Title: Golden Blood
Subtitle: New beginnings
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kai/Rei
Abandoned warehouse and Balkov Abbey, Moscow, 2008
"Wake up." Kai toed Tala where the boy laid on a mattress tossed in a corner of his 'home'. When he had first arrived in Moscow, he had found an abandoned government warehouse and took it over. A few nights of hunting had convinced the lawless and the desperate to seek shelter elsewhere.
Tala woke and winced, as he sat up. A bag from a local restaurant landed beside him. "Eat. Then get up, we are going to the Abbey. I want to meet Boris." Tala watched the vampire walked away. "You'd think after spending two days screwing my brains out, you could be more polite." Tala grumbled as he picked up the bag and opened it, inside were two sandwiches; reaching in he pulled out a thick roast beef sandwich, the smell of horseradish set his mouth to watering, and he quickly took a bite.
Without turning, Kai said over his shoulder. "Politeness gets you nowhere. Revenge is the only thing that matters."
"Whatever." Tala mumbled with his mouth full. Kai ignored him. Shrugging, Tala finished his first sandwich and pulled out the second one. Five minutes later, he was stuffing the paper wrappings back in the bag and standing up. He stretched and hissed at stiff muscles. He wished he could shower and brush his teeth, but he'd attend to those things back at the Abbey. He combed his hair with his fingers, and sighed, it would have to do. Turning, he faced Kai.
"I'm . . .Uuff!" Air was driven from his lungs, as he was snatched up and thrown over a shoulder. As his surroundings began to blur, he squeezed his eyes shut, and prayed that they wouldn't travel all the way to the Abbey at the run, or he just might lose his lunch.
"Egor, this is the security room, 'Ice' is on the move, I repeat, 'Ice' is on the move, and headed your way. And he's still pissed. Suggest you and Maksim make yourselves scarce." Egor sighed, "Acknowledged, Gyorgy. We will follow your suggestion. ETA?"
Gyorgy checked the clock, "four minutes." "Acknowledged, Egor out." The man pushed his microphone out of the way, and turned to his companion. "Ice' is still on the rampage, we've got four minutes to clear the hall." Maskim nodded, "I'll tell everyone on this end of the hall to stay in their quarters. You take the other end." "Right." The two men headed in opposite directions, pounding on doors and issuing orders.
Maskim pounded on a black door with a cooper nameplate emblazoned, 'Spencer.' And exchanged a few words with the large blonde who opened the door. Then, he continued down the hall.
Closing his door, Spencer turned and went back to where he and Ian had been playing cards on a vinyl topped card table. "Bryan's on his way back, I guess fighting the whole reserve team alone, hasn't calmed him down any." He said as he sat back down and took up his hand.
"Eh!" Ian cackled, "I told Osip to leave Bry alone, but noooo, he had just had to issue a challenge and get the whole team involved." Ian stared at his hand and then growled, "Pass. Anyway, "he continued, as Spencer swapped a nine of diamonds for the jack of spades laying on the board. "I wonder how bad Bry kicked their asses?"
Spencer shrugged, "Don't know, don't care, its' your turn, I pass. How about playing something I can use."
"Not a chance, Whale. I'm finally gonna win a hand of this game." Ian grinned, as he swapped a three of clubs for the diamond and laid his whole hand down. "Read them and weep, Spencer! A four card straight and a three of a kind! Thanks for the nine!" Spencer glared at the smirking snake.
"Dork. Shut up and deal."
"We're here." Tala cursed the amusement he heard in the vampire's voice. "Bastard." He moaned, as he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. "Human." Kai countered, "what's the matter, wolf. Was the trip too much for you?"
"I think," Tala growled, as he stood up. "That it was a bad idea to invite you to join this place, no matter what the higher ups say."
"Too late for second thoughts, pretty wolf. You promised to train me to beat my grandfather, and train me you shall, or, now what was that name you moaned in your sleep?" Kai smirked at the apprehensive look in Tala's eyes. "I remember now." He snapped his fingers, "Bryan." Tala trembled as cold fingers stroked his cheek, and Kai leaned in very close, the coldness of his skin ghosting over the redhead's lips. "Teach me everything you know, Tala, or I promise you your Bryan will die a very painful death. And you will have to watch."
Smirking coldly, Kai shoved the boy away, and pointed toward the doors of the Abbey. "Lead me to Boris, now!" He commanded. Not bothering to hide the hate in his eyes, Tala turned from the bluenette to go to the door, and pounded on it. He barely had time to lower his fist before the door sprang open, and a guard stood in the entryway. "Tala, it's about time, you got back! 'Ice' is terrorizing everyone; he can get his hands on! He just thrashed the reserve team, and shattered their blades!" The man reached to haul the redhead inside, when a cold hand gripped his uniform front.
"Whoever 'Ice' is, he can wait. Tala will be taking me to Boris. Now get out of the way." The guard swallowed hard, as two crimson eyes bore into his; he turned ashen and nodded weakly and stepped aside.
Ignoring him, Kai swept into the building, striding like a conqueror intent on claiming his prize. Tala followed; his eyes hard. 'Someway, somehow, I'll bring you down.' he promised himself, hurrying to catch up with Kai.
"Unless you know where you're going, I suggest you follow me!" The redhead snapped, as he caught up with the vampire at the foot of the grand staircase. Smirking, Kai bowed, and motioned for Tala to take the lead, "Of course. After all, I am a guest here.
Tala snarled, and headed passed the stairs, heading for the back of the Abbey. Kai followed calmly, his crimson eyes took in every detail, as they moved deeper into the place he would be calling home for awhile.
Bryan prowled the passages of the Abbey, ignoring the cameras that followed his every move. Behind him, he left the shattered remains of four practice blades and four shivering opponents.
"Christ, I hate, when Tala's gone. When he's around, that one," Gyorgy nodded at the screen, showing Bryan stalking down a hallway. "Is crazy, but when the redhead is away, he's insane." The other men nodded.
"Has everyone been alerted that he's on his way?" Another man asked.
"Yeah, and if you had been listening, you would know that! Besides, if they're stupid enough to be around when he gets there, then they'll get a lesson on why its' not good to go brain dead, when he's angry." The first speaker replied. The other men agreed and went back to scanning the monitors.
Boris looked up at the knock on his office door. "Come." The door opened, and Boris blinked as an angry eyed Tala stormed in followed by Voltaire's grandson, Kai. The redhead stomped over to the far wall, where he reached up into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka, snatching up a glass, the redhead poured himself a stiff shot and downed it in one gulp. Rising, Boris frowned, but turned his attention to the other 'boy'.
His dark eyes swept over the lithe body. Kai stood arrogantly in front of him, smirking as he allowed Boris to walk around him. 'Hmm, he's in excellent shape, so we won't have to waste time building up his physique. Now, if he's as smart as Dickenson thinks he is, we should have an excellent prospect here.'
Going back to his desk, he sat down and gestured for Kai to sit as well. The young vampire sat and casually crossed his legs at the ankles. "Well, Kai, has Tala told you everything?" Boris began, as he ignored Tala's snort of derision in the background.
"He was most helpful." The suggestive tone of Kai's voice made the older man cringe. Boris darted a quick look at his prize student, and noted the deadly look Tala was directing at the vampire. 'So, Tala hates him; that's a change from his eagerness to find him before, I wonder what happened between them. Oh, well, I'll find out when Tala reports. But, judging from Tala's look, Kai is going to find his stay here even more treacherous than I think he knows; because where Tala leads, the others follow.'
"So, you are willing to be trained here, then?"
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here." Kai said coldly, "but I'm only willing to do so, because your wolf promised that I'd be able to get my revenge on my grandfather, if I do." Kai's voice was pure venom.
Boris glared at the youth. "You'll get it, but only if you're willing to 'pretend' to have seen the errors of your ways and are willing work for him! Is your 'revenge' that important?"
Neither the man nor, the redheaded youth that had come to stand by the Abbey head missed the bleak look that flicked across the vampire's face. "Yes."
"Very well, I'll arrange for you to meet with D. J. Jazzman, who will explain things to you further, before you meet with your grandfather. In the meantime, you will train under Tala and take his orders." Boris ignored the narrow-eyed look Kai gave him. Tala smirked at the bluenette, who knew that his new 'trainer' was going to enjoy ordering him around.
"For now." The vampire said, to the wolf; who nodded his understanding. Kai would submit because it furthered his agenda, but the second it no longer did so, his obedience would be a thing of the past. And there would be a reckoning for that obedience.
Boris reached out, flicked a button on his desk's intercom box and barked into it. "Timofey, come here! " A voice answered, and Boris leaned back in his chair and regarded Kai through slightly narrowed eyes. "The guard will take you to your room. You will adhere to all the rules and as for your 'meals'. ALL occupants of the Abbey are off limits! We will make arrangements for you." He leaned forward and ignored the spark of anger in gleaming crimson depths. "I was told you were intelligent, are you going to prove that by accepting, or are you going to throw away what may be your only chance at revenge?"
"I accept your conditions." Kai gritted through clenched teeth. "I will need my coffin."
"Of course, tell me where it is and I'll have it retrieved." Boris leaned back, as the door opened and a tall guard stepped inside, bowing. "Sir."
"Timofey, this is Kai, he is a new trainee. I want him put in room six, level four." Boris said, as he picked up a pen and looked at Kai. "It's in the warehouse on Trioka Street. Down by the marble bridge that end with the horse statues."
"We'll have it within the hour." Boris said, writing down the directions. He looked up, and motioned to the guard, "Go with him." Kai rose and headed toward the guard. Tala made to follow, but stopped, when Boris spoke again. "Tala, stay here I want to speak with you." The redhead turned to face his mentor.
Timofey looked at Kai, then turned without a word. He led Kai from the room. The silent guard led the bluenette up the hall to a flight of stairs, then up those for two flights, then he turned left and went down three doors, before stopping in front of one. Opening the door, he pointed and Kai entered. "Stay here." Kai turned as the door closed.
"Not likely." He muttered, and opening the door went exploring.
The hallways leading to and from the special dorm for the Demolition Boys and the reserve team were empty of guards and bladers, alike. "Looks like the word is out." Bryan thought humorlessly. He well knew that when he was in what everyone considered a 'dangerous mood', only Boris, Voltaire and a few well chosen guards, and of course Tala, would come anywhere near him. Everyone else kept as far away from him as they could get and still be in the Abbey.
Tala.
His redheaded lover was the reason for this recent rampage. It had been three days, since Tala had left to chase down Voltaire's grandson, and there had been no word from him in all that time. "Where is he? I swear, if that bastard has done anything to him, I'll . . ."
"You'll what?"
Bryan turned slowly to find himself staring into a pair of crimson eyes.
"You!"
Kai smirked at the boy, who stood glaring at him. "I believe I asked you something?" He drawled. Bryan's eyes narrowed and he glared hatefully at the youth leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed on his chest.
"Where's Tala? You had better not have hurt him." Bryan hissed, his hands curling into fists. Languidly, Kai stretched and straightened up from the wall, a devilish look entered his eyes and he flowed over to stand in front of Bryan, so close their chests nearly touched.
"Ah, yes, Tala. "Kai whispered, "I must compliment you on your taste. He is delicious, so warm and wanton. I thoroughly enjoyed him." A cruel smile crossed Kai's lips. "I wonder," he purred, "if he screamed my name louder, than he ever cried yours."
Enraged by that smile, Bryan swung at the vampire's sneering face. Kai easily caught the angry youth's fist in his hand and began to apply pressure, slowly driving Bryan to his knees. "Come, come, you'll have to do better than that, if you plan on fighting me." He mocked, grabbing Bry by his hair.
Causally, Kai pulled the boy's head back and bared his fangs. Unafraid, Bryan glared at him. Kai smirked and lowered his head to press his fangs to the falcons' jugular. Bryan didn't even trembled, impressed by his lack of fear, Kai withdrew his fangs, and licked the boy's pale throat. "Remember the feel of my fangs, Little Falcon." Kai whispered; gazing into narrowed silver eyes. "And remember, I could have killed you." He pushed Bryan away from him, straightened and turned to walk away.
From behind him, a hoarse voice snarled, "You should have, I won't forget this."
Five Flowers clothing shop and BBA Office, Hong Kong, 2008
Rei stood nervously twisting back and forth in front of a full-length mirror. It had been a long time, since he could afford a new outfit and he wanted to make a good impression on his benefactor, the mysterious Mr. Dickenson.
The outfit consisted of a pair of blue pants gathered at the ankles, a form fitting red sleeveless tee and a white over tunic with blue closures and yellow piping, and the whole thing was cinched down with a red sash. On his feet were new black cloth shoes. The only discord was the dingy binding confining his hair and his faded bandanna.
"You look fine, little one. Don't be so critical of yourself. Now, you need just a couple of things to make everything perfect." A tiny wizen Chinese woman appeared at his side, and set down a stool. "Sit." She ordered softly. Puzzled, Rei sat down, and the elderly woman stood behind him, she reached out and pulled the binding from his hair, and removed the bandanna that held his bangs back.
Reaching to the side, the woman came up with a tortoise shelled comb, which she used to comb through Rei's shining mass of hair, when she was satisfied that she had his hair flowing smoothly; she gathered the heavy locks and swiftly bound them with a new white binding. Then, she wrapped a red silk bandanna around Rei's head. "Now, young one, you are perfect." Rei could only stare at the image that reflected back at him; it had been so long since he'd look like this.
Gently, the old lady pulled the dazed boy away from the mirror. The aged female led him over to a tiny stand that held a teapot and two cups. Rei gave an appreciative sniff; it had been a long time since he could afford tea of this quality.
The woman gave him a smile, then lifted the pot and poured some tea into each of the tiny cups. Picking one up, she presented it to Rei with both hands and a tiny bow.
Politely, the neko-jin bowed and accepted the tea. He waited for the elderly lady to take her own cup up and take the first sip. Wise ebony eyes twinkled at him over the rim of the cup, as she barely wet her lips before lowering the cup. Rei sipped delicately, savoring every drop of the fragrant brew.
"I wish you well on your journey." The elderly face was calm, but the voice conveyed many meanings. Rei lowered his cup and stared at her. "Journey?"
The bird like fingers of one dry, wrinkled hand gently caressed his wrist. "Yes, little one, you begin a long journey back to where you belong. But, be wary for the way will be treacherous." She withdrew her hand and reaching under the table pulled out a square box wrapped in red paper: which she handed Rei. Her dark eyes grew solemn as Rei took it from her.
At her encouraging nod, he opened it and gasped. Inside, in a neat row were six red silk bandannas with black and white Yin/Yang symbols printed on the front. Flanking them were six long narrow strips of cotton cloth- exactly what he needed to bind his hair, three in white and three in dark blue.
"Ancient one?" His eyes flew to her face and again she smiled at him. "A gift for you, child. Now, little one, go from this place of forgotten dreams and listen to your spirit; let it guide you in the coming days."
Speechless, Rei could only bow repeatedly, as he backed toward the shop's door. The last thing he heard, before the door closed was, "remember, listen to your spirit."
Rei gazed up at the concrete and glass building that house the BBA offices in Hong Kong. In his right hand, he nervously clutched the precious piece of paper that would grant him entrance to the office of the man, who had given him money and a small measure of hope.
'At least,' he thought, as he headed for the glass doors, 'I don't have to be worried about what I look like.' He sidestepped a pair of girls coming out the doors and slipped in behind them. Just before the door closed, Rei overheard one of the girl's say, "Gods, what a hottie! I wonder . . ." As the tips of his ears turned pink, Rei was grateful he hadn't heard the end of whatever she was saying.
He glanced around as he headed for the desk with a sign overhead proclaiming 'Receptionist'. The building on the inside was large and airy with creamy marble floors and expensive artwork on the walls. Planters with small trees dotted the foyer's corners and thickly brown cushioned benches provided seating.
Approaching the desk, he spoke hesitantly, "Excuse me." The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled. "Yes?"
"My name is Kon, Rei and I'm here to see Mr. Dickenson." He handed over the paper and the woman took it and read it before handing it back. "Just a moment, please." She said, and turned to a phone.
Rei sighed, and waited patiently, while she spoke to someone. Hanging up the phone, the black-haired woman smiled up at him. "Mr. Kon, if you will go to the elevator." She pointed to a pair of steel doors to the right. "Just get on and to the eighth floor. Mr. Dickenson is waiting for you."
"Thank you." He said, softly and headed across the floor to the elevator. The ride up seemed to last forever, though in reality it only took a few seconds. The door opened onto a hallway that contained a single door. Walking down the hall, he paused outside the door and breathed a quick prayer to the Ancestors, and pushed it open.
Inside, he found an enormous room with several doors, under his feet was a warm russet colored rug and along one wall and in the center of the room was several brown leather chairs to sit in. The walls were painted a color that was more yellow than orange. He was distracted from further perusing the room by the sound of a door opening. A young woman emerged from a side room with several folders in her hand.
"Oh!" She hurried over to a desk, that Rei hadn't noticed on entering and dropped her burden, then she turned to him. "Can I help you?" Her bright green eyes flicked over him and her smile was decidedly wicked. Rei flushed. "I-I'm here to see Mr. Dickenson." He said softly.
"Ah, Mr. Kon. Yes, of course, he was hoping you'd come. Follow me, please." She turned and led him down all the way to the end of a short corridor. Pausing at the door, she motioned for Rei to stay where he was, and knocked; then she opened the door and entered. A moment later, she stepped out and holding the door, said. "You may go in, now."
Bowing, Rei brushed passed her and entered. Stopping just inside the door, he bowed politely to the man, who stood in front of the window looking at him. "Ah, my boy, I'm so glad you came, please have a seat." Mr. Dickinson gestured to a black leather chair in front of his desk.
Rei crossed the room to take the indicated seat, ignoring the decor that was much like the room outside. "I want to thank you for the money, Mr. Dickenson." He began, but the older man waved his thanks away. "Not at all, my boy, it was nothing." The portly man eased his bulk in the chair behind the desk and sighed.
"Please excuse my getting right to the point, Rei. But, something has come up that requires my attention, so I'd like to settle this matter today. I had hoped to have a nice long chat with you about my plans for the new team Shaiming's note told you about. But, that's not possible at the moment, so I'll just give you an overview of what I have planned. Is that all right?" He paused and gazed at the boy across the desk.
'He certainly has grown up well, I never dreamed when I saw him all those years ago, just how important he'd become to the destruction of Biovolt. And that photo certainly didn't do him justice; Kai is sure to become enamored with him all over again.' He thought, as Rei assured him that that would be fine with him.
"Good. Well, as the note said, I intend to create and have trained a team that I feel will be able to take on the Demolition Boys in the World Championships next fall. I would like to offer you a position on the team and along with that position, you will receive a monthly allowance of two thousand dollars, plus free room and board at any BBA facility and all your medical and dental requirements will be paid for."
Rei swallowed hard. "That's very generous of you, Mr. Dickenson. But, are you sure I'm worth it? And who will be the other members of the team?" He inquired.
"Rei, if I didn't think you were worth it, I wouldn't make the offer. As for the others, I haven't approached them, yet. The three I have in mind are all training in various other facilities and I need to speak to them, but I can assure you that they are all top-notch bladers. Besides, " the old vampire played a card, he hoped would tip the scales in his favor. "What have you got to lose?"
Rei nodded, Mr. Dickenson was right, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, if he accepted. It would be a relief to not have to worry about having enough to eat, or a safe place to sleep. Deep inside, certainty grew that this was the right thing to do, so he nodded again. "I'd be honored to join your team."
"Excellent, my boy, excellent! I'll have my secretary bring the necessary papers in to sign, and then I'll have someone take you to the housing complex. And I'll arrange for your first month's allowance to be delivered to your new room, tomorrow, along with a training schedule" Mr. D beamed at him.
Rei sat watched in amazement, as the man summoned his secretary and someone to take him to the housing complex, and explained all the paperwork to him in just a matter of moments. Mr. Dickenson smiled with satisfaction as Rei signed the paperwork that would make him a member of the new team. As the boy shoved the papers back at him, bright golden eyes suddenly shone with a question.
"Yes, Rei?"
"What will the team be called?"
"The Bladebreakers."
"The Bladebreakers." Rei tasted the words; they sounded good and more importantly felt good. He smiled, "I like it."
Mr. Dickenson smiled, but before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and a shock of blue hair peered around it. "Mr. Dickenson, you wanted me to take someone over to the complex?"
"Yes. Gianni, I'd like for you to meet Rei Kon." The two youths nodded to each other. "Take him over and tell Drew to assign him one of the rooms with a good view of the bay."
Gianni saluted, "Yes, sir!" He motioned for Rei to follow him, and the Chinese looked questioningly at his benefactor and now, mentor. Mr. D smiled gently at him. "Go on, Rei. We'll talk again, I'm sure. For now, just go and get settled in and take care." He waved the boy away, and watched benevolently as Rei bowed and hurried off. "Goodbye, Bladebreaker." He said quietly, as the door closed.
For several seconds, he stared at the door, then he leaned back in his chair and smiled in satisfaction. "The pieces are starting to come together. Now, to deal with Kai." He reached for the phone and dialed, seconds later, he spoke.
"D. J., it's time you took a little trip to Russia."
Man, it took forever to write this, so I'm sorry for the long wait, and I promise I'm working on 'I'm a father.' Things are just a little hectic for me, right now.
Do, tell me, if this bites or not.
Subtitle: New beginnings
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kai/Rei
Abandoned warehouse and Balkov Abbey, Moscow, 2008
"Wake up." Kai toed Tala where the boy laid on a mattress tossed in a corner of his 'home'. When he had first arrived in Moscow, he had found an abandoned government warehouse and took it over. A few nights of hunting had convinced the lawless and the desperate to seek shelter elsewhere.
Tala woke and winced, as he sat up. A bag from a local restaurant landed beside him. "Eat. Then get up, we are going to the Abbey. I want to meet Boris." Tala watched the vampire walked away. "You'd think after spending two days screwing my brains out, you could be more polite." Tala grumbled as he picked up the bag and opened it, inside were two sandwiches; reaching in he pulled out a thick roast beef sandwich, the smell of horseradish set his mouth to watering, and he quickly took a bite.
Without turning, Kai said over his shoulder. "Politeness gets you nowhere. Revenge is the only thing that matters."
"Whatever." Tala mumbled with his mouth full. Kai ignored him. Shrugging, Tala finished his first sandwich and pulled out the second one. Five minutes later, he was stuffing the paper wrappings back in the bag and standing up. He stretched and hissed at stiff muscles. He wished he could shower and brush his teeth, but he'd attend to those things back at the Abbey. He combed his hair with his fingers, and sighed, it would have to do. Turning, he faced Kai.
"I'm . . .Uuff!" Air was driven from his lungs, as he was snatched up and thrown over a shoulder. As his surroundings began to blur, he squeezed his eyes shut, and prayed that they wouldn't travel all the way to the Abbey at the run, or he just might lose his lunch.
"Egor, this is the security room, 'Ice' is on the move, I repeat, 'Ice' is on the move, and headed your way. And he's still pissed. Suggest you and Maksim make yourselves scarce." Egor sighed, "Acknowledged, Gyorgy. We will follow your suggestion. ETA?"
Gyorgy checked the clock, "four minutes." "Acknowledged, Egor out." The man pushed his microphone out of the way, and turned to his companion. "Ice' is still on the rampage, we've got four minutes to clear the hall." Maskim nodded, "I'll tell everyone on this end of the hall to stay in their quarters. You take the other end." "Right." The two men headed in opposite directions, pounding on doors and issuing orders.
Maskim pounded on a black door with a cooper nameplate emblazoned, 'Spencer.' And exchanged a few words with the large blonde who opened the door. Then, he continued down the hall.
Closing his door, Spencer turned and went back to where he and Ian had been playing cards on a vinyl topped card table. "Bryan's on his way back, I guess fighting the whole reserve team alone, hasn't calmed him down any." He said as he sat back down and took up his hand.
"Eh!" Ian cackled, "I told Osip to leave Bry alone, but noooo, he had just had to issue a challenge and get the whole team involved." Ian stared at his hand and then growled, "Pass. Anyway, "he continued, as Spencer swapped a nine of diamonds for the jack of spades laying on the board. "I wonder how bad Bry kicked their asses?"
Spencer shrugged, "Don't know, don't care, its' your turn, I pass. How about playing something I can use."
"Not a chance, Whale. I'm finally gonna win a hand of this game." Ian grinned, as he swapped a three of clubs for the diamond and laid his whole hand down. "Read them and weep, Spencer! A four card straight and a three of a kind! Thanks for the nine!" Spencer glared at the smirking snake.
"Dork. Shut up and deal."
"We're here." Tala cursed the amusement he heard in the vampire's voice. "Bastard." He moaned, as he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. "Human." Kai countered, "what's the matter, wolf. Was the trip too much for you?"
"I think," Tala growled, as he stood up. "That it was a bad idea to invite you to join this place, no matter what the higher ups say."
"Too late for second thoughts, pretty wolf. You promised to train me to beat my grandfather, and train me you shall, or, now what was that name you moaned in your sleep?" Kai smirked at the apprehensive look in Tala's eyes. "I remember now." He snapped his fingers, "Bryan." Tala trembled as cold fingers stroked his cheek, and Kai leaned in very close, the coldness of his skin ghosting over the redhead's lips. "Teach me everything you know, Tala, or I promise you your Bryan will die a very painful death. And you will have to watch."
Smirking coldly, Kai shoved the boy away, and pointed toward the doors of the Abbey. "Lead me to Boris, now!" He commanded. Not bothering to hide the hate in his eyes, Tala turned from the bluenette to go to the door, and pounded on it. He barely had time to lower his fist before the door sprang open, and a guard stood in the entryway. "Tala, it's about time, you got back! 'Ice' is terrorizing everyone; he can get his hands on! He just thrashed the reserve team, and shattered their blades!" The man reached to haul the redhead inside, when a cold hand gripped his uniform front.
"Whoever 'Ice' is, he can wait. Tala will be taking me to Boris. Now get out of the way." The guard swallowed hard, as two crimson eyes bore into his; he turned ashen and nodded weakly and stepped aside.
Ignoring him, Kai swept into the building, striding like a conqueror intent on claiming his prize. Tala followed; his eyes hard. 'Someway, somehow, I'll bring you down.' he promised himself, hurrying to catch up with Kai.
"Unless you know where you're going, I suggest you follow me!" The redhead snapped, as he caught up with the vampire at the foot of the grand staircase. Smirking, Kai bowed, and motioned for Tala to take the lead, "Of course. After all, I am a guest here.
Tala snarled, and headed passed the stairs, heading for the back of the Abbey. Kai followed calmly, his crimson eyes took in every detail, as they moved deeper into the place he would be calling home for awhile.
Bryan prowled the passages of the Abbey, ignoring the cameras that followed his every move. Behind him, he left the shattered remains of four practice blades and four shivering opponents.
"Christ, I hate, when Tala's gone. When he's around, that one," Gyorgy nodded at the screen, showing Bryan stalking down a hallway. "Is crazy, but when the redhead is away, he's insane." The other men nodded.
"Has everyone been alerted that he's on his way?" Another man asked.
"Yeah, and if you had been listening, you would know that! Besides, if they're stupid enough to be around when he gets there, then they'll get a lesson on why its' not good to go brain dead, when he's angry." The first speaker replied. The other men agreed and went back to scanning the monitors.
Boris looked up at the knock on his office door. "Come." The door opened, and Boris blinked as an angry eyed Tala stormed in followed by Voltaire's grandson, Kai. The redhead stomped over to the far wall, where he reached up into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka, snatching up a glass, the redhead poured himself a stiff shot and downed it in one gulp. Rising, Boris frowned, but turned his attention to the other 'boy'.
His dark eyes swept over the lithe body. Kai stood arrogantly in front of him, smirking as he allowed Boris to walk around him. 'Hmm, he's in excellent shape, so we won't have to waste time building up his physique. Now, if he's as smart as Dickenson thinks he is, we should have an excellent prospect here.'
Going back to his desk, he sat down and gestured for Kai to sit as well. The young vampire sat and casually crossed his legs at the ankles. "Well, Kai, has Tala told you everything?" Boris began, as he ignored Tala's snort of derision in the background.
"He was most helpful." The suggestive tone of Kai's voice made the older man cringe. Boris darted a quick look at his prize student, and noted the deadly look Tala was directing at the vampire. 'So, Tala hates him; that's a change from his eagerness to find him before, I wonder what happened between them. Oh, well, I'll find out when Tala reports. But, judging from Tala's look, Kai is going to find his stay here even more treacherous than I think he knows; because where Tala leads, the others follow.'
"So, you are willing to be trained here, then?"
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here." Kai said coldly, "but I'm only willing to do so, because your wolf promised that I'd be able to get my revenge on my grandfather, if I do." Kai's voice was pure venom.
Boris glared at the youth. "You'll get it, but only if you're willing to 'pretend' to have seen the errors of your ways and are willing work for him! Is your 'revenge' that important?"
Neither the man nor, the redheaded youth that had come to stand by the Abbey head missed the bleak look that flicked across the vampire's face. "Yes."
"Very well, I'll arrange for you to meet with D. J. Jazzman, who will explain things to you further, before you meet with your grandfather. In the meantime, you will train under Tala and take his orders." Boris ignored the narrow-eyed look Kai gave him. Tala smirked at the bluenette, who knew that his new 'trainer' was going to enjoy ordering him around.
"For now." The vampire said, to the wolf; who nodded his understanding. Kai would submit because it furthered his agenda, but the second it no longer did so, his obedience would be a thing of the past. And there would be a reckoning for that obedience.
Boris reached out, flicked a button on his desk's intercom box and barked into it. "Timofey, come here! " A voice answered, and Boris leaned back in his chair and regarded Kai through slightly narrowed eyes. "The guard will take you to your room. You will adhere to all the rules and as for your 'meals'. ALL occupants of the Abbey are off limits! We will make arrangements for you." He leaned forward and ignored the spark of anger in gleaming crimson depths. "I was told you were intelligent, are you going to prove that by accepting, or are you going to throw away what may be your only chance at revenge?"
"I accept your conditions." Kai gritted through clenched teeth. "I will need my coffin."
"Of course, tell me where it is and I'll have it retrieved." Boris leaned back, as the door opened and a tall guard stepped inside, bowing. "Sir."
"Timofey, this is Kai, he is a new trainee. I want him put in room six, level four." Boris said, as he picked up a pen and looked at Kai. "It's in the warehouse on Trioka Street. Down by the marble bridge that end with the horse statues."
"We'll have it within the hour." Boris said, writing down the directions. He looked up, and motioned to the guard, "Go with him." Kai rose and headed toward the guard. Tala made to follow, but stopped, when Boris spoke again. "Tala, stay here I want to speak with you." The redhead turned to face his mentor.
Timofey looked at Kai, then turned without a word. He led Kai from the room. The silent guard led the bluenette up the hall to a flight of stairs, then up those for two flights, then he turned left and went down three doors, before stopping in front of one. Opening the door, he pointed and Kai entered. "Stay here." Kai turned as the door closed.
"Not likely." He muttered, and opening the door went exploring.
The hallways leading to and from the special dorm for the Demolition Boys and the reserve team were empty of guards and bladers, alike. "Looks like the word is out." Bryan thought humorlessly. He well knew that when he was in what everyone considered a 'dangerous mood', only Boris, Voltaire and a few well chosen guards, and of course Tala, would come anywhere near him. Everyone else kept as far away from him as they could get and still be in the Abbey.
Tala.
His redheaded lover was the reason for this recent rampage. It had been three days, since Tala had left to chase down Voltaire's grandson, and there had been no word from him in all that time. "Where is he? I swear, if that bastard has done anything to him, I'll . . ."
"You'll what?"
Bryan turned slowly to find himself staring into a pair of crimson eyes.
"You!"
Kai smirked at the boy, who stood glaring at him. "I believe I asked you something?" He drawled. Bryan's eyes narrowed and he glared hatefully at the youth leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed on his chest.
"Where's Tala? You had better not have hurt him." Bryan hissed, his hands curling into fists. Languidly, Kai stretched and straightened up from the wall, a devilish look entered his eyes and he flowed over to stand in front of Bryan, so close their chests nearly touched.
"Ah, yes, Tala. "Kai whispered, "I must compliment you on your taste. He is delicious, so warm and wanton. I thoroughly enjoyed him." A cruel smile crossed Kai's lips. "I wonder," he purred, "if he screamed my name louder, than he ever cried yours."
Enraged by that smile, Bryan swung at the vampire's sneering face. Kai easily caught the angry youth's fist in his hand and began to apply pressure, slowly driving Bryan to his knees. "Come, come, you'll have to do better than that, if you plan on fighting me." He mocked, grabbing Bry by his hair.
Causally, Kai pulled the boy's head back and bared his fangs. Unafraid, Bryan glared at him. Kai smirked and lowered his head to press his fangs to the falcons' jugular. Bryan didn't even trembled, impressed by his lack of fear, Kai withdrew his fangs, and licked the boy's pale throat. "Remember the feel of my fangs, Little Falcon." Kai whispered; gazing into narrowed silver eyes. "And remember, I could have killed you." He pushed Bryan away from him, straightened and turned to walk away.
From behind him, a hoarse voice snarled, "You should have, I won't forget this."
Five Flowers clothing shop and BBA Office, Hong Kong, 2008
Rei stood nervously twisting back and forth in front of a full-length mirror. It had been a long time, since he could afford a new outfit and he wanted to make a good impression on his benefactor, the mysterious Mr. Dickenson.
The outfit consisted of a pair of blue pants gathered at the ankles, a form fitting red sleeveless tee and a white over tunic with blue closures and yellow piping, and the whole thing was cinched down with a red sash. On his feet were new black cloth shoes. The only discord was the dingy binding confining his hair and his faded bandanna.
"You look fine, little one. Don't be so critical of yourself. Now, you need just a couple of things to make everything perfect." A tiny wizen Chinese woman appeared at his side, and set down a stool. "Sit." She ordered softly. Puzzled, Rei sat down, and the elderly woman stood behind him, she reached out and pulled the binding from his hair, and removed the bandanna that held his bangs back.
Reaching to the side, the woman came up with a tortoise shelled comb, which she used to comb through Rei's shining mass of hair, when she was satisfied that she had his hair flowing smoothly; she gathered the heavy locks and swiftly bound them with a new white binding. Then, she wrapped a red silk bandanna around Rei's head. "Now, young one, you are perfect." Rei could only stare at the image that reflected back at him; it had been so long since he'd look like this.
Gently, the old lady pulled the dazed boy away from the mirror. The aged female led him over to a tiny stand that held a teapot and two cups. Rei gave an appreciative sniff; it had been a long time since he could afford tea of this quality.
The woman gave him a smile, then lifted the pot and poured some tea into each of the tiny cups. Picking one up, she presented it to Rei with both hands and a tiny bow.
Politely, the neko-jin bowed and accepted the tea. He waited for the elderly lady to take her own cup up and take the first sip. Wise ebony eyes twinkled at him over the rim of the cup, as she barely wet her lips before lowering the cup. Rei sipped delicately, savoring every drop of the fragrant brew.
"I wish you well on your journey." The elderly face was calm, but the voice conveyed many meanings. Rei lowered his cup and stared at her. "Journey?"
The bird like fingers of one dry, wrinkled hand gently caressed his wrist. "Yes, little one, you begin a long journey back to where you belong. But, be wary for the way will be treacherous." She withdrew her hand and reaching under the table pulled out a square box wrapped in red paper: which she handed Rei. Her dark eyes grew solemn as Rei took it from her.
At her encouraging nod, he opened it and gasped. Inside, in a neat row were six red silk bandannas with black and white Yin/Yang symbols printed on the front. Flanking them were six long narrow strips of cotton cloth- exactly what he needed to bind his hair, three in white and three in dark blue.
"Ancient one?" His eyes flew to her face and again she smiled at him. "A gift for you, child. Now, little one, go from this place of forgotten dreams and listen to your spirit; let it guide you in the coming days."
Speechless, Rei could only bow repeatedly, as he backed toward the shop's door. The last thing he heard, before the door closed was, "remember, listen to your spirit."
Rei gazed up at the concrete and glass building that house the BBA offices in Hong Kong. In his right hand, he nervously clutched the precious piece of paper that would grant him entrance to the office of the man, who had given him money and a small measure of hope.
'At least,' he thought, as he headed for the glass doors, 'I don't have to be worried about what I look like.' He sidestepped a pair of girls coming out the doors and slipped in behind them. Just before the door closed, Rei overheard one of the girl's say, "Gods, what a hottie! I wonder . . ." As the tips of his ears turned pink, Rei was grateful he hadn't heard the end of whatever she was saying.
He glanced around as he headed for the desk with a sign overhead proclaiming 'Receptionist'. The building on the inside was large and airy with creamy marble floors and expensive artwork on the walls. Planters with small trees dotted the foyer's corners and thickly brown cushioned benches provided seating.
Approaching the desk, he spoke hesitantly, "Excuse me." The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled. "Yes?"
"My name is Kon, Rei and I'm here to see Mr. Dickenson." He handed over the paper and the woman took it and read it before handing it back. "Just a moment, please." She said, and turned to a phone.
Rei sighed, and waited patiently, while she spoke to someone. Hanging up the phone, the black-haired woman smiled up at him. "Mr. Kon, if you will go to the elevator." She pointed to a pair of steel doors to the right. "Just get on and to the eighth floor. Mr. Dickenson is waiting for you."
"Thank you." He said, softly and headed across the floor to the elevator. The ride up seemed to last forever, though in reality it only took a few seconds. The door opened onto a hallway that contained a single door. Walking down the hall, he paused outside the door and breathed a quick prayer to the Ancestors, and pushed it open.
Inside, he found an enormous room with several doors, under his feet was a warm russet colored rug and along one wall and in the center of the room was several brown leather chairs to sit in. The walls were painted a color that was more yellow than orange. He was distracted from further perusing the room by the sound of a door opening. A young woman emerged from a side room with several folders in her hand.
"Oh!" She hurried over to a desk, that Rei hadn't noticed on entering and dropped her burden, then she turned to him. "Can I help you?" Her bright green eyes flicked over him and her smile was decidedly wicked. Rei flushed. "I-I'm here to see Mr. Dickenson." He said softly.
"Ah, Mr. Kon. Yes, of course, he was hoping you'd come. Follow me, please." She turned and led him down all the way to the end of a short corridor. Pausing at the door, she motioned for Rei to stay where he was, and knocked; then she opened the door and entered. A moment later, she stepped out and holding the door, said. "You may go in, now."
Bowing, Rei brushed passed her and entered. Stopping just inside the door, he bowed politely to the man, who stood in front of the window looking at him. "Ah, my boy, I'm so glad you came, please have a seat." Mr. Dickinson gestured to a black leather chair in front of his desk.
Rei crossed the room to take the indicated seat, ignoring the decor that was much like the room outside. "I want to thank you for the money, Mr. Dickenson." He began, but the older man waved his thanks away. "Not at all, my boy, it was nothing." The portly man eased his bulk in the chair behind the desk and sighed.
"Please excuse my getting right to the point, Rei. But, something has come up that requires my attention, so I'd like to settle this matter today. I had hoped to have a nice long chat with you about my plans for the new team Shaiming's note told you about. But, that's not possible at the moment, so I'll just give you an overview of what I have planned. Is that all right?" He paused and gazed at the boy across the desk.
'He certainly has grown up well, I never dreamed when I saw him all those years ago, just how important he'd become to the destruction of Biovolt. And that photo certainly didn't do him justice; Kai is sure to become enamored with him all over again.' He thought, as Rei assured him that that would be fine with him.
"Good. Well, as the note said, I intend to create and have trained a team that I feel will be able to take on the Demolition Boys in the World Championships next fall. I would like to offer you a position on the team and along with that position, you will receive a monthly allowance of two thousand dollars, plus free room and board at any BBA facility and all your medical and dental requirements will be paid for."
Rei swallowed hard. "That's very generous of you, Mr. Dickenson. But, are you sure I'm worth it? And who will be the other members of the team?" He inquired.
"Rei, if I didn't think you were worth it, I wouldn't make the offer. As for the others, I haven't approached them, yet. The three I have in mind are all training in various other facilities and I need to speak to them, but I can assure you that they are all top-notch bladers. Besides, " the old vampire played a card, he hoped would tip the scales in his favor. "What have you got to lose?"
Rei nodded, Mr. Dickenson was right, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, if he accepted. It would be a relief to not have to worry about having enough to eat, or a safe place to sleep. Deep inside, certainty grew that this was the right thing to do, so he nodded again. "I'd be honored to join your team."
"Excellent, my boy, excellent! I'll have my secretary bring the necessary papers in to sign, and then I'll have someone take you to the housing complex. And I'll arrange for your first month's allowance to be delivered to your new room, tomorrow, along with a training schedule" Mr. D beamed at him.
Rei sat watched in amazement, as the man summoned his secretary and someone to take him to the housing complex, and explained all the paperwork to him in just a matter of moments. Mr. Dickenson smiled with satisfaction as Rei signed the paperwork that would make him a member of the new team. As the boy shoved the papers back at him, bright golden eyes suddenly shone with a question.
"Yes, Rei?"
"What will the team be called?"
"The Bladebreakers."
"The Bladebreakers." Rei tasted the words; they sounded good and more importantly felt good. He smiled, "I like it."
Mr. Dickenson smiled, but before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and a shock of blue hair peered around it. "Mr. Dickenson, you wanted me to take someone over to the complex?"
"Yes. Gianni, I'd like for you to meet Rei Kon." The two youths nodded to each other. "Take him over and tell Drew to assign him one of the rooms with a good view of the bay."
Gianni saluted, "Yes, sir!" He motioned for Rei to follow him, and the Chinese looked questioningly at his benefactor and now, mentor. Mr. D smiled gently at him. "Go on, Rei. We'll talk again, I'm sure. For now, just go and get settled in and take care." He waved the boy away, and watched benevolently as Rei bowed and hurried off. "Goodbye, Bladebreaker." He said quietly, as the door closed.
For several seconds, he stared at the door, then he leaned back in his chair and smiled in satisfaction. "The pieces are starting to come together. Now, to deal with Kai." He reached for the phone and dialed, seconds later, he spoke.
"D. J., it's time you took a little trip to Russia."
Man, it took forever to write this, so I'm sorry for the long wait, and I promise I'm working on 'I'm a father.' Things are just a little hectic for me, right now.
Do, tell me, if this bites or not.