Disclaimer: don't own it... there, that settles that!

A/N: Well, it's been a week and you know what that means; a new chapter to Craving Freedom! Here is the second part to Waking to a Dream. A warning for all of you though, today we'll be diving into angst and leaving the blissful surface behind. Now with that done, on with the chapter!

Russian 101:

Moi Sin means My Son.

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Craving Freedom

Chapter 6: Waking to a Dream (part 2)

As Kai awoke, the dreary day welcomed him. It was a dull grey outside and showed very little promise to get any better. He quickly got dressed and skipped his way through the house as he went downstairs. He entered the kitchen and found it hazardous as his mother rushed around trying to get everything in order. "Where did I put my purse?" she asked to herself, not yet realizing that Kai had entered the room.

"I think it's in the hallway," answered Kai.

She looked up abruptly to see Kai at the door of the room. "Oh, thank you honey. I'm so late this morning; my alarm never went off."

"Where are you going?" Kai asked curiously.

"I have that interview today."

"That's today, Mom? You'd better get out of here! It's in fifteen minutes!" Kai had completely forgotten about the interview after the previous night. He tried to help his mother as she hurried out the door. After some rush she was off and Kai was running to school. On his way there, he stopped by Tanya's house to pick her up. Policemen were all around the street.

Kai ran up to her house. He was frightened to find her house at the centre of the commotion. Kai ran towards it, terrified beyond belief. People tried to stop him but Kai managed to squirm past until he broke through the crowd. Galina, Tanya's mother, came running up to him. She was in tears. Oh Kai! Moi sin."

"What? What is it?" Kai looked at her eyes, trying to comprehend. All they showed was grief.

Galina sobbed and sobbed. Kai tried as hard as he could to make out what she was saying. Eventually, he understood the general idea. It was Tanya. Last night after he left her, in the short amount of time that she was out of his sight, she had been raped and killed. Kai heard, but didn't believe. He shook his head, walking backward but was stopped by Galina's hand on his shoulder steadying herself and trying to comfort him.

"Kai, I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry. If only there was something I could've done. I should have waited up. I would have seen her..."

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I should have walked her all the way home." Kai swallowed. His heart knew nothing but agony. How could he survive after this? After his Tanya had –

Kai's legs shook and he fell. Galina grabbed him and held him up, bringing his arm around her shoulder. She led him inside her house. Kai spent the day sitting on her couch, the same couch Tanya would sit when he visited, drinking tea. He couldn't think; he didn't want to. The woman he saw, just last night, the woman he loved, was now nothing more than a stiff pile of flesh and bone. It sickened him.

Hours later, nine unbelievably long hours, Kai wandered down the empty streets back to his home only to find more police. He believed they were only there to inform him of Tanya, but when he turned to leave, a yell called him.

Kiska came running out of the house and wrapped her arms around his stomach. Kai was about to explain to her that he already knew when she said, hysterically, something about Mother. When Kai thought his heart could take no more, Kai learned of another event that occurred that day. Earlier that day, Sonia had run to her interview only to never arrive. She was unfortunate enough to meet a car head-on. Now, she lay in a comatose state in a hospital bed. Kai couldn't handle it. What was going on? Yesterday, Kai's life was more than wonderful. And today he was cursed to lose everyone important to him, everyone he loved. Kai could shed no more tears. He only held Kiska closer to him feeling emotion no longer.

---

"Let us go," Max struggled against the grip of his captor. The Bladebreakers were being dragged down the hallway, up a flight of stairs and along another hall.

"Quit your struggling, kid," the man who held him spat. The man was fairly tall and was clearly hired for his muscle more than anything.

'Think, Max, think,' Max thought to himself. There has to be a way out of this. 'These guys don't look extremely bright. Maybe we can trick them. Get their guard down so we can escape. Wait! I think I've got it!'

"Ooh..." Max groaned, sinking to his knees. He hugged his stomach, bowing his head. Everyone stopped.

"Get up, kid!" Max just groaned louder.

"Max, what's wrong?" Tyson asked, worried for his friend. He bent down (his escort had long ago forgotten to restrain him) and tried to look Max in the eye. Only once he was low enough could he see that Max didn't look like he was in much pain. Max had a slight smile on his face, and Tyson couldn't believe his eyes when Max winked at him. Tyson stared at him in disbelief until he noticed that his guard stood watching at his side. It was the perfect opportunity to get away.

Tyson snatched it up an instant later. He elbowed the guy behind him in the stomach and pushed the man to the floor. The other Bladebreakers grasped the plan immediately and ran away from the clutches of their assigned guards, some dodging hands, like Hilary and Kenny, and others fighting like Tyson and Ray. Max, too, sprung into action and head-butted his assignment. After managing their captors, the group of five ran away from the men, turning corners at random. They didn't care if they got lost, as long as they lost the men following them. They could look for Kai once they were clear to.

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Walking along, Kai had his hands in his pockets and looked to be out for nothing more than a stroll. He wandered with no goal in mind and only stopped when a familiar site appeared before his clouded eyes. His eyesight focusing, he realized he was at the bridge where he had just last night held Tanya in his arms. Kai walked onto the bridge and stopped by its side. Although Kai saw vivid images of the night before pass through his mind, he remained unaffected by them. Tanya's warmth, her soft skin, rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes, sweet lips, erratic breaths all bombarded Kai's thoughts. The warmth slashed the ice surrounding Kai's heart and with the sudden burst of heat that found its way through the hole in the ice, his heart reacted like any frostbitten body would do when warmed to quickly; he went into shock.

Why? This was all so unjust! Why was he cursed like this? Why did he have to suffer when others could smile? He was so happy... But he wasn't allowed to be happy. That's the way it always was. No. Wait. When had he ever been unhappy before? He'd had the perfect life but he understood what some terrible emotions that he couldn't recall ever having felt like.

He drew a sharp breath as his mind, this time instead of his heart, was attacked. He saw memories from a different, darker life. A man yelling, the maniacal laughter of a friend, children screaming, a sole beyblade spinning, a whip cracking, a black bird, a boy frozen in snow, a fire burning out... his best friend's death. It had all been a lie. His life, his friends, his fiancé, his family, Zasha's family. That was it. He idolized Zasha so much he pretended that he had that perfect life. He lied to himself. But he could not contain the sorrow of his true life any longer.

"No!" Kai screamed in agony, clutching his head. His voice echoed through the hollow night. He found himself enclosed in a sudden mist. Lights placed along the river bank shone only a minute distance. Kai was alone, all alone.

"It's not fair!" he yelled through the stale air. "Why is this happening to me?" his voice reverberated off the water. Kai dropped to his knees. He was sobbing. Memories continued to flow to him, just as quickly as the water below. They stabbed at him and ripped his stomach from him. He felt sick. His body shook as vomit dripped to the path in front of him. He couldn't believe the images he was seeing, but he knew they told the truth. Horrors as appalling as these should never be experienced by any living thing. And they had happened to him. It was unbearable.

Kai pulled himself up and steadied himself on the railing. He looked down at the river, its sweeping movements wiping away the old water and bringing in the new. If only he could wipe away his past so easily...

He felt as though the water was calling to him, hypnotizing him with its calming motion. He reached out, wanting to touch it, wanting it to consume his wretched soul and leave him without anger, pain; he would even live without happiness if it meant he didn't have to feel at all.

"Come to me," the river called. Kai fell.

His body hit the water and stung. It was colder than he ever imagined, not feeling. The air was sucked from his lungs and the light of the surface faded away. The river was bottomless and he was being pulled deeper and deeper. Kai tried to cry out in pain, it was the only thing he felt now, but even his voice was taken from him.

"Kai," the river said, "I can help you if you let me." Kai didn't try to answer. "Kai," the river said patiently. This time, however, its voice was only from one source. Kai's eyes snapped open and he saw a boy standing in front of him, upside down. No, Kai was upside down.

Kai willed his body to turn and it did. Once perpendicular with the pull of gravity, Kai felt his feet touch a solid floor. His shoes tapped as if on a floor of black marble. Kai was relieved to feel air enter his lungs once again. He was standing in a large room (according to the echo from his shoes) that was pitch black. The only thing he could see was the boy who stood in front of him.

Kai looked at the boy with confusion. The boy was slightly taller than him but looked so similar to him. He was like a darker version of Kai. His hair was black, as was his outfit. He wore elbow-length gloves which stopped at the wrists, a simple, tight-fitting tank top, tight, jean pants, ankle, heeled boots, and a long coat, Kai's coat. Underneath his clear, blue eyes, black markings were spiked along his cheeks. Unlike Kai's four triangles, this stranger had no divide in the markings but continuous ridges of different sizes. One added feature to the boy's look was the presence of six, sharp, talon-like blades which extended from in between his knuckles on each hand.

"Who are you?" Kai asked, crossing his arms as if unimpressed.

"You don't have to act, Kai," the boy spoke again. His voice was mature and soft, but cold at the same time. "I know who you are, what you're like. You are curious about who I am and you are afraid because you cannot explain why you are standing in front of a twisted mirror with a warped image of yourself. No worries. I am not you. There is nothing to be afraid of. I will not hurt you." His words did nothing to comfort Kai.

"Then why are you here?" Kai demanded.

"I told you. I want to help you."

"And why would you want to do that?" asked Kai skeptically. He didn't believe that this strange boy could ever help him.

"Because in return, you'll help me."

"I'm going to help you," Kai said sarcastically, "keep dreaming buddy. I'm in this for no one."

"Yes, I imagine not even yourself," the boy sneered. Kai turned away, ready to look for a way to put some distance between himself and this strange, pale boy. "Wouldn't it be nice to feel whole again? For the hole in your heart to be mended?" Kai stopped.

"What do you know about my heart?" he asked enraged. "Don't pretend to be empathetic! You don't know how I feel!"

"But I do," was all the boy answered. And Kai could tell he meant it.

The warped twins stood in silence, staring at one another. For only one of them to have lived the painful existence they had was a tragedy, but both had equally existed through a terrible, demented background and now stood before the only other who could understand. Their bond would be one made on the expression 'misery loves company'. It could never be truer.

The boy dressed in black continued his explanation although it was not needed. "I, too, have a hole in my heart. It eats at any happy thought or pleasurable feeling I have ever gained, just as your heart does the same.

"All our lives we have been alone, singled out, misunderstood. Together, we don't have to be lonely any longer. Kai, with our strengths and powers combined, we can be free to make our own decisions, we can be happy. We won't ever have to be slaves to our emotions, to anyone, ever again." The boy held out his hand.

Kai looked down at it and back up to the boy's passive face. He was sincere in all he said, Kai somehow knew that, even if he didn't understand why. Kai lifted his right hand and grasped the boy's hand in his own. Both boys smiled at one another.

"Oh, and Kai," the boy spoke again, "you may call me... Black Dranzer."

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dum dum dum... heh Well... things are starting to get interesting, ne? What does Black Dranzer want with Kai? And will the Bladebreakers ever reach Kai? Stick around to find out...

CrystallineWolf: Here's the update and the darkness... Poor Kai... when a dream turns for the worse...smiles

Light of the Blue Rose: Funny you should mention his family and parents... that's all I'm gonna say!

MasterFranny: Sorry about the last chapter's starting being so confusing... but, well, it was supposed to be... heh –sweatdrop- Anyway, I'm glad you understand the thing with Wyatt now. Hope you liked the chapter!

Golden Lunar Eclipse: whap! –rollseyes- Oh, it's you... hello stranger. You know I'm going to keep you to your promises! Well, enjoy this chapter, and the next... and then we'll see what you think of my story in a sincere review in which you do not quite know what happens till you read... Okay, so I'm still weighing pros and cons here... but, well, we'll see. Smiles angelically

Well, anyway, 'till next time! Next chapter will be Fallen to the Darkness.

Pour Kai un autre fois :

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live. - Mark Twain

.:Fey Phantom:.