Heeyheyhey. I need to go do my math homework. Here's an update for you guys, I'm hoping you'll review with comments on the chapter. I might update over the weekend, like Sunday, but if not then this will have to do.
I love the way the chapter title sounds when you say it out loud. Don't know why.
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Rain fell freely from the sky, pounding down on the asphalt of the interstate highway as the crimson red Ferrari sped along. Water splattered behind the tires, merely a blur as the speed of the car increased ever more. Inside, sitting comfortably on the sleek interior, sat two young men. Both looked irate over something previously discussed, and neither made eye contact. The one driving gripped the leather steering wheel tightly, fingers wrapping all the way around and prodding his palms.
They drove in silence. Neither knew what to say, and both were accustom to keeping to themselves anyway, it just didn't seem like it was worth the effort. Taking an exit, the car revved down the ramp onto a smaller highway, pulling off of that one after a mile onto a winding mountain road. As they grew farther from the pulsing veins of traffic the interstate had to offer, houses and buildings began to disappear, replaced by trees, rocky hill sides, trees, caution signs, trees, and endless spinneys of thick, overgrown vines. As the car swerved around every turn with accuracy and grace, the road began to slope upwards into the mountains. A gap to the right of the car allowed it's passengers a chance to view the horizon, stretching on below them out of sight. The sky was gray as rain stained the windows and blurred the view. Windshield wipers swished back and forth quickly, rhythmically. The silence began to thicken.
After what felt like an hour of blind turns and pounding rain, the car slowed and turned onto the gravel drive of an old, seemingly abandoned pump station. The sign, reading simply 'gas', was missing part of the 's' and the board that made up the 'g' was cracked. An old car was parked beside the side entrance, its tires gone and its hood open. Heaps of trash gathered around the back of the small structure, its windows boarded up. One of its two pumps was missing, and the other was rusting horribly. Stopping the car, both the driver and passenger took a deep breath, opened the doors, and stepped out.
Preceding the sound of the car doors slamming shut, and spare the drill of the rain, silence surrounded the two. The gravel crunched softly beneath their feet, though their scarcely moved, as if doing so would wake some slumbering giant sleeping only yards away from them. After a pause, Kai Hiwatari spoke. Or rather, yelled.
"Gridlock!"
His voice echoed through the trees around them, scaring a bird from its perch in a nearby Douglas fir. There was a pause, awkward and anxious, before a crashing sound came from inside the structure. Rumbling followed before the door, though it appeared to be boarded off, cracked and opened. A large bald man, wearing a black T-shirt with sweat stains around the neck and underarms, stepped out, blinking into the light. He stood below the overhang, trying to avoid the water as if touching it would burn him.
"Well look who it is." He slurring in a thick Russian accent. He ushered them in, not wanting to stand out in the rain to negotiate why they were there. Kai stepped forward, moving through the falling water and toward the doorway. After a defiant roll of his eyes, Tala followed miserably.
Inside the small pump station, the same tattered styling of the outside cluttered the room. A single light bulb hung from a cord from the ceiling, dangling about a table in the middle of the room. Two laptops, slopped piles of papers, coffee cups, and writing utensils cluttered the surface. A plush chair, wide as it was deep, sat before it, pushed away as if someone had recently jumped out of it. Piles of junk, boxes of papers, collections of useless crap, and dozens of other unnamed objects covered every surface and lined every wall. Shelves, overturned desks, random cylinders, beakers, a child's rocking horse, and at least twenty different used plates were scattered randomly around the room.
It tweaked every nerve in both Kai's and Tala's bodies. They both thrived in organization, and the mess made it hard for them to focus. The large man fell back in the chair, pulling up to the table. Stroking his goatee, he studied them cynically.
"So what do you two want?"
Kai raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not happy to see us?"
"Thought you were your grandfather. Besides, you're not my type."
Tala shifted, snorting. Kai ignored him. "Been watching the news lately, Pavlov?"
The man took a deep breath, spitting out all the air he had collected in one quick burst. "Ah yes, the hostage situation. Happened again, didn't it?"
"Spot on, fatass." Tala growled. He stood behind Kai, fists clenched, teeth grinding silently. The man smiled at him, but said nothing.
"No anything about the whereabouts of-"
"No." The man replied immediately, causing Kai to blink. Tala's expression faltered as well. "I'm not putting my neck on the line just so you two can go get your heads blown off."
Kai exhaled slowly through his nose. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he dreaded what he might have to do in order to gain the information he needed.
"Fine. What do you want?"
The man remained silent, turning back to his desk. Tala grunted in irritation. Kai swallowed.
"Pavlov."
"Hnn."
"I know you want a trade. What do you want in exchange for the whereabouts of Stanley Dickenson?"
Silence. Patiently, Kai stood and waited for the large man to make up his mind. Tala, on the other hand, was far more eager to get the info and leave.
"Listen, you fat bastard, this isn't for us. This is for the all the other teams who've gone through the shit Dickenson put us through. Take your personal feelings out of this and help for once in your pathetic life."
Kai flinched. Tala certainly was upset about coming here, but then, they had no choice. The man remained silent a moment longer before turning and smiling.
"What about Ki?"
Tala blinked. "Who?"
"Kevin Ki. The cute little boy who got shot in the leg."
Tala stopped short, not knowing what to say. As he drew a blank, the man continued. "I want his shirt."
It was Kai's turn to growl. "You're a pedophile, Pav."
The man shrugged. "Fine. No shirt, no info."
"What could you possibly want his shirt for?" Tala spat, anger returning. Pavlov rolled his eyes.
"Aw. Are you jealous that I'm not interested in you anymore?"
Tala opened his mouth to retort, eyes flaring with anger and hate. Kai cut him off.
"We don't need to open that chapter back up." He said, waving his open palm at Tala to shut him up. "I'll bring you two of his shirts if you give us the info first."
The man closed his eyes, laughing. "You wish. Clothing first, then location."
"I'll bring you a pair of his pants." Kai said evenly. Pavlov sat upright. "And a shirt. But only if you deliver info first."
The man considered this. Kai stared intently at him, feeling Tala seething with suppressed anger behind him. After a pause, the man nodded.
"Alright, but I want collateral. Something to make sure you follow through on your end of the deal."
Kai slapped down his blade instantly, causing Tala to snap out of his angered silence. Pavlov's eyes began to sparkle immediately as he scooped it up greedily, fingering it. He frowned, realizing that the bit chip was gone, but it was good enough for him.
"I don't want just any pants, either. I want him to sign them so I know it's his."
"What if we just fake the signature?" Tala asked dryly. Pavlov snorted, reaching over to his desk and fumbling around a moment before he turned and held up a picture of Kevin, signed in ink. Both of the Blitzkrieg boys blinked.
"I bought it on eBay." The man murmured, a faint smile pulling at his lips. Tala growled from the back of his thought at the man's perverted nature, but said nothing. Kai smirked. It had been years since they met, and still, Pavlov was Pavlov.
"Deal." Kai said firmly. "Now where is Dickenson?"
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Soft, warm, calm, dim. Kevin nestled deeper under the blankets of his hospital bed, appreciating every quality of the space around his tired body. He had requested four extra blankets, and had successfully hidden himself underneath in such a way that the only thing visible to the outside world was a few curled fingertips, protruding from the blankets beside his head. After the surgery, he had woken to find himself in Mariah's arms, Rei, Lee, and Gary around him. Though they had left after a while so that he could rest, he didn't feel alone. He had been around people for far too long, and it was perfect that now, after so long he could find himself in the solitude of his own company.
So he made a space beside him as he lay on his side, and placed his beyblade on the soft sheets of the bed. On hand around it for protection, Kevin studied the blade with new interest. For a while, he had thought he would never get to use it again. He had come so close to death so many times in the past few months that he had decided hope was pointless. And yet, here he was, and there his blade was, and now more than ever did he feel connected to Galmon.
Of which hadn't done shit to help him. At a young age, Kevin discovered his physical connection with his bit beast when a tree was about to crush the small neko-jin to death. A blinding white light had swirled around him, and when he finally opened his eyes, the tree was at least ten feet away, and Kevin was left cowering in the mud. So if he could stop a falling tree, why couldn't Galmon stop a bullet? Or protect him against the men that came and dragged him, Rei, and Kai out of their hotel room? Kevin sighed, figuring it wasn't worth the effort of figuring out. He felt groggy after the anesthetic from the surgery, and fatigued from the recent events, and he just couldn't be bothered with it.
So he closed his eyes and drifted off. By the grace of some higher being, Kevin didn't have a nightmare. He didn't have a flying dream either, of course, but rather something completely pointless. It involved tiny native women, chocolate eggs, butterfly nets, and the world's last cup of yogurt. When he awoke, still buried beneath his fortress of blankets, he could tell a long time had passed. He could also feel someone else in the room, beside him.
"Yo."
He blinked. Yo? Who the hell said 'yo'? Carefully, he nudged his way out from under the blankets, finding himself peering over the side of the bed as he emerged. Apparently, he had shifted sometime in his sleep. Blade in his frail grip, he lifted his eyes and peaked up at whoever was hovering over him.
A tall boy, with brown skin and a closely-shaved head peered down at him. Kevin quickly reviewed the people he knew who could possibly be him, and found not one match. Confused, he simply blinked and coughed gently, still unable to feel his leg thanks to pain killers.
"Um… I'm Ripple… 'Member?"
Kevin paused, sniffling, before nodding as best as his position would allow. It dawned on him quickly that Riplock had helped to save his life twice, and he felt strangely guilty for forgetting him. Not that he had had much face time with the New Yorker, but it didn't matter. Kevin cuddled back under the blankets, squirmed up toward the pillow, and poked his nose back out at the top, finding the effort more taxing then he thought. He twisted, rolling onto his back, and pushed the blankets away in one sweep of his left arm. With the warmth went the feeling of protection as the blankets now came to just above his hips. He shivered, and looked toward the visitor.
Blinking, Kevin suddenly realized a second person was in the room. She was completely flushed in the face, shifting her weight back and forth on her feet, trying not to stare. She inched her way behind Ripple, and Kevin acknowledged the striking resemblance the two had with one another.
"Dis is, uh, my sister. She wanted ta' meet 'ya." Ripple said in his thick east coast drawl. He stepped away, revealing his sibling, and at the full sight of her Kevin blushed.
Holy crap she's hot, Kevin thought, frowning at the fact that it was the first thing to go through his head. But then, he was a guy. What more could you expect? Awkwardly, she looked at Kevin with a weak smile, and waved her fingers at him shyly. As she turned around to look for moral support from her brother, he was no where to be found; gone from the room as silent as falling snow. Turning, the girl – probably Kevin's age – bit her lip and smiled sheepishly at the neko-jin.
"H-hello…"
Kevin blinked twice, listening to the silence before realizing he was supposed to speak.
"Oh, um… hi." He murmured, staring at her. Realizing how awkward she must have felt, he smiled and looked down at the pulse-reader clip on his index finger.
"Sorry, I'm just tired." He said, not looking up. His face felt hot. It confused him; he was used to being around girls that flirted with him, but he never felt like this. This girl – whatever her name was – was different.
"Oh, uh, I can leave if you want to rest…"
"No, no, it's fine. I just woke up… What's your name?" Kevin asked, looking toward her. She relaxed slightly, knowing that she had something to say other then 'um' and 'uh'.
"Chris. I'm Chris." She said quickly, and then bit her lip again in regret. Kevin smiled gently.
"That's a cool name-" He started, only to be cut off by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Muffled, though loud, it was coming from his bag that sat in a chair beside the hospital bed.
"There's a hole in the world like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and it's morals aren't worth what a pig would spit and it goes by the name of London."
Christ perked, eyes widening. "Sweeney Todd? You've seen Sweeney Todd?" She asked eagerly. Kevin, nervous of her reaction to the ring tone, sighed in relief.
"Yeah, did you?" He asked. She nodded quickly.
"Of course! What was your favorite part?"
And with that, the beginning of relationship that was to last a very long time set off. Such a simple beginning, humble in many ways, is an example of how many people get to know each other. This same occurrence was happening out the room and down the hallway to two completely different people as well. Only rather then discuss gory, bloody musicals, the two individuals began with something a little easier to think about.
They began talking about they're memories of med school. Now, the important thing to know is that this relationship will not bloom into one of friendship or love, but of rivalry. The two young doctors began to argue with one another, louder and more angered as the conversation progressed, and ultimately ended with one jostling the other into a nurse, who was holding a full syringe, who stumbled forward and dropped the needle, which flew through the air and stuck right into Mariah Yin's upper back.
The girl yelped, eyes widening as she spun around. Her brother jumped, recovering from the shock quickly and pulling the device from his sister's upper back. Mariah flinched, blinked, and fell forward, completely out cold from whatever had been injected into her. There was a maddening squeak of rubber shoes as nurses crowed around her, Lee being pushed out of the way father rudely as his sister was eventually lifted onto a stretcher.
It was an hour before the chaos calmed. Mariah had been injected with a strong anesthetic that required some simple treatments for her to recover. Word for word, Lee listen to the doctor explain that she would need to stay overnight, and he immediately requested that she share a room with Kevin. No one seemed to disagree, and the bed his unconscious sister was lying on was wheeled down the clean hallway until they reached the comfortably spacious room that the youngest White Tiger was being kept in.
Upon entering, Kevin was found sitting up, chatting away happily with a girl about his age. She was sitting on the bed beside him, her chemically straightened hair flowing around her gentle face as her head bobbed. She finished her joke, both teenagers breaking into laughter. They looked up, Kevin whipping a tear from his eye as he calmed down. At the sight of Mariah, however, both smiles vanished.
"What-" Kevin began, worry flashing across his face. Lee held up a hand.
"Med students don't get along well. It's no big deal, she'll just be here with you for a night."
Kevin raised an eyebrow, looking toward the girl who now looked as though she felt out of place. Carefully, he reached forward and nudged her, smiling.
Despite the semi-comatose Mariah, his bum right leg, the irritating heart beat that sounded endlessly through the night, and the back-of-the-head fear that Stanley Dickenson wasn't out of his life yet, Kevin couldn't help but feel happiness well within him.
Maybe things were looking up.
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xChewy; HolycrapIupdatedfucktheworldIrock. I got a haircut too. First new hairstyle since the third grade, actually. It makes me happy.
Emily; … Why am I the random character? Are you implying something? … Well?
GreyWindFalcon; Cameo!