Justification of Evil

By TheImmortalDoll

Chapter VI: Pride and Power

Dismissing the students to their rooms, seeing as Kai had gone ahead and walked off back to his anyway, I hurried through the building to the young Hiwatari's chamber, intent on finding out about this new bit-beast and exactly why- according to Kala at least- he had hid it from his Grandfather.

I entered the small room; a square space with stone walls and nothing but a small bed in the corner and a wooden chest of drawers against the wall with the double purpose of holding clothes and being a desk, with the rickety wooden chair pushed up to it's side. All students were ordered to keep their rooms spotless, but Kai's was particularly immaculate, to the extent that it barely looked lived in. Nothing was on top of the chest of drawers, the sheets of the bed were pulled tightly and tucked in with military neatness, the floor was as clean as dusty stone cobbles could be and everything was so perfectly in place that it seemed like a show room.

All except for the small boy leaning against the back wall in the dim light. There were no windows in any of the students' rooms.

I closed the rickety wooden door behind me and stood before the boy. "Foolish child," I began. "Those with a bit-beast excel here. I can't even begin to fathom your reasons for hiding such a powerful spirit."

"Hn." Kai's classic response was in use even back then.

"Well, young Kai? Are Kala's words true? You hide this spirit so your Grandfather has no knowledge of it?"

"You better watch it!" Kai snapped. "I am required to report on your actions back to my Grandfather."

I shifted uneasily from the threat of having negative reports of myself reach my superior, but something in Kai's eyes told me he had no real intention of carrying these threats through, it was a tactical way of trying to get me to shut up because he clearly didn't want to talk about this.

"And what if I report to your Grandfather that you have a bit-beast?"

Kai glared at me in response.

"Well, boy? This Dranzer, why do you so dislike the idea of your Grandfather finding out about it?" I pressed.

Kai looked away, seemingly fighting with himself, before he spoke up in a small voice that, for once, actually sounded right for his age. "Because… because Grandfather wants the bit-beasts for his own reasons. He wants all the bit-beasts in the world. And if he knew about Dranzer, he would make me use her power for his aims. And I…I don't want him to hurt Dranzer. She's my friend."

From what I'd gathered from observing the boy, Voltaire had taught him not to think much of the concept of friends, and Kai's sudden bitterness at himself for this admission of affection brought a look of anger to his face.

I stepped closer, towering over this small child. "Tell me, boy. What does your Grandfather want with the bit-beasts?" He gave no answer. "Come now, child, if I can keep your bit-beast a secret, then surely you can oblige to answer a few of my simple questions."

Kai looked up at me. "You… you won't tell him?"

"Not if you tell me why Voltaire wants the bit-beasts' power."

Kai sighed. "He wants… he wants to use them, for his own ambitions. He wants the power they have under his control. He wants to destroy all other military and financial powers worldwide until he is left as an undisputed ruler. He wants the bit-beasts because they can get him everything… the world."

"World domination?" I asked, finding it incredulous. It was an idea out of a movie, a book, fantasy. "Your Grandfather is looking to take over the world?"

Kai nodded. And despite myself, I envisioned it: Voltaire's empire an undisputed power- power, money, control- and he'd hired me to help him gain this purpose. I would be a part of this great power, this legacy. I would have it all, the money, the wealth, the power I had always dreamed of in my so far desolate and mediocre life.

But on the other hand, as I looked down at Kai, I felt almost… guilty. This was a child, a mere child, why involve this boy in these mad schemes, even if the idea was so fruitful. And I suddenly noticed that he clutched his beaten beyblade in his right hand; the boy truly did love his precious Dranzer.

I leant down to the boy's level to look into his red eyes. "I will make you a deal, young Kai. If you give tour reports to Voltaire without any criticism toward me and with satisfactory reports of the abbey, I will not tell your Grandfather about your bit-beast. Do we have an agreement?"

Kai paused, thought it over, and nodded.

And that was where it all began: Kai's loyalty to me. The world has wondered time and again why Kai constantly returns to my side, despite his apparent hatred of myself and my aims. He does not like me, and perhaps even I do not like him, but we have a tolerance for each other. And even now still, a loyalty and trust. People have made reasons for Kai's defections: want of power, desire to fight your beloved Tyson, and maybe these aims have some influence, but he always knows he can return to me. So there it was, the old loyalty set in place and not removed since.

I left the boy in his room. Heading back to my office, I suddenly became aware of small steps echoing my own on the stone floors. I stopped and turned to find Kala a few paces behind me.

In the shadows created by the fire lanterns- attached to the walls and illuminating every corridor within the abbey- she looked even more a demon. An ageless thing with eyes that held a woman's strength, set in the face of a child. Her skin was white, yet it seemed not skin at all, more the gleaming flawless polish of a china doll. Her eyes too, were unnatural, too bright, too blue, too much like twin jewels staring at me with a cold and mocking expression. Her hair was like that of a doll, perfectly curled in ringlets, shining and neat and framing her delicate face. It disturbed me how much I admired he precious looks.

"What do you want, girl?"

She hurried forward suddenly, stopping right beside me as if walking with a friend or companion. "Did you speak with Kai? Did he tell you his reasons?"

"Yes, he said-" I stopped. What was I doing? "None of your business! You should be speaking to your superiors as if they were such. Now I am dismissing you back to your room. Leave!"

She didn't move.

I suppressed a snarl of frustration. "Why are you so intent on harassing me?"

She smiled. "Don't flatter yourself. I do this to everyone. Though I know how much you appreciate my company."

I spluttered at this accusation, becoming bitter in my denial. "Don't be foolish. I despise you, you damnable child. Now leave me alone!" I turned and attempted to walk away, ignoring that I knew she was following me with the soft patter of small steps echoing behind me.

I reached my office, flung open the door and attempted to close it on her when a great invisible push of power flung it back open. I stumbled back, startled, but slowly becoming used to these bizarre supernatural acts this child possessed the ability to pull off.

Giving in, I stormed into the office and allowed her to follow, ignoring how she kicked the door shut behind her as if this were a casual meeting. I resolutely sat down at my desk and she pulled herself up to perch on the edge of it in front of me.

"Do you have any regard for any form of authority whatsoever?" I snarled, glaring at this putrid child and her damnable attitude.

She smiled and tossed her crimson curls back over her shoulder. "I don't think so. I never have and I never have any attention of such. I like being a rebel. This is me. Live with it , darling."

I raised an eyebrow at this little diminutive act, but refrained from commenting. What kind of six-year-old called people "darling"?

"Are you planning to leave me in peace any time soon?" I asked instead.

She shrugged. "Perhaps. But I'm thinking that maybe you wouldn't like that." I looked up in question and she continued, "I think you like my company. It must be lonely up here in this big office, all by yourself?"

I leant forward and glared harder. "I am not so pathetic to have issues with loneliness."

"Yeah.. that's something a lonely person would say."

I forced myself to ignore her and attempted to get on with my work, pulling several files towards me, all highly confidential stuff, but when she looked at the pages with a casual interest, I made no effort to stop her.

"So," she began after a while. "Kai's Grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari, that business man. Your boss, right?"

"Yes," I mumbled, wondering what she was getting at.

"You want his approval, right? I mean, he pays you, he's in charge of you. He's your superior, naturally, you want him to think good of you."

I paused and looked up at her. "You know nothing about that which you speak of child, so preferably and for your own sake, do not speak at all."

She laughed slightly. "Please Boris, you may have only known me a matter of days but I think even you have gathered by now that I'm not one to keep quiet."

"Don't I know it," I muttered.

She threw me a grin and hopped off of the desk, hurrying round to stand behind it beside my chair. "You know I'm powerful," she said.

"Yes," I conceded. "But you are a brat. Now what are you getting at, girl?"

"Well," she drawled. "Voltaire wants you to produce good students and all that so maybe you should show him a really good student. Like me."

I stopped and stared at her. "I am not 'showing' you to Voltaire. You are a menace. The students of this abbey are supposed to be disciplined, you are nothing of the sort."

"I thought you were going to fix that," she said. "Something about crushing my attitude."

"In time," I replied. What I couldn't bear to admit was that I was quickly running out of ideas on how on earth I could discipline this resilient child.

She rested her arms on the desk, her height meaning that she had to stretch up to do this as she lay her head on them. "I may be a brat or whatever you keep calling me, but I can blade and I will. Students from here get entered into tournaments, right?"

I nodded. "Our main aim is to one day have a team that will conquer the world championship. I believe that in a couple of years time, you and your brother, along with Kai, Spencer, Bryan and Ian will achieve that." I stopped and looked at her. "I have assigned you as team captain, you know?"

"Yeah, I got it," she said. She raised her head from the desk and smiled at me. "That was kind of nice for someone you apparently don't like so much. But I'll do the job."

"Good."

She laughed for some unknown reason and stepped back, walking round the desk and heading towards the door, apparently finally deciding to leave me in peace to work. But then she stopped in the doorway. "Oh and Boris, you do know what's going to happen if you keep this up?"

I frowned and sardonically replied, "what?"

She looked back over her shoulder, red curls framing her doll-like face as she gave me a rather disarming grin. "You're going to fall in love with me."