Me: *looks at Review responses* Well, what do you know…
Kai: What is it?
Me: Apparently they like this pairing and want me to update!
Kai: o0 Nani?!!! WHY ARE YOU IDIOTS ENCOURAGING HER!!!!!!!
CS: ¬_¬ To the reviewers…
tenshi208: Glad you like it!
Little Leila: Me: ^^* I killed Hiwatari!!! Yippers!!! CS: ¬¬* Yippers? Me: ^^; First thing that came to mind. You're getting addicted to TyTa? But what will happen to TyKa then? Let's play 'Who killed Hiwatari?' another time soon!
Dark-Demi-2001: Goodie. Now we have more characters are coming in and the plot develops.
SilveryKitsune: Don't like TyTa until you read this? ^__^ Mou! I'm so honoured!!! And update Casting out my love!! I love that fic! Especially Jake-kun!!! *huggles Jake*
JadesRose: Still in denial? Well, maybe some good old fluff will help that. Read on and see!
animegirl171: *blushes* You guys have to stop complimenting me so much!!! Otherwise I'll end up with an ego as big as Kai's!!! Kai: Having a big ego is bad?
Shinobi Shadow: Oh, don't worry. I will definitely continue the angst, although this chapter is not as angst loaded as the others. If you want fluff, I recommend Rumi and Angevar. They're real good at fluff.
Yukiko_Angel: Me: *drools* Chocolate… CS: o0 Oh no…*hides the chocolate* Me: HEY!!! MINE!!!!! *chases after CS* GIMME!!!!!!!! CS: Are you crazy!!! Never!!!! Kai: -_-;;; I worry about them, I really do. Me: Aw, Kai. Your concern for our welfare is so touching. NOW GIMME THE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!! CS: What part of never did you not get?
Az-Strawberry: Kai: Yes, you should feel sorry for me!!! I'm the one suffering here!!! Me: ¬_¬* What about Takao? Kai: … Me: I rest my case.
Rumi-Chan: Me: *winces* There's no need to bang your head so hard. ^^* Quite a lot of people missed this update, so no worries!! Plus, I don't want you to damaging your keyboard. How would you write then?
Joce: No, there aren't. So sad. ;___; TyTa is one of my favourite pairings…
Me: *yawns* Need sleep…
CS: You're telling me. How many new stories do you have up now?
Me: *counts on her fingers* Ummm…27?
CS: And how long have you been on ff.net?
Me: *blinks* I think half a year…
CS: AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T COMPLETED YOUR OTHER STORIES!!!!
Me: *hides* I got some new ideas…And at least I try to post on time *glares at a certain someone named Rumi-chan* And I haven't discontinued a single story *glares at a certain someone by the name of asa-chan*
CS: True, but you keep starting new stories!!!
Me: Well, Sealing of the Myths is nearly complete and so is Never letting you go…
CS: *stops ranting* Really?
Me: -_-; Really.
CS: Yippers!!!
Me: Muses…
DISCLAIMER:
Me: *looks around* Who should do the disclaimer? May—*spots an angry Hitomi approaching her* o0 Should I be worried?
Hitomi: THERE YOU ARE!!! How many times have I told you not to flirt with my boy-friend?
Me: Ummm…*counts on her fingers and sweatdrops* I lost count…
Hitomi: Stay away from Van!! He's mine!!!
Me: And here I thought Van was the possessive one…Hey Hitomi? Do the disclaimer and I promise to stay away from Van, k?
Hitomi: *blinks* Fine. Timmy does not own Beyblade. Now hands off Van!!*stomps off*
Me: ^__^ Heh heh heh *lifts up her hand which was crossed* I'm coming Van-kun!!!
CS: *sweatdrops* Poor Van…
Chapter Five
White Bliss and Cold Memories
Takao stirred. His hands felt numb, but pleasurable warmth spread down his fingertips.
He stirred again, restless and aching. He felt as if his back has been used for a punching back. It throbbed. Takao opened his eyes blearily. He still felt lethargic and cold, but something prompted him to open his eyes.
"Waking up, I see…"
Takao's eyes jerked open and he shot up from his bed to stare at the young woman at the fireplace. She chuckled dryly as she saw the confusion mar his eyes. Takao raised a hand to his throat.
He remembered.
White
Suffocation
Falling
Hurt
"Where…Where am I? I'm not dead, am I?" Takao asked in panic.
She cocked an eyebrow at him, "Well, you're breathing aren't you?"
Takao placed a hand on his chest, feeling the rise and fall, "…Yes…"
"That means you're alive!" She chimed brightly. Takao blushed.
He took a longer glance at her. She had short black hair with vivid red highlights and amethyst eyes that glowed with an unearthly light. She felt his eyes on her and smiled at him. Takao turned away, embarrassed.
"I'm glad you think me pretty to look at," The girl said cheekily. Takao blushed even more.
Then it struck him, "Tala!" He shot out of bed in a heartbeat.
The girl grabbed his arm, "Simmer down. I'm sure Tala will be fine. Albeit a little worried, but fine."
Takao calmed down, but another thought hit him.
"You know Tala?"
She smiled her mouth soft and bittersweet, "I know him better than you do."
Takao bristled at the comment, but calmed down. He sat on his bed, his eyes downcast, shivering.
She draped a blanket over his shoulders, "Get some rest. You need it."
Takao didn't need another telling. His eyes drooped and he fell into bliss.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bryan watched his red head captain make holes in the floor. In his opinion, he found the whole thing very amusing if it wasn't for the fact Tala was absolutely scared to death.
Tala never admitted it. Tala would never admit it, let alone acknowledge it.
But the raw pain lay there. Laid bare by Tala's crystalline eyes.
Bryan knew what it was like to lose some one you loved.
"Are you going to help or not? For all I know Kai could have gotten him!" Tala demanded impatiently. Bryan wrapped his woolen scarf around his neck, "I'm ready. You Tala?"
Tala jerked at the sound of his voice, "I don't know."
Bryan's eyes softened to a degree, "You feel for him."
"Damnit Bryan! I don't want that kind of talk right now!" Tala raged, "If he's….If he's…" He slumped onto the chair, "I don't think I could live with the truth."
"Tala, you've been living with the truth all your life," Bryan's voice cut through Tala's confusion, "Takao loves Kai. You're a third wheel."
Tala covered his face in his hands, "I can't let him go. All those years ago, I thought I did. But he comes back and all my feelings are thrown back in my face. I love him Bryan!" Tala's voice hitched and his voice carried a note of sorrow he could not hide.
"I know. I've always known," And Bryan rubbed Tala's shoulder blades and he wondered.
Why you Tala? And why Takao?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Takao shivered. The lady had gotten him hot soup which he was sipping apprehensively. She seemed like a nice person on the whole, but every time he asked about Tala, her eyes would mist over and she would change the subject subtly.
Takao wasn't stupid. He hated it when people told him that, but Takao had an inane sense of understanding things around him.
She had some encounter with Tala that made her wary with him.
And he just couldn't out his finger on it. His body told him he knew the answer, but the head was not understanding it or unable to deal with it.
He sighed, letting his hands play with his hair. This cabin she had was extremely boring, no decent T.V and not even a Beyblade dish.
It was ready to drive him off the cliff.
"Takao?"
"Hm…?" Takao said, in his own world.
"Open the door," She said, her mouth white lipped.
"Wha…?" Takao stared at her, confused.
"Please open the door," She said quietly, her eyes begging.
Takao grudgingly got up and pulled the thick heavy-set door open. His face lit up.
"Tala!"
Takao, not thinking, just latched onto the tall teen in front of him. All that mattered to him was that Tala was safe.
And Tala had found him.
Tala blushed a bright cherry which matched his hair. Bryan just chuckled quietly and the girl smiled at the romantic scene in front of her. But Takao snuggled in deeper, and Tala wrapped his arms around him and chanted in his mind 'He's alive'
'Takao is alive'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So what do we owe you?" Bryan said casually, inciting conversation. He looked at her suspiciously. Most Russians like to get a reward for good deeds. He knew that all too well. And this girl who showed up from the middle of nowhere, demands some seeing into.
The girl shifted uneasily in her seat, "Nothing really…" Her gaze fell on Tala and Takao.
Tala hadn't released the boy from his embrace and Takao didn't seem to mind. Her eyes turned away, "I had to help, whether you offered me something or not."
"But we still owe you something," Bryan insisted, hoping to catch what flashed in her eyes. He knew that feeling. He recognized it.
But what was it?
Her fringe covered her eyes, "Really, I don't want anything."
Tala looked at her, partially in disbelief and partly in...
Something about her…
She seemed…
Tala shook his head. He lost all knowledge of the past when he came to the Abbey. As if he lost his connection to the real world. That's what the Abbey does. It eradicates what parts of you are not useful to their training. But that doesn't make them less human.
That's a part the Abbey couldn't get rid of, even if they tried.
But this girl…
He knew this girl…
"She's not moving…"
"Tala, we need to go…"
"Make her wake up…Why won't she wake up?"
"The pogroms are coming Tala. We can't stay."
"Why are her clothes so red? Why won't she wake up? WAKE UP!!!"
"Tala…"
"Mother…will you wake up? Sing me a song. I want to hear a song. Please wake up…"
"Tala, they'll come. They'll find us. Let's GO!"
"But Mother…"
"She's dead."
"No…She's not. She's just sleeping. Why won't you wake up Mother?"
"TALA YURICHKA!"
"…………"
"Now."
"Cousin Alia, we can't leave her to the pogroms…"
"They can't hurt her anymore Tala. Come."
"Alia…"
The girl jerked her head at him and stared at him with incredulous eyes.
Bryan and Takao just stared at Tala.
"You're Alia!" Tala said with greater conviction.
The girl regained her composure, "Yeah."
There was silence, with nothing but iron clad glances between Alia and Tala and confused ones between Bryan and Takao.
"Can some one clue me in here?" Bryan finally said, "Because I know I don't look it, I'm confused as Hell."
Tala switched his glance at Bryan, "She's my cousin."
"She's your WHAT?!!!"
Takao winced, "I think I heard him the first time Bryan."
Bryan huffed at Takao and sent a withering glance at Tala, "I don't believe you."
"Nobody's asking you too," Alia said in an extra syrupy voice that was so blatant sarcastic.
Bryan gave her a glare worthy of the name of Kai. She just smiled at him.
Tala rubbed his forehead with his fingers, "I think this is going to take some time."
"Of course," Alia said brightly, "I'd better go and make some tea." She whisked her way to the kitchen. They just stared at her as she vanished.
"Definitely related to you Tala. She has your horrible sense of humour," Bryan said, grinning while ducking a pillow thrown his way.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So…what happened?" Takao said sheepishly.
They all groaned. This was the third time they covered the topic.
Bryan snapped at Takao, "Pay attention Kinomiya!"
Tala growled at Bryan. Bryan ignored it.
Alia sighed and placed her hands in her lap, "You've heard of the law decreed by the government of Russia about Jews."
Takao thought for a minute and nodded.
"Well, they were so disgusted with the Jews they launched pogroms."
"But what are pogroms?" Takao asked, his brow creased in bewilderment.
Tala unconsciously thought that was cute, but he cancelled that train of thought.
Takao loved Kai.
And nothing was going to change.
"Pogroms are slaughter programs sent out by the government. They trained people to hunt down and eliminate Jews," Alia said her voice flat and held a deadly calm, "Tala's mother and my parents were killed that way."
"But how did Tala come to the Abbey?" Bryan asked, "I've always wondered about that."
Alia's face twisted, "I sent him there."
Takao rose angrily, "You sent him to that…that…hellhole?! And you call yourself family?!" Takao's eyes brightened to an extent that it was almost unbearable to look at him in the eye.
"When I need your advice, I will ask for it Takao," Alia retorted coldly, her eyes dark and sinister, "I could barely afford to feed myself. If you rather I had sentenced Tala to death, then I will say no more."
Takao's anger deflated to pity and sorrow, "Was it really that hard?" He whispered.
"It was and more," Alia said quietly, "But whether what I did was right or wrong doesn't matter anymore."
Takao nodded imperceptibly at her and sat down.
Tala leaned back on his seat, chewing his lip thoughtfully, "Where did I get Wolfborg?"
Alia smiled faintly, "Passed from family. That's why they accepted you in the Abbey. You have one of the three Winter Bit-beasts," She reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver-blue blade, "This is Seline, The Ice Spirit of Air. Wolfborg is the Ice Spirit of Earth."
Bryan rubbed his chin, "There's one missing," He commented casually.
Alia's eyes grew dark and grim, "There is one cousin in the family who has the third bit-beast Unni. The Ice Spirit of Water. I do not know whether he is still alive or not."
"He?" Takao questioned, scrunching up his face.
"His name is Wicca."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Are you sure they went here?"
"Positive. I saw that man bring him."
"Good work."
Kai stared at the cabin apprehensively. Dirty place. Not fit for a human to live in.
But fit for something else.
A humorless grin made his way to his lips as he lifted his palm, his eyes glowing with a wild fire.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
--And Takao woke up, gasping for breath.
He clutched his night shirt tightly, trying to force air into his lungs.
He remembered then why he got up. The vivid power in Kai's eyes, wild and uncontrollable.
But, who can control a phoenix?
Takao shivered and pulled the covers over him. Then he pulled them off.
He couldn't sleep. He couldn't imagine falling asleep and seeing the scarlet anger in Kai's eyes.
It scared him. Kai scared him.
And he wasn't sure he could get over the fear.
Takao got up and opened the door. The fire in the living room was still burning, though fading to embers. Takao sighed and plopped himself in front of the sofa.
"Takao?"
Takao jerked and spun around, his eyes wide in dread. Tala chuckled at his reaction and sat down next to him.
Takao tensed up, but relaxed slowly.
Tala shuffled around. Takao gazed into the heart of the dying fire.
"Takao…"
"Tala…Gomen nasai."
Tala blinked, clearly confused, "Nani?"
Takao blushed and turned back into the fire, his expression sobering, "Everything you told me that night…was true. I was running away. I was always running," At this point, he barked out a laugh, "Max would never believe me. He also said I had the power to look towards tomorrow. But I can't do that anymore. I'm still looking into the past and…" He paused, a constriction in his chest making it unbearable to talk, "I-I don't think I…can stop."
Tala drew in breath, hissing. Then he wrapped his arms around Takao.
"The mind is truly a fragile thing," He murmured, "But it can heal. I didn't mean half the things I said. I was angry."
"Angry huh? I guess you have every right to be," Takao muttered bitterly, causing Tala to wince.
"True, but…Anger is just a way of venting out forgotten feelings. It's never lasting," Tala said.
Takao got up so quickly and whirled around at Tala, "So is that what you feel for me?" He whispered coldly, "A forgotten love?"
Tala's gaze grew hard, "Don't mistake my intentions Kinomiya. I helped you because I can. What I said that day was plain irrational."
Takao swayed, but steadied himself. His eyes turned frighteningly blank.
"I understand. Good night Tala."
The door closed softly with a slight click. Tala stared at the fire until the embers had faded. And then he cried.
Alia and Bryan had been watching this whole, but left Tala to his pain.
He was beyond them now.
Me: o0 How did Alia come in?
CS: -_-; You left the door open again.
Me: Note to self: Get a lock.
CS: Well, she's in and there's nothing much we can do about it.
Me: Damn.
CS: I thought you liked Alia.
Me: Not when she's invading my fics. That's plain irritating.
CS: Amen to that.
Me: Reviewers receive—
CS: Bryan plushies!!!
Me: Warning: Is known to make hurtful and sarcastic remarks.
CS: *dresses her Bryan plushie* Review!!