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 purpose to entertain.

One would think that since an alarm clock's ringer is the first thing you hear in the morning, it would sound a lot more agreeable. How can you have a good day after waking up to BLEH BLEH BLEH right in your ear? Surely the inventor of this 'miracle device' could have been a little more understanding?

Then again, an alarm clock could have the song of a beautiful maiden dallying in a meadow full of birds and laugher and he would still have the insatiable urge to smash the stupid thing against the wall for waking him up at 6 o'clock in the morning. In conclusion; the only good way to wake up is to wake up on your own. No alarm, no planes passing over your head, no car horn blaring from in the street, no anything.

Fumbling blindly in the dark, he found the alarm clock on his night table and turned it off with a bit more force than needed. Sighing in relief of the silence that followed, he flopped back down on the bed. The one thing he didn't mind waking up to was the feel of careful little hands determinably combing through his hair. Speaking of which, something wasn't right.

Rolling over, Ray scanned his room and found nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was where it was supposed to and he was the only one there...

Ray sat up but a certain little blue-haired girl wasn't lying beside him, which would be the first time in four days. Saskia had taken a liking to sleeping over by him since it assured her that she then had first dibs on his hair in the mornings. She would come prepared the night before, armed with her bag of combs, brushes, clips, hair products and scissors. The latter he had thankfully talked her out of using when she had insisted that his ends needed trimming.

His thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when BLEH BLEH BLEH broke through the room once more, louder then before, nearly giving him a heart attack.

Why did alarms have to have snooze buttons! Who wanted to hear that again!

Going for a foolproof solution, he reached behind the mini bullhorn and yanked the cord out of the wall. With a final BLEH the foul thing fell silent. Problem solved. However, it had already scared all sleep out of him.

Ray moved to sit on the edge of the bed while he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and pushed his hair out of his face. He really needed to start tying his hair better when going to sleep. Adjusting to sight, he looked at his watch and was surprised to see that it was only 4 a.m. Who the hell set the alarm clock for four in the morning!

Oh yeah, Saskia had been trying to balance her sketchpad on his nightstand yesterday and had accidentally knocked over the alarm clock. He must have unknowingly pressed a button or something when he picked it up. The little girl had been pretty ashamed but after a few words of assurance from him she was smiling and laughing as she plaited his hair.

'I wonder where she is...probably with Kai'

He stood and started to stretch when a sudden thought came to him.

'Or with Tala.'

Despite how he felt about the Demolition boy being here he would be the world's worst liar if he said that he was unwelcome since Saskia's eyes had been shining like spotlights when the Russian blader had arrived. The only other person she looked at with more admiration than that was Kai.

'She trusts him...a lot.'

Now that he thought about it, everyone did. Saskia, Ivan, Natasia, most likely Jeremei also, even Kai.

His team captain looked more at ease around the redhead then around him, a member of his own team. Tala had been nothing but a menace to them but Kai was ready to defend him when questioned.

And why was Tala here? Kai had invited him, sure, but why? And why did he have a feeling that Tala knew what Kai was up to? Had Kai told him? Did he trust him?

The last thought hit him hard. The Bladebreakers had tried hundreds of thousands of times to get Kai to open up to them but they had never been able to even chip a flake off his icy defense. The walls he had built around him were impenetrable to those he wished to keep out of his life and the only way in was a single door to which only few people had the key. And Tala was apparently one of them.

For some reason the idea of Kai and Tala being so close made him feel a pang of jealousy. How could Kai trust Tala more then them? Tala hadn't been there for Kai when he was lost and in need of friends. Tala didn't save Kai's life like that day on the lake. Tala hadn't supported Kai throughout all their tournaments. Tala had done nothing for Kai. It had been the Bladebreakers the whole time. It had been him the whole time!

"No...way..."

Reality dawned on him but he stubbornly refused to accept it.

'I do not love him. I do not love him.'

Ray leaned against the patio doors, resting his aching head on the cool windowpane. Outside the blizzard was again blowing and howling over the still sleeping city of Moscow but he heard nothing.

It wasn't possible to just fall in love with someone so suddenly, especially after knowing them for more then a year. Then again, who said he had never felt more than the need to be friends with Kai from their first meeting? Not that they were even friends, Kai always kept his relationship with his team to just that, team captain. Ray could only watch and admire the silent teen from afar and marvel.

So why the sudden love? Was it because he saw how Kai got along with Tala? Did he feel threatened by Tala? What was he talking about? For all he knew Tala was still the enemy and could be plotting to kill them all. For some reason he would prefer that Tala to this new side of him, Ata.

'I have not fallen for Kai...' He closed his eyes and sighed. 'I couldn't have...'

It was all so clear now, his strange behavior when around the phoenix. The stolen looks, the blushing whenever they would touch accidentally, always wanting Kai to stay put. Heck, the little body contact when they had been playing pool had left him tingling for hours. How could he have been so stupid?

He growled and slammed his fist against the door, rattling the window panes.

'Damnit! Why! Why him of all people! He's selfish, arrogant, cold, uncaring, indifferent, aloof, dominant, sarcastic, stubborn and…and…'

His mind ran out of things he hated about Kai. With his mind momentarily stumped his heart made its own list.

'He's also dependable, responsible, good-looking, brave, intelligent, at times witty, gives good advise, a world champion blader, defends his team, loves his sister, strong willed…'

Feeling suddenly tired all over again he laid his forehead back on the glass.

'Figures, of all the people in the world I could fall in love with I chose Kai Hiwatari.'

A small smile curled at the corner of his lip. And why was that so bad?

His mind promptly returned him to the exact reasons why. One: what the heck made him think that Kai would feel the same way? Two: Tala. What were his relations with Kai and how deep did it go?

He needed to think and standing around his dark room was comfortable but not helpful. He needed to vent out some of his frustration. Normally he would take Drigger out and spin it for a few minutes but right now he needed some stress reliever, not his blade. Remembering having seen a punching bag in the gym, he debated on whether or not his healing injuries could withstand a few martial arts moves. Yeah, they were all healed and he'd just take it easy. A few punches and kicks would help out a lot better than laying bored in bed.

"It's better than nothing."

Changing into simple sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt he then wrapped his hair and taking Drigger, just incase he changed his mind about the want to blade, he headed out the door and quietly padded down the hall and the grand staircase.

'This feels weird.'

The house was so much different at night when everyone else was asleep. He was used to hearing the sound of kitchen utensils as Natasia cooked up a storm in the kitchen, or Ivan's constant footsteps as he went to and fro, carrying out his job as butler. The most noticeable sound missing, strange enough, was the soft but steady sound of Saskia's pencils as she sketched on the couch, pencil flitting over the large expanse of white paper. Then there were always the TV and the radio that were kept on for updates on the weather.

But now the place was silent except for the snow that howled outside. The penthouse was kept moderately lit and he could see many green dots here and there that pointed out the alarm system. He forced down the fluttery feeling as he passed the living room, remembering how stunningly gorgeous (he could now openly admit that) Kai had looked playing pool; cigarette between his long fingers and shirt left open.

His sense of direction never failed him and he soon found himself standing in the open doorway that led into the large room that was the gym. A small light kept the room moderately lit the room but even though his vision in the dark was pretty good he still clicked on the main light; he was not about to risk more damage to his body because he tripped and fell in the dark. Besides, that would be down right embarrassing.

A towel rack near the door held fresh, cleaned towels. Grabbing one, he walked to the back of the room. Sure enough, the heavy bag was there, like a large bat with its wings folded as it hung from the rafters.

Ray laid the towel on the bench nearby. Gloves were lined up neatly in a large closet. He never liked using gloves. Instead he usually opted to use his bare hands. But with one hand just having healed he wasn't stupid enough to run that risk. Choosing a pair of fingerless gloves with wrist protectors, he walked up to the bag, swinging his arms slowly to stretch the muscles that hadn't seen much action lately except for punching one punk two days ago.

With a deep breath he focused his concentration. His training as a child made him a great martial artist but if he didn't pay attention to his technique he could end up worse than before. The elders had always told them to picture their target and ignore all else, at least when training. Ignoring you surroundings during a real fight is pretty stupid since you may not be fighting only one person.

Focused and ready, he took his stance and started. The first punch caused the heavy bag to tremble a bit but not really move. It being Kai's it was possibly filled with bricks or something. Still this didn't dissuade him and he continued.

'Upper jab. Block. Right hook. Right kick. Dodge. Left upper kick.'

He called out the moves in his mind and he could feel his body start to recall his old routine. His movements became more graceful, his agility heightened and his strength kept on building.

'Duck left. Double kick. Left knee. Right hook.'

The bag was now swaying more from his assault. Each impact between the fighter and the bag echoed through the room like gunshots but he heard nothing, his mind starting to wander.

'Why would Kai trust an enemy better then his own team?'

Punch.

'Okay, so he grew up with Tala in the abbey. But then why were they so cold to each other during the World Championships?'

Punch. Upper kick. Punch.

'Tala was the team captain and wasn't at all very thrilled when Boris assigned Kai to them. I mean, they had almost killed us with that monster chopper of theirs and then had the nerves to steal Max's Draciel!'

Punch. Punch. Kick. Upper jab. Kick. Kick.

His anger grew the more he thought about it. His fist and feet were moving faster as he danced around the punching bag that shook with every blow.

' They didn't care that they hurt people in the process! They didn't flinch at the losing bladers' devastated faces as they watched their bit beasts being sucked out of their blades. Lee, Mariah, Gary, Michael, Emily, Steve, Eddie…They didn't care at all! And Tala is their leader! How can you even stomach looking him in the face, Kai?'

He was so caught up in his fighting and thoughts that he did not notice the small trickle of sand that escaped from where the bag had burst from his punches. Neither did he notice a shadow that was slowly making its way towards him.

'How could you forget all that so easily! How can he trust that...that...creep!'

He let out a frustrated growl as his fist impacted once more with the bag...

And cried out when he felt a bone snap in his hand.

"Damnit!"

He jumped back, cradling the throbbing hand.

The bag had suddenly turned into an immobile statue. It had felt like hitting a wall! What the hell just happened?

"One of the main rules when fighting, Kon; Keep your mind on your surroundings," a smooth voice pointed out.

Tala stood next to the bag, a hand casually held out, holding the bag in place while the other held his closed laptop on his side. How on earth had he taken the force of that punch with just one hand?

Ray moved a step backwards and assumed a semi-defense stance. The other boy didn't look at all interested in attacking him but with Tala you never knew what was being thought behind those cerulean eyes. He had personally seen the guy freak out and go in all out demon mode during his final battle with Tyson.

"What do you want?" he asked with a hint of a snarl in an attempt to intimidate.

Fat chance.

Tala simply raised a red brow, half-amused.

"I don't want anything, Kon."

"Then why are you here?" His hand was hurting but he ignored it. Probably only a sprain.

"I was on my way to alert the army that the Germans were invading again."

"Huh?" Ray's stance faltered somewhat at the sarcastic tone.

"It's almost five a.m., Kon. Why the hell are you beating the stuffing out of a punching bag at five o'clock in the morning? Making more noise than half of the earth's population on New Year's Eve, I may add," the redhead said around a small yawn as he removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. Despite his tone Tala looked a bit on the tired side.

"Just needed to let out some steam," Ray shrugged, faking calm.

"You mind letting out that steam at some more sanely hours? Some people in this house are trying to get some sleep."

"Aw, did I wake you? How rude of me," he replied with sarcasm that reflected Tala's.

Both brows went up now, however, as he answered.

"As if. I was already awake but I could hear you smashing about from in the study four halls down."

"Well, genius, I'm afraid I cannot control the airwaves the impact of my fist to the bag make. It's kinda something that has to do with physics. You know, people call them sound waves?"

A small pop of triumph went off in his chest and he awaited the other's response.

"Hn." Tala shook his head and turned.

Ray rejoiced that he had beaten the older boy at his own game but his victory was short lived when Tala simply placed his laptop down on the bench. He then removed his glasses and stepped up to the bag, casually shooing Ray away with a mere flick of his wrist. Ray would have protested at the attitude had he not been curious as to what Tala wanted to prove.

"So you can punch hard too? Big deal," Ray commented as Tala fell into an attack stance he could not identify.

"Watch and learn, Kitty cat."

A smirk appeared and Ray bristled at the nickname, however, before he could response Tala went into action.

His fist shot out with such speed that Ray wouldn't have even known that it had connected had the punching bag swung almost to the ceiling. Despite the enormous force needed for such a hit the only sound in the whole room was that of their breathing. It was like watching a fight scene on TV after pressing the mute button. The blows kept coming but not one contact could be heard while the chain was straining to keep its hold on the leather bag. Tala was barely visible as he took on the bag from all sides. Ray heard a loud click from the chain. In one fluent move, Tala crouched, jumped, spun and delivered a hard and accurate kick to the bag. The chain gave way and snapped completely. Without any anchoring left, the bag smashed into the wall, landing with a heavy thump.

Ray stood staring in mind numbing disbelief at the bag on the floor. It had split open and the sand poured out all over the floor, a cloud of dust still rising from what could only be described as a car wreck. Metal from a barbell rack it had landed on was twisted around it like mere clay.

Tala straightened, calmly flexing his arms as he walked back to his laptop. Picking up his glasses he held them to the light and frowned slightly before wiping them off on his loose shirt. One would have thought he had just returned from a peaceful walk. Only his hair was slightly tousled.

"How…What…?" Ray could only sputter, still unsure on whether that had really happened.

"Light is faster then sound, kitty-cat," Tala informed, coming to stand next to him as he replaced his glasses. "Your punches are too weak and the interval between them too long so sound has time to catch up with you. My punches are much faster and they are applied in one continuous line. By the time the sound of the first punch can reach our ears it is absorbed by the sound of the seventh and so on. I must confess though, I haven't practice in a long time so my technique was a bit off."

"What are you talking about?" Ray was finally able to find his voice.

"It must be because I lack my sleep...You okay?" Tala took in Ray's still shocked expression. The blue eyes were no longer cold and a far amount of concern.

Ray nodded his head slightly.

"I…I'm okay." He was about to wave it away but his aching hand quickly reminded him of its state. Tala's performance had been so captivating that he had actually forgotten about it.

Big mistake.

His wince didn't go unnoticed by the other boy.

"Let me see it."

Tala placed his laptop on the bench and took Ray's hand. He carefully removed the glove and turned the hand, tracing it carefully as he studied it. His pale fingers trailed over each bone until it reached the wrist bone. When he applied pressure Ray hissed.

"It's not broken. Only dislocated."

"Only dislocated!"

"I am going to have to set it back."

"Excuse me! I don't think so." Ray pulled his hand away.

"If you don't set it quickly then it will only get worse and you could eventually lose complete mobility in that hand."

"I know that, but do you honestly think that I am going to let you pop it back in place?"

"Hey, no loss on my behalf if you want to live life like an invalid," Tala said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "All I'm saying is that a life without beyblading really sucks."

Ray fell silent.

Decline Tala's offer and keep his hand, or take up the offer and lose his hand completely? If Tala could destroy a punching bag, what the hell could he do with a scrawny, injured wrist? Declining would unavoidably lead to never being able to blade again. If he agreed then maybe he had a chance. Perhaps Tala used all his energy on the punching bag and couldn't do too much damage.

"I don't have all day, Kitty cat." Tala stood with arms crossed. He and Kai certainly shared their characteristics. Ray banished those thoughts from his mind.

"Fine then...and stop calling me that!"

"Sure, Kitten," Tala smirked and took his hand once more.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?"

"I've seen it once on TV"

"Oh no! Uh-uh!" Ray tried to pull free but the grip tightened on his hand in a warning.

"I'm just kidding, Kitten. I've been doing stuff like this since before you even picked up your first beyblade. It's like second nature to me," Tala assured as he studied in which direction the bone had popped and rotated the wrist to the angle he wanted it.

Ray hissed again as the small movement caused major pain.

"How come? And don't call me that!"

"Clench your teeth unless you want to bite off your tongue," Tala advised, pretending not to have heard the question or demand. "You need to relax these muscles in your wrist or it won't go right."

"That is going to be a problem." His muscles were clenching around the dislocated joint in an attempt to heal it themselves, unintentionally causing more harm than good.

"I would have thought that you knew the risks involved when fighting."

"I do."

"You should always be prepared for anything."

"I was."

"Then what happened?"

"I...I don't know."

"For how long have you been training martial arts?"

"I guess I started when I was...five? Yeah, five. Actually, Lee started first, at that time he was six, and he dragged me along. I watched them and I really got into it but the elders wouldn't allow me."

"Why not?" Ata asked, noting in the back of his mind that the muscles were relaxing.

"Where I come from kids start their training at six. I was only a few months short of six. The elders didn't think I was ready yet."

"It sounds like the elders are held in high respect in your hometown."

"It's a little village in the mountain. Pretty isolated and everyone knows everyone. It's a very nice community to live in. And yeah, the elders, or seniors, are the...wise men...you can say, of the village. They have the most experience in everything. We go to them for advice. Anyway, I was five and really wanted to join Lee in his class so one night we--AAAGHH!"

His story was cut short when a sudden bolt of pain coursed up his arm as Tala yanked the hand down and then shifted it back up and to the left. A loud crunch was heard as the bones refitted snugly.

Tears escaped his eyes but the initial sting went over quickly, leaving only the tingling sensation as the blood flowed once more into his hand. On instincts he flexed his fingers and wrist, testing them. That really did feel much better.

"Are they still in functioning order? Or has the poison I spread on my palms entered your veins and is now draining you of your life's energy?"

Ray blushed. He had been nothing but mean to Tala since he had arrived yet the other teen had done nothing to him really, with the exception of annoying him with petty names.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"No problem. I promised Kai that I'd be nice to you." Tala picked up his laptop and dusted it off. "You should keep it relaxed for at least a few days."

"It'll be fine." Ray didn't know what else to say and just stood there.

Tala watched him skeptically. One moment he wanted nothing to do with him and the next he was standing there, looking like a lost puppy (or kitty). Running his hand through his hair he sighed.

"I'm going to go make something to drink in the kitchen. You want anything?"

Ray was taken back once more. Who the hell had that guy been who they had met in the World Championship? The artic-eyed boy who looked down on everyone with a smirk and a high held chin?

"Okay...thanks." He looked back at the neglected bag. "But what about..."

"Ivan will clean it. He insists. Seriously. I once volunteered but he practically shoved me out the door. Sometimes I really worry about him."

Tala headed for the door, Ray following him, keeping about a foot distance behind him. When they entered the hall Ata noticed the other's lagging behind and he quickly figured out that Ray was still wary of him.

"Do you want to search me or something for any weapons?" he asked with an incredulous smile.

Why hadn't he ever done that more often? Ray could not deny that Tala was very good-looking with his ice-blue eyes and fiery-red hair. Colors so similar on another Russian blader…

'Funny, I never thought of it like that. He and Kai are each other's opposites. Should I feel more relieved? Then again, isn't there that saying 'opposites attract'?'

"The shock to your hand dislocated your jaw or something?"

Ray glared at the boy walking beside him.

"I'm just really confused here," he admitted.

"How come?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it is the fact that Kai is a millionaire? Or that he has a hotel?--"

"He no longer owns it. Not fully anyway."

"Well, I still say he has it. Then there is Saskia. There is something about her. She gets these attacks and coughs up blood. I suspect that she had been in the abbey." At this he saw Tala stiffen and knew that part was correct. "I mean, she spoke about Bryan like she knew him personally. And now you come along."

"You are so lucky, huh?"

"Come on, Tala. I'm serious. What is going on?"

"I cannot tell you that." His glasses reflected in the hallway lights, obscuring Ray's view of his eyes and what he was really thinking. His tone, however, was no longer fooling around.

Again, he had walked into a dead-end. Natasia and Saskia were hesitant to tell, Kai simply refused to and now Tala.

They walked in pensive silence for a few minutes.

"Can you at least tell me about yourself?"

This was a new one. No one had ever really cared about him in that manner, other than Kai. He stopped walking and turned to the golden-eyed boy, studying his eyes trying to find any signs of deception but Ray was honestly curious.

Personally, Ata didn't have a problem with telling people about his life. What he had done in the past could not be changed so why dwell on it? He was ashamed of most of his actions but he never blamed anyone but himself and the people who made him like that. There was no shame in regretting one's action.

'If only I could get Kai to see things the same way,' he sighed, walking ahead of the neko-jin.

"If you want to," he answered the younger boy as they entered the kitchen. The kitchen clock stated 5 a.m. Natasia would be up in one hour but he needed his coffee now. He flicked on the cappuccino machine as Ray took a seat at the bar.

"So what do you want me to tell you?"

"Everything. At least, as far back as you can remember. Like, where you were born, what school you went to, who your parents are--"

"My parents are dead," Ata said flatly, long-lashed eyes narrowing.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," he waved off, leaning against the counter.

"I lost my parents also when I was very small. The lady who raised me told me that I was only one year old at the time. They were killed by some wild animal." He smiled sadly as he traced the edge of Tala's laptop with his finger. "What's funny is, though I don't remember them, I still miss them a lot sometimes. You ever get that feeling?"

"No."

Ray frowned slightly.

"How come?"

"Because."

"How old were you when they died?"

"I was about to turn seven."

"How did they die?"

"Both were shot through the head a couple of times," Tala said in an indifferent tone.

"That's awful."

How could Tala be so uncaring about his parents' death?

"Not really."

"Did they ever find the guy who did that?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to him?"

"He was charged and sentenced to a correctional institution not far from here."

"And where is he now? Still in the institution?"

"No."

"Then where is he?" Ray was confused at Tala's simple replies.

"You're looking at him."

Tbc…

Read & Review, please.