Ok, this story is doing way better then the previous ones, and those did pretty damn well themselves. So naturally, I'm very happy.
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Kai drearily kicked an idle soda can a few feet ahead of him as he walked down the sidewalk away from the movie theater. Behind him, rambling that was so loud it would have scared away a pack of wolves carried on, and neither competitor wanted to lose.
"All I'm saying is, that movie is politically incorrect! How can anyone actually die from rose poisoning?!"
The female snorted. "It's a love story, not a special on the discovery channel. Why can't you just accept that?"
Why can't the two of you just shut up? Kai thought, becoming irritated. The movie itself was, in Kai's opinion, more humorous then it was romantic and dramatic. But in the light of the situation, he would treat it like any other time; Ignore them, and they'll leave you out of it.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. Right after Kai told himself to avoid Kenny and Hilary until they were done arguing, Hilary opened her mouth.
"What do you think, Kai? You agree with me, right?" The Russian stopped walking, and Hilary put her hands on her hips waiting for his reply. It never came, however. He was standing there, staring blankly through the shop window at one of the many televisions of display.
Each one was set to the same news channel, CNN, where a strikingly beautiful reporter was describing a hostage crisis at BBA headquarters. The other two stopped walking and watched the screens with both interest and worry.
"-It has been announced to the public only moments ago that there is currently only one hostage, but he is wounded. Further description of the captive has not been released, but we plan to stay on this story until it concludes."
There was a pause as the three team members exchanged uneasy glances.
"Should we go to there? Maybe find out what's happening?" Kenny asked.
"No." Kai replied. "We go find the others." Before the trio could leave, a man appeared on the screen with an announcement.
"It's just been announced that three of the top world beyblading teams have been positioned in the hallway outside the room where the hostage is being held for about 3 hours now, on the 39th floor. Hostage negotiators have failed to contact the hostage conductor, but it is said that the criminal has been in contact with the three teams over the past few hours-"
Kai didn't bother to listen to the rest of it. He burst into a run down the street towards the BBA headquarters with Kenny and Hilary trying to keep up.
So who had been shot? There was only one, and Kai knew whoever was doing this would have chosen carefully. Was it Tyson? He was the world champion after all. But it might have been Rei or Lee. The two of them were probably worth millions. But then, it could be Oliver, because he was after all the son of a millionaire. The options where overwhelming Kai as he sped down the icy street.
There would be no point hailing a cab. Anyone that watched ESPN would know who he was, and he didn't want that attention now. From behind him, he could hear Hilary call out for him to wait, but he didn't slow down.
What if the hostage conductor expected the three of them to be up there with the others? He had already shot one person, who says there won't be another? Their absence could put someone's life in danger.
Kai was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the group of street bladers rounding the corned until he smacked into them head on. The largest one, apparently their leader, was the first to spring up, grabbing Kai by his collar and hoisting him into the air.
"What's the big idea?!" Recognition dawned on his bloated face when he realized who he was holding three inches off the ground.
"Well lookie here, boys! We got ourselves a world class beyblader!" He sneered, dropping Kai to his feet. The rest of the gain circled around Kai, preventing him from leaving.
"Let me through." The Russian said in a low, threatening voice. There was a pause before the group broke out laughing. Kenny and Hilary kept their distance, but at the same time knew they should help.
"I don't think so. Give us everything in your pockets and we'll let yo-"
Kai ignored him, and in a swift movement, swung his fist into the closest person's face. The teen reared back in pain and Kai leapt over him with ease. Kenny and Hilary took off running in the same direction as him, and in an instant they were out of site.
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'Give me a reason to end this discussion, to break with tradition, to fold and divide. Cause I hate the ocean, theme parks and airplanes, talking with strangers, waiting in line.'
The song on Kevin's iPod seemed to play louder then it had a few moments earlier. Kevin could feel himself slipping out of consciousness. His eyelids felt heavier, his hearing and sight seemed to blur and fade. He could barely hear anything besides the song that was playing besides him.
Stay awake, Kevin. You need to stay awake, he told himself. What song was playing? Everything is alright. Who is it by? I'm not sure, but it's on the Motion City soundtrack.
Kevin hoped that if he could keep himself focused, he could stay conscious. Of course, he had been doing this for the past hour. He was alone in the room, for all he knew. In the other small room off to the left, the women who had shot him was chatting with Rei or Lee or whoever.
"So Kai isn't actually there? Why didn't you just tell me, Robert?" She asked sweetly. Ok, so she was talking to Robert. Was that why she shot him again? Because Kai wasn't there? Suddenly the neko-jin hated Kai. Kevin had never exactly been fond of him, and now that feeling had turned to hatred. On the plus side, Kevin thought, I actually like Robert a little more. At least he tried to prevent me from getting shot again.
Kevin looked down at the wound in his upper right arm. It was deep, but it could have been far worse. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up towards the door. From his position on the floor, he could tell that the others were right outside by the shadows through the crack.
Kevin had lost feeling in his leg at least half an hour ago. For this, he was thankful. Every time he looked down at the gun wound, it looked so bloody and painful that he had to look away quickly.
Suddenly, and much to his surprise, he heard a knock on the door. As if she heard it herself, the women emerged from the side room and moved towards Kevin's only hope of escape.
She stood there a moment, looking at the door as if it was constantly changing colors. Then, lifting the phone to her ear, she laughed and turned away.
"Getting desperate, are you?" She asked, her back turned to Kevin. Next to him, My December started playing, which he thought fitting. As his eyes began to drift closed, his senses waning and dying out, Kevin could only hope that she wouldn't shoot him again when he was unconscious. At that moment, she turned towards him and noticed his stat. The woman stopped talking, the smile fading from her face quickly as she walked briskly towards him.
She moved the phone away from her mouth and leaned in so close to Kevin's face that he lips were almost pressed against his cheek. "Stay awake." She said, in a low threatening voice.
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"Stay awake." Rei heard the woman's voice faintly on the other end, as if she had moved the phone away from her mouth. There was only one person who she could be talking to; Kevin.
So he was far worse then he had been. Rei's heart seemed to thud even harder in his chest.
"Sorry about that." The playful sound had left the woman's voice completely. Now Rei felt scared, and not just because she might shoot Kevin again, but because he was sure she would.
"Where was I... Oh yes. Who the hell was stupid enough to knock on the door?"
"It was an accident." Rei said, looking down at the baseball that Michael had been tossing up and down. The American had dropped it and Rei just watched as it rolled up against the door.
"Really? Well, that's bad news for your friend here. I suppose that I'll just have to-"
"Stop it. You can't turn every mistake we make into an excuse to shoot Kevin." Rei said, more forcefully then he thought safe. Still, he meant what he said.
There was a pause on the other end. "You know what? I can. I'm the one with the gun, and I'm the one with the hostage. You're just the one who's been sitting in the hallways for four hours."
Rei mentally slapped himself. By making her mad, he was putting Kevin's life in danger, and he knew it. But maybe he could do something to keep her occupied or even get some information out of her.
"I have been. And Kai, Kenny, and Hilary aren't. They'll get help."
Another pause, and then a sigh. "Rei, you know Kevin is the least deserving of this. But let's face it, he's the perfect hostage. You and your team are like a family. And if I put Kevin in danger, you're all weakened. The Bladebreakers are far to loving to let him die, the Majestics to benevolent, and the All Stars have a deep respect for you and your team."
Rei was speechless. So she had planned this out, and she had chosen Kevin just to spite them.
"Let him go." Rei said after a moment of silence. A gentle laugh was all he heard on the other end, and it made him cringe.
"I would, Rei, but then all of you and your little friends would be able to get in here. Unless of course, we made a deal."
Rei wanted to close the phone. He didn't like where this was going, and he knew someone else could get hurt. "What deal?" He questioned cautiously.
"Kevin for someone else. Of course, just because you would have him doesn't mean I would let you leave."
"'Leave'?"
"Yes. He wouldn't get medical attention until I get what I want. Then I would simply let you go."
Rei ignored this unpleasant thought. "Who else?"
"I don't know. Mariah, maybe."
Rei dropped the phone. He felt like he had just been hit with a train. After a moment, he shakily lifted the phone back up to his ear.
"No."
"Then Kevin will stay with me. Right, Kev?" Rei could see her looking down at Kevin in his minds eye, and winced. "There has to be something else that you want."
"There is; Eighty million dollars. Did you miss that memo?"
"How are we supposed to get word out to the police if we can't call them?"
"You're smart kids. You'll figure it out."
The line went dead. Rei looked over at his phone and found that his battery had finally died. Now it was up to Lee. They had found out that the woman would only answer Rei and Lee's numbers in her address book. All the others were 'unknown' on her caller ID, and she ignored anything that was unknown.
"Don't call her back just yet. We need to save the power in our phones." Rei said quietly, her eyes glued to Mariah. She looked back at him uneasily, but said nothing.
Something was horribly wrong.
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xChewy; Ooh, that ended to soon.
Kai; So, I suppose your still trying to figure out a way to make me a hero without actually making me a hero?
xChewy; Nope, I just decided to kill you.
Kai; O.O What?!
xChewy; Just kidding!
Kai; Bitch.
xChewy; Correction; Bitch that can kill you when you pissed her off.