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Thank you to kai's kitty, KURAYAMi MONOGATARi, FlamesOfFury, Rock Gecko & QuiLeo92 for reviewing. Also thank you to FuMeRaDrAyCaRIA for sending me a private message. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story as well. Also, please read the author's note at the end!
Chapter 13 - Dangerous Liasions
"Akane, can I speak with you?" Brooklyn ask as he stood by the beydish, where the object of his attention was practicing. Brooklyn was uncomfortable for making such a request especially in front of his friends but he needed to speak to someone and she was the only one who would do. Hiro, who was working with Daichi on his defense, overheard the question and turned to him. Brooklyn swallowed nervously since this did not involve his boyfriend. He wasn't any help with the problems that he had of late. He needed to talk to someone who he could relate too and could understand his pain.
Akane's brow knitted together as she recalled her blade to hand. "We'll continue this later, Juls," she stated as her girlfriend nodded and Akane walked to him. "What do you need to talk to me about?" she inquired with a smile as Brooklyn grabbed her good arm and practically pulled her into the hallway. "I do not wish to speak about it here," he whispered as his eyes looked around for any eavesdroppers, "just follow me." Akane nodded in understanding as they left the building and started to walk toward the park but then changed directions.
Brooklyn didn't know exactly where his feet were leading him but he needed to get away for a little while as they headed toward the river, where he hoped to have privacy. Akane followed him without complaint as they sat down on the grass on the bank. Fortunately there were not any other people around as Brooklyn played around with a few strands of grass. He was nervous and wasn't certain on how to bring the subject up but fortunately Akane picked up on his train of thought. "Does this have something to do with your siblings?" Akane inquired as he looked up and then added, "or let me guess, more like your grandfather?" Brooklyn swallowed hard as he nodded and did not want to look her in the eyes since he was ashamed of having to draw her into his own personal hell when she was dealing with her own.
"Let me guess, you are having nightmares about what he did to you?" Akane ask as he nodded again and confirmed the rumor she had heard, "and you need to talk to someone who went through the same torture." "How do you know about the nightmares?" he ask as her eyes fixed on the river. "I suffer from the same dreams as well," she informed with a sad sigh, "but with different actors since I was abused by my father. They seem to get worse when you confront your demons. Even your boyfriend or girlfriend can not make them go away completely."
"Hiro was able to make them go away for some time," Brooklyn mused with a slight smile, "he would wrap his arms around me and hold me tight that I would forget about the world around us. Now that I have seen him again, they have returned with a vengeance. Every time I close my eyes, I am eight years old and he is standing over me with a belt. He tells me how worthless I am and what a disgrace I am to the Hiwatari name as he hits me." Brooklyn shivered violently from the memory but a warmth from his hand made the memory subside as he opened his eyes to see Akane kneeling in front of him and holding his hand tightly. You could clearly see the pain in her eyes as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks from his suffering as well as her own.
He knew for a fact that she was dealing with similar issues because of the recent contact she had with her family. The lawyers were trying to sort out the matter of her legal status and they had been forced to contact her parents, who had not been happy to hear about her good fortune. They were fighting the lawyers to take her back home and Akane had been forced to testify about the abuse she had suffered from while in their care. Her father had called her a liar in front of everyone and the stress was taking its toll. She was cutting now more than ever and was also being forced to see a psychiatrist. Brooklyn knew that the same fate awaited him since Hiro had caught him in one of the locker rooms cutting as well.
If the nurse hadn't been on call during Akane's most recent episode, she would have died from the blood loss. She had to have over twenty stitches to fix the wound on her arm while he had needed eight to close his own. They sat in silence for a while getting comfort from the other's presence. "Why did they do it?" Brooklyn ask with curiosity, "what did we do to deserve it?" "We did nothing," Akane replied, "it is they who are at fault. We were just born into the wrong families but you have something I do not; siblings that actually care for you."
That made Brooklyn grimace since he knew what she was referring too. Her siblings had testified against her in favor of their parents. Akane had all ready stated that there was no way that she would return to that house. She had remarked that she would either run away again or commit suicide. She couldn't deal with that hell a second time.
"You all must think I am such an insensitive jerk," Brooklyn added after a few more minutes of silence, "for the way I acted at the exhibition match. My brother was severely injuried and I just stood there and did nothing." "You did what you thought was right," Akane reassured as she patted his hand, "you can't blame yourself for what happened to Tala. The only one that you can blame is Boris." Brooklyn gasp from that slight insult against the man, who had saved them from the streets.
"Just because I joined Bega," Akane added, quickly, "doesn't mean that I trust him completely. I trust Hiro but even though Boris has done a lot for me, I still don't trust him. There is just something about him that makes me a bit weary." "I thought I was the only one who felt that way," Brooklyn admitted with a weak smile, "I'm still weary of him as well but I should at least visit Tala." "Your older brother will take care of him," Akane reassured, "so try not to think about it too much. I know that he is in a coma but from what Hiro has told us, he is strong and should recover."
"I wish I could believe you," Brooklyn mused with a sad sigh, "but I can't help but hate myself. I chose love instead of loyalty to my siblings. They have tried to take care of me; badly at times especially when my relationship with Hiro came out but I often think how would I react if I was them? What if I was the oldest and Kai the youngest? How would I react to my younger brother dating someone nearly a decade older?"
"Love is love," Akane advised, "you can't chose who you fall in love with. It doesn't matter about age or sex either. If others can't understand that, then you have to take a stand for what you think is right. I stood up for my sexuality and it got me thrown out of the house but it was the right thing to do. I didn't want to hide myself any longer." Brooklyn thought over what she said and knew that Akane was right. He was about to ask a more personal question but fortunately she interrupted his thought.
"We had better get back," Akane stated as she rose since they had been gone long enough, "the others will start to panic and start a search of the city if we don't return. Take one day at a time, Brook. That is the best advice that I can give. I have my good days and bad which the bad outweigh the good but I'm an optimist and I believe that things will get better with time. We just have to hold on until then."
That made Brooklyn smile as he rose and took her good arm in his as they went back to their home. She had been right about their friends since they were gathered in the atrium and fixing to form search parties. Julia seemed relieved that Akane was all right but Hiro's expression was more guarded. He looked concerned as he looked at him and motioned his head that they needed to talk. Brooklyn nodded in reply and followed his boyfriend back to their room as he left the others.
Hiro did not speak until they were inside and the door was shut. "Where were you?" he inquired as his arms crossed. His tone of voice was neutral but his eyes betrayed him since they were filled with concern. "I needed to talk to Akane," he replied as he sat down on the bed, "we went for a walk." Brooklyn considered the matter closed but Hiro didn't.
"You know that you can talk to me about anything," he added with a sad sigh, "I will gladly listen." "You haven't been through what I have," Brooklyn stated, "you don't know what I am feeling or thinking. Akane understands in ways that you never will. That is why I had to talk to her over even you. Just trust me on this, please."
Hiro could not refuse Brooklyn's plea since his eyes were wide and teary. He had to trust him and let the matter drop for the moment but he would have to keep a closer eye on his boyfriend. He didn't want another incident like the one he found the other morning with Brooklyn in one of the locker rooms. He had been sitting on the floor with his pajama sleeves rolled up and expertly cutting his arms. It had been bad enough that he had found Akane in a similar position the evening before when he had went searching for her to help with training.
This was not the job that he agreed to take when he had took Balkov's offer to become a coach. It was heartbreaking to see such young teens deal with so much pain and heartache. He couldn't believe that parents could abuse their children in such a manner but while Akane's pain came directly from her family; Brooklyn's came solely from his grandfather. Hiro knew for a fact that Kai had never laid a hand on him. He may have been cold and distant but he would never hit Brooklyn.
"I'll let this go for now," Hiro stated, "but I don't want a repeat of the other morning. Do you understand me?" Brooklyn nodded as he sighed silently. He dismissed the younger after a parting kiss since he wanted to spend some time with his friends. "What did I do to deserve this?" Hiro muttered before he left the room to meet with Boris to discuss plans on who would battle in the upcoming tournament. He sighed once again and prayed to whatever god was listening for matters to get better. They needed some good news for once.
"Hey Brook," Garland called as Brooklyn returned to the training room, "what are you doing back so soon? I figured you would want to spend some quality time training with our coach." Garland winked as Brooklyn had to bite back a laugh. He had said that since there were other bladers in the room that did not know of their relationship and it was meant to stay that way. "I wanted to spend some time with my friends," he replied with a smile, "besides, Hiro had a meeting with Boris that I definitely did not want to attend."
"So have you told him about your decision yet?" Garland ask, quietly as Brooklyn shook his head, "you are going to have to tell him sometime." "I will probably wait until the last minute," Brooklyn mused, "please don't tell anyone else about my choice." "Not a problem, Brook," Garland smiled, "what are friends for if they can not keep a secret? I wouldn't betray your confidence. So you want a battle with me? I promise that I will make it more interesting than last time."
"Sure, why not?" Brooklyn shrugged as he pulled out his launcher and blade. A few moments later, Garland's blade had been thrown from the dish but his challenge had the effect that he had desired. Brooklyn was smiling slightly at his failed attempt but that had been Garland's intention. He had noticed the melancholy mood that his friend had been in and had spent days trying to lift it. He felt guilty at what had happened with Tala and thought that Brooklyn would blame him for his brother's condition.
Surprisingly, Brooklyn had not blamed or even yelled at him for what had happened in the stadium. "Why don't you blame me for what happened?" Garland ask after everyone had left the room. He needed an answer to the question that had plagued him for the past few days. "Blame you for what?" Brooklyn questioned with a smile. "For what happened to Tala," Garland continued as the smile faded, "I literally beat him into a coma. I nearly killed your brother."
"Listen, Gar," Brooklyn began as he pushed the stray hair out of his face, "I don't want to discuss this right now. All you need to know is that I don't blame you for what happened. It takes two to beyblade and the Bladebreakers should know how strong you are by now. Don't let your mind linger on that battle too much. I don't intend too. I'll see you later."
He left the training room before Garland could reply and decided to return to his room. Even though he had seemed carefree and nonchalant about the issue, something inside of him twisted painfully from the memory that it brought up. He tried to follow Akane's advice on the matter and try not to think about it. No matter what he did though, his thoughts seemed to return to the exhibition match but most especially when Tala had fell. What had he been thinking at that moment?
For the next few weeks, Brooklyn's nightmares continued to bother him. He still worried about Tala and the qualifying tournament was fast approaching. He was dreading the reactions of both Boris and Hiro when they heard his decision about competing in the tournament. More often than not, the nightmares with his grandfather were not as bad as the ones that he couldn't quite remember. Those scared him more since they seemed more than just nightmares but more like repressed memories.
Brooklyn used the time wisely and spent most of his days away from Bega. He often could be found either at the park or near the river. Most of the time he was alone with the exception of his cell phone that Hiro insisted he carry in case of an emergency. More often than not he spoke to Akane more than he did to Hiro on it. She was the one he depended on to listen to him about his problems since Hiro had enough stress to deal with the tournament fast approaching.
It was during one of his excursions that something unexpected happened. He was in the park and laying back in the grass with his feathered friends gathered around him. When they flew off in a hurry, he knew something was wrong and cracked open an eye. To his surprise instead of seeing one of his friends or boyfriend, Rei was standing over him. His arms were crossed over his chest in the manner of Kai but his face was closely guarded.
Brooklyn gasp, sat up and tried to get away but Rei moved too fast and had him pinned to the tree before he knew it. "Hey Rei," Brooklyn greeted with a slight smile and trying to lighten the mood, "what are you doing here?" Rei's golden orbs narrowed into slits from anger but he let go of the younger blader to regain his calm composure. "I came to see you," he began as he turned back to him, "why haven't you visited the hospital?" Brooklyn was not in the mood for this confrontation after what he had been dealing with over the past few weeks and when backed into a corner, he would fight back.
"I think you know the reason why I refuse to come to the hospital," Brooklyn snapped, his sea foam green eyes narrowing, "I will not set foot in that building if grandfather is there." Rei sighed, knowing that this was probably a mistake but he had to confront Brooklyn now while he had the opportunity. He had been walking through the park after spending several hours at the hospital with Tala. Kai had refused to leave Tala's side but he had needed a breather and had decided to take a walk. Coming across Brooklyn had been partly accidental but a good opportunity to talk.
"I understand why," Rei replied with a sigh, "but Kai doesn't. I believe he has forgiven Voltaire for the past." "Figures," Brooklyn snapped as his arms crossed and he scowled, "I am the one who was abused by him so why should he care?" "Kai does care about you," Rei informed, "but you know that he is unable to show his feelings. It hurts him deeply that you will not at least come and see Tala."
"I can't," Brooklyn said so softly that Rei almost missed it even with his enhanced hearing, "I just can't because I know it is my fault." Brooklyn did not cry but several tears escaped the dark lashes of his eyes and fell down his pale cheeks. Rei made a move to envelop him in a hug but Brooklyn swung at his arms and moved back. "No," he stated, wiping away the tears, "someone might see us and I don't want to get either you or me in trouble. I have to go. I will see you around."
Brooklyn ran, leaving Rei standing there to watch his retreating form. Rei sighed sadly as he heard a rustle from the trees. "Thank you for speaking with him, Rei," the person remarked from behind him, "Brooklyn needed to see one of you without that person losing their temper." "How bad is it?" Rei ask as he turned around to face the last person you would think he would speak too, "has his cutting got worse, Hiro?" "Somewhat," Hiro admitted, "but he hasn't had an episode for several weeks now. Not since the incident where he had to have stitches." The both took a long pause before Hiro continued.
"Between he and Akane, the two of them are about to drive me insane," Hiro stated with an exasperated sigh, "but they are able to draw comfort from each other since they both suffer from childhood trauma. The other morning I woke up to find him missing and I expected the worse. I was surprised to find he and the girl in the kitchen eating chocolate ice cream and laughing. I think he will get through this. His friends will make certain of it."
"I won't tell Kai or the others of our meeting," Rei stated with a grim smile, "I know how they would react if they knew I was speaking to the enemy." "I am not your enemy," Hiro smirked, "Boris is our common enemy. He is one behind all of this. I have to go before someone notices that I am missing. I hope we can speak again soon. I will take care of Brooklyn so try not to worry. I won't let anything happen to him."
Hiro, who had been dressed as Jin of the Gale disappeared into a tree. "You had better not let anything happen to him," Rei growled, "or you won't have to worry about Kai but me instead." Rei hated that he was going behind Kai's back but he didn't have a choice in the matter. He needed to know how Brooklyn was handling the pressure and this was the only way he could find out. "I hope Kai forgives me," he muttered as he started to walk back to the hospital, "if he ever finds out."
A/N - Okay, everyone, I have a problem and I desperately need your input. The qualifying tournament is in the next chapter and I would like to hear your suggestions on who should win a spot on the Justice Five team. Your choices are Garland, Mystel, Rick, Daichi, Julia, Raul or Akane. Brooklyn is not an option for the team b/e I have other plans for him. Can you please give me suggestions on who you would like to see battle G-Revolutions in your reviews? I appreciate your advice and will take it to heart since I can't decide who to put on the team. Thank you ever so much for your help.
Astera Snape
R & R