Warning: This is not alot like my other stories, well it is but I had a hard time posting this because of both Rei's predicument, keeping in mind he is my favorite character so hurting him is a hard thing for me to do, so don't yell at me, and the Bryan bashing. I like Bryan he is a great character when portrayed right, however in this story both Bryan and Rei are portray in ways I like to see neither though it had to work for the the development of this story. So try and support me on it.
Beyblade doesn't belong to me and yadda ya. Why would they call it Fanfiction if it did?
The Love for Hate
"I liked the pain."
The malicious words still tore at Tala's heart as he watched the waves lap the shore of the autumn beach.
"Why Rei?" He asked the wind only to be replied with the silence of the apparent darkness, seeping from the west. "Why must you love my past?"
Almost a week had passed since the usually sensible, joyous neko jin sat amongst the mess of Tala's room, those hurtful tears streaming down his face as he begged Tala to hit him.
"If you're angry," The obsidian boy had instructed, "go ahead, hit me!" He turned his golden eyes to the side exposing his left cheek to meet the contact of Tala's hand.
"No Rei! What the hell has gotten into you?" Tala yelled. The vermilion haired boy had already calmed down from the fight they had just had, but his anger was rising again with the words of his beloved.
What had the fight even been about? Tala thought to himself. Something about Kai, something about Bryan maybe? Had that been it?
Where was Rei now?
-----
Golden eyes blinked open, as the patient observed the monitored room between thick bandages that covered his eyes.
Where am I? Rei wondered until his hearing faltered upon the sound of the unmistakable 'beep. beep. beep.'
What happened?
You will never love Tala again. I gave you a chance to love him. And what did you do? You hurt him. He loves you because you don't know what pain is. But obviously he was wrong. You don't deserve him or life, but then again you don't deserve death either.
The yells still echoed in the boy's sensitive ears The shadow loomed over him and distributed exactly what he desired. And it hurt.
The amber pools melted, pooling in the corners of Rei's eyes only to have the tears absorbed by the cloth wrapped carefully around his head.
"Tala." He whispered, his heart twisting at the thought of his crystal eyed love. "I'm sorry." It was too late now though, Tala was gone and never to be touched again, that was if Bryan had his way.
-----
"Bryan?" Kai asked the tense Russian, who paced the length of the room before twisting around to pace back, rubbing his temples all the time in doing so.
"What!" Bryan snapped, to which Kai shrunk into the blankets, having seen the spit image of his past form on Bryan's face. The violet haired boy realized his tone of mistake and swept the younger boy into his arms. "I'm sorry Kai."
Kai nodded grimacing at Bryan's touch still disturbed by what this man had accomplished. When Kai had the brief chance to sneak away from Bryan and see Rei, he hardly recognized the boy. He was covered in bandages, and even if he hadn't been, Kai doubted any recognition would be seen from his features.
Kai had loved Rei. Kai still loved Rei, in fact the night before the 'incident' which was all Tala and he could refer to it as now, he had spent the night with the neko jin in his arms.
Kai had loved Rei, and once upon a lifetime Bryan had loved Tala, and like Kai, Bryan still loved his former companion.
Through all the times that Kai and Rei had been together though, the crimson eyed boy knew he had hurt Rei. Everything from accusing him of things impossible to Rei's nature, to physically letting his anger out on the slender boy, who would hardly do more than hold his hands up in protest. Both Kai and Rei hated to speak of it, however both boys knew that without that therapy in the beginning of their relationship, Kai wouldn't be as forgiving as he was now. The young Russian had no idea the consequences Rei now lived with, for after breaking up with Kai and finding Tala, he slowly slipped into withdrawal from the pain. Seeking it first from Kai who refused to hand it to him, and then from Tala who was instead appalled and disgusted at the boy's behavior all at once.
-----
"Tala, I have something you need to know." Rei looked away from his older companion.
"Yea Rei?" Tala asked smiling, as he could never help but do when he was with Rei. "You can tell me anything."
"You'll hate me for it."
"Impossible." Tala looked confused as Rei's bluntness.
"No, its not. Listen." Rei shook his head at Tala's comment. The obsidian haired boy took a deep breath ignoring Tala's curious gaze. "Remember when I asked you to hit me? Hit me, because I would rather deal with physical pain than emotional."
"Rei, I thought we decided we weren't going to talk about that." Tala's eyes shot with angry recognition.
"And about earlier when we discussing Kai and," Rei paused, searching for a easy way to place it, "the troubles we had."
"He used to hit you!" Tala's anger turned rapidly worse at the thought of what his best friend had once done to his present love."
"I remember Tala! But it wasn't for nothing! It made him better." After all those years in the abbey, Kai had just needed to love something and yet at the same time, hate it and destroy it. Rei had taken the place of the wall after seeing how bloody Kai's knuckles would get after such session.
"Rei! That doesn't make it any better!"
"Well it helped him... and..." Rei adverted his golden gaze further.
"And?" Tala inquired his eyes of frozen steel.
"I liked the pain."
Maybe Rei had been right. It wasn't impossible to hate him. It had been as if the obsidian haired boy had thrown Tala's past right back him. That was why he had loved Rei. Rei was pure, kind, innocent and naive to evil. He had never known true pain, and perhaps that's why he had never understood Kai nor Tala's pasts. They had known pain all to well, and remembered at even the briefest gesture, but that was why Tala had loved Rei, he was exactly what Tala's past had never been. Until the day he heard the truth.
-----
"Bryan?" A groggy voice was heard on the other end of the line.
"Tala? Where are you?" Tala was suppose to have come home ages ago, Rei and him had just gone out for lunch.
"At the beach." Tala responded, the ocean had always been his favorite place to be.
"What the hell are you doing there? And where is Rei?" Bryan always worried about Tala, he was his former love, his little brother, so-to-speak, his life and dreams. Still even with the discovered love for Kai, he desired Tala, a life with only him and the red haired youth, but none was possible.
"I don't know." Tala's voice seemed to falter. "I don't care."
"What happened?" Bryan asked as Tala proceeded with the story. When Tala was finished the older Russian could but gape at the story with both hope and with hate. If Rei was no longer in the picture... than...
"I just want to get away for a while." Tala concluded as Bryan could almost see the crystal gazed youth's shoulders fall in defeat. "You, me and Kai. Like in the old days. The three of us just get away."
Bryan contemplated this, quickly preparing arrangements in his mind. "Alright meet me here in an hour. I'll tell Kai."
"I just wanted Rei to never have to feel pain," Tala continued, only half acknowledging what Bryan had just told him. "I wanted him to be free from it. I still do. I wish he would never feel pain again."
"I have some things to take care of first." The violet haired youth made no gesture to having in turn listened to what Tala had said. "Meet here at ten."
Click.
Click. Sob.
-----
"Ready to go Kai?" Bryan asked heaving a dufflebag over his shoulder and turning to look at the crimson eyed boy. Kai sadly watched the city lights from the view of his window.
"But Tala's not coming." Kai stated, slowly switching his gaze to Bryan.
"So?" Bryan asked sharply. "You're always complaining about how much time I spend with him. How much I talk, think and..." Bryan hesitated, turning away from the younger boy and whispering to himself,"...love him." The teal eyed boy blinked a moment and then turned back to Kai. "Please come with me Kai."
"Alright Bryan." Kai agreed seeing the sincere need for a companion written on his boyfriend's face. "I will."
-----
No one hurt his Tala like that. Rei had had chances and now this was it. He looked for the Neko jin in the room that he and Tala shared and had not found him. Nor the ocean which was the couple's favorite place, the river or the restaurant he knew the two liked. It wasn't until at last he was headed home to meet up with Tala did he here the sobs.
The obsidian haired boy was found around the corner, leaning against the graffiti stained wall of an old building. Streams of gold fell from the boy's amber eyes.
"He hates me." Rei sobbed to himself, his words muffled by his palms that were held to his face. "I knew it. I shouldn't have said anything. He hates me."
"Of course he does." Bryan told the boy in his harsh tone. "You are a fool. I gave you a chance. A chance to love the one thing I love more than anything else." Bryan laughed coldly, smiling at Rei with bitterness and resentment. "Guess what? You failed."
"I-" But Rei never finished his words before he was sent to the ground.
"I'll destroy you. No you don't deserve that. You deserve to suffer for your ignorance. You like pain?" Bryan asked. "I'll give it to you. You will never love Tala again. I gave you a chance to love him. And what did you do? You hurt him. He loves you because you don't know what pain is. But obviously he was wrong. You don't deserve him or life, but then again you don't deserve death."
Bryan stepped back, a crazed look on his face. Reaching for his belt he reached for his cell phone.
"Hello," he said sweetly, "I was just walking down Industrial Ave. I found some kid, looks like he's beaten pretty bad. You might want to send someone for him." He told the hospital attendant, not taking his eyes off Rei's ruined body, before hanging up the phone.
"Tala?" He had dialed yet another number. "Sorry I'm late." He told the voice recording. "I'll be there soon. Tell Kai to be ready."
He walked away not giving a second thought to Rei or the ambulance sirens he heard in the distance.
-----
"Where's Rei?" Tala asked when he saw Bryan come home.
"How am I suppose to know?" Bryan asked casually.
"What did you do to him."
"He's fine."
"Bryan!" Tala shouted sensing urgency that something was wrong with Rei.
"He said he liked pain."
"What!"
"He got what he had coming to him."
"Bryan! I specifically told you, 'I wish he didn't know what pain was.' I basically spelt out for you not to hurt him."
"I called the hospital." Tala swung a misguided punch at Bryan who instantly caught it. "He deserved it."
"He deserved nothing."
"And that's exactly what I'm giving him." Bryan bent low looking the shorter boy in the eye. "Don't worry about him. He's not worth your time."
Tala pulled his arm away glaring deep at Bryan before pushing past him. "You aren't worth my time."
-----
Bryan kept his eyes on the road, smiling slightly at the image of Kai wrapped under the blanket, breathing softly through rest in the passenger seat.
"I'm sorry Kai." He told the sleeping boy. "I'm sorry Tala." He did not regret what he had done, but it had cost a lot. And for what? Nothing. He had nothing to show for his actions but Tala's hatred.
He looked ahead at the open road and beside him at his future. He had lost Tala but he wouldn't loose Kai. No one would take that away from him too.
-----
Tala slipped past the hospital guards. It was past visiting hours but he had to see Rei. Tell him that he still loved him. Tell him he was sorry. Hold him. He had to love something, there was too much hate in his past to allow his future to disregard love.
He pushed open the door where the clipboard red 'Kon,' and entered the dark silence of the room. Pair golden eyes met his own as he nearly collapsed with relief.
"Rei." Tala said breathlessly, now filled with love for the boy.
The golden pools turned their acknowledgment away, leaving Tala in loneliness.
"I was wrong Tala."
There you have it. Horrible? Please read and review. I had to write it. it was just some idea I had and I had to write it down so here it is. The grammer maybe a little off because it's just one shot and I don't focus on them as much as my novels.
Oh and Obsidian Reflection Chapter Three will becoming I just am hitting a rough spot with it, plus there hasn't been a lot of interest, but hang on I'll post soon.
Thank you.