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Chapter Six - A Vision of an Angel

"I'M WHAT!" came the shout from the bedroom as Brooklyn cringed from where he was sitting on the couch, reading a manga, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! YOU ARE A FOOL TO LET SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY PASS US BY!" More shouts followed those as Brooklyn sweatdropped and looked at his companions. Rick simply put his headphones in his ears and turned up the music on his IPod. Raul remarked something about taking a stroll as Daichi grabbed his portable game system and disappeared to the roof since it was a nice evening. None of them wanted to listen to this again.

It had been a few days since the offer to join a new beyblade league and the six teens were in quite a bind. They were deadlocked over whether or not to take the man up on his offer. Akane, Raul and Daichi were eager to sign up with Bega with no questions ask but he, Rick and Julia were uncertain. They had discussed the offer rationally like adults but it often ended up with them fighting with one another. Julia was especially in a bad mood since both her girlfriend and brother were siding against her.

That was the cause of their current shouting match. Obviously Julia had tried to talk her out of arranging a meeting with the man and Akane had not taken her advice or threat well. It was not a wonder as to why Akane had been sleeping on the couch for the past few days. Brooklyn tried to shut outtheir raised voices since they reminded him of home. He wished he had his MP3 player but it was in his room and he would have to walk past them to get it. He didn't want to be drug into the matter again since he hated taking sides.

When those two girls were on the outs with each other, they made everyone's lives as miserable as theirs. Usually he hated to interfere with someone else's relationship but this was getting to be too much. He couldn't take much more of their fighting since he knew where it would lead. When Akane was in such a distressed state, she would cut more. He knew that because he was the one who had found her on the bathroom floor just the other morning, barely conscious from the blood loss.

If he had waited any longer, she might have died but he had helped her staunch the flow of blood by bandaging the wounds. When he had helped her back to the couch after telling Rick, he was the one who could be found cutting in the bathroom after mopping up her blood. This couldn't continue for much longer; otherwise both he and Akane would not be around to see the outcome of it. When she cut more, it made him feel the need to cut more and one morning they were both liable to take it too far. No one might find either of them until it was too late.

"I can't take this," he groaned, throwing the manga on the table and grabbing his coat. No one said a word as he stalked out the door, intent on finding Raul for company. He didn't have to go far since he was outside the building smoking what appeared to be a cigarette. He knew it wasn't weed since he would recoginize it anywhere. Bryan had an addiction to the drug and he had witnessed more drug highs at home than he should have.

Sometimes when Bryan smoked a joint, Tala would join him which often led to Mariam chewing the both of them out for their illegal drug use and smoking it in front of a minor. Brooklyn wasn't an amateur when it came to drugs. He had taken a fair amount of ecstasy in his young life. It was a good thing that his siblings didn't know anything about that. They would probably freak out worse over his drug use than his choice of a boyfriend.

"Still fighting," Raul remarked, taking a long drag before throwing it on the pavement and stepping on it to make certain that it was out. "Of course," Brooklyn said, darkly, "they are worse than my brothers when they fight with me. I had to get away from it for a while. Want to get a cup of coffee?" "Sure," Raul replied with a shrug, "I have nothing better to do."

They both walked to a nearby coffee house and ordered cappuncino since they still had some cash left from their last match. They settled at an empty table away from everyone else as they sipped their coffee. They didn't have the need to talk to one another. Just sitting together was enough for the two of them as they watched people come and go with their purchases. Brooklyn's eyes widened when he saw a mane of blue hair. He nearly spit out his mouthful of coffee as the head turned and revealed a face that he didn't recoginize.

He sighed with relief since he was uncertain of how he would react if he did see Hiro again. He would probably jump the man and kiss him senseless. "Is something wrong?" Raul ask as he too looked at the man. "He reminded me of someone," Brooklyn admitted with a sheepish smile, "someone that I care a lot for." "Boyfriend," Raul mused as he nodded, "figured as much from the way that you looked."

"I miss him a lot," Brooklyn added with a sigh as he took a sip of his coffee, "but I try not to dwell on it. Our separation hurts so much. I wish I could see him but I have no idea where he is. Do you know when our next match will be?" "There are some fights going down tomorrow night," Raul informed, "but I doubt that we will be participating. I don't know why you are so against looking into this Bega league. We wouldn't have to worry about anything if they recruited us."

"It is just a bad feeling," Brooklyn shrugged, "but eventually Rick and Julia will probably have to give in. I don't know if I can live like this forever." "Trust me it is not a cake walk," Raul added with a smile, "sometimes even after everything I have been through, I miss having someone responsible for me. I want an adult to take care of me so I can act more like a normal teen. I miss being carefree and innocent but I lost that so long ago."

Brooklyn nodded in agreement since he understood the desire to be normal. His life wasn't exactly normal even though he had siblings that took care of him. Everyone had the desire to want someone to love and comfort them. That was why Hiro had been so important to him. He cared for him in a way that his siblings did not.

"I think we had better head back," Raul suggested as they finished their coffee, "I hope my sister has stopped with her bitching for the evening. Both of them are about to drive me crazy if they don't make up soon." Brooklyn nodded, taking the last sip of his cappuncino as they left. They had been gone for over an hour and most likely the fighting had stopped. If it got too violent, Rick would intervene; otherwise he would just let them settle the matter themselves.

The next night found the four boys visiting the Underground on their own. Both Julia and Akane had refused to go if the other was attending so they had left the two girlsbehind. Rick had told them that they wouldn't be competing tonight so Akane and Julia's presence wasn't necessary. When Brooklyn had been about to ask what they were going to do for money, he discovered another side to the Underground League. Rick was going to gamble on the outcome of the night's matches with the money that each of them had leftover.

Brooklyn handed what he had leftover with no problem since he trusted Rick but made the mistake of wandering off on his own after the bets were made and the fights began. He got separated from Raul in the crowd of people. He soon found himself against the wall at the very back. "Hey boy!" someone called as a hand grabbed his arm. It was pulled painfully as he came face-to-face with a stranger that he hadn't seen before. "Haven't seen you around," the man remarked with a feral grin and Brooklyn could smell the alcohol on his breath. He was very drunk.

"You are quite attractive," the man noted as Brooklyn tensed, trying to free himself from his grasp but the man was stronger and bigger than he was, "for a boy. I usually prefer the opposite sex but with you, I could easily make an exception." "Let go," Brooklyn hissed but his demand only made the man laugh drunkedly in his face, "or you will regret it." "Is that so?" the man replied with a sinister smile, "How are you going to do that, pretty boy?" The man twisted his arm against his back as Brooklyn cringed with pain.

He was about to call out for help but the man clamped his free hand over his mouth and drug him out a side door into a dark alley. Brooklyn's eyes widened with terror and fear as he cursed whatever god was listening for making him appealing to both sexes. He had never wanted this - to be pined and lusted over by strangers but it seemed fated to happen. The man shoved him up against the wall, pulled away the hand and kissed him with such force that Brooklyn whimpered. When he pushed his tongue into his mouth, Brooklyn took the opportunity to bite down hard on the appendage.

The man growled with anger as he stepped back and then punched him hard in the stomach. Brooklyn doubled over from the attack and groaned. He had struck him so hard that he tasted blood in his mouth from where he had bit his own tongue. "You'll regret doing that, you little bitch," the man snarled, grabbing him by the hair and making him look up. He pulled a knife from his jacket as Brooklyn stood there horrified but fortunately someone was looking out for him. A tall figure,who had been obscured by the shadows, jumped down from the staircase above them.

His attempted rapist didn't stand a chance since the person was stronger than him in his drunken state. Brooklyn watched as the stranger fought off the drunk, who was soon lying on the ground, groaning from the beating he had just received. "Thank you," he murmured as he looked up to see the strangest attired man that he had ever laid eyes on. He was wearing a strange costume and held himself with an air of something like a ninja.

He was wearing blue pants with a red shirt and some type of strange white armour that reminded him of padding. A mask hid his face except for his eyes and his blue hair was long, tied back into a ponytail and overlapped the head piece. His eyes showed a warmth that was familiar yet distant. Brooklyn was so close to recoginizing him when the door opened and they heard voices in the distance. The man winked at him with his brownish-red eyes before he disappeared into the shadows from whence he came. Raul, Daichi and Rick came running to him as they looked at the man lying on the ground.

"Brooklyn, are you okay?" Rick ask with concern. "I'm all right," he replied, breathing heavily from where he had been struck, "that man tried to rape me but someone saved me from him." "Jerk," Rick growled as he kicked the unconscious man several times for his attempted act. Raul helped him stand while all sorts of obscenities came out of Rick's mouth. Brooklyn couldn't help but smile from the action. Rick was quite protective of his team just like any older brother would be.

"You should never wander away from us again," Rick suggested, helping him walk back inside to check out his injuries, "I don't trust most of the people that attend these functions and I do not want to see you get hurt. There are many that would take advantage of you in an instant." "I'll keep that in mind," Brooklyn whispered as he was forced to sit down on a bench as Raul went to get him something to drink. "Besides," Rick added with a grim smile, "I would never hear the end of it from Julia and Akane if something did happen to you. Those two girls are quite fond of you and I would rather they fight with each other than with me."

Brooklyn smiled and chuckled slightly from the thought since that had been Rick's intention. "Did you get a good look at the one who saved you?" he inquired as Raul returned with a bottle of water that was shoved into his hand. "He was wearing some type of mask," Brooklyn replied between sips, "I could only see his eyes and hair." He nearly dropped the plastic bottle as it dawned on him who his savior looked like. It couldn't have been him, could it? Had he somehow found him and was watching over him in some weird way?

He tightly closed his eyes as his three companions noticed the action. Daichi was about to ask something personal but Rick shook his head no. He would talk when he was ready and not before. It was not their place to pry into his business or past. Brooklyn would eventually tell why he, a sheltered boy from the suburbs had decided it was better to live on the streets instead of in an actual home.

For the rest of the night, Raul and Daichi stuck by his side likeglue. Rick only left them to gather their winnings as Brooklyn watched some of the amateurs in the circuit show off their skill. He understood why Rick wouldn't blade against them since they were a lot more powerful than these amateurs. When Rick had returned with a fistful of money, the four of them left. "How much did we make?" Raul ask as they walked the deserted streets.

"Enough to live off of until the next match," Rick informed after he had put the money away, "and I meant to tell you that I saw that Bega scout again." The four of them were quiet and uneasy, hoping that the subject wouldn't cause another argument between them. "Rick, I think we need to reconsider their offer," Raul suggested with an uneasy smile, "the Underground is getting more dangerous and I'm tired of living day-by-day gambling or beyblading for our survival." "You are beginning to persuade me to your side," Rick admitted with a sigh, "but we all have to agree on it. We made a promise to one another that we would stick together no matter what. We are the only family that we have."

"If we are family," Daichi added, "then do something about Julia and Akane's bickering. Their arguing is about to drive me crazy." "All ready done," Rick remarked with a smirk, "why do you think I insisted that the three of you come with me? I wanted them to be left alone for the evening. They should be back together by the time of our return." "With the way they are fighting?" Daichi questioned, "I bet you they are not."

"Well I know they are," Rick smirked, "want to bet your winnings?" "You are on," Daichi replied with a grin, thinking that he had easily won the bet. When they opened the door, they noticed it was too quiet; way too quiet. Movement from the couch caught their attention as their mouths dropped open from the scene that greeted them and all heads turned to Rick. Julia had Akane pinned to the couch as she straddled her waist and their lips were sealed together in a pretty passionate display. When air became an issue the two broke apart to find themselves with an audience.

They blushed from being caught as they both shifted and were soon sitting beside of one another with their hands linked. They were both breathing heavily but would send small secretive glances to the other. "Have the two of you made up?" Daichi ask, a little pissed since he had lost the bet as the two girls nodded, "Rick, I think you set this up." "I did not," Rick protested as he glared at the smaller teen, "I just know these things. Big brothers always know what is best after all."

The rest of the teens laughed at Daichi's expense as he turned red and muttered something beneath his breath. "Yeah, right," he fumed before leaving the room to the older teens, "if that is true, then why are older siblings so obnoxious like all of you?" Brooklyn smiled andhad to agree with Daichi's sentiments. "Big brothers do not always know what is best for you," he thought with a shake of his head, "what they deem is right is not always what is best. If only they would allow you to lead your own life and make your own decisions. Then they certainly would know what is best instead of always treating you like a baby brother instead of the adult you are becoming." The matter was forgotten as they all burst into laughter and the conversation turned to other matters.

R & R

Astera Snape