Disclaimer: Don't own it, just love it.

A/N: Well, hope you're enjoying this fic... A little bit of Voltaire and a beast we all wish we could forget (but secretly love winks) coming up in this chapter. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

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Craving Freedom

Chapter 4: Lost Again

Sunday, December 26, 2004

The sun rose in late morning amplifying the chilliness of the Russian winter. As a result, Kai's search group slept in. By the time they awoke, it was nearly midday. They had all managed to fit into one hotel room, keeping costs low, and now trudged one by one to the bathroom to freshen up. Upon leaving the hotel after grabbing a quick bite to eat, they wrapped their coats tightly to their bodies as the air gnawed at their skin. They had been lucky enough the night before to find a hotel two blocks away from Kai's apartment.

As they headed for the building, Tyson beamed. He had an extra skip to his step and seemed like he was moments away from humming some merry tune, as if a man without a worry. Hilary took note of his odd behaviour. "Tyson, this is new. I never thought of you as much of a morning person," she snickered. "You usually can't smile until school's out, or at least not until lunch time on a good day," Hilary added pensively.

"I can't help it," Tyson explained as cheery as ever, "I just can't wait to see Kai. I have this feeling that nothing's going to stop us today from at least seeing Kai. Nothing," he put in defiantly. His eyes were burning with hope. Hilary only sighed in response.

Then she smiled. Yes, today, they would see Kai. It had been so long. She still remembered his last e-mail to her. It was short, as it always was, but it still had meant a lot to her.

Hilary, I'm well as always. How did the final go? From, Kai

She had written him back but never knew if he had even read the e-mail, or received it in the first place. But what made this simple message so significant to her was the fact that he had remembered when the tests were. She had mentioned her worries in a previous e-mail, but the fact that he even cared to ask meant that she was more than just some face to him. She was as much a friend to him as any of the guys were. Sometimes, she wasn't sure, but for some reason, that message had said more to her than any long explanation could ever accomplish.

"We're almost there," said Ray. They had reached the corner across from where Kai's apartment was located. The building was three away from the corner of the street and the lights at which the former Bladebreakers were waiting to cross. In front of the apartment building, cars were parked along the road. Directly in front of the stairs to the entrance, a large black car was parked, its engine running.

As the group stared at the building, its door opened and five people exited, the first of which came as a pleasant surprise, the last of which ruined the moment. Kai walked out through the doorway, arm held and pushed forward by a man dressed in black. The hearts of the group were lifted. It was the first time they had seen him since he left Japan. He looked older with a sharper face and taller height. His growth only reflected the length of time it had been since they'd seen him last. Then, two more men in suits followed behind the first and finally, behind them, Voltaire Hiwatari exited, watching his grandson with harsh, cold eyes.

The Bladebreakers' smiles faded at once. Voltaire could only mean one thing: trouble.

Hilary, although she knew that Kai was in trouble, asked the others for clarification. "Who are those people?"

Max answered. "The one at the back is Voltaire, Kai's grandfather, who originally stuck him in the Abbey."

"Voltaire," Tyson growled, clenching his fists. He began to step forward.

"Whoa," Ray uttered as he grabbed the back of Tyson's coat. "Think before you act; first of all, we don't know if he really needs our help and secondly, we're no match for those suits anyway. We can't just barge in there and – "

Ray never finished what he was saying. Kai had just torn away from the man who was holding him and was making a run for it. The three men in suits chased after him. Kai stopped suddenly by a motorcycle that was parked on the street. He began to search frantically through the pockets of his long coat but to no avail; what ever he was searching for, he never found it. Instead, Kai made a desperate look back up to the windows on the third floor of his apartment building before being hit and dragged off of the bike. He was thrown harshly to the street. As soon as he was down he was back on his feet once more. He took on all three of Voltaire's goons at once. He dodged one punch, blocked another and then threw a few punches of his own. He was doing well for a little while but eventually the suits regrouped and attacked in unison, forcing the defiant Kai back to the ground. This time however, the attacks did not stop when he hit the pavement. Instead, they increased. Kai was being pummelled into the ground and his teammates and friends watched helplessly from across the street.

Kai did not rise again. Alternatively, his three attackers picked him up to his feet and dragged him to the black car. They stuck him in the back seat and two of them went in as well. The third walked around the car and got in the driver's seat. Voltaire was the last one to enter the car. He sat in the back seat as well. The car then drove off and all the Bladebreakers could do was stare at the shadows in the darkened back window as their friend was taken once more from them.

As the car turned around a corner, Tyson realized what had just happened. "Wait, NOOO!" he yelled. "How could we have just done that? Why didn't we help him? It shouldn't matter if we were no match!" Tyson couldn't believe what had just happened. He rounded on Ray. "Why did you stop me?!" Tyson shook his head to try and clear his mind.

He knew it wasn't Ray's fault. He just needed time to think. He stood there with eyes tightly closed and shook a little. Finally, Kenny muttered something about sitting down to consider some options and the group headed off to a restaurant to talk over a proper meal.

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Kai's consciousness came back to him wearily. He didn't know where he was and it was a few moments before he realized why. His grandfather showing up at his door – Voltaire asking for a walk – Kai refusing and being taken by force. And now, he was in a large room, tied down to a cold metal operating table. Machinery hummed and beeped around him. He heard one machine recording his brainwaves and knew that keeping his eyes shut would be pointless. He would have already been detected awake.

"Welcome home Kai." A voice had just appeared at his side. Kai opened his eyes. Above him, Voltaire stood looking down at him. Kai looked around and recognized the old, stone walls immediately. They weren't the bricks of the Abbey but of another building he wished he could forget. He was now in the one and only house of Hiwatari. It, too, had an underground lab that Kai knew all too well. "Now, Kai, I suppose I may have my conversation with you? It is a shame that I cannot talk to my grandson without restraining him but if it must be, it must be."

"What do you want with me?" Kai spat. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Now, is that how you speak to your elders? I thought I taught you better." Kai glared. "Very well. I suppose you would like to know why you're here? Well, I don't think you need that information just yet."

"If you're not going to say anything, why don't you just leave me alone for now?" Kai growled.

"Now, now Kai, such a temper. I never said that I wouldn't tell you anything. I am here, Kai, to give you power beyond imagining."

"What are you on about old man? Haven't you realized yet that I don't want the power that you do?"

"I think you'll see it my way soon enough. You see, with power, you can control your own happiness and I know that that is something you long for. I'll be back soon to see how you're doing with the operation."

"Hnn?" Kai's eyes widened. What did he mean: operation? However, Voltaire ignored him and turned to leave. Before Kai could say anything else, a woman dressed in white came over him. She put an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to his arm and then followed it with the sharp prick of a needle. Within seconds, he began to feel drowsy. His vision blurred and his head fell completely back. He was unconscious and his fate was all in the hands of the scientists around him.

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"I just wish there was someway to know where they're taking him," Tyson mumbled.

The Bladebreakers had just left the restaurant and were now walking around, talking about what to do next. As they wandered the Moscow streets, they somehow had wandered back to Kai's apartment building. They all looked up to the three-story edifice.

Kenny studied it a little while until he got an idea. "Maybe we can find out where they're taking him if we look around his apartment," Kenny suggested.

"Let's do it," said Ray. The group walked back through the entrance of the apartment complex, just as they had the previous day. They went up the stairs and stopped in front of the apartment 307 again. The door had been left open.

For Tyson's second time, he stepped into the private life of Kai Hiwatari. The rooms were dark. Sunlight from the windows gave the room little warmth. The Bladebreakers stood at the door, stupefied by the cleanliness of the apartment.

"Tyson," Kenny said, "remember when I told you, you should clean up a little more?"

"Yeah."

"Don't. You're fine just the way you are."

They began to look around for anything that might have been left by Kai's kidnappers, anything that might give a clue to his whereabouts. A few minutes after they had entered, the doorknob turned again. Tyson, Ray and Max ducked down below the kitchen table. Hilary and Kenny hid in the bathroom. Another man in a black suit entered the apartment. Tyson, Ray and Max could see the man begin to look through the bookshelves in the lounge. He looked hastily for what ever it was that Voltaire needed, and he left everything a mess. He moved on to throwing around couch cushions and pushing furniture. After a while, he left the lounge and moved to the bedroom. This time, it was Hilary and Kenny who spied on him. The man searched through bed sheets and the laundry and the dresser. Finally, his eyes fell upon the three pictures. He picked them all up one by one and smashed them against the dresser. Out of one of them, a small circular item fell. The man smiled and picked it up. It was a bit for a beyblade. Kenny recognized it for what it was.

"Black Dranzer," he whispered. Hilary looked at him alarmingly.

"Black Dranzer? The bit beast that Kai abandoned you guys for three years ago?" Kenny nodded.

The man then left the apartment and Hilary and Kenny ran to get the other three. This was their chance. They had to follow that man somehow. All five of them ran down the stairs and were relieved to see the man had decided to have a smoke before going anywhere. He was leaning against the driver's side door of the same black car. The five teens went to the trunk and were even more exited to find the trunk open. They climbed in and waited for the car to leave. About two minutes later, it obeyed their thoughts and they were on their way to find Kai once more.

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Meh heh heh heh heh...... I'm so evil. I told you you'd SEE Kai, didn't I? Never promised anything about them talking to one another... evil laughter

Anyway, now that I've had my torturing fun with all of you, it's time I thank those who have been reviewing:

CrystallineWolf: Heh heh, again, sorry for misleading you about a reunion... Forgive me? blinking innocently

Cho-Hakkai1 Hope this was a little more juicy for you. It will get more action packed in future chapters, don't worry winks And, no, this fic won't have any pairings in it, sorry

MasterFranny: YAY ANGST! I just love it as well... haven't written a fic without it yet. Anyway, sorry for spoiling that episode... my lips are shut from now on. But I like to think that the reason Kai lost to Daichi was that he wanted to get his point across to Hiro. Kai knew Tyson wouldn't have backed down from that match and he refused to battle anyone else so, he threw the match and shot a well-aimed blade at Hiro's head who was obviously the one who pulled Tyson. (Go Kai!) Anyway, in my fic, Wyatt was the one in the mental hospital. Yes, he is in Russia, but it just works better that way. And no, there will be no pairings in my fic. Although I am biased toward a couple less common (KaiHil), I won't actually have any romance in this fic.

Anyway, next chappie will involve wishful dreaming and a search team hot on the trail. The next chapter's title is Waking to a Dream (part 1)

A little something from Gandhi for everyone in the fic:

The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may have grown at a given moment. And if this is a correct view of freedom, our chief energy must be concentrated on achieving reform from within. - Mahatma Gandhi

- Fey Phantom