A/N: Hey guys! I told you I'd update this one fast! Anyway, I'm all but falling off my chair by now, 'cause I can't wait to hear from you after you read this. This by far is one of my favorite scenes, (that I've ever written) but credit goes to Lessa4 for helping me out with the idea! Thanks babe, luv ya! As to the whole triangle, Kai/Rei/Tala thingie, you guys were sort of right, but I guess you'll just have to see how it plays out. So, have fun with this, and enjoy!
Important: Chapter 9 of Slipping will be uploaded by Friday, and Red Angel by Monday. Check my bio then for other important announcements, thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade. Happy?
...
"You... ..." Kai panted, his face wet with melted snow. He was still lying on his back, too tired out to bother to move. Tala was lying beside him, laughing quietly to himself as he brushed the snow from his friends slate bangs.
"What can I say?" he shrugged. "I can be a very persuasive person." The redhead caught the phoenix's wrist before another snowball could be fired.
"Jerk," the blunette sighed, dropping his weapon.
"Forgive me from saving you from yet another embarrassing defeat," he winked, letting go of the petite wrist. "But---"
The smaller boy frowned when his companion never finished, and turned over to find wide, sapphire eyes brimming with fear. They weren't looking at him, rather, right through him, unblinking, and frozen in place.
"Tala...?" he whispered, sitting up to come closer to his captain. The older Russian gasped slightly, his eyes refocusing.
"Listen!" he hissed, taking hold of the slender shoulders.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, the other closed his eyes, straining to hear what had startled the wolf master so easily. He furrowed his brows, concentrating, until suddenly, it became all too clear. His eyes snapped open.
"Boris..." he breathed, whirling around to find their trainer heading straight for them.
Shocked for only a moment, they scrambled to their feet, Kai positioning himself a fraction behind his captain, as was expected. They kept their heads bowed as he neared, admonishing themselves for being so stupid. The footsteps in the snow stopped just before Tala, and the phoenix could see his muscles ripple as he tensed.
"Sir," the redhead addressed.
Suddenly, Boris's hand shot out, gripping the Wolborg blader's neck in his palm. His fingers dug into the pale skin beneath his turtleneck sweater, cutting off the boy's air supply. He shut his eyes, trying not to resist, but his heart was pounding against his chest and he couldn't breathe...
"Sir?" the trainer all but spat in reply. "Why treat me with such courtesy now Tala, when you cared nothing for the specific orders I gave to this afternoon?!"
"I---" he gasped, unable to finish. His lungs were on fire; he needed air. He opened his mouth again, desperately fighting to answer, to stay conscious, but he was cut off as Boris backhanded him, whipping his head to the side.
"I don't care for your excuses!" he hollered, throwing his young apprentice to the side. The wolf master struggled to stand as the older male made his way over, but he could barely make it to his knees as he sucked in the air around him.
"It was my fault!" Glowing red eyes fixed on the other boy, forgotten in the snow. Boris rounded furiously on the blunette, disregarding the one at his feet. Grabbing a fistful of Kai's hair, he wrenched his head up, snarling into his ear.
"Your fault? No, it wasn't your fault, it was you!" he growled raising his voice. "It's always you!" he screamed, dragging Kai away from his captain. Tala cried out for him, but within seconds he was surrounded by guards.
"Let go!" the phoenix yelled, trying to free himself, struggling to return to Tala...to help him. "Let me go!"
"I don't think so," Boris snapped viciously, yanking the phoenix forward by his hair. Over his shoulder, he called to the guards who were escorting his apprentice in the other direction.
"I propose a separation," he grinned maniacally, pausing a moment to toss Kai at another group of Abbey guards. They hauled the small boy to his feet, shoving him roughly towards the dungeon wing.
"Of course," he added, seemingly as an after thought. "You'll both be punished for such reckless behavior...and your training will begin at four o'clock sharp!"
...
Kai gasped, bolting up in his bed. Frantic crimson eyes swept over the glowing red numbers projected by the clock beside his bed. His heart leapt into his throat.
4:28
"Shit," he hissed, hastily untangling the sheets from his ankles. Jumping off the edge of the bed he paused, noticing the figure that was sleeping soundly on the otherside of the room. He took a deep breath, glancing around once more before his gaze fell back to the lump in the blankets. 'Did Boris allow him to come back last night?'
Falling to his knees beside the other bed, he began shaking the occupant urgently.
"Tala?" he whispered. "Tala get up dammit! We're late!" With a groan, the figure reached up to turn the lights on.
"Kai...?" he asked sleepily. The blunette took a wild step back, almost falling over as he moved away. That---that wasn't Tala...
With a small 'click' the room was flooded with light, and the phoenix felt his back hit the wall in surprise as a Chinese teen sat up slowly from the bed, rubbing his eyes.
"Kai, what's wrong?" he yawned, stretching.
"How do you know my name?" came the deadly whisper. It seemed to freeze the air in the room as it cut at the other occupant.
Rei blinked up in surprise, his golden eyes fixed on the wall across from him. He was sure his jaw hit the floor.
Standing in front of him was Kai, but he had shrunk, his white T-shirt slipping over one of his pale shoulders. His clothes were huge on him, and his hair a bit shorter, and wilder. He was just a kid, only eight or so, but he was no less menacing than the teen he had once been. His crimson gaze bore into him, but to his surprise, Rei found that he could read those eyes...the once emotionless pools were filled with fear and uncertainty.
"I know you heard me," he snapped. The tiger shook his head.
"What happened to you?" Kai didn't seem to understand, either way, he ignored the question.
"I asked you something," he growled. "How. Do you know. My name?" The neko opened his mouth, but suddenly ruby eyes lit up with some sort of recognition.
"Did Boris send you?" he yelled, boldly taking a step forward. "He did, didn't he?"
"Boris?" Rei quirked an eyebrow. "No...Kai, we're---"
"If you don't work for him then how do you know my name?!" he yelled again, his fists clenching at his sides. "Is it my grandfather? Did Voltaire send you here then?"
"No, listen to me, I'm your friend. No one sent me---"
"I DON'T KNOW YOU!" he screamed, cutting the tiger off again. Golden eyes flashed dangerously, but the small boy didn't heed the warning. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AND WHO SENT YOU?!"
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN?" the Chinese teen yelled, his temper finally reaching a boiling point. "WE'RE IN JAPAN KAI! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU BUT IT IS SERIOUSLY FREAKING ME OUT!"
"We can't be..." he snapped back, but the Drigger blader detected a panic rising in his voice. "It's not possible, we're...we're in Russia...we have to be..."
"I'm sorry," he started quickly, watching as the slender body in front of him began to tremble. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that---"
"SHUT UP!" he screamed suddenly, startling the ebony-haired teen. "JUST SHUT UP!"
Just then Tyson and Max came stumbling into the room, glaring angrily at Rei.
"What is going on in here?" the blonde asked, throwing up his hands.
"Yeah dude?" the dragon master yawned. "It's like, five in the morning..." The tiger was about to explain, when all of them stopped dead in their tracks as a small voice muttering incoherent phrases in Russian made it's way through the room. Abruptly it switched to English.
"He's going to kill me..." it breathed. "He'll kill me..."
The two teens turned to find a smaller version of their teen captain, staring out the window. Their eyes widened, and Maxie opened his mouth to say something, but the boy at the window fell to his knees, his breath coming in short gasps. The Chinese teen blinked. How had he...?
"It's not possible," he shook his head, resting it on the sill. "No. I don't believe it..."
"Kai?" the navy-haired teen called out in surprise.
His head snapped up suddenly, but the figure didn't respond. His grip on the window tightened, his knuckles turning white. Crimson eyes dashed around the room, falling to each of the teens that stood around him.
Rei swallowed hard, slipping out of bed to stand with the others. He was afraid that the young phoenix would do something brash at any moment. He was frightened, and they'd backed him into a corner.
Kai whirled around at his sudden movement, his gaze narrowed, and determined. The White Tiger stopped moving and looked to his former team captain again.
"Calm down," he requested gently. "No one is going to hurt you," he added. The other two sensed the building tension as well, nodding slowly in agreement.
"Just relax, can we talk?" he suggested. Rei cheered inwardly, 'Thank you Maxie!'
"Where's Tala?" They all paused, they're hearts skipping beats. Tyson scowled.
"What do you want with that jerk?"
None of them had time to react. The small boy lunged at the dragon master, knocking him off his feet with a hard kick to the jaw.
Coming to their senses, the others tried to grab a hold of him, but he vaulted over their heads, landing neatly on one knee before charging down the hallway.
"Kai wait!"
The neko ran after him, leaving Max to see to their fallen friend. The blunette was incredibly agile, and even the Chinese teen had trouble tailing him around the house as he ran. He wouldn't speak as he tried to escape. Spotting the stairs he jumped, flipping easily over them before landing hard on the floor below.
"KAI!" the ebony-haired teen yelled, sure that he'd injured himself. But the kid just threw him a glare over his shoulder before standing to unlock the door. The tiger felt his heart hammering against his ribs. If he opened that door, they'd never find him again.
Jumping the stairs, he made a grab for the lose T-shirt, yanking the young phoenix back by his collar. The door swung open, nearly hitting Kenny in the face as he came out from the bathroom.
"What's going on?" he cried, dropping his glass of water and shutting the door again.
Kai was struggling wildly, his eyes shut tight as he fought against Rei's superior weight, as the teen pinned him to the floor. Tears of frustration leaked through his lashes as he thrashed, kicking out blindly and catching his captor in the stomach. The teen groaned, toppling to the side, but the blonde and the other blunette came down the stairs, holding him fast while their friend recovered.
"Jesus," Tyson hissed, his grip on the pale ankles reaching a bruising point as he fought to keep the kid under control. Kenny was leaning against the wall, trying to piece together the situation on his own so as not to disturb the others.
Kai gasped, desperation setting in. He wasn't going to be able to get away, he couldn't...
"Calm down!" Max hollered down on him, but he shook his head wildly, unwilling to listen.
"TALA!" he screamed suddenly, still struggling, though his movements were slower. He was tiring. "TALA, HELP ME!"
The four remaining teens all shared a look, watching the young phoenix out of the corner of their eyes. What the hell was going on? And why was Tala the only one he seemed to remember?
The room became silent as the boy beneath them fainted, the last words that fell from his lips burning themselves into their memories. Rei coughed, falling back against the stairs not bothering to lift his shirt and inspect the huge bruise that was, no doubt, forming on his stomach. Slowly, the other two let go of their captive, and when they were sure that he wasn't going to wake up, they too collapsed next to the Drigger blader. Kenny stepped away from the wall and approached the others carefully, avoiding the broken glass and water littering the floor.
"I'll clean that up," he told them absently when he received a few looks for it.
"Whatever," Tyson panted. "No one cares. Rei? You're going to tell us what's going on. Right now." The American teen nodded at his side.
"I think that goes without saying." The raven-haired blader looked up at them helplessly.
"I don't know what happened, honestly. He woke up rambling about being late or something, and when I turned on the light he was...well, about eight years younger..." For a long time no one said a word until the blunette stood up, taking his captain up in his arms.
"Come on," he gestured up the stairs. "Let's get him to the couch, or something..."
Everyone silently agreed, standing to follow Tyson back up to the living room. When they'd set the young phoenix down, a small whimper escaped his throat, and he turned into the cushions of the chair.
Max grinned. "He's adorable!"
The dragon master looked up at his American friend, horrified, but the other two laughed. Sheepishly, the blonde teen looked around the room.
"What?" he blushed. "He is..." The blunette rolled his eyes.
"Everyone looks adorable when they're asleep Max." Azure eyes glittered innocently.
"That doesn't make what I said any less true." The tiger chuckled quietly to himself, when Tyson came up short of a comeback. But it only took a moment for them all to sober up, their gazes fixed on the sleeping figure intently.
"So, none of us has a clue as to what's going on here?" Chief sighed, standing to fetch Dizzy from the kitchen table. The blonde shrugged, his gaze running over everyone in the room.
"Looks that way."
Again the room fell silent until Kenny returned carrying a small case along with his laptop. Setting it down next to Kai, he opened the box revealing a needle, some test tubes and a few other small bottles.
"What is that for!?" the dragon yelled, hopping backwards slightly. "And more importantly, why do you have it?" The brunette shook his head, but the others were just as curious.
"I use it to take samples. Clearly the only way to get to the bottom of this is to analyze a blood sample from Kai. Maybe someone did this to him somehow...he obviously doesn't remember anything, so this is our best bet."
"You're kidding me?" Tyson bit out, although they were all relieved to hear the Chiefs explanation, they were a bit skeptical about him taking a blood sample. But the small teen didn't listen as he cleaned off Kai's arm and inserted the needle with practiced precision. They held their breath as he put the sample in a test tube, and pressed a piece of gauze to the small wound.
"Once he wakes up well never get another chance," Kenny explained. The Chinese teen took a deep breath before standing and picking up the cordless that stood on the side table.
"One thing's for sure," he sighed. "We can't do this alone. I'm calling Mr. Dickenson."
...
Kai groaned, his hands moving gently up to his temples. His wrists were sore, and so were his shoulders, but other than a headache, he felt fine. Slowly opening his eyes, he blinked up at the ceiling before easing himself up onto his elbows. Quickly he scanned the room, relaxing somewhat when he was sure there was no one else around. Setting his feet on the ground, he allowed his training to aid him, remembering the layout of the building.
Starting from the room he'd woke up in earlier that morning, there were two others in that hallway, and a flight of stairs that led down to the kitchen and the room he was currently lying in. He could hear a few people in the kitchen, but it wasn't everyone he'd seen. One of them was missing, and he couldn't be sure if there were others. Most importantly, there was only one more flight that separated him and the front door.
But before heading for freedom, the blunette crept back upstairs, making his way to the bedroom. Stopping outside of the door he listened, realizing that the shower was running. He could enter safely, but only for a time.
Opening the door he stepped in, shutting it softly behind him. His crimson gaze ran over the décor, until falling to the bags that were thrown in the corner. Glancing at the bathroom, he strode swiftly to the black one. Kneeling down beside it, he carefully began sifting through the contents, minding the doors just the same.
There was a wallet, worn, at least a decade old, that he'd had ever since he'd come to the Abbey. Curiously, he opened it, blinking in surprise at his license. The photo depicted a handsome, seventeen year old Kai, his face bare of any markings; his bloody gaze as cold as a Russian winter.
"That's not possible..."
Setting the object down next to him, he eyed it suspiciously before returning to the rest of the stuff. Immediately he picked up the long white scarf that was carefully folded atop a few changes of clothes. Holding the edge of it, he watched it flutter to the ground at his knees.
"Tala..." he whispered unconsciously, smoothing the heavy fabric between his hands.
"Here, I got it for you in Moscow today. " The redhead smiled, tossing his friend a small package wrapped in brown paper. Kai looked up at him accusingly, but prompted by an ice-blue glare that clearly stated that he should be grateful, he began opening it.
Heavy, white fabric spilled over the paper onto his lap, and as he lifted it, Tala came up behind him to tie it around his neck so that its two tails trailed down his back. Standing, he stepped away from the bed, noting that the scarf ended halfway down his calf.
"It's huge!"
"It suits you," his captain nodded thoughtfully before offering him a smirk. "And don't worry, with any luck you'll grow into it."
Carefully, Kai put the scarf around his neck, tying the knot exactly how Tala had that day. Looking over his shoulder he noted the pool of white fabric behind him. With a sigh he resumed his rummaging. Well, if he was seventeen, he certainly hadn't grown much. Cursing his arrogant captain with a smile, he moved aside the clothes (at a glance he knew the sizes were too big for him), to find a small case. He quirked an eyebrow.
His face paint?
Shaking his head, he put his hand into the bag once more, his fingers closing around a familiar object.
"Dranzer!"
Gently he ran a thumb over the bit piece, smiling brightly when the chip lit up in recognition. But as he inspected the blade, his brows knitted together in confusion. It was Dranzer, no question about it, but she had been upgraded, probably more than once. She looked brand new actually, as if someone had just finished working on her.
He'd only altered his blade once that he could remember, and that was to change it back from the monstrosity that Boivolt had created through it's experiments. He gripped it tighter at the dark memory. Sighing, he relaxed a bit, looking down into the emerald eyes of his phoenix.
For a long time the small boy sat back on his heels, glancing over the contents of the bag. It was his bag---that much he was sure of, and the blade proved him correct, but none of it was making any sense. He was eight years old. Eight. He knew that because Tala was nine and a half, so how could he have a license?
Picking up the seemingly foreign object, he slipped it out of its clear cover, taking it out of the wallet to inspect it. It seemed real enough, and he'd had plenty of experience with forgeries. He was fairly certain the picture was authentic as well, but that would mean he'd turned seventeen this year. But that would make it...
He glanced at the date.
2004
Suddenly, the door behind him burst open, startling him badly. Whirling around, he dropped the card, coming face to face with a young blonde teen, and the navy-haired boy he'd kicked earlier.
"There you are, you little monster," the Japanese teen muttered, shutting the door behind him. Kai clutched his blade to his chest, reaching back into his bag discretely, searching for his launcher.
"Don't come near me," he warned. The American teen put a hand on his companion's shoulder to pacify him.
"We won't make a move if you won't," he promised. The young phoenix nodded, feeling somewhat better when his hand closed over his launcher. For a long time the room was cloaked in silence, until after sharing a look with the older blunette, the other boy turned back to Kai. The small Russian watched them intently, keeping to a low crouch, just in case.
"Uh...sorry, for earlier I guess," he spoke up after another moment. The boy faltered slightly.
"What?" The navy-haired teen tipped his head to the side.
"We're sorry for grabbing you like that earlier," he clarified.
"You're," the phoenix paused. "You're apologizing for that?"
"Well yeah," he shrugged. "We bruised you up a little, didn't we?" The blonde teen smiled.
"I'm Max," he started again brightly. The other teen added, "And I'm Tyson."
Kai could only stare. There was no way these two were working for Boris, let alone Voltaire. But then... He narrowed his eyes. Why wouldn't they answer his question earlier? Taking a deep breath, he shifted his weight before replying.
"Where is Tala?" Immediately, Max's hand flew to cover Tyson's mouth.
"He's...he's in Russia," the American teen answered slowly. "Other than that, we don't know much about him." The phoenix searched their eyes intently, his heart seizing in his chest when he realized that they were telling the truth. His grip on his blade tightened.
"You don't work for Boris? Or my grandfather?" They shook their heads. "Then how do you know him?" he asked softly, surprising the two older males. Tyson pulled his head from the other's grip. Kai glared at him, daring him to repeat their last confrontation, reminding him of the dark bruise he was sporting on his cheek as a result. He took the hint.
"We battled his team in a tournament," he answered calmly, becoming strangely mature. To the right, everyone noted that the shower had stopped running. The petit figure tensed.
"Why do you want to know?" Max asked. Looking down on his blade, the small blunette searched Dranzer's bit for some kind of help. Choosing to ignore the question, he thumbed the attack ring instead.
The older boys shared a dark look before turning their heads as the bathroom door opened. The Chinese teen emerged from the steam, finishing his hair wrap as he came into the room. Assessing the situation quickly, he tied it off before moving to stand by his friends.
"Kai?" the young phoenix spared him a glance.
"How do you know my name?" The ebony-haired teen sighed.
"We're your friends---"
"But I don't know you," he cut him off weakly. "I don't...remember..." he trailed off, once again searching for guidance from his bit beast. The blonde teen held up his hands.
"That's okay," he assured. "We understand."
"But I don't."
The room fell silent again, no one having the slightest clue on how to answer that. Finally Kai stood, still holding tightly to his blade and launcher. His scarf fell past his knees, and he welcomed the confidence it gave him. Looking up, he watched them closely.
"I don't understand," he repeated. The golden-eyed boy nodded.
"We can help you. And I'm Rei," he added as an afterthought, grinning sheepishly. "But first, we have to get you ready."
Crimson eyes narrowed. "For what?" Max waved his hands wildly.
"It's nothing to worry about, honest! But, you don't have any clothes and stuff, and we should probably take you out to get some."
"I can go on my own."
"Will you come back?" they all turned to Tyson, who was watching the young phoenix sternly. The smaller blunette shut his mouth, glaring at the older teen defiantly.
"Kai, you're going to have to trust us." Rei stepped in. "We're not going to hurt you, or do anything that you don't want us to."
"Please?" the blonde teen finished.
The three teens watched their captain with gentle expressions, waiting patiently for him to consider what they had said. He looked at all three of them in turn, before, launcher and blade still in hand, he walked up to them. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak---
"GUYS!" came a yell from the hallway. "Mr. Dickenson is here!"
...
A/N: Yes. Yes I did, in fact, just write that. I thought it went extremely well, considering (in my opinion), that this is one of the hardest scenes I've ever brought upon myself to write. I could have screwed this up a million different ways, and I made sure to be careful, but before I offer my opinion, I'll wait for yours. Of course I'm going to thing it went swimmingly...o.O;
Ignore that last comment.
Hehehe...slight cliffe. Don't worry though, next chapter the guys willtake Kai shopping. ...grins maniacally... So I've made our favorite bishie a chibi who can only think of one thing: Tala. What now? Oh believe me. Insanity will most definitely ensue. Hope you liked it as much as I did!