Rimnerel: Okay, there's just one thing I have to say about this chapter,
and that Tala is really pissing me off with how shifty he is in this one.
Tala (brow raised): You're the one that's writing it.
Rimnerel: Yeah, but it's your damn fault for the direction that this thing takes every now and then, you bastard.
Kai: Okay you two that's enough of that. If anything, we should just blame the creative flow that was taken.
Rimnerel: Shut up, Kai and do the reviews.
Kai: Fine. Rim would like to thank Dark-Mage-Quisits, Werewolf of Fire, FREAK014, russle, and B. Tiamat Atardecer for all their reviews.
-----------------------------------
"Why?"
"You should know by now. They care about you," Tala spoke.
"No...why am I still alive? Why did they bother, I'm only going to do it again." Kenny lowered his head, tears running the course down his face. Tala lowered his lashes over his eyes, reclining back in the chair.
"So much pain. Are there that many scars on your heart and soul? So much so that you could never tell them the truth, Nagase-kun?" Tala inquired.
"What?" Kenny lifted his head immediately with fear. "What did you just say to me?" Kenny's eyes were filled with panic.
"You know what I just said," Tala replied.
"Where did you hear that name from?" Kenny demanded.
"Why do you want to know? That is your last name is it not?" Tala looked at the young man that shifted his eyes away from him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kenny stated.
"You don't have to put on an act. I know about the reports from three years ago. I was twelve at the time I heard them. Did you know that it made news worldwide? I had to do a little digging to find pictures, that's one of the only great things about the internet, you can find just about anything on there. I found pictures. Of you, of your father, of what he did to you."
"You..." Kenny wrapped his arms around his body, shivering with shame and pain.
"I know about the scar. I know about the abuse, but I don't know the whole story," Tala said.
"Why...if you knew the truth...why didn't you just tell Tyson?" Kenny asked, tears tumbling down his face. Tala got up from where he sat, to sit on the bed next to Kenny. Tala pulled Kenny's arms from around him, holding them out to see the faint lines running the course of both wrists. Staring down at them, he leaned in, kissing both areas as if they still hurt him.
"It's not my place to tell Tyson, or anyone else on your team your past. It's your decision what you want to do. I would never want to expose you to that sort of pain again," Tala said, letting go of Kenny's arms.
The younger blushed ferociously, turning his head away. His heart pounded in his chest, and not from Tala knowing the truth. It was because of those kisses the male placed to his wrists. Kenny heard Tala chuckle at his reaction, but he did not look at the red head. Nor did Kenny turn his eyes towards the other.
"You aren't going to say anything like I'm an idiot or you hate me?" Tala questioned. When Kenny didn't say a word, Tala raised his hand once more, bringing it to rest under Kenny's chin. Turning his face back into sight. Kenny felt his face burst into flames.
"What...what are you...doing?" Kenny exclaimed.
"I want to ask you something, Kenny. Do you really think that anything would have been better if they had let you die? The pain would have still been there, maybe not for you, but for them, the pain would have remained until it ate them clear to the bone. Would you really let that happen to them?" Tala asked, searching Kenny's blue eyes.
"Don't you understand how much I hurt? You know the truth, yet..."
"I don't know the whole truth. You would have left your tale only half told. For anyone to understand you, you have to let someone in. Maybe not now, but some time in the future, eventually you will find someone you want to tell everything," Tala voiced.
"Why do you even care anyway?" Kenny demanded.
There was a flicker of amusement in Tala's eyes as he leaned forward, catching Kenny's lips with his own. Involuntarily, Kenny's mouth parted open, allowing Tala complete access to his mouth. The brunette froze up, not knowing exactly what to think or how to react in this situation. This was his first kiss it was understandable to sort of freeze. But in this case, this was his first kiss being stolen by the team captain of the Russian beyblade captain while Kenny was just waking up from a light coma only to discover that someone knew his past already. How the hell was he supposed to react in this situation?
Finding his hand raised, it came across Tala's cheek, startling the red head enough to pull back. For a long minute, both looked at each other before Tala laughed. "I guess I did deserve it taking advantage of you like that. But..."
"But..." Kenny urged, wanting a good reason why he shouldn't slap the red head once more.
"You've captivated me so much that I couldn't help it. You're like an angel whose wings have been torn directly from his back by malevolent demons. You're vulnerable, angry, and trying to find help yet not trusting anyone because you may be hurt again. That's how you appear to me, and I want to help you heal your wings to fly back to heaven," Tala admitted with a light blush. "You really bring out the sappiness in me, you know that."
"You...like me...?" Kenny had to blink on that one. At the short, crooked smile curved in the corners of Tala's mouth, the light tint of rose on Tala's cheeks staring at Kenny with a hint of embarrassment. "Why?" It made Kenny halfway curious, but then...happy?
"I suppose it's because your eyes beckon to me. Maybe it's because I see a piece of you in me. I lost my mother when I was young also. My father didn't want to stick around to be a father, so he dumped me in the abbey and took off. I've practically been alone since," Tala said.
"But...you have the..."
"All they see are my masks." Tala lowered his lashes, but Kenny could see the loneliness deep in his eyes. "I once tried to open up to them, but they just stared at me, shrugging that everyone has a hard life and to stop whining about it. So, I never really opened up to them after that. They may be my team, but there's no real closeness between any of us. We're practically strangers."
"We're not the same," Kenny responded.
"Well...in ways we're the same. Not the level of experiences, but our view of the world. Your friends are worried about you, and will help you. Just open up to them."
"You're a optimist. That's the last thing I really expected from you. I guess you really do wear masks," Kenny said.
"And I suppose that you tear them down without ever knowing it."
For a long second, Kenny stared at the red head. "I think I liked you better when you were quiet. I never expected you to be talkative either. It's creepy, you know?"
"Creepy? I finally have someone I can talk to on a level, and they think I'm creepy. That would be insulting if you were anyone else." Kenny was quiet, his head feeling light and his vision going slightly out of focused, which Tala noticed. "You're probably still fighting off the effects of the chemicals in your system, you should rest."
"I'm not sleepy," protested Kenny, as Tala laid him back on the pillows, as if he was a child being put down for a nap. "And I'm not a kid, so stop handling me like I'm made of glass.
"You are made of glass. Shattered pieces that try to cut the hands that handle it with care in order to put it back together," Tala smirked.
"Idiot, and you wonder why I hate you," Kenny glared, feeling his eyes close as he drifted back to sleep. "It's...stupid remarks like...that..."
Tala moved away from the male finding him asleep once more. Leaning down towards the brunette's ear, Tala whispered into it. "If he never said it, I want you to know it now. You aren't worthless, or stupid. And you're the most beautiful person I've ever had the luck to meet. He had no right to do what he did. I just want you to know that. Sleep well, my glass spun angel, I know your wounds can heal."
---------------
Judy pushed back a lock of hair that slipped from behind her ear as she looked over old records in the back of a library. Mr. Dickenson was doing the same thing, as well as Tyson's father. All three of them had arrived in Japan not too long ago, and immediately set to work combing over newspaper clips, articles, and reports from the last five years. So far, they found nothing that would signify if Kenny's attempted suicide linking to any crimes from five years ago.
"This is getting us no where!" Judy said, pushing the paper from in front of her. The other two men stared at her, as she combed a hand through her hair wearily. They were all tired, but they could not rest until they found out something. Tyson, Max, Rei, and Kai were counting on them to find something.
"Judy..." Mr. Dickenson sympathized, realizing she was almost at her limit too.
"What exactly are we searching for again?" she inquired. "There's plenty reports on child abuse, but none that come close to what we are looking for. What if this never made it to the papers? Our search would be in vain."
"Don't say that," Bruce said.
"But we can't rule it out, can we?" she said. "I mean...it would have been horrible for him to have to go through the pain of telling everyone what his parents did to him. I wouldn't be able to take it, I know that."
"It's hard to imagine what could be going through a person's head to hurt someone who's supposed to be precious to you, in that manner."
"I know what you mean. Tyson may be a hot head, stubborn kid, but he means the world to me. I could never lay a hand on him, I could never cause him to cry that much," Bruce sighed.
"I know. Max is my world, all work aside, I would never..."
"Bruce, Judy, I think I found something," Mr. Dickenson interrupted, getting up from where he sat to show them the paper dating back to three years ago. Both huddled around the paper as Mr. Dickenson read off what it said. "On the afternoon of April 23, police were called to the residence of Mr. Johji Nagase, age 43, on reports of screams coming from inside the house. When police arrived, they found Mr. Nagase's ten-year-old son slumped over in a pool of blood by a phone. The boy was admitted to Kirinai Hospital where he was treated for knife wounds."
"Is the boy's name listed?" Judy inquired.
"No, someone must have filed that his name wasn't released to the papers."
"Do you really think this is what we're looking for? This kid has a different last name than Kenny," Bruce pointed out.
"Listen to the rest of the report. When questioned the boy's aunt and uncle, Dawn and Hojo Shinoda, they had no idea that Mr. Nagase was repeatedly abusing the boy. Doctors determined that the abuse occurred for many years after the death of Mr. Nagase's wife, Carolyn Nagase who was of age 32 at the time of her death. The boy's relatives have agreed to adopt him in hopes of making up for the treatment he has received for years." Mr. Dickenson looked up at the two who realized this was it.
"What about his father?"
"Mr. Nagase was arrested on charges of assault, child abuse, child neglect, and attempted murder in the first and second degree and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole," Mr. Dickenson read.
"Does it say why he did it?" Judy wanted to know why someone would treat a child in such a fashion. Mr. Dickenson stared at her with sorrow, before shaking his head. "That's awful. How could...?"
"I know. I suppose that we can rule out the people he's living with now, which are probably his aunt and uncle. I think we should talk with them next about Kenny. Let them know what's happened and see what they know, so we can have an understanding of how to help Kenny when he wakes up," Bruce suggested.
"I agree with you completely on that. They have a right to know what's happened, we can't just stay quiet about this. Not when they had nothing to do with putting him in the mental state...whatever it is right now...he is in," Mr. Dickenson said.
"I think we should inform your father, Bruce on what we found so far, but let's not let the boys know until we know everything," Judy said, her spirits dampening worst than before. "I don't think they would be able to take it in the state they are in right now."
"I agree too," Mr. Dickenson nodded. "Until Kenny wakes up and the boys are able to pull themselves together, it's best we keep this to ourselves."
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Rimnerel: Don't ask me why I stopped here I'm just not feeling the groove with my sister being off in her own little world.
Tala: She said she would come back for the next chapter she just has to take care of her story first. Stop being such a big baby. (Rim razzes him) Oh, very mature.
Kai: We hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and when Nakoruru returns, we promise that the next chapter will be longer. Now let us be off before I have to sit those two in time out. (indicates to Tala and Rim making faces at each other)
Tala (brow raised): You're the one that's writing it.
Rimnerel: Yeah, but it's your damn fault for the direction that this thing takes every now and then, you bastard.
Kai: Okay you two that's enough of that. If anything, we should just blame the creative flow that was taken.
Rimnerel: Shut up, Kai and do the reviews.
Kai: Fine. Rim would like to thank Dark-Mage-Quisits, Werewolf of Fire, FREAK014, russle, and B. Tiamat Atardecer for all their reviews.
-----------------------------------
"Why?"
"You should know by now. They care about you," Tala spoke.
"No...why am I still alive? Why did they bother, I'm only going to do it again." Kenny lowered his head, tears running the course down his face. Tala lowered his lashes over his eyes, reclining back in the chair.
"So much pain. Are there that many scars on your heart and soul? So much so that you could never tell them the truth, Nagase-kun?" Tala inquired.
"What?" Kenny lifted his head immediately with fear. "What did you just say to me?" Kenny's eyes were filled with panic.
"You know what I just said," Tala replied.
"Where did you hear that name from?" Kenny demanded.
"Why do you want to know? That is your last name is it not?" Tala looked at the young man that shifted his eyes away from him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kenny stated.
"You don't have to put on an act. I know about the reports from three years ago. I was twelve at the time I heard them. Did you know that it made news worldwide? I had to do a little digging to find pictures, that's one of the only great things about the internet, you can find just about anything on there. I found pictures. Of you, of your father, of what he did to you."
"You..." Kenny wrapped his arms around his body, shivering with shame and pain.
"I know about the scar. I know about the abuse, but I don't know the whole story," Tala said.
"Why...if you knew the truth...why didn't you just tell Tyson?" Kenny asked, tears tumbling down his face. Tala got up from where he sat, to sit on the bed next to Kenny. Tala pulled Kenny's arms from around him, holding them out to see the faint lines running the course of both wrists. Staring down at them, he leaned in, kissing both areas as if they still hurt him.
"It's not my place to tell Tyson, or anyone else on your team your past. It's your decision what you want to do. I would never want to expose you to that sort of pain again," Tala said, letting go of Kenny's arms.
The younger blushed ferociously, turning his head away. His heart pounded in his chest, and not from Tala knowing the truth. It was because of those kisses the male placed to his wrists. Kenny heard Tala chuckle at his reaction, but he did not look at the red head. Nor did Kenny turn his eyes towards the other.
"You aren't going to say anything like I'm an idiot or you hate me?" Tala questioned. When Kenny didn't say a word, Tala raised his hand once more, bringing it to rest under Kenny's chin. Turning his face back into sight. Kenny felt his face burst into flames.
"What...what are you...doing?" Kenny exclaimed.
"I want to ask you something, Kenny. Do you really think that anything would have been better if they had let you die? The pain would have still been there, maybe not for you, but for them, the pain would have remained until it ate them clear to the bone. Would you really let that happen to them?" Tala asked, searching Kenny's blue eyes.
"Don't you understand how much I hurt? You know the truth, yet..."
"I don't know the whole truth. You would have left your tale only half told. For anyone to understand you, you have to let someone in. Maybe not now, but some time in the future, eventually you will find someone you want to tell everything," Tala voiced.
"Why do you even care anyway?" Kenny demanded.
There was a flicker of amusement in Tala's eyes as he leaned forward, catching Kenny's lips with his own. Involuntarily, Kenny's mouth parted open, allowing Tala complete access to his mouth. The brunette froze up, not knowing exactly what to think or how to react in this situation. This was his first kiss it was understandable to sort of freeze. But in this case, this was his first kiss being stolen by the team captain of the Russian beyblade captain while Kenny was just waking up from a light coma only to discover that someone knew his past already. How the hell was he supposed to react in this situation?
Finding his hand raised, it came across Tala's cheek, startling the red head enough to pull back. For a long minute, both looked at each other before Tala laughed. "I guess I did deserve it taking advantage of you like that. But..."
"But..." Kenny urged, wanting a good reason why he shouldn't slap the red head once more.
"You've captivated me so much that I couldn't help it. You're like an angel whose wings have been torn directly from his back by malevolent demons. You're vulnerable, angry, and trying to find help yet not trusting anyone because you may be hurt again. That's how you appear to me, and I want to help you heal your wings to fly back to heaven," Tala admitted with a light blush. "You really bring out the sappiness in me, you know that."
"You...like me...?" Kenny had to blink on that one. At the short, crooked smile curved in the corners of Tala's mouth, the light tint of rose on Tala's cheeks staring at Kenny with a hint of embarrassment. "Why?" It made Kenny halfway curious, but then...happy?
"I suppose it's because your eyes beckon to me. Maybe it's because I see a piece of you in me. I lost my mother when I was young also. My father didn't want to stick around to be a father, so he dumped me in the abbey and took off. I've practically been alone since," Tala said.
"But...you have the..."
"All they see are my masks." Tala lowered his lashes, but Kenny could see the loneliness deep in his eyes. "I once tried to open up to them, but they just stared at me, shrugging that everyone has a hard life and to stop whining about it. So, I never really opened up to them after that. They may be my team, but there's no real closeness between any of us. We're practically strangers."
"We're not the same," Kenny responded.
"Well...in ways we're the same. Not the level of experiences, but our view of the world. Your friends are worried about you, and will help you. Just open up to them."
"You're a optimist. That's the last thing I really expected from you. I guess you really do wear masks," Kenny said.
"And I suppose that you tear them down without ever knowing it."
For a long second, Kenny stared at the red head. "I think I liked you better when you were quiet. I never expected you to be talkative either. It's creepy, you know?"
"Creepy? I finally have someone I can talk to on a level, and they think I'm creepy. That would be insulting if you were anyone else." Kenny was quiet, his head feeling light and his vision going slightly out of focused, which Tala noticed. "You're probably still fighting off the effects of the chemicals in your system, you should rest."
"I'm not sleepy," protested Kenny, as Tala laid him back on the pillows, as if he was a child being put down for a nap. "And I'm not a kid, so stop handling me like I'm made of glass.
"You are made of glass. Shattered pieces that try to cut the hands that handle it with care in order to put it back together," Tala smirked.
"Idiot, and you wonder why I hate you," Kenny glared, feeling his eyes close as he drifted back to sleep. "It's...stupid remarks like...that..."
Tala moved away from the male finding him asleep once more. Leaning down towards the brunette's ear, Tala whispered into it. "If he never said it, I want you to know it now. You aren't worthless, or stupid. And you're the most beautiful person I've ever had the luck to meet. He had no right to do what he did. I just want you to know that. Sleep well, my glass spun angel, I know your wounds can heal."
---------------
Judy pushed back a lock of hair that slipped from behind her ear as she looked over old records in the back of a library. Mr. Dickenson was doing the same thing, as well as Tyson's father. All three of them had arrived in Japan not too long ago, and immediately set to work combing over newspaper clips, articles, and reports from the last five years. So far, they found nothing that would signify if Kenny's attempted suicide linking to any crimes from five years ago.
"This is getting us no where!" Judy said, pushing the paper from in front of her. The other two men stared at her, as she combed a hand through her hair wearily. They were all tired, but they could not rest until they found out something. Tyson, Max, Rei, and Kai were counting on them to find something.
"Judy..." Mr. Dickenson sympathized, realizing she was almost at her limit too.
"What exactly are we searching for again?" she inquired. "There's plenty reports on child abuse, but none that come close to what we are looking for. What if this never made it to the papers? Our search would be in vain."
"Don't say that," Bruce said.
"But we can't rule it out, can we?" she said. "I mean...it would have been horrible for him to have to go through the pain of telling everyone what his parents did to him. I wouldn't be able to take it, I know that."
"It's hard to imagine what could be going through a person's head to hurt someone who's supposed to be precious to you, in that manner."
"I know what you mean. Tyson may be a hot head, stubborn kid, but he means the world to me. I could never lay a hand on him, I could never cause him to cry that much," Bruce sighed.
"I know. Max is my world, all work aside, I would never..."
"Bruce, Judy, I think I found something," Mr. Dickenson interrupted, getting up from where he sat to show them the paper dating back to three years ago. Both huddled around the paper as Mr. Dickenson read off what it said. "On the afternoon of April 23, police were called to the residence of Mr. Johji Nagase, age 43, on reports of screams coming from inside the house. When police arrived, they found Mr. Nagase's ten-year-old son slumped over in a pool of blood by a phone. The boy was admitted to Kirinai Hospital where he was treated for knife wounds."
"Is the boy's name listed?" Judy inquired.
"No, someone must have filed that his name wasn't released to the papers."
"Do you really think this is what we're looking for? This kid has a different last name than Kenny," Bruce pointed out.
"Listen to the rest of the report. When questioned the boy's aunt and uncle, Dawn and Hojo Shinoda, they had no idea that Mr. Nagase was repeatedly abusing the boy. Doctors determined that the abuse occurred for many years after the death of Mr. Nagase's wife, Carolyn Nagase who was of age 32 at the time of her death. The boy's relatives have agreed to adopt him in hopes of making up for the treatment he has received for years." Mr. Dickenson looked up at the two who realized this was it.
"What about his father?"
"Mr. Nagase was arrested on charges of assault, child abuse, child neglect, and attempted murder in the first and second degree and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole," Mr. Dickenson read.
"Does it say why he did it?" Judy wanted to know why someone would treat a child in such a fashion. Mr. Dickenson stared at her with sorrow, before shaking his head. "That's awful. How could...?"
"I know. I suppose that we can rule out the people he's living with now, which are probably his aunt and uncle. I think we should talk with them next about Kenny. Let them know what's happened and see what they know, so we can have an understanding of how to help Kenny when he wakes up," Bruce suggested.
"I agree with you completely on that. They have a right to know what's happened, we can't just stay quiet about this. Not when they had nothing to do with putting him in the mental state...whatever it is right now...he is in," Mr. Dickenson said.
"I think we should inform your father, Bruce on what we found so far, but let's not let the boys know until we know everything," Judy said, her spirits dampening worst than before. "I don't think they would be able to take it in the state they are in right now."
"I agree too," Mr. Dickenson nodded. "Until Kenny wakes up and the boys are able to pull themselves together, it's best we keep this to ourselves."
----------------------------------------
Rimnerel: Don't ask me why I stopped here I'm just not feeling the groove with my sister being off in her own little world.
Tala: She said she would come back for the next chapter she just has to take care of her story first. Stop being such a big baby. (Rim razzes him) Oh, very mature.
Kai: We hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and when Nakoruru returns, we promise that the next chapter will be longer. Now let us be off before I have to sit those two in time out. (indicates to Tala and Rim making faces at each other)