Ten
There's another world inside of me
That you may never see
There's secrets in this life
That I can't hide
Somewhere in this darkness
There's a light that I can't find
Maybe it's too far away...
Maybe I'm just blind...
"Kai you had us worried sick!!" Ray exclaimed, running over to his older friend. Kai had a dry smile on his face. In the back of his mind, this told Ray that something was amiss here, but he ignored it. He was too happy to see Kai alive. Another suspicious factor was how he suddenly seemed to be so much better than when they last saw each other. But these things were ignored by Ray.
"I'm fine Ray," Kai replied, looking over at the ecstatic Ray, who was now clasping onto Kai's hand. Ray was blind to the fact that the Kai that was before him was merely a duplicate of the real Kai, but then again so was everyone else.
"Well, I must admit you look a lot better Kai," the doctor sighed with relief. Tala looked on, a smile creeping onto his face. Maybe Kai was a lot tougher than he had first thought. Escaping The Abbey was no easy feat, so he had to give Kai some credit for that.
"I feel a lot better," Kai replied, keeping his gaze fixed on Ray. Another hint that there was something wrong. Kai had never shown such an interest in Ray before, and yet here it appeared he couldn't take his eyes off him. Max noticed this, and frowned doubtfully.
'Something just isn't right here, but I have no idea what…' Max thought, his doubt being expressed clearly on his usually bright and cheerful face. Yet he shoved these doubts to the back of his mind, much in the way Ray had. They all lead Kai back to the hotel to undergo a quick check-up. The doctor was amazed by how well Kai now appeared to be. His system was clear, his wounds were healed, and his energy seemed restored.
"This is incredible!" the doctor cried, utterly amazed at how unscathed Kai was after his experience. "I thought that after Biovolt snuck into the hospital and kidnapped you that you'd be in a worse condition than this, but it's almost as if they patched you up!"
"Why would they do that?" Max asked, his doubts coming back. His question was ignored, however, as everyone was too glad to see Kai well.
"I must admit you impress me Kai," Tala said, making his way over to Kai and the others. "It is no easy task to escape The Abbey. I am amazed that you were able to escape alone, and yet even we needed your aid to relinquish Boris' grasp on us. You truly are a strong Blader."
"Thanks…I guess…" Kai said, almost hesitantly. Max took into account the unusual look Kai was giving Tala. It was as if he was trying to burn into Tala's mind with his piercing garnet eyes. Ray's hand was still clasping Kai's, and he was showing no signs of letting go. Not that Kai appeared to mind, as he seemed to be holding on to Ray as much as Ray was holding onto him.
"Well, it looks like Hideaki won't be getting his weapon, will he?" Tyson turned to everyone and smiled, before focusing back on Kai. The doctor got up out of her crouched position and held her hand out for Kai.
"I'm going to leave you to recover with your friends now," she said smiling. Kai shook her hand weakly and she left. Max couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right with Kai. Draciel was telling Max the same thing. All wasn't well here.
~~***~~
Kai finally came round and found himself chained to the wall of his cell. There was a tight chain around his throat, his arms, his waist and his legs. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and he was straining to breathe. He tried to struggle free, but to no avail. Familiar metal footsteps made their approach towards Kai's cell. A dry laugh was trapped in Kai's throat, yet because of the tightness of the chain strangling him, he couldn't let it out. Boris and Hideaki entered, followed by three men in white lab coats.
"What now?" Kai asked weakly. He was still angry that he had had his identity taken from him, but like he was in any state to do something about it.
"We just want to run a few tests, that's all," Hideaki replied, motioning for the three scientists to enter the cell.
"Do they involve me being cut open this time?" Kai asked, and he couldn't help but release a slight laugh as he spoke.
"Not this time," Hideaki replied, looking at the notes on his clipboard. Kai felt the restraints on his arms loosen and disappear. This was either very good or very bad. "Begin the endurance test." Hideaki motioned to the scientists with a wave of his hand and the three men nodded. One held Kai's left arm up in a more upright position, in between being perfectly horizontal and perfectly vertical, while the other two hammered a large steel pin through his left hand. Kai bit back the urge to scream, as he felt the cold drip of blood run down his arm. Though this pain gave Kai some relief from the mental pain that tormented him, he didn't like it all the same. They did the same with his other arm, and sharply nailed the next steel pin into his right hand. Kai whimpered under his breath as the cold steel impacted with the bones in his hands, and broke right through them. No Beyblading for Kai, well not for a while anyway.
'Not like it matters,' Kai thought to himself bitterly. 'They stole Dranzer from me and gave it to that clone. They've taken everything from me; my Bit Beast, my Beyblade, my friends…can't they just take my life and put me out of my misery?' Kai was desperate to die. He was sick and tired of the pain, and he didn't want to resort to being one of those angst-ridden teenagers who feed off their own pain and suffering by drugging themselves up and slashing their wrists for kicks. That wasn't a life.
"You'll be here for 24 hours," Hideaki stated, looking up from his notes. "A test of endurance: to see if you're up to the task at hand."
"Fun…" Kai muttered. Hideaki lifted Kai's chin up, so that Kai's now dulled garnet eyes were looking into his own dark brown ones.
"You have your mother's eyes, how adorable," Hideaki sneered, grabbing Kai's chin tightly. Kai frowned.
"I'd rather be like her and die than live on with you," Kai growled in response. Hideaki smiled darkly and let go of Kai's chin.
"If you don't complete this endurance test, you will be with her Kai, I swear you will," he replied, before ushering Boris and the scientists out.
"Ooh…a father-son talk…this should be rich…" Kai half smiled, sarcasm weaved into every word. Hideaki whipped around to face his pinned son, and punched him in the stomach. Kai's weaknesses were exposed, and he had no way of defending himself, with his hands in the state they were.
"I hope your clone has killed them by now…I really do," Hideaki hissed, then left Kai alone. Kai's breathing relaxed and became shallower, and he worryingly noticed how relaxed he suddenly felt.
"Shit…those bastards…" Kai muttered, noticing the used needle on the floor by his feet. Did they _enjoy_ doing this to him?
'Stupid question,' Kai thought. 'It literally answers itself. Of course they enjoy making me suffer. They live for this. But I swear they'll all pay for this…but I hope to God, to anyone, that the Bladebreakers aren't dead…no matter how piss annoying they are, they don't deserve to die like that…please may one of them have noticed that he isn't me…please…'
~~***~~
"Kai…are you sure you're OK?" Max asked, looking over at Kai, who had kept his eyes on Ray ever since they'd been left alone. He was half focusing on the goings on of the outside world, and half on Ray. "You've been looking at Ray ever since you got back…"
"I'm fine Max, just stop worrying," Kai replied, still keeping his attention on Ray. Max was beginning to have his doubts. It dawned on him that Kai didn't have a bag with him when he was in the hospital, but he had brought one back with him from The Abbey. Max _had_ to know what was in the bag.
"Hey Ray, why don't you and Kai go and order dinner for tonight," Max suggested. Ray's face lit up.
"That sounds like a good idea Maxie. What do you think Kai?" Ray asked the older teen, who nodded almost immediately and got to his feet, following Ray out. Tyson and Kenny were in the next room with the Demolition Boys, so this gave Max ample time to conduct his own investigation. He walked quietly over to Kai's bag and opened it up. On top of the pile was Dranzer and its launcher. He lifted it out carefully, and pulled out some articles of clothing. His heart almost shot up to his throat when he saw what the clothing was hiding. Beneath it was a host of small hand rifles and sharp ornate blades. What was Kai _doing_ with all of these weapons?! Was he going to kill himself and everyone else along with him? It was a disturbing thought.
"Maxie!!" Tyson called from the other room. Max shoved Kai's clothing and his blade back in the bag and closed it quickly.
"What is it Tyson?!" Max called back. Tyson entered the room with Kenny, Tala, Spencer, Ian and Bryan.
"Where did Ray and Kai go?" he asked.
"Oh…they went to order dinner for us tonight," Max replied hastily. At that moment the door opened and Ray and Kai entered the room, both looked relaxed.
"What is it Maxie? You don't look too good," Ray noticed Max's pale face when he looked into Kai's eyes. There was a dark flame burning behind them that Max hadn't noticed before. It frightened him to look at. Then he realised. Kai's mind must have been warped: he wasn't going to kill himself, no not at all. He was there, sent by Hideaki no doubt, to kill _them_!
"Kai…" Max began, looking at his now sinister-looking 'team-mate'. Kai seemed to frown, as if he'd read Max's mind already. "Why…are there guns and knifes in your bag? What are you planning to do with them?" Kai looked furious. Ray, Tyson, Kenny and the Demolition Boys looked worried. Very worried. Kai approached Max. He was beyond furious.
"You went through my stuff?" Kai asked angrily. Max gulped.
"I was worried about you! I thought Hideaki had put drugs or something in your bag, and you were back to being dependent on them, so I checked! I just found about six loaded hand rifles and eight ornate Russian knifes! Who are you going to hurt with them Kai?"
"It doesn't matter Max," Kai whipped away, and sat down on the bed. "It's none of your business anyway."
"You're going to kill us…aren't you?" Max asked the question dreaded by almost everyone in the room. "What happened to you in there Kai, to turn you this way?" Kai looked over at Max, then reached slowly into his pocket, a dark, sinister laugh escaping his lips as he did so.
"Maxie, Maxie, Maxie…" Kai sighed, gripping onto something in his pocket tightly. "You do have a wild imagination."
"I didn't _imagine_ those weapons Kai!" Max protested, pulling the contents of the bag out again and revealing the host of weapons to all in the room. They all seemed to freeze in terror. Kai got to his feet, smiling.
"If you don't mind, I'd like a private word with Ray," he said, looking over in Ray's direction. Ray looked worried; even scared.
"Not with all this stuff here you're not!" Max stated defiantly, clutching onto the bag in his arms. Kai growled under his breath and whipped a hand rifle out of his pocket. He aimed it straight at Max.
"Get the hell out of here! All of you! Before I shoot your fucking heads in!" Kai demanded, holding the gun perfectly still and at a perfect angle to cause some serious damage. Tyson walked forward, but Tala grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the next room. Everyone followed. "Not you Ray," Kai said as Ray got to the door. Ray gulped. "I want to talk with you." Ray's heart was racing. All his doubts about Kai were resurfacing. This couldn't be the same Kai that had helped the Bladebreakers to victory in the World Tournament only weeks before. He may wield Dranzer, but this wasn't Kai.
When your education x-ray
Can not see under my skin
I won't tell you a damn thing
That I could not tell my friends
Roaming through this darkness
I'm alive but I'm alone
Part of me is fighting this
But part of me is gone
SN: Shorter than the others but I've got a long plan in action here. Thanks to Maeris for the lyric suggestion. Both the opening and the closing paragraphs are from the song When I'm Gone by Three Doors Down. I don't own the lyrics, I don't own the track, I don't own Beyblade. All I own are the masses of stuff in my room, including this computer I'm using and about eight posters of Orlando Bloom. Don't ya just wish you could hold more power some days? Oh and to Elcy Name, thanks for your kind words about my story. They lifted me up while I was feeling down. So much so, I posted this.
Please review, so that I can combat the killer migraines I'm getting to post more. I need all the help I can get. ^^;;; to hell wit migraines! Up with fanfiction!