Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade in any way. The only characters I own are my OCs. Anything else is coincidental.
Note: This story is another prequel, more of a spin-off and it details the past of my bad OC Pyro.
Chapter 4: Street Lessons
During the night, a certain young boy's sleep was being tormented by his dreams. All that had happened in the space of about two weeks, if that:
"Mummy, what's wrong?" he asked quietly as he came up to her.
She looked down at him and tried to dry her eyes.
"Son, I..." she started, but she didn't know how to tell him so stopped.
"Mum?" he asked.
She picked him up and sat him on her lap gently.
"We have had some bad news, Sweetie..." she said slowly.
His eyes showed fear and worry as his mother's tears started to fall again.
"Mummy, is it about Daddy?" he asked.
Her tears fell more and she nodded. "Son, Daddy won't be coming...home again." she said.
His eyes filled with tears and asked "Why, Mum? What's wrong with Daddy? Is he ill?"
She shook her head. "I'm afraid...your father has passed on, Love. Remember the stories of heaven I told you?" she said.
He nodded, but the tears fell as he could partly guess about his father now.
"Your Daddy is in heaven now..." she said slowly.
His tears fell even more and he hugged his mother tightly as he cried out "Daddy! No, Daddy!"
She stroked his hair and back to try and comfort him as her own tears fell again too...
The vision then changed:
She suddenly gasped as a pain shot across her head. She shook it off and went to get a drink, but she walked unsteadily and before she reached the kitchen, she felt a similar pain strike her chest and collapsed to her knees with one hand against the wall.
"What's...happening?" she asked herself as she held her other hand over her heart.
Her heartbeat was fast, but was slowing steadily. She felt faint and her eyelids started to drop. A moment later she fell flat against the floor unconscious.
Upstairs, the dual haired boy heard the small thud and came downstairs. He saw his mother on the floor and screamed a piercing scream.
"Mother! Mum!" he shouted. He opened the front door with difficulty and screamed for help. "Help! Please, someone help!" but to no avail. No one came or no one cared.
He ran back inside and knelt next to his mother's body. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not, but being young he assumed the worst.
"Mum...no, Mum!!" he screamed again and lay himself on her body, crying his eyes out.
He was now alone...three years old and alone...in the big wide world...how would he survive now?...
The vision then changed a second time:
The leader of the gang nodded to the yellow haired boy with the black streak. He stepped forward and grabbed the young boy by his spiky hair and picked him up.
"Ah, no, put me down!" screamed the kid.
The older boy smirked and his friends chuckled then he dropped the boy hard onto the floor. As the younger kid moved back onto his feet better, he got kicked in the side and gasped out in pain.
"There's more to the street than that, Kid. You won't last a day...well, we doubt you will anyway." said the shortest boy with the dark blue hair.
The red haired boy with the golden-brown highlights stepped forward next and kicked the young child a few times. He coughed up a little blood from the impacts in his stomach.
"Your day is done!" shouted the leader and he picked the child up by his shirt and punched him over and over again.
The child screamed and groaned to the pain when suddenly a blow to his back made him want to close his eyes in unconsciousness as it hurt so much.
"Poor little boy, all alone, no Mummy and Daddy." the member with brown hair and two green streaks taunted.
The leader then dropped the kid onto the floor and he winced, unable to do much more as he was cut and bruised all over.
"You understand the streets of Russia now. If you don't, then we will, for sure, never see you again. I would say good luck, but it's not what I want you to have. See ya around, Kiddo." the leader said then began to leave with his gang. He turned back for a moment and added "Or maybe not." then the group all laughed and left...
The visions then ended as the kid jumped up from his sleep and then winced as some of his injuries were very sore.
"Yo, Kid, you okay?" called a voice.
He looked over and blinked his light brown eyes a couple of times then registered Nicolai.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." he answered as he sat up more comfortably and got his breath back.
Nicolai came over to him and sat next to him. "Had some nightmares of what's happened to you lately right?" he asked.
The boy nodded sadly.
"Well, we better get you something to eat. Follow me and whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourself. The streets are rough." Nicolai said.
He stood up and the boy followed him slowly.
The two boys came to a market full of people. Nicolai smiled as he saw a stand of apples.
"See, Squirt?" he whispered to the younger boy.
"Apples? For breakfast? What about cereal and milk?" the kid asked.
"Kid, you're not at home with mama and dada anymore remember. You now have to adjust or you will go the same way they did. I'm sorry that sounds mean, but you have to understand." said Nicolai.
The kid nodded and Nicolai continued. "Okay, stay put and watch closely. Breakfast here I come."
He tiptoed over to the stand as a man brought some apples. The seller focused on handing the food over and change so Nicolai slid a hand up and snatched two apples then tiptoed away and got back to the kid.
"Right, you see how it goes?" he asked with a smile and bit into one of the apples.
"You make it look easy, Nicolai. I can't steal." the boy exclaimed.
"Well, I can't get you your food all the time. You have to learn and the sooner the better. Just keep your eyes peeled, footsteps soft and your movements timed. Good luck." Nicolai said and gave the kid an encouraging smile.
"Okay." he said and swallowed nervously as he took a step forward.
He headed up to the stand and watched the seller walk away. What an opportunity that was and he wasn't going to miss it. He reached a hand out and took a couple of apples.
"Come on, Kid, you're doing it." whispered Nicolai under his breath as he watched his little 'apprentice'.
The boy, however, was getting more confidence and he tried to get a couple more apples when...
"Hey, what you doing there?!" shouted a voice.
The kid turned to see the seller coming back over at a rushed pace. He shakily took some steps backwards.
"Stealing from my stall are you?" the seller said and came up to the boy.
Suddenly, Nicolai grabbed the kid's arm and bolted.
"Oi, get back here, you thieves!" shouted the seller, but Nicolai got away, dragging the younger boy along.
Nicolai kept running until they got back to his little place then he stopped and took deep breaths.
"I messed up, didn't I?" asked the kid as he sat down shakily.
"Yeah, you did." answered Nicolai then swallowed to get his breath back and continued. "Lesson number 1, Squirt: don't try and get more than you can."
"What do you mean, Nicolai?" he asked confused.
"Don't be greedy. You take what you can get and that's it. You can't afford to take risks. You got yourself something which is good for first time I'll admit, but remember my advice. You just may do well out here if you listen to me and put some of your talent into it." Nicolai explained then chuckled at the end.
The kid chuckled as well. "Sure, Nicolai. You know what? We make a good team." he said.
"Yeah. We do. You're an interesting person, Squirt." Nicolai replied and then ruffled the kid's hair.
"Ahh, get offa me!" he whined and the boys got into a playful scrap, as if they were best friends...
