What is this? Look! An update! Sorry for taking so incredibly long to post this. I know, it's been almost two months. Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter; you guys still rock my socks. Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-Two

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With a weary sigh, Tala stopped in front of the massive hospital structure in the busy city. The hospital's name was displayed in gilded letters across the front and there were dozens of little signs on the doors, all of which Tala ignored. It was nearing noon and he was dead tired, having not slept in about twenty-four hours. He shook his head in an effort to clear his mind and went inside.

The front desk was buzzing with incoming and outgoing people. A lady with a pair of glasses stuck in her thick, frazzled hair noticed him and motioned him to her desk.

"May I help you?" she asked primly. Tala rubbed his eyes.

"Uh, yeah… can you tell me if a Sam Hale was admitted here sometime in the past, say, twenty-four hours?"

She looked on a clipboard for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yes, in fact there was."

Tala closed his eyes briefly. He had been hoping that Sam hadn't needed to go to the hospital, even if that would make finding him that much harder.

"Can you tell me what room he's in? I mean, he's allowed visitors, right?"

She paused as she consulted her clipboard again. "Yes, he is being allowed visitors. Room number 214, down that hall right there." She pointed. Tala thanked her and went off in the general direction of her finger, using the signs on the walls to guide him. He was surprised that nobody stopped him in the hallways, considering he probably looked like he didn't belong. He found the room Sam was supposed to be in and stopped. He knocked lightly with his knuckles and upon hearing no one answer, cracked the door open.

A white curtain in the middle separated the room. There was an old man on the left of the drawn sheet, seemingly sleeping. Tala guessed that Sam was on the other side, so he tiptoed in quietly and pushed the drape back a few inches.

"Tala, what are you doing here?" Sam asked, his voice sounding remarkably clear. Tala breathed a sigh of relief and came in, walking up to Sam's bed.

"To see you, what else?" Tala's relief made him sound more irritated than he meant to. Sam didn't seem to take notice.

"I would have guessed you and Kai were long gone," Sam mused aloud. Tala shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, well, that's what I would have guessed, too."

"What do you mean?" Sam looked at him curiously. Tala pulled the only chair in the room next to the bed and sat.

"Kai's in jail," he said bluntly. Sam looked surprised.

"What the hell is he doing there? What happened to Boris and his numerous charges?"

Tala closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Boris is dead. Timid little Kai finally snapped and shot him in cold blood." He thought for a moment. "I wonder when this whole timid Kai business started. He used to be kind of harsh. Well, not exactly harsh, but authoritative, you know? I guess that's what relationships do to you, you get all soft and mushy like… overcooked spaghetti." He opened his eyes and took in the odd look Sam was giving him.

"Um… I have ADHD?"

"Right." A small smile twitched at Sam's lips. "Let's stay on subject."

Tala sighed and sat forward again. "I kind of have a plan to get Kai out pretty fast."

"Well? Let's here it."

"I don't know if it'll work, though…" Tala pursed his lips and gazed out of the window next to Sam's bed. Sam stayed silent, following Tala's absent stare. He looked back at the boy, who didn't seem to notice.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Huh?" Tala looked at him. "Um… the morning before we escaped."

"That was quite a while ago," Sam stated with an arched brow. Tala brushed it off.

"Puh-lease, I'm doing perfectly fine."

"Right. I'm sure you are." Sam smiled again. Tala yawned widely, his jaws nearly cracking.

"Anyway, how bad are your injuries?" he asked, covering his mouth.

"Oh, not too bad. I got burned a bit, but other than that, it's just cuts and bruises. I guess I was one of the lucky ones," Sam said, sounding as if he were thinking out loud. Tala sobered up considerably.

"How bad was the worst?" he asked tentatively.

"I saw a picture of Boris' body. That was probably the worst. Some of the other scientists ended up only slightly worse than me. No real casualties, if you don't count Boris himself."

Tala let out a relieved breath. "Kai should be happy to know that. He was upset that everyone was going to die in there."

"Pfft. Tell the kid that you're going to need more than a raging gas fire to kill those guys off."

Tala grinned. "Will do. I'm really glad you're okay, Sam."

"I am, too." Sam paused. "You've been with Boris ever since you were a little kid, huh?"

Tala nodded. "I remember at first it wasn't so bad because I didn't know any other way to live. After we competed at our first tournament, though, I saw all those other kids being… well, kids, I guess. That's when I realized there was life beyond those abbey walls. A better life."

Sam's eyes look saddened as he listened to Tala speak without interrupting.

"I kind of envied Kai when I was little. He nearly destroyed the whole place by launching Black Dranzer, this really powerful beyblade tainted by evil, I guess. He lost his memories about the whole place and was sent to live with his grandfather. I thought that had to be a better life, but that was before I actually knew his grandfather." Tala paused. "Now that I think about it, whatever Boris was doing to us, Kai was probably getting ten times worse from Voltaire." Tala stopped suddenly and looked at Sam. Then he blushed. "Um… I just thought you should know."

"Tala, it sounds like you have quite a story to tell," Sam said softly.

"Uh, well…"

The door on the other side of the curtain suddenly clicked open.

"Sam, are you in here?" a female voice ventured quietly. Tala looked back as Sam answered, and a young woman came in, a shy look on her face.

"Am I interrupting? I'll just wait a minute," she said, quickly stepping back. Sam looked back at Tala.

"Would it be okay if you could come back tomorrow?" he asked the redhead. "After you get some sleep."

"I guess. Sure," Tala agreed. Sam nodded.

"I can tell you just need someone to talk to, kid."

Tala broke out in a smile. Just telling Sam that tiny bit of his life had made him feel considerably lighter. He'd never really had anyone to talk to and to just get things off his chest, and Sam's offer was something he immediately treasured. He stood up.

"I'll be there. Thanks, Sam."

"No problem." Sam shifted in his bed and sighed contentedly.

"That your girlfriend?" Tala asked.

"She's a friend. A very close friend," Sam justified haughtily.

"Right." Tala slipped through the curtains and found the woman standing there, holding flowers with a card sticking amidst them. He winked at her and she smiled, a surprised look on her face. Tala headed out the door and managed to find his way back to the front without asking for directions. As he stepped out into the sunshine, he remembered that he had never told Sam about his plan to free Kai. Heading to Rei's house, where he hoped Tyson was, he felt happier than he had in a while. Confidence built in him.

It has to work. It just has to.

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Rei sat at his kitchen table, anxiously twisting a Kleenex around in his fingers. A small pile of shredded tissue sat not far from his hands. The room was very quiet, save for the soft sobs Tyson was producing every few minutes. Caleb was seated close to Rei, his eyes wide with worry for Rei's friends. Wyatt was next to Tyson, trying to console him while dealing with his own grief, but there really was nothing that could be said. There was no light in the situation whatsoever.

The tissue ripped in Rei's hands, and he sighed, placing it on top of the pile. He laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them, looking at Tyson. The longhaired boy had his head buried in his arms on the table. Wyatt took his hand away from Tyson's back and rubbed his own eyes. Caleb looked at Rei and extended a hand, his thin fingers intertwining through Rei's. Rei gave him a grateful look. When Tyson had come back with the news of what had happened to Kai right in his prison cell, the Chinese boy had been shell-shocked, then disgusted at how someone could do such a thing.

A shuddering sigh escaped Tyson's lips as he raised himself off the table slightly, dragging his weary fingers down his face. Rei and Caleb both looked at him.

"He's broken," Tyson said, his voice cracking. They knew he was talking about Kai. "They broke his spirit."

Rei hesitated. "He's strong, he'll—"

"He's strong, but he's not that strong!" Tyson yelled, slamming his fists on the table. Caleb and Wyatt both jumped. Tyson looked down at his hands as if they had betrayed him. He slipped them into his lap and gazed sadly at the floor.

"No one could come out of that unscathed," he said quietly in a pained voice. Rei stayed silent; he knew Tyson was right. People could only take so much.

"I promised I'd get him out of there," Tyson said suddenly, looking up. "I have to."

"You will," Rei assured him. "We will. He's innocent. The truth will come out."

Tyson didn't look convinced. At that moment, the doorbell rang. The cheerful bells sounded terribly out of place, and Rei winced slightly as he went to the door. Upon opening it, he found a haggard Tala leaning against the frame.

"Come inside," Rei said, looking at him as if he might fall over any minute. Tala stepped in. Tyson stood slowly, looking at him expectantly. The redhead yawned and pulled something out of the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Did you see Kai?" he asked casually. It dawned on both Tyson and Rei that Tala didn't know what had happened. When he didn't get an answer, he raised his eyebrows, slightly anxious.

"Well?" he pressed.

"Yeah, I saw him," Tyson said, his voice gaining a harsh edge. Rei took a deep breath.

"Tala, there was a man that was sharing a cell with Kai, and… he got… taken advantage of," Rei said weakly. Tala shook his head.

"What?"

"He got raped, okay?" Tyson exploded in anger. "There was a man in his cell named Cleft and he took Kai and forced himself on him! What is there not to understand?!" Tears began leaking out of his eyes.

Tala almost dropped whatever he was holding in his hands at Tyson's outburst. His face swiftly took on an appalled expression, genuine shock and disbelief in his eyes.

"You had better not be kidding me," Tala said after he overcame his initial shock.

"Why the hell would I?" Tyson's voice broke and he sank back in his chair, crying into his hands. Tala looked at Rei in distress, but he shook his head helplessly. Caleb moved closer to Tyson in an effort to show comfort and Wyatt joined him.

"My God," Tala breathed, his eyes distantly taking in the scene before him as his mind wandered. For some reason, he was clearly remembering the time at Biovolt when Kai had been throwing things and yelling at him. They had wrestled on the bed after Tala had had enough with the random objects being thrown at his head, and Kai had bested him once again. He bit his lip as he thought about Kai now.

You can throw whatever the hell you want at me, just please be all right… no one should have to go through that. He sighed deeply.

"I have to get him out of there!" Tyson said, his voice nearly a wail. Tala snapped himself back to attention and walked to the table, laying down a videocassette.

"I went back to Biovolt today," he stated.

"How'd you manage that? The place is sealed off with police tape," Rei put in, looking at him questioningly.

"I didn't say it was easy." Tala glanced around. "But it was the only thing I could think of that would get Kai out of prison fast. The rooms were all being monitored, so I snuck into the control room and took the latest tape. It has Kai and Boris' entire confrontation on it, beginning to end."

Tyson looked up, his moist eyes wide. "All of it?"

"Yep. All the other tapes are there, too, so they can completely uncover what Boris was doing. And that'll prove that Kai killing Boris was in self-defense. If Boris wasn't already dead, he'd be in jail for life." Tala brushed back his hair with a weary hand as Tyson sprang out of his chair.

"I'm going down there right now," he said, snatching up the tape and heading for the door.

"I'm coming with you!" Wyatt said hastily. Rei paused, a troubled expression clouding his features.

"I think I'll stay here," he said slowly, not exactly sure that Kai would be overjoyed to see him. Tala trailed after Wyatt. Tyson stopped for a moment.

"Um, thanks for everything, Rei. I'll call you later and let you know what happens." Tyson apparently agreed with Rei's decision not to come. Rei nodded, forcing a reassuring smile to his lips. Tyson turned back around and left with Wyatt and Tala at his heels. Rei shut the door after them and sighed. Caleb watched him with large eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He walked over to Caleb and sat down next to him. As Caleb snuggled up to his side, Rei's mind began to wander.

"I wonder how Kai feels about me, now…"

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Kai dangled his fingers in front of his face, watching them aimlessly. After a moment, he closed his eyes with a sigh, dropping his hands. He leaned his head back against the wall, his bangs falling away from his face. A few hours had passed since Tyson had come and gone, but it felt like much longer. Opening his eyes slightly, he tilted his head and gazed through the bars.

I deserve this. I killed someone in cold blood.

He let out a slight grunt of pain as he shifted his position and sat cross-legged. Looking down at the floor, he absently traced imaginary shapes with his index finger. He didn't want to think. Thinking always led up to the same thing: terrible feelings of guilt and remorse. A huge sense of loss weighed heavily on his shoulders. Kai shook his head.

This is how things are, now. There's no sense in brooding over what could have been.

He sighed again and brushed his hair back. Resting his cheek against the back of his hand, he closed his eyes. Off in the distance, he could hear some kind of ruckus going on near the front desk. It sounded like someone was demanding something, quite obnoxiously. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were being loud, nonetheless. The sounds echoed off the walls, making them seem more ominous.

"Just watch the damn tape!"

Kai's eyes opened slowly as his brows knitted together. That voice had sounded an awful lot like Tyson. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. That was impossible. Tyson had no business here, besides him, maybe. He heard an agitated snarl come from someone before the noise died down. Some footsteps, and then it was quiet. He heard a door opening and closing. Humming gloomily to himself, he looked down again. After a moment he closed his eyes.

A loud sound jerked him awake. He shook away the sleepy haze that clouded his mind and looked through the bars. Two guards were walking down the hall, coming closer to his cell. He stretched his stiff joints and yawned before rubbing his eyes, thinking that they'd walk right past him. He was surprised when they stopped in front of him. He heard the clinking of keys as one of them unlocked the door.

"Get up," the other one said bluntly. Kai gave him a look.

"Why?"

"Just get up," the one with the keys said irritably, pulling the bars open. Kai sighed and pushed himself up with a wince. He was instructed to turn around, and he obeyed without saying anything. He felt the cold metal of handcuffs being clasped around his wrists. The guard led him out in the hall while the other shut the door and then led the way to the front.

"Where're you taking me?" Kai asked. One of them grunted, but didn't give an answer. They reached the front desk and Kai had his second surprise when they removed the cuffs. One of them went behind the desk and pushed a clipboard in front of him.

"Sign here," he ordered. Kai shook his head.

"What is it?"

"Your release papers."

Kai's jaw dropped. "My release papers?"

"We have proof that you didn't murder Boris Balkov; it was done in self-defense. We had to hold you here until we had the proper evidence. Now, we do, so sign here." He shoved a pen in Kai's hand. Kai looked at him in disbelief. There was so much he wanted to ask, but he picked up the clipboard, scanned the paper, and then signed his name at the bottom. The board was snatched out of his hands and glared at critically. He clicked the pen shut and left it on the table.

"Lead him out," he said gruffly, turning around and heading in the other direction. Kai looked at the other man, who beckoned him to follow. They went down to a heavy metal door. The man unlocked it and stood aside, pulling it open.

"You're free to go. Hopefully, I'll never see you again."

Kai let out his breath slowly. He was shocked beyond all reason. He felt like laughing and crying at the same time, but he left his face blank as he stepped outside. Finding himself in what served as a lobby, he suffered yet another shock when he heard someone call his name.

"Kai!"

He shut his eyes, struggling against the tears that threatened to trickle down his face. This had to be some kind of dream; it was too good to be true. He turned around and through his blurred vision saw Tyson for one instant before the boy all but jumped on top of him. His mind shut down as he felt Tyson envelop him in a crushing embrace, his strong arms firmly managing to keep him from staggering backwards after being jumped upon. Tyson was talking breathlessly, but Kai couldn't even make out one word of his nonsensical jabber. It didn't matter, though, because Kai had a pretty good idea of what he was saying.

"Oh my God, I never want to be apart from you again!" Tyson declared, looking at Kai with sparkling eyes. Kai was still a little hesitant, thinking about what Cleft had done. He brought his face close to Tyson's, worry evident in his eyes.

"Tyson," he whispered, so only the other boy could hear. "I… what about what happened to me?" Do you still want me around? Can you stand the sight of me after your joy wears off?

The other boy shook his head, his bangs swinging as he loosened his grip slightly. "I'd understand if you didn't want me to touch you at all."

Kai's breath caught in his throat and it was at that moment that he realized he had never cherished a person the way he did Tyson in his entire life. No one had ever treated him the way he did. No one had ever seen past his façade and dug deeper to really get to know the person hidden under layers of barriers and blockades. No one had ever cared enough to. Kai closed his eyes tightly, securely wrapping his arms around Tyson's neck. He felt Tyson's arms slide to his waist, holding him comfortingly. He couldn't find the words to express his gratitude, so he kept silent. Tyson didn't seem to mind.

After a moment, he let go, dropping his hands down by his sides. He didn't fancy the idea of staying inside this building much longer. Tyson turned around and for the first time, Kai noticed Wyatt and Tala standing near the door. Wyatt had a brilliant smile on his face and Tala's lips were curled in a grin. Kai tilted his head, looking up at Tyson, who took his hand and walked to the door beside him.

"Oh, Kai," Wyatt said, giving him a gentle hug. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"I'm sorry for everything," Kai said sincerely in a soft voice. Wyatt shook his head, cutting him off. He held the door open for them, his eyes content. Kai took a deep breath and looked at Tala as they walked down to Tyson's car.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Tala scowled.

"What the hell do you mean, what am I doing here? I came to see if you were okay and all. Bastard."

"Thanks, Tala," Kai said, looking into his icy blue eyes. "Really, thank you. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Yeah. Just don't get too used to this," Tala yawned as he walked to the other side of the car. Tyson came up behind Kai and put a hand on his shoulder. Kai turned his face towards him and found his lips against Tyson's. He closed his eyes, slowly opening them again after Tyson pulled away.

"It's been way too long since I last did that," he said with a smile, opening the passenger door for Kai. Kai smiled back and touched his cheek before sliding into the seat. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes again with a sigh. Tala was nearly asleep in the backseat.

Tyson got inside and twisted the key in the ignition. He checked the mirror and backed out slowly, glancing at Kai out of the corner of his eye. He faced forward after a moment, deciding not to badger him during the ride. He turned on some soft music, a small smile spreading on his lips. Wyatt leaned forward, sticking his head between the seats.

"Hey, Tyson. You'd better take care of Kai from now on," Wyatt whispered as to not wake him up. Tyson laughed softly.

"Don't you ever make him cry," Tala mumbled from the back, his words slurring together in his state of near slumber. His eyes stayed closed as he shifted his position, his breathing becoming soft and regulated.

Tyson's eyes stayed on the road ahead, just content to be sitting next to Kai. "I won't. That's a promise."

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TBC

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Urgh. Sorry for such a lame/sappy-ish ending. You don't know how happy I am that Kai and Tyson are together again! It's so much easier to write that way. ;D Anyway, I was thinking I could've made this the last chapter, but I have just a bit more planned. Sorry for such a long wait! You guys are still there… right?