"Talking"
'Writing'
'Thinking'
"Person on other side of phone"
/Bitbeast talk/
/'Blader to bitbeast talk/
"Russian"
"Italian"

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

Chapter 18 - Day 18

"...they attempted to take out Biovolt by collecting a significant amount of evidence to legally impair them enough to forfeit the company." - Enrique

Bryan grimaced and sat up, rubbing at one eye. He looked around the room once he was done, automatically checking the clock for the time as he always did. The Russian shook his head as he realized it was early morning and made to lay back down and go back to sleep. He froze, however, when he caught sight of the redhead that he had chosen to take care of. His mouth dropped open and his eyes went inexplicably wide.

Tala sat up in the chair he had dozed off in. He blinked icy eyes to clear them, staring at nothing specific. He stood stiffly and stretched out the kinks in his body.

/ All right, Alla. What is it? / He sighed tiredly.

His bitbeast gave a mirthful sounding laugh and he stopped.

/ What did you do? / He demanded.

/I did nothing, but you're going to have great entertainment soon, little one/ She replied. Tala's eye twitched.

/ What did I say about calling me that? And what do you mean, entertainment? / His friend only chuckled before dimming their connection. The infamous Russian captain was left standing in the deserted room with a darkening frown on his face.

Enrique tried really hard, he did, but he was never good at these staring contests when he was little and his captain appeared to be really good. 'Probably had a lot of practice on Johnny.' He thought absently. Robert had enough and glared darkly at the blond, making him flinch and blink.

"Enrique, tell us what is going on." He said slowly.

"Well..." Enrique started, looking awkward. From beside him, Kaz laughed. Everyone turned to look at him and he shrugged.

"Enri," he said grinning, "ask Amphilyon what just happened." With a frown, Enrique did and soon he was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Enrique?" Robert pushed.

"Right, this will be explained soon, but first; where'd you put that webcam of yours?"

"So? What did you find out?" Ian asked, slurping his cold drink loudly. Spencer shot him a look of disgust.

"Nothing." Julia muttered, absentmindedly stirring her drink.

"Nothing?" Ian exclaimed, "You spent all that time finding him, and when you do, you can't even find out what he was lying about?"

"He said that he couldn't tell me without the others' opinions. Apparently it wasn't just Johnny and Kai involved, there were other 'bladers as well." Julia sighed.

"Oh." Was all Ian could manage before he quietly went back to his drink. Spencer closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. They were so deep in their thinking that they didn't even notice Kai and Ray slip through the door.

Bryan's mouth opened and closed rapidly as he stared at the redhead. He was shocked, no, he was beyond shocked. In his head, he could hear his bitbeast cackling away; he would make that bird pay later on. A low groan sounded from the boy on the bed, catching the Russian's attention once again. The redhead rolled over and sat up slowly, one hand rubbing his forehead. Clouded lavender eyes opened and locked onto Bryan's.

"What?" He muttered gruffly, noticing the startled look still lingering on Bryan's face. Bryan finally smirked and motioned to the boy. Johnny stared at him blankly for but a moment before his memory caught up to him.

"Oh, no... please tell me that did not happen! Damn it!" The redhead lurched forward clutching his head, only to lean over too far and fall off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Bryan immediately went over to him and pulled him carefully back onto the bed.

"You're finally back, McGregor." The Scottish teen let out a weary sigh, still holding his head.

"Did you figure that one out yourself, Kuznetsov, or did Falborg help you?" Bryan growled and grabbed the other teen, jerking him up. He let go quickly, however, as Johnny's eyes clenched shut and he squirmed.

Johnny shot off the bed and darted into the bathroom, leaning over the toilet as he emptied his stomach. Bryan grimaced before grabbing a clean glass and filling it with water. When Johnny had finally finished and flushed the toilet, he took the drink silently, rinsing his mouth out before swallowing the cool liquid. It soothed his abused throat and he relaxed marginally.

"Thanks." He muttered and Bryan grunted in response. The moment was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Bryan! I know you're in there, open up!" Tala's voice was muffled but Johnny moaned as it increased the migraine he already had.

Bryan opened the door and glared darkly at his captain. "What?" He snarled and Tala glared back, putting his hands on his hips.

"Alla just told me something entertaining was about to happen. Do you know what she's talking about?" Bryan merely stepped away from the door and walked into the bathroom.

Tala blinked before entering the room, closing the door behind him and trailing after his team mate. What he saw made him freeze. Bryan had reached down with one arm and was helping a teenaged Johnny get to his feet. Said redhead was swaying slightly, a grimace adorning his features.

"Good to see you back to normal, Johnny." Tala said, moving closer to help the other redhead. Bryan glared at him briefly before letting go and storming out of the room. Johnny nearly collapsed back to the floor, but Tala quickly caught him and guided him to the only chair in the room. Bryan was on the bed, taking his beyblade apart and cleaning the pieces.

"Since McGregor's back to normal, can he get the hell out of my room now?" Bryan asked roughly, never looking up and completely missing the startled and hurt expression that flashed across the teen's face.

Johnny straightened up, shrugged off Tala's help and turned to the door. "Fine, like I wanted to be here anyway." Was all he said before he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Tala sighed softly and sat next to Bryan on the bed, avoiding the objects scattered across it. "Why did you do that?" He asked. "I thought you liked him."

"Yeah," Bryan agreed, "as a little kid." The redhead rolled his eyes and leaned back slightly.

"That's not the only reason. You don't want to get close to him because now he's a teenager and he'll act different now." Bryan remained silent even as Tala shook his head and left the room.

"Enrique, what's going on?" Oliver asked, looking so hurt that the blond paused in his intent to get to the nearest computer. He guiltily shifted his gaze to a stern looking Robert, a sad Cyros and an aloof Kaz. He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping, motioning to the nearby chairs.

"I... I have a long - very long- story to tell you..."

Johnny sighed as he got to his room, closing the door quietly. He walked in fully and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Johnny grimaced; he had bloodshot eyes with deep shadows beneath them, his hair was an absolute mess and he was still wearing Bryan's t-shirt and boxers. He blushed and stripped, pulling a pair of boxers, dark blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt over his shivering frame, along with a leather jacket. Johnny put on some socks and sneakers in an attempt to keep his feet warm though his hands shook wildly.

He then collapsed onto his bed, nauseous and dazed. The perfect way to be when changing back into a teenager once again. He winced slightly at that thought, remembering what had happened.

Suddenly, he shot up, swallowing down the acid in his throat. His father! His father had gone missing, as well as Josh. Quickly, he scrambled for his phone that lay on the bedside table and typed in a number.

"Hello."

"Hey father." Johnny greeted quietly.

"Jonathan! Good to hear from you! I take it you're all better now."

"You make it sound like I was terminally ill."

"Well... in a way you were." Johnny sighed heavily.

"Right. Where are you?"

"Can't tell you that. At least not yet. But I can tell you that Josh's with me and we are getting back a certain Russian." Johnny's breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly.

"You mean..." He trailed off, his voice hopeful.

"That's right," Don laughed, "We have a plan to get him back. Then you two won't have anything to fight about." Johnny rolled his eyes, holding back a sarcastic comment at that last bit.

"Dad, I... thanks." He finally muttered.

"You got it." Voices were heard in the background and he frowned, they all sounded familiar. One was Josh, that was for sure. But the other two... his eyes widened.

"Why do you have Doctor Stanaslov and Tyson with you?" There was silence on the other end.

"I'm sorry Jonathan, but I have to go now." There was a click and then dial tone. Johnny growled and resisted throwing his phone across the room. "Damn it!" He swore for the second time of the day.

/ What did I do to deserve this? / Johnny groaned.

/ Maybe all the secrets you keep?/ Salamulyon suggested.

/ Shut up. / The redhead growled.

/ Hmph, fine. That Italian kid is going to be calling soon, Kaz is with him./ The salamander said.

/ What? What's Kaz doing here? I thought he... / Johnny trailed off and a warm feeling spread through his mind.

/ He was worried about the both of you. The two of you always somehow manage to get into some kind of trouble, even when you're in different countries!/ Salamulyon exclaimed.

/ That reminds me, is Kai still..? / Johnny leaned back on the bed heavily.

/ Yes, he and the other are still the same. It should wear off soon, if not, some of those 'bladers will find a remedy, I'm sure./ His bitbeast explained.

/ If you say so. How are you, anyway? I know you're still weak but... / Johnny closed his eyes tiredly.

/ I will be fine. Go to sleep, I shall keep watch./ Salamulyon murmured softly.

/ Thanks./ He sighed gratefully, quickly slipping into a dreamless sleep.

Kai sleepily stared down at his blanket with a frown adorning his face. After he and Ray had snuck out, they had parted paths; Ray to find Raul as he went back to his room, expecting Tala to be there, but he wasn't.

Tala wasn't back yet, but Tala wouldn't leave him here alone, right? As the doubts coursed through him, a surrounding warmth enveloped him and the 'blade he held in his hands glowed. A wave of comfort rose against his doubts and he relaxed, closing his eyes and simply leaning back into his pillow. Dranzer sang sweetly to him and he slowly drifted off into the realm of dreams, light shadowing his features.

His teammates were staring at him, waiting patiently. Cyros shifted tiredly in his seat next to him and Kaz was looking too intently into the glistening pool. He sighed.

"All right," Enrique started, leaning forward onto his elbows. "To your first question; Kaz is an old friend of Johnny and me. He's helped us out a lot but don't ask me the details 'cause even I don't know, you'd have to ask Johnny. They met when I wasn't around." Kaz cleared his throat and glared at him; Enrique quickly got back on topic.

"Anyway, the reason Johnny was targeted was because he and his father - you guys have met him, haven't you? Yeah I thought so - ... they attempted to take out Biovolt by collecting a significant amount of evidence to legally impair them enough to forfeit the company." Oliver and Robert straightened in alarm but Enrique waved away their worries.

"Don't worry, they managed to actually get some pretty damning stuff. Because of this, Biovolt couldn't go after them directly for fear of the McGregor's releasing the information they had to the media. This led to several meetings between Donald - Johnny's father- and Voltaire Hiwatari in an attempt to come to some sort of an agreement. Of course, Donald wasn't ready to just let the guy get away with what he'd done so he went behind Hiwatari's back and continued investigating."

"What had Voltaire Hiwatari done?" Oliver asked, looking between Robert, Kaz and Enrique. The blond let out a bitter laugh.

"It's more like what he hasn't done. He started up an abbey that used physical force to ensure the boys that went there would obey, including punishment when they did not reach their ridiculously high standards. He kidnapped children and forced parents to give up their children to go to the abbey; he hired hit men to take out his only son and he kidnapped his own grandson." Enrique took in a shaky breath and his friends looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? You mean... he's done all that? And he's not in jail?" Oliver exclaimed, fury rushing through his delicate features.

"He killed his own son and kidnapped his grandson?" Robert asked, alarmingly calm but Enrique could see the anger in the other teen's eyes. He shook his head.

"We don't know if his son is actually dead, but other than that, yes." Was all he could get out before he slumped back into his chair.

"So..." Cyros started, surprising the older teens who had forgotten he was there. "Does that mean that Voltaire kidnapped Kai?" Enrique nodded.

"Yeah and that's what Don uncovered after one of their meetings. He, uh... he didn't exactly react well to that. You see, no one really realised that Kai had been with Voltaire since before his father's disappearance, which would mean that Kai was trapped with that mad man for at least two years 'cause his mom's been dead since he was an infant. So Don... threatened Voltaire and in return... Johnny went missing."

"What?" Oliver exploded and Robert's eyes narrowed. Cyros just looked on in shock and Kaz was gazing in the complete opposite direction of his companions.

"Yeah, that's where Johnny's hostility to the Hiwatari's comes from. He won't tell me what happened during that time, but he was gone for roughly four months. Then, Don called another meeting, the two met and Don promised to back off. Shortly after, the limo they had been in blew up, killing three people: the driver and a recently married couple. Officially, no one knew who had planted the bomb but... well, it was Voltaire's way of reminding Don how serious he was."

"Why did Johnny keep this from us?" Oliver asked, nearly shattering everyone's hearts with how heartbroken he sounded.

"Well, he had to worry about the Hiwatari's, his own life... and everything else that was going on." Enrique reasoned tiredly. "I didn't find out until a few years later, shortly before we met the two of you."

There was silence between them; it was obvious that Enrique didn't want to talk anymore and they had more than enough information to digest. Robert laid a calming hand on the blond's shoulder and motioned to the house.

"Perhaps we should find that webcam." He said and they gladly accepted the idea, standing.

"Oh and Enrique? Those were some fancy words coming from you." Robert said, smirking. Enrique flushed in embarrassment as Oliver and Cyros laughed. He then blinked, looking around; Kaz was gone.


Tyson groaned as he tumbled forward into the wall. He had tripped over his own shoelace; two of the older men were giving him glares but he ignored them. Donald McGregor was marching onwards, a determined frown marring his features. Within a few moments, Mikhail Stanaslov and Joshua Drake were following on and Tyson scrambled to catch up.

By the time he had, they had reached a door and were staring at him expectantly. With a sigh, he clipped his 'blade into his launcher and had raised it up as the men stepped out of the way. He released Dragoon with a dramatic shout, watching as the 'blade shot towards the door.

"Dragoon! Galaxy Turbo!" He shouted, raising a fist with emphasis. Dragoon crashed into the metal door and adjoining stone walls; they crumbled beneath his power, causing a layer of dust to float through the air. Tyson caught Dragoon and grinned in satisfaction. Josh whistled loudly as he gazed at the large hole in amazement. Mikhail inhaled sharply.

"This is the power of bitbeasts?" He breathed out, "but they are held by kids!" Tyson glared at him, scowling fiercely.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, clenching his hands into fists by his sides. "Just 'cause we're teenagers doesn't mean we can't handle them, old man." Tyson snarled and was surprised when Donald chuckled and laid a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Gentlemen." He started, his accent twisting the word. "Please, we are here on a mission. Let us leave the disputes until later. Shall we?" The elder McGregor gracefully waved towards the building where Joshua was already waiting. After a brief moment of silence, the doctor and the beyblader both nodded and continued on. They were at the wall within moments and quietly slipped through. Mikhail pondered on the lack of resistance as they slipped through the halls.

Johnny awoke with a start and bolted for the bathroom. He painfully choked out vomit into the toilet until he was dry heaving. His entire body shook and he was exhausted as he finally quit and fell forward against the toilet. The boy rested his forehead against the cool porcelain and squeezed his eyes shut; his stomach threatened to rebel once again and he forcefully took slow and deep breaths.

He winced as he once again uncontrollably threw up, wondering how much he could possibly still have in his stomach. Pain was shooting through his abdomen and his head and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Never before had he felt so alone and helpless.

Suddenly, there were hands roughly grabbing him by the shoulders and jerking him back. He gasped and his stomach clenched. Something pricked his skin and he blurrily looked up to see two men looming over him, one pulling back his hand which contained a needle. Darkness dragged at him and he limply slumped to the floor, his eyes falling shut.

Ray prowled through the shadows, hunting for his prey. Golden eyes gleamed as he observed the silent halls and the rays of moonlight that flickered through the windows. He crept around a corner, hiding in the darkness as two men stepped out of the room, one carrying a redheaded boy that looked remarkably like Johnny.

They walked quickly to the nearest exit and pushed through the door. Ray followed them out into the cold night air and down the street hiding behind a tree as they stopped near a some sort of machinery on wheels. A panel on its side opened and the child's eyes went wide as the man with the purple hair stepped out; the one Kai had called Boris. The three men seemed to be debating something before Boris took the boy and the others stepped back. Boris stood still for a moment, staring down at the unconscious redhead. He then went to the back of the machinery as another panel - this one on top- opened up, revealing a dark space and dropped the teen into it, turning to snap orders at the two men. Ray took a chance and bolted forward, clambering in next to the redhead before he was seen and the panel was slammed closed, leaving him in abrupt darkness

"Come on, come on." Enrique muttered, punching at the keys. The screen in front of him remained the same, evoking a scowl and a sigh of frustration from the Italian. Oliver stifled a yawn beside him, glancing at his friend.

"Maybe he's still a kid." He suggested but simply received a glare in return. Cyros let out a soft sigh from the couch behind them, curled up, asleep. His brother didn't blame him; he'd had a rough time lately and even Enrique himself was ready to just crawl into bed and call this all a horrible dream.

Kaz barged into the room with a look of anger, waking Cyros up. "Enrique!" He snapped harshly, shoving Amiphilyon's 'blade into his hands. Abruptly, a look of horror was cast at the computer screen by the blond.

"Wh-what? No! That can't be right, I mean, he's got Kuznetsov watching over him!" Enrique shot up and ran his hands rapidly through his hair as he paced, muttering to himself. Oliver watched him bewilderedly, nervous to say something to his upset friend and the billowing teen he had just met. Robert came into the room and took in the scene quickly before he walked over and slapped Enrique upside the head, hard. The Italian winced but calmed down and sank back into his chair.

"Johnny's missing again." He admitted in agitation; his teammates looked horrified. Cyros' mouth was open in silent shock from his position on the couch. Oliver didn't know what to say and instead struggled to hold back a choked response. Robert simply looked determined.

"We'll get him back." He assured, giving everyone each a look in the eye. "But first, we need a plan."

Raul rushed down the hall in frustration, his green eyes wide in panic. He turned the corner sharply and nearly barreled into the person walking. He gasped and lurched to the side, missing the person but falling harshly to the cold floor. With a grimace, he peered through his red bangs to stare up at Tala as the formidable Russian paused in his step and turned to look at him.

"Raul? Where were you heading?" He asked coldly, pulling the smaller teen to his feet. Raul stumbled slightly, steadying himself as he blushed.

"Julia's gone, I can't find her." He flushed further and ducked his head. Tala rolled his eyes.

"She's probably just gone off somewhere to pout." At Raul's questioning look, he explained. "She asked me something but I wouldn't answer her, so she's mad at me."

"Oh." The younger teen uttered, a look of understanding crossing his face. Tala opened his mouth to say something when his eyes narrowed sharply and he roughly grabbed the other redhead, slammed a hand over his mouth and pulled back behind the corner. Raul's eyes widened and he let out a muffled squeak.

"Sh." Tala hissed, focusing on listening.

"... ay too easy. I thought Kuznetsov was supposed to be watching the brat?" A voice filtered through the air, Raul's eyes widened further and he stilled completely.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe he got tired of him too." Another voice commented and they both chuckled.

"Were supposed to grab Hiwatari's kid and that Chinese kid, right?" One asked, coming down the hall towards where the two redheads were hiding.

"Unfortunately. Does Balkov even realise how guarded they're going to be? Especially after that threat the two overheard..." The other one sighed.

"I know," he groaned loudly, "How are we supposed to get past the Blitzkrieg Boys? And where are they, anyway?" Tala was stiff as he loosened his hold on Raul and pushed him down the hall, away from the two men. The circus boy, even though he could not understand what the men were saying, understood what Tala wanted and quietly snuck a good distance from the Russian, fumbling with his phone as he did.

Tala stepped out into the open and Raul heard the two men come to a stop, shouting something that he figured was in Russian. Tala chuckled darkly, sending a shiver down Raul's spine. There was a yelp of pain when Tala disappeared from view and heavily accented voices echoed down the hall, speaking in a tongue he couldn't understand. They fell silent and Raul watched anxiously as Tala reappeared with a nasty snarl on his face.

"Uh, Tala?" Raul asked, flinching when icy blue eyes locked onto his green ones. "What's... um, what's going on?" Tala stared at him blankly before he reached out, took Raul's hand and pushed something into it.

"Go back to bed, Raul." Was all he said as he spun on his heel and vanished into the shadows. Raul stared after him before looking down at his hand. He inhaled sharply as he gazed at the bit chip that rested there, the picture's majestic beauty fading in the dim light, disfigured by the cracks adorning it. He looked away, glancing in the direction the other redhead had gone in, but he was alone and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

So, I have -shockingly- updated. My apologies to those who have enjoyed this story but my interest has consistently plummeted over time. Therefore, I have scrapped the big -giant- idea I had intended to lead up to and am ending it quickly, within a few chapters at best. I hope everyone had enjoyed this chapter and I do apologise for the scene changes all the time but it was the only way I could include everyone and make the chapter work.
-Winter.