Intoxication

Chapter Ten

Okay, in my last author's note I mentioned a sequel I was planning. Of the few responses I got to this news only one was negative, and when I say negative it was only a touch uneasy. But I like to respond to things like this, so to Mirai Shinranui who has given me two very nice reviews (and I'm a fan of your work too) I say take heart! If there's one thing I know how to do it's write a sequel. In fact, I was gonna write the sequel before I even thought of Intoxication. And isn't fan fiction writing a way of producing sequels? Chill, girl!

By the way, the music featured here is Ave Maria by Franz Schubert. The translation is literally the prayer Hail Mary. If you want to hear a really excellent version of this piece, make sure the singer is Maria Callas, Sarah Brightman or Bryn Terfel. This is a short Chapter, but I just got back from Dublin and I'm bloody tired.

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…Ave Maria
Gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus
Et benedictus fructus ventris
Ventris tui, Jesus
Ave Maria, gratia plena…

Rei's voice was weak and raspy, a pale imitation of the voice he remembered when he recalled the song. His mother's voice always soared when she sang, threatening to break through her fragile body with the sheer force of the sound. Rei had inherited many things from her, but her singing voice wasn't one of them. But still, lying on the bed with nowhere to go and nothing to do it didn't make a difference. The song helped keep the voices of the girls quiet, and dulled the pain in his shoulder.

The beating Rei had taken two days previously had left him incapacitated and in tremendous pain. There was a sharp tearing feeling in his back whenever he moved more than an inch, and he knew there was something seriously wrong with his shoulder. Maybe it was broken, or at least dislocated. Since he hadn't been able to move, he hadn't eaten in two days. His vision was starting to blur ever so slightly, even if he had eaten it would have happened sooner or later. He didn't get enough food to keep him nourished, and he couldn't tell if it was deliberate or just carelessness on Cesare's behalf.

Finally, Rei's throat gave out and he had to stop singing. As soon as he did, the nymph began talking. She sounded less virginal, less innocent than usual, and more like a vindictive schoolmarm.

Had to rock the boat, didn't you? You've only got yourself to blame for your current situation. Drop the bow, for God's sake, have you no sense? You knew what he wanted, Rei! All you had to do was give it to him, but you've never liked that, have you? Show 'em everything you got but don't let him have anything. You're a fucking tease, always have been.

" I'm not," whispered Rei.

Yes, you are! You go out of your way to draw people to you, then you run away when they get too close for comfort. And now it's backfired because you've got no place to run.

Rei felt hot tears sting his eyes. " That's not true," he whispered again.

It is, and you know it. Is there anyone who hasn't fallen in love with you? Mariah made no secret of it, Kevin had that phase where he couldn't stop blushing around you, Gary told you he liked you at that festival. And Lee, well, that was always more about lust wasn't it. And you loved every minute of it, admit it. You loved having him mentally undress you, his eyes all over you, imagining what it would be like to touch you, get inside you… but you never let him get that far. No wonder he was pissed off with you. He thought everyone was getting a piece of you but him, and he wanted a piece sooo bad…

" Shut up! It's not true," whispered Rei, " I thought he liked me. I didn't know…"

Europa spoke up loudly, drowning out the nymph's insidious mutterings.

Keep your goddamn mouth shut! How can a ten year old boy enjoy sexual attention directed at him when he barely understands the concept? It was never your fault, Rei. Lee is two years older than you, there's a world of difference between a ten year old and a twelve year old. And don't forget that you have things they want, things they lust after, and that wasn't your fault either. You were always different, you had a beauty and grace that doesn't seem natural. And they always want what they can't have. The cello incident, you did the right thing. If you hadn't you could be on your hands and knees right now screaming bloody murder. Better to suffer a little pain than a lot of humiliation, right? You're still a virgin, Rei, but you may not be for much longer. You need to take evasive action.

Rei sat up, even though it hurt like hell. Acidic liquid ran through his muscles, but it faded quickly. Evasive action. What could he do? Then, like a bolt of lightning, he had an epiphany. He bolted off of the bed, ignoring the fresh wave of pain that attacked his upper torso. The bathroom that shined a dull light through a thousand mirrors contained one glimmer of actual self-sustaining illumination.

Rei's Beyblade, Drigger, sat on the side of the bathtub. He had been holding it the night he'd been kidnapped and hadn't let it go. It was a miracle Cesare hadn't noticed it. Rei picked her up gently, lovingly, and she glimmered lightly in response. Drigger was the one thing Rei had learned to rely on over the years of being let down by everyone else. She sympathised with him, and felt a great loyalty to him. They were equals, alike in mind and spirit. She had left him on more than one occasion to seek out an answer to a question she had asked herself, and he felt no animosity towards her for this. And now, Rei's most faithful ally was the only one with a chance at helping him. He carried her to the bed and began to think.

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" How fucking long is this going to take?!?"

Three months, six days and three hours since Rei had disappeared, Kai finally lost it. Slowly, ever so slowly, he was coming to terms with how he felt about Rei. He had lusted after the Chinese boy abstractly, as a passing fancy. Most people had done likewise, even Max had a mild crush on his beautiful team mate. Rei had that effect on most people, even complete strangers. But what Kai felt was different. Having Rei missing was like missing a limb. Kai kept expecting to see him turn a corner, wake up in his bed or turn up for a training session.

And there was more. Kai's dreams were becoming increasingly sexual in nature. He ran across a desert and fell into Rei's lap, which soothed him like cool water. He broke a mountain in half, to find Rei lying naked beneath it. He found Rei underneath a tree, and helped untangle his long black hair from the branches. Then Kai would wake, feverish and craving contact with someone who was missing in more ways than one. He vowed that once they found him, he would attempt to pursue a relationship with Rei.

Maybe that was why he was so eager to speed things up. He was becoming increasingly frustrated with the slow pace that the other boys were moving at. Bryan, Kenny and Tala were checking every payslip, every Visa bill, every business transaction, just plain everything. Kai couldn't understand why it was taking so long. It was understandable that he would crack.

After his outburst, the other boys stared at him. It wasn't like Kai to show so much emotion, and it was already a tense situation. His anger spread through the room like an infection, and caused an emotive reaction within the little group. Max began to cry, Takao kicked over a chair, Kenny's head dropped into his chest, Bryan set his jaw in a grim line, Ian and Spencer only looked up momentarily from the files they were studying. Kai stood like a bronze statue, fury written all over his face and breathing heavily from the force of his outburst. No one moved an inch, until Tala gave a deep sigh and strode forward. He grabbed Kai's arm and pulled him into the hallway.

" So, you wanna tell me what that was about?"

Tala's azure eyes searched Kai's face, and Kai felt as though he could see inside him. He brushed a lock of hair away from his eyes and sighed deeply.

" I know it was stupid, but Rei's been missing for three months now! I can't help feeling frustrated."

" I know. But we're going as fast as we can."

" As fast as you can? You're checking sales receipts! How hard is it to find a guy who's keeping twenty full-grown men captive?"

Kai was beginning to shout, so Tala grabbed his arm and spoke frankly to him.

" We are taking our time so we don't waste time, Kai. We need to trace this guy very carefully. All the evidence has to match, all the details have to be certain. So we check everything twice and we leave no stone unturned. Because if we miss anything, if we get even one little detail wrong, it could send us in completely the wrong direction. And if that happens, we lose three months of research, we take another three to get ourselves back on track, and meanwhile Rei's going through God knows what."

Kai sighed again. He knew Tala was right, but he just felt so helpless…

" I know how you feel about Rei. So I accept that this is harder on you than it is on them…"

Kai looked up sharply. How did he…?

" I knew when you came to me that you were in love with him. I've met Rei, remember? He's one of those people that everyone falls for. I knew if you were going to fall for anyone, it would be him."

He felt somehow comforted by this. But before they went back inside, Tala turned and said something that made his blood run cold.

" Just keeep in mind, though. When we find Rei…and we will find him… remember what he's been through over the last few months. He may never be able to get close to anyone again. He may not even have the will to live after such an ordeal.

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And there it was. The little book, sitting on the table like a rat, staring up at him. Rei picked it up, leafed through the dusty pages, and put it back down. It was probably an antique. He picked it up again, opened a page and read a few lines of the poem.

For who would lose, though full of pain,

This intellectual body, those thoughts that echo through eternity,

Whether cast off, broken and lost

In the wide womb of uncreative night.

He closed the book again. And then opened the last page. It was blank, save for the word Fin, in what looked like genuine handwriting. And as Rei opened and closed the little book, his mind began to form a plan.