A/N: Sorry it took a little longer, had to think of the plot a little! Anywho I had to up the rating a little more and I think it's appropriate! YAY! Hugs for past and present reviewers.
I didn't get any chance of sleep when I entered the dojo. Everyone was awake – their eyes bright and full of energy from a good night's sleep. This bore a striking, yet very noticeable contrast to how I looked at that time. That was not to say I felt it for that matter.
For the first time for what seemed an eternity of lifetimes I longed for the warmth and comfort of my bed. Not because I was tired at that time, no – at that moment my mind was full to its greatest capacity, and needed a brief shutdown. A few hours sleep would be very satisfactory. However, the team had other plans.
'We're having a whole team training session,' explained Hillary, her voice bright and cheerful. 'We haven't had one in ages and I think it's best if the whole team could keep up with each other. Otherwise, we wouldn't be a very good team would we?' Hillary spoke faster than usual and I was thankful for her brief pause. My mind felt slow at that moment and if she had carried on in her fast fashion I wouldn't have registered one syllable of what she said.
As it sank in, a small feeling of dread travelled through me. How was I ment to concentrate during training when I could feel that my mind would shut down on me at any given second? However, Hillary made it very clear I was expected to attend.
'So,' she continued in her energetic tone. 'We'll finish breakfast and then we'll ...' She stopped. All thoughts seemed to drain from her mind as her undivided attention was fixated on something resting on my chest. Her eyes darted from where her eyes lay to my neck and back again. I followed her gaze – my crucifix was in a clear view.
Hillary's breath caught in her throat. Like me she was completely mesmerised by its beauty. There was a distant longing in her eyes that I knew only too well. She made a small movement with her hand as though to reach out to it.
After a second or two she seemed to find her voice again.
'Where did you get it?' She asked in no more than a whisper. I didn't answer. Now, I was attempting to create an excuse to escape without her attracting the attention of the whole team.
If I were to tell them, that would mean I would have to admit entering the bar and the whole area had a filthy reputation to accompany them. The worst belonging to the bar of Jabez.
Sadly, Tyson had noticed Hillary seemed to be staring idly at me for too long. He headed over to investigate, closely followed by Max.
'Hey, what's going ..' He had caught sight of the crucifix himself. For once, he seemed at a loss for words. Max just stared at it as though it were a bag of sugar.
I could use some of that right now I found myself thinking. After a second, though it seemed an eternity, Rei and Kenny decided to venture over to where we stood as a small group. However, before they could catch a glimpse of the crucifix hanging around my neck, I turned and walked away from the team, out the door and away from the dojo which remained to glow like gold.
The team proceeded to throw questions at my retreating back until I rounded a corner and out of sight.
........
Dranzer was already spinning rapidly and with great power when the others arrived. They edged towards me slowly, curiosity taking over their expressions and clouding their eyes.
They stopped at a reasonable distance from myself and made no move to retrieve their Beyblades.
'Where were you? Did you get that ...'
'Are we here to train or what?' I said fiercely cutting them off. If they were just going to spend the entire training session throwing fruitless questions at me then I would simply head back up to the dojo, get some well deserved sleep and train later in the evening.
However, they decided to keep quiet throughout the remainder of the training session.
I won the first and second match, naturally, however, the third, fourth and fifth were all lost. I could feel disappointment and frustration build up in me. I could also feel the sleepless nights catching up with me at a fast rate. Drowsiness was slowly running through every inch of me and I could not escape.
I fought Max for the sixth match. He had improved a great deal but that didn't help me at all. I felt very tired by that point. I felt somewhat light headed and my vision was blurred through my tiredness as I tried to keep my heavy eyes open.
I knew this was ridiculous so the first chance I got I threw the battle. I would make up for it later, I vowed.
As I stalked back up to the dojo I would have dwelled on what I would say to the team when I regained my senses. However, all I could think of at that moment was a long awaited sleep.
........
I was sitting at the bar. Like the last visit, the smoke filled every inch of the room, which was empty apart from myself and two people sitting at the table beside me. A young man with brown hair and grey eyes, highlighted blue, was sitting with a bottle of beer gripped in his hand.
Opposite him sat a hooded man. The lighting was so dim I could not see his face; however, he had thin, white hands and a stray lock of purple hair that had fallen from the safety of his hood.
I strained my ears to hear their whispered conversation.
'Kai?' The hooded figure mused.
'Yes,' the other said excitedly. 'I saw him the other night in this area. Couldn't think of what he was doing but I saw Kai Hiwatari all right!' He took a swig of his beer, accidentally spilling some down his white shirt.
'Where exactly did you see him?' the dark man asked with interest.
'In that alley near the tattoo place,' the brow haired man muttered. 'He was there the night before and the one before that,' he added hurriedly.
There was a small silence. The hooded man was clearly deep in thought, his left hand rummaged through his pockets to find something. The other was clearly too busy getting drunk to notice his companions actions.
After a while a deep voice, once again, emerged from beneath the hood.
'May I see that niece of yours?' He spoke icily. 'Lydia, I think it is?'
'Oh ... s...sure,' the brown haired man stuttered. He rose, clumsily from his chair and weaved less than gracefully between the wooden tables, coughing now and again from the thick blanket of smoke. He reached the door to the Black Room and rummaged in his pocket and eventually pulled out a silver key. He unlocked the door and entered.
I could feel the hooded stranger smile beneath his hood.
After a while he emerged with a very pretty woman I recognised as Lydia. The brown haired man pointed in the direction of his companion. Lydia glanced at him with a small frown.
As soon as the dark, hooded man received the frown his hands moved up and gripped the fabric of is hood. He let it slide down, letting Lydia see his face.
Somehow, I wasn't surprised to find that it was Boris. He sent Lydia a small smile and her expression softened. He rose with an elegance her uncle never had and almost glided towards them.
At that moment my situation changed with a small lurch. I was now sitting in a more isolated part of the bar, one that was nearest to them.
'Thank you James,' Boris spoke icily, not taking his eyes from Lydia's porcelain face. 'You may leave us.' The brown haired man, now known as James, looked as though he were about to protest. However, the next moment a tall woman entered the bar and he didn't hesitate to join her.
Lydia sent a small, but flirtatious smile to Boris. 'So, what is it that you want,' she questioned, her voice low and flowing.
Boris smirked.
'I think you know,' he whispered. His hand emerged from his cloak pocket with a fair amount of money and placed it into Lydia's jacket.
This time it was Lydia's turn to smirk and she took his hand and led him into the Black Room, closing the door behind them.
Almost as suddenly as the time before, my situation changed. I found myself sitting in the only vacant chair in the Black Room. There were a little more people than my last visit and twice the amount of drugs which were littered in every inch of available space.
I did not recognise most of the people; however, to my right I could see the same man who had cut the woman with the same teenaged girl who scurried along the floor to collect the powder. They were both completely naked. The man was kneeling facing the black-painted wall. Supported against the wall was the girl, she had her legs locked around his waist, her arms around his neck. She threw her head back and groaned loudly, her eyes clouded in ecstasy as he carved a deep cut across her breast and kissed it deeply.
To my left I could see the teenaged boy, who had cried pitifully in the shadows of the Black Room. He inhaled a substance deeply. Breathing heavily he fell back against the couch feeling the great effects of the white gold, his eyes glazed with a small smile gracing his pale face.
My attention turned to Lydia and Boris. Lydia's back was against the wall, her eyes were closed and her arms were locked tightly around Boris' neck. Boris was kissing her neck softly.
'Let me see your father,' he mumbled in between two, well placed kisses that would make Lydia moan quietly.
'What for?' She said, her voice pleading for more and showed no interest for conversation.
'To speak to him ... about someone,' he breathed, his hand sliding slowly beneath her black skirt.
Her eyes widened and she made no attempt to answer through her heavy breathing.
'Go on,' Boris smiled. 'You see I can be very persuasive.' And with a force of strength Boris lifted Lydia and gently pushed her against the wall to support her. He smirked into a kiss placed on her collar bone as she wrapped her legs tightly around him.
'All right, all right,' she moaned.
'Good,' Boris mumbled before sliding her skirt further to meet her slim waist.
........
I woke, breathing heavily. It took me a while to realise I was just dreaming and still in the dojo. I stood quietly and went to get a glass of water to soothe my dry throat.
As I glanced a clock I could see it was eleven thirty in the evening and I could tell the team were in bed from the even breathing, and in Tyson's case, snoring.
Knowing I would not sleep again, I left the dojo silently and continued to dwell on my dream as I wandered the moonlit streets through another sleepless night.