Rating: R

Warning: The rating should be enough of a warning.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Beyblade.

Summary: Saint Ann's Hospital is a place for mentally ill young adults, and when a new patient is transferred to their facility the world there is turned upside down for a handful of the other patients. Can they overcome their problems and be deemed cured, or will they become yet another slanted mind?

Slanted Mind

Chapter IV - Lullaby

"Tyson get you lazy ass out of bed or you're going to miss lunch and visiting hours today." Standing at the opened doorway of Tyson's room was Rei, his amber eyes watching as the bundle of blankets shifted and a sleepy face poked out of the top. He didn't look as if he wanted to be woken at the moment, but lunch was a mere ten minutes away.

"Don't make me get Kai to come in there and wake you up. He's still aggravated from what happened last night to the new kid and the fight that erupted because Tala went back. Wait… Tyson, where is Damian? Don't tell me you let him up and go wander around on his own again." There was a pause, amber eyes narrowing at the once more asleep teen. "Tyson, get out of bed!"

"Dude, stop yelling at me, I'm up already." Grumbling his protest the navy haired teen slipped from under the warm covers, his expression near showing he might just fall asleep walking over to get his clothes for the day. "And no I didn't let him wander off. Dr. Tate took him for one on one therapy. He should be back before lunch." Pulling on a tee shirt, loose pants, and his hat Tyson was ready to go, not bothering to put shoes on his sock-clad feet.

"Tyson!" Judy's voice carried easily down the hallway, causing both Rei and Tyson turn to look at her as she made her way towards them, though not empty handed it seemed. Cradled in her arms was Damian, looking peacefully asleep as his head rested against Judy's shoulder gently. The bruise was visible even from the distance at they were at, but the other bandages looked freshly changed.

Stopping in front of the teens Dr. Tate heaved a sigh while resituating the boy in her arms. "I need you to watch him for me until he wakes up from being sedated, Tyson. I'll have lunch sent to your room-" Before she could finish Tyson was already protesting.

"But Ms. Tate, I'm supposed to see your son today at visiting hours! I can't be sitting here watching him and see Max, too. Visitors aren't allowed in our rooms. I was looking forward all week to see him." A light bell sounded throughout the hallway and the hospital, the signal for lunch. "I'm sorry Dr. Tate, but I can't watch Damian right now. I will when visiting hours are over, I promise, but I need to talk to Max about things."

"It's okay Tyson, I'm sure someone else would be willing to watch him. Maybe I'll just put him in the infirmary room on a cot until he wakes up. I have to leave for another hospital for an emergency so I can't watch him myself. Just have fun with the visit, Tyson. Go on and have lunch the both of you." With a grateful smile Tyson dashed down the hallway with Rei at his heels only to turn the corner and race towards the cafeteria.

Turning around to walk back down the hallway Judy gasped, stopping right in her tracks and near loosing balance with Damian in her arms. "Tala! I didn't hear you come up behind me. You should be headed to lunch right now with the others. I heard they were actually serving decent food today with desert."

"I'll watch him." The doctor stared at Tala as if he'd grown another head. She'd seen her herself and knew it was on his record that he didn't get along with people very well nor did he ever offer to help anyone, at times not even himself. "Pardon?" Just to make sure she heard him right Judy asked Tala to repeat himself.

"I said I'll watch him, just have lunch sent to my room." Looking at him in a scrutinizing manner Dr. Tate looked rather weary of letting Tala watch over Damian on just his second day here. A glance was made towards Damian's bruised cheek and then to the cut on Tala's forehead. "You've never been one to just fight somebody who is out of your way, Tala, yet you purposefully went after Robbie last night. I take it that Robbie went after Damian, correct?"

"He needed to learn some respect for other people." It wasn't a straight answer, but it was the only one that Tala was going to give to the doctor. Without questioning him further and offering a thankful smile Judy let the red head take the pale powder blue haired teen from her arms. "He had what the other doctors have called a 'fit' again, but I believe that they happen for a reason. He didn't want to talk to me, but that didn't stop him from talking to himself, yet when Boris came in and attempted to take his plushy… Well hell broke loose and my office is now a disaster area." Glancing at her watch Judy started to walk down the hallway again. "I have to be leaving if I don't want to be late, goodbye Tala."

Looking at the boy in his arms Tala noted that Midnight was absent, and in the turmoil Dr. Tate hadn't noticed. If the others needed him they'd come and find him, though he usually skipped lunch anyways. There really wasn't any way of telling how long Damian would be out, and if he woke he'd probably hungry. They both had the chance of missing dinner as well, as some of the nurses didn't take a liking to the new kid since his first arrival at the hospital.

Walking down the hall just a couple of doors Tala entered his own room where he roomed alone, for precaution's sake. Easily he maneuvered the light body in his arms enough to flick the light switch on, and with his foot the door was closed a good three fourths of the way shut so people couldn't just walk by and see everything in the room. He had been there at the hospital the longest, and that let to him simply both buying himself things for Christmas and getting gifts from his friends as well as Judy on his birthday as well as Christmas. This led his room to be more contently comfortable with a deep orange and black comforter on the twin bed and several beanbags ranging from orange to blue and white in the corner where the dresser was supposed to be. The dresser, instead, had been replaced with a small desk and his clothes stuffed in the small nightstand's two drawers. There were pictures of wolves everywhere, though most of them were white artic wolves with thick white fur and light eyes.

As he lay Damian on his own bed and proceeded to pull off his worn sneakers there was a knock at Tala's door. That meant the food was already there, which was quick for the nurses at the hospital. When he didn't answer it the person walked in on their own accord without even bothering to ask. Azure eyes were met with the crimson of Kai's. "Judy told me I should bring your lunch to your room. What's the new kid doing here?"

"No one else would watch him, and no one likes waking up in the infirmary after being sedated." The answer seemed to be enough of an answer as Kai walked over and put the tray of various foods on the desk's top. "How'd he end up being sedated? I thought he was only going to have his one on one therapy with Dr. Tate? She isn't that ignorant as to provoke him in any way or form, much less anyone provoke anyone at the hospital."

"Boris walked in and tried to take his stuffed animal, from what she tells me that's what happened. It would only figure he was still furious about being hit by the kid. Dr. Tate said that hell broke loose in her office, meaning there was another fight between Boris and Damian. If he doesn't cool it Judy is going to fire him, meaning he won't be able to attempt to torment us or us torment him anymore." Grabbing The Catcher In The Rye book from the nightstand Tala crossed the room to sit in one of the beanbag chairs only to proceed to open the book and start reading from it where he had left off yesterday when Kai had gotten him from the library.

"The sooner he's fired the better. He's more of a danger than the doctor knows. Another batch of medicine has disappeared from the infirmary again, and the nurses are getting restless because they are usually the only ones allowed in the infirmary. If the blame goes to Judy then we're at risk of loosing her as a doctor to us, and I think that's something that no one in here really wants…Well Boris would, of course. When the lights are out I'm going to go and see what I can find out about the missing batches of drugs and medicine." With a light nod of goodbye Kai left the room, letting his Russian friend to think over what he had said.

----

It was late in the night, past lights out where all the doors to the patient's rooms were locked and the lights of the building turned off. Damian hadn't woken up, and upon Judy's return she ordered the nurses and orderlies to let him stay in Tala's room for the night to see if he'd wake up in the morning instead. Tala had fallen asleep reading the last few pages of the book he had borrowed from the hospital's library, his form curled up on the pile of beanbag chairs.

Under the lids of closed eyes azure colored orbs were rolling around almost franticly, and the owner of those eyes was covered in a slick cold sweat from nightmares that came more than several times during the week. Rolling onto his back Tala fought against a none-existent being, kicking and clawing at the air as he cried out in sobbing screams. Drops of salty water trailed from the corner of his eyes, trailing down along the cheekbone and dripping off the chin as he continued to struggle.

Something warm pressed into his chest, and in an immediate reaction Tala wrapped his arms around it deathly tight. Another deep and panicked breath brought a gentle and comforting scent to his senses, smelling of wild berries and vanilla. Slowly the thrashing and crying stopped, leaving the room quiet as the Russian soon settled to lay on his side again clutching the warm object to his chest as if it were a lifeline.

----

Kai listened intently to the sounds outside his room's door, waiting for silence to fall for some time before he shifted from his bed and padded across the carpeted floor towards the door. He was still dressed in his day clothes, his shoes still on and still very much awake. Sticking a hand into his pants pocket he withdrew a thin metal rod that was crooked with kink and bends; it's use was a clear one--to unlock the door that kept all patients in their respective rooms at night.

Sticking the piece of metal into the lock Kai took his time, always listening through the door for any sounds to arise from the other side. There was but a moment of shifting, turning, and twisting before the lock gave a gentle click, signaling it was unlocked. Why, he fathomed, they put a key hole on both sides was beyond him.

Turning the handle he stood silent for another moment, straining his ears to hear the outside hall, waiting patiently until silence greeted him. Fleetingly he glanced back at Rei, smiling fondly at his sleeping boyfriend before cracking the door to peek out then slipping into the hall fully and closing the door behind him.

Making quick work of moving down the hall Kai stuck to the darker shadows, avoiding the night lights that were dull and had great vulnerability. Pressing himself against the wall at the corner he stared towards the main office area, glaring bitterly at the higher guard put up this night. Today he wasn't going to be able to get in, though his trip wasn't going to be in vain.

Moving towards the smaller records office Kai took the liberty of quickening his steps, near jumping into the small office as a nurse came around the corner. Carefully he shut she door behind him, pulling out a pocket flashlight as he moved to the filing cabinets. He was quick to find which file he wanted, pulling out Damian's information and settling himself down on the floor to read. The further the read the more his brows knitted together--this patient certainly was an interesting one.

----

"Do you think we should wake them?" Standing in Tala's doorway was Rei and Kai, watching as the read head slept hugging Damian's plushy to him. Lying on the floor not too far away was Damian wrapped in the black and orange comforter from Tala's bed. The small window that let in the morning light cast a light glow on them both

"I don't think we should, Kitten. Lets go make sure Tyson doesn't barge in here and piss Tala off." Leading Rei out of the room Kai shut the door behind him, walking with the raven-haired teen down the hallways as his arms snaked around his waist to hold him closer. With a smile Rei leaned his head on his love's shoulder, quite content just as they were.

"What'd you find out about those missing drugs from the infirmary?" The words were whispered as they came from Rei's mouth, well know that if anyone heard them talking about it they'd be in a great deal of trouble, if not worse when Boris heard they had been talking about it.

"Not a lot. There were a lot more people about last night then there usually is, which is probably their way of being cautious. I did manage to get a hold of Damian's file, though. He seems to be causing a lot more than he really knows about, and I think we should be looking at why, or try to find out why. I have a feeling Boris has something to do with it, as always. I also stopped this morning to talk to Judy about the kid. It seems for most of his life he was shuffled about orphanages and hospitals like this. The other doctors who've seen him say he's just completely insane and not curable, but Judy simply says it's fear more than anything. A guise to try to make himself seem completely insane despite the fact he is indeed sane.. There was though a few years that aren't accounted for in his life, as if he was wiped from existence for that period of time." Turning down the hall they headed for the same room the four of them met every few days just to be left alone from the other patients. "Only time will tell I suppose."