Kai's hands became fists as he felt Rage tremble behind his back. She must be more hurt than even he had guessed to cower like that. There was something more to it, her sprit seemed broken. He had broken her he realised, Bathos had broken her sprit. Kai had seen it happen before many times, but he had never thought it would happen to Rage. She always had been so strong when they were younger. Bathos had come close many times to making her give up, but Kai had always been there to reassure her that she needed to keep fighting.

Flash Back

"Kai, this is Bathos's private quarters. We can't go in there, do you know how much trouble we'll be in if he catches us?" The six year old red head sighed in exasperation as his Kai ignored his words.

"I've got to help her Tala, she's my friend" was the six year old slate haired child's answer. He reached up to turn the handle, the door creaked open slowly. Revealing a room scarier than on a horror movie. The walls and floor were stained with blood, some was dry and ancient. While other parts were more recent and still a gleaming liquid on the cold stone surfaces.

There was a metal table in the middle of the room, by a formidable looking chair with restraints on it. Both had bloodstains on them. On the table was placed a metal tray jam packed full of knives, needles and other equally sharp looking objects.

Kai walked past these horrors, not noticing that Tala hadn't followed him into the room. He was intent on only one purpose, finding her.

She was curled up by the metal counters, every inch of her seemed covered in the familiar crimson liquid that is blood. Her t-shirt was ripped ragged from where the whip had cut through it to slash at her flesh. And yet, when he knelt next to her crumpled form. She somehow summoned the strength to raise her head slightly and capture him in her weak gaze.

Her dry lips cracked as she forced them to form words. Her voice was clouded with pain, yet she made herself continue.

"Bathos was mad."

End Flash Back

"She's my friend" Kai reported firmly, determination blazing in his expression. "And your not taking her."

"Friend!" Bathos shouted angrily, marching toward them. "FRIEND!!?" Bathos yelled again as Kai realised that he couldn't back up any more. Rage was leaning against the wall, her face filled with pain, terror and a complete loss of hope.

The punch was so sudden that there was no chance of Kai's blocking it. He staggered back a few paces way from Rage. He could feel the area below his left eye begin to swell immediately. Coloured lights swam in front of his vision as he heard Bathos's thumping footsteps near him again. At least if Bathos focused on him, he wouldn't hurt Rage yet.

"You have no friends!" he yelled at him as Kai somehow managed to block the stronger man's next punch. Bathos simply threw another punch, which connected harshly with Kai's chest.

"Did you learn nothing from the abbey?!" he bellowed at the gasping youth. "Did I teach you nothing?"

"Nothing worthwhile" Kai answered calmly. The next fist hit him square in the jaw, bringing a metallic taste to his mouth. He gingerly rubbed the stinging blood from his lips, his eyes still fixed on the angry Bathos.

To Kai this was a game, not a fun one though but a necessary one. This game had two rules. The first was to keep Bathos's attention off of Rage. Just till the police came, Kenny better be getting them. The second rule was also very important, that was to stay on his feet. He knew from experience that if he fell then he would be at the mercy of Bathos's steel tipped boots. Then he wouldn't be able to help anyone, not even himself.

Kai shot a nervous glance between Rage and Bathos, as Bathos seemed about to turn around to see the girl. Rage appeared to be having trouble breathing, and from the way she was holding her ribs. Kai could safely guess that a couple were broken.

"Why do you hurt her Bathos?" Kai asked as Bathos made his way over to the one he called his daughter. When the towering man drew back his hand to strike the girl, the volume in Kai's voice increased.

"Let me guess" Kai near shouted in a voice overflowing with sarcasm. "Your mammy didn't take you to the park when you were little, and so now you take out all your issues by beating up kids. Is that it Bathos?"

Unknown to Kai, his desperate outburst had been too uncomfortably close to the truth for the ruthless man to handle. So while Kai was relieved that Bathos immediately forgot about Rage. The bloodthirsty look he gave Kai as he charged at him was nothing to celebrate about.

'Shit, this is really gonna hurt.' Was all he had time to think before the raging torrent of fists hit him. He tried to block as many hits as possible, and even tried to throw a few of his own. Sadly, it was already obvious beforehand who the winner would be. Bathos was superior in size, strength, skill and experience.

Kai almost lost his footing more than once. Bathos seemed to favour hitting his stomach and head. Kai staggered back, his vision spinning as he by pure determination and some miracle managed to keep his footing. He'd been hurt worse than this before, he told himself smirking in a superior fashion to Bathos.

"And you call me pathetic" Kai drawled out, his speech slurred by his bruised jaw.

"You are" was the insane man's answer as he ploughed through Kai's weakening defence. "And worthless and weak" why wouldn't the boy just collapse already, so that he could leave.

As soon as Bathos glanced in Rage's direction, Kai started again.

"What does that make you I wonder" he smirked readying himself for the next blow. Only…it didn't come.

Bathos laughed at Kai's puzzled expression. "I know what you're doing Kai, you're distracting me from Rage. But that trick won't work anymore."

He walked purposely over to Rage, only to be stopped by Kai running in front of him.

"I won't let you hurt her anymore!" Kai announced, only to be dealt a binding blow to the temple that finally knocked him to the ground.

He pushed himself immediately to his feet again; the pain that tore at his bruised muscles from doing this was ignored. It wasn't important, although the way the ground seemed to be spinning around him didn't help matters.

Bathos was wrestling with a struggling Rage. The scared girl actually appeared to be getting the better of him, until a violent punch to her stomach made her pause. A resounding crack assaulted his ears, indicating that a rib had just been broken. She stopped struggling, momentarily paralysed by the pain.

Bathos was thrown back a few feet by an unexpected assault from a figure he had failed to see coming. When he recovered himself, Kai was standing in front of Rage again. The teen had used the few minutes where Bathos had been distracted to draw Dranzer. Kai aimed the blade at Bathos's head, the look on his face showing that he was very willing to shoot it. Bathos had gone too far, he had hurt Rage too much.

"She doesn't want to go with you" Kai said through gritted teeth. "Now let us and my team members go before I decide to rearrange your face."

Kai was fully capable of doing Bathos great injury with his blade. He had seen enough at the abbey to know what damage could be done to a person by a something as simple as a beyblade. Bathos knew it too, which was why he stayed where he was. A trace of doubt appeared on his expression, something that Kai had never seen on his face before.

"She's my daughter, I raised her. Of course she wants to come with me, right?" Bathos directed the last question to Rage.

The raven-haired girl moved from behind Kai, slowly so that she could see the man addressing her. She used Kai to ensure that she remained on her feet. Kai turned his head to catch her gaze for the briefest of seconds before returning his attention to his enemy.

That glance gave her enough confidence to answer. Her words were spoken so low that Bathos demanded that she speak up.

"I don't want to go with you," she said meeting his shocked gaze with her wary one. Her voice rose, speaking again before he could reply. "I want to stay with Kai".

She stepped back slightly, dropping her gaze to the floor as if she had suddenly realised who she was talking to.

"Why you little-" Bathos started before the sound of police sirens in the distance halted his next words.

"Your times running out Bathos. I suggest you leave now, while you still can." Kai smirked, blood trailing from his lips.

Bathos clearly could not believe what was happening. "But" he said confused at not getting his own way. He began to panic as he realised that most of the guards had fled. Only the unconscious ones and the three holding Kai's teammates were left. The noise of the sirens grew as the cars came closer.

"Leave us be Bathos" Rage said firmly, making Bathos look at her again. She was standing by Kai's side and aiming her blade at Bathos. It was a dangerous looking thing, all black with articulate red patterns on it. Her face no longer betrayed any emotions or pain. Even though she was standing in such a straight position that it must be hurting her. Only Kai who knew Rage's ways and could feel how much she was really leaning on him knew how much she was still hurting.

"You heard her Bathos. Now if there is a single shred of decency in that black soul of yours then you'll let her and us go." Kai's voice was calm, hiding the anger that blazed in his eyes very well. "Now leave," he growled, his fiery eyes flashing.

"And don't ever come back" Rage added without missing a beat.

The sirens were deafening, and voices could now be heard above the wailing noise. A familiar high-pitched voice caught Kai's ears more than the others. 'Well done Kenny' he thought, not breaking his glare with Bathos.

With a last snarl of frustration, Bathos backed away from the two teenagers. The remaining three conscious guards dropped their captives and joined him in running down a nearby alley.

"You can drop the act now Rage" Kai said lowering his blade and pocketing it along with the ripcord and launcher.

She turned to him for a moment, examining his masked expression. "Thank god" she whispered before slumping to the ground. Her emotionless mask lifted to reveal pain, but above all exhaustion.

Kai knelt stiffly beside her as Ray, Tyson and Max rushed up. Policemen and medics could finally be seen being lead through the alleys toward them by none other than Kenny.

"How is she?" Ray asked as the other two opened and closed their mouths like fishes staring at them both.

"How badly are you hurt?" Kai said quietly to the girl who was sitting leaning against a wall. He wiped the blood from his mouth as he waited for an answer. He felt strangely calm, even though Rage was clearly very badly hurt.

Rage coughed into her hands before answering. The palms of her hands and her chin turned a scarlet colour. "….The….usual" she wheezed with a weak attempt at a smile.

Kai expertly traced a gentle hand over her rib cage as the medics approached.

"She's got five broken ribs" Kai told them, while eyeing them suspiciously as they manoeuvred her onto a stretcher. "One of them has punctured a lung."

The medics nodded and left with the half conscious girl. Policemen started to question the boys as to what happened, they also dragged away the abandoned guards. A stretcher arrived for Kai, but he stubbornly refused.

"I'm fine," he growled, walking toward the ambulance that was about to leave with Rage. He quickly jumped through the doors before they were closed. The other bladebreakers would have to make their own way to the hospital.

Anyhow, I had a nice christmas. Please read and review, I would say that I might not write on this story for a while. But I keep on proving myself wrong on that, so I'm not saying anything like that. I will continue with this, I don't think I would be able to not to. The main question is when.

If you feel confused by anything in this fic. Please tell me so that i can make sure i explain it at some point. C ya.