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 touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intent to entertain.
A sudden force shook him awake. Springing to awareness, he sat up, almost knocking Kai over where the bluenette had been leaning over him, shaking him by the shoulders.
"Get up," the bluenette whispered quickly, "You have to leave."
"W-What--umph!"
"Shh!" Kai scolded, removing his hand when the red-head nodded, blue eyes wide. "Don't talk so loud. Come on, I'll bring you back to the path."
The bluenette's uneasiness put him on the edge as well but before he could ask anything else Kai crawled to the entrance, peeking out a few seconds before impatiently waving him over.
"Don't come back here anymore."
"Kai?" he asked, worried and scared.
"It's too dangerous. Go home and never come back."
His eyes began to water at the words but he was too late in forming any words as Kai grabbed his wrist and hauled him outside and to his feet.
"Come on."
Stumbling behind the other boy, still slightly sleep-logged and feeling pretty scared, he almost tripped over his own feet in fright when a shrill whistle echoed through the trees in the distance. The sound of dogs barking began, along with voices shouting.
"Kai!?" he cried, looking behind them though nothing appeared from the shadows.
"Don't look back!" Kai ordered, his own heart pounding in his chest.
The sounds seemed to have spread all around them, coming at them from all directions. In the dim light of early dawn the two children stumbled through the forest. At long last the forest path broke free of the trees, the tall buildings of Moscow now visible against the pinkened skies. Kai grabbed him by the shoulder, standing close enough that their warm breaths blew on the other's face, the ragged pants stirring bangs.
"They'll search the forest for weeks. It's too dangerous for you to come here again."
Blinking through confused tears, he shook his head, grabbing the bluenette's jacket when Kai tried to pull away.
"Who are searching? What's going to happen to you? Kai? Did I put you in trouble?"
Slender arms pulled him against Kai's chest as the bluenette rested his head against the red hair, holding the trembling boy despite his own fears.
"I'll be fine. I just don't want them to get you. Stay away from here."
"I want to see you again," he whispered. "Please say we will see each other again."
When Kai didn't reply he clenched his eyes shut, tears chilling his face in the cold morning air.
"I'm sorry," Kai muttered, releasing him. "We can't see each other anymore."
A loud bark uncomfortably close made them both jump. Kai's flaming eyes met his, the bluenette's face pale beneath the markings.
"Please…Go…"
When he didn't move Kai shoved him in the chest, voice tight with desperation, sounding angrier than he meant it to.
"Just go!"
Stumbling a few steps backwards, he caught himself, touching his chest where the force from Kai's shove stung slightly. Biting back a sob, he gave the bluenette a long look before turning and running down the path as fast as his legs could carry him, the wind whipping the tears from his face.
Watching the redhead go, Kai's own tears ran down his blue marked cheeks.
"They won't get you too…" he whispered.
Not a moment after the red-head had disappeared from view did the bushes to his left rustled as two large hounds burst through them, the first sighting its dark eyes on him at once. Pouncing, it tackled the bluenette to the ground, it large mouth clamping down on a sleeved arm, teeth puncturing clothe and flesh. Kai cried out, keeping as still as possible as to not to give the trained beast a reason to start trashing and rip his arm off.
Several more dogs appeared, barking and howling excitedly as they gathered around their found prey. The noise was so loud it made his ears ring. The shrill whistle only hurt his ears more but the dogs obeyed, his captor releasing his bloodied arm to trot over to the cloaked figure who stepped onto the path.
"Over here!" the guard shouted back and soon enough a group of black robed men materialized from the shadows of the trees. Amongst them, Boris' steely eyes glowered down on him.
"Out for a morning jog, young Kai?" he sneered. "On your feet!"
He rose, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes and face before cradling his wounded arm, giving the beast responsible an angry glare though it quickly vaporized when Boris stalked over to him.
"I asked you a question, Kai. What were you doing out here at this hour?"
"I…I…" He looked around, hoping the answer would fall from the sky. "I…forgot my jacket in the woods yesterday."
"Don't you dare lie to me, boy. I'm going to ask you once more; what were you doing out here?"
Before he could answer a duo of guards appeared with more hounds, one of the men holding something bungled in his arms.
"Sir," he saluted, holding out his load, "we found this along with several rations and blankets in a hollowed tree trunk several hundred meters further back."
Kai's stomach clenched. The man was holding the jacket the redhead had returned to him. Boris took it, examining it critically before sniffing it. His eyes narrowed to mere slits that he pinned onto the young boy before him.
"Is this yours, Kai?"
"Yes, sir."
"Why does it smell like hash?"
"Sir?" He had also noticed the alien scent on his jacket, and on the redhead for that matter, but had simply brushed it off as the smell of life beyond the Abbey's monitored wall.
"This cloth reeks of drugs."
Drugs? How could the smell of drugs get on his jacket? Did the other boy…?
"Kai!" Boris snapped when he didn't answer.
"I haven't touched any drugs, sir," he defended without thinking.
"I would know. Which means this jacket was worn by someone who did. Who?"
He winced at his slip-up.
"No one."
A heavy hand slapped him across his face but before he could fall the same hand grab him by his injured arm, yanking him up until he was face-to-face with his trainer as the man leaned forward, pale face red with unspent anger.
"Who have you been meeting in these woods, boy?!" he demanded, cruelly tightening his grip on the wounds.
He didn't answer, looking away to find the guards watching his pain with amused grins on their faces. Dropping his gaze, he was determined to weather it out.
Growling impatiently, Boris released him with a push, sending him down onto the hard ground and straightening himself, cold eyes putting the near sub-zero temperature around them to shame.
"Have it your way. Gordonov," he motioned to one of the guards, "I have too many important things to do for today to deal with our 'prime student' for now. I leave his punishment in your hands."
The man grinned widely at that, the other guards chuckling sinisterly as well.
"Anything specific, sir?" he asked, walking over to grab the boy by the upper arm.
Boris coolly met the bluenette's wide pleading stare as he answered.
"Be creative if you like," he permitted, "but make sure it will be something young Kai will not forget anytime soon."
"With pleasure, sir."
Lowering his head, Kai watched as the sun rose from behind the buildings of Moscow as he was roughly led back to the Abbey.
"Don't come back…" he whispered softly though no one could hear him. "Please…don't…"
"Hey! Watch it, you little rat!"
He could feel the angry man's eyes boring holes in his back but he didn't stop to apologize, leaving the man to pick up the boxes he had dropped when the boy had caught him off guard, turning the corner so suddenly there had been little chance of avoiding the collision. Ignoring the outraged remarks of the other pedestrians, he kept running down the street.
"…stay away from here…"
A horn blared as he blindly crossed the busy street, brakes screeching and cars swerving to avoid hitting the small boy.
"…just go!..."
Sobbing, he pushed on. He didn't care where he went. He just kept running, wishing the rushing air passing his ears could muffle those words that had hurt more than the shove.
'Why? Why must I mess everything up? Kai's going to get hurt; I just know it. And I abandoned him.'
Before he could go back into another long tirade of self-blame, he was jerked backwards when a hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Yelping, he twisted to find himself looking up at a policeman. The officer blinked for a moment as he took in the boy's fine features, but his face then hardened.
"A bit in a hurry so early in the morning, aren't you?"
"I…I…"
"Is there a problem, officer?" a new voice asked from behind and he forgot to breathe. Actually backing up into the officer's arms, he dared to look up to find a single silver eye staring down at him. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
"You know this boy?" the officer asked.
"Yeah, he's my sister's kid. He's been up to no good again, I see. I'll take him off your hands; on these streets you must have something better to do than write a report on a five year old brat," Jacob pointed out. "I was just going over to his mother; she must be very worried."
"Just make sure he stays off the streets." He released the redhead though the boy didn't move away, keeping the officer between him and the tower of a man.
"Don't try that puppy-dog look," Jacob convincingly berated, grabbing him by an arm. "Always getting into trouble; I don't know how my sister puts up with you. Thank you for your help, officer."
The uniformed man nodded though he eyed the pair skeptically, somewhat curios at the slight shivering in the slender body and when the man's thumb rubbed a slender arm. Still, it was early and he hadn't even gotten his first of coffee yet; he was grumpy and so dismissed it as imagination. With a curt nod, he walked off.
When the officer was out of sight, he was grabbed around the waist and carried to the monster of a car that was Jacob's, compliments of his profession, and deposited in the passenger's seat before the door was slammed shut so hard the entire vehicle trembled. Crawling as far away from the driver's seat as possible, he watched precariously as Jacob walked around and got in, starting the ignition without a word and pulling into the traffic.
Morning rush hour held them in the city for more than half an hour before Jacob pulled off onto the exit that led to the outer circle of Moscow where the qualities of the houses declined with every mile. The entire trip was made in silence until Jacob held up his arm that was heavily bandaged.
"Ten stitches," Jacob growled. "I almost skewered myself on that fucking fence and needed ten stitches to sew my arm back up. I had to stay a night in the hospital and missed a very important match. Plus a certain package of mine was stolen by some gutter rat who just happens to be in this car."
"I paid for it," he reminded softly.
Jacob slammed on the breaks in the middle of the street; luckily there was no other traffic on the road but the force almost propelled him through the window. Instead he slammed into the dashboard, slipping off the seat onto the floor as he held his head, feeling a bit of wetness as blood dripped from the burst skin of his hairline.
Hauling the boy back onto the seat, Jacob slapped him twice, the veins on his hand pulsing through thin skin as he gripped a handful of red hair.
"You didn't pay the FULL price," Jacob growled. "You still owe me."
He shrunk back at a feral smirk but the man released him, starting the vehicle again and speeding down the road though their destination wasn't too far away. Parking the car behind a long abandoned factory, Jacob locked all the doors.
"Back seat. Now."
Steam still clung to the windows but he didn't need to see to know they were before his house. He sat in the passenger's seat, rumpled clothes sticking to his body with sweat, his red hair plastered in wet tendrils to his face. Every bump in the road had wreaked agony on his stinging body and he kept shifting on the hard leather seats though the ride remained extremely uncomfortable, if not painful.
Now, parked outside the old house, he blinked at the loud clink as Jacob tossed his empty beer bottle on the floor behind them, a satisfied smile on his face as he smugly watched the quiet boy.
"Consider the package paid-off," he drawled, rubbing a stained inner-thigh. "I won't tell your mother about that little incident, this time."
He nodded, at least grateful for not having to undergo his mother's wrath.
The lock popped open next to him and he felt the vehicle lift slightly as the man climbed out, walking around to pull the door open. Wincing uncontrollably, he maneuvered himself on the edge of the car seat before lowering a foot onto the pavement, the short-term stretch enough to near paralyze him. His lower lip was sore from him biting down on it by the time he finally was out of the car. Jacob had watched the entire time in smug amusement, not assisting.
"Home sweet fucking home," he said in mock cheerfulness before slamming the door shut and striding up the weed-choked driveway, leaving the younger male to limp after him.
By the time he managed to climb the four creaky steps and entered the house Jacob had made himself comfortable on the couch and had found a beer in the fridge, popping it over with an opener on his key-chain before throwing the cap carelessly over his shoulder. He wasn't alone either. Seated next to the fighter on the couch was his mother and sitting backwards on a wooden chair was Fritz; the three people he feared the most all in one room. Hoping to inch pass without them noticing, he almost succeeded before his mother's harsh voice stopped him in his steps.
"And where have you been all night?"
Sighing, he hobbled into the living room, forcing himself not to meet Jacob's leering eyes or Fritz's knowing grin.
"Well?!" she snapped when he didn't answer soon enough. "And why are you walking like that?"
Fritz chuckled, sharing an amused look with Jacob.
He lowered his head, a blush staining his cheeks.
"I found him wandering the streets this morning. Taught him his lesson already. Hopefully this will teach him not to run away…and steal certain packages from me."
His eyes widened, his head flying up to stare in mixed betrayal and confusion at the smirking man who took a swig of his beer before continuing.
"Oh, I shouldn't have mentioned that….My bad. But honestly, Matilda, I have the right mind to scrap your 'membership'; I can't work with untrusting individuals like yourself."
"What?!" she sputtered, mouth falling open.
"Well, the boy stole that latest package without paying the full amount. It was only one dollar extra; I honestly don't see why he was making such a big deal out of it."
By now he was trembling, staring spitefully as the blond continued to twist and bend the facts, ending with how he had been led through the woods on a wild goose-chase and fell on old scrap metal, his bandaged arm all the proof he needed. At the mention of the injury jeopardizing his fighting Fritz fixed his younger brother with a dangerous glare; as aforementioned, Fritz truly admired Jacob's fighting.
"You little runt!" his mother erupted when Jacob was done, rising from the couch. "You screw everything up!"
"I didn't--"
"Shut up!" she growled, grabbing him in a painful grip and dragging him to the hall way towards the supply closet. "Worthless child! Can't you do anything right?!"
"I'm sorry," he sobbed, his breath hitching when she grabbed the front of his shirt, her face an inch from his.
"Me too; sorry that I didn't have an abortion when you were still in me!"
Too scared to resist, he was dragged to the open door before being roughly shoved inside the narrow closet. He turned to just see her scowling face.
"Leave this closet without my permission and you will regret it."
The door slammed shut, throwing him in complete darkness with pain and tears as his only companions.
Tbc…
A/N: Lo and behold, the last part was one of Tala's flashbacks in 'Resurfacing'. Neat, huh?
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