Title: Resurfacing
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: R
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable character belongs solely to me and is not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

A/N: Ladya blinks disoriented Could it be….YES!!!!!!!!! A FREAKING UPDATE!!!!!!!! After having waited for almost two agonizing months to get internet at our new place, I am once again connected to the rest of the world!!!

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The all white BBA helicopter roared through the sky followed by half a dozen smaller choppers filled with armed forces. The ground and mountains moved swiftly far below as they raced against time and hope.

Inside the cabin, Mr. Dickenson sat resolutely, deep in thoughts as he sorted through the plan of action. Even now he thanked God for sending them Anne-Marie because without her they would still be in Moscow, searching blindly for something they knew nothing off.

Upon being informed of the speculated ten hour flight, the elderly lady had immediately pointed to Magadan, a city in north-eastern Russia nestled in mountainous terrain.

"We had lived there for the first half of our marriage before moving," she had informed the team of searchers that had crowded around her. "He must have taken Kai there. But I doubt he is still there."

"Why not?" Bruce had asked.

"After we left it became mainly a…stop-point for him. He had never liked the location and usually only used it to rest during long plane rides that took him along that route."

"So he's probably gone now. We have no idea where they are once again," Judy had sighed wearily.

"He'll travel alongside the coast of Russia into India."

Everyone had perked up at this but Anne-Marie's eyes remained on the map, tracing the route with a thin finger, finally stopping and tapping on a city.

"Here. He has another home located in the jungles of this area. It once served as our honeymoon escape."

"That's pure jungle terrain. Which means that they will use a helicopter all the way," Judy commented.

"No chopper can fly the entire distance without refueling. They will have to stop some time, along the coast to refuel."

"But how do we know they aren't already at the estate in India? They've been missing for weeks; Voltaire could have relocated them at any time. How do we now where to look?"

Everyone had started talking at once, arguing the different aspects.

"Um…people?"

One of the computer technicians got their attention and everyone turned, other people stopping in their work to see what was going on. The man who had spoken cleared his voice, looking somewhat bemused as he motioned to the large monitors behind him.

"We've just picked this up on the frequency. Either that's a new volcano, or we've found the estate…or what's left of it."

A large crater had hollowed out the once snow-topped mountains. Smoke was still rising from the burning mass, melting the ice whose water had extinguished most of the flames. Several small dots were moving through the rubble; local law enforcement officials who had arrived already.

"Oh my! That's it!" Anne-Marie had gasped, a hand covering her mouth, eyes wide at the madness of her former partner.

"When did this happen?" Mr. Dickenson had asked, pushing his way through the gathered crowd to get a better view of the screen.

"The local law enforcement said that there was a colossal explosion on the top of the mountain at 8.24 p.m."

"That was less than an hour ago," Bruce had said, checking his watch. Turning to Mr. Dickenson, he said, "Voltaire could have left a time bomb there weeks ago. But…what if…"

"It was detonated by hand," he finished, rubbing his chin. The entire room fell silent as they awaited his decision.

"Send a team ahead to India. We're going to follow the coast line. Have the aviators chart out the quickest route based off the amount of time they have ahead of us. Gather the teams and have the choppers ready on the double!"

The crowd scattered; the mechanics and officials went to ready the choppers, search experts began to calculate their target's estimated location while communicators began relaying the news to the search teams scattered throughout Russia.

"Do you think that we've found them?" Anne-Marie asked softly, coming to stand next to them.

Judy smiled encouragingly at the elder woman.

"We're the closest now than we've been since this all started. You have been a great help to us."

"I just want my grandson to be alright…" she had said sadly, running her hand over the soft scarf she had not let go of once. "That's all that matters to me…"

'It's all that matters to us too…' Mr. Dickenson now thought, looking out the window as they continued down the route the experts had drawn out for them, pushing the flying machines to the limit as they flew at over 200 miles an hour.

They had been flying for hours. Night had worn on and now dawn was coming. The sun already peeked over the land as it rose.

"I hope this will be the last sunrise this search will have to witness," Bruce said from where he sat opposite the elder, almost reading his mind. "By this time tomorrow Voltaire should be behind bars."

"Don't get your hopes up. We are following a strong but still a simple speculation."

"Not this time, sir. We will find them today." He turned serious eyes to him. "I can feel it."

"We will find them today…But in what condition?" he countered softly.

Bruce didn't answer, fearing the same. Falling silent, he returned to staring out the window as one of the smaller choppers flew next to then, the winds whistling over the mechanical guns that were loaded and ready for use should the occasion be called.

'Let's pray it won't come to that.'

ooooo begin flashback ooooo

"Gone?"

"Kai had to leave early this morning. He has been injured very badly in the explosion and needs medical treatment."

The young redhead listened with mixed emotions.

"W-When will he come back, sir?"

Boris couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he answered.

"He isn't coming back. At least, not for a very long time."

His smirk only grew more at the defeated slump of the slender shoulders.

"Can I go to him?" Tala asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not." A devious idea came to mind. "He said that he didn't want to see you again."

The words made him gasp before shaking his head.

"I'm his friend. He wouldn't say something like that!"

"Young Kai had been very upset that you weren't there when he needed you the most. I tried to make him change his mind but he returned to Japan with his grandfather anyways." He was really enjoying playing this game with the emotionally fragile child.

"You're lying!"

"Am I? Then why did he leave without saying goodbye?"

He couldn't answer that. And it scared him. Was Boris telling the truth? Did Kai…hate him?

"He is my friend…He wouldn't…"

"He isn't…and he did."

A hand lifted his chin, the thumb wiping the tears away. Staring into the bright blue eyes, he couldn't resist and leaned forward, capturing the lips before the boy could pull away. The thrill quickly manifested itself and he began to tug at the redhead's clothes, running his hands under the shirt.

He was taken off guard when a small fist connected with his cheekbone as Tala pulled away, freeing himself from the man's groping hands.

"Liar! You're a liar!"

"You ingrate…" Boris growled, rubbing the now red spot on his face. "You dare hit me?"

"You hit me more! You hurt me! I hate you! I HATE YOU!! You don't care about me! You're just like the others! You only use me!" Tala screamed, angry tears streaming down his face. "You lie! You always lie! Only lies!!"

Snarling, he grabbed the ranting boy, shaking him viciously.

"And what are you going to do about it?!"

"Let me go! Leave me alone!!" He fought savagely, scratching the man as he tried to break free. "I don't want to be here anymore! I want Kai!!"

"We all can't have what we want," Boris taunted, grabbing the slender throat and forcing the child to meet his eyes as his thumb placed more and more pressure on the air pipe, slowly cutting off the oxygen supply. "Coming from a background such as yours I'd assume that you would know that by now."

"I want…gasp to…leave…" he sobbed, defeated but still clinging for a miracle that never came. "Why w-won't you gasp let…me…go…?"

The blue eyes rolled back, his body going limp in the director's arms.

"Because I always get what I want. I make sure I do."

That was the last thing he heard as hands hungrily finished removing the remaining clothing before he passed out.

ooo hours later ooo

He woke up to soft voices that hushed when they realized he was coming to.

"Tala?"

Turning his head, he opened his eyes to meet pale violet ones.

"B-B…"

"Yeah, it's me," Bryan assured, helping the redhead sit up and allowing him to lean against him for support.

"Here."

A cup of water was placed in his hand which he accepted gratefully, thankful for something to wash the horrible taste out of his mouth. Finishing it, he handed it back to Ian who placed it on the table next to the bed.

He didn't have to ask them what had happened; his body reported to him exactly what it had been through after he had passed out. No doubt they had figured it out too so there was no point on dwelling on that.

"K…K-Kai's gone…"

The other three shared remorseful looks before Bryan answered.

"We know, Tala. Boris told us this morning."

"Why didn't Kai say goodbye? Does he hate me that much?"

"Don't believe what Boris said!" Bryan admonished, shaking his head. "You're Kai's best friend!"

"So why did he leave then?"

"He didn't have a choice. Boris and Voltaire made him," Spencer said for the first time from where he sat at the foot of the bed, behind Ian.

"I want him back…I miss him already…I…I'm scared…"

"We all are..."

Raising his eyes, he studied his three remaining friends, realizing for the first time that Kai's departure was affecting them just as much as him and yet here he was acting as if his feelings were the only ones that mattered. And they allowed him, unselfishly comforting him while they themselves were just as sad and scared.

"I'm sorry, guys," he apologized softly. "I didn't think…"

Unable to say anything else, he pulled Bryan into a deep embrace. The lilac-haired blader looked surprised for a moment before returning it. Ian and Spencer received similar treatment, both accepting the gesture.

Sitting back, Ian looked at his friends.

"So…what now?"

The question was directed to Tala since both Spencer and Bryan turned to him too.

"Boris said that you're the team captain now," Bryan informed the bemused boy.

Swallowing, Tala thought for a moment before speaking.

"Boris is lying. Kai will come back someday. I know he will. And until then…Kai wanted us to be the best. That was his dream; that we would all become the strongest bladers in the world…" He met their eyes with a new determination. "I want to make his dream come true."

Taking out Wolborg, he held the blue blade out at arm's length.

"For Kai?"

Bryan mimicked his actions; Falborg's bit gleaming in the light.

"For Kai."

Sharing identical looks of determination, Ian and Spender joined in.

"For Kai."

Smiling softly, Tala looked out the window high above them. It was early dawn and the skies were a soft red…crimson…

"One day, Kai…One day we can live your dream side-by-side…"

ooooo end flashback ooooo

A soft knock broke through his thoughts. The door opened slightly.

"Tala?"

The voice was vaguely familiar but unexpected and he turned to meet the golden eyes that peeked around the partially opened door.

"Hey, you're up," Ray smiled softly before admitting himself in. "The nurses said that you were probably asleep but said it wouldn't hurt if I came to check. I would have left if you were but I really wanted to…" He caught on to his rambling and shook his head.

"Sorry."

He regarded the neko-jin half-curiously, half-anxiously. What was the Drigger blader doing here? Were the rest of the Bladebreakers here too?

"The guys are at the police department," Ray said as if having read his thoughts. "They wanted to be there for the latest news in the operation. Mr. Dickenson told me that you recovered enough so I thought I'd come by."

Tala had still to speak, only watching as the other teen took seat in the chair Bryan normally occupied. A silence fell between them for a long while before Ray cleared his throat.

"If you want I can leave. I just…"

Tala merely shook his head softly.

"I'm just…surprised to see you here. Our teams didn't part on the best of terms…" he finally admitted.

"Even then, everyone was very worried about you guys."

"Everyone…?" he asked, confused.

"The Bladebreakers, the other teams, Mr. Dickenson and the other adults; most came to visit you. The teams who left still keep in touch every day to check up on your recovery and on…" he trailed off, leaving Tala to pretty much guess the rest.

"Thanks, for caring after all we did to you," he said.

"We owe you an apology. We never knew just how hard it was for you guys and we were too shallow to even try to see past it all. If it wasn't for Kai we still wouldn't have known."

"Please…don't mention him…"

Ray was taken back. Did he just hear correctly? Had Tala just said that? Kai's closest friend didn't even seem to care about him anymore?

"It's not like that."

Ghostly eyes stared at him, frozen yet burning at the same time.

"I care for Kai, Ray. I care for him more than all you guys put together. I love him more than I love myself. He was the first person who never tried to hurt me or use me. I had been alone until I met him but he saw me as an equal; someone instead of something. He is very special to me."

"Then why…"

"Every time we reunited, we were torn apart again. Every time I had prayed for him to come back and he did, and suffered." His eyes started to water and he turned away, continuing in a softer, sadder tone. "I don't want him to come back to me because I don't want him to hurt anymore. When he gets rescued, I don't want him to come visit me. I want him to get as far away from me as possible."

"You know he won't do that. The first thing he'll ask when he comes back is to see you. As long as he breathes he will come back to you, Tala."

The redhead fell silent at that, turning away so that the neko-jin couldn't see his eyes as they shimmered though Ray knew they were.

"The nurse keeps me updated…Is it true that the officials have a lead?"

"It's the best they've had so far. Mr. Dickenson and Bruce went with them. They've been gone for almost an entire day now. We hope we can catch up to them before they reach India."

The door opened and the nurse poked her head into the room.

"I'm afraid that it's time to leave, sir," she said to Ray.

Nodding, he turned back to Tala. Hesitating for a moment, he leaned and slipped something into an open palm. Giving Tala a final reassuring smile, he rose and headed for the door.

"I've always asked myself…" Tala said softly, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yes?" Ray insisted gently, turning with his hand on the doorknob.

"I've always asked myself…if Boris was telling the truth when he said that we deserved what happened to us. What if this is our fate?"

"It can't be. Not this cruel--"

"Fate is cruel. And they say you should never fight fate."

The voice sounded so…defeated, accepting the cursed path that had been laid down before him.

Opening the door, Ray paused without turning and said;

"You can fight and beat anything you want…as long as you believe in it."

The door closed behind the Bladebreaker, leaving him with only his thoughts…and the object in his palm. Opening his hand, he stared at it and for a moment a single tear spilled loose and he smiled sadly.

"I don't know what to believe in anymore…" he whispered before drifting off to sleep.

In his relaxed hand, the black casing shone in the fluorescent light, its golden phoenix glittering.

'Kai will hurt…as long as I breathe…There's no other way…'

ooooooooooooooo

The sun was slowly dipping behind the horizon, its remaining rays dancing off the sea's surface, glittering and breaking with the tide. The skies above were painted gold with hints of purple. In short: it was breathtakingly beautiful.

And heartbreakingly painful for it was surely the last sun set she was ever going to see.

Their temporary resting place was an old lighthouse that stood atop steep, jagged cliffs. A nearby, also unoccupied, hangar provided a perfect cover for the helicopter as it was refueled and examined by local mechanics who had been waiting for them upon arrival; more of Voltaire's henchmen.

...You've served me so loyally for so many years, it's only fair I offer you a decent resting place...

The tycoon's snide remark and smug smirk refused to leave her, reminding her constantly of her promised demise.

The person in her arms shifted slightly and she tightened her hold on him, hugging him closer where they sat on the very top floor of the light house, the panoramic view only amplified from the tower's height.

Taking her eyes off the darkening sea, she looked down on Kai who remained passively in her arms, his blank eyes fixed on the ground below them though she knew he wasn't really seeing it. Next to the soft sounds of the ocean's waves, the haunting lullaby was the only sound as he continued to hum it.

"I remember how you used to be afraid of heights when you were younger. One time you somehow managed to climb one of the trees in the eastern lawn and you couldn't come down. Do you remember that, Kai?"

He didn't acknowledge her words but she continued anyways.

"I'm sure you do. I had been searching for you for over an hour when I finally found you. I don't think I've ever moved so fast. Once I reached you I had held you just like this, whispering to you that everything was going to be alright and that you won't get hurt."

Removing an arm from around him, she reached into her pocket and removed the three items.

"We all loved you, Kai. We still love you. Even those who are no longer with us..."

She gently took one of his hands and placed the watch and the bracelet into the palm before closing the fingers around them where they remained clenched.

"And you still have those who will come back to you..."

The empty bit was placed in his other hand before she brought both his fists against each other.

"Just trust in them and yourself, Kai. I know you are hurting and tired, but there are others who may need you just as much."

Heavy footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs and she knew it was Voltaire, coming to retrieve his grandson. Pulling Kai closer, voice confident yet pleading at the same time, she whispered,

"I'm sorry I won't be here much longer for you, Kai. I am truly glad for the times we shared, even if they weren't always as bright and happy as someone like you deserved to have. Just hang in there. You can't let Voltaire win; not after all that has been done; not after your parents died, not after Dranzer sacrificed herself, not after I die; not ever."

The humming grew softer though didn't falter but it encouraged her.

"Think of the people who have shown you the better side of life. Think of those who had accepted you into their hearts. I know there are a lot of them in your life, Kai. There's more to life than this. And once you are free, you will never want life to end. If not for me, do it for your parents and Dranzer. Don't let their love for you become worthless by giving up after all this time."

The massive lock on the door clicked and it began to open.

"I love you, Kai Hiwatari. And if my death will ensure your safety, then I will happily accept it. Just promise me that you will live on..."

"Magnificent, isn't it? So calm and peaceful."

Voltaire walked over, eyes only leaving the ocean when he stood next to them.

"People always say that those close to death often see their lives flash before their eyes; what do you think?"

"I don't know, my lord," she answered, brushing the slate bangs of the teen, not meeting his grandfather's eyes. "Will you use me as another experiment to test the theory?"

"Your pathetic life won't be much to look at," he snorted before sighing. "No, you're more upset because you won't be able to protect him anymore."

"Someone has to."

"Enough chit-chat. We have a productive day tomorrow so I will retire. Or rather, we will retire." He looked pointedly at Kai, wordlessly demanding Margaret his grandson.

Knowing he'd strike the boy if she disobeyed, Margaret pressed a tearful kiss to Kai's forehead, pulling him close, wishing to remember the feel of him safely in her arms since this was most likely the last time they'd be together.

"You'll make it, Kai. Please do…"

Impatient, Voltaire reached down and gripping a slender upper arm, he yanked the boy to his feet, leaving her arms empty and her skin cold at the lost of contact. He smirked with contemptuous victory, possessively holding Kai close.

"If I was you I'd enjoy this sun set; I truly doubt you'll "be around to see it rise tomorrow."

Kneeling on the wooden floor, she could say nothing, only stare defeated at both males; hating the elder with all her being and mourning for the youngest with all her heart.

"Come, Kai. You look like you could use some…warming up."

With a snicker, he turned and led the unresisting boy to the door, his steps quicker at the thought of the promising night with his young kin. The door fell shut with a loud bang, lock clicking in place.

Left with no blanket to protect her against the cold night air, she mutely crawled into a corner and curled up to preserve whatever body warmth she could muster, imagining Kai to be back in her arms, unharmed and safe.

"It can't end like this…" she whispered to herself, feeling twice her age, her body suddenly tired and aching. "It can't…"

The skies above the sea finally surrendered to darkness as the final rays vanished behind the ocean's horizon.

Breathtakingly beautiful…Heartbreakingly painful…

"It will…"

And she finally surrendered; yet another of Voltaire's conquered victims.

tbc….

oooooooooooooo

I swear on my own grave (if that is possible…oh well shrugs) the next update WON'T be this long!! Give me four to five days!!!

Hehehe, and just to tease you guys: chapter 23 and 24 will (honestly) have MAJOR drama/action!!! But you'll just have to wait grows devil's horns HAHAHAHAHAHAHA coughchoke

Read & Review, please.