Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade but i do own this plot and any OCs that you see on here. Including Rage and Bathos...
Rage fidgeted on her seat on the couch, growing frustrated as the police officer took a sip of his tea. There were two police officers, a man and woman. They both seemed kind enough…
"So Rage…" the woman began, the smile on her face seemed warm and friendly.
"How old are you exactly?" the woman held a notepad and pen expectantly, clearly thinking to write down the basic details first…
The simple ness of the question momentarily comforted Rage.
"I'm fourteen years and I guess about nine months old," she answered simply.
"And how long has your father been abusing you?"
The question made her tense, even though she'd knew that a question like that would be asked eventually. The feeling of a hand over hers made her look up confused. Before she remembered that Kai was sitting next to her, she'd asked that he be allowed to remain in the room for emotional support. Mr Dickinson had remained as well, to act in the role of her temporary guardian to insure that her rights were taken into account.
"I guess since I was about four or five, after my mother left."
The rest of the team were supposed to be blading in the training room. But the absence of any sound of whirling of blades made her wonder if they were listening in. It wouldn't really matter if they were, after all if they couldn't stand hearing about this stuff then they'd never be able to accept what happened at the abbey to both Kai and her…especially Kai…
After all…it was Kai who was their friend. It was Kai's past that they would have to accept in order to remain friends with him. The slate haired teen probably would never admit it…but he needed friends like them. He would need friends to be able to get through what they both knew was coming…and Rage much doubted that just her own friendship would be enough…
"I know this is hard for you…but could you tell us what sort of things he used to do to you?"
"Just hitting, stabbing, whipping and stuff like that…" the dark haired girl stared at her shoes self-consciously. The trainers were scuffing up the carpet, not that she cared…it gave her something else to concentrate on…
The female police officer nodded, scribbling something down in her notebook. The guy police officer just kept on drinking his tea…
They'd introduced themselves as officers Miss O'Brian and Mr Tonkov when they'd first walked in. But Rage had never really been much good at seeing past uniforms…so even though she personally didn't have many grudges against police officers, it was still difficult to see them as people…
"So you feel that it is a threat to you're health to remain under the guardianship of this…Bathos Schild any longer?" The man spoke up for the first time since introducing himself at the beginning…
"Well…duh…" the teenager said, rolling her aqua eyes.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'" Mr Tonkov said writing in his notebook. He had a friendly face…although he didn't seem as nice as the lady.
"Do you understand that we might have to place you with social services while the charges are being processed?" The man asked…he seemed like he was trying to be nice. But the mere suggestion of such an act caused both teens to mistrust him even more than their usual prejudges against police officers.
"No!" Rage declared firmly before the boy sitting beside her could also retaliate. "I want to stay with Kai."
"I'm not sure if that will be possible because of your ages. You have to be placed under a responsible guardian to make sure that your safety is maintained." Miss O'Brian spoke apologetically. Nervously brushing a stray lock of her long brown hair safely behind her ear as she stared at the obviously none too happy teenagers.
"Excuse me…but I wouldn't mind looking after Rage." Mr Dickinson cut in before Kai said something that from the looks of how angry he was…wouldn't go down well with the officers. "I definitely sure that I'm old enough" he added with a smile.
"I'm not sure" the woman police officer debated. "There's a lot of paper work for something like this…I think that it would take too long. You have to be checked out and there are lots of procedures that we have to do. It could take weeks and she needs a place to stay now"
"How come she can't stay here then?" Kai growled…the deep scowl on his face showing his hostility of the situation. "She's been staying here since yesterday and there was no problem with it then."
"Yes, but that was only a temporary arrangement-" Tonkov's argument was cut off by a sudden outburst from Mr Dickinson.
"I've got it!" The older man voiced unexpectedly. "If I enrol Rage as part of the blade breakers. Then I automatically receive temporary guardianship over her. She could stay with Kai and the team…and I'm sure that I could fulfil the requirements of the guardian."
Tonkov looked ready to disagree before Miss O'Brian broke in abruptly. She had a warm smile on her face that made Rage consider that maybe…even with the uniform…she might perhaps be human. Maybe…
"I think that's a great idea" the female officer agreed "We'll help of course…you'll have to notify us as to the locations that you are planning to stay at and go. So that we can make sure that we can contact you easily and that Rage is kept protected. It should be safe once we arrest Mr Schild…but until then you'll have to keep her presence on the team quiet. We've already tracked down the building that he was renting and police officers we sent there with an arrest warrant last night. He wasn't there…but we're hopeful that he's still in the area. His belongings were at the house and police are searching for him as we speak."
"We're confident that we can find him…and given the medical records from the hospital and the witnesses we've got a solid case to keep him." Tonkov added…seeming slightly fed up at his partner. "As well as you two and your friends…the three unconscious men found at the scene of the incident were more than happy to cooperate in return for a slightly harsher sentence. As soon as we catch him he'll be going away for a long time."
Kai looked bored as he sat with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed untrustingly on the two officers. Rage was staring at her shoes again…scraping them against the carpet absentmindedly. Her shoulders were tense…showing her unease at the situation. She was trying to get her thoughts together…so she'd finally be free of him…really?
Bathos would be gone…truly? It didn't seem real somehow…it was odd to think that after all these years…all her life. Finally she would be free of him…
Something would go wrong…she knew it. Something would go bad…everything always went bad. It was just life…in her life…everything always went wrong…
"I think that's all" Miss O'Brian smiled…tucking away her notebook. "There will be a person coming later on to interview you further Rage. In a couple of days time I think…I understand that you might not be in the country at the time. But I'm sure that we can sort it out."
"Thanks for the tea" Tonkov said politely as they both exited. The door closed quietly behind them.
Rage let out a relived sigh and leaned back leisurely on the sofa. Suddenly her half closed eyes widened as she realised something.
"Hey" she said happily to Kai. "This means that I'm a blade breaker…doesn't it!" The smile on her face seemed to make her whole face light up.
"Yep" he answered simply…no emotion present in his voice. "And it also means that I'm your captain."
Rage blinked slightly…the smile slipping from her face.
"Damn…you just had to ruin it didn't you" she growled…crossing her arms in front of her in a traditional sulky pose.
This performance earned her a nudge from her new captain. Which only made her sink deeper into her sulk.
"Now, now children" Mr Dickinson chastened…causing a very real frown to appear on Kai's face at being called a child.
"I have something else to discuss with you. Mostly regarding you Kai…"
Kai's frown deepened. This had better not be about his scars…he'd been avoiding the subject for a long time. He didn't want to have to explain how he'd got them…
"Its about Voltaire and Boris Balkov…"
Kai's hands transformed into fists…this was bad. This was going to be bad.
"They're appealing against their charge. They've already spent two years in prison. I've looked at the evidence…and I think that they could make it. A great many of the witnesses from their last trial have disappeared…and everyone that I can find that at some point attended the abbey refuses to get involved. We never had that much physical evidence to begin with…so now…"
"I'm not testifying!" Kai broke in suddenly…his fingers were digging tightly into his palms. He'd never managed to talk about what had happened at the abbey even to his team members. There was no way that he was going to tell total strangers about what had happened there.
He closed his eyes in frustration for a moment. Seeing the blood…the bright fresh blood gleaming on the snow behind his closed lids. He heard the screams…the children screaming for the mercy that they would never get.
"Kai…if no one testifies against them. They will go free…do you understand that?"
The teenager blinked…trying to chase the images out of his mind. He didn't want that…he didn't want them to go free. But he couldn't testify…
"Here…" he said quietly…holding out to Mr Dickinson the five discs that he had been keeping.
"There's more than enough evidence on them to incriminate Bathos, Boris and Voltaire. That should keep them behind bars…" Truthfully Kai hadn't wanted to give anybody those discs. The stuff that was on them…some of it he didn't want anybody to know about. But surely it would be better than letting them go free…
"Kai…this is extraordinary. Where did you get them?" Mr Dickinson seemed flustered as he carefully stored the discs away in a pocket.
"I'd rather not say" Kai said…his voice not giving away anything. He had felt Rage tense beside him…and he didn't want to get her involved in this if she didn't want to be. She'd dragged up enough of her past already…
"Alright Kai…" Mr Dickinson said kindly. "I have some work to take care of in preparation for the final match this afternoon. Unless you have something you want to talk to me about?"
"Why would I?" Kai scowled defensively…sarcasm appearing in his voice.
A sharp elbow in the ribs from Rage forced the angriness from his expression. He could feel her aqua eyes boring a hole in the side of his head…
He gave in…meeting Mr Dickinson's eyes hesitantly. He felt like biting his lip…so he dug his fingers into the palms of his hands instead. It was less obvious…so hopefully it wouldn't show so much how worried he was.
"Yes Kai?" The man asked…his eyes were twinkling with amusement at their behaviour. Yet…he seemed concerned at the same time…
"I…I was wondering if you would have to look at the discs…" Kai shifted uncomfortably…he was unused to asking questions that were that delicate to him. The question meant something to him…something important. Lately his emotions had become less easy to hide…maybe it was because of the lack of sleep that he was getting. Or maybe it was just because of his past being brought up…his past wouldn't leave him alone.
"Do you want me to Kai?" The elderly man questioned reasonably. He was curious now…there would have to be something pretty sensitive on those discs to get Kai acting as uneasy as he was.
"No" the teenager confessed after a pause. He was avoiding the adult's gaze.
"I really don't want anyone to look at what's on there…but…I guess that someone has to…right?"
"Right" Mr Dickinson said…trying to sound reassuring. "Don't worry about it Kai…you're too young to be worrying about things like this. Let us grown ups worry for a while…you just concentrate on enjoying yourself. I'll see you this afternoon…ok?"
At the boy's nod Mr Dickinson walked away. The old man was now the guardian of two children from the abbey. Although he had temporary guardianship of Tyson, Kenny, Ray and Max while they were competing at the tournaments. He had already been granted guardianship of Kai when his grandfather had been placed in jail.
It was funny to think that only a few days ago…Mr Dickinson had been considering adopting Kai. Maybe if he could somehow convince the stubborn boy…then he'd actually agree to spend some time together. Instead of going off to boarding school…although that hadn't lasted long.
And it had mostly been Voltaire's choice…as there had been an odd custody trial at the time. Whether Voltaire could choose a guardian for Kai or not while he was in jail…and how much control he still had over the boy. Even with the expensive lawyers Voltaire's claim over Kai had been diminished. And Mr Dickinson had been appointed guardianship.
Not that that had changed much. Kai had given up on boarding school and just took to wandering around a lot. He had never even entered the house that Mr Dickinson owned in Japan. So he didn't know for instance that he had set aside a room for Kai when he'd become his guardian. He didn't know that it was right now painted and furnished…just on the off chance that Kai might someday take up his offer on a place to stay.
-----
Kai stared at the closed door silently…musing as he stared half-heartedly at his hands in his lap. Nail marks stood out clearly on the pale flesh. It had actually hurt when he'd had to unclench his fists…he guessed he'd been digging his nails in harder than he had thought.
"He's going to hate me if he sees…" Kai said quietly to the empty space in front of him. Thinking of what was on the discs. "They're all going to hate me…"
It was said so softly that even the blade breakers huddled…listening by the door couldn't hear. Ray opened the door slowly…peering around carefully before spotting that only Kai and Rage were left in the room. He…unlike a couple of his more curious friends had actually been training and not listening at the door.
"Hey Kai" he said after smiling a greeting at the girl sat beside his slate haired friend. "Since you seem to be doing nothing…its explanation time…"
"You promised" the golden eyed teen reminded firmly as it looked like Kai was about to refuse.
"I…" Kai started…unable to think of a suitable excuse or sarcastic comment.
"What do you want to know?" he sighed…defeated…he would have to explain eventually anyway. And…it just felt too wrong to go back on a promise. Although it felt wrong as well to be giving in to them…to be explaining his past…
"The scars" Tyson ordered as he entered the room with the others. "How did you get them?"
Kai took a deep breath…concentrating on schooling his face until not one emotion was betrayed. They were all staring at him expectantly with wide eyes…if they had popcorn then they could have been watching a movie.
"They're from the abbey" he stated evenly…trying hard to sound like it didn't bother him. That it didn't matter…
"But how come?" Max questioned…confusion showing clearly in his expression. "I mean did someone beat you up or something. Why would anybody do that do that to you…you must have been a little kid at the time…"
"I don't know" he didn't allow a trace of emotion to mix in with his words. "I don't know why they did it…maybe it was because I wasn't perfect for their plans. So they tried to beat the perfection into me."
Max blinked…listening to Kai's tone of voice. He might as well have been discussing the weather or theories as to why a new beyblade strategy hadn't worked out.
"It was Boris…wasn't it?"
Kai turned to fix Tyson in his strangely placid stare. He nodded once…not trusting himself to speak. Something glimmered deep behind his eyes…some stray emotion that he hadn't managed to fully extinguish.
"It doesn't matter," he said suddenly in answer to their pitying gazes. The stray emotion finally buried so that they couldn't see it. "It happened a long time ago and what's past is past. Its best to just accept it and move on."
The phrase somehow seemed strangely familiar to the team. It was Ray who remembered it.
"Hey that's what Boris said when we first visited the abbey. I remembered it cause I always thought that it was a weird thing to say in that situation."
Kai lowered his head slightly…the haunted look on his face reflected on Rage's. Both were thinking of the same things…their past's in the abbey. The blood and the screams…and fear…fighting to survive…
"If there are no more questions then we still have some training to do." He said it as firmly as he could. Hoping that they couldn't hear the anxiety in his voice. He didn't want to talk anymore about his past…he didn't want to drag it all up. He didn't want them to know.
"I have a question."
Damn…
Kai glared at the chief…wondering if he could perhaps scare him somehow into not asking. Only Kenny was currently preoccupied with his laptop and so the team captain's desire for no more questions went unnoticed.
Just his luck…it better not be anything that he didn't want to answer.
"I don't know if anyone noticed…but the window sill was burnt sometime last night."
They looked from the picture of a burnt windowsill on the computer screen to the actual thing across the room. Every single one of them had walked past it today…yet it was only Rage and Kai who didn't seem surprised by the picture. It's amazing what you can miss if you didn't pay attention to it. And no one had exactly examined the windowsill today…they had barely glanced at it.
"Now from what I can tell it would have to be something of great heat to do something like this. Since you two were the last ones seen in that area…I was wondering if you knew how it happened?"
"Um…" Rage murmured looking sheepish. "Guess I'm busted, right?"
Seeing the confused faces she tilted her head at them…giving them a lopsided grin that seemed both humorous and guilty at the same time.
"I suppose you're wondering how I did that, huh?"
Persuaded by the nods she received…she continued…
"Its kinda hard to explain. Stuff like that tends to happen when I get upset…when I get angry. It's why my nickname is Rage…cause when I get angry I lose control…and it happens…"
Carefully she lifted her arm up in front of her…so that the palm of her hand was facing the ceiling. She concentrated…her blue green eyes narrowing as she and the others stared at her hand. For a moment nothing seemed to happen…then under their stares gleaming red flames seemed to appear from her palm.
At first it was only a few wisping trails of flame…reaching hopelessly for the ceiling. Then there was a whole handful of fire…licking greedily at the air surrounding it. The glaring red fire reflected on the girl's pale face giving her a magical quality. Before…with a hint of regret the dark haired girl closed her fist around the flames. When her hand reopened it was empty…
"I haven't been able to do that for a while" she sighed…filling the silence that reigned after that strange sight.
"When I was taken to the hospital the drug that Bathos gave me was drained out of my system. That drug was used to control this…in other words to make sure that I couldn't use it to harm them."
"But…how" Kenny spluttered… "How is that even possible?"
"Its not as odd as you think." Kai protested on Rage's behalf. "You've all seen odd things happen when beybattling right? Even to the blader…water appearing from no where in Max's battles, fire in mine…"
"Well" Kai continued once they'd agreed with his statement. "When a bit beast and their blader have a close enough bond, have spent enough time together and reach a certain level in training. Aspects from each of them start to pass over and merge. Even with us it's already started…when you were first introduced to your bit beasts you wouldn't have been able to do half the things that you can do now. As time passes and you learn more as long as you maintain a close bond with your bit beast some of the stuff you find you can do in battle you start to be able to do in real life. In around ten years time…if I keep training hard and learning more I'll be able to do the stuff that Rage can do with fire and maybe more…"
"I'd say five years" Rage smiled…
"Then we'd be able to do neat stuff like that?" Tyson exclaimed.
"That'll be so cool" Max grinned…clearly picturing himself in the future. "I'm going to train and train and train!"
"Yeah…it'll be like having superpowers." Ray agreed… "How come I've never heard of that happening to anyone?"
"Most people either don't train long or hard enough or either don't have a strong enough bond with their bit beat. It has happened before…but so long ago that it was just put down to being magic. Not many people know that it can happen and so give up before it has time enough to develop. After all you don't see a lot of adults blading, do you…" Kai said stoically.
"Then how come Rage has the abilities?" Max questioned…looking puzzled again. "She's not a adult…"
"I'm a special case," Rage explained. "When I was born…" she sounded sad…her eyes clouding slightly as if remembering something long lost.
"Tasmine was born on exactly the same date and time as me…down to the last second. Her mother was my mother's bit beast…so Tasmine and me grew up together. The name 'Tasmine' means twin…and that's what we basically are…twins. It was also a special night when she and I were born…I'm not sure how exactly, but its made our bond stronger. Both because of the time we were born and the fact that we were born at the same time. I've had these abilities for years now…they've just been getting stronger. My abilities might also have something to do with my genetics. On my mother's side were a great many mediums and people close to spirits. Since bit beasts are types of spirits this might have enhanced my ability to develop her skills."
"That's amazing" Kenny breathed…this was something pretty big for the chief…expert in beyblading not to have come across before. Quite frankly he was awestruck.
"Wait" Ray ordered as it seemed like Kai was about to get up off the couch…presumably to continue his training. The teenager paused eyeing the neko jin questioningly.
"I have another question…the last one I promise…for now at least." Ray added the last parts in response to the scowl that had appeared on Kai's features.
Grudgingly Kai sat back down…definitely not looking happy about it.
"In the check up room you said that you didn't want to break your promise again. What was that about?"
Kai crossed his arms over his chest…lowering his head slightly so that grey bangs fell to cover his eyes. He had promised that he would explain…that he would answer their questions. Ray didn't know that by asking that particular question he had just made things a hundred times worse for his team captain.
"At the abbey I formed a group" Kai's voice sounded husky as if he was having to fight to keep the emotion out.
"At first there was only me, Rage, Tala and unofficially Tala's brother Toni. Then a couple of months later a boy called Jamie joined…by the time I was seven there were seven of us. The two new ones were Leon and a little boy called Casey. I promised that I'd do my best to look after them…keep them safe and…alive…" Kai trailed off…he didn't want to be telling them this. It was his fault…one of the worst things he had ever done. It was his fault…all his fault that they were…
"Kai what happened to them?" Ray asked firmly…his amber eyes widened as Kai stood up quickly from the couch.
"Kai?" He asked…the worry present in his voice as without meeting any of their eyes. Their team captain promptly marched into the training room…slamming the door shut behind him.
"He needs some time alone," Rage declared…stopping the teenagers from going after him.
"Rage?" Max asked…his bright blue eyes wide. "What happened to the group…the people that Kai was talking about?"
"I think that Jamie is still alive somewhere" Rage answered quietly… "And you know that Tala, Kai and me are alive…but the others…Casey, Leon and Toni…they died in the abbey…"
They looked at her in shock…from eyes that had never seen as much death as her. Or as much death as Kai had seen…
--
Their team captain was stood before the beyblade dish…Dranzer aimed perfectly at it. Everything in his stance was perfect…there wasn't a single flaw that could be pointed out. Or taken advantage of…
He was whispering…his entire body as still as a statue…with the sole exception of his lips. They were forming words that he hadn't said for a long time…not since the abbey. Usually he fought them…would not allow them to leave his mind…trapping them behind his lips. But now…they were free…he was too tired to fight them any more.
"Victory is life, defeat our enemies"
Deep in his mind a voice answered the chant…ringing out clear in his mind as if he were still there…at the abbey.
"Again!"
"Victory is life, defeat our enemies" The words were etched in his very core…repeated so many times. Again and again…until to forget them was a near impossible act.
"Again!"
"Victory is life, defeat our enemies" he wasn't the only one chanting it…there were a room full of people…children. Their voices echoed in the room…they'd be chanting it till their voices were horse from the effort. Then the real training would begin…it was the same…day in day out.
"Again!"
"Victory is life, defeat our enemies" Tala was to Kai's right…chanting…everyone was chanting. To stop would mean pain. Leon was standing on Kai's left…his voice shook on every word. He was new and inexperienced…strangely old to begin training now though. After all…he was seven…the same age as the chanting Kai. And Kai had been training for so long now…three years at least…although it seemed much longer.
"Again!"
"Victory is life, defeat our enemies" As the words flowed easily from Kai…his heart clenched in his chest. Someone had faltered…the error was heard clearly through the sea of perfectly chanting voices. It had been Leon…the fact was painted clearly on his face.
"Who faltered…who stopped?" the abbey guard's voice was angry as he pushed his way through the children towards Kai and Leon. As the guard's accusing eyes fell on Leon…Kai knew that the child probably wouldn't last the beating. His lifeless body would be taken to the grounds and buried under a serial number in case they had use for his remains at a later date.
"It was me" Kai said calmly…not looking at the shaking boy stood beside him. He wasn't sure why he said it…he only knew that it was the only way to keep the boy alive.
"You?"
"Yes me…I faltered"
"Then you'll be made a example of in front of the others""Yes sir" he answered politely…he hesitating in following the guard to the front of the class. Making sure that he wouldn't be seen as he whispered urgently in Leon's ear.
"Just look straight ahead…don't turn away or you'll be punished. Don't say a word."
"Get up here kid or I might make the beating worse"The young Kai walked to the front of the class…
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The present Kai shook his head to get rid of the images. Taking a breath he launched Dranzer into the dish. He watched the phoenix as it spun around gracefully racing…testing it's own speed and agility.
As his eyes fixed onto the blade he thought only one thing…
"Its my fault they died…"
So i updated...sorry for the wait. I thank you deeply for the reviews that i have received. I literally read everyone of them...about three or four times i think. I just love reviews so much...if you are also a writer you should have a fair idea of what i'm on about. So make my day and send me a review of this chapter...please?