Well, it's back. Second chapter, we'll start to get cute, although Tala's got some problems to work through before he gets back to normal. Oh, and Tala has scars, even though in the series he doesn't. Just thought I'd mention it.

Oh, and I'm sorry but I've only seen the first series of Beyblade, and that was ages ago. So please point out any errors I make!

Start Story:

"C'mon, Tala. Time to get up," Michael poked his friend in the cheek as the bus arrived at the destination- a hotel twenty miles or so from the centre of Moscow. Tala, unable to shake long-term habits, sat bolt upright, forcing his eyes open as his mind recognised a possible threat. Momentarily confused, he looked around for a moment before he managed to remember what had happened, and grudgingly allowed Michael to pull him to his feet. Aware that Tala wouldn't be going anywhere by himself, Michael offered to give him a piggyback ride, which was gratefully accepted; a sign in itself that there was something very wrong. Michael knew that Tala hated to be viewed as weak; in fact he'd always been pretty paranoid about it even when they were in school, so his accepting help was scaring him a little… or a lot.

Tala, unwilling to face anyone, wrapped his arms around Michael's neck and hid his face behind them. With his eyes closed, it was difficult not to fall back to sleep, but since he still had a nagging feeling that the whole day could have just been some sort of drug-induced dream, he managed to stay awake, savouring the comfort he'd needed so badly for such a long time.

"Finding it kinda hard to breathe right now, Tala," Michael mentioned as Tala tightened his hold around his neck. Tala, shocked out of his reverie, immediately altered his position, his arms around Michael's shoulders. Behind them, Emily was already getting very fed up with the new arrangement.

"Whoa, you are a mess!" opening the door of their suite to let them in, the Allstarz medical and dietary advisor Konna exclaimed as she saw the state Tala was in. Judy, organised as she was, had called ahead to let her know they had a visitor who wasn't exactly healthy, but she hadn't been expecting that. Standing aside to let them team in, she told Michael that she'd run a bath in the downstairs bathroom before going to finish preparing dinner.

Meanwhile, Tala and Michael took the opportunity to have their first but by no means last argument of the 21st century.

"Tala, I am not leaving you alone in here! You are way too tired already, and a bath'll make you worse. If you fall asleep or pass out or something and end up drowning, how do you think I'm gonna feel?"

"I'm not going to sleep. Please, I won't even lock the door," Tala pleaded pointlessly, his hands clasped.

"Get in the bath now, Tala, or I'll make you," to emphasise his point, Michael pointed to the steaming bath. Tala said nothing, but dropped his eyes to the floor for a moment, letting Michael know that he was in no way happy with the situation. Sighing, he removed his jacket before glancing at Michael, who was watching him stonily. Tala hesitated for a moment but, since he knew how stubborn Michael was, pulled his shirt over his head. He didn't look at his friend afterwards, but he heard the sharp intake of breath and could imagine his expression.

"Holy shit, Tala. What did they do to you?" Michael said quietly, for once at a loss for a smart comment. He'd known, of course, that Tala hadn't exactly had the time of his life at Balcof Abbey, but he hadn't imagined anything that even came close to what the assortment of scars practically covering Tala's torso suggested. He could see why the other boy had been so reluctant to undress in front of him.

"Please stop staring." Tala said, his arms wrapped self-consciously around his waist. He waited for a moment before glancing at Michael, who was examining the ceiling and finding it very hard not to do just what Tala had asked him not to. Sighing again, Tala kicked off his trainers, and pulled off his remaining clothes before slipping into the bath. The water was hot, and felt scalding against the few of his cuts that hadn't healed up yet, but he held back any indication of pain for Michael's benefit, his hands in his lap as he attempted to retain at least a shred of his decency.

Michael heard the splash of water as Tala got into the bath, and waited a few more seconds before lowering his eyes again. Putting both parts of the toilet seats down, he sat on it, watching as Tala stared at the tiled wall in front of him.

"You gonna be okay?" Michael asked eventually. Tala nodded, returning Michael's gaze and smiling slightly before staring into space. After a few moments pause, Michael got up and, taking the soap from the sink, sat on the side of the bath and began to wash Tala's back. The Russian boy tensed at first, unable to completely shake the instincts he had picked up at the Abbey, but slowly relaxed, his friend's gentle touch and voice reassuring him.

"Would it be okay if Konna looked at your injuries?" Michael asked, trying not to put too much pressure on the bruises littering the previously flawless skin. Tala, too tired to really think, nodded. Michael smiled slightly and, despite the fact that he knew that Tala was completely capable of cleaning himself, started soaping the other boys arms, trying to ignore the scars he wanted to ask about. Tala simply watched the colour of the bathwater change to a murky red, before taking the soap that was offered to him and washing the parts of his body that were submerged in water, not even noticing- although even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared- that Michael watched him the whole time, taking this opportunity to see the extent of the damage done to someone whose skin had once resembled that of a porcelain doll. Even at 12- the last time Michael had seen him before he moved back to Russia- he had attracted a lot of attention, from almost all the females and a surprising number of the males in their year, and all the other boys had been so jealous. If they could only see him now…

Michael, brought back to earth as a wet finger poked him between the eyes, returned to the soap to its original place and took the towel from the rack, holding it up for Tala to take and averting his eyes once more. Stretching his arms to check they still worked, Tala pulled himself up and stepped out of the path, pulling the plug out as he did so before taking the towel and wrapping it around his shoulders.

"I'll go get you something to wear," Michael said, going to do just that.

Tala sighed again and began to dry himself. He hated to be an inconvenience more than anything, but considering Michael's attitude so far, he was going to be one, whether he wanted to or not. Knotting the towel around his waist, he turned to the mirror above the sink, touching the bruise on his cheekbone and noticing, with some surprise, that it wasn't particularly painful, and the cuts he usually received from Boris's various rings were barely visible. He obviously didn't want to leave any evidence… although Tala supposed that if he really wanted to he could go to the local hospital and get Boris's cum DNA tested… but that was just too much effort, considering that any legal action taken against the man would bring about absolutely nothing because of Voltaire's influence on the local constabulary. Leaning on the sink, Tala put his head in his hands, wanting to cry but not sure if he quite remembered how.

Michael returned a few minutes later with some spare clothes and, not for the first time that evening, his heart ached for his friend, who had suffered to much when there were billions of people out there who deserved it so much more than he did. Anyone with an ounce of moral weakness would have crumpled under the pain, but Tala wouldn't even allow himself to lose his temper, or strike back against those who had judged him. He was the most inspiring person Michael had ever met, but he had absolutely no idea…

Michael sighed, "C'mon, Tala, let's get you dressed."

Change scene:

"Alright, hon. Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to remove your shirt for this," Konna, feeling genuinely sympathetic towards the latest addition to their household, gestured for Tala to take a seat, looking over a few pages of notes as she waited for him to do so. Reluctantly, and with a doubtful glance at Michael, Tala pulled the shirt over his head, before sitting opposite Konna. Next to him, Michael also sat down, linking his fingers with Tala to offer him the small amount reassurance he was able to.

Konna inhaled sharply through her teeth as she looked up, her shock at Tala's condition evident. Michael looked a little worried; this was the woman who had cared for the majority of long-term Balcof Abbey students- including Kai- following their expulsion, and seeing her blanch at the very sight of his friend was hardly reassuring.

"Yeowch," Konna whispered as she examined her latest charge, warm gentle fingers brushing over some of the more recent injuries to check their severity. Although very few of the scars seemed to have been inflicted recently- Balcof students tended to learn very quickly with the threat of punishment looming over them- she knew from Kai that the boys were given various drugs to enhance performance and, presumably, healing time, so any observations she made in that area were less than accurate. The most obvious things were the bruise on his cheek, the cut above his eyebrow and further bruising on his upper arms, as efforts had obviously been made to prevent damage from being seen at the World Championships, but the damage seemed relatively superficial, and of course the flawless pale skin upon which the damage had been inflicted would cause any injuries to look worse than they would usually.

"Well you seem pretty fine, considering. Just tired. Even the possible hypothermia is showing no sign of causing any lasting damage. It's the psychological stuff you'll have to look out for, so try to talk about it- let it out or whatever- but don't overdo it at first or you'll end up passing out. Hopefully you're not as stubborn as Kai," Konna soaked some cotton wool in disinfectant and handed it to Michael, who dabbed gently at the cut on Tala's forehead. Satisfied, she returned to the kitchen, glad that Tala had no evident health problems but aware that by the next day he probably would, if Kai's performance was anything to go by.

"You're really gonna be okay…" Michael said quietly as she left, unable to believe that he had really been reunited with his friend after such a long time. He'd always hoped it would happen, of course, but for it to actually occur… it was more than he'd even dared to dream.

"Michael…" Tala's expression softened as he reached out to touch Michael's cheek, "you worry too much, you know that?" he traced the line of his friend's jaw with a finger, savouring the affection he could finally offer without the threat of punishment looming over him.

"Funny, everyone else tells me I worry too little," Michael's voice conveyed the humour in the words, but his eyes told Tala something of a different story. Sure, he put a lot of effort into his blading and other sports, and he cared greatly for his teammates and a few of his other friends, but Tala… Tala was in a whole other league. He'd been a part of Michael's life for so many years; they'd lived together ever since that first summer holiday when Tala had gone home, so looking forward to seeing his parents again after such a long time, only to find that they'd moved 8 months ago without leaving a forwarding address, and that his hours' worth of letters in which he'd proclaimed his love and devotion to those who had borne him had never been read, but were tied up in a neat bundle by the new occupants of the house. They had felt so sorry that they couldn't do much for the poor, lost young boy who was standing on their doorstep, but had done the little they could, and contacted the local orphanage.

From there, Tala's school had been written to, and in turn they had let the parents of Tala's best friend know. They had taken him in, of course, adding a third child to their family with 4 weeks of summer remaining. Michael still remembered that first night, when the boy who had to determinedly worked through the day suddenly burst into tears, unable to comprehend just what it was that he could have done to make his parents leave. It was light before he really slept, held tightly in Michael's arms in the bed they shared during Tala's numerous stays at the Parker household.

And in return, Tala had done the same for him when, on the day before his eighth birthday, his own father had left, taking the entire family's savings and all the alcohol in the cupboard over the sink. If it wasn't for Tala, Michael would have almost certainly broken down completely, as his mother had seemed so intent on doing, but as it was he was able to look after both his mother and his little sister who, at 7 years younger than Michael, had been unable to understand what was happening. Like her brother she'd become very attached to Tala, who helped take care of her in the holidays of the three years following her father's abandonment of his family, but then he too had left them, going back to Russia although she hadn't at the time known why. So, five years after that, aged nine, when she had switched on the coverage of the World Championships Beyblade tournament to see how her brother and his team were doing, she saw the boy who had been so wonderful to her ripping apart the blades of his opponents without a thought for mercy.

She'd cried at the sight, even though she'd always thought she had no tears left, and then again after hanging up the phone following a conversation with Michael, who was struggling to hold back his own emotions. But she refused to believe the talk of her classmates, many of whom claimed that he had killed his own parents when they attempted to object to him joining the Demolition Boys, and always stood up for him, hoping and praying that one day he would prove her right.

"Michael?" Tala frowned, a little concerned as his friend stared at him for what was fast becoming an unnervingly long time, "are you gonna be okay?"

Michael blinked, attempting to focus once more on the present, and was horrified to find that he was forcing back tears in his relief, and Tala couldn't possibly have failed to notice. Annoyed with himself for getting so openly emotional when he was evidently not the one who had suffered the most in the time they'd spent apart, he went to wipe his eyes with his sleeve, but Tala blocked his arm before he'd lifted it even halfway.

"You're crying… because of me…" it was a sign of his trust that Michael didn't move as Tala's hand neared his eyes, brushing away the tears threatening to fall and watching as they trickled slowly down his fingers, "it hurts…" he almost whispered, laying his hand on his chest to show just what he meant, and Michael, unable to hold himself back, reached out and pulled Tala onto his lap, hugging him close.

Tala tensed, not used to the emotion in the physical contact, but as hands gently rubbed his back and he felt Michael shaking as he held him, he melted into the embrace and wrapped his arms tightly around his friend's waist, finally able to forget about the outside world; the millions of people who hated him, and live purely for the moment.

"I was so worried about you, Tala…" Michael whispered, kissing Tala's cheek as he felt him cling to him like a lost child. Like the child he'd been so many years ago, with nothing in the world… except for him. He was the only thing in Tala's life that he could trust to always be there, and that was why, when Tala pulled away, touching their foreheads together and gently exploring the soft skin of Michael's cheek with a finger, he held himself back. He stopped himself from swamping the boy he loved so dearly with his emotions, and simply kissed him softly for just a second before moving back again to meet Tala's curious look.

Tala frowned slightly, aware that the gesture had merely been meant as reassurance and that it had worked since he hadn't been kissed like that in years, but rather worried by the heartbroken expression on his friend's face. Unsure of what to say, as he knew that nothing would actually help when Michael was like that, he tilted his head to the side slightly to give him a short and soft but somehow incredibly sweet kiss in return.

"Thank you," he breathed, and Michael felt like crying as Tala, blissfully unaware of the effect he was having on his friend, spoke against his lips.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Michael's voice cracked as he spoke, and he cursed inwardly as he felt tears pricking at the back of his eyes again.

"I betrayed you," Tala pulled away slightly, becoming more concerned as Michael, who usually hated showing weakness as much as he did, blinked back tears he'd refused to cry since his father had left.

"That wasn't your fault," Michael's voice and hand shook as he reached up to lay his hand on Tala's cheek, "your parents never deserved a son as amazing as you."

"I'm not as strong as you think I am," Tala spoke softly, although his voice was steady as he placed his hand on top of Michael's and offered him a sad, almost apologetic smile.

Before Michael had a chance to object to Tala's lack of self-confidence, however, there was a sharp knock at the door and Tala tensed, automatically preparing for an attack.

Gently, Michael took his hand, "What do you want?" he asked the person at the door loudly, his thumb idly stroking along Tala's knuckles.

"Dinner's ready," Emily said simply before walking swiftly away, and Tala relaxed, squeezing Michael's hand in thanks before sliding off his friend's lap to stand on the floor beside him. Retrieving his shirt from where he had left it on one of the chairs, he pulled it over his head, smoothing it a little nervously as he realised that he'd have to go out there again with all those people he didn't know.

"Do…" he started to say, and Michael looked at him, "do your team-mates hate me?"

Michael shook his head, but didn't say anything, and Tala sighed, his shoulders slumping as he looked at the floor.

"I'm never gonna get out from underneath it, am I?" he asked, voice shaking slightly, but Michael could still say nothing as he got up and pulled Tala against him once more, offering affection he knew would show how he felt better than anything he could tell him. As usual, Tala relaxed slightly in the embrace, but he could feel that Michael wasn't doing the same and it made him feel a little uneasy. What could be bothering him?

"I still love you," Michael said eventually, although it was obviously somewhat difficult for him to admit it, "and I'm gonna look after you. I promise."

End chapter

Painfully short, I know. I'm sorry! But the next scene is lengthening by the day, so the next chapter will be… 7000 words to make up for this one, and it should be pretty quick since most of it has already been written. There's some explanation in this one though… the past I made for Tala makes me sad. And the second half of the second scene makes me want to puke; it's revoltingly affectionate. And the ending's pretty dodgy too, when you look at it. I just had no idea what else to write without continuing with the horrifying amount of mush I'd put in so far.

Well, despite all of that I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be up soon!