver and Robert rushed down to help their fallen comrade as Tyson and Max swarmed all over Kai.

"You were awesome, Kai!" Tyson exclaimed, throwing pretended punches in the air.

"Yeah! Where did you learn to fight like that?" Max asked curiously as Oliver and Robert returned with Johnny's fainted form. Kai stared at Johnny for a while and smirked.

"From the street punks who taught me my trash talk of course." Kai replied smugly.

"Eh? So it WAS true???" Max and Tyson said, surprised, as Oliver and Robert laughed.

"No, idiots. That was a joke." Kai muttered and got his bike. His nose stopped bleeding now too.

"Oh! Hahahahahaha!" Tyson laughed as realization hit him. "I didn't know the king of the underworld could do jokes!"

"What did you call--" Kai was about to say, but a strange sight distracted him for a moment. Kenny was running up to them. He looked really distressed.

"Huff, huff. Caught up to you…" Kenny huffed as he walked up to them. "Se-Serena's…in trouble…with your grandfather…"

Kai's eyes widened. Those words meant more than just yelling. It meant beatings. He knew because that was the case with him, only hers was probably worst. He got on his bike and sped off straight to the mansion, leaving Tyson and the others behind, worry etched on his face.

~~~

"Come here, girl!" Voltaire yelled, dragging Serena with a vice-like grip. Serena remained quiet and complied. She knew he could get really nasty if provoked to.

Voltaire dragged her further down the mansion until he reached a very dark room that much resembled a dungeon. She recognized it as some kind of basement in which the Hiwatari's kept all their less valuable things. She dreaded to think about what he would do to her now that they were far from anyone's sight.

"Sit!" He spat at her, throwing her into a nearby chair. He let out a distressed sigh and continued. "Did I not give you specific orders that Kai should not leave here at all cost???"

"Yes, Master." She replied, a feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach rising even more.

"And still you deliberately disobeyed me?!" He growled back.

"No, Master." She replied as politely as she could muster. She didn't want him any angrier or he might just kill her this time, literally.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" He said silently, but audibly. She couldn't find it in herself to reply this time. She knew that if she told, Master Kai would surely be punished severely. On the other hand, if she didn't tell, she would have to be punished. There were only two choices to make, and both had consequences.

"I…don't know, Master." She blurted and a slap greeted her as soon as those words rolled out of her mouth.

"Where is the brat now then?!" Voltaire yelled in question. "And don't you dare say you don't know!!!"

Serena kept her silence, refusing to deliberately get him into trouble. She could not figure out, though, why she was protecting him at her own expense. Maybe because he was the first to show some kindness to her after such a long time…

"So I see you've lost track of your priorities yet again." Voltaire sighed. He took out a small back pill from the insides of his coat. "You know what this is?"

"No, Master." She replied, fear mounting higher by the second.

"I've found a new way of putting filthy subordinates such as yourself in their place. "He smiled wickedly. "It's what I call Ultimate Torture."

He pulled her to him and forced her mouth open roughly and forced her to swallow the pill. Almost as soon as it slid down her throat, she felt her body cringe and pain explode from within.It felt just like white-hot knives piercing every inch of her body. She didn't realize that she was screaming as loud as she had ever done in her entire life. No blood, just pure pain. She felt her self drop to the floor with a sickening thud and Voltaire's pleased smirk as he left her all alone, screaming in pain.

***

A/N: Harsh life, no? Well, I didn't want to elaborate any further or it'd be up in the R section of fics already. Anyway, Serena's back!!! ^-^ Yay! Kai to the rescue in the next chapter too! Watch out for it! Bye! Gotta eat lunch! Oh, oh! Don't forget to review!