Firstly, let me apologize. I've been so busy with school that I haven't had the time to update (and plus my computer was unusable for a month because of renovations --')! I'm sorry!! Anyways, I think I put the characters way out of character. I'll try and fix that. There's not much I dislike more than OOC characters (well, besides OCs).

Secondly, I've decided to bump the rating of this story up to M. I reviewed the rating guide, and there is a ton of swearing in this story, so I figured it's no longer suitable for T. I'm sorry if this stops some of you from reading this.

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. Oh, and if I didn't mention this already – PLEASE REVIEW!

Disclaimer: Kinomiya Takao (Tyson Granger) and Hiwatari Kai and all likeness of Beyblade is © HUDSON SOFT/TAKARA/HASBRO, BEYBLADE PROJECT, TV TOKYO, Nelvana.

FOREWARNINGS: Pairing is TYKA. Tons of swearing. Mature themes (mostly violence). The Lord's name is taken in vein. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

NOTE: Just a heads up - Dizzy isn't exactly the same way she is in the anime.

Just as Kai took a step forward, a hand with a cloth covered his face from behind. He struggled with all of the strength he knew, his terror doubling. He tried to yell for help, but the cloth captured most of the sound.

He could not continue trying to escape; his body was becoming weaker, limper; his mind was becoming foggy with unconsciousness.

Knocked out cold for what seemed the umpteenth time, Kai met pavement. His lifeless form was hauled up and carried away.

How to survive without a Heart

Chapter IV

Ashes of Redemption

'Oh God.'

Tyson's feet pounded the concrete floor of the parking lot, trying to distance himself from the disastrous scene that had just occurred. His breathing came in sharp packets as he neared a bend and ran down a narrow alley, which was created by a variety of immobile vehicles. He came to slow down in front of a particularly rusty car.

A strong arm peeled back the groaning door with a bit more force than was necessary, and metallic clangs resounded from its innards that kept it from flying off completely. The car jostled slightly as Tyson threw himself in like a garbage bag to a garbage truck. The door slammed shut, carrying with it the last remaining protests of metal-against-metal.

Rei's nimble fingers were kneading Isabella's head, who was purring contentedly, still cradled in his arms. Hilary, who had called shotgun, was talking to the Chinaman animatedly about hair conditioners; what was the best technique, for how long to keep the foam in, split-ends and how to avoid them, and the like.

Max was resting his freckled cheek in his gloved palm, azure eyes watching the Chief work on his laptop with an interested expression. Kenny let out a small whine when Tyson jumped in the car; sitting in the middle of the back row was not fun when sandwiched in between two nearly full-grown males.

Tyson's somewhat dramatic entrance and silent demeanor didn't seem odd to any of the team, and they carried on.

"Kenny, why are you watching an action movie on YooTube?1 You like the ones with rainbows and butterflies!" Max inquired with a sunny eyebrow raised and a quirked mouth, turning his attention from the screen to his younger friend, who had jumped at the question. Evidently, the Chief hadn't known Max was watching over his shoulder, and slammed the laptop shut. The nerdy boy's face flushed various shades of pink and red, and if examined closely, even purple could be seen.

He choked for a second before correcting his crooked posture, as if that would give him any more authority over the taller, older blonde.

"So? W-what's it to you what I watch?" he said with a matter-of-fact voice, crossing his arms. Max let out a small, amused laugh.

"You hate violence and blood, Kenny."

Kenny huffed and twisted in his seat, turning his back towards Max. "Hey, Tyson." He greeted in an unnaturally grumpy voice. Max, who was still grinning like a Cheshire cat, straightened up to see over Kenny's head. "Hiya, Ty!"

Tyson nodded in acknowledgement, glancing in their general directions, but not connecting with their eyes. If he did, they would have been able to see his sadness.

Hilary turned around, grasping the headrest between her pale hands.

"Where's Kai?" she asked with her nasally voice, blinking curiously at Tyson with her big, owlish eyes.

"Uh, he was right behind me last time I checked." Tyson muttered, glancing out of the dirty car window. Strangely, there was no sign of the captain anywhere.

"Maybe he realized he had to take a piss and went back to relieve himself, so we should wait for him," said Max enthusiastically, causing Rei to twitch in response.

"Don't use that kind of language around girls, Maxie."

"I'm a woman, thank you very much!"

"…Psh, a woman? Make sure you double-check that, Hils." Tyson said with a small smirk. 'I've got to keep up appearances, or they're going to be curious… and that's the thing I want least. Nobody needs to know what happened between Kai and me.'

"Excuse me?!" Hilary reached back, trying to grab at Tyson's neck. He skillfully maneuvered out of her reach, teeth glinting deviously behind his grin. Despite not being able to clasp the windpipes of the World Champion, his seatbelt was in her reach, and she pulled it. The belt around his waist reacted, squeezing around his lower midsection (almost the family jewels, if you know what I mean). His eyes widened significantly, and with a "you bitch", he smacked her hand away. She grinned, her face smug with victory as she turned back into a proper position.

Five minutes passed, filled with the Beybladers' usual antics. Kenny continued to watch his action movie, Max was furtively looking over the nerd's shoulder, and Hilary and Rei went right back into their conversation about conditioners.

Another ten minutes, and still nothing happened. "I'll go look for him," Tyson said, opening the door and exiting the vehicle without waiting for their consent. "Be right back."

He jogged towards the building. As he approached it, he became worried. Nobody was loitering along the sidewalk. He took caution to run all the way around the building, just to check and make sure that the leader wasn't playing hide-and-seek, but there was still no sign of him.

'Maybe he went back up… maybe he was embarrassed after what I did and didn't want anything else to do with us,' Tyson thought as he walked through the doors, lightly catching his breath. He began to punch Kai's apartment code into the apartment call-up machine. 'Or maybe, as Max put it, he had to take a piss!'

That thought became a hope as Kai refused to answer the call. Tyson ground his teeth in both anxiety and annoyance. 'He's not picking up because he's pissed with me.' He flipped open his cell phone and dialed Kai's number. One ring… Two rings… Five rings… Seven rings… The ominous beep to the answering machine. Tyson sighed as the automated voice listed instructions to him, and then began to talk softly after it sounded.

"Kai, I'm really, really sorry about what happened… What I tried to do... Could you please pick up so we can talk, or at least come back down so we can leave? We're waiting for you. And, um, you know, you're not really safe here anymore, and yeah, um, I know you don't want to hear that from me right now, but, please… if not for my sake, for your sake. Please come with us. I'm waiting in the lobby. Call me back as soon as you can, k? I…" His jaw went slack as if to continue on a forbidden thought, but snapped out of it after a moment and closed his sleek mobile. He put it back in his pocket after making sure it was on vibrate.

Several more minutes passed, but nothing changed. Tyson stopped tapping his foot in anticipation and rapped on the glass of the locked door. The chubby security guard seated not too far away raised a thick, graying eyebrow, and waddled his way towards the anxious teenager.

He unlocked the door and opened it a crack, leaning protectively to block Tyson from rushing past.

"Whadda y'want, punk?"

'Man, could this geezer be any grumpier?' "Did you see Kai Hiwatari walk back in recently, by any chance? Tall guy, a bit older than me, walks around like he got something stuck up his ass?"

The guard screwed up his coarse face in thought. "Oh, that guy -- y'mean them famous kid with that there weird hair-doo that juss' moved in'ere?"

"Yeah, him."

"Nah, last I saws'im, he were leavin' witchoo."

"Oh… Okay, th-" The guard shut the door promptly and slowly began to roll his way back to his desk.

Tyson's heart began to speed up. If Kai wasn't outside, and if he wasn't in his apartment, where was he?

He opened the outside doors and began to sprint along the sidewalk where he had checked before. "Kai… Kai!" Tyson shouted, his breathing speeding up.

The sound of a car pulling up beside him made him jump. He pivoted around to see Hilary clamber out of the vehicle.

"What's the matter?" She asked, approaching him. "Isn't he taking a wiz?"

"No… he's not here, he's not there, he's not anywhere!" Tyson buried his head in his hands. "I don't know where he went." Hilary placed a warm hand on his shoulder, as if it would comfort him. "I'm sure he's fine, Tyson. You're overreacting," she said, bending slightly to see Tyson's hidden face.

Tyson had a horrible gut feeling she was wrong.

The black fog began to recede, and Kai's head was pounding. He dazedly stared at the gray roof of a car as his consciousness crept back to him. A familiar voice was talking in the background to someone else.

Kai shifted his crimson eyes to the side, looking at the backs of the car seats that loomed over him.

"Finally awake, boy?"

The voice nearly sent shivers up his spine, but he forced himself to lie still.

A familiar, jaggedly bulky face was peering over the seat at him.

Realization flooded over the hazy captain; memories began to fill his head. His friends. Tyson. How close he had come to… No, he wouldn't think of it. And now he was lying awkwardly on his back, his hands bound behind him, his feet tied together. He tried to pull his limbs apart, but it was no use. He felt the fabrics that imprisoned him. Their cold surfaces bit into his wrists.

"We know how good you are at untying ropes. You may be extraordinary, but you're still human. You can't break through metal chains." Boris said, glaring down at him with his brown, bloodshot eyes. Kai didn't want to look up into them; he couldn't. He rested his head against the floor and tilted it as if to look at Boris' ugly boots.

"Finally got smart." Kai replied monotonously, a cold smirk spreading across his dry lips. His crimson eyes were metallic, staring at a fixed spot on the floor. Strands of his silvery gray hair fluttered in the wind of his breath.

Minutes passed in silence.

Kai heard a familiar ring tone go off, and to his surprise and dislike, Boris pulled his very cell phone from his trench coat pocket. "Hmm, I wonder who could be trying to call you?" Boris said playfully, flipping open the device. He pressed a couple of buttons, and frowned.

"Think you're so smart by putting a password on this? Boy, y'better tell me the code before something bad happens to you."

Kai kept his mouth firmly shut.

"You asked for it, punk."

Boris reached back.

The dirty, chunky hand was coming at him. Kai glared and bit at it viciously with his teeth. Boris' fast reflexes saved his hand from having missing pieces; a loud clack came from Kai's jaws, which snapped together like an alligator's.

"Y'little bugger," Boris ground out, quickly grabbing a clump of Kai's hair and dragging him so that his face was closer to his own.

Kai's eyes burned with a hate so strong, that Boris was slightly taken aback.

"I'm glad to see that the old you still exists." Boris' cracked lips creaked into a sadistic smile. "We won't have to dig too deep to free him of his flesh prison."

"Fuck you."

Spit dribbled down between Boris' eyes. The peaks of muscle in the older man's face contracted sharply, and his purplish lips peeled back to reveal barred, yellowing teeth.

"D'you have a death wish? You think you're powerful now that you're older, boy? Let me remind you about who's in charge."

Boris pulled hard on his hair and twisted; he began to dig his nails into skin. Kai's face hardened with pain, but he refused to let it be known verbally.

Boris began to growl; Kai knew it was one of the signs that Boris was getting angry.

"Give me your fucking password!"

Kai panted as he hit the side of the truck again, pain shooting through his skull. Blood dribbled into his eyes from what he assumed to be a large gash on his forehead. Apparently, Boris was in one of his better moods; he had given Kai a beating for not giving him the password to his cell phone's answering machine. He could taste a bittersweet, metallic taste on his tongue. The muscle flicked out to touch a bleeding wound on his lower lip. The substance flowed down and pooled around his gums, coating his teeth. He withdrew his tongue and closed his lips again.

'Why would he care about what people message me about?' Kai thought. The car lurched around another sharp bend, sending Kai to tumble across the vehicle again. His right temple met with the opposite side, and he closed his eyes tightly in order to try and lessen the pain.

'He might be trying to find something to use against me. It would be typical of him.' Kai furrowed his brow, only to realize the one thing that had been buried in the back of his mind all along.

'Shit.'

'Tyson, why did you have to show affection for me?' The Russian's anxiety grew twofold. 'You better not have left a message on my cell phone; worse, a mushy message. If Boris finds that, we're both dead meat.'

'It's only a matter of time until he cracks my password. And when he does, I will cease to exist in this world.'

"Tyson, stop pacing around! Now you're making me worry!" cried Hilary, crossing her arms in a motherly fashion.

The World Champion had been pacing the dojo's sleek wooden floors, his socked feet hardly making a sound. "Sorry," he apologized, ungracefully plopping himself on the floor amongst the other sitting Bladebreakers.

"Stop fiddling with the hem of your shirt!"

"Sorry."

Silence.

"Jesus! Stop fiddling with your hair!"

"Sorry." Tyson heaved a heavy sigh.

"Tyson, why are you so worried? I'm sure he's fine." Kenny pushed his glasses further up his nose in order to see the (action) movie playing on his laptop better. "I already tried to research with the help of Dizzy, but I couldn't locate him without Dranzer's aura. Despite how powerful Dizzy is, even if he did have Dranzer, he would be out of reach. And we haven't resorted to using tracking devices yet, although I'm starting to think we should..!"

"Chief, you are such a nerd for naming your computer," said Max, ruffling the younger one's hair, who was sitting beside him again.

"Quit it! And it is NOT nerdy! Besides, she's unlike any other computer program I have. I didn't even download her or anything; she appeared on my laptop after a power surge!"

"Yeah, sure, buddy. It's still creepy."

"But she talks to me sometimes!!"

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious!"

"Can we get back on topic, please?" Rei looked slightly annoyed while playing with his long braid. "This obviously means a lot to Tyson, so we should take this seriously."

"Yeah, Tyson obviously cares a whole lot," said Hilary playfully, winking at her friend.

Tyson shot her a confused look. "Yeah, why wouldn't I? He's in our team, never mind our captain, and he's our friend. He hasn't called in the past seven hours, so of course I'm worried!"

"Oh, I don't know, you just seem a tad bit… over-reactive… when it comes to Kai," said Max, looking at his friend with smiling blue eyes.

"So? Is there something you'd like to share?" Hilary inched over to sit close to Tyson and poked his side with her elbow. "Well? Spill it! I can see the juicy blackmail-worthy material sloshing around in that empty skull of yours!" Max was, by now, on Tyson's other side, mimicking Hilary.

"There isn't anything!" Tyson exclaimed, puffing his cheeks out in an innocent but annoyed manner and holding up his hands as if to show he literally had nothing. "Lemme be! You're bullying me!" (Heheh, "booleeing"... Don't ask, inside joke.)

"Guys, stop teasing him," Rei commanded, getting up as if to shoo Hilary and Max away from Tyson's side. "You guys remind me of vultures, picking on the unfortunate!" He placed his hands on his hips in an authoritative manner until his two friends had stopped bullying the poor beyblader, and then sat back down.

"So you're sure he was right behind you?" Rei asked.

"Yeah," Tyson replied, staring past the Chinaman's head. Isabella prowled into the room and brushed up against the fretting teenager. He absentmindedly began to scratch her head, his fingers making tiny circles in the snow-white fur.

"Why didn't he follow?"

"Uh," Tyson looked at Isabella. Isabella looked at Tyson. She seemed to be thinking, 'Don't ask me. I'm not going to lie for you.' The cat left his side and continued on her meandering quest. "I thought he was right behind me, but when I reached the car, I realized he wasn't there." Hey, it wasn't exactly a lie; it was true. He just hadn't given out details.

There didn't seem to be anything left to say. Tyson brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his cheek against one knee. He let his eyes slide closed. Kenny was currently watching a violent scene in his movie; gunshots and yelling came from the laptop's tiny speakers. Isabella was purring loudly, who was being groomed by Max's fingers. The buzz from the television left on only for background noise was quiet, the words of the news report blending together unless the viewer actually concentrated on what was being said. A woman's serious, depressing voice spoke.

"…Please participate in the aid of the crisis by donating to the Survival Charity Fund. The death toll is now past 10 000. These unfortunate victims are in need of our help. Please call (6598)-2039-40394 to get more information about the Survival Charity Fund.

In more local news, yet another murder scene has been discovered in Bay City…"

"Just what this city needs," sighed Hilary, shaking her head. Apparently, the others had started listening to the television too.

"…After hours of experiments and analyses, the body was given an identity. The victim was none other than Kai Hiwatari, the captain of the Bladebreakers-"

"What?!" cried Tyson, popping up like popcorn. He ran to the monitor and brought his face so close to it that he could practically see the individual pixels. His eyes were wide, his face pale. His hands gripped the screen's edges. The others shot up and clumped around him. Isabella walked around them, mewling, confused with the newfound intense atmosphere.

"…that Tyson Kinomiya was looking for him."

The scene switched from the newsroom to an interview previously recorded with an extremely fat, balding, graying, sweaty security guard. Tyson recognized him.

"'Yep, yep, it sure wuzz'im, that there young'un,' said fatty, taping a computer monitor that conveniently displayed Tyson's latest paparazzi photo. It was taken from a car when he was rushing to Kai's apartment for the first time, only about a week ago.

'How do you know this?' asked the reporter, pointing the microphone at the guard again.

'He knocked on the door and looked all like he had ter ask somethin' important,' said the fat man, 'he asked me if I seen some punk, an' then he described'im, and I said no, last time I saws the kid, he was wit that Typhoon… or somethin'. An' den 'e left, all in a rush after I closed the door 'gain. Dat's the last thin' I saws.'

'So this picture was taken in approximately the same area as the murder, is that correct?'

'Yes ma'am.'

'Then he's been there before? Perhaps with Kai, who has apparently moved in to that building?'

'Well, emmm…' He scratched the bald patch on his head. 'I-I suppose so, but I dun remember really seein' the punk enter th' building… kind of… er…' He looked nervously at the camera, probably praying that his boss wasn't watching. He pulled a polka-dotted handkerchief from his pocket and began to dab at the droplets of sweat running down his saggy, creased face.

'Do you have any video footage of the murder scene, as it took place outside the building?'

'N-no, ma'am, I don't. The police already came n' talked ter me 'bout dis whole mess, an' we looked fer th' tapes, bu' they went missin'! I swears, I swears ter God dat I didn' lose nuthin', I swear on me mum's grave!' He sounded like he was begging for forgiveness in order to not lose his job. The handkerchief was damp with sweat, but the man refused to stop blotting his face with it. 'Bu' nobody found nuthin'. It's like someone broke in n' stole all o' it!'

'How intriguing. You did say that you hadn't seen Tyson enter the building before, so do you think it's possible that the thief of the footage is Mr. Kinomiya?'

'I-I don't know! I thought I wus just 'ere to give informations, not opinyuns-!'

The clip ended.

"The investigations will continue. If you know anything about the murder, please go to the website or call the number listed at the bottom of the screen. Any extra information would greatly help the homicide division. All comments are kept confidential."

It was as if the reporter had stopped talking, even though her heavily lipsticked mouth was still moving. The silence in the room was heavy. So was Tyson's body.

He felt as if he were on top of a mountain. The air was thin. He couldn't breathe. The others had started to murmur - or were they?

His hands slid off of the television. His knees hit the floor.

Kai's eyes snapped open in response to the first sound he'd heard in hours. His head still ached. His injuries from being ambushed only a week or so ago were only partly healed, and what was worse was that Boris had reopened some of the ones on his head with the beating he took from him in the vehicle.

Footsteps clacked on the ancient stone floors. "So," said a voice that Kai detested with his entire being, "it looks as though freedom has changed you too much for your grandfather's liking."

His ugly Russian captivator stared down at him through the thick bars, invisible to Kai.

The shadowy figure began to slowly prowl around the square cage. A single, weak light bulb hung from the ceiling above Kai, hardly illuminating the prison area. But it was enough to keep everything else beyond the bars in the dark. It was a scary perspective, as the only thing he could rely on to tell him where his captor was, was now sound. Kai forced himself to sit up. His posture was slumped, his head lowered so that his chin was nearly touching his chest. His eyelids were only so open as to reveal slits of crimson, which stared at the grimy floor with hate.

Five footsteps, a rustle of clothing, three beeps.

"Please enter your password."

'No!' Kai's eyes widened significantly, his muscles froze. Was this actually fear he felt?

"8 – T," beep.

"9 – Y," beep.

"7 – S," beep.

"6 – O," beep.

"6 – N," beep.

"5 – K," beep.

"4 – I," beep.

"6 – N," beep.

"6 – O," beep.

"6 – M," beep.

"4 – I," beep.

"9 – Y," beep.

"2 – A," beep.

"Quite the obvious password, now that I think about it," the shadow sneered, "why don't we listen to your messages? Or should I say, message?"

'…He's just fucking with my mind…'

"Kai, I'm really, really sorry about what happened… What I tried to do... Could you please pick up so we can talk, or at least come back down so we can leave? We're waiting for you. And, um, you know, you're not really safe here anymore, and yeah, um, I know you don't want to hear that from me right now, but, please… if not for my sake, for your sake. Please come with us. I'm waiting in the lobby. Call me back as soon as you can, k? I…"

Static interrupted Tyson's silence, as if he was at a loss of what to say, and he hung up.

"End of messages."

There was a clack as Boris closed the phone, then a rustle as he put it back in his pocket.

"Your grandfather is extremely disappointed. He has some very select words for you, but I think it would hurt more to hear them from him yourself."

"It's just a message. It means nothing."

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention that I listened to the ones he sent you before that." The footsteps seemed to come closer to the perimeter of the cage, causing a shiver to run up Kai's spine. "Interesting how you've kept every single recent voicemail he's sent you."

Kai was frozen to the floor, a statue. The footsteps eased up, and even though Kai strained to hear them, he couldn't.

"He's your lover," the voice came from behind him. It startled him, making his head jerk up. His eyes scanned the darkness, but it was impossible to see, no matter how hard he concentrated.

"No."

"You've lived together."

"Only because there was nowhere else for me to go."

"That's why he cared so much as to hunt your new place down and take care of you for a full week, after we stole Dranzer?" The voice was getting closer.

"Dranzer's here?" Kai stood up, walking to the edge of the cage as if it would help him see his beloved phoenix. He grabbed the bars with both hands, gritting his teeth. "Bastard!"

"Tsk, tsk. Such language..." Kai's senses tingled as if to warn him about something, but he didn't know what they were reacting to until, "…we should cut your tongue out for that. I'm sure your grandfather wouldn't' mind," he felt a coarse palm feather across his right jaw, cheek, lower lip. He jumped back, eyes wide. Subtle shivers ran across his body as he fell backwards. He scrambled to the middle of the cage, trying to get away from all sides.

Kai tried to compose himself, but his voice still shook. "D-don't ever touch me again."

Boris let out a low chuckle. "Oh, so that really bothers you, does it? I'll keep that in mind."

The door opened, slightly illuminating the entire room. The dark outline of Boris stood pressed against the cage, blocking Kai's view of the newcomer, the arm he had put through still resting there. As the door closed, the light faded away, and Boris smirked at the clearer sight of Kai's expression. "My, my, you do look frightened."

"That's enough." The voice of the second man made Kai's shivering slip from what little control he had over it. "You are welcome to continue after I am finished with him. If he's still alive by then."

"Yes, sir." There was a shuffle of feet as the men moved locations.

"Hmm… He does seem more scared than usual. A new tactic, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good work, Boris."

"Thank you, sir."

"Kai." The word was sharp, intended to slice through the receiver. The sixteen-year-old tried to harden his exterior to avoid being hurt. He knew what a mind-manipulating bastard Voltaire could be.

"I had some insignificant hope that we would be able to knock some sense into you." Kai's head lowered again, staring grimly at the floor.

"We might still have that chance," continued Voltaire, "but now, I don't want filth to work for me. I don't want filth in my family."

Kai did not respond.

"I thought I brought you up well. I trained you, I fed you, I put a roof over your head. I drilled the emotion out of you. I taught you that emotions only hurt you in the end. And that's what they did, didn't they? Look where you are now.

"You became friends, best friends, with Tyson. And now I know it was something more. We stole the tapes from your apartment building. We saw what he did. He tried to kiss you, and look where it landed you. If he hadn't tried anything, you would be with him, probably sharing a… romance.

"That… Tyson," Kai heard Voltaire spit venomously, "He's your lover. I was utterly disgusted to be related to you."

"…Was," Kai repeated emotionlessly.

"As of one hour ago," the old man continued, hissing, "You have been officially disowned."

Something cylindrical was shoved through a square space between the bars and pushed towards his direction.

A bottle full of rattling contents slowed and bumped into his left leg.

"The only way you can gain any sort of respect back from me is to kill yourself. In front of me. Now."

Something inside of Kai snapped as he stared at the label of the drug bottle.

"Go on, Kai. Don't you want your last remaining family member to think of you as something with value?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Once upon a time, a six-year-old Kai looked up to his grandfather. As he grew older, treated like the scum on the bottom of a shoe, he began to realize just how wrong he was. But he was the only family he had. That's why he stuck with him for so long. He had hardly known his parents, and he clung to Voltaire as a last lifeline. Now he was cut free of him, his last safety net.

He was falling with no net to catch him.

Tyson… Tyson had helped Kai see just how rotten Voltaire really was. Tyson had pointed out that Voltaire was not a safety net whatsoever… he was the abyss that lay below the safety zone.

The Bladebreakers were his safety net. Dranzer was his safety net. Tyson was his safety net.

Kai picked up the bottle, holding it tightly in his grasp. He began to unscrew the lid.

"Do it… and be a part of our family once more," Voltaire muttered, edging him on. "Your parents are waiting."

But Kai stopped when it was nearly off.

"Grandfather," he spoke with a raspy, metallic voice, "or should I say… Voltaire." He reeled his arm back and flung the bottle with all his strength at the side of the cage from where the bottle came. It hit with a loud bang, the cap flew off, the pills exploded, raining down on the floor on either side of the cage wall.

"I don't need your worthless opinion. You can go and have your little Hiwatari clan. I couldn't give a shit about you anymore."

There was silence. Kai knew he had effectively pissed Voltaire off, far beyond anything he'd ever attempted before.

"You son of a bitch," Voltaire hissed, each word squeezing through his aging teeth at a slow pace. Kai could practically hear his blood pressure shoot up. The veins were probably popping out of his baggy skin already.

"I will make him pay, sir."

"That you will, but let him hear this first." Voltaire smirked through his rage. "I have workers stationed everywhere. They put together a murder scene. And the murdered victim was you."

Kai's eyes widened.

"It just so happened that Tyson was the last person who was with you. Fake evidence was placed on a corpse and deposited at the scene. My insiders at the police station did some … tinkering… and in about, oh, half an hour? Tyson is going to be receiving a visit from them."

Kai's heart sped up.

"They are going to offer him something that will decide the fate of his future, our future, and yours. Shall I tell you what they intend to do?"

A moan escaped his lips as his eyes fluttered open. He felt heavy, unable to move anything.

All of the Bladebreakers were in his room.

"Oh, look! He's awake." Max rushed to his side. "How you doin', buddy?"

"You fainted," Hilary said, leaning over him, "are you feeling better?" She had tear streaks on her face.

Tyson could hardly remember anything. Where was he? What happened? The news…

Slowly, the world champion tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Max.

"You need to relax. You got pretty scared back there, gave us a good scare too… I-it's a lot of information to take in at once…"

"K…" Tyson tried to speak, finding himself repeating the same consonant over and over again. "K… K…"

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Rei murmured, leaving the room without another word.

The atmosphere was heavy in the room. Hilary had been crying, and the rest of them looked on the edge of tears. Except Rei. He probably felt that he had to be the strong one in place of Kai. Somebody had to be the pillar to hold up the collapsing building.

"It's okay, Tyson." Hilary said, her eyes watering, brushing some of his bangs away from his face with her fingertips in a motherly fashion. "Do you want me to get you something to drink? Eat?"

"K…" Tyson felt his eyes water. "Kai's… de…" His voice faded out near the end, unable to be used so early after waking up.

Tears leaked from her eyes, dribbling down her face. Kenny sniffled, and brushed aside his own brown bangs in order to wipe away the tears that had formed there with his sleeve. His computer, for once, was not plastered to his lap. It was odd seeing the nerd as a human being, without mechanical parts attached.

"We know, Tyson," said Max, his voice quivering, "It's hard to believe…"

Not a sound was uttered, as each individual sat in their own mourning thoughts.

Finally, the news began to sink in.

"No…" Tyson whispered. "No… No… No… No…" Tears rolled from the corners of his stormy eyes. He closed his eyelids, his eyebrows contracting, his lips pressing together tightly. He inhaled a shuddering breath, his chest heavy with the weight of death. Max scooped him into a hug, and the two mourned in silence, Tyson hanging on for dear life. Although he knew not the value of it anymore.

Rei came back in. "Guys, clear out. Some police officers want to talk to you alone, Tyson. I tried to tell them that you weren't feeling up to it, but they started using some fancy legal mumbo jumbo, and I had no choice…"

"It's okay…" Tyson removed himself from Max and wiped at his eyes with his arm.

A policeman and a policewoman came storming into the room, hands on their guns, looking très professional. "Good luck, man." Max put his pale hand on Tyson's shoulder, before scurrying after the others and closing the door behind him.

Tyson swung his legs slowly off the side of the bed, and pushed himself up. The officers were standing not too far away from him.

"You know what we're here to discuss, Mr. Kinomiya."

"I know," the teenager said, rubbing at his left eye with a hand. "I swear, I didn't do anything…"

"We know you didn't," said the female. Both officers took out their guns and pointed it at Tyson.

"Wh…" His eyes grew wide.

"We have an offer to propose," the male said. "Either you admit – on live television - that you killed Mr. Hiwatari, and we take you to him, or you keep your reputation innocent, and we really will kill him. You will be framed, and put in jail for life."

Tyson's jaw opened and closed in shock, making random sounds. He composed himself.

"W-wait… You're telling me he's alive?! What kind of police officers are you?!"

"He is alive. For the time being. It all depends on you," said the female.

"Voltaire has found out about your… relationship with him, and is not happy. He won't hesitate to kill him in the worst way possible," said the male.

"It's that GODDAMN Voltaire!" Tyson clenched his jaws and fists, standing up fast. He ignored the dizzy rush that hit him full-on. The 'police officers' cocked their guns in alarm. They were ready to shoot him if he tried anything. Rage emitted from Tyson's stormy eyes.

"You better not have even touched a hair on his head, or I swear to God, there'll be hell to pay! Where's the camera?! I'll do your fucking broadcast right now."

Kai ran at the wall, throwing caution to the wind. He shoved an arm through one of the square holes that the crisscrossing bars made, swiping through the darkness wildly, trying to find the throat of the old man that was once his grandfather.

"You bastard!" Kai cried, finding his target, pressing. "You'd better not do anything to him!"

Voltaire had tried to move back, but hadn't been fast enough.

A filthy hand grabbed Kai's pale wrist, squeezing it with immense strength. Kai cried out, being forced to let go of the old man. Wheezing and coughing ensued.

"Are you alright, Mr. Voltaire?" Boris said, closing something metallic around Kai's wrist. Without thinking, Kai brought his other hand close to the bars, trying to pry it off of him. It glinted in the extremely dull light, telling him that it was a handcuff.

A hand that had become identifiable by its filthiness grabbed Kai's, pulling it through the other hole. The other side of the handcuff was forced around it. He was rendered immobile, despite his struggling.

The choking stopped gradually. "You little punk, I should kill you myself for that," spoke Voltaire, rasping. "However, I must thank you for reacting so … vividly. I am now certain that you love him."

Kai growled, panting with the adrenaline and rage that coursed through his system.

"I DON'T LOVE HIM!"

"You do. You just proved it." Voltaire smirked snidely. "Nothing else except Dranzer has ever gotten such a rise out of you. Thank you for this vital piece of information."

Kai yelled out in frustration like a captured beast, pulling as hard as he could against the bars. The handcuffs' metallic edges cut into his wrists. He watched a slightly brighter light flood into the room from around the silhouette of the man he hated as he opened the door. Kai turned his head, left temple against the cold, rusty bars, catching a glimpse of Boris unlocking the cell door.

There were two creaks.

One from the door sealing Voltaire out, one from the door sealing Boris in.

Bah, I'm so evil…

Anyway, I'm glad I got this out of the way. I have my first two exams in two days from now (well technically "tomorrow" since it's technically Monday at the moment…) and I need to go study. I couldn't concentrate though, because I was itching to get this done.

I hope you all liked it, and again, I'm sorry for the delay. Summer's coming up, so hopefully I'll be able to update soon.

Please, please REVIEW! I'll be encouraged to update faster if I get lots! :)

Phoenix Roar

1 And yes, I spelt Yootube wrong on purpose. I don't want to get sued. The less I have to mention real trademarked things, the better. 3