Intoxication

Chapter 15

After keeping y'all in suspense for 14 Chapters, finally the boys make some head way. It's far from over yet, though…

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The garden was clear of guards or hounds, as far as the four boys knew. They were taking a huge risk and they knew it. The mansion loomed before them like the face of a cliff impossible to scale, windows on almost every side. They had no idea where to start. They reached a side of the house with fewer windows than the rest and parted ways, Kai and Tala taking the north side and Bryan and Spencer taking the east. They kept in contact with Max and Takao at the gates through a miniature walkie-talkie.

Creeping carefully around the house, Kai and Tala reached a stretch of the garden lit from above by a room on the second or third floor. It was the only room in the house with any lights on at all. Kai knew, instinctively, that Rei was in that room. He felt drawn to that light like a moth. Fortunately, Tala spotted a trellis running between two of the windows, festooned with climbing roses. He made a gesture to Kai to follow him up. They slowly ascended the thin frame, freezing at times when it felt as though it would buckle under them. The windows they reached were long French panes with paper-thin glass, and they positioned themselves on each side of the trellis to stare into the one nearest them.

For the first time in three months, Kai saw Rei again.

But it wasn't, really. The Rei that Kai remembered was so different to the spectre that sat so pale and fragile in the enormous ballroom, barely moving except for the flash of a white throat as it took in air. That creature was possessed of the same dark hair, the same golden eyes, the same lithe figure as the one that haunted Kai's dreams, but he looked half-dead. All the same, there and then Kai fell in love all over again. He saw only Rei, and paid no attention to the shadowed figure that circled the Chinese boy like a vulture.

But that was why Tala was there. He saw the figure in the mask and the period clothes, and he considered him. The man was clearly unstable, his stance was one of someone in a constant state of aggression. No matter what he did, he looked as though he were ready to pounce on the boy in the chair. He knew the danger they were putting themselves in.

And then, all hell broke loose.

The masked man, who had merely been conversing with his subject, suddenly and viciously struck Rei across the face with his ivory-tipped cane. Rei was thrown out of his chair by the force of the blows, and the man kept hitting until he realised it wasn't having the desired effect. So he caught the boy around the throat and lifted him off of the ground, crashing him into the table. Rei struggled for a few moments, with his arms and legs flailing. But it wasn't long before his efforts waned.

Kai was so shocked by the sudden, violent outburst that he was unable to move. But as soon as he saw the masked man strangle Rei, he could stand by no longer. He pulled Dranzer out of his pocket and launched it at the window. The window exploded in a blaze of silver, the masked man threw himself back, and Rei lay motionless on the table. Kai thought it strange that he felt no anger. All he had felt for so many days was anger. But now, the only emotion he was experiencing was concern for Rei. Without even looking at the masked man, he ran to Rei's side.

Tala stepped through the broken window, his own Beyblade drawn and aimed at the masked man. The stranger himself, clutching his ivory cane with spatters of blood on the tip, was clearly unsure of whether it was a weapon or not, backed away even further. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Kai, who was checking Rei's pulse. To his relief he found a weak flutter on Rei's neck.

" How is he?" asked Tala.

" He's alive! He's fine…" called back Tala.

Fine wasn't really an appropriate word. There was a deep gash on Rei's forehead and a slow trickle of blood coursing from his open mouth. Kai wiped the blood away with the corner of his scarf and shook the unconscious boy gently. For what seemed like an eternity, Rei remained motionless. But then, those spiderweb-thin eyelashes flickered gently and opened. Rei's eyes were several shades darker than usual, a raw umber rather than bright gold. He coughed lightly before taking in deep, frenzied gulps of air to replace what he had lost from the struggle with the masked man. He met Kai's gaze with confusion.

" What…" he whispered.

" Hi," Kai whispered back.

" Kai? God dammit, he caught you too…" Rei broke off as a coughing fit began. Kai put his arms under Rei's shoulders and lifted him slightly to ease his breathing. A crackle from where Tala was took his attention away from Rei.

" I sent the signal to the two at the gates. The police will be here soon." That last remark was aimed at the masked man, who had taken a seat and was fingering his cane in a contemplative manner. Another crackle came from the walkie-talkie, and Tala switched his weapon from one hand to the other to check the little machine.

" That's the signal from the other two. They've found your harem." Again, the last part was directed at the masked man. " They'll call for ambulances."

" Ambulances? No, I need an undertaker…" Rei trailed off as he lost consciousness.

" What do you think you're going to do with that little piece of plastic?" spoke a silky voice from behind the mask. He twirled his cane nonchalantly.

" I can do a surprising amount of damage with this. I've had military training. Why don't you take the mask off?" Tala spoke with the calm, easy tone of a hostage negotiator.

" I only remove my mask around people I feel truly comfortable with. Since you're pointing that alleged weapon at me, I suppose that rules you out."

Rei began to cough, and then heave violently. Kai, thinking he needed to be elevated, raised him higher. Rei's head lolled to the side and he shuddered, emitting a frightening amount of blood onto the marble floor. Kai panicked.

" Tala! He's bleeding!" Kai almost screamed, the sound bounced off of the walls and echoed through the hall. Tala, keeping his weapon trained on the masked man, moved towards them. When he saw the puddle of gore lying on the floor, and the deathly pallor of the Chinese boy's face, he dropped his defensive stance and checked Rei's pulse. Drawing Rei's eyelids back, his expression became one of concern.

" Take him outside, Kai, and wait for the ambulance. I'll take care of…"

When Tala turned around, the masked man had disappeared.

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The police flooded the mansion, the captives were boarded onto ambulances and taken to hospital. The six boys saw no reason to stay anywhere near the place. The remaining members of the Bladebreakers, along with Tala and Bryan, followed Rei's ambulance to the hospital. Rei was taken to Intensive Care when it became clear that he was bleeding internally.

They waited in the hospital corridor for hours, silently. Occasionally, Takao would whisper to Max or Kenny, or Tala to Bryan. Kai stayed utterly stoic, trying not to think of Rei's condition. The other men who ad been held captive weren't in as bad a state as Rei was, most of them were reclining in the Trauma ward, being talked to by counsellors and police officers. News reporters bustled outside, the story having broken to the public two hours after the men were recovered. The police commissioner had gone outside once to offer a statement, but clearly it wasn't enough for them.

The doors to the ICU slid open, and a doctor dressed in pale green scrubs. He looked around briefly, obviously searching for Rei's family. Kai stepped towards him.

" Are you with Rei Kon?" asked the surgeon. His thin brown hair was stuck to his face with sweat from a strenuous few hours with the patient. Kai nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The doctor leafed through the assorted charts on his clipboard.

" Rei has sustained some serious internal damage, and I'm afraid his condition isn't improving. In fact, it seems to be deteriorating. We've run some tests to determine the cause, but they take up to two weeks to get back to us. For now, the only thing we can do is make him as comfortable as possible."

" Is he going to die?" whispered Kai, so the others wouldn't hear.

" Yes. I'm sorry."