Disclaimer: I don't own Kai and considering what I seem to put him through I think we should all be glad about that.
Thank you for the reviews.
Chapter 2 - And You Can't Hurt Me Anymore
Kai regained consciousness at twelve thirty-two on a Friday. He had tried to roll over and found that he couldn't move. He attempted to lift each arm and leg individually and began to panic when he realised that he could not. Realising that he had been trying all this in darkness he attempted to open his eyes. They too would not obey him and soon he was close to hyperventilating.
His lids felt too heavy and seemed stick together. The last substance that he remembered being so sticky had been the blood. Blood. All he could remember now was the blood and his raspy cracked throat tried to scream. He nearly choked as his lips refused to move.
He was like a horrible dream and his body just would not wake up. Maybe he would be stuck like this forever. A prisoner inside himself. Maybe he was dead.
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Kai shook his mother trying not to scream. He knew that she was alive she had been moving just a moment ago. A looked left and right for his step-father. He wanted to call the man, he needed help. But he was sure that if he even opened his mouth he would scream.
"Shut that little bitch up she's crying," ordered his step-father walking into the room idly holding a fresh bottle of the foul smelling brown stuff he always drank.
Kai wasn't sure if that man was talking to him or his mother. So instead of attempting to answer, and still not sure that he could, he continued to shake his mother. She looked so horrific with all that white liquid coming from her mouth.
"Shit! Move!" shouted his step-father when he finally spotted the pair. He threw himself on the floor and checked his wife's pulse.
Kai ran over to the cordless phone and brought it to his step-father. He was too scared to remember why he had been avoiding the man now, especially when his mothers life seemed to depend on it.
"What's that for?" asked his step-father angrily knocking the phone out of Kai's hand.
"Am…Ambulance," Kai managed to stutter out, bending to pick up the phone and offer it to his step-father again.
"You stupid shit they would call the police! Is that what you want? To have no mother or father? You and Keiko to end up living on the street?"
Kai dropped the phone shamefully and watched as his step-father performed a strange version of CPR beating at his mothers chest with his fists and blowing into her mouth with the puffed out cheeks of a blowfish.
Kai's mother made a choking sound and sat up so quickly that she crashed heads with her husband. She looked at them dazedly before turning quickly and vomiting on the floor.
"Shit," muttered his step-father laughing slightly and rubbing his head. "See no need for an ambulance."
Kai watched as his mother vomited and cried and his step-father poured himself a drink and felt numb. She had been alive and dead at the same time.
In the next room Keiko was still crying.
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When Kai woke again at one thirty-six the next day. This time his eyes opened automatically and were greeted by the view of a large white unfamiliar ceiling. He could feel the hard crust in the corner of his eye sockets and tried to lift one of his hands to rub it away. It was painful but he managed to move his arm startled slightly by the feeling of the blood inside him rush into it.
After rubbing his eyes until they hurt he blinked and stared back up at the ceiling. He had no idea where he was.
A loud beep from behind him made him jump. It was a machine. A hospital machine like the ones that they had hooked Kei up too…he was in the hospital…the beeping of the machines, the needle in his arm…
He began to panic, the beeps getting closer together and making his head ache.
The hospital. He was in the hospital. Like Kei had been when he was dying…when he had died…what was he doing in the hospital?
His breathing was heavy and loud. He pulled his arm up quickly wincing at the pain and began to run it frantically one his head.
He still had his hair. He still had his hair. It calmed him a bit. He still had his hair. His breathing began to even out a little. He still had his hair…
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Kei cried silently.
One hand gripped the bathroom sink, the other his hair brush. Both grips were white knuckle.
Kai stood on his tip toes and looked down. The kitchen sink was littered with hair.
Kei's anguish could be seen in his hunched shoulders, with the way his whole body shook with his sobs…
Kai felt guilty that all he could do was stand in the door way and watch. He didn't know what was happening. Kei had said that he was fine. He raised his own hand towards his hair and ran his fingers through it checking for bald patches.
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Kai had managed to get himself into a sitting position by the time the nurse had come to check on him. She had smiled made some small talk and then gone to find the doctor.
It was another few minutes before the doctor came walking into the room. His smile felt fake. "I'm glad to see that you have finally woken up."
Kai nodded and watched the doctor wearily. He was learning that all adults were trouble.
"So how do you feel…Kai?" asked the doctor picking up the chart from the end of the bed and reading.
"My legs won't move and my arms feel like bean bags," croaked Kai turning his gaze to the ceiling.
"Well you see sometimes when people get hurt they need to take special medicine that helps them heal…" started the doctor and Kai stopped listening. He was not five years old after all.
"Where's Keiko? Is she ok?" Kai interrupted suddenly remembering that she had been in trouble but not remembering why.
"Your sister is fine Kai, you should worry more about yourself. Your father tells me that you have been through quite an ordeal."
"My father?" asked Kai, "Where is my father?"
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Kai crept quietly into the living room hoping that everybody was already in bed. Keiko had left her favourite doll by the fire. She had been told off about it and couldn't sleep knowing it was down there.
It was quite far past his bedtime and he didn't want to get caught. He had never misbehaved in his fathers house before. He'd seen him fight with his mother and knew the man could raise a fist when needed.
He found the doll where he knew she'd left all he had to do was get upstairs with it.
"Kai?"
it was his fathers voice. Kai's heart sank and hit the floor, his father had been sitting in his chair the whole time. He wondered why his father had been sitting in the dark.
"Kai what re you doing down here? Ss'past your bedtime."
Kai froze and braced himself for a hit that didn't come.
"S'right I forgot that you didn't talk," continued his father, more to himself than Kai. He was holding a half empty glass filled with the foul smelling liquid his step-father had always drank.
"You're not like your mother. She never shut up." Kai's father sat forward on his chair staring almost straight through him. "You look like her though…same face." His father raised a hand and placed on his cheek. "Same pretty face."
Kai flinched a little , he wasn't used to tender touches.
"Your mother was a whore," his father muttered taking his hand away and knocking back the remaining contents of his glass. "She knew how to handle men…she handled me real good…"
Kai switched to hold the doll in the other hand nervously. His father was scaring him.
"Give me your hand boy," his father ordered suddenly putting his bottle back down after pouring another glass.
Kai hesitated. He wanted to run.
"Give me your hand." his father ordered again the softness gone from his voice.
Kai stepped a little closer and held out his arm closing his eyes as he did.
"I'll tell you a secret" he heard his dad say, he'd never heard his dad's voice so close before. "The way to control men…the only way a woman can use so you have to guard against it…"
Kai felt his hand being placed on something rough and hot and hard. His eyes flew open and he saw that his hand was on the crotch of his fathers trousers. He pulled his hand back roughly stumbling slightly, his eyes wide.
"Don't look at me like that!" his father shouted "Don't stare at me like that with your brothers eyes. You're not like him…you're like her…you're a whore like her…just get upstairs and go to bed! Don't let me find you out of bed again!"
Kai could hear his father shouting as he ran out of the door. He had dropped the doll but he would not go back for it.
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The doctor had done some tests and asked some questions. Telling him in a fake gentle voice that when he was feeling a little better the police wanted to have a word with him. Kai had nodded all he wanted was for the doctor to leave.
It was over an hour before he heard the commotion in the hall. The voice was familiar and after a moment he realised that it was his step mums. She must have been shouting because he could hear some of what she said quite clearly. The words "cursed" and "murderer" almost screamed so loud they shook the room.
He did not take any of what she said personally. He couldn't quite remember what he had done but he knew that it had been terrible.
Any she was pregnant and he knew that pregnant women could get quite emotional.
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"I hate you…you little bastard…you little…this new child will be nothing like you or your no good of an arse of a father! I wish that you had never been born. I wish that…Kei…I wish that you would have died instead. Why are you looking at me like that? Why can't you just die you useless, worthless worm! Eating up all of my money…your step-father tells me that you have been drinking my whiskey. You're no good you never were you…"
Kai sat at the kitchen table eating some cereal. It was a little old but it was all they had until his fathers check came through. His mother was in a bad mood, his step-father had said that it was because she was pregnant. He said that pregnant women got very emotional.
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Kai stared up at the police men sacredly. His mother and step-father had always told that the police were evil.
"My name is Captain Atwood." the largest man said, "your doctor tells us that you don't seem to remember what happened…"
Kai looked at them strangely "What happened?" he asked.
"When your step-father visited last week."
"Last week?"
"The day after your sisters birthday."
"I…"
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The door bell had been ringing for about five minutes and still his step-mother had not come down to answer it. She was probably asleep.
Kai pulled himself off the sofa throwing one last longing glance at his favourite cartoon and went to the door. He was missing his program…it had better be important.
"Hello Kai. How are you my boy?"
Kai froze.
"Can I come in? they let me out this morning and I came to see my little girl."
Kai tried to close the door but his step-father was fast and too strong.
"Now come on Kai…I just came to say hello my little girl. Be nice I just lost my wife."
Kai backed away as his step-father entered and hit the wall with a soft thud.
"Kai who's at the door?" his step-mother shouted from upstairs. Kai didn't answer. "Listen you little retard you're going to have to talk sometime or me and your father are going to have to send you to a special school!"
His step-father smiled and began to walk towards the stairs. This time Kai didn't freeze. He ran in front of his step-father and started shaking his head.
"I missed you kid," laughed his step-father ruffling his hair and turning towards the kitchen.
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The police captain looked at Kai intently as he began to tell the story of what he had just remembered..
"And did your step-mother know that there was somebody else in the house?" he asked when Kai paused.
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Kai was standing in the kitchen door way when his step-mother came storming in her belly swollen with her pregnancy.
"Kai why didn't you…who's that man behind you?"
Kai's step-father walked towards the door and smiled a wolfish smile. "Kai my boy why didn't you tell me that you had such a lovely step-mother.
Kai's step-mother's face softened a little at the compliment and she began to walk toward them..
Kai watched them both wearily and them remembered Keiko. His step-mother needed to go save Keiko. He tried to signal her but she was too busy smiling at his step-father and making her voice sound all weird and girly.
"And who is the dashing man in my kitchen?" she asked, "Are you one of Kai's teachers?"
"Me?" he asked laughing a little, "No. I'm Kai's step-father."
Her face paled and Kai knew that she had heard about who he was and what he had been in prison for.
"I'm here to see my little girl Keiko," he continued noticing her reaction with satisfaction.
Kai knew that he had to act now, he could hear the little patter of footsteps as his sister came down the stairs. He could not let his step-father get hold of her. He was sure that she would end up dead. He looked at his step-mother and shouted "Grab Keiko and run!"
She paused for a minute in shock that he had spoken and then turned to run grabbing Keiko off the stairs as she went..
"You little shit!" his step-father shouted backhanding him and knocking him to the floor, "look what you've done."
Kai saw that his step-father was going to chase them and grabbed his legs.
"What are you doing?" shouted his step-father trying to kick him off.
Kai held on tight and pulled himself up grabbing his step-fathers belt. All he could think of was what his father had said 'the way to control men.' Kai reached out his hand and began to rub the crotch of his step-fathers trousers.
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"You're step-mother escaped outside and called the police. You were left all alone with your step-father. Can you tell me what happened?"
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Kai screamed as he struggled on the floor.
"Oh now you don't want it whore?" his step-father asked trying to hold him still, Kai was so frantic that he kept on slipping out. He did quite like the way Kai was wiggling though.
Kai's throat was stretched and sore, he eyes were clogged with tears and still he would not give up. He'd had enough. Enough pain, enough everything! He doubled his efforts and for a moment he managed to pull himself free crawling quickly away, but not quick enough.
Kai's step-father grabbed his legs as he crawled and flipped him sideways painfully. He heard a loud crack as Kai's head collided with the kitchen counter, knocking off most of the food and cutlery on top. He inserted himself again crawling back on top of the boy.
Kai scrambled in the mess and was pushed forward at the weight of every thrust banging his head against the counter again and again. His hands were moving with a mind of their own trying to pick up anything that they would find. A dish cloth, a slice of bread…a knife.
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The police had left and it was early evening. Kai's doctor had been in four times since the police had gone and Kai was glad his shift was over. He wished that everyone had gone but he knew that his step-mother was still outside. He could hear her on the phone.
"No! that boy is not staying in my house anymore. He's cursed…No…you weren't there you didn't see what he did…self-defence? That doesn't excuse it…No. He'd a monster…We can keep Keiko but I will not have Kai in my house…Then make arrangements…Bye…I love you too."
He wondered where he was going to be living now. He was a monster who would want him?
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Kai didn't flinch as the police kicked the door down just held on to he knife tighter. His hand was beginning to ache. He would never put the knife down though. Never again.
The police Captain took in the scene shocked. He had been called and told that there had been a domestic disturbance. He had been told that they should hurry a violent ex-con was locked in a house with a child. He had not expected this.
Kai was kneeling on the floor holding a knife in front of him almost as if he was praying. He was almost completely covered in blood. His trousers and underwear were around his knee's. What had once been his step-father was now a bloody corpse. There had obviously been quite a struggle, the blood on the floor was smudged in circles and handprints.
The captain walked forward a little and nearly slipped in the blood, On all his years he'd never seen so much blood. Hadn't known that there was that much in one person. How many times had the child stabbed the man? He wondered. He could hear one of the other officers behind him turn and vomit into the sink.
"Son could you put the knife down," he asked, disappointed in how badly he was handling the whole thing. "You're safe now. It's ok." he started approaching Kai slowly holding onto the counter for balance. He felt like he was walking on an ice ring in normal shoes. The blood was slippery and sticky in places. He could smell the other officers vomit and wanted more than anything to escape into the fresh air and never breath the stench of so much blood again.
Kai could hear the voice but not the words. He hugged the knife closer to his body. He just wanted to rest but he couldn't. He knew that is he closed his eyes they would get him.
The Captain watched Kai pull the knife closer and panicked. What if the boy stabbed himself? He rushed forward slipping and skidding on his knee's. He could feel the blood on his trouser legs and on his hands. Suddenly he didn't care if the boy killed himself or not, he just wanted to get out, he would quit the force and never have to feel oozy stickiness of blood between his fingers again. He shook his head. They had trained him for this.
Kai looked up in time to see the strange man fall. he wanted to run but he couldn't move, he had used every last bit of energy trying to escape, all that he had was now concentrated on holding the knife as tightly as he could. The man came close and grabbed him. He wanted to cry when the knife was wrenched from his grip. He could hear his step-mother screaming as she entered the room. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.
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"Kai?"
Kai looked up to see his father walk in. He looked guilty and Kai knew that he would never see the man again. He just knew.
"Kai. Me and your step-mother have been discussing the best thing to do to you after this tragedy." He paused and sat on the edge of the bed. "We think that it is best you go away for a while. Your grandfather runs a school. He is enthusiastic that you join…they train beybladers…you like Beyblading, I know you do. He'll come and pick you up from the hospital when you are feeling a bit better and take you there."
"You aren't coming back to visit me again?" Kai asked hoping that his father would say no.
"No. I think that it is best we make a clean break. I will take good care of your sister…"
"She's not a whore." Kai said quickly remembering that she too was his mothers child.
"What?" his father asked shocked.
"She's not a whore like mum and me," Kai explained. He didn't know what a whore was really, but he knew that when he was called it bad things always happened.
"Ok." said his father wondering if Kai had gotten brain damage. He hoped not. His father had paid him allot of money to hand the boys guardianship over, he did not want to give that money back.
Kai nodded and leant back into his pillow. He wanted his father to leave now.
Kai's father stood up and looked down at his son for a moment. It would be the last time he would see him. He felt guilty about selling him…his wife was right though. The boy just seemed to be cursed. He was having another child now. He wanted the new child to have a chance.
End of Part 2
