A/N: Back with another part! Thanks again for reviews!
Back in the hospital, Max and Kenny begun to panic. First Hilary had disappeared without a trace, and now the same thing seemed to have happened to Ray and Tyson. The Chinese had phoned them from the airport, and informed them that he'd found Tyson and they were coming soon. But that was over two days ago. And along with that, there still wasn't a sign of Hilary.
" This just isn't happening! Tell me that this isn't happening!" Kenny exclaimed, phasing around the room, flapping his arms.
" Stop that. I'm just a bit-beast, and you're giving even me a headache!" Dizzy snapped from the chair Kenny had placed her.
" Well EXCUSE ME for being a little tense, but this kinda is an EMERGENCY!" Kenny yelled, eyeing his laptop with a homicidal glance.
" Would you please stop that phasing, you're driving me crazy!" Max, sitting beside Kai's bed, begged desperately, rubbing his head.
" So now you finally know what you're like in a sugar-high", Dizzy commented.
This time Max seemed murderous as he glanced at the laptop.
" Don't make me shut you down", he growled.
Giving a long, deep sigh, Kenny finally sat down.
" Well, we've gotta do something", he announced, trying to collect himself. " The fact is that most of our friends are missing, and we're running out of time".
" Yeah". Max eyed Kai, and felt cold shivers run down his spine. Was it possible that Kai was even paler than before? He then looked at Kenny again. " Do you think Dizzy knows something?".
" Just a second". Kenny graphed Dizzy roughly (which she loudly protested), and typed furiously for a moment. Receiving a piece of information, the boy let out a loud gasp. " Oh crap…".
" What?". Max was immediately beside him, and gasped as well, going pale. " Now this is DEFINITELY not a good thing".
What they were eyeing on was a newspaper-clip.
" Boris is on the loose too". Kenny shuttered. " First Voltaire, now him…".
Max shook his head.
" If those two find each other, we're all in trouble". He looked at Kai in deep concern. " Especially
he".
" You are right, boys". Mr. Dickinson's familiar voice frightened them both. The man stood on the door with Dr. Nichols. Mr. Dickinson sighed as the two stepped in and closed the door. " Look, before you say anything, let me explain myself".
" This'll better be good", Max muttered, crossing his hands over his chest.
After clearing his throat, Mr. D begun.
" Two weeks ago, Voltaire came to me. I was about to call the police, but he threatened that if I would, he'd kill Kai". The man sighed and shook his head sadly. " So there I was. I had to do what he said, or he'd hurt Kai, possibly all of you".
" What did he make you do?" Kenny asked quietly, already guessing the answer.
" He told me to take Kai away from you". Mr. D looked at them intently. " Look boys, you have to believe me, that was the only reason I was ripping Kai away from you".
Max melted into a smile.
" We believe". He grew solemn again, looking at Dr. Nichols. " What does he got to do with this?".
" Voltaire came to me as well. He threatened to go after my family if I would disobey him", Dr. Nichols replied, looking sad and regretful. " I did something I'm not proud of to that friend of yours, Hilary".
Both Max and Kenny went pale.
" What did you do to her?" Kenny asked in a wheezing voice.
" I sedated her when she was coming to see Kai". He sighed. " I would've undone my mistake, but I wasn't allowed near her. Apparently Voltaire has found another puppet when I rebelled".
Everyone was silent for a long moment, trying to take in all they'd heard.
" So…", Max finally begun, scratching his head in confusion. " Where do we go from here? What can we do?".
" At first, we'll have to stop Voltaire". Mr. D sighed. " I have some helpful connections, but I afraid the opponent we're up against now is much more powerful than anything we've faced before".
" We're going to take him down. We'll have to", Max muttered, looking extremely solemn. " Kai's life is in our hands – and I afraid so are two more".
Trapped into a dark, small cellar that had a strong essence of death, Tyson and Ray had no idea of for how long they'd been there. They were both tied from their wrists, exhausted and terribly sore for the vicious beating they'd received from Boris. Kicks, fists, lacerations… The two boys could no longer keep on track with the ways the man had assured them that it had been a bad idea to be around Kai Hiwatari.
" Ray?" Tyson whispered in a voice rasped by all the screams he'd given. He grimaced in pain that shoot through his body as he moved a little to see his friend. The neko-jin was slumped against the wall, eyes closed, his breathing ragged. " Ray, can you hear me?".
" Yeah". Gradually the Chinese opened his eyes halfway. " For how long… have we… been here?".
Tyson shrugged, tough it hurt.
" No idea". He felt a slash of pain flood through him and cursed in Japanese. " I'm gonna kill that bastard Boris when I get out of here".
" I'm right with you", Ray muttered, letting his eyes slip shut. Tyson saw a tear slide down his friend's cheek. For a moment he was going to say something encouraging, but decided not to. What good would words do when he couldn't believe them himself?
For a long, depressing moment the boys sat in silence, each absently thinking of escaping, but both realising it was impossible. They didn't even know where they were. How were they supposed to get out, with Boris watching them like a hawk?
Suddenly the silence was punctured by quiet steps that approached their cell, and the boys looked at each other, panic evident in their eyes. Was Boris back for another round?
Is this what Kai had to go through for all those years?, Tyson found himself thinking, in the middle of fear.
Slowly, torturously slowly in their opinion, the door inched, and a tall figure they couldn't identify in the dark slipped in, quickly and soundlessly approaching them. Tyson was about to scream in protest, thinking it was Boris, but went speechless (a/n: a miracle, isn't it?) as the pale, silvery moonlight revealed the dark figure for them to see.
" Tala?" he whispered, not thrusting the image his eyes gave him.
The red-head kneeled down before him, opening his ties.
" I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner", Tala whispered in a thick Russian accent. " After getting fed up with you, Boris made me train".
Looking down, Tyson saw the deep wounds covering the Russian's arms and shuttered slightly. Without another word, Tala was finished with him and moved on to Ray.
" What… What are you doing here?" Ray asked, rubbing his fists as Tala was finished.
" I heard about Kai, and decided to join Boris when he came here". The red-head sighed. " Boris escaped the prison a month ago. He's been ruling the Abbey ever since".
Both Ray and Tyson shuttered hearing this. They could only imagine what the Demolition Boys had gone through during that month. Without another word, they begun to follow Tala. The red-head led them into a shady hallway with stonewalls. Soundlessly, almost afraid to even breath, the trio sneaked through the creepy halls, all the while keeping an eye on any sounds that might suggest Boris having found them. After a time that seemed endless, they noticed the exit only a small distance away. Smiling brightly in relief, Ray and Tyson were about to thank the Russian for his help, when their expression turned into ones filled with fear. They saw a dark figure standing nearby, and it wasn't hard to guess who it was.
" So you fools actually thought that you could escape me?". Boris made a discontented sound. " I afraid rebels have to be punished".
Gasps were heard as Boris pointed at them with his gun. They all got frozen by fear. It wasn't until the first shot was fired – a warning-shot, they could tell – they finally got their ability to move back.
" Run, NOW!" Tala ordered through his teeth, and the two didn't have to be told twice.
With that the trio ran towards the door, but to their panic discovered that it was locked. They heard Boris chuckle.
" You actually thought that I would make this easy on you? Oh no, little-ones, that is not how I work", Boris told them mockingly.
Dodging another two fires shot, the boys rushed towards the stairs leading upstairs. Getting there, they saw that it was just a short hall, consisting of two doors, one on the left, another on the right.. They looked at each other, and with a nod slipped in from the one on right.
Boris felt rage burning in his veins as he got upstairs as well, looking around with his gun still tightly in his hand. He looked at the two doors.
Where the hell did they go!Suddenly a ice-cold smirk appeared on his face as he noticed few drops of blood glittering in the moonlight in front of the right door.
Still standing in the dark on the cliff, Kai shuttered slightly as the ice-cold wind, that had for so long cruelly embraced his face, brought a new message. A message that made cold shivers run down his spine.
" Dranzer, can you hear me?" he asked tensely.
' Yes, Master. I always do'.
A small smile briefly crossed his features.
" Tyson and Ray are in trouble". He swallowed hard. " Please, help them now that I can't".
' But Master, I can't leave you! I want to be with you!'.
" There's nothing you can do to help me. The only thing you can do for me is to make sure that they
are safe". He paused to gather himself. " Please".
' I shall protect them, Master. With all I've got'.
" Thank you", he whispered, and closed his eyes as he felt his beloved bit-beast gone. " Goodbye".
As he opened his eyes again, he bowed his head and looked at the waves below him. Their call was so loud, so tempting… And he no longer had the strength to resist it. Closing his eyes again, he stretched hands and took one step ahead, falling to the emptiness.
On the nightstand to where it had been forgotten, Kai's beyblade began to glow brightly, as if it was on fire.
" Hilary?".
Hilary let out a moan, irritated for being awoken. She felt tired. Why wouldn't that voice let her sleep?
" Hilary, sweetie, open up your eyes".
Giving a deep sigh, she gradually opened her eyes halfway, seeing two blurry faces above her. She licked her lips, her tongue felt as dry as a sandpaper.
" What… happened…?" she managed to croak out, so quietly that she didn't believe it would be heard.
" The doctor had to give you some sedatives". The faces above her cleared, she identified that the one who spoke was her father. " You were having hallucinations for the shock, but everything's okay now".
She frowned. For some reason, the things her father told her didn't seem right.
" Are you having a headache?" the other figure, her mother, inquired. " The doctor told you could have some".
" No… I'm fine". Little by little her voice was beginning to work for her again. She swallowed to speak better. " Just… tired". It wasn't exactly true, but she wanted to be alone, to think.
" It's understandable", her father told her gently, brushing her face with his fingers. " We'll leave you to rest now, okay?".
" Okay". She closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep.
Soon enough, she heard quiet whispering, and soon after her parents slipped out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, her eyes snapped open. Ignoring the dizziness caused by the medication, she got up and begun to waddle her way towards the door. Making sure that no-one was there to see her leaving, she slipped into the hallway. Her head was spinning so hard that she had to support herself against the wall to stand up, and her legs seemed feeble, but the sheer power of will driving her ahead was far stronger than the obstacles. She couldn't tell how, but she knew that Kai was there, that he needed her. And this time, she wouldn't let anything stop her. She let out a deep, relieved sigh as she saw Kai's room only a slight distance away.
You can do it, she told herself. For him.
Gritting her teeth, she struggled her way ahead, and soon enough she was once again standing behind the window of Kai's room. Inside, she saw Max, Kenny and… She grit her teeth. The doctor that had taken her away from Kai.
What the hell is he doing there!Suddenly, the angry thoughts were interrupted as she saw Kai's terrifyingly pale face contort with pain. Something was badly wrong, she could tell. Cold shivers ran down her spine, and she gasped.
" No…", she whispered.
Gathering all her willpower, she took a step towards the door, her hand reaching out for the handle, but before she ever got there, someone took a strong hold of her, and she was pressed against a chest, so painfully tightly that it was hard to breath.
" I suggest you not to fight, little-girl", a voice that caused her cold shivers snarled. Cold steel – a knife, she figured – was pressed against her neck. " I wouldn't wish to harm you, not yet at least".
The grip that held her against the man made it hard for her to speak, but she tried nevertheless.
" V – Voltaire…", she hissed. " What… what are… you… doing?".
" I'm going to watch a little show with you", Voltaire announced, motioned quickly towards Kai
through the window with his knife before placing it back to her neck. " You see, my rebellious, annoying grandson was made to be perfect. A perfect soldier, a perfect weapon. Now, we shall see if I succeeded".
Hilary gasped, eyes widened by horror. She tried to struggle free with all her might, but to no avail.
" He's dying!". The irony grip no longer kept her from speaking, she was too determined. " You… You're killing him!".
" If Kai really is perfect, he will make it. But if he isn't, he can be sacrificed".
Voltaire's calm, toneless voice made her shiver. It was just then she truly realised that he really didn't care at all.
" He's your grandson!". She struggled again, causing the grip around her to grow stronger. " Let… me… go!".
She let out a strangled, desperate cry as the doctor suddenly rushed over to Kai, looking panicked. Everyone else in the room seemed terrified as well, she saw Max and Kenny's eyes grow huge. Shooting her gaze towards Kai's heart-monitor, she saw that the green line was flat.
" No…", she whispered, unable to believe that this was really happening.
Voltaire gave a sound that resembled a laughter.
" I afraid there's no need to struggle anymore, little-girl", the man told her in a tone that showed no emotions. " The Phoenix has turned into ashes – for good".
TBC?
A/N: We're approaching the end, I afraid. What would you like it to be like? Sad or happy? Give it a vote.
And don't forget to vote who gets Kai! There's a tie, so who knows what might happen with just one vote!
Bye for now!
