Title: Crimson's Child
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: M
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be used without my permission. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intent to entertain.
He heard the voices before he saw them. It had taken him some time to find the location of the Abbey again but once he found it he had simply begun to walk about the forest, hoping that they weren't too far away. They weren't.
Creeping up behind a thickly grown mass of bramble, he peeked over the thorns and his eyes widened.
The man had said that Kai would be training in the woods but before him some thirty kids were scattered as they shouted orders to the spinning tops that cut through the snow with practiced accuracy.
Looking around, he was excited to catch a glimpse of blue hair on the edge of the clearing.
Kai was locked in an intense battle with a lilac-haired boy, both in deep concentration as their blades smashed and slammed into each other in the dish. Four men stood around them; two were dressed in white coats and were taking notes while the other two were guards.
This piqued his curiosity. Why did Kai and the other boy need so many guards? None of the other kids had someone looking over them; the rest of the guards seemed to be there to protect them or something.
Despite his hurting body, he kept low as he made his way around the clearing, making sure to stay hidden behind the trees and shrubs. It was as cold in the forest as in the streets but at least the trees provided barriers to prevent the winds from reaching them. The snow crunched beneath his feet but the shouts of the bladers covered up the noise.
He soon found himself just a few feet away from where Kai and his opponent were still going at it. From this side he could see the other boy's face. Pale purple eyes, the same shade as his hair, were intent and focus as he followed the progress of the blades. He was pretty pale but caught in the heat of the battle he looked menacing.
"Falborg, Stroblitz!" he suddenly shouted, startling the red-head.
"Fire arrow, Dranzer!" Kai countered.
The huge blast caused everyone else to stop what they were doing and turn to the two. He himself fell to his stomach, eyes wide with fright at the sudden noise and bright light.
"Dranzer's the winner!" one of the men who had been taking notes said.
"Back to your training!" a guard barked at the other kids who quickly did as they were told.
" Bryan," the lilac-haired blader looked up, "your power levels aren't high enough. Return to the lab for a blade upgrade."
"Yes, sir," the boy said obediently, picking up his blade and following a guard off the ground to disappear into the trees.
"Well done, Kai. You are finish for now. We will be heading back in half an hour."
This must have been a sign that he was dismissed because Kai nodded and, picking up his blade, he also left the training area. But he went in the other direction, long scarf flowing behind him.
Seeing his chance, he got up from where he had been crouched down and began to follow the bluenette who weaved in and out of the trees, obviously knowing where he was going.
It was hard to follow the swift gait of the bluenette, especially with his pains, and the further they walked the quieter the woods got, his cover-up soon fading along with the voices. He had to move extra slow to make less sound and he soon lost sight of the bluenette.
Stopping, he stood there, breathing heavily as he tried to figure out what to do now. If he went too far he could get lost. But he had really wanted to see this boy; this person who had seemed to understand him for but a few moments.
"Why did you come back?"
He yelped and slipped, landing with a squeak on the snow-covered ground. Spitting out snow, he looked behind him to find the same bluenette who he had been following. Had Kai known he was there all along and had doubled back when he had been distracted?
"You shouldn't be here."
Quickly scrambling to his feet, he backed away, suddenly thinking that this may not have been such a good idea. Kai's voice was cold and harsh and his face too. Dressed in dark clothes with the exception of the long, white scarf, he reminded him of those imposing guards.
"It's dangerous here." Kai took a step forward.
"I-I'm sor-sorry!" he stuttered.
Once more, the frost burned away in those fiery eyes. Watching him silently, Kai walked up to him until they stood a foot apart. Raising a hand, Kai ran his fingertips down a bruised cheek, pulling away when he flinched.
"Come on." Taking him gently but firmly by an arm, Kai began to lead him through the trees.
"W-Where are we go-going?"
"It's not safe here," was the simple answer. Picking up the pace, he almost made the redhead stumble as he tried to keep up. Over snow covered logs and down winding trails they almost jogged. Kai kept looking back every now and then as if to make sure they were still alone.
Just when he thought he was going to collapse in exhaustion, Kai slowed down. Peeping over a shoulder, he saw that they stood before a massive tree whose trunk was more than three meters in diameter. Near the ground, half-hidden by more brush, was an opening big enough for only a child to pass through.
Releasing him, Kai crawled through it, motioning for him to follow. He was reluctant at first but standing alone on the outside made him feel very vulnerable so he relented and followed, his thin frame easily passing through.
He didn't know what to expect but gasped once inside. The trunk had been hollowed out making a hidden chamber some two meter high within the ancient tree; it had probably been an animal's den or shelter before being abandoned. The ground was covered with pine needles and the air wasn't as cold as outside. In one corner there was a large wooden box with a lock. Next to that was a small pile of folded blankets which Kai now took and spread over the ground.
He followed the bluenette's lead when Kai sat down, shrugging off his heavy, black coat and wrapping himself in a soft blanket, handing the younger boy one too which he gratefully accepted, the material warming him better than any clothes he had ever had.
For many minutes they just sat there, still breathing heavily as they studied one another.
"Why did you come back?" Kai repeated his question from earlier.
"I…I don't know…" he admitted. "But…y-you were nice to me. Nobody has ever been nice t-to me before and…"
Kai himself was curious of the new boy. He wondered at the state of poor clothing the boy wore in the weather. The thin, frail appearance also piqued his interest.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, thinking that some food would do the redhead good.
Actually, he was starving, as always, but he merely nodded.
Shifting through the large box, Kai produced to packets and returned to the blanket. He handed one of the small containers to him and opened his own. Not knowing what they were but mimicking Kai's action, he pulled off the top.
Two rolls of bread, some cheese, dried fruit and meats; he had never seen so much food in his life and for a moment all he could do was stare at it. Kai was already nibbling on his food, watching with calculating eyes as the redhead slowly picked up a bread roll and tentatively took a small bite. The blue eyes widened and he quickly finished it, reaching for the other as his stomach demanded more.
Something wasn't right here. Kai had never seen anyone as hungry as this boy. Hadn't he ever eaten before? Where did he come from?
Soon he was down to his last piece of fruit and looked sadly at the now empty container. When a half-full one was placed before him he looked up at Kai who smiled softly.
"I'm going to eat when I get back anyways," he explained.
"Thank you," he said, finally sating his hunger as he finished Kai's ration.
Feeling well fed for the first time in a very long time, he sighed and wiped his mouth. A cup of milk was placed in his hand.
"W-Where do you get all this?" he asked, sipping at the contents. He had never tasted fresh milk. What little he could get at home has usually gone bad long before.
"The food?" Kai asked perplexed. "From the Abbey."
"Won't they get mad that you took it?"
"They have more than enough to feed everyone. Besides, these are meant for field training anyways. The food in the cafeteria is much better than this."
Better? This had been the best meal he had ever had!
"What's your name?" Kai suddenly asked.
"Huh?" he blinked, still sipping his milk, not wanting it to end.
"Your name?"
He blinked again. His name? He had been called many names before but he didn't think that that was what the bluenette meant.
"Um…I don't have one."
Kai looked surprised.
"Everyone has a name."
"I guess I lost mine."
"You can't lose a name…can you?" Kai asked sceptically. "What do people call you?"
"Mean things," he admitted, averting eyes to study his hands that were clasped before him. "No one really likes me."
"What about your mom?"
"She really, really doesn't like me." His hand drifted up to touch a bruised shoulder unconsciously. "That's why I don't want to stay home. It hurts to stay home."
"It hurts no matter where I am," Kai said, eyes straying to the entrance of the hide-away, and what he knew laid beyond that, surrounded by spiked fence and guarded by mean men.
"Does your mama hurt you too?" he asked the bluenette.
"I don't have a mama or papa…anymore. Grandpa says that they don't want me."
A shrill whistle from deep in the forest startled him but Kai merely stood, shrugging off his blanket and neatly folding it.
"I have to go; they're going back."
"Can I come?" he asked.
Kai looked at him as if he was crazy.
"You don't wanna go there," he finally said, putting on his coat.
"You're going," he pointed out, rising to his knees, worrying his lower lip; he didn't want to leave the bluenette already.
"I have to. He'll be mad with me if I'm late." The slight wavering of his voice emphasized this as an important factor that needed to stay in consideration.
He shoulders slumped and he nodded, removing the warm blanket and immediately missing it as the cold drafted over him once more. He shivered violently; it was as if having taking off the blanket had erased all forms of comfort, leaving him once more in the harsh environment that was his life.
Something thick yet soft made contact with his shoulders once more and he jumped involuntarily, wrapping his arms around him for protection though it wasn't needed as it was only Kai who was kneeling before him without his coat which he had draped over him. Touching the rich material disbelievingly, he looked at the bluenette, perplexed.
"Do you remember how to get here?" Kai asked him though turning to rummage in the wooden crate.
"I think so…" he admitted, even more surprised when several wrapped packets of food were placed before him.
"Meet me here the day after tomorrow. Come after sunset."
Not giving him a chance to speak, the bluenette crawled out, leaving him to quickly gather the packs and follow.
"Kai, your jacket--"
"Keep it. Follow me."
He did, too much happening for him to really understand. They walked fast and accurate, Kai knowing the grounds well. They soon found themselves on the path that led out of the woods and into the city. Kai looked longingly at the buildings in the near distance for a while before facing him.
"Promise you'll come?" he asked softly, his arms folded across his chest to stave off the chill he was beginning to feel more and more without his jacket.
Those scarlet eyes studied him for a moment then without another word, Kai stepped pass him and headed back down the path, leaving him to stare in stunned silence. The black clothes quickly blended the bluenette into the shadows of the trees and the last visible sign of the boy was the long scarf which seemed to wave at him before it too vanished from sight.
For many minutes he just stood there, blinking as if in a dream as he stared down the now empty path. All that remained of Kai's presence was the jacket and food rations which he cradled closer to his body. With a final blink he broke himself out of the trance and began to make his way back to civilization.
It wasn't until he reached the bridge he had crossed earlier and looked at his reflection in the frozen water below that he realized he was smiling.
Tbc…
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