This chapter is far too long! Anyway, please review!
Kai pressed the rewind button. The beyblades jerked around wildly as the video rewound.
"Max, pay attention!" he snapped. The blond jumped a mile. "See here?" Kai gestured to Draciel, frozen on the scren in the act of deflecting an opponent's blade. "In the second when the blades collide, Draciel focuses all its defense on that one spot, forming the wall that's gained you your reputation." He smirked at Max's flush. "In theory, that's an excellent strategy, but there's always a chance that they could change direction at the last minute and attack the other, weakened sections of your beyblade." Max nodded to show that he understood.
"So what do I do if that happens?" he asked, frowning.
"You need to concentrate on keeping that defensive power spread all over your beyblade. It will mean that initially your overall power will suffer, but we can work on that."
"Brill. Thanks, Kai!"
"Whatever. All of you, just remember this. Your beyblades, your bit-beasts, they're only as strong as you are. Nobody's found a limit to their power. You set that limitation by how strong you are, how much you push yourself."
"So, basically you're saying that if we lose, it's our fault and not our bit-beasts?" Tyson asked, bored with the lecture. Kai sighed quietly. Why do I bother?
"Yes." he said finally. "Correct for once." Tyson scowled. He looked to one side, avoiding Kai's icy glare.
"Hey Ray, you okay, bud?" he said suddenly. Kai turned, noticing the unhealthy pallor of Ray's face. Ray glared irritably at Tyson.
"Leave it, Tyson. I'll live." he snapped.
"Go to bed, Ray. It's ten o'clock." Kai said curtly, turning away and pressing the eject button on the TV remote.
"No." Ray replied doggedly.
"Go to bed before I have to drag you there myself." Kai continued, idly throwing the TV remote up in the air and catching it. He knew what Ray wanted, he wanted Kai to look at him, to make a fuss like the others were, to show that he cared. Well, fuck you, Ray. There's only one person I care about. And it isn't you. He came out of his momentary trance to find himself alone in the lounge. Instantly, complusion wove its fingers into his thoughts. He slipped his hand inside his pocket and closed his hand around Dranzer, using the phoenix's warmth to combat it. Phoenix's voice entered his mind, teasing, seductive.
I'm lonely, Kai. Won't you come and play?
"I do not play. I battle." Kai muttered scornfully under his breath. "Children play. I am no child."
Fine then, battle. I know you want to. How can you hope to wield true power without even giving it a little exercise?
"Not here." Kai replied softly, the compulsion unbearable, clawing at him like a mad thing. "Wait just a moment." He stood up and walked out of the room, dropping Dranzer carelessly on the floor.
Kai ripped the launcher viciously, the harsh, grating sound only intensifying his need to see the bit-beast. In either form, he didn't care, all he wanted was a battle against something, anything. As though reading his thoughts, the bit-beast stayed in her phoenix form, dark flames flickering up and down her jet-black body. Power radiated off the mutated spirit. Kai took it in greedily, feeling it flood through his veins. He looked down at himself with a smirk, seeing the dark, blood red glow hanging in the air between them. He tipped his head back and drank the thick, cloying mist like a dying man. This was what Robert had been bleating on about before. Becoming one with your bit-beast.
"Of course, the fool never specified how far you can go." he murmured hoaresly. With a careless movement of his hand, he sent the midnight beyblade crashing into the wall of the hotel. Metal met mortar with a resounding crash. He gave the blade a few seconds to do as much damage as possible, then looked around for his next target. He spotted a large tree on the edge of the hotel drive. Faster than the human eye could follow, Black Dranzer sped over to it and buried herself in the trunk. While the beyblade's razor-sharp spikes bored into the tough bark, the phoenix flew into it repetatively, shrieking in defiance as she smashed into the broad trunk.
Einstien would love this. Kai mused. Matter versus antimatter. Black Dranzer was antimatter personfied. Pure, twisted evil, some would have referred to her only in whispers, and not without crossing themsevles. Satan's whore.
"And she's all mine..." Kai whispered, shaking with the power building inside him. It intensified until every atom of his body was throbbing in time with the slow, steady throb. "All mine!"
Power burst out of him in the shout, shading the sky a pulsalating, ugly dark red, the colour of disease, of something horribly out of place. Black Dranzer's eyes gleamed and a triumphant shriek ripped through the air as black flames lit on her wings, burning the last of the tree away. Kai watched impassively as the tree plummeted towards him, filled with a feeling of calm invulnerability.
What would hurt me now? What would dare to hurt me now?
Pain flared down the side of his leg and there was a deafening crash as the blackened, tortured tree landed just to the side of him. Opening eyes he didn't remember closing, he looked emotionlessly down at the smoking corpse of what had been a living thing. Dismissing it, he turned his attention to his leg. His trouser leg was ripped to shreds, a thick trail of blood dripping down his calf from a deep slice just underneath his knee. He slid a finger down the sticky blood and licked it, tasting the coppery tang. It tasted like power. Like victory. Black Dranzer soared over to him and hovered just above ground level. He reached out and traced his hand lightly across the silky feathers, icy cold to the touch. Silently, he admired the contrast of his white skin on the obsidian feathers. As his hand dropped, the phoenix's form flickered and he felt the curve of a breast under his touch.
"Stay a phoenix." he ordered, his eyes flashing.
What's the matter, Master Kai? Can't handle a little excitement?
"I can handle anything you care to throw at me, Phoenix. Now obey me!" Energised by his few moments of control, angry by her blatant advance, he easily overpowered her, forcing her to disappear back into the imprisoning beyblade.
Kai bent down and scooped the motionless beyblade into the palm of his hand. With a swift glance around, he turned and walked back inside, not even noticing the burning pain shooting up his leg.
Kai strode down the corridor towards his bedroom. Shutting the door and double-locking it, he pulled Black Dranzer out of his pocket and stared at it. An unsettling feeling of guilt settled over him, warring with the vicious thrill left over from his "little exercise". He looked at the clock and was shocked to see that it was nearly one o'clock in the morning, nearly three hours later than when he had left to take up Phoenix's challenge.
Thunder crashed outside. Lightning blazed through the rom, lighting it with an eerie glow for a few seconds. His ears, used to the silence by now, picked up a faint cry with ease. Then another, and another, the last the most frightened of them all. He quickly put names to the cries. Max and Kenny were both awake, and by the nearness of their voices, in the same room, presumably Tyson's, shivering with fright. The thought of their plight invoked only a vague feeling of pity, and a feeling that he didn't want to examine too closely. Something like gleeful malice.
The third cry came again. His brain, strangely sluggish, finally put a name to the sound. Before that name had left his lips, he had hurtled off his bed and left the room, going towards another bedroom with far more than usual haste. Black Dranzer lay abandoned on the floor.
"Ray..."
He put his head round the door. Ray was thrashing restlessly from side to side, his face twisted with pain and fear. His eyelids flickered, refusing to stay open for more than a second each time. Kai swore softly, knowing why Ray wasn't waking up. In order to make him sleep at all, the others had clearly drugged him up with the strong sleeping pills that he had been given, leaving him unable to wake fully, floating in a terrifying limbo world filled with the sound of the one thing that he feared above all else. Thunderstorms. As if to confirm this, Ray cried out again, half moan, half scream. Before his brain caught up with the rest of him, Kai went over to the bed and, sitting on it, embraced the terrified boy, holding him tightly.
"Hush, Ray, hush now, it's just a storm... Nothing to be afraid of..." He pulled Ray to him, rocking him soothingly, murmuring comforting words that he didn't realise he knew how to say. The semi-conscious blader calmed, relaxing against Kai, his head finding a comfortable place on Kai's chest to act as a pillow. Thunder crashed. Ray tensed, stirring fretfully. Kai placed a hand on his exertion-warmed forehead and firmly pushed the sweat-damp strands of loose hair away from his face and mouth. "Hush, Ray. Hush...it's okay...you're safe now..." He touched his lips softly to Ray's forehead, rubbing calming circles on the boy's back. Ray's rapid, panicked breathing slowed gradually and he sagged into Kai's strong grip. Carefully, Kai began to lower Ray back down to his bed. Strange feelings were flooding through him as he looked at the boy's wan face, feelings of protectiveness and - and...love?
What was love? He had no idea, and it scared him. He hated being unsure about anything, it smacked of losing control. He must never lose control. Ever.
Ray jolted him from his thoughts by his fist suddenly closing on a handful of Kai's top, preventing Kai from putting him back onto the bed without moving down himself. A thought flashed into Kai's mind. He had given himself up to one temptation tonight. Why not another? The sleeping pills wouldn't release their hold on Ray for hours yet. His hand closed over Ray's, gently loosening the weak hold. He lay down beside him, embracing him gently. Thunder boomed again. The storm was moving away, but it still had the power to make Ray cry out, his breathing becoming harsh, erratic. Kai's hands caressed Ray's face, trying helplessly to calm the scared boy.
"Ray, it's okay..." he whispered almost urgently. "Please don't be scared..." He leaned forwards and kissed Ray tentatively, marvelling at the softness of Ray's lips. "Hush..." he murmured, pulling away for a second, before moving in again, gently teasing Ray's unresisting mouth open. "Don't cry...I'm here..." He kissed him again, gently, nervously, again and again. "Please don't cry..." He kissed him one final time, then disengaged himself from Ray's slackened grip and sat up. He ran a finger over his lips, imagining that he could still taste Ray, his head spinning slowly.
He felt...clean. Innocent again, for the first time in years. Slowly, staggering slightly, he got up, casting one last, longing look towards the now-sleeping blader and stumbled out of the room.
He stripped to his boxers and collapsed in bed. Within seconds, he had fallen deeply asleep. For the first time that he could remember, he had a faint smile on his lips.
Yawning, Tyson rolled over, opening his eyes and looking blearily around the room. His eyes fell on the rug in the middle of the room.
Max and Kenny were curled up in identical balls, their hands pressed to their ears even in sleep. Tyson blinked and sat up, running a hand through his thick navy hair and wincing at the tangles, wondering whether to wake them up or not. He decided against. They probably didn't get much sleep last night, he thought. It looks like it was a big storm. They don't normally both come in here, or stay all night. Yeah, I'll let 'em have a kip. He scrambled out of bed and started hunting around for his clothes. Unable to find his yellow T-shirt, he settled for a white polo shirt instead. Leaving the tedious business of washing until he'd satisfied his stomach's call, he went out of the room, heading for the kitchen.
Three-quarters of the way down the corridor, he stopped and listened. Something didn't feel right. He stayed perfectly still for over five minutes, trying to work out what was causing this uneasy feeling currently consuming him. Eventually, he shrugged. No one else was up, as far as he could tell. It was probably the fact that he was the first one to wake up, for the first time since they had become a team. It was bound to feel strange. Satisfied by this explanation, he shook himself to get rid of any lingering doubts and went into the kitchen. Grumbling as he remembered that neither Ray nor Kai were in a position to make breakfast, he opened a cupboard and took out a packet of Coco-Pops. Ripping it open, he wandered into the living room and turned on the TV to watch yet another replay of his and Kai's match. None of them liked watching Ray's battle, it was too distressing. Knowing that it had all been happening just a few feet away and you could do nothing to stop it, you just had to watch as one of your team mates was torn to shreds by a homicidal maniac... Tyson concentrated hard on the TV, stuffing a handful of the chocolatey cereal into his mouth to block out the unwanted thoughts. All of them had experienced nightmares reliving that battle, even Kai. Suddenly, he noticed Dranzer, lying on the floor approximately where Kai had sat yesterday evening. Odd, he thought distractedly. Kai never leaves Dranzer, not since he got him back. After my successful win... With a gleeful smirk, he fast-forwarded to his match and sat back with a pleased sigh, the mystery of Kai's unusual carelessness forgotten.
An hour later, he was flicking aimlessly through the channels and trying to remember how to turn on the English subtitles, when a loud curse echoed through the empty rooms. Tyson grinned. Okay, Kai's awake. Better go and see why he yelled. Even if I'm just going to get told to go away. And that's if he's being polite.
"Kai? You okay in there, pal?" he asked softly, poking his head round the door nervously. There was a loud scuffling noise.
"Fine, Tyson. I cut my leg last night, and I've only just realised. That's all."
"You sure?" Tyson pushed the door a little more and came further in, still not daring to go completely inside.
"Quite sure." Kai was sitting on his bed, grimacing slightly as he dabbed at a nasty-looking wound with a ball of cotton wool and some antiseptic. He gave Tyson a slight smile. Tyson blinked, taken aback by this unusual show of friendship.
"Did you have a good sleep last night?" he asked hesitantly.
"I didn't actually get to sleep until aout half past one, but yes, a very good sleep." Kai replied, an almost wistful smile on his face. "Is anyone else up?" Tyson shook his head.
"Nope. Kenny and Max are sleeping off a thunderstorm and the amount of pills we had to give Ray, he'll be asleep until lunchtime. Mm...lunch..."
"You're having breakfast, Tyson!"
"So? You never heard of brunch?" His mind occupied by the enticing thought of more food, Tyson headed back to the kitchen.
An exclamation of surprise from halfway down the corridor told Kai that Kenny and Max were up. Hearing the three boys go into the kitchen, Kai relaxed fractionally. He had just remembered that Dranzer would still be in the lounge.
Why do you care? Phonix inquired from inside her beyblade, which was under the bed. That had been the scuffling noise Tyson had heard. He is nothing to you. Kai ignored her, with an effort, and stood up shakily. If they saw Dranzer... Shuddering at the implications, he hurried out and collected his estranged bit-beast, dropping it into his pocket. He returned to his room to think, of which he had a lot to do.
Phoenix shimmered into life inside the glass tube. She met Voltaire's furious gaze coolly, not about to be indimidated by this old buffoon.
"Phoenix!" the old man roared, his face reddening with anger. "Explain this...fiasco!" Phoenix crossed her arms and waited until he had regained his usual colour before speaking.
"Fiasco, sir? I think that it went quite well." Intriguied despite himself, Voltaire stepped closer.
"How so?" he enquired.
"I proved that when he uses me, he forgets about everything else. Time, bodily harm, all of it pales in comparison to the buzz he gets from seeing me destroy something-"
"Yes, yes, enough preening!" Voltaire ordered. "That's all well and good, but explain what happened afterwards!" He was shaking with outrage, furious that his grandson should debase himself to that extent. Phoenix shrugged, beginning to dissolve into thousands of glittering strands again..
"I haven't gained as much control as I previously thought. He will come to me eventually." she said, with utmost confidence. "Count on it. After all, he has already renounced Dranzer."
"Oh, I will." Voltaire growled to thin air. "Kai, I will possess you again."
Kai looked idly at the clock, and for the second time in two days, was shocked to see how many hours had passed. It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon. He stood up, swaying slightly as his blood rushed back to its proper places and still more of it trickled out the hole in his leg. He waited until he felt less dizzy, then went to see if Ray was all right. No, he corrected himself, you've gone to see if he wants you to kiss him again, because it helps you get rid of the craving to see Phoenix that you know you shouldn't have.
He looked round the door. Ray was sitting up, his legs over the side of his bed, and struggling to get into his crutches. He looked up and saw Kai. A brief smile fluttered across his face, which faded as he caught sight of the still bleeding wound on Kai's leg.
"Kai, your leg! Are you all right?" he asked, pushing himself upright with a grimace. Kai resisted the temptation to move forwards and hold him steady, letting a smile creep onto his own features in greeting.
"I'm fine." he answered dismissevely. "Cut myself last night, that's all. How are you?"
"Last night! And it's still bleeding!" Ray exclaimed, alarm flashing in his eyes. "How on earth-"
"Never mind about me." Kai said sharply. "How are you feeling?"
Ray shrugged. He felt drained, exhausted, hopelessly on edge, and unable to get a particular dream out of his head.
"I'll live. Was there a storm last night?" he asked curiously. That had featured in his dream a lot, the first part had been more like a nightmare. Trapped in a paralysing grey cloud, unable to do anything to make the fear less... He swayed and lost his balance, falling back onto his bed with a thump.
"Yes...yes, there was." Kai answered him slowly. The older blader moved closer and looked at Ray, worry evident in his crimson eyes. "Did it frighten you?" Ray nodded, but absentmindedly, his mind fast-forwarding to the next part of the dream.
There had suddenly been comforting arms round him, a familiar voice murmuring soothingly, calming him. Then more thunder, and a feeling as though someone had kissed him lightly on the forehead. Then the biggest thunder crash of them all, and someone had kissed him over and over again, banishing his fear to the furthest corner of his mind.
Considering the only person he had imagined being kissed by recently, he had presumeably been dreaming about Kai. He blushed at the realisation that he was in the same room as his crush. He gasped despite himself as Kai's hand rested lightly on his forehead, triggering more detailed memories from the dream.
"Are you okay, Ray?" Kai asked quietly, sitting down next to him. "You're flushed." Is it any wonder? Ray asked silently.
"I'm fine." he managed to reply. Kai obligingly removed his hand. Ray couldn't prevent a shiver as Kai's fingertips brushed lightly against his cheek.
"Are you sure?" He nodded. He was fine, just suffering from a large case of embarrassing desire... "You don't look fine."
"Yeah...you're a fine one to talk!" Ray exclaimed, delighted to have found something sensible to say. "How much blood do you reckon you've lost?" Kai shrugged, taking his eyes away from Ray for one blissful moment. Ray breathed a relieved sigh and set about collecting the shreds of his composure. "Quite a lot, I'd say." he remarked, looking around the room in a bid to avoid Kai's tempting gaze. Suddenly, he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned and stared at the large patch of blood on his duvet. He looked quickly from Kai to the blood and back, silently working out proportions. A conclusion reached, he stared at Kai in amazement. Kai stared back.
"What?" Ray felt even more light-headed than before.
"You were...you were in here last night, weren't you?" he whispered. Kai nodded once. Ray put a hand on the bed behind him to prevent himself from fainting. Kai reachd out and laid a hand on his bare arm, concern flashing in his eyes. "Did you...you know...kiss me?" he stammered, blushing bright red. Kai nodded again.
"Is that a problem?" he asked, his hand sliding down to rest on top of Ray's. Ray shook his head hurriedly. Slowly, nervously, his hand gripped Kai's.
"Not at all." he whispered faintly, staring at Kai like a trapped rabbit.
"Good." Kai whispered back. He raised their clasped hands to his mouth and kissed Ray's tanned fingers gently, never taking his eyes from Ray. Ray freed his hand and reached up to twirl a loose strand of Kai's hair around his fingers, shifting continually closer. He leaned his head on Kai's shoulder for a moment, then kissed his neck lightly and moved away. They were only millimetres away from each other. As if on a signal, they leaned forwards in unison and kissed, nervously at first, then fiercer, pressing against each other as the kiss intensified. Ray stiffened in surprise as he felt Kai's tongue dip into his open mouth. Kai pulled away for a split second. "Lie down." he panted, already pulling Ray down with him. Obediently, Ray lay down, using the brief respite to pull Kai closer to him. As they kissed again, he trapped Kai's probing tongue between his teeth, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Nipping slightly, he slipped one hand under Kai's tight tank top. In response, Kai reached over and stripped him of the baggy T-shirt that, along with boxers, was all he ever wore nowadays. A thrill ran through him as he saw the possessive glint in Kai's eyes.
"Kai..." he breathed, closing his eyes in bliss as Kai deepened their kiss even further.
"You're beautiful, Ray." Kai murmured, his breath hot against Ray's face. The two of them regarded each other through half closed eyes. "Do you know that? So, so beautiful..."
Two hours later, Kai kissed Ray one last time, playing almost absentmindedly with his long, wavy black hair. Ray murmured with sleepy pleasure and buried his head in Kai's neck, both arms wrapped loosely around Kai's waist. Slowly, Kai sat up. Ray whimpered at his sudden absense, his eyelids flickering.
"Ssh," Kai murmured, rubbing Ray's arm soothingly. "You need to rest."
"No...don't...leave me..." Kai blinked. Somebody actually...needed him? He...why...but...how...that had never happened before. Ever. Against his better judgement, he lay back down and cradled Ray, who was almost asleep, in his arms. He rested his forehead against Ray's.
"I'm here, Ray." he said softly. "Go to sleep, okay? You're tired." Ray frowned weakly.
"Not...ti-" Kai silenced him by capturing his mouth in a slow, lingering kiss.
"Very tired." he whispered sternly. Ray made one last feeble moan of protest, then gave up, curling into a ball and snuggling into Kai like a sleepy child.
"Kai..." was his last word before he fell deeply asleep. Kai stayed still for nearly ten minutes, making sure that Ray was completely dead to the world. Gradually, he sat up again. Fighting down a wave of dizziness, he contemplated the events of the past few hours. They had gone no further than removing each other's tops, although there had been a few times when both sets of hands had gone to waistbands of boxers. Ray had restrained himself because Kai had. Kai had restrained himself...for a number of reasons. Number one, he didn't want to tire Ray out completely. As it was, he would be fine by tomorrow. Number two, he didn't know if Ray was ready yet. Number three...there was still a nagging feeling of guilt inside him, for flouting the one rule that his grandfather had made absolute. Number four... he edged round it for a few seconds, then forcibly shoved it to the back of his mind. Number four no longer existed. He stood up unsteadily and inspected his leg. The blood was finally clotting. Relief only added to his general feeling of weakness and lightheadedness. He staggered back to his room and collapsed on the bed. Too weak to fight the compulsion that suddenly came upon him, he waved a hand weakly in assent.
"Come on, then. But...let me shut the door first." He got up and tried to walk the few steps to the door. But the room was tipping like the deck of a boat, his legs felt like rubber, or jelly and he felt so...weak... Head spinning, he only vaguely felt the floor come up to meet him.
He opened his eyes with difficulty.
"Hello, Kai." Phoenix breathed into his ear. "I hope you're feeling better." Kai raised his head and glared at her from his undignified position on the floor.
"What I do is none of your business, Phoenix." he said icily. Phoenix smiled and shifted closer.
"Now, Kai, that's where you're wrong..." she purred. "If you were doing things that might mean that you couldn't control me anymore...well, that would be my business." Her dress was suddenly much shorter. "Because then..." She leaned over him, her expression hungry. "...I could do what I wanted." She picked up his limp, unresisting hand and drew it lightly across her groin, then bent down and kissed him. Her lips were icy cold. "Exactly what I wanted." Delicately, she undid the zip on his trousers, then eased his tank top off. Groggily, he pushed himself upright, away from her.
"Get away from me!" he ordered, sheer adrenaline giving his voice strength.
"Too little, too late, little Kai." With a predatory smile, Phoenix reached out and traced her fingers around his form. She snapped her fingers. Her dress disappeared, and so did reality. "Much too late..."
Ooh, a cliffhanger! Opinions, please. Should I write about what happens between him and Phoenix? And what about poor little Ray?
Please, please review!