Emptiness
By: Black Dranzer
".." speaking and thinking
//..// Russian or other language translations (not jap tho)
~*~*~*~ Scene Change
*** flashback sequences
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I only own any of the characters that you haven't seen in the original Beyblade series.
Chapter TwentyEight: Sudden Turn
A helicopter's propellers whirled through the air as Robert, Oliver and Enrique looked up in the midst of dialing the number of the Scottish police.
"Who's that?" Enrique shouted over the loud noise made by the aerial vehicle.
"I don't know," Robert shouted back and had to abandon his attempt to dial on his cell phone in order to shield his eyes from the helicopter's blinding headlights. People walking down the streets stared at the helicopter as they passed by and hurriedly avoided being caught in the wind aroused by its propellers.
"Do you think Jackie sent it?" Oliver wondered loudly.
"I doubt that," Robert answered back, "She doesn't even know we're here,"
"Then it must be.." Enrique started, but the sound of someone landing beside him stopped him in mid-sentence.
~*~*~*~
"Dranzer!"
"Salamalyon!"
With the shouts from their masters, the two bit beasts emerged from their bit chips and spread wildfire at the surrounding abbey workers. Some men backed down, frightened of the flames emerging around them, but the braver ones stepped forward, only to have their sleeves or robes catch on fire and jump back.
"This can't hold them forever," Johnny growled, "'cause if they don't get burned to death first, I'll die of dehydration,"
Kai ignored Johnny's complaint and watched Kyle's progress out of a corner of his eye.
He was not faring too well against the two muscular men as they are about twice his size.
"We need to get out as soon as possible," Kai muttered.
Hearing that, Johnny sneered sarcastically, "And how do you suggest we do that? Call a time-out?"
Ignoring Johnny's snide comment once again, Kai called to his bit beast, "Dranzer, clear a road for Kyle!" His beyblade charged trough a crowd of abbey workers who were blocking the way to Kyle and set the ones who were to slow to jump out of its way on fire. Kyle, seeing the cleared path, thrust his iron pole at the two big men and ran quickly to the two boys. Dranzer, having returned from its job, set fire on more abbey workers as it whizzed past them towards its master.
"Let's go! Before they recover!" Kyle shouted and pointed towards the window behind them. But as the three reached the small opening, they saw that the two muscular abbey workers had recovered and were charging their way, knocking down a few ally abbey workers as they did so.
"You two go first," Kyle said to Johnny and Kai as he stood in a defense position to face the two abbey workers.
Johnny and Kai looked at each other. The window was only big enough for one of them to get out at a time.
"You go first," Johnny said and pushed Kai towards the window.
"I was the reason you were in this mess," Kai said stubbornly, "So I will stay to handle the consequences and not risk your life on it,"
Johnny rolled his eyes and pushed Kai towards the window. They both looked out and saw a helicopter arriving towards the window and threatening to block their only way of escape.
"Either you go or neither of us will," he said and thrust something into Kai's hands while he muttered, "Hold this for me, it's Jackie's birthday present,"
Kai stared at Johnny, but didn't have time to think before Johnny surprised him and pushed him out of the window. Kai looked up and saw a dark shape hover behind Johnny before he had to convert his concentration on landing on his feet. With a thud, he landed awkwardly, but without a scratch beside Enrique. It seemed that Enrique had just started to say something because his mouth was half open when Kai stood up.
"BIOVOLT," Oliver and Robert finished.
"BIOVOLT?" Kai asked.
"It's the helicopter," Oliver explained over the loud noise of the helicopter, "we think BIOVOLT sent it,"
Kai blanched a bit and looked back up for signs of Johnny or Kyle, but all he saw was a glint of silver as something whizzed past his left ear and landed on the ground. Robert hastened to pick it up and the other three saw it as a dagger with a piece of paper attached onto it.
"If word of this reaches the police, we do not guarantee the safety of our two hostages," the note read. It seemed to have been written quite hastily as the letters were not very legible.
"Two hostages?" Enrique asked, "That means they've got that man and Johnny!"
"We have to help them!" Oliver said, but all of them noticed that it was too late as dark shapes of abbey workers filtered onto the large helicopter.
With clenched fists, Kai watched as the helicopter fly away.
"Two more," he thought with bitterness, "Two more innocent people,"
~*~*~*~
Tala shrank into the shadows as he watched two abbey workers walk by on patrol on his way to Kazuki's dormitory.
"It's strange," he thought to himself with his face half in shadows, "before I met Kazuki, I traveled these corridors like I owned them, but now..it is as if I am an escaped criminal walking in the halls of a high security prison." But he pushed his thoughts out of his mind and swiftly dodged in and out of shadows as he searched for his destination. When at last he found it, he sighed in relief as he noticed that there weren't voices coming out of the room, signaling that Boris had not arrived yet. He quietly opened the door and walked inside.
On her bed, Kazuki, with her excellent hearing, awoke from her strange dream with a start and glared at the intruder. But when she saw that it was Tala, she relaxed a bit.
"What are you doing here?" she asked and made sure that her voice was masked with coldness.
Tala ignored the tone and, instead of talking, he sent a virtual message to her, "I need to tell you something,"
Kazuki raised her eyebrows, but followed suit and used thought-speak as she asked, "About what?"
"I heard your father conversing with Master Voltaire about an experiment," Tala answered mentally.
Kazuki swallowed down her curiosity and thought back, "What does this have to do with me?"
"It had everything to do with you!" Tala thought back angrily, "Don't you understand? The 'experiment' is YOU,"
Kazuki stared at Tala with a frown; she was about to answer back when she turned to look at a slight movement behind Tala, in her doorway. Her face blanched a few tints. It was Boris and he did not look pleased with the scene before him.
Tala, noticing Kazuki's fear, looked behind him and immediately got up from the sitting position he had taken on Kazuki's bed.
"Good evening, sir," Tala said and bowed.
Boris glared at the boy and replied in icy tones, "What may I ask are you doing in my daughter's room?"
Tala remained silent for a few moments before answering quietly, "Nothing sir,"
"Nothing?" Boris asked with false belief, "But I was sure I had seen you sitting on her bed. Do you think my eyes were deceiving me?"
The last question was asked as a threat. Tala knew of this as well and remained in fearful silence. Boris, turning his attention to Kazuki, asked, "Then you tell me Kazuki, what is he doing here?"
Kazuki slowly got off of her bed but almost fell over at the strain from her muscles as she tried to move.
Boris, noticing this, flashed a smirk that only Tala saw, "You can stay in bed while you talk," he said with artificial kindness.
"Thank you," Kazuki said and managed a half bow in her sitting position.
"Now, about what I was asking," Boris said his coldness returning.
Kazuki answered casually, "He entered the wrong room,"
"The wrong room?" Boris asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Yes father," Kazuki answered without lifting her eyes, "since our rooms are beside each other, he has entered the wrong door by mistake,"
Tala silently prayed that Boris believed Kazuki's bluff, because if he saw through it, the girl would receive a painful punishment for deceiving him. To help with the lie, Tala said, "It is true, sir, my mind was wondering when I was returning to my room, I must have unconsciously came through the wrong door," Boris thought for a while as the two teens waited with beating hearts.
A realization hit him but he did not let that show on his face. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Very well," Both Tala and Kazuki let out a sigh of relief and met each other's eyes.
"You should get out of here now," Kazuki silently thought.
"But the experiment," Tala protested silently as well.
"Kazuki," Boris broke in as he watched the younger pair seemed to be staring at each other, "I have business to discuss with you,"
Kazuki snapped out of her mind link with Tala and asked, "Yes father?"
Boris shot a look at Tala, as if telling him to leave, but before Tala could protest, Boris said, "You can stay if you want Tala, as you will me assisting Kazuki after our discussion,"
Tala and Kazuki both stared at Boris in confusion, and Tala replied with a bow, "Yes, sir,"
Boris smirked secretly to himself as he fingered a silver item in his pocket and sat down where Tala had been a few minutes ago.
Looking at Kazuki in the eyes, he said, "Kazuki, as you know, I've strived to train the strongest beyblader in the world,"
The girl nodded, not liking where the conversation was going.
"So, I would like you to be that beyblader," Boris continued, "I want you to receive the power others have only dreamed of having. It only requires a few minor sacrifices," The last part was said quieter than the rest.
Trying her best not to arouse her father's anger, Kazuki replied, "I wish very much to please you father, but may I just inquire what that minor sacrifice may be?"
"The price," he said, "Is to give up a portion of your mind for another inhabitant. But your reward will be unlimited power and a rare gift that will make you the master of everything you wish,"
Kazuki looked at her father and bit her lip. The suggestion sounded more like a command than a question and the price seemed to be dangerous.
"But father, how can you insert another's mind into my own?" Kazuki asked quietly.
Boris smirked, "Since you are already..genetically altered, it will be no problem in inserting the inhabitant into your mind with my computers,"
Tala looked up and dared to say, "Isn't that risky sir?"
Boris shot Tala a venomous glare and asked, "Since when did I allow people to cut into my conversations?"
Tala bowed his head, "I'm sorry sir, but.."
"That's enough!" Boris threatened, "Do not let another word slip out of your mouth, and remember who is in charge here,"
"Yes sir," Tala answered.
Boris turned back to a worried looking Kazuki and asked, "What will your decision be?"
"Who will the other inhabitant be?" Kazuki asked rather quickly before she could stop herself.
Boris smiled and said, "Someone who is capable of what I promised you, someone whom is my most beautiful creation," then, with a voice filled with pride he said, "Black Dranzer,"
The name sent chills down Kazuki's spine and she noticed it did the same to Tala. She had heard that Black Dranzer was the bit beast capable of stealing another beyblader's bit beasts and using them as its army. She looked at Tala again and asked mentally, "What should I do?"
Tala answered by saying out loud with every bit of bravery he had, "Sir, isn't the risk even higher as only a certain amount of people can control Black Dranzer's powers?"
This time, Boris didn't even give a warning before turning on Tala. "Since when have you become disobedient Tala? Have you not learned from your years of training that an order is taken seriously?" he snarled as Tala looked up at Boris' towering form.
"Yes sir," he said quietly, but not daring to move.
"Then you should know what would happen to those that disobey orders?" Boris asked.
"Yes sir," Tala said with a voice just above a whisper, "two days in the punishment chamber, two days without food and a thousand lashes," These words were said as if it was etched into his memory.
"Good," Boris said, but his voice was filled with merciless danger, "But I will make all of that sound like child's play when I tell you your punishment this time," Tala stared in horror as Boris extracted a silver knife from his pocket and ran his finger over the smooth surface. Then, looking at Tala, he placed the dagger on the skin of the boy's neck. Kazuki watched frozen on her spot as Boris pressed the sharp piece of metal to Tala's throat.
Boris watched her out of a corner of his eye and thought to himself, "If I find out that these two are lying to me and Kazuki tries to interfere, the boy will die for sure. But if she doesn't get involved, well, Tala will still pay for disobeying me." He sneered at that last thought and whispered loud enough for Kazuki to hear, "This time, the punishment is death,"
Both Tala and Kazuki paled at this. Boris didn't wait another second before taking the dagger off Tala's neck and raising it to strike.
The boy shut his eyes and heard the lethal sound of the dagger cutting through air.
"No!" he heard a voice inside his head and sensed something landing in front of him. Risking a peek, Tala saw Kazuki kneeling in front of him.
One of her hands was tightly holding onto the sharp edge of the dagger and blood dripped down her fingers, but she didn't seem to care.
Boris was glaring at his daughter with surprise and anger.
"Please father," Kazuki pleaded, "spare him," Boris laughed a cruel laugh and pulled Kazuki's hand off the blade, cutting it more. The girl didn't even wince at this and repeated, "Please father, spare him,"
"Are you disobeying me as well?" Boris asked icily, "Because I think I know the reason,"
Kazuki looked up at Boris, but fell back into Tala as the full force of the strain on her muscles got to her.
Boris' eyes glinted as he saw the boy look uncomfortably at the girl in his arms. Boris leaned down next to Kazuki's ear and whispered, "You have feelings for him don't you?"
Kazuki's eyes widened. She knew that her father had restricted her from all feelings except hate since the beginning of her training and she had kept her emotions locked up. That is, until she had met Tala.
"N-no, father," she muttered and attempted to get up out of Tala's arms. But she failed as the pain got to her and fell back again.
Tala had heard Boris' whispered question as well and was doing his best to inch Kazuki off of him, but he had to catch her again as she fell back.
Boris gave a cruel laugh and said, "You are lying, Kazuki, I know you are,"
Kazuki didn't look up and just tried once again to get up. This time, she was successful and managed to lean on her bed frame instead. Tala, freed from his position, got up immediately and stood back, well away from Boris and Kazuki.
Boris noticed this, but turned to Kazuki and leant down beside her.
"There is a way to save him," he whispered.
Kazuki just kept her eyes on the ground, but listened with rapt attention.
Boris leant down next to Kazuki's ear and ignored the wince the girl gave as he whispered quiet enough for Kazuki to hear, but not Tala.
"Make him hate you," he whispered, "I have tried for the past six years training Tala to hate, but it seems that even Bryan's training method cannot do the job. But I am sure you can,"
Kazuki knew refusing was not an option. Either she did as she was told and face Tala's hate for the rest of her life, or put both her and Tala's lives on the line.
"But why me?" she asked.
"Because you are the only one who can do damage to his heart," Boris whispered back and stood back before Kazuki could respond. He pulled her up roughly and handed her the dagger.
"Come now Kazuki," he said out loud, "you have to do this if you want to survive,"
Tala stared at Boris. In his mind, he was plotting escape routes, but on the outside, he was frozen to the spot.
Kazuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The only way for Tala to survive is for him to hate me. That is the only way," She thought as tears were fought back, "I should be the only who suffers," She opened her eyes and made them as cold as ice.
In her menacing voice, she growled at Tala, "If I want to survive, I have to do this,"
The boy stared at her in bewilderment. He had never seen Kazuki like this before, except on that night she met Kai.
"Don't blame me Tala," she said as she advanced on him with her dagger and sneered, "I don't want to be punished,"
Tala just stared at her, as he stood rooted to the floor.
What was she talking about? Would she really stab him?
"Kazuki," he started to say, but he had to dodge out of the way as her dagger whipped through the air at him.
"She's for real," he thought, "But why?"
Memories of Kazuki before that night came through his mind, and he found that she had never once tried to harm him. He was caught off guard as Kazuki swung again and was hit by the flat side of the dagger. Tala fell to the ground as a trickle of blood dripped down his lips. Kazuki took this chance to pounce on him and pinned him to the floor. She leaned forward towards his face, beside his ear and whispered menacingly, "Hate me Tala. I want you to hate me,"
The boy's eyes widened as Kazuki got off of him and he stared down in pain at the dagger she had stabbed into his stomach. Kazuki's outer surface gave Tala a degrading glare as she walked over to Boris, but inside, her heart had broken in two.
"I did as you told me father," she said to him and bowed; "I have proven my loyalty. Nothing is more important to me than your trust,"
Boris nodded satisfactorily and looked over at Tala. The boy was staring at disbelief at the pair of them. He started to say something, but the blood pouring from his mouth stopped him from saying anything.
Kazuki gave him a glare and replied, "Because if I didn't prove my loyalty, father would be suspicious, and you are the perfect tool for my proof, that was what he meant by your assistance. Do not tell me you were dim enough not to have noticed."
Tala stayed quiet and he silently tried to mind link with Kazuki, but a hard wall prevented contact and he gave up.
"I understand now," he said quietly, ignoring another spout of blood from his mouth.
Boris sneered, "You look pathetic Tala, go clean yourself up,"
Tala gave Kazuki a look that was both angered and pained. Kazuki's mouth smirked and she looked away, but when her back was to both her father and Tala, she silently gave a single sob. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, so quietly that neither of the other people in the room heard, "I'm sorry,"
~~FINI~~
By: Black Dranzer
".." speaking and thinking
//..// Russian or other language translations (not jap tho)
~*~*~*~ Scene Change
*** flashback sequences
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I only own any of the characters that you haven't seen in the original Beyblade series.
Chapter TwentyEight: Sudden Turn
A helicopter's propellers whirled through the air as Robert, Oliver and Enrique looked up in the midst of dialing the number of the Scottish police.
"Who's that?" Enrique shouted over the loud noise made by the aerial vehicle.
"I don't know," Robert shouted back and had to abandon his attempt to dial on his cell phone in order to shield his eyes from the helicopter's blinding headlights. People walking down the streets stared at the helicopter as they passed by and hurriedly avoided being caught in the wind aroused by its propellers.
"Do you think Jackie sent it?" Oliver wondered loudly.
"I doubt that," Robert answered back, "She doesn't even know we're here,"
"Then it must be.." Enrique started, but the sound of someone landing beside him stopped him in mid-sentence.
~*~*~*~
"Dranzer!"
"Salamalyon!"
With the shouts from their masters, the two bit beasts emerged from their bit chips and spread wildfire at the surrounding abbey workers. Some men backed down, frightened of the flames emerging around them, but the braver ones stepped forward, only to have their sleeves or robes catch on fire and jump back.
"This can't hold them forever," Johnny growled, "'cause if they don't get burned to death first, I'll die of dehydration,"
Kai ignored Johnny's complaint and watched Kyle's progress out of a corner of his eye.
He was not faring too well against the two muscular men as they are about twice his size.
"We need to get out as soon as possible," Kai muttered.
Hearing that, Johnny sneered sarcastically, "And how do you suggest we do that? Call a time-out?"
Ignoring Johnny's snide comment once again, Kai called to his bit beast, "Dranzer, clear a road for Kyle!" His beyblade charged trough a crowd of abbey workers who were blocking the way to Kyle and set the ones who were to slow to jump out of its way on fire. Kyle, seeing the cleared path, thrust his iron pole at the two big men and ran quickly to the two boys. Dranzer, having returned from its job, set fire on more abbey workers as it whizzed past them towards its master.
"Let's go! Before they recover!" Kyle shouted and pointed towards the window behind them. But as the three reached the small opening, they saw that the two muscular abbey workers had recovered and were charging their way, knocking down a few ally abbey workers as they did so.
"You two go first," Kyle said to Johnny and Kai as he stood in a defense position to face the two abbey workers.
Johnny and Kai looked at each other. The window was only big enough for one of them to get out at a time.
"You go first," Johnny said and pushed Kai towards the window.
"I was the reason you were in this mess," Kai said stubbornly, "So I will stay to handle the consequences and not risk your life on it,"
Johnny rolled his eyes and pushed Kai towards the window. They both looked out and saw a helicopter arriving towards the window and threatening to block their only way of escape.
"Either you go or neither of us will," he said and thrust something into Kai's hands while he muttered, "Hold this for me, it's Jackie's birthday present,"
Kai stared at Johnny, but didn't have time to think before Johnny surprised him and pushed him out of the window. Kai looked up and saw a dark shape hover behind Johnny before he had to convert his concentration on landing on his feet. With a thud, he landed awkwardly, but without a scratch beside Enrique. It seemed that Enrique had just started to say something because his mouth was half open when Kai stood up.
"BIOVOLT," Oliver and Robert finished.
"BIOVOLT?" Kai asked.
"It's the helicopter," Oliver explained over the loud noise of the helicopter, "we think BIOVOLT sent it,"
Kai blanched a bit and looked back up for signs of Johnny or Kyle, but all he saw was a glint of silver as something whizzed past his left ear and landed on the ground. Robert hastened to pick it up and the other three saw it as a dagger with a piece of paper attached onto it.
"If word of this reaches the police, we do not guarantee the safety of our two hostages," the note read. It seemed to have been written quite hastily as the letters were not very legible.
"Two hostages?" Enrique asked, "That means they've got that man and Johnny!"
"We have to help them!" Oliver said, but all of them noticed that it was too late as dark shapes of abbey workers filtered onto the large helicopter.
With clenched fists, Kai watched as the helicopter fly away.
"Two more," he thought with bitterness, "Two more innocent people,"
~*~*~*~
Tala shrank into the shadows as he watched two abbey workers walk by on patrol on his way to Kazuki's dormitory.
"It's strange," he thought to himself with his face half in shadows, "before I met Kazuki, I traveled these corridors like I owned them, but now..it is as if I am an escaped criminal walking in the halls of a high security prison." But he pushed his thoughts out of his mind and swiftly dodged in and out of shadows as he searched for his destination. When at last he found it, he sighed in relief as he noticed that there weren't voices coming out of the room, signaling that Boris had not arrived yet. He quietly opened the door and walked inside.
On her bed, Kazuki, with her excellent hearing, awoke from her strange dream with a start and glared at the intruder. But when she saw that it was Tala, she relaxed a bit.
"What are you doing here?" she asked and made sure that her voice was masked with coldness.
Tala ignored the tone and, instead of talking, he sent a virtual message to her, "I need to tell you something,"
Kazuki raised her eyebrows, but followed suit and used thought-speak as she asked, "About what?"
"I heard your father conversing with Master Voltaire about an experiment," Tala answered mentally.
Kazuki swallowed down her curiosity and thought back, "What does this have to do with me?"
"It had everything to do with you!" Tala thought back angrily, "Don't you understand? The 'experiment' is YOU,"
Kazuki stared at Tala with a frown; she was about to answer back when she turned to look at a slight movement behind Tala, in her doorway. Her face blanched a few tints. It was Boris and he did not look pleased with the scene before him.
Tala, noticing Kazuki's fear, looked behind him and immediately got up from the sitting position he had taken on Kazuki's bed.
"Good evening, sir," Tala said and bowed.
Boris glared at the boy and replied in icy tones, "What may I ask are you doing in my daughter's room?"
Tala remained silent for a few moments before answering quietly, "Nothing sir,"
"Nothing?" Boris asked with false belief, "But I was sure I had seen you sitting on her bed. Do you think my eyes were deceiving me?"
The last question was asked as a threat. Tala knew of this as well and remained in fearful silence. Boris, turning his attention to Kazuki, asked, "Then you tell me Kazuki, what is he doing here?"
Kazuki slowly got off of her bed but almost fell over at the strain from her muscles as she tried to move.
Boris, noticing this, flashed a smirk that only Tala saw, "You can stay in bed while you talk," he said with artificial kindness.
"Thank you," Kazuki said and managed a half bow in her sitting position.
"Now, about what I was asking," Boris said his coldness returning.
Kazuki answered casually, "He entered the wrong room,"
"The wrong room?" Boris asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Yes father," Kazuki answered without lifting her eyes, "since our rooms are beside each other, he has entered the wrong door by mistake,"
Tala silently prayed that Boris believed Kazuki's bluff, because if he saw through it, the girl would receive a painful punishment for deceiving him. To help with the lie, Tala said, "It is true, sir, my mind was wondering when I was returning to my room, I must have unconsciously came through the wrong door," Boris thought for a while as the two teens waited with beating hearts.
A realization hit him but he did not let that show on his face. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Very well," Both Tala and Kazuki let out a sigh of relief and met each other's eyes.
"You should get out of here now," Kazuki silently thought.
"But the experiment," Tala protested silently as well.
"Kazuki," Boris broke in as he watched the younger pair seemed to be staring at each other, "I have business to discuss with you,"
Kazuki snapped out of her mind link with Tala and asked, "Yes father?"
Boris shot a look at Tala, as if telling him to leave, but before Tala could protest, Boris said, "You can stay if you want Tala, as you will me assisting Kazuki after our discussion,"
Tala and Kazuki both stared at Boris in confusion, and Tala replied with a bow, "Yes, sir,"
Boris smirked secretly to himself as he fingered a silver item in his pocket and sat down where Tala had been a few minutes ago.
Looking at Kazuki in the eyes, he said, "Kazuki, as you know, I've strived to train the strongest beyblader in the world,"
The girl nodded, not liking where the conversation was going.
"So, I would like you to be that beyblader," Boris continued, "I want you to receive the power others have only dreamed of having. It only requires a few minor sacrifices," The last part was said quieter than the rest.
Trying her best not to arouse her father's anger, Kazuki replied, "I wish very much to please you father, but may I just inquire what that minor sacrifice may be?"
"The price," he said, "Is to give up a portion of your mind for another inhabitant. But your reward will be unlimited power and a rare gift that will make you the master of everything you wish,"
Kazuki looked at her father and bit her lip. The suggestion sounded more like a command than a question and the price seemed to be dangerous.
"But father, how can you insert another's mind into my own?" Kazuki asked quietly.
Boris smirked, "Since you are already..genetically altered, it will be no problem in inserting the inhabitant into your mind with my computers,"
Tala looked up and dared to say, "Isn't that risky sir?"
Boris shot Tala a venomous glare and asked, "Since when did I allow people to cut into my conversations?"
Tala bowed his head, "I'm sorry sir, but.."
"That's enough!" Boris threatened, "Do not let another word slip out of your mouth, and remember who is in charge here,"
"Yes sir," Tala answered.
Boris turned back to a worried looking Kazuki and asked, "What will your decision be?"
"Who will the other inhabitant be?" Kazuki asked rather quickly before she could stop herself.
Boris smiled and said, "Someone who is capable of what I promised you, someone whom is my most beautiful creation," then, with a voice filled with pride he said, "Black Dranzer,"
The name sent chills down Kazuki's spine and she noticed it did the same to Tala. She had heard that Black Dranzer was the bit beast capable of stealing another beyblader's bit beasts and using them as its army. She looked at Tala again and asked mentally, "What should I do?"
Tala answered by saying out loud with every bit of bravery he had, "Sir, isn't the risk even higher as only a certain amount of people can control Black Dranzer's powers?"
This time, Boris didn't even give a warning before turning on Tala. "Since when have you become disobedient Tala? Have you not learned from your years of training that an order is taken seriously?" he snarled as Tala looked up at Boris' towering form.
"Yes sir," he said quietly, but not daring to move.
"Then you should know what would happen to those that disobey orders?" Boris asked.
"Yes sir," Tala said with a voice just above a whisper, "two days in the punishment chamber, two days without food and a thousand lashes," These words were said as if it was etched into his memory.
"Good," Boris said, but his voice was filled with merciless danger, "But I will make all of that sound like child's play when I tell you your punishment this time," Tala stared in horror as Boris extracted a silver knife from his pocket and ran his finger over the smooth surface. Then, looking at Tala, he placed the dagger on the skin of the boy's neck. Kazuki watched frozen on her spot as Boris pressed the sharp piece of metal to Tala's throat.
Boris watched her out of a corner of his eye and thought to himself, "If I find out that these two are lying to me and Kazuki tries to interfere, the boy will die for sure. But if she doesn't get involved, well, Tala will still pay for disobeying me." He sneered at that last thought and whispered loud enough for Kazuki to hear, "This time, the punishment is death,"
Both Tala and Kazuki paled at this. Boris didn't wait another second before taking the dagger off Tala's neck and raising it to strike.
The boy shut his eyes and heard the lethal sound of the dagger cutting through air.
"No!" he heard a voice inside his head and sensed something landing in front of him. Risking a peek, Tala saw Kazuki kneeling in front of him.
One of her hands was tightly holding onto the sharp edge of the dagger and blood dripped down her fingers, but she didn't seem to care.
Boris was glaring at his daughter with surprise and anger.
"Please father," Kazuki pleaded, "spare him," Boris laughed a cruel laugh and pulled Kazuki's hand off the blade, cutting it more. The girl didn't even wince at this and repeated, "Please father, spare him,"
"Are you disobeying me as well?" Boris asked icily, "Because I think I know the reason,"
Kazuki looked up at Boris, but fell back into Tala as the full force of the strain on her muscles got to her.
Boris' eyes glinted as he saw the boy look uncomfortably at the girl in his arms. Boris leaned down next to Kazuki's ear and whispered, "You have feelings for him don't you?"
Kazuki's eyes widened. She knew that her father had restricted her from all feelings except hate since the beginning of her training and she had kept her emotions locked up. That is, until she had met Tala.
"N-no, father," she muttered and attempted to get up out of Tala's arms. But she failed as the pain got to her and fell back again.
Tala had heard Boris' whispered question as well and was doing his best to inch Kazuki off of him, but he had to catch her again as she fell back.
Boris gave a cruel laugh and said, "You are lying, Kazuki, I know you are,"
Kazuki didn't look up and just tried once again to get up. This time, she was successful and managed to lean on her bed frame instead. Tala, freed from his position, got up immediately and stood back, well away from Boris and Kazuki.
Boris noticed this, but turned to Kazuki and leant down beside her.
"There is a way to save him," he whispered.
Kazuki just kept her eyes on the ground, but listened with rapt attention.
Boris leant down next to Kazuki's ear and ignored the wince the girl gave as he whispered quiet enough for Kazuki to hear, but not Tala.
"Make him hate you," he whispered, "I have tried for the past six years training Tala to hate, but it seems that even Bryan's training method cannot do the job. But I am sure you can,"
Kazuki knew refusing was not an option. Either she did as she was told and face Tala's hate for the rest of her life, or put both her and Tala's lives on the line.
"But why me?" she asked.
"Because you are the only one who can do damage to his heart," Boris whispered back and stood back before Kazuki could respond. He pulled her up roughly and handed her the dagger.
"Come now Kazuki," he said out loud, "you have to do this if you want to survive,"
Tala stared at Boris. In his mind, he was plotting escape routes, but on the outside, he was frozen to the spot.
Kazuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The only way for Tala to survive is for him to hate me. That is the only way," She thought as tears were fought back, "I should be the only who suffers," She opened her eyes and made them as cold as ice.
In her menacing voice, she growled at Tala, "If I want to survive, I have to do this,"
The boy stared at her in bewilderment. He had never seen Kazuki like this before, except on that night she met Kai.
"Don't blame me Tala," she said as she advanced on him with her dagger and sneered, "I don't want to be punished,"
Tala just stared at her, as he stood rooted to the floor.
What was she talking about? Would she really stab him?
"Kazuki," he started to say, but he had to dodge out of the way as her dagger whipped through the air at him.
"She's for real," he thought, "But why?"
Memories of Kazuki before that night came through his mind, and he found that she had never once tried to harm him. He was caught off guard as Kazuki swung again and was hit by the flat side of the dagger. Tala fell to the ground as a trickle of blood dripped down his lips. Kazuki took this chance to pounce on him and pinned him to the floor. She leaned forward towards his face, beside his ear and whispered menacingly, "Hate me Tala. I want you to hate me,"
The boy's eyes widened as Kazuki got off of him and he stared down in pain at the dagger she had stabbed into his stomach. Kazuki's outer surface gave Tala a degrading glare as she walked over to Boris, but inside, her heart had broken in two.
"I did as you told me father," she said to him and bowed; "I have proven my loyalty. Nothing is more important to me than your trust,"
Boris nodded satisfactorily and looked over at Tala. The boy was staring at disbelief at the pair of them. He started to say something, but the blood pouring from his mouth stopped him from saying anything.
Kazuki gave him a glare and replied, "Because if I didn't prove my loyalty, father would be suspicious, and you are the perfect tool for my proof, that was what he meant by your assistance. Do not tell me you were dim enough not to have noticed."
Tala stayed quiet and he silently tried to mind link with Kazuki, but a hard wall prevented contact and he gave up.
"I understand now," he said quietly, ignoring another spout of blood from his mouth.
Boris sneered, "You look pathetic Tala, go clean yourself up,"
Tala gave Kazuki a look that was both angered and pained. Kazuki's mouth smirked and she looked away, but when her back was to both her father and Tala, she silently gave a single sob. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, so quietly that neither of the other people in the room heard, "I'm sorry,"
~~FINI~~