Mechanical Bruising
Chapter 9
When Ka arrived with Tala at the warehouse of the Beysharks his teams had already been their since his Beybattle yesterday and had been wasting away their time happily without the orders of their strict captain. Actually as Kai walked in none of the 4 members noticed because one, the blue haired one who had half of his trouser leg ripped off so it looked like he was wearing half a leg of shorts and half a leg of trousers, Stewart, he had stolen a music player of a street dancer and had plugged it into a near by old socket that threatened to fall out with every new bug starting to devour it's rotting carcass. It was blasting out hard techno beats into the void of the spacious warehouse and it made Tala's ears hurt and made him feel queasy.
Kai himself had a disgusted face as he walked into the harsh music. He looked around and saw Stewart himself lying on one of the old rafters that had fallen off one end to create and kind of sliding hammock, his feet crossed and his hands behind his head.
Carlos had hooked his legs into a bar from the roof and was swinging upside down with his eyes closed, almost swaying in time with the thick beat.
Cynthia, the grey hair boy who's real name was Cynthianatic but they called him Cynthia not as an insult but more as a compliment because his real name was far too fucked up to be appreciated in the back streets; he was on top of the landing inside, standing on the bars to stop you from falling over and his trusted skateboard in his hands, he swung himself forward and started to skated down the loose rafters, breaking them even more and making Stewart yell at him and he upset the one his was on, Cynthia also managed to gain enough height to slap Carlos in the face, which was humouring, yet it didn't put away Kai's sheer amassment and disgust at his team mates.
Kai couldn't see Michelangelo anywhere, but he didn't care for the blue haired baby right now, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Tala let go of his hand to cover his ears in obvious discomfort.
Kai growled and walked over to where he could clearly see the hideous object creating the awful sound, leaving Tala over by the door to watch as Cynthia skated back to the start of his journey to gain cheers form the others there.
Kai thought about pulling the plug but realised he'd need more attention drawn to himself to teach them a letter, so instead of pulling the plug he kicked the object forcefully, sending it into a near by wall to spit into a million pieces, the noise being replaced with an even louder and shocking one.
The other members turned to him and he walked to the centre of the warehouse, glaring at them all and he finally noticed Michelangelo poke out of one of the bedrooms, all ruffled, making Kai want to throw him out to the streets and puke on him.
"What the hell are you lot thinking!" He snapped at all of them,"I'm gone for less than 24 fucking hours and your already acting like spoil punks?"
And they were supposed to be older than him, they didn't fucking act like it! They made him want to avoid growing up for ever. He fucking hoped he didn't turn out like this filth when he became 17; it made him shudder just to think he was more mature than them, and he was only 14.
Happy with the silence he had made he walked back and took Tala's hand, the kid stunned didn't really notice as he pulled him away and into one of the tiny rooms stuck to the side of the warehouse they'd fit a shitty bed into, normally his own as privileges but he wouldn't mind if this boy slept here, most likely he'd been sleeping on the streets up until now, how long or how short it had been.
Whispers followed him as he dragged the boy into the bedroom, throwing him to the bed and fluttering the covers over him, he bent down and kissed Tala's forehead as some comfort to the shocked and confused boy, then he stood up and left.
Tala stared after him, confused at how he was expected to sleep so quickly, he watched the hole where the door should have been and hid his face in the pillow to drown out any yelling as he heard Kai begin to yell abuse at those other boys.
Trying to force away the loud noises he fell into a loud dream, one filled with the one yelling of pained screams that came from the abbey every night.
His so-called-team-mates has been dead scared after his round of shouting and yelling, and decided that it was best to take cover. They were a bunch of cowards...scared of a fourteen year old they were. Kai stomped over to a mattress and dumped onto it. Why the fuck did he even bother to stay on this team..? They were brats, despite their age; he thought sourly and lay down on his back, ands behind his head. He could feel Dranzer in his pocket; feel the comforting warmth streaming from the beyblade.
"Thanks Dranz for trying to cheer me up..." Kai muttered and rubbed his forehead, feeling tired from the long day. This morning had sure been a hectic one. With a little sigh he turned around to lie on his stomach. And now the boy was staying with them…or rather, with him. What would be do about the redhead? It wasn't really fair to be calling him boy, Tala seemed to be older than him by looks...but the way he acted so innocently made him seem younger.
He wondered if Tala could blade...
But his train of thoughts was soon interrupted by a loud, piercing scream. Both his brows rose as he realised that it had been Tala. What was going on..? He thought puzzled, standing up and dusting himself. Entering the little bedroom he found the redhead sitting bolt upright in his bed, eyes wide as plates. Taking a few steps closer he noticed how pale he looked, the pearls of sweat upon his forehead.
"You ok?" he asked with a slight hint of worry to his voice.
"Y-yah…I-Im fine...just fine," came the shaky reply.
"You don't sound it," Kai pointed out.
"Sorry...It was just a nightmare...Don't worry, I have them all the time", Tala said, trying to put up a smile…but failing to make it real enough. Kai could see right through it...but decided not to act on it and let the redhead be…for this time.
Kai sat down at the end of the bed, crossing his feet while eyeing Tala carefully, apparently making the other nervous.
"W-what?" he asked innocently, trying to figure out if he had done something wrong.
"Nothing...Do you blade Tala?"
Tala froze in his bed- and Kai noticed straight away. He wondered briefly if he'd upset the boy and reached out a hand to touch him as if to catch him if he came back unthawed.
Tala's blood felt frozen, he'd thought since he'd ran away from the abbey that would be the last he'd ever hear of the word, "beyblade" he felt horrible memories of his training rise up his spine like ghostly finger tips dancing across the bone.
He looked up from his lap and saw the tiny induced shock in Kai's eyes. He knew his eyes were wide and watery, but even though he was trying not to cry these memories were hurtful! He didn't want anything to do with the abbey, Boris or Beyblading ever again!
But he'd always want Wolborge with him, the thick grey wolf had felt like his only friend since his old ones had disappeared one day... they were dead and he knew it.
"..." he couldn't find the words to say to Kai, his lips felt like rubber and his throat blocked, so he just nodded his head, and then he shook it back and forth viciously before bursting into loud wails and sobs.
"What?" Kai shouted, totally unprepared to handle what he was doing, he seemed jitter and looked like he really wanted him to stop, like he couldn't deal with it. The last time Kai had seen anyone cry was when he was back with his grandfather- and he could barely remember those days, not now, hopefully not ever.
"Why the hell are you crying!" he yelled fiercely, gripping Tala by the shoulders and shaking him, making him silence himself in shock, whimpering now and huge droplets of water fluttering threw his eyes lashes.
Kai's brushed away the tears and licked them off his fingers, they didn't taste salty... they tasted like water, just pure untainted, bored water... they were weird, and kept coming, like they were being controlled... Tala whimpered again and wailed, bringing Kai back from his daydream.
Kai held the mass in his arms roughly and looked to the tears falling, his eyes widening in fright as he realised what he'd just done.
He was scared of himself now, why had he just down that... why had he just hurt him to silence his sobs?
He knew, deep within his blood, and he felt disgusted... he'd done it because he was Voltaire's grandson; he'd done it because it was the only way he'd been shown.
He let go of Tala and moved away, hatful of his own poisonous touch.
Tala sniffed and whimpered louder, "I don't like to blade, don't like it, don't like it" he crawled over pathetically closer to Kai and curled up in the younger boys lap, "Don't like the cylinder at all"
Kai was surprised and amazed, surprised why this boy would want to be held by someone who'd hit him, and amazed he was so brave yet so soft. He also wondered many questions, what was the cylinder, why was this obvious older boy acting younger, did he have some kind of problems, if he did would he die without medication, did he had a family?
They all buzzed around his head and he finally had enough, he fell to his side and Tala came with him, he got comfy on the old mattress and looked at Tala as he appeared asleep again, mumbling about something, a cylinder.
He sighed and hugged the boy closer, still afraid of his own touch but he felt safe with this kid. Made him feel like he had with Cain, and as if Cain were hugging him from behind the smelt in the old scent of the pink haired boy, felling the arms around him he made sure Tala was tight within his own two before drifting steadily off to sleep.
Tala sat by himself, just staring at the floor as he breathed slowly, ignoring the flashbacks going through his mind. Kai was off somewhere else, and he had refused to let Tala come along with him...he had muttered something about seeing an old friend So here he was…waiting for his protector to return. The rest of the team was around, sitting further away playing a game of some sort. He was a bit scared of them…they were all older, and even though he could beat them without any trouble with the training he had been given...he wanted to rather stay away.
"Yo Redhead! Come over here!" called one of the boys, the one named Cynthia if he was correct. He stood up and approached to them slowly. As the older boys looked at him he couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
"What is it?" he asked blankly, trying not to show how nervous he was feeling.
"Wanna come along outside? We're going to check it something is up in the park...sometimes we steal stuff from the vagabonds..."Stewart said with a wide, evil grin. He didn't dare say no and gave a small nod, making them chuckle.
What was so funny?
He was aching to ask, but kept quiet as they left the building.
Kai felt alarmed the moment he stepped inside as it was all quiet in there. Where was everyone? He couldn't spot any of his "team-mates" nor Tala. Where had they gone off to? Had his crazy team taken Tala with them somewhere? He wondered as he dumped onto a mattress on the dirty floor, rubbing his forehead. But why would they do that...? As far as he was concerned, they didn't care that much about the redhead. He didn't like this…there was something fishy about it that he couldn't quite place his finger on. Something was up.
"W-what are you doing? Who are those guys..?" Tala blurted out, now unable to hold back his fear, it was displayed across his young and innocent face.
Cynthia and Stewart smirked...while Carlos shrugged and Michelangelo looked guilty, his head hanging in shame. Before them stood a group of boys older than himself, all of them street rats with rough attitudes. Suddenly a knee made contact with his stomach; he bent over and gasped for air.
"You're coming with us, brat...These fuckers over here were kind enough to hand ya over to us...for some fun," replied the leader, a boy with grey hair and brown eyes. Tala shuddered at the evilness in those eyes, they scared him shitless.
It was only after about half an hour when Kai realised something. His team-mates had taken Tala somewhere, somewhere without telling him and he was lying on a mattress relaxing!
Was he some kind of idiot? Fuck that- he was smarter than they were and had more authority, if they'd done anything to Tala... well, smirking, he would just have to see to that.
He stood up and brushed himself down, picking up a small box he'd brought in and held it to his hip, scrawled on the top was a tiny message, "To Tala"
He remembered how he'd always loved to receive gifts from Cain; if they were stolen or paid for; it had always meant the world to him and he'd treasured every one. He'd visited the old apartment again, maybe, he thought, meeting Tala was the start of letting go, though he never wanted to let go, so he'd started to visit more and more to Cain's frozen body. Sometimes he had nightmares that he'd go back one day and the body would be gone, stolen from him just like the breath that had been within it.
He'd told Cain about everything that had happened, about Tala, about how he'd stolen food for someone other than himself, how he'd broken down and almost hurt Tala when he'd had a nightmare...and all the way through it he knew Cain was listening, could almost feel the soft beat of reassurance as he held onto Cain's hand.
He placed the box down and scolded himself for thinking so loosely when something he had grown to accept was in danger. He kicked the box and a loud squeal of annoyance came from the centre and he nodded, "Be quiet and soon you'll be out"
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a box of cigarettes and took one in his mouth, slipping the box away and beginning to walk out of the warehouse, a soft whimper following him and he lit the cigarette, inhaling deeply and remembering more and more.
Sometimes he even wondered if one day Tala might push Cain out of his life; but he could NEVER let that happen. If that happened he would be entitled to shoot himself...so he would watch Tala from the corner of his eye and always check the feelings he had, and maybe...if they got to strong he'd have to get rid of Tala.
But for now he wasn't in love, no where near, just comforted, and he needed it.
Throwing the cigarette to the floor he stamped it out and wrapped his checked shirt closer around his body; climbing up a drain pipe of the warehouse to the roof and began running along the roofs, scanning the area for the red head, a trick he had once learnt from his past...one that might protect his future.
"Please...don't do this, let me go!" he cried in the voice of a little child, just as if he had woken up from a nightmare and wanted the ghosts of the dream to go away. Except, there was no mother or father to chase them away...there never had been as far as he could remember. He gritted his teeth as a knee was driven into his stomach, making him bend over. He was bruised all over, and some or his ribs were probably broken as well. It hurt, but he knew that his damages would be healed within two or three days.
He was knocked violently to the floor by rough hands, they pushed him down as one of the guys sat on top of him. His hands were pinned down by some other guy, and when he looked up he found that the grey-haired boy with the brown eyes, the leader was smirking down at him.
"I wonder if good old Kai will come to rescue this little pretty brat..."he said slyly and brushed his fingers over Tala's cheek. He sneered and attempted to bite the hand, only to be slapped across the face hard. The beating continued, and he felt his strength slip away .Lovely, icy orbs clamped shut to face nothing but darkness in the numb state of unconsciousness.
The grey-haired boy stood off Tala and laughed softly." Such a pretty brat...A shame we had to beat him up, he could be fun to break down…and he could make a fine toy…what do you say boys?" he said, turning to his gang members, smirks and grins upon their faces.
"But no one touches him without my permission...he is mine," he stated and walked off, telling them to wrap the boy up and chain him down.
Kai stared at the wonderful view, though not caring about how beautiful the sunset was. All he could think about right now was to find Tala, to bring him back. He had seen nothing of the little redhead while being up on the roofs, and here he was…sitting on top of the bank to stare out over the city. He was worried. It felt strange to be worrying about anyone…it had been so long since he cared for someone. Not that he could say specifically what he felt about the redhead. It was just...a feeling that was there, and it made him worried enough to go search for the lithe boy.
Kai left the roof to walk along the street below, and no one even cast him a glance as he passed them by. Not that he cared about those stupid suckers...they could go straight to hell for all he cared.
He pondered whether there might be simplicity in this task at hand. He'd been with the Beysharks long enough to know his team-mates (if he wanted to call them that) and if he did know them the only one who would even think far enough about hurting Tala to concocted a plan would be Cynthia, who in turn would be able to hook Stewart into it because the blue haired idiot would go for anything to help him out of boredom. Carlos wouldn't give a shit either way but would do it just because the other two were and Michelangelo would eventually be bullied into it. Really his only hope was that Michelangelo would have a huge burst of guilt to save Tala until he got there.
Now that he knew the way it had gone while away visiting Cain, he could piece together the basic simplicity that was Cynthia's mind. Really, all the other boy thought about was rival gangs and sex. So that lead to Kai realising that Cynthia would have probably taken Tala to a rival gang to be used or killed.
Somehow that thought made his eyes turn sharp and his grip tighten around the beyblade in his pocket, as if the fire of the phoenix were burning alive.
People in the street looked at him wearily as he walked by and one little girl he'd thought had looked kind of cute had hidden behind her bear. Kai wouldn't mind to have children one day… but that was him wavering already.
Cynthia would probably pick their worst rival gang- which was the "Fake's" on the other side of the back street district. The leader a cold, grey haired boy people often talked about as having no feelings. Kai shivered as he thought about the abbey he used to occasionally visit. He hated visiting memories of his life before Cain and the streets but he'd heard from around (he wasn't sure- it had just drifted) that that very leader was becoming the newest recruit of the abbey, to join with the Biovault team. Kai had also heard there had been an experiment preformed; one of absolute brilliance, unlike many of the others he'd ever known about. It perked his interests but other than the idea of a great experiment he knew nothing else, except that the experiment had brought forth a creation of perfection. He was completely lost on the Biovault news, which he was thankful for since he'd decided a long time ago he wasn't part of it anymore.
If that rival gang had touched one hair on Tala's head then he and Dranzer personally would make sure they never breathed again. Clutching his partner in the job of Grim Reaper he sliced his fingers on the edge, rising the crimson liquid to his eyes, finding himself knowing it was the exact colour of Tala's hair- and with staring feeling's within he licked the blood away; leaving clean white skin to shine through.
We realllllly need to pat attention to this more…. SORRY. It's probably because we're done so we forget to update. (Begs forgiveness) We're very sorry and to show it we're posting TWO chapters. This is probably more of a punishment as I think it ends in a cliff hanger.
Bra-Two and Kanilla
