Title: Untold Truths
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: PG-13
Summary: see chapter one.
Warnings: see chapter one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.
The soft patter of footsteps drew Ray's eyes away from the television as Saskia walked over to where he lounged on the plush sofa in the main living room. Her hair was still damp from her bath and she wore a purple nightgown that kept slipping off one shoulder. As she neared he could see her holding something behind her back. Her sketchpad.
They had returned about two hours ago, around 6.00 p.m. Dinner had been ready and awaiting them however Kai hadn't. The master of the house hadn't returned from town yet so they started without him. Natasia's lasagna would have put an Italian chef to shame. Ray wasn't a big eater but had three servings plus a large cherry and chocolate ice-cream sundae that the jolly cook had made herself. Saskia ate very little and had shared his ice-cream with him however she had taken the crispy wafer off it and wrapped it in a napkin which she purposefully placed in the center of the bar to make sure no one would touch it.
After dinner they had gone to their rooms to bathe. It took Ray a better part an hour to wash and comb his incredibly long hair. Mercifully, it didn't take him that long to dress his wounds. The spot where Dolsea had bumped him was bluer then before but it didn't pain him much. His scrapes and cuts had healed, leaving but some dark bruises and his arm, which hadn't bothered him all day.
When he finally finished he had thrown on a pair of loose sleeping pants and a shirt. Having left his hair loose to dry quicker he had gone downstairs. Natasia and Ivan had been sitting at the bar chatting happily. He had sat with them for a while, Natasia marveling over his hair and had taken it upon herself to comb it. When she had at last been satisfied he had gone into the living room and collapsed on the couch and turned on the T.V. Outside the snowstorm had started up again but Natasia said that it would be gone in the morning for the first five hours.
Saskia now walked to him with her sketchpad hidden behind her though it was obviously difficult to carry it like that.
"Feels good to be clean, huh?" Ray asked as he helped her onto the sofa to sit beside him. She nodded and shyly handed him her sketchpad, a little damp on the corner she had held it but it would quickly dry without causing any damage. Ray turned to the page she had marked and smiled.
The sketch she had drawn of him that morning was now completed. Every detail and shade composed perfectly and she had colored it in also. His name had been erased and rewritten with flowing handwriting in golden ink pen.
"It is wonderful, Saskia. Did you just finish it?"
Again she nodded.
"You draw quickly. How many sketchpads have you gone through?"
The pink irises lit up like neon lights and she grabbed his healing hand, hopping off the couch and pulling him along. Despite that she held onto his hand very tightly he didn't feel a thing.
'She's so fragile,' Ray mused as he followed the petite princess as she led him towards the stairs.
She had to let go of him to lift her gown as she started to ascend. Though the stairs were average in size it must have seemed like miles for her so Ray scooped her up with his good arm. Saskia giggled and held onto his shirt though he would never drop her.
Reaching the landing he stopped and looked around.
"Which way?" he asked making sure that she was watching him.
She pointed a small finger down the hall.
"There."
He followed the invisible line, passing his bedroom and continuing. To his surprise, what had appeared to be a doorway actually led, not into a room, but another flight of stairs and then another hall.
'This must be where Saskia and Kai's bedrooms are,' he realized and sure enough there were doors in the hall.
To his right were richly polished brown doors and at the end of the hall was a tall double door with a phoenix emblem, bronze doorknobs shaped like wings complemented the workmanship perfectly. Those were no doubt Kai's rooms.
On his right were smaller double doors, which were pastel purple with a dolphin emblem on them, its eye a jeweled glass that sparkled pastel blue, purple and green.
Saskia wriggled in his arms and he gently placed her on the floor. Standing on her toes, she turned one of the silver doorknobs and with a soft click, it opened. She easily slipped through the narrow crack. Ray had to push them wider to enter.
He was assaulted with the fresh scent of an English garden. If he had thought his room luxurious he could not place any words for Saskia's.
It was the perfect all girl's-room. The large room wasn't square like normal rooms but kind of like an octagon. Drapes that hung from the high roof ran along one half of the room while two doors lined the other. Between these two doors was a large, white four post bed with pink canopy with glittering silver stars that stood on a large pedestal that was about three feet higher then ground level. The covers were all pink and white with sky blue pillows shaped as hearts and stars
The room around the bed's pedestal was divided into sections. Near the pedestal was her stuffed animal collection and Ray didn't think he had ever seen so many even in a toyshop. Ranging from small beanie babies to giants that were twice as big and weighed five times as much as the room's owner. A large valentine bear that sat next to the bed was higher then Ray himself!
Opposite the stuffed animal collection was a big, glass display case that held at least 50 very expensive and beautiful porcelain dolls. Each was different and wore attire that ranged from Victorian dresses to a schoolgirl uniform. The dolls' faces had been hand painted with extreme care and their hair were well groomed; some curly, some straight. Each had its own stand with name and certified number. The whole collection must have been worth thousands!
One section of the room had been transformed into a small pink and white house. Peeping into one of the curtained windows Ray shook his head in wonder to see that it was a dollhouse made for Saskia's size. A small table surrounded by four little chairs held a tea set. Many stuffed animals had been dragged into the mini house and placed in the chairs to reenact a tea party. An actual white door that had a lock led into the house.
And so the list went on; a section for the dolls she played with, a section for her play make-up station, a section for her butterfly collection and a section for her stamp collection.
Ray walked around the room disbelievingly, his bare feet not making a sound on the soft peach carpet as he carefully stepped over a thousand piece butterfly puzzle that was currently under construction near the closed drapes.
Saskia made a small sound to bring his attention to where she stood in a now open doorway that led to the room next to hers. Giving the princess suite one final look over Ray followed her.
This room was bare but its walls were all mirrored and a low railing ran all around. The wooden floorboards were polished to a shine. A dance studio of her own! The only non-mirrored wall had a closet that held the music system and about a hundred classical and opera CD's. Also in the white closet were a skip rope, hula hoops and batons with sparkling ribbons attached.
Saskia still walked on and Ray ran softly behind her as she entered the final room.
'Oh man, if she keep this up I'm gonna have a heart attack!'
One word: Artist workshop.
Almost as big as her bedroom, her art room had everything an artist could desire. Easels lined the wall behind him where he had entered and blank canvasses were perfectly stacked upon each other beside them. Different lights were mounted on the wall or hung from the ceiling and there was the smell of fresh paint and kerosene.
The wall to his left was where she did her sketches. Papers upon papers of hundreds and hundreds of pencil-made drawings were on the wall, on the adjustable sketching table, on the special cupboard that had tags on each shelf from A to Z, allowing the girl to keep everything in order.
On his right was where she made her oil paintings; a small stool stood before an unfinished canvas of a white stallion rearing up on its hind legs on top of a spring swept hill. Several glass pots of special oil-paint remover sat around the stool and a small table beside it held her dozens of paintbrushes and tubes, pots and bottles of paint.
The wall he faced, opposite the entry, proudly displayed her finished works. Breathtaking paintings of castles on mountains, unicorns pulling a golden chariot across a rainbow, a playful litter of kittens and puppies together, a lone maiden standing on the beach with flowers in her hair and many more. In the center of all these was a painting so realistic that Ray expected the crimson eyes to blink.
A life-size oil painting of Kai was the centerpiece and obviously Saskia's greatest masterpiece. In the painting Kai was caught in a powerful pose as he launched his blade, eyes serious in concentration and white scarf whirling behind him like the wind. Behind him was Dranzer in her full glory, wings spread and talons bared as she made a silent battle cry. The painting had been framed and a label beneath it had Saskia's name on it as well as age and duration of the work. The girl had started on it when she was just 6 years old and it had taken her only five days to complete.
"Where do you find the time to do all this?" Ray asked. When no answer came he remembered her handicap and turned to her but she wasn't where she had been standing. Looking around he spied a single door that had been hidden in the closet's shadow and it was ajar. He could hear Saskia's somewhat heavy breathing coming from within.
"Saskia?" He stood before the door and started to push it open.
Thought the widening opening he could see that it led to a small room. Several large framed paintings hung on the wall. One was very close to him but the minimal lighting in the room cast it mostly into shadows except for the person's eyes. Using his own cat vision Ray felt a jolt of familiarity run through him as he took in the unknown person's amazing ice-blue eyes.
'Where have I seen those eyes before?' Ray asked himself and started to push the door open a bit more but a sudden jerk stopped him.
"No!" Saskia held onto the door, trying to pull it back close behind her as she left the room. Her physical strength was nothing compared to his but the tone of her voice made him release his hold. The door closed with a click and Saskia locked it with a bronze key she then returned to her pouch. She turned to him, not angry but serious.
"No...," she fumbled over the word. "No...no...no go!" she finally remembered the word. "No go there. Please?"
Ray looked at her questionably. He had known her for only a day but he had never heard her fumble, especially not over a word as simple as 'go'.
"Um, okay. I won't."
"Promise?" Saskia worried her lip, her eyes begging him to understand and he hated seeing her so concerned. Kneeling down at eye-level, he gave her a reassuring smile and brushed back a wayward lock of pastel purple hair from her eyes.
"I will not go in there. I promise." He raised his right hand in a vow.
Before anything could be said Saskia's head turned to the door as something caught her attention. Ray looked but no one stood there.
"Natasia call us," Saskia said and started to the door.
'Call?' How can she hear that someone had called them? He hadn't heard a thing.
Ray stood, giving the art-studio one last look for the day and turning to follow the little girl as she trotted away, holding her nightgown a few inches off the floor as she crossed the polished floor of her ballet studio. After rounding the pedestal of her bed they were once again outside in the hall. Ray moved to walk beside her and picked her up but stopped and turned her to face him.
"How do you know that Natasia called us?"
She smiled and pulled up the folded sleeve of her nightie. Attached to her tiny wrist was something that looked like a watch.
"It tremble twice. That Natasia," she explained.
"Trembled twice?" Ray shifted her to his hip as he inspected the wrist device.
"Ivan, tremble once. Natasia, tremble twice. Jeremei, three tremble. Kai, four tremble."
"Huh?" What the heck was this about?
Saskia sighed in exasperation.
"Silly. Ivan want me, he push button, this tremble once. Natasia want me, she push button, this tremble twice."
"Push button on what?"
Suddenly he was brought back to this morning when he had found Saskia on his bed. He recalled Ivan pulling out a small round thing and pressing a button and the little girl had responded. Now he understood.
"They use this to call you?"
"Yes," she smiled, happy that he had finally figured out what she had always considered a very simple method for the people who lived here with her to call her when they couldn't find her.
"Cool." Ray started towards the stairs.
"Cool," she confirmed, laying her head on his shoulder as she started to sing softly to herself.
The trip back was made in silence that was only broken by her soft voice. It sounded like a lullaby and as she sung it she relaxed more in his arms. Ray lifted her chin to look at her when he spoke.
"That is a pretty song," he complemented as they reached the foot of the stairway and started towards the kitchen to get to the living room.
"My favorite. Kai teach me when I little."
'Add another tally mark for really un-Kai-like behavior list.' Kai? Singing?
"Kai likes to sing," Saskia continued. "He like playing his guitar."
'Warning to Pentagon: secret weapon has been revealed. Commencing operation 'Stun people to death' will begin with the first pluck of a string.'
What Tyson would do for this little bit of information...
Wait a minute! If Saskia was deaf, how could Kai teach her how to sing? How did she know how well he played the guitar? Why did she sing if she could not hear herself? The more time he spent with her the bigger a mystery she became.
"It's time for your medication, Saskia," Natasia said as they entered. She had about ten bottles on the bar. She had also a bowl of yogurt to make the pill taking easier.
Saskia looked somewhat embarrassed at Ray seeing all the medicines and she slipped by herself out of his hold and climbed onto a barstool. Keeping her head down, she started to solemnly eat her yogurt while placing a tablet on each spoonful.
Feeling that it was safe to ask since Saskia was so focused on her task Ray asked, "Why must she take so many tablets? Is she ill or something?"
"You can say that," Natasia said, smiling sadly while stroking the long blue hair comfortingly. Saskia still refused to look Ray in the eye as she swallowed her eleventh pill, eight more to go.
It was against nature for someone as kind hearted and cute as Saskia to feel bad and Ray couldn't help blaming himself. Running his hand through his now dry hair, he tried to think of something to make it easier on her. As his eyes scanned the room they fell on the fridge where his own bottles of tablets stood. Two had to be taken only once a day but the third was a harmless medicine that could be taken anytime with no limit and the fourth was the tablets the doctor had given him today.
He walked over to the fridge and picked up the bottles. Turning to the older woman, he winked as he took out two of the recommended tablets and about eight of the other one.
The Russian cook nodded understandingly and gratefully. She quickly prepared a bowl of yogurt for him as he took a seat opposite Saskia.
He placed his pills on the bar and watched as she lifted her eyes slightly, studying the tablets with a piqued curiosity. Natasia handed him his yogurt and he started to mimic Saskia's technique.
Saskia lifted her head now and watched as he was soon left with only four, the same amount that she was at. First she looked at his amount, then hers, then back to his. Ray made a show of placing one tablet on top of his spoon of yogurt and opening his mouth widely he swallowed the yogurt, licking off the spoon afterwards.
Saskia giggled and taking a pill of her own she dropped it on her spoon. Making a loud "Aah", she plopped the thick substance into her mouth and smacked her lips loudly.
Raising a brow, Ray took two of his tablets and a bigger spoonful of yogurt that promptly vanished down his throat.
Pouting, Saskia took her final three pills, a trio of very small pink ones, and placed it on her spoon. At the same time Ray took his last one and placed it on his yogurt also. Then with a mocking challenge he waited for her to make her move.
Natasia watched smiling widely as the two downed their last spoon at the same time, applauding as they mocked bowed to each other. Saskia had always been shy about taking her medicine and she had tried many ways to make it easier but it had always remained a hard thing for the master's baby sister.
Speaking of the master... She went back to her task of brewing his coffee, which she had halted to give Saskia her medication. Behind her she could still hear the two giggling as they tried to finish their remaining yogurt first.
'It's amazing how, despite him distancing himself from others, when Kai makes a friend, they always live up to what a friend really means.' She poured out some coffee in a mug and sipped it. 'This coffee has to be stronger; Kai has no doubt a long night ahead of him. It must be so hard for him but he will not lose her.' She turned to where Saskia had challenged their guest to a spoon-balancing contest, trying to keep the wobbly objects on their nose. 'He would give up everything to keep her safe. I fear to what extent he would go to ensure that...'
The entrance door to the penthouse opened and she was shaken out of her reverie. Putting more coffee into the machine, she heard the newcomer speaking rather irritated to someone but from the lack of response he was probably on the phone. The voice grew nearer and Saskia and Ray halted in their yogurt gurgling contest as Kai entered. He nodded his acknowledgment but went back to his 'conversation'.
Ray had known Kai for about a year and despite all their experiences the enigma never had a hair out of place. Now though he looked tired, eyes slightly red tainted and his shoulders were slightly lower then usual. He had removed the coat and scarf he had worn this morning and was dressed in his usual attire, showing off his well-toned, but weary body. The only thing that still denoted him as Kai was the cold bite in his voice as he argued softly but heatedly with whoever was on the other end.
Saskia watched her big brother with worried eyes. Somehow Ray believed that she knew what this was all about.
'This?'
What was this?
He had spent the whole day with Saskia and it had been so much fun that he had neglected the fact that Kai was keeping very busy with something very important. The forms he always seemed to be filling out, having to go into town for an entire day--
"I have to leave for St. Petersburg the day after tomorrow," Kai announced as he hung up the cell.
"How long will you be staying, sir?" Natasia asked as she handed him his caffeine drink.
"Only two days."
Natasia nodded in understanding.
Ray watched his team captain as the bluenette drank his coffee, eyes distant in thought. He wanted to say something. But what? What could he say? What did he want to achieve?
Having the liberties of being a much younger child, and being the phoenix's little sister, Saskia had no restrains and asked, "Kai okay?"
Her voice broke through all dark thoughts like a beam of light and he turned to her, disbelieving that he hadn't really noticed her before that. Putting down his mug, he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her as she curled up against him, resting her chin on his chest to regard him as he spoke.
"I'm fine, Sassy," he assured, using the nickname he had called her all her life.
"I don't know, Kai. You look a bit...exhausted," Ray voiced his concern softly.
Making the same mistake twice was something that very rarely happened to him, but again, Kai had failed to notice another and it unnerved him. Maybe he was sick. The fact that Ray had pointed out exactly what he was feeling was unexpected but not surprising; Ray always had more insight than the rest of the team.
"I'm still a bit jet-lagged," Kai lied, fighting the natural habit of blinking his eyes that were burning with insufficient sleep.
Ray frowned at this. They had traveled a lot in planes during their tournaments and Kai had never been affected, always waking them up at the crack of dawn to train. A one-hour in-land flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg was nowhere near enough to tire out the phoenix. Still, he knew from experience that a tired Kai was a Kai you did not want to tick off.
"Well then, I think that some sleep is in order. Do you have to go in town tomorrow, sir?" Natasia asked, taking back the now empty mug and washing it.
"No. I finished off everything I needed to today. I'll be staying home tomorrow to do some paperwork. I've already told Jeremei so you don't have to call him."
Ray felt relieved to hear this.
"Some rest from the hectic city is good for you," Natasia agreed with her young master. Looking down, she smiled as she saw that Saskia had slipped off into a restful sleep, nuzzled close against her brother, one small hand holding onto his shirt loosely in sleep.
"And this one had a very busy day. She and Ray were gone all day and when they came back she was beaming. I think we've found little Saskia a dear friend."
Ray blushed at the words but smiled when Kai looked over at him.
"She's great to be around. Though Dolsea could do with a bit more restrain," he added, unconsciously rubbing his ribs.
"What happened?" Kai asked, realizing how little communication they had had up until now.
Ray went about describing the day, though he left out the part of their encounter with Mrs. McSnobbe. Saskia had never told Kai about it and had asked him not to tell the phoenix either. Or at least, not yet, since Kai was very busy with 'important' matters, or so she had claimed.
Holding his sister in his arms, Kai watched Ray as he told the day's happenings. At some points he blocked out the words, only staring at the golden eyes that would flash at certain heights of the story. To his surprise, he realized that Ray's hair was actually lose, falling over a shoulder while the rest ran down the back of the barstool, stopping a couple of feet off the floor.
He was able to catch the last part of Dolsea's unintended 'attack' just in time to avoid being caught daydreaming and, when the words registered, he asked, "Was the impact hard?"
"No. More shock than a pain. It gave Saskia quite a scare though. I told her that it wasn't Dolsea's fault and I hope she understands that."
"She does." Kai looked down when she squirmed slightly on his lap.
"Do you want me to put her to bed, sir?" Natasia asked, having finished wiping down the kitchen.
"I would appreciate it," Kai nodded, gently handing the sleeping body over after kissing the smooth forehead softly. "Goodnight, Sassy."
"I shall retire also, so we shall see each other in the morning," Natasia said. "I think I will make my omelet platter. What do you think?" she asked Ray.
"Sounds great."
"Wonderful. Goodnight, the both of you. And please try to get some sleep, sir," she said to Kai. Switching to Russian, she added, in a serious voice, ((You still have time to settle these things, but you haven't slept well for several nights.))
Kai knew she was right and that she was worried, but inside he found it impossible to get any rest. There was so much on his mind that sleep had been pushed aside and was no longer registered as essential, though his body was definitely feeling it.
Ray returned Natasia's wave as she walked out of the kitchen, cradling Saskia against her chest with motherly care. He wondered if she had any children of her own; she would make a great mother. But, then again, she would have mentioned it by now if she did.
The soft sound of a chair scraping against the tiled floor brought his eyes back to Kai, who now stood and walked towards the living room. After a few seconds indecision, Ray followed.
The snow had let up, for the first half of the night according to the news, and the city lights of Moscow seemed to stretch on forever in every direction. Cold air blew over him, the iciness keeping him awake as he watched the nightlife with his mind elsewhere.
"Looks a lot more different at night."
"Yeah, I guess so," Kai replied, watching Ray come to stand next to him out of the corner of his eyes. The tiger's eyes trained on the panoramic view laid out before them, dark hair flowed serenely on the night air, the tips brushing against Kai's bare arms. Taking a small step to the side to break the contact, he said, "It's cold out here, and your hair is wet. Go inside before you catch a cold."
"You know, that's all I've been hearing from you. I'm just trying to start a conversation."
The exasperated voice caused him to turn his head to Ray who kept his eyes straight.
"I'm just as old as you, Kai. Maybe a few months short, but I know how to take care of myself."
"What would you know about taking care of oneself?" Kai asked with a noticeable tension.
"When I left my village and the White Tigers I was on my own for almost a year before I met up with Mr. Dickenson. I learned how to make it on my own, with no help at all."
"Yeah, for one whole year," Kai sighed and shook his head. "Wisen up, Ray, because I know you're smarter than this. One year of wandering doesn't make you independent."
"So what does?"
"I think you know already. You just never wanted to have to think it over." Straightening from where he had been leaning against the railing, he looked the gold eyes right on. "There is a big difference of being on your own and being alone. Which do you think has a greater impact on someone?"
Ray couldn't reply though he knew the answer. Kai was right, because he was the one who was alone. He grew to depend on no one, and that had made him stronger. But it never made him happier.
"I'm sorry. I assume too quickly." Seeing that the phoenix was in no mood for company, Ray sighed and turned. "Goodnight, Kai."
He didn't reply nor moved until the tiger's footsteps faded off. The air suddenly felt much colder, but he had known it would. Loneliness always had cold abandonment as company.
'But I'm not lonely. I mean, I have Saskia who I love till the end of this world and beyond. I have Natasia, Ivan and Jeremei who have been there for me since the day I was born. I have Ata, who sticks by me through thick and thin. And still...'
Something was missing. He just couldn't figure out what. He had family and friends; what more could he possible need?
Unconsciously, his eyes strayed to where Ray's footprints were still visible on the patio floor.
The building stood silent like a sentinel in the night. Snow blanketed it heavily and the winds howled through its many corridors. Corridors once filled with ordering voices and pained moans and scientific beeps now silent except for the occasional patrol of a few hooded guards. The place was now deserted with the exception of a few handfuls.
In an office several floors underground a lone figure sat before a computer monitor. With a beep the screen switched off and the person stood.
'Soon we will have it back in our hands. Soon we will fulfill our destiny. One more week.'
Tbc…
Read and review, please.