Title: Resurfacing
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: R
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of her characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me so do not touch. I am not making any money off of this and write with the sole intention to entertain.
************
Ray sighed as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling of the room. It was almost three in the morning and his eyes and body burned, begging for sleep, but he couldn't. How could he be at peace when his friend was out there somewhere in the hands of earth's most sadistic person?
'All this time, Kai. All this time...'
They had waited in the hospital till the following morning when the adults finally returned. The dark circles around all four grown-ups' eyes meant that they had no doubt stayed up all night. Judy's eyes were also puffy and she kept on dabbing at them with a crumpled tissue, pulling Max into an embrace and not letting go. Worried about his mother and needing comfort himself, Max had returned it and they had remained like that the entire time.
While waiting the bladers had formed their own theories about what had happened. They hadn't seen Tala yet but the doctors had been more worried about him than the others and, judging by the state of the rest of the team, that meant that Tala was really messed up. Of course they had all blamed Boris and the Abbey and had agreed that the boys there were tortured.
But nothing could have prepared them for the truth when Mr. Dickenson told it.
Every mouth had fallen open and for many minutes no one could speak. Mariah had broken the silence and burst into tears and Emily was soon to follow. The guys had soothed them as much as possible but they themselves were having problems keeping their emotions in check. Next to shock, they were also greatly angered, disgusted and grieved. Max's blue eyes shimmered brightly and he had burrowed his face into his mother's clothes, finally succumbing to the sobs.
As for himself...Ray had felt as if the world had disappeared around him. All sounds were muffled and all he could see was white.
Assaulted? Kai had been raped? *Was being* raped?
The words kept on running through his head but he had still to fully register the extent of what they really meant. A horrible vision of Kai struggling beneath a larger man as he was forced upon refused the leave his mind and he tried time and time again to shut it out.
'Is that why you didn't want us to get near you? Is that why you feared contact?' All this time they had simply thought him anti-social. And now they knew the gut-wrenching truth; he had been afraid. Afraid that they might hurt him like others had done in his past.
Turning over onto his side, he stared at the empty space next to him on the large bed. He could feel it, the absence on the phoenix, even more so than he could see it. Everything was simply so different without their captain around.
It had been four days since the night of the trophy ceremony and the team was definitely affected; Tyson's appetite was gone and he merely nibbled at his food, leaving more than half over. Max was so solemn that Ray was afraid that he had gone into deep depression. Kenny...well, he didn't know about Kenny. The youngest boy had remained in the hospital with the adults, refusing to leave. Even Dizzy hadn't made one crack remark for the long days.
'I should be doing something. I am now the oldest. I need to be helping the team, encouraging them.'
He told himself this but he couldn't find it within him to obey. He was afraid that the moment he opened his mouth he would cry.
'Kai, you always made it look so easy. You never needed to use words. You just being with us pushed us to do our best. We had an aim, and that aim was to be you. You are strong. You are what a true blader at heart is supposed to be. You were always there for us during the matches. We drew our energy from you. And now...'
Despite his efforts he released a small sob as the unwanted images returned. Burying his face in his pillow, he cried softly.
************
"You better start talking, Boris, or I will make you scream out the answers," Bruce all but growled as he fought to restrain himself from reaching over the table and smashing the hand-cuffed man's head in.
The insufferable bastard merely grinned, his left eye swollen shut and his nose bleeding.
"Calm down, Bruce. He will be of no use to us if he is dead," Mr. Dickenson reasoned with the younger man who was trembling with unspent aggression.
"You don't really think you can catch Lord Voltaire?" Boris asked in a slurred but amused voice. "He's no fool and can't be found unless he wants to be."
"*Or* unless you tell us where he is hiding."
"Why ever would you want to know? Has he really been *that* big a menace to the law that you would resort to interrogating someone like me?"
"Piss on Voltaire! We want to know where he is keeping Kai." Bruce made to stand but his father placed a hand on his broad shoulder, silently telling him to keep his cool.
"Oh? Shouldn't a grandfather have the right to have some time with his only grandson?"
"Boris, I don't think you realise the extent of what your own crimes have brought upon you. The entire Abbey has been searched and we now know everything." Mr Dickenson's voice lowered almost menacingly. "Every lab, every project, every experiment; we know of how you and your men assaulted and even killed young boys in that stone dungeon. I don't need to tell you that the death penalty is hanging over your head right now."
"Wonderful," Boris smiled and looked away, studying the walls as he begun to hum to himself.
"However, you can probably escape death with prison time."
At this the man turned slightly to look at him from the corner of his eye.
"If you can tell us where Kai is, then the judge has agreed that your penalty will be reconsidered."
The man remained silent.
"Agree, you idiot!" Bruce shrugged off his father's hand and stood, fists planted on the table as he glowered down at the pale man. "Why is it so hard to tell us, huh?! Why are you shielding Voltaire?! What good does that do for you?!"
"More than you will ever know."
All three fell silent at the sinister tone in the former director's voice. He chuckled madly and raised his head, his one open eyes taking on a creepy, insane look.
"You soft-hearted simpletons will never understand what it is like. You can't begin to imagine the thrill of dominance one feels when he overpowers another. None of you would be able to resist the sweet taste of a young boy's lips once you have sampled it. No, gentlemen, once you have been ensnared by the innocence of a child, there is no way out. It becomes a way of life. It becomes your *only* way of life. You dream of it at night and wake up with a craving for the warm tightness of a slender body. You pass the entire day in torture as you watch the small lads as they train, unable to resist pulling one of them aside to satisfy your hunger. You stare into their wide eyes as they scream and twist against you as you slowly enter them, inch by inch. It is music to your ears when their pained cries slowly lower to pitiful whimpers. You go to bed dreaming of those wide eyes, pleased to know that tomorrow you will do it all over again, maybe even twice."
Mr. Dickenson could not believe what he was hearing. Boris spoke with such pleasure as if he was describing a work of art in a museum.
Beside him Bruce was bristling with want to pummel the man into the ground, Mr. Granger holding him back with surprising strength for a senior. However, even Mr. Dickenson had to help him restrain his son when Boris continued.
"I remembered the first time I took Kai. He was so small; I believe he was a few months shy of being seven. Of course, it had been Voltaire who had had the honour of de-flowering him, but he was good all the same."
"Shut up!" Bruce's eyes were burning with hate.
"And then came the day not too long ago when he had returned to us during the world championships. He has grown into such a luscious young man, don't you agree? He was afraid of me, of course. But he had returned to try and save Tala. Still, he knew it was useless to resist me when I cornered him in the locker room."
Meeting each of their eyes boldly, he chuckled menacingly.
"All of you surely believe young Kai to be strong and fearless, don't you? He seems so wise beyond his years and capable of defending himself. All the more reason why it is so arousing to watch as his mask of indifference crumbles when he is forced to spread his legs and keep silent. The sight of those fiery red eyes watering in pain as I took him was worth a million pictures. Each move forced a small groan or whimper of pain from his sweet kiss swollen lips. Ivory fists clenched together as I held his wrists together in one hand. He was as hot as I--"
For a second time a beefy fist slammed into his face, followed by another.
Mr. Dickenson picked himself up from the ground where Bruce had unintentionally shoved him down. The young archaeologist was seething with rage as he had pulled free from their restraining hands and tackled the bound man to the ground.
"Bruce!"
"Tell me where he is, bastard!!" Bruce shouted in the man's face, gripping the collar of his shirt tightly and shaking him when he didn't respond. "Tell me or I swear to god I am gonna rip it out of you!"
"That's enough!" Mr. Granger grabbed his son by the broad shoulders and pulled him off Boris who was coughing up blood but still grinning.
The door of the room they had been interrogating him in swung open and a couple of guards ran in.
"Take him away," Mr. Dickenson said, waving them off.
Boris didn't put up a struggle, obviously pleased enough to have triggered such a reaction. However, before he was out the door he craned his neck back over the guard's shoulder and said, "By the way, how is Tala doing?"
The door closed in time to spar Boris from Bruce's threats.
For many minutes the three men were silent, Bruce leaning against the table with eyes closed and arms crossed, unknowingly adopting Kai's usual stance. Mr. Dickenson shook that thought out of his head.
"Care to explain what just happened there, Bruce?"
"Look, I'm sorry. I just..." He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly black hair. "Every time I look at that bastard, I see him back in that storage room with Tala. I can still hear him taunting Tala while suffocating him as he..."
"We all feel that way, Bruce. But you have to keep your emotions in check."
"He's right, son."
"I know." He looked up at the two seniors. "So what do we do now? How are we going to find Kai?"
"We have to stick to Boris. He is the only lead we have. The police are searching Moscow and the BBA service is scanning all of Russia for any bit of information."
Dejectedly, they exited the room, walking in silence down the hall.
"How are the Demolition dudes coming along?" Mr Granger asked.
"Moderately, I suppose. Bryan and Ian have recovered the most and we have assembled a very capable team of eye surgeons for Spencer's operation." He sighed as the good news ran out. "Tala has yet to awaken. He passed the doctor's expectations but his life hangs by a thread that I fear may snap any second. He responds to nothing and his wounds are healing too slowly. If his condition doesn't improve soon, we will lose him."
************
An irregular beep from the heart monitor startled the nurse out of her light sleep in the chair next to the bed. Fearing the worse, she followed the chart as it blinked on the monitor next to her but to her relief she saw that the beats were now stronger.
Yet another miracle occurred when the hand she had been holding flexed in her grip. It was barely noticeable, but she surely felt it. Leaning forward, she waited hopefully.
Her wait was not in vain when, against all odds, the long lashes opened, painfully slowly.
Eyes once a bright blue but now a dull grey looked around disoriented, taking a very long to time realise that there was someone else in the room.
"Tala?" She gave him a reassuring smile when he met her eyes. "Tala, you're okay now."
He didn't seem to hear her. Instead, his eyes returned to dully looking around, searching for something. When he couldn't find whatever it was, a look of pain streaked across the dim irises and with a final blink, he turned his head to one side and slipped away again.
"No, Tala! Don't go back to sleep! Come on, stay with me."
But it was too late. The heart monitor's beep grew softer as he returned to the deep sleep once more, fine features serene and yet troubled about something.
Sighing tiredly, she gave the now limp hand a pat before standing and heading out the door to alert the doctors of the boy's brief awareness. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
************
Trembling fingers tucked several loose strands of silver locks behind an ear before moving down to wipe a running tear from his face. He made no sound when crying. He never did. But the sound of his hope shattering was deafening to his ears.
"Bastard...fucking bastard...," was all he could whisper, wishing the sound of his voice would cover up his fading faith. It didn't and all he felt was even more hated self-pity.
Lying on his bare stomach, he stared unseeingly at his hand that rested near his head. The fingers quivered on the sheets, knuckles white as they curled around the soft fabric. Looking beyond his hand, he stared at the emptiness around him.
It felt so strange to wake up and not see Ray sleeping beside him, loose hair flowing on the pillow and even breaths stirring the dark bangs. Mr. Dickenson had been right; no matter how much he denied it, he needed people he trusted to be around him.
Now he was alone and hurting. And afraid.
"Was this done to you, Tala? Is this how Boris treated you?"
He longed for his friend. He didn't care if Tala had indeed betrayed him. Nothing the red-head could ever do would change how he felt for him. They had been there for each other since they were little kids. They had always held each other when one of them was upset.
Now he desperately wished to feel his friend's arms around him, whispering reassurances in his ears as he rocked him back and forth.
*~*~*~begin flashback~*~*~*
Kai slowly sunk to the floor, back against the cold metal of the locker door, body trembling in pain and silent tears. Above him, Boris adjusted his clothes, smirking in superior contempt.
"Never question my decisions again, Kai. You *will* fight the Bladebreakers and the other teams and you *will* take their bit beasts. One more sign of refusal from you and I can guarantee a visit to your grandfather for a few days."
Not even giving the boy another look, he turned and strode out of the locker room.
He didn't know if it had been minutes or hours, but he just sat there, muted tears sliding down his face as he tried to gather himself, failing miserably.
So many times...
So many times had he felt like this; ashamed, violated, weak, filthy, unsure, afraid, sickened.
So many times had he sworn to himself to be stronger than this, to keep an indifferent face even if he was screaming and sobbing on the inside.
Now instead, his expression was like the rest of him. Torn and tattered.
Beyond the rows of lockers, a door opened and he couldn't stop the fine trembles from racing over his body. Nor could he calm his breathing as it sped up in fearful anticipation. But all that was drowned out as a soft voice called out, hesitant in fear and doubt.
"Kai?"
He released a shuddering sob of relief but didn't answer. Still, the soft sound didn't go unheard and without a moment's hesitation the person's footsteps neared, finally stopping at the end of the row of lockers where he sat. A shadow fell upon him and he raised shamed eyes to stare into endless sky-blue ones.
"Kai..."
"He wouldn't stop, Tala. He wouldn't let me go." His voice was different, more childlike as he stared up at his friend with wet eyes through the slate coloured bangs. "So many years have passed by but...he...It hurts..."
Wordlessly, Tala knelt down swiftly and pulled the trembling teen into a deep embrace, resting his cheek on the other boy's head as Kai clung to him.
This was wrong. This wasn't the confident soul he had met over ten years ago. This wasn't the boy who had befriended him when all others had pushed him away. Kai was strong and not afraid of anything.
So why couldn't he explain why the slender body he held onto felt so lithe and fragile. Why had the fires that had always burned brightly in the crimson orbs dimmed out?
"You have to get out of here. Go back to the Bladebreakers."
"No! I won't leave you. Not again. We made a promise to always stick together and I have already broken it once--"
"And it is breaking you now!" He took hold of the shivering shoulders, stilling them somewhat. "You have a chance to escape. Once the championships are over you must go back to Japan with your team. You'll be safe there."
"I won't hurt you by leaving you behind--"
"You are hurting me, Kai!" he shouted. "Every second you stay here is killing me. I'm afraid that he will do something to you and that you'll die! I'm afraid that one day they will come with some lame excuse that you disappeared during the night! I'm afraid! I can at least be assured that you are safe back in Japan."
"And what about me then, huh?!" His tears returned, now brimming with fearful concern for the red-head. "How do you think I will feel to be safe and sound knowing that I have abandoned my best friend for a second time?! I was so afraid to come back here because I feared to come and find you already dead, killed by Boris while he was forcing himself on you."
"But--"
"No! I'm not leaving you behind alone. I am staying." He tightened his hold on the thick over vest, proving his seriousness. "Please, Tala, understand this."
He sighed, defeated but unconvinced. "I do understand, but I will never accept it."
Removing one hand from around Kai, Tala started to straightened his friend's clothes as best he could, feeling his anger burn hotter when he saw the scratch marks on the flat stomach. Then, slowly, he helped the other up, never releasing him, instead pulling him closer.
"We will get through this, Kai. As long as we stay together, we will get through this. One day, we will get away. Together. All of us. I promise."
Feeling secure in his friend's embrace and words, Kai rested his aching head on the other's shoulder, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. Gentle hands rubbed his bruised back and he was slowly lulled into a state of calm and security.
"Promise..."
*~*~*~end flashback~*~*~*
"Tala...please...Don't leave me here...please, my friend..."
Nothing happened. No footsteps came running down the hall. The door wasn't thrown open. No one stepped into the room with their bright blue eyes fixed on him. No one came to lie beside him and hold him.
Nothing happened.
That is, except for a heat coming from his pants pocket. He ignored it at first and simply laid there, face indifferent despite the tears. But then, something registered and holding his breath in a final glimmer of hope, he reached into the pocket...and found nothing.
It hadn't been until after his grandfather had left him the first night that he realised that he was missing something, or rather someone; Dranzer.
Despite the burning pains and bruises, he had forced himself off the bed and had torn the room apart, breaking down when he found no sign of his blue beyblade. He had demanded the fire bird's whereabouts when Voltaire returned the following night. Only after forcing pleasure from his body and giving himself release again did the bastard gloat of destroying the blade. The third night had passed without so much as a flinch from Kai's part; the news of his beloved bit beast gone had numbed him.
'Everything I loved is gone.'
He had just closed his eyes when he felt the heat once more, coming from the same pocket. Wind whistled pass his ear but something about it was very familiar...and welcoming...and desperate to be heard. Calling him. Begging him to hear it.
Again, he searched the pocket and was about to give up when a tip of his finger brushed against something buried in the deepest corner which he had missed due to its small size. Despite the heat in the cloth, the objects smooth surface was cool and he slowly pinched it between his thumb and index finger before withdrawing it. Bringing his hand to his face, he slowly uncurled his fingers. Amidst his tears of pain and grief, a single tear of relieved happiness rolled down his face.
The red phoenix bit glowed steadily in his palm, trembling and flashing in an aggressive attempt to get out of its confinement to be with him. The whistling was more audible now and he recognized it as the distant crying of Dranzer.
"But...how...?"
Through the hazy memory of the events that night of the ceremony he began to remember removing Dranzer's bit just before passing out. He had known that his grandfather would do something to the blade and had hoped the man wouldn't have noticed the bit missing. He hadn't, and had blindly smashed the empty blade.
"Dranzer...help me."
That was more than enough to free the phoenix and she stood before him.
A soft chitter of dismay was all she could make as she took in his half- naked and beaten form. Her own fiery eyes met his watery ones and she hopped over to his side. His body was cold from exposure to chilling temperature of the room and his skin was pale beneath the dark bruises.
With a soothing coo, she laid down next to him, ruffling her glowing feathers to produce more heat. Elaborate tail feathers came to rest over him, as did one expansive wing, effectively warming him. She wiped away the stray tears with her beak before nibbling on his hair affectionately.
"I though I had lost you forever," he smiled softly for the first time in four long days. His muscles were already relaxing from her heat, reducing the pain till it was no longer so horrible. And seeing her before him was enough to stop the agonizing pain in his chest; he wasn't alone anymore. Raising a weak hand, he ran his fingers through the fiery comb on her head, the flames cool against his skin.
"Thank you, my friend."
She chirped and nuzzled his face with her beak, resting her brow against his. Slowly, his breathing evened out and she felt his body completely relax against her. Raising her head, she watched him sleep, face serene for the first time in many days.
She had heard every cry, every word, every tear of pain he had shed when the man he called grandfather had assaulted him. The sound had been distant due to the beyblade's metal but it had been more than enough to drive her mad in desperation. Inside her bit, she had raged and spouted fire balls, trying to break free. Her fire had been so hot that pieces of the bit had started to melt. However, it had not been enough and giving up only after almost collapsing of exhaustion, she could only try to make him hear her voice and have him call her out himself.
Voltaire was going to come back. And this time, she will not let him come anywhere near her master. Kai was her blader. She had served him since he was a little boy and never had he treated her badly though mistreatment was all he had ever known at the hands of his grandfather. But that mistreatment was going to end now.
With that firm resolve, she laid her head back down across his, letting his steady breathing be her companion as she watched over him.
tbc...............
************
Read & Review, please.
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: R
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of her characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me so do not touch. I am not making any money off of this and write with the sole intention to entertain.
************
Ray sighed as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling of the room. It was almost three in the morning and his eyes and body burned, begging for sleep, but he couldn't. How could he be at peace when his friend was out there somewhere in the hands of earth's most sadistic person?
'All this time, Kai. All this time...'
They had waited in the hospital till the following morning when the adults finally returned. The dark circles around all four grown-ups' eyes meant that they had no doubt stayed up all night. Judy's eyes were also puffy and she kept on dabbing at them with a crumpled tissue, pulling Max into an embrace and not letting go. Worried about his mother and needing comfort himself, Max had returned it and they had remained like that the entire time.
While waiting the bladers had formed their own theories about what had happened. They hadn't seen Tala yet but the doctors had been more worried about him than the others and, judging by the state of the rest of the team, that meant that Tala was really messed up. Of course they had all blamed Boris and the Abbey and had agreed that the boys there were tortured.
But nothing could have prepared them for the truth when Mr. Dickenson told it.
Every mouth had fallen open and for many minutes no one could speak. Mariah had broken the silence and burst into tears and Emily was soon to follow. The guys had soothed them as much as possible but they themselves were having problems keeping their emotions in check. Next to shock, they were also greatly angered, disgusted and grieved. Max's blue eyes shimmered brightly and he had burrowed his face into his mother's clothes, finally succumbing to the sobs.
As for himself...Ray had felt as if the world had disappeared around him. All sounds were muffled and all he could see was white.
Assaulted? Kai had been raped? *Was being* raped?
The words kept on running through his head but he had still to fully register the extent of what they really meant. A horrible vision of Kai struggling beneath a larger man as he was forced upon refused the leave his mind and he tried time and time again to shut it out.
'Is that why you didn't want us to get near you? Is that why you feared contact?' All this time they had simply thought him anti-social. And now they knew the gut-wrenching truth; he had been afraid. Afraid that they might hurt him like others had done in his past.
Turning over onto his side, he stared at the empty space next to him on the large bed. He could feel it, the absence on the phoenix, even more so than he could see it. Everything was simply so different without their captain around.
It had been four days since the night of the trophy ceremony and the team was definitely affected; Tyson's appetite was gone and he merely nibbled at his food, leaving more than half over. Max was so solemn that Ray was afraid that he had gone into deep depression. Kenny...well, he didn't know about Kenny. The youngest boy had remained in the hospital with the adults, refusing to leave. Even Dizzy hadn't made one crack remark for the long days.
'I should be doing something. I am now the oldest. I need to be helping the team, encouraging them.'
He told himself this but he couldn't find it within him to obey. He was afraid that the moment he opened his mouth he would cry.
'Kai, you always made it look so easy. You never needed to use words. You just being with us pushed us to do our best. We had an aim, and that aim was to be you. You are strong. You are what a true blader at heart is supposed to be. You were always there for us during the matches. We drew our energy from you. And now...'
Despite his efforts he released a small sob as the unwanted images returned. Burying his face in his pillow, he cried softly.
************
"You better start talking, Boris, or I will make you scream out the answers," Bruce all but growled as he fought to restrain himself from reaching over the table and smashing the hand-cuffed man's head in.
The insufferable bastard merely grinned, his left eye swollen shut and his nose bleeding.
"Calm down, Bruce. He will be of no use to us if he is dead," Mr. Dickenson reasoned with the younger man who was trembling with unspent aggression.
"You don't really think you can catch Lord Voltaire?" Boris asked in a slurred but amused voice. "He's no fool and can't be found unless he wants to be."
"*Or* unless you tell us where he is hiding."
"Why ever would you want to know? Has he really been *that* big a menace to the law that you would resort to interrogating someone like me?"
"Piss on Voltaire! We want to know where he is keeping Kai." Bruce made to stand but his father placed a hand on his broad shoulder, silently telling him to keep his cool.
"Oh? Shouldn't a grandfather have the right to have some time with his only grandson?"
"Boris, I don't think you realise the extent of what your own crimes have brought upon you. The entire Abbey has been searched and we now know everything." Mr Dickenson's voice lowered almost menacingly. "Every lab, every project, every experiment; we know of how you and your men assaulted and even killed young boys in that stone dungeon. I don't need to tell you that the death penalty is hanging over your head right now."
"Wonderful," Boris smiled and looked away, studying the walls as he begun to hum to himself.
"However, you can probably escape death with prison time."
At this the man turned slightly to look at him from the corner of his eye.
"If you can tell us where Kai is, then the judge has agreed that your penalty will be reconsidered."
The man remained silent.
"Agree, you idiot!" Bruce shrugged off his father's hand and stood, fists planted on the table as he glowered down at the pale man. "Why is it so hard to tell us, huh?! Why are you shielding Voltaire?! What good does that do for you?!"
"More than you will ever know."
All three fell silent at the sinister tone in the former director's voice. He chuckled madly and raised his head, his one open eyes taking on a creepy, insane look.
"You soft-hearted simpletons will never understand what it is like. You can't begin to imagine the thrill of dominance one feels when he overpowers another. None of you would be able to resist the sweet taste of a young boy's lips once you have sampled it. No, gentlemen, once you have been ensnared by the innocence of a child, there is no way out. It becomes a way of life. It becomes your *only* way of life. You dream of it at night and wake up with a craving for the warm tightness of a slender body. You pass the entire day in torture as you watch the small lads as they train, unable to resist pulling one of them aside to satisfy your hunger. You stare into their wide eyes as they scream and twist against you as you slowly enter them, inch by inch. It is music to your ears when their pained cries slowly lower to pitiful whimpers. You go to bed dreaming of those wide eyes, pleased to know that tomorrow you will do it all over again, maybe even twice."
Mr. Dickenson could not believe what he was hearing. Boris spoke with such pleasure as if he was describing a work of art in a museum.
Beside him Bruce was bristling with want to pummel the man into the ground, Mr. Granger holding him back with surprising strength for a senior. However, even Mr. Dickenson had to help him restrain his son when Boris continued.
"I remembered the first time I took Kai. He was so small; I believe he was a few months shy of being seven. Of course, it had been Voltaire who had had the honour of de-flowering him, but he was good all the same."
"Shut up!" Bruce's eyes were burning with hate.
"And then came the day not too long ago when he had returned to us during the world championships. He has grown into such a luscious young man, don't you agree? He was afraid of me, of course. But he had returned to try and save Tala. Still, he knew it was useless to resist me when I cornered him in the locker room."
Meeting each of their eyes boldly, he chuckled menacingly.
"All of you surely believe young Kai to be strong and fearless, don't you? He seems so wise beyond his years and capable of defending himself. All the more reason why it is so arousing to watch as his mask of indifference crumbles when he is forced to spread his legs and keep silent. The sight of those fiery red eyes watering in pain as I took him was worth a million pictures. Each move forced a small groan or whimper of pain from his sweet kiss swollen lips. Ivory fists clenched together as I held his wrists together in one hand. He was as hot as I--"
For a second time a beefy fist slammed into his face, followed by another.
Mr. Dickenson picked himself up from the ground where Bruce had unintentionally shoved him down. The young archaeologist was seething with rage as he had pulled free from their restraining hands and tackled the bound man to the ground.
"Bruce!"
"Tell me where he is, bastard!!" Bruce shouted in the man's face, gripping the collar of his shirt tightly and shaking him when he didn't respond. "Tell me or I swear to god I am gonna rip it out of you!"
"That's enough!" Mr. Granger grabbed his son by the broad shoulders and pulled him off Boris who was coughing up blood but still grinning.
The door of the room they had been interrogating him in swung open and a couple of guards ran in.
"Take him away," Mr. Dickenson said, waving them off.
Boris didn't put up a struggle, obviously pleased enough to have triggered such a reaction. However, before he was out the door he craned his neck back over the guard's shoulder and said, "By the way, how is Tala doing?"
The door closed in time to spar Boris from Bruce's threats.
For many minutes the three men were silent, Bruce leaning against the table with eyes closed and arms crossed, unknowingly adopting Kai's usual stance. Mr. Dickenson shook that thought out of his head.
"Care to explain what just happened there, Bruce?"
"Look, I'm sorry. I just..." He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly black hair. "Every time I look at that bastard, I see him back in that storage room with Tala. I can still hear him taunting Tala while suffocating him as he..."
"We all feel that way, Bruce. But you have to keep your emotions in check."
"He's right, son."
"I know." He looked up at the two seniors. "So what do we do now? How are we going to find Kai?"
"We have to stick to Boris. He is the only lead we have. The police are searching Moscow and the BBA service is scanning all of Russia for any bit of information."
Dejectedly, they exited the room, walking in silence down the hall.
"How are the Demolition dudes coming along?" Mr Granger asked.
"Moderately, I suppose. Bryan and Ian have recovered the most and we have assembled a very capable team of eye surgeons for Spencer's operation." He sighed as the good news ran out. "Tala has yet to awaken. He passed the doctor's expectations but his life hangs by a thread that I fear may snap any second. He responds to nothing and his wounds are healing too slowly. If his condition doesn't improve soon, we will lose him."
************
An irregular beep from the heart monitor startled the nurse out of her light sleep in the chair next to the bed. Fearing the worse, she followed the chart as it blinked on the monitor next to her but to her relief she saw that the beats were now stronger.
Yet another miracle occurred when the hand she had been holding flexed in her grip. It was barely noticeable, but she surely felt it. Leaning forward, she waited hopefully.
Her wait was not in vain when, against all odds, the long lashes opened, painfully slowly.
Eyes once a bright blue but now a dull grey looked around disoriented, taking a very long to time realise that there was someone else in the room.
"Tala?" She gave him a reassuring smile when he met her eyes. "Tala, you're okay now."
He didn't seem to hear her. Instead, his eyes returned to dully looking around, searching for something. When he couldn't find whatever it was, a look of pain streaked across the dim irises and with a final blink, he turned his head to one side and slipped away again.
"No, Tala! Don't go back to sleep! Come on, stay with me."
But it was too late. The heart monitor's beep grew softer as he returned to the deep sleep once more, fine features serene and yet troubled about something.
Sighing tiredly, she gave the now limp hand a pat before standing and heading out the door to alert the doctors of the boy's brief awareness. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
************
Trembling fingers tucked several loose strands of silver locks behind an ear before moving down to wipe a running tear from his face. He made no sound when crying. He never did. But the sound of his hope shattering was deafening to his ears.
"Bastard...fucking bastard...," was all he could whisper, wishing the sound of his voice would cover up his fading faith. It didn't and all he felt was even more hated self-pity.
Lying on his bare stomach, he stared unseeingly at his hand that rested near his head. The fingers quivered on the sheets, knuckles white as they curled around the soft fabric. Looking beyond his hand, he stared at the emptiness around him.
It felt so strange to wake up and not see Ray sleeping beside him, loose hair flowing on the pillow and even breaths stirring the dark bangs. Mr. Dickenson had been right; no matter how much he denied it, he needed people he trusted to be around him.
Now he was alone and hurting. And afraid.
"Was this done to you, Tala? Is this how Boris treated you?"
He longed for his friend. He didn't care if Tala had indeed betrayed him. Nothing the red-head could ever do would change how he felt for him. They had been there for each other since they were little kids. They had always held each other when one of them was upset.
Now he desperately wished to feel his friend's arms around him, whispering reassurances in his ears as he rocked him back and forth.
*~*~*~begin flashback~*~*~*
Kai slowly sunk to the floor, back against the cold metal of the locker door, body trembling in pain and silent tears. Above him, Boris adjusted his clothes, smirking in superior contempt.
"Never question my decisions again, Kai. You *will* fight the Bladebreakers and the other teams and you *will* take their bit beasts. One more sign of refusal from you and I can guarantee a visit to your grandfather for a few days."
Not even giving the boy another look, he turned and strode out of the locker room.
He didn't know if it had been minutes or hours, but he just sat there, muted tears sliding down his face as he tried to gather himself, failing miserably.
So many times...
So many times had he felt like this; ashamed, violated, weak, filthy, unsure, afraid, sickened.
So many times had he sworn to himself to be stronger than this, to keep an indifferent face even if he was screaming and sobbing on the inside.
Now instead, his expression was like the rest of him. Torn and tattered.
Beyond the rows of lockers, a door opened and he couldn't stop the fine trembles from racing over his body. Nor could he calm his breathing as it sped up in fearful anticipation. But all that was drowned out as a soft voice called out, hesitant in fear and doubt.
"Kai?"
He released a shuddering sob of relief but didn't answer. Still, the soft sound didn't go unheard and without a moment's hesitation the person's footsteps neared, finally stopping at the end of the row of lockers where he sat. A shadow fell upon him and he raised shamed eyes to stare into endless sky-blue ones.
"Kai..."
"He wouldn't stop, Tala. He wouldn't let me go." His voice was different, more childlike as he stared up at his friend with wet eyes through the slate coloured bangs. "So many years have passed by but...he...It hurts..."
Wordlessly, Tala knelt down swiftly and pulled the trembling teen into a deep embrace, resting his cheek on the other boy's head as Kai clung to him.
This was wrong. This wasn't the confident soul he had met over ten years ago. This wasn't the boy who had befriended him when all others had pushed him away. Kai was strong and not afraid of anything.
So why couldn't he explain why the slender body he held onto felt so lithe and fragile. Why had the fires that had always burned brightly in the crimson orbs dimmed out?
"You have to get out of here. Go back to the Bladebreakers."
"No! I won't leave you. Not again. We made a promise to always stick together and I have already broken it once--"
"And it is breaking you now!" He took hold of the shivering shoulders, stilling them somewhat. "You have a chance to escape. Once the championships are over you must go back to Japan with your team. You'll be safe there."
"I won't hurt you by leaving you behind--"
"You are hurting me, Kai!" he shouted. "Every second you stay here is killing me. I'm afraid that he will do something to you and that you'll die! I'm afraid that one day they will come with some lame excuse that you disappeared during the night! I'm afraid! I can at least be assured that you are safe back in Japan."
"And what about me then, huh?!" His tears returned, now brimming with fearful concern for the red-head. "How do you think I will feel to be safe and sound knowing that I have abandoned my best friend for a second time?! I was so afraid to come back here because I feared to come and find you already dead, killed by Boris while he was forcing himself on you."
"But--"
"No! I'm not leaving you behind alone. I am staying." He tightened his hold on the thick over vest, proving his seriousness. "Please, Tala, understand this."
He sighed, defeated but unconvinced. "I do understand, but I will never accept it."
Removing one hand from around Kai, Tala started to straightened his friend's clothes as best he could, feeling his anger burn hotter when he saw the scratch marks on the flat stomach. Then, slowly, he helped the other up, never releasing him, instead pulling him closer.
"We will get through this, Kai. As long as we stay together, we will get through this. One day, we will get away. Together. All of us. I promise."
Feeling secure in his friend's embrace and words, Kai rested his aching head on the other's shoulder, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. Gentle hands rubbed his bruised back and he was slowly lulled into a state of calm and security.
"Promise..."
*~*~*~end flashback~*~*~*
"Tala...please...Don't leave me here...please, my friend..."
Nothing happened. No footsteps came running down the hall. The door wasn't thrown open. No one stepped into the room with their bright blue eyes fixed on him. No one came to lie beside him and hold him.
Nothing happened.
That is, except for a heat coming from his pants pocket. He ignored it at first and simply laid there, face indifferent despite the tears. But then, something registered and holding his breath in a final glimmer of hope, he reached into the pocket...and found nothing.
It hadn't been until after his grandfather had left him the first night that he realised that he was missing something, or rather someone; Dranzer.
Despite the burning pains and bruises, he had forced himself off the bed and had torn the room apart, breaking down when he found no sign of his blue beyblade. He had demanded the fire bird's whereabouts when Voltaire returned the following night. Only after forcing pleasure from his body and giving himself release again did the bastard gloat of destroying the blade. The third night had passed without so much as a flinch from Kai's part; the news of his beloved bit beast gone had numbed him.
'Everything I loved is gone.'
He had just closed his eyes when he felt the heat once more, coming from the same pocket. Wind whistled pass his ear but something about it was very familiar...and welcoming...and desperate to be heard. Calling him. Begging him to hear it.
Again, he searched the pocket and was about to give up when a tip of his finger brushed against something buried in the deepest corner which he had missed due to its small size. Despite the heat in the cloth, the objects smooth surface was cool and he slowly pinched it between his thumb and index finger before withdrawing it. Bringing his hand to his face, he slowly uncurled his fingers. Amidst his tears of pain and grief, a single tear of relieved happiness rolled down his face.
The red phoenix bit glowed steadily in his palm, trembling and flashing in an aggressive attempt to get out of its confinement to be with him. The whistling was more audible now and he recognized it as the distant crying of Dranzer.
"But...how...?"
Through the hazy memory of the events that night of the ceremony he began to remember removing Dranzer's bit just before passing out. He had known that his grandfather would do something to the blade and had hoped the man wouldn't have noticed the bit missing. He hadn't, and had blindly smashed the empty blade.
"Dranzer...help me."
That was more than enough to free the phoenix and she stood before him.
A soft chitter of dismay was all she could make as she took in his half- naked and beaten form. Her own fiery eyes met his watery ones and she hopped over to his side. His body was cold from exposure to chilling temperature of the room and his skin was pale beneath the dark bruises.
With a soothing coo, she laid down next to him, ruffling her glowing feathers to produce more heat. Elaborate tail feathers came to rest over him, as did one expansive wing, effectively warming him. She wiped away the stray tears with her beak before nibbling on his hair affectionately.
"I though I had lost you forever," he smiled softly for the first time in four long days. His muscles were already relaxing from her heat, reducing the pain till it was no longer so horrible. And seeing her before him was enough to stop the agonizing pain in his chest; he wasn't alone anymore. Raising a weak hand, he ran his fingers through the fiery comb on her head, the flames cool against his skin.
"Thank you, my friend."
She chirped and nuzzled his face with her beak, resting her brow against his. Slowly, his breathing evened out and she felt his body completely relax against her. Raising her head, she watched him sleep, face serene for the first time in many days.
She had heard every cry, every word, every tear of pain he had shed when the man he called grandfather had assaulted him. The sound had been distant due to the beyblade's metal but it had been more than enough to drive her mad in desperation. Inside her bit, she had raged and spouted fire balls, trying to break free. Her fire had been so hot that pieces of the bit had started to melt. However, it had not been enough and giving up only after almost collapsing of exhaustion, she could only try to make him hear her voice and have him call her out himself.
Voltaire was going to come back. And this time, she will not let him come anywhere near her master. Kai was her blader. She had served him since he was a little boy and never had he treated her badly though mistreatment was all he had ever known at the hands of his grandfather. But that mistreatment was going to end now.
With that firm resolve, she laid her head back down across his, letting his steady breathing be her companion as she watched over him.
tbc...............
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