Disclaimer: I do not in any way own the series Beyblade or its characters featured in this fan fic.

Sorry for the slight delay, but things happened. I graduated! Woohoo! Formal's on tomorrow night and I'm surprised that I was even able to sit still long enough to finish writing and post this. Of course soon I'll be worrying about HSC exams, so the next chapter might not be out for a while. Really sorry about that. I'll try and update quickly, I'm halfway through writing the chapter already anyway.

Anyway, I notice that many of you seem rather vehement in your opinions about my 'complications'. Do not fret, this fic is a Kai/Tyson, despite however many stumbling blocks or pairings I put in the way. Though, I'm pleased to be getting such an enthusiastic response to this little story of mine. But hey, Tala/Kai and Tyson/Rei are two of my other favourite pairings. I had to put something in there.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter. One thing though, it's basically an entire chapter on Kai and his past and emotional turmoil, so Ty's not in this much. And you're probably all going to hate me at the end of the chapter, but hey, at least my story's interesting.

Windowpane

~Blank face on the windowpane~

Snow fell gently down dusting his face and hair with soft white powder. A bright smile lit up his formerly gloomy and pensive features and he pulled away from his guardian's hand to run around in the slushy landscape. A high-pitched giggle escaped his mouth as he tried to catch the slowly descending flakes with his gloved hands.

A sharp pain on his cheek sent him sprawling into the coldness.

"Behave yourself, this is no way for you to be acting."

The boy sniffed and looked up at the cold irritated man standing above him. He got to his feet with a wince and bowed his head, his cheek still sore from the sharp slap. "Yes grandfather. I apologise." He dared not to argue that it was his first time seeing snow. He didn't want to risk his grandfather's wrath again.

The man grunted, an apparent acceptance of the apology, and turned away, continuing to walk down the street. The boy struggled to catch up, his short legs unable to keep as long a stride as the older man's.

"A child of your stature and station cannot be indulging in such frivolous immature activities Kai."

The boy nodded at this, knowing he deserved the lecture from his grandfather.

"Where am I to be going grandfather?"

"There is no need to tell you," came the short reply. "You will soon arrived there."

Kai sighed and nodded gloomily.

Since his parents' sudden death only a few short weeks ago, he'd lived with his grandfather in a huge mansion in Japan. Kai had barely had time to mourn his parents properly, much less get used to this sudden change in his life, before he'd been whisked away here:

Russia.

He'd never been so far away from home before. He didn't quite know where Russia was exactly, but considering that he not only had to take a long plane ride here and the fact that it was sub-zero temperatures and perpetually snowing here, even in summer, it must have been rather far away. All his grandfather would tell him was that he was going away to a school for a while and that it was best for him to go there. He was to become strong and this was the best way for him to become the person his grandfather wanted him to be.

They finally arrived at their destination: huge dark walls with a massive black iron gate surrounded a tall, large and very scary looking building. Kai got chills as he saw it.

This was his school? He'd rather go and play with the common children than go inside that place.

He looked over his shoulder at the sound of delighted laughter. There was a small group of children running in a nearby field dusting each other with freshly fallen snow. Kai watched them wistfully as they continued to laugh and scream in delight, starting mock wars and making various snow features together. He was envious of their friendliness towards each other and the freedom and happiness they exuded. He wished he could be among them, innocent as they were.

A sharp tug brought him back to reality and reluctantly he followed his grandfather into the miserable place that would be his home for many years to come.

~Made clear in seconds of light~

With the strange intuition that only children seem to possess, Kai knew that he was not in a very nice place. The walls seemed to pulsate with darkness and debauchery, the flaming scones on the walls only served to enhance the hideous nature of the Abbey.

Seeing the face of the man who would be in charge of his life, Kai shuddered, receiving a cuff on his ear for the move. But he knew that Boris, as the man introduced himself, was not the person parents should be sending their children to for educating.

If that was even why he was being sent here. Kai had the strange impression, however, that his grandfather had been lying to him the entire time.

"Well Kai," Boris bent down and stared at Kai with his piercing eyes and a slight cold smile on his face. Kai stared back at him with wide eyes, not daring to move or make a sound. Strangely Boris seemed pleased by this. "It looks as though we'll soon be knowing each other a lot better." Kai wanted to shiver at the strange look that passed over Boris' face, but couldn't.

"Just remember," his grandfather cut in suddenly. "I want him to become the best Boris. That was the entire point of our agreement. Kai will be your main project."

"Indeed. I would have it no other way Voltaire." Boris stuck out his hand and Voltaire hesitated only slightly before taking it. Boris grinned. "You've made the right choice."

"I do hope so, or it will be your head." Voltaire looked at his grandson disdainfully one last time before walking out of the room and out of Kai's life once again.

Kai could not deny the slight relief he felt knowing this.

Boris caught his attention again with a quick slap to his cheek. Tears came to his eyes and Kai let himself wonder why this was happening to him all of a sudden.

"You will not show such weaknesses again," the cold man snapped. "You are not here for enjoyment. You are here to become a weapon. That will be your only goal: to become the best, to become strong."

"How?" Kai asked nervously.

He backed away slightly as Boris grinned in a lecherous manner and stepped towards him. "You'll soon find out Kai and by the end of this, you will be perfect, or you will die trying." Kai could not help the whimper that came out of his mouth at this revelation.

~Disappears and returns again~

There were others already here. Some older, some younger, some as old as he. All cold and empty.

Walking into the main gathering area for all 'students' at the Abbey, Kai noticed many other children standing around, not talking and barely moving, grim expressions on their features. Like everything else at this place, Kai feared them and avoided them, walking over to stand by an empty space on the wall. He leaned back, trying to blend into the background as much as possible.

Yet stares turned his way. He folded his arms across his chest in a protective manner and tried to look passively about.

"So you're him?"

Kai looked around and saw a redhead standing beside him, glancing at him curiously. Unlike the others here, he at least seemed to have some mild curiosity showing on his face.

"Him?"

"Voltaire's grandson."

Kai frowned. "You know my grandfather?"

The boy barked a short laugh. "Everyone here knows Voltaire. You'd be a fool to cross him, even if you're family I'd imagine." He smirked. "You look like a weakling."

Kai growled. "I am not weak."

"You'll have to prove that to everyone here, and that's no easy feat."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

The boy cocked his head to the side and studied Kai closely. "I'm not too sure myself. You look interesting, even if you are a weakling." He laughed as Kai growled again.

"Stop calling me that."

The boy ignored him. "Maybe I'm hoping you will stay. You look to be the sort who will cause quite a bit of chaos around here. As you can see the place really needs a bit of shaking up. I'd do it myself, but I'm not willing to risk it just yet."

"Risk what?" Kai suddenly grew interested.

The boy shut up, a guarded look crossing his features. He looked away. "You'll find out soon enough," he replied in a cold voice.

~Counting hours, searching the night~

Tala, that's the brat's name. He's an irritating little bug. I want to squash him. What's worse is that he's my roommate along with three others.

Bryan ... he's one of the creepiest guys I've ever met. He barely says a word and he has this look in his eye ... he's completely empty, soulless almost. I think that he's exactly what Boris was talking about when he was blabbing on about becoming a weapon.

Ian is a short guy even younger than I am. Apparently he's the youngest here. He's a vicious, yet whiny brat. A perfectionist if I ever saw one. He's a bit of a weasel too, prying into my affairs as soon as he saw me.

Spencer is big ... really big. But then he's older than I am, so I guess it's sort of normal. Though, like the others, he's far from normal. He's quiet, but kind of violent and short tempered. I really don't want to get him angry too often. He was yelling at Ian about something the first time I saw him. Not something I want to repeat.

This is who I'm to be surrounded by for my 'education'. I know I'm going to hate it here.

Especially if Tala's going to be here all the time. I swear, he has the most annoying quirks of the lot of them. An extremely irritating and slightly morbid sense of humour is only the beginning. He seems to have developed a fascination for me and is following me around like a pet dog. Maybe he's just a spy for Boris or something. He hasn't left my side all day.

Night approaches now. I hate the dark. I get the feeling that worse things happen here after the sun has gone down.

I'm not sure that I want to find out what exactly. Everyone keeps talking about how I will 'find out soon'. Find out about what? Every mention of punishment or training has been met with fear. Just what do these people do here?

~Night be waiting for someone

Night be there for us to see~

Kai slipped out of his bed in the middle of the night. He'd tried to sleep, really he had, but he just couldn't. It was too unfamiliar, too cold, too ... scary. There was an air of fear and pain that was soaked into the very walls of the Abbey, something that no amount of scrubbing could wash away.

He shivered violently, not just from the cold, as he walked down the empty echoing hallways. Each step he took seemed like a momentous event in the eerily silent Abbey. The darkness seemed to claw at his clothes, he felt naked and exposed. He continued to walk around, unaware that he was in fact being closely watched.

A sound from behind him had Kai on alert. He spun around, only to find no one and nothing there. He shivered again and turned back around.

A hand clamped down on his mouth before he could utter a sound.

"You little fool," Tala hissed menacingly, glaring coldly at Kai. Kai seemed startled. He hadn't seen Tala act like this yet. He seemed so ... deadly and fierce. The annoying smirking brat from before had completely disappeared. "You have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into have you?"

Kai glared back at him and ripped his hand away, startling Tala with his ferocity. "Well I wouldn't even be in this situation if someone had told me straight up what is going on around here."

"Look Kai, trust me, you don't want to know. Just do as the others do and you won't ever have to learn. Pay attention in your lessons and strive to be the best and they won't bother you."

"Who?"

There was a sound down the hallway that startled them both. Tala paled slightly and ran off. Kai stared after him in confusion and fear, realising that something bad was going to happen. Boris turned around the corner with two guards. Kai gulped slightly seeing him and he expression on his face. Boris smiled seeing the young boy.

"I was just about to go and get you, but it seems you've saved me a long walk." Kai started to shake and turned to walk away, but Boris snapped his fingers and the guards grabbed the boy before he could escape.

Kai kicked out at them and bit their fingers, but he couldn't shake them from him. A hard slap from Boris that left him dazed finally made him stop struggling.

"You're a feisty one aren't you?" Boris smirked. "Perfect. Your grandfather has big plans for you and I see now that his vision for you coincides with my own." He lifted Kai's face so that he could look directly into the frightened garnet eyes. "But first I need to bend your will to mine, a rather enjoyable task, more so every time you continue to struggle. I relish the chasing, so no matter what you believe, know that I will always be there right behind you, waiting for you to fall and accept."

Kai stared at him in horror, his words sending a chill through him.

~Night be in need of talking

Night be staring directly at me~

He was dragged away, unprotesting, to a small cold room, like many others in the Abbey. The walls were damp, the air chill, and the floor hard. The guards laughed as they threw him in there. Kai cried out once then just whimpered in pain.

"I certainly expected better of you Kai," Boris sneered from the doorway, stepping slowly into the room. "Your grandfather sang your praises, but perhaps it is as Tala says and you are weak."

Kai growled, glaring at him. Boris smirked then strode over to the quaking boy and backhanded him again, sending him into the wall.

"You have a raging spirit in you. I look forward to breaking it."

Kai had no time to react before Boris was on him, dealing out his torture on the boy. Kai's eyes widened and he cried out once again, then clamped his lips together, keeping everything inside.

I will not be weak, he chanted to himself even as he braced himself to the pain that Boris was inflicting on him. I will not be broken. No sounds, no tears escaped him throughout the long arduous torture session, even onto the early hours of the morning, Kai did not say a word, did not shed one salty drop.

Finally, after ages it seemed, Boris moved away, leaving Kai bruised and battered on the floor. Kai could feel the bastard's smile.

"You are indeed spirited and strong willed, but there is no doubt that I will break you Kai. No one has ever thwarted me before."

Kai could not muster the strength to reply. It was taking all of his energy to stay conscious still. He winced as he felt the guards pull him up to his feet and drag him from the room, Boris following close behind. He blacked out for a few minutes as they dragged him up stairs and to his room, coming awake with a hiss as they threw him on the floor of the room he shared with the other four boys.

"Perhaps next time I'll try a few more things on you to see if you submit." Boris smirked and turned away.

Kai rose up onto his hands and knees and coughed, sending a spray of blood onto the floor. "Hey, Boris," he whispered in a hoarse voice. Boris turned, staring at Kai in amazement as, shaking, he got up onto his feet, swaying slightly. Blazing blood-red eyes shone like fire form the darkness. "Have you ever seen a caged Phoenix?"

Boris glared at Kai's question. "I will soon have one."

"No you won't, not ever, you're not strong enough to trap one and you'll never be strong enough to break it, no matter what you do or how hard you try."

"We'll just see. Your father said something similar to me once and I didn't believe him then and I don't believe you now." Boris sneered again. "No matter what you do Kai, you will be mine."

Kai continued to glare at him with his fiery gaze until the door was shut and locked behind the administrator. He resisted the urge to fall to the floor and fall into blissful unconsciousness and instead made his slow and steady journey over to his bed.

He paused just before getting in and looked around the room at the amazed and staring children in the other beds. He sneered and spat on the floor. "Weaklings," he muttered and climbed on top of the bed, not caring about his torn and bloody clothes exposing too much to the freezing air and lay staring out the window at the soft silver moonlight.

I will not break.

~Inside plays a lullaby

Slurred voice over children cries

On the inside~

It all became a blur, the past the present, events, people, there was only one thing going through his mind, the desire to become stronger, to stay impervious to everything.

Perfection.

Training everyday became a stabilizer, a link to sanity, something he could cling to through the hazy days of pain and humiliation. Nothing else mattered to him, no people in the Abbey came near him any more. Tala tried at first, his initial curiosity with the boy having not worn off yet, but he was eventually driven away with the others by the icy demeanour. It had only been a year.

A year since Kai had came here and he had changed so much.

He was perfection incarnate, lusting for power, a human weapon, deadly, steady, emotionless, he thought of nothing but his own strength. He saw the others' looks of hatred and envy. Tala stared at him sadly as he passed then flinched and looked away. Bryan looked over him impassively, a silent approval in his air. Spencer glared as he passed yet would not meet his eyes when Kai stared back at him. Ian scuttled away from him, fearful of Kai's very presence.

Yet he wasn't as perfect as everyone imagined. He knew he was unstable, he was on the verge of breaking and he clung to anything he could hold onto.

He once referred to himself as the Phoenix, a nickname his father had given him. If he was anything, he was the eternally burning fire, continually shifting, swaying in the air, looking powerful, but so fragile. Yet he covered his fragility well. Boris thought he'd won, yet Kai knew the truth, he still had his will, he just had no way of escaping yet. For there was no doubt in his mind that Boris could not keep a Phoenix caged for long.

It was one day he was looking out the window, staring down at the white fields below him that Kai saw in the distance a group of children playing. A sudden longing filled him. He recalled a time at home when he was staying for those few short weeks with his grandfather. He looked out from a building and saw a group of children playing in the streets. He'd wished he could be with them. If only he had the courage to risk his grandfather's wrath and go outside.

It was the same.

Did he yet have the courage to escape and free himself?

~Haunting loneliness in the eye~

Nearing the end of the year, Voltaire came to the Abbey. Kai was summoned to see them both. He stood before Boris' huge dark wood desk, his grandfather sitting nearby.

"As you can see we've made quite a large improvement," Boris was saying, passing a file to Voltaire. Voltaire flicked through it, a smile coming to his face. Kai stood impassively, waiting for an order to be followed.

"Good," Voltaire finally commented, putting the file down. He looked over at Kai. "So he has become your best student in just a year."

"By far. Within the first week he'd surpassed all of our newest recruits. After the first month he'd passed some of our weaker trainees. After just four months he'd beaten Tala and Bryan even and they are the best students we have, for all their young age. He's been steadily improving since then and from what I can see, no one will be able to come near him. He is a prodigy and he has a strong will to succeed and a lust for power."

Voltaire smirked. "Is that so? Just perfect. How long did it take you to break him?"

Kai felt a huge flood of anger fill him with this statement. This was his grandfather?! What kind of sick bastard sent their family to a place like this, knowing about it, and specifically asked how long it took for them to virtually reduce him to a mindless, helpless slave?

Boris frowned slightly. "I'm not quite sure. He seemed to change drastically after the first incident, yet his will was a strong as ever, however, his improvement began immediately. He started to hold the others in contempt, believe himself above the others here. He trained non-stop. He's an unusual case. I think it might be best if I studied him for a it longer."

Voltaire shrugged. "Whatever you deem necessary. Just remember, I want this operation to begin as soon as possible and Kai is central to my plans." Voltaire smirked. "Show me."

Kai was led away to a training room. He stared at the two adults before him with a hatred so fierce, it could be seen in his flaming crimson eyes. People who had gathered to see the procession shied away seeing that look on his face. Kai had never looked so deadly as he did then. In the training room, Tala, Bryan, Ian and Spencer faced Kai in the dish, all at once.

Kai smirked and the four of them backed away slightly seeing the fires in his eyes, even Bryan seemed unnerved. Boris frowned and ordered them forward again. They did so reluctantly. Kai and the others set up their blades and launched them.

Within seconds, pieces of the four blades lay scattered over the floor while Kai's blade still spun fast enough in the dish to cause sparks. Voltaire smirked at the display. "Perfect. I want to show him the project."

Boris paled and Kai turned towards them, suddenly interested. The elusive secretive project, and the means to his escape were finally at hand.

Black Dranzer.

~Skin covering secret scars~

Kai stirred slightly from the pain of his memories.

He knew he was back here at the Abbey. What was strange was the body up against his. Half-asleep he took no notice and just curled up closer instinctively to the warmth. The other person stirred themselves and rose up to look over at Kai.

Kai felt the other person place soft kisses down his throat. He smiled slightly and moved so that the other person was now laying atop him. Skin pressed against skin, heat and lust shared between the two. Kai reached up and pulled the other boy down for a kiss, waking more with each moment that passed.

He reached up eagerly to run his hands through the long midnight hair, cupping the boy closer. Kai frowned slightly finding short hair. Still eagerly kissing the boy above, Kai ran his hands down his sides and back and met scarred skin.

He pulled back slightly with a gasp and opened his eyes slightly.

"You don't have to look so disappointed," Tala murmured quietly, pressing his lips against Kai's throat again.

Kai closed his eyes in pain and Tala laughed at the sight. "Of course, if I was thinking about someone like Tyson, I'd be disappointed to find anyone else in my bed too." Tala leaned in close to smirk at Kai. "The boy is a dish. I would love to make him squeal underneath me. I'll bet he'd make the most delightful noises as he squirmed. Though you'd know more about that than me, wouldn't you Kai?"

Kai growled and Tala laughed again, rolling off him and getting up.

"Get out."

Tala smirked again and bent over to pick up his clothes. "What? No goodbye kiss?" He laughed as Kai just glared. He moved over quickly once he'd put on his pants and leaned down, much to Kai's protest and pressed down hard on one of Kai's injuries.

Kai cried out in pain, not being able to stop Tala from leaning down and kissing him roughly, biting down on his lip hard enough to leave a mark. "Thanks for the fuck," he whispered then sauntered out of the room.

Kai lay on the bed long after Tala had left contemplating everything that had happened. Obviously he'd slept with Tala and he knew that he had enjoyed the break from routine. A momentary escape only from the pain and suffering. The only problem with temporary solutions is the let down after. The world was even gloomier to him now than it was before the situation with Tala.

And his disappointment ... he'd wanted so much for things to be different for him this time, just once. He wished he could finally escape everything, finding some way to ease the pain, finding the perfect way to escape, and getting what he wanted at the same time.

He got up and walked painfully over to the bathroom. Kai quickly looked himself over in the mirror and winced just at the sight of his injuries. His chest was a mottled purple colour almost all over and his back was lashed and bleeding, crusted blood all over his sides. His arms had thin cuts all up them and chaffing around the wrists from ropes he was tied up with. He had been intending to get in the shower and wash himself off, but Kai found himself clinging to the basin, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

He hated himself. Loathing welled up inside him and he quickly rushed to the toilet and threw up, sitting on the floor miserably. Kai put a hand to his head and groaned.

"Tyson," he whispered brokenly. He looked down suddenly, feeling a splash of water on his leg. He touched his cheek tentatively and felt the tears. Kai leapt up and backed away to the wall, not caring how dizzy he felt because of it. He'd never cried, not even at his parent's funeral. Why now? What was it that caused him so much pain?

Perhaps it was just a culmination of everything.

He was starting to crack and soon he would fall and shatter completely.

~His hand is waving a goodbye

There's no response of action returned~

He was young again, another memory. Standing with his grandfather by the park, seeing the canal nearby Kai wandered over, considering his grandfather was busy with yet another of his 'business associates'. What sort of businessman did legal proceedings in the park?

Looking around, feeling the warmth in the air, Kai managed a hint of a smile for the spring day. He hadn't seen anything but snow and ice for a year, it was nice to see green grass and bright flowers again.

Suddenly, an object went flying past him and landed at his feet. Kai bent down and picked up the small white Beyblade, looking around for the owner.

A boy, perhaps two years younger than him ran over a huge apologetic grin on his face. His long hair was falling out of a loose ponytail and a baseball cap had flown off from his head as he ran. Kai looked him over with some disbelief.

"I'm so sorry, did I hit you?" The boy looked at Kai in worry, his blue-grey eyes wide and sincere.

Kai shook his head and handed the boy his Beyblade back. The boy grinned. "Thanks. I'm still learning a bit about Beyblading. I haven't quite got my launch perfected yet."

"Practice makes perfect," Kai murmured quietly, much to his surprise. Why was he engaging the boy in conversation? A child like him was beneath his notice, yet Kai couldn't help but feel slightly drawn to the innocent way he looked and the cheerful smile he had.

Kai hadn't smiled properly for a long time. It was amazing to see someone who could be so free about everything.

I wonder if I was ever that free, or have I always been trapped?

"I guess," the boy said, drawing Kai's attention back from his musings. "My name's Tyson."

Kai stared at the proffered hand with a raised eyebrow and turned away. "I don't have time for pleasantries," he said, walking away to his grandfather who had finished his meeting. Kai could feel the boy staring after him in confusion and hurt. Once he reached his grandfather he started walking out of the park with him.

However, he did look back once to see the boy still looking over at him. He waved cheerfully, much to Kai's surprise then ran off to join his friends. Kai watched him leave then hurried to catch up to his grandfather, striding far ahead of him.

Later that day, he recalled the other boy's naïve smile and Kai found himself pondering what it would be lie to be free again.

~There is deep prejudice in me

Outshines all reason inside~

Kai groaned and opened his eyes only to wince and shut them again soon after. He was lying naked upon the bathroom floor, having passed out after throwing up multiple times into the toilet.

He got himself up and moved over to the shower, quickly turning it onto a very heavy spray, hot enough to scald, yet Kai took no notice as he stepped under the water. Fire and heat were his element, he took no notice, in fact he relished in the burning tingling sensation. It made him feel alive.

It simply made him feel.

He spent a long time in there, just enjoying the sensations crawling across his skin, trying to ease the heat inside of him with external fire. Stepping out finally, his skin red and soft, Kai did not bother with drying himself and simply strode out into the main room, feeling the air chill as he stepped across the threshold.

He'd left the window slightly open. Walking to it, Kai opened it further and saw the snow in the air struggling to get inside, the wind pushing the little icicles towards the warmth inside the room and around him. Upon touching his skin, the snowflakes melted instantly.

They called me the lord of ice. Hmm, such opposing extremes. Ice and Fire. Which am I? Which do I want to be? Kai studied the small droplet of water that had formed on his fingertip from a melted snowflake. Ice melts eventually, overpowered by the fire. Isn't that why I ran here in the first place? I was melting.

Kai looked out the window and over to the meadows. There were no children there, yet he could tell there would be eventually. It had the look of a place that had seen many booted feet travel over it, running, jumping. The echoes of laughter rang in his ears. He could almost put names and faces to what he could imagine.

Like the wind, exuberance and cheerfulness had eroded away at him, pushing him to the fire again, to his promises of old. He'd called himself the Phoenix, yet what was he now? A scared child hiding from everything, even the one thing that could truly set him free?

Kai had been right, Boris could not break him. He broke himself. He trapped himself within his own determination. Tyson could have been his salvation from this cage of stone and ice. Yet he shied from the wind and fire, running to a dark place where no one could find him, slowly building his shell back up so no one could almost penetrate it again, as Tyson had almost done.

Still staring at the drop running down his arm, Kai suddenly frowned.

I wonder if it would be all that bad, to melt and let go of everything. Would I finally be free? Would I finally be happy? Looking out across the white covered landscape before him Kai pondered this question, losing himself again to his memories.

~Given dreams all ridden with pain~

It was so hot, once again he was utterly consumed in the flames. Yet this time, he was not powerless to stop what happened.

He was in control, this was his fire, his pain, his rage, his passion.

The screams he heard, the bodies he saw fall before him in the hazy orange landscape, they were all his doing this time, unlike the last time, when he's been unable to do more than watch as his life was destroyed with a stupid accident.

This time was no accident.

This time this was his passion, his pain and he would let the fires keep raging until he was satiated.

"Kai!"

The young boy turned and smirked, an utterly evil lifeless expression. The two men took a step back at the sight of the completely unharmed boy in the midst of the raging inferno.

"What have you done?" Voltaire demanded.

"Destroyed everything," Kai replied with a shrill giggle. "Like you did before. Only this time, I think you may put the effort into resurrecting this place. I suppose this always did matter more to you than your children." Kai heard a shrill scream and smiled. "Mother screamed like that. You remember, don't you grandfather?"

The two adults were staring at Kai with wide fearful eyes, more so when they noticed what he held in his hand.

"You launched Black Dranzer," Boris breathed, a slight note of hysteria in his voice. "You couldn't control it."

"Wrong. He wanted out, so I let him, in exchange for the destruction of everything you hold dear." Kai grinned. "I told you that you couldn't cage a Phoenix, not even one you created yourself. Now the cage is gone and the little bird is free to fly, his wings still whole, not broken by the master." Kai glared at the two of them. "You underestimated me, this is your payment for your foolishness and my revenge."

Kai walked towards them, calling Black Dranzer back to him. The black blade flew over to him, the dark phoenix's lust for destruction satiated for the time being. Voltaire and Boris couldn't help the small looks of nervousness they sent his way. Kai was completely unpredictable, but completely stable. He knew exactly what he was doing and why. Kai smirked at them as he passed, tossing the blade and launcher at them.

"I'd advise you go check on Tala and Bryan. I think they're still unconscious. You wouldn't want to risk them dying seeing as they're now your top students." Kai shook his head as they both let him walk past without protest.

Weaklings.

Wandering slowly over to the field he'd seen so many times from his window, Kai looked around with some heaviness in his heart.

It wasn't going away, the emptiness. He knew he had emotions, he just couldn't feel them as he had before. He'd snapped finally, and there was no turning back for him now, he had to live with his change.

Flopping down on his back in the snow, Kai stared up at the dark sky, filled with snow-clouds. There would be a blizzard soon, there would be no need for Boris to call a fire squad to take care of the flaming Abbey. Kai watched as the first snowflake drifted slowly down from the heavens to sit upon his raised fingertip. He studied it curiously, like a toddler who had just seen snow for the first time.

I wonder how to make the ice melt. No matter how he frowned and looked at it from every angle, Kai could not see the ice crystal melting at all.

After some time, he gave up and lay back again, staring up at the clouds again, seeing more snowflakes falling from the sky. The soft sprinkling of ice was washing away the smell of the smoked ruins over a ways, yet Kai could still smell the fire. He smiled.

You can never cage a Phoenix. He frowned suddenly, looking back around at the snow that had covered him softly, building up over his sides and feet. Unless you encase it in ice.

Kai leapt up, frantically brushing the horrid cold stuff off him, his eyes wide and frightened. He would not be trapped, he would allow no one to trap him. But he already knew the latch had been locked behind him.

By himself.

The only question left was if there was anyone willing to save him.

~And projected onto the lost~

AN: ^_^;; I think I went a bit overboard with the metaphors in those last passages. Oh well. It's a bit shorter than the other chapters (only by about 500 words or so), but it's still just as good in my opinion.

Don't hurt me about the Tala thing, I had to put it in there. Seriously, where's the fun in a story without complications?

Next chapter is focused on Tyson, to make up for the Kai-centric chapter and even more things get moving.

Well, until then,

Laters.