Crossing the Line


There is some punishment in this chapter, so be warned!

Amadeo glanced at the pictures of his newly wed parents in his scrapbook that Alex had bought him the first week of their friendship. He was staying with his 'uncles' Tala, Brian, Ian and Spencer while they – his parents - were on their honeymoon. He had never been very far away from either of them in a long while, but it felt to him that there would be many more trips that were going to exclude him now and again so it didn't really bother him that much. The bedroom door creaked open and Ian poked his head in to check on the children inside.

"Still can't sleep, Deo?" Asked the youngest teacher of the school. "Why don't you come down and join me for a cup of warm milk, maybe it will help you sleep."

"Alright." Answered the dark haired child as he crawled out of bed.

"May I join as well?" Alex asked as he sat up in bed. It was apparent that he now was attached to the other boy and would not leave his side for anything. Ian nodded; a small smile graced his lips as the two boys walked down the hall behind him.

Since his enrolment into the school, Kai's son had fast become the top gossip in the classrooms and hallways. Older students looked at him with eyes overflowing with indifference and many kept their reserve from the tawny child that looked too innocent to be true. Some of them had even started rumours about where the boy had actually come from, but these rumours never had the chance to reach the youngsters ears because of his new friend. Alex tried his best not to let the other hear the words that were said about him, but they would soon surface the second that the little blond would leave a room. Amadeo was bound to hear the well-spun tales about his origins and the things that people said about his parents behind his back.

He watched as the two boys kept their silence while they drank the drugged milk that was warmed to perfection. Before handing over the cups the man place a half a cap of liquor in each that he sometimes used as a knockout drug when he couldn't sleep. Amadeo carefully drank the last of his milk and Ian watched as they both started to nod off at the table where they were sitting. Pressing an intercom button on the wall, the man shifted lazy eyes to the door and waited for the response. Minutes later, Tala walked in and picked up one of the sleeping boys and Ian the other as they carried them back to their designated place of rest.

"I told you they were still up." The red head said softly.

"Yeah, yeah; don't rub it in. Now that they're asleep, can we do something a little more private?" Ian asked as they shut the door. Neither man noticed that Kai's trademark smirk was firmly planted onto the slate haired man's son as the boy slept.


The next day havoc ensued at the Abbey as the children enjoyed a glorious sunny day outside in the huge courtyard in the back. Under the watch of the older students, the younger students, including the five friends, played soccer - a game that Amadeo had been teaching them for some time. Suddenly, everything seemed to move in slow motion as one of the older boys, Markus, grabbed onto Tara's arm and pulled her around forcefully to slap her in the face.

"You leave her alone!" Amadeo shouted at the older boy, fists clutched at his side. Jared's little body went ridged as he watched this happen. The blood drained from Elena's face as she turned to run in the same direction that Alex had taken off in- both had gone to get Tala to stop the war that was about to ensue in the yard.

"Careful guys," said one of Markus' friends as they surrounded the remaining two boys. "The dark haired one is Hitwari's brat." Jared's eyes darted over to look at his friend. Amadeo was shaking and his bangs hide the crimson colour that had overthrown the sapphire of his eyes as the taunts were thrown at him in a general manner. As the older males laughed at the children, Amadeo's anger increased and slowly he began to see red. Then it happened.

"He's adopted by those gay lords anyway." Markus said and the older group broke into fresh gales of cackling laughter. Jared froze where he stood and gulped, that was something that they had hoped their friend would never hear. A gasp from Tara dragged the boy out of his train of thought as they watched Amadeo take on the four older boys alone. In five swift moves, the child had defeated all of his enemies in an instant, leaving Markus, the ringleader, for last.

"Do you like to poke fun and slap little girls around, dirt bag?" Amadeo asked as he held the teen by his shirt collar. "I'm waiting on an answer!" Markus's body racked with tremors as he fell into tears and begged the boy to spare him. Suddenly, Jared pulled himself into the fight, but it was to stop his friend from doing something he would later regret. Picking up a stray piece of wood that had been broken during the fight, he walked over to the duo.

"Please forgive me, Deo." He said as he brought the newfound weapon down across Amadeo's head knocking out his comrade in one move. At the same time, Tala and Brian ran into the yard, two minutes too late. Seeing the battleground, Brian had to hold off on clapping as he watched Jared pull a knocked out Amadeo off the broken down Markus. Tala picked up Tara and carried her past his lover.

"Could you snap out of it and go carry Mini Kai inside? I'll have Spencer and Ian round up the hustlers out here and give them proper suspension."

"Sure thing." Brian said as he relieved Jared of his burden and brought the two boys inside closely following Tala. "Do you think we should call Kenny and Kai? They might want to know about this as soon as possible."

"Your right, we ought to, but think about how Kai's going to react when he finds out from us and not his highly intelligent son that Amadeo was in a fight with four boys who were nearly twice his size and weight."

"Alright, maybe calling Kai isn't such a good idea." Brian looked down at Jared who was still silently staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. "Will you fill in the blanks for us, Jared?"

"Yes, Master Brian." Answered the tawny boy as he walked with them through the halls. "My apologies, Masters, but is Amadeo in trouble?" The little boy asked as he was sent to the Head Office to wait. "Markus started it when he hit Tara in the face for no reason."

Brian looked at Tala who was holding the crying girl in his arms. Tala whispered something in Russian to her and she nodded.

"Brian, we have a problem. I think you should call Kai and Kenny back, they may need to know about this sooner rather than later." The lavender haired man nodded his accent to calling the newlyweds and pressed the pager button on his desk.

"Yes, Sir?" A young man answered.

"Jason, I need you to take Amadeo Hitwari to the hospital wing and check for damage to his skull no matter how small. I also need Liam to take Jared Raskovani, Mickle Thompson, Markus Rosenhi, Jake Alexander, and Theon Reed to the discipline rooms and be sure to place Jared in a room to himself so he can think about his actions today."


Three hours and forty-five minutes later Spencer finished disciplining the older boys and turned his attentions on the younger one in the other room where Jared calmly awaited his punishment for his involvement in the fight earlier that day. Spencer looked at the little boy who was sitting quietly on a hard wooden chair, staring out the window at the bird that landed on the windowsill outside. He's so calm about this he's amazing! Thought the broad blond as he took a seat behind the desk before calling the boy's attention to the front. He looks more grown up than the ones I just sent packing.

"Jared, up front, please." Spencer said harshly as the boy got up and bowed. Pointing to the chair directly across from his own the man muttered something and the child sat down. "Do you know why you are here, Jared?"

Dark violet eyes held Spencer's own in a dead-lock stare. "Yes, Sir. I'm here because I was a part of the fight this morning outside."

"And have you given any thought to your actions as of late?"

"Yes, Sir, I have."

"Alright, then let me ask you this: Do you deserve to be punished for what you did today in both participating in the fight and hitting Amadeo in the head?"

"Yes, Sir." Jared said as he sat there looking directly at Spencer.

"Why?"

"Because I shouldn't have done what I did." The little boy answered, his voice not once cracking under the pressure of tears. "Sir, will Amadeo be Okay?"

"He's fine and asking for you actually so you can go to the hospital wing when we're through here. Now, stand up and hold out your hands, Jared." The boy obeyed lifting himself out of the chair and standing with his little hands palm up. "Know that this is for your own good and I never want to hear tell of you fighting on these grounds again unless instructed to do so. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, Sir."

"Count." Spencer said as he brought the stick he was holding down across the child's hands. CRACK!

"O-one." Jared complied. "T- ah-t-two. Th-ree. F-four." Two smacks on each hand and only then did Spencer see the tears fall from those huge violet orbs that he adored so much. He'll never know how much that hurt me. Spencer thought as he sat down in his chair again. "O-only f-four, Sir?"

"How many do you think you deserved?" The man said trying to hide his surprise. He felt that four was sufficient enough for a four year old to take, yet the boy stood there and asked for more.

"At least eight, Sir." Jared replied as he wiped his tears away. His little hands were now a generous shade of ruby red.

"Why do you say that?" Spencer asked lightly.

"I hurt a friend, Sir. Everybody knows that friends protect each other and that their not supposed to hurt one another."

"Jared, how old are you right now?"

"I'll be five next month, Sir."

"Do you know that what you just said would have put the older boys who were also involved in today's fight to shame?"

"No, I didn't know that, Sir, but I do now." Spencer nodded once.

"You may leave now, but I never want to see you in this room again."

"Yes, Sir, I understand. I'll be good from now on."

"Dismissed." Spencer waited until the boy was gone before putting his head in his hands and crying. That was the child that would put them all to shame and he knew it. Jared wasn't very strong physically, but he was strong mentally, emotionally, and morally- something many of the students at the Abbey lacked. Hitting him hurt the blond more than reliving the nightmare of his childhood all over again and he sincerely hoped that Jared would keep his word.


In the hospital wing, Amadeo lay in bed and sang a song that his Papa had taught him when he was younger. A knock on the door signalled the arrival of his friends, but instead of having four come visit him, it was only Jared. "Hey there, buddy!" the bed-ridden boy chirped lightly beckoning the older to come closer to the bed. "I didn't even know this part of the abbey existed, this is so cool."

"Your eyes." Jared said remembering the way the other's eyes had changed colour earlier. Amadeo's voice went serious as he looked out the window.

"You don't have to worry about that happening to you, Jared. They pushed me way past my emotional limit and I snapped when they brought my Papa and father into the mix, that's all." Amadeo said softly. "Come here." He held out his hand, but Jared jumped up onto the bed and started to cry as his friend held him close. "Don't cry. You only did what any friend would do and stopped me before I was totally out of control. I'm not angry at you anyway, I'm mad at that joker Markus and his putty-head group of friends."

"Your parents are coming." Jared said when he finally calmed down. He was sitting on the ledge of the window as he and Amadeo fooled around with their beyblades. Amadeo looked up at him. "Master Brian called them earlier and they'll be here by Wednesday of this week."

"That's OK. You're not the only one who has to be punished for today." Answered the other boy as he snapped his bit beast back into place. "I've never been punished before."

"I have. I got punished a lot at my home for no reason so I would always be by myself reading or doing something to make me better or take my mind off of it." Jared whispered.

"No wonder you're so smart. You must have had it rough then, huh?"

"I guess so. I was taken away and placed here after a visit by Master Brian to my house on day. My dad was always drunk and it made my mama angry a lot so she took it out on me. How about you?" There was a pause.

"You, you would have liked where I grew up. Everyone was everyone else's friend or family member and there was no real reason to fight." Amadeo said softly as he yawned. Jared felt tired as well so he laid down on the bed next to his friend and covered up.

"Tell me about it, Deo. What was it really like, to grow up in Utopia?"

"It was a place called Lilly River," Began the younger boy and before long both of them were sleeping soundly. Spencer went with Brian to check on them, but seeing the way they were sleeping gave them an idea that the two boys were still very good friends.


"Know something, Brian?" Spencer asked as they got ready for bed that night. "You wouldn't believe who I had the most trouble with today."

"Oh? Then why don't you educate me, Love?"

"Markus and gang." As the blond went into his story of the days events, the lavender haired man began to cry softly at the memories that surfaced within the back of his mind. "Little Jared is going to put this entire school to shame."

"No, the Demolition Angels are going to do that."

"Demolition Angels? Since when did that come about?"

"Since Tala made the decision as to who's on the team." Brian replied as he nuzzled his lovers neck with his nose.

"Let me guess, all five of them?"

"You got it."


There, another chapter done. There'll be more punishment delt out by Kai himself in the next chapter, but it's not what you think!