Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.
Chapter 4: Heart-warming Bonds.
"Byan, Byan look!" An excited Ian was bouncing up and down.
"What?" Bryan looked at the youngest of the group with boredom.
"Pencer wear me an glasses!" Ian jumped in front of the lilac haired boy.
Bryan sighed. In the first few days of meeting Ian, they all had tried to teach him how to speak properly, especially Spencer and Kai.
"For the millionth time Ian, you use 'an' with vowel sounds." Bryan rolled his eyes.
Ian stopped jumping and thought for a while, "An Pencer wear me an glasses?!"
Bryan shook his head, "No, go and tell Kai."
"Okay." Ian shrugged and went over to Kai who was resting peacefully after a tiring day of training. They all used to sit and chat with each other for a while when they were allowed to return to their rooms. That way, they felt refreshed before sleeping.
"Aye?" Ian poked Kai on his forehead, "Aye, look!"
Kai shifted a bit in his sleep but remained asleep nonetheless.
"Aye wake up!" Ian continued, eager to show at least someone that Spencer had fixed his goggles which he had taken off and couldn't get them right over his head correctly.
"Hn..." Kai was half awake by now.
"Ian, let him sleep." Tala told the boy from his place where he sat, examining a piece of wood.
"Why? Aye look my glasses!" In pouted and poked Kai again, this time harder.
"Yeah..." Kai closed his eyes again after opening one a crack.
"Aye..." Ian climbed up the bed and practically sat on Kai's chest. Being the size he was, it was an easy task for him and Kai was a lot taller than him even at the age of seven.
"What Ian, get off me." Kai was fully awake now. He glared at Bryan and Tala who were snickering at the behavior of the youngest member.
Spencer shook his head, "Ian, you don't just go and ride someone just to wake them up."
"No?" Ian asked innocently.
"No." Spencer looked at him.
"I'm no ride, I sit!" Ian told the blonde.
"That's...the same thing." Tala pointed out, rolling his eyes.
"Okay...what do you want to show?" Kai asked pushing Ian lightly off him and sitting up.
"Look!" Ian gestured towards his goggle, "Pencer wear them to me!"
Kai struggled to make sense of the words before sighing, "That's good."
"The kid sure knows how to convey his point!" Bryan muttered, smirking.
"Tara..." Ian went to the red head.
"Yeah?" Tala glanced at him. They all had learned to treat him like a young brother.
"Hungy," Ian made a face as his stomach growled, "Tummy hungy!"
"He's hungry." Bryan elaborated as he saw the lost expression on Tala's face.
"No," Ian shook his head furiously, "Tummy hungy!"
"Fine...his stomach is hungry." Bryan rolled his eyes.
"But you ate a whole bread at dinner Ian." The red head told the boy skeptically.
"Bed?" Ian tried to remember what had he eaten.
"Yeah, bread. And now you're hungry again?!" Tala asked exasperated.
Kai tossed Bryan a packet of snacks from under his bed, "Found them this morning."
"Foody!" Ian announced happily.
"Ian..." Spencer looked at Ian expectantly.
"No foody?" Ian frowned.
"You can have them when you thank Kai." Spencer sighed as he tried to teach the boy some manners.
"Oh..." Ian nodded and went over to Kai, "Pencer say 'tank you' Aye!"
Spencer face-palmed, Bryan exploded with laughter as well as Tala and Kai blinked.
"Pencer is not eating these, you are so you will say thank you." Spencer practically begged to the young boy.
"Oh..." Ian tilted his head, "Me will say 'tank you' Aye." He informed the bemused boy in front of him.
"Uh...don't mention it." Kai finally stuttered as he tried to make sense of the phrase.
After munching on the snacks, Ian slept there on Kai's bed while listening to his older brothers talking to each other about there day.
"He...actually snores?!" Bryan's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the mild sound of snoring coming from the young boy.
"Don't tell me!" Tala came forward and listened intently, "He really does!"
"Give it a break guys. Let's just sleep already." Spencer stood to go to his bed.
"Please some one get him off my bed." Kai glanced at the small heap on his bed, "Eh?!"
This 'Eh! earned him a few giggles and he looked back, "Why exactly is he holding my scarf? It's not his teddy bear!"
Ian was clutching the tail ends of Kai's scarf which he was still wearing. The young boy was sleeping contently.
"What a grip." Spencer sighed after his failed attempt to release Kai's scarf from the boy's fists.
There was the sound of echoing footsteps outside which made them all drop like stones on there beds. Kai quickly pulled the blanket over himself and Ian and when it wasn't enough, he covered Ian with it, not taking any part of it on himself. The three and half year old slept peacefully in the warmth as Kai hid his shiver from the others.
The door to their room opened and a guard entered, "Master Boris is calling you brat. Get up!" He was glaring at Kai since he was the same guard who had gotten into that argument with Kai about 'button eyes'.
Kai quickly undid his scarf's knot and left it in Ian's hand as he got off the bed to follow the guard. The door was slammed shut and locked behind him as he stepped into the dark hallway.
Tala swallowed as he tried to stay calm, "Why is he called at a time like this?"
"Don't know. Let's just hope he'll return." Bryan whispered back.
Spencer looked at the door worriedly.
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He was standing inside a cold office. There was a mahogany desk in front of him and opposite the desk was the back of a chair facing him.
"Kai..." The chair finally turned to meet him.
"Grandfather." Kai raised his eyes hatefully.
"I've heard about your recent behavior and I must say I'm very disappointed in you." Voltaire leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk.
Kai remained silent.
"I have also heard that you're not showing much progress in training. In fact, you deserved what Boris did to you."
Kai still said nothing.
"Why do you intend to bring down our family name boy?" Voltaire slammed his fist on the desk, "I had high hopes for you."
"I damn care about your plans. Why don't you leave me alone?" Kai's voice was high too and he knew the consequences.
"Leave you alone...LEAVE YOU ALONE?" The elder rose from his seat, coming to stand before the boy, "I'LL LEAVE YOU ALONE IN HELL BOY! DON'T MAKE ME TAME THAT TONGUE OF YOURS!"
"I wont become your puppet and do whatever you'll say without question." Kai stood his ground, but couldn't help wincing slightly as he was slapped viciously.
Voltaire fumed as he pressed a button on his desk. Two guards came from the now open door.
"Throw him outside and make sure he turns to ice himself."
The guards nodded and dragged the non-resisting boy outside the room. Kai simply allowed himself to be pushed and pulled towards the snow-covered grounds as he tried to prepare himself for the inevitable, his mind racing.
He was pushed on the hard, cold ground roughly as he clenched his teeth at the Russian climate.
"Serves you right, brat." A guard kicked him in the chest and Kai gasped in pain.
Leaving the boy to suffer in the cold blanket of snow, the guards went back inside.
Kai took a deep breath and shivered uncontrollably as he tried to gain some warmth in his unprotected body. He shuddered as small ice shards clung to his hair and shook his head,trying to get rid of them.
It stung...it really stung. His chest was on fire as he was covered with snow. Within a few moments, he collapsed on the cold ground in an unmoving heap.
He tried to look above but the snow fall prevented him. This snow...which was now killing him had once been one of his favorite time-passes.
FLASHBACK...
"Mama,look." A young boy came running inside.
"What is it sweetheart?" A lovely woman with long flowing blue hair and crimson eyes appeared from behind a door.
"I made a snow bird." The child told his mother happily.
"Really? Where is it?" The woman followed her son to the outside world, angelic white with snow.
"It's a phoenix." The boy announced as he showed his mother the model.
"Wow, it's really nice Kai. How did you make it?" Katia knelt before her son.
"I made it with ice mama." Kai clapped at the words of appreciation.
"What is it's name?"
"Um..." Kai thought for a while, "Dranzer."
END FLASHBACK
"Dranzer..." Kai smiled at the memory, "I'm so cold..."
He struggled to breathe as he felt his body going numb from the freezing winds. After a couple of minutes, blackness rose to consume him and he allowed himself to slip into the abyss of darkness.
Unbeknown to the now unconscious boy, there was a mysterious glow in his jeans' right pocket and the moment he fainted, a bright golden ray emitted from it and took a form beside him.
It was a girl. She had heel length bright red hair which flowed around her. She was wearing a golden,orange and red cloak with a hood which was present on her head. Her brilliant crimson eyes were looking at the prone figure on the ground in front of her. Her skin was extremely fair and her light orange lips thinned as she took in the appearance of her master. She held out an elegant hand as she daintily brushed away his hair. Under the cloak, could be seen glimpses of a long, full-sleeved golden and silver dress.
The guardian phoenix knelt beside her master as she gazed at him sadly.
Slowly, she took of her cloak and spread it over his freezing body to warm him up. Nuzzling close to him to share the heat as she radiated.
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It was late when group 7 returned back from their training. The guard opened the door and as they all entered the room,locked the door once more.
Once inside, Tala's eyes widened at the sight as he saw a motionless figure on the hard floor.
"K-Kai?", The red head knelt beside the boy who was shivering every now and then.
"He's freezing." Bryan cursed under his breath as he touched Kai's shoulder, "Those damned fools."
Spencer quickly went and pulled off Kai's blanket from the bed, spreading it over the unconscious boy to warm him up. When it didn't work,Tala got up and covered Kai with the rest of the blankets too. Ian watched his brothers quietly, trying to know what was going on. His young mind registered the fact that his favorite brother wasn't talking or moving. Inching closer, he touched Kai's arm, "Aye?"
No reply came.
"Ian, he's...sleeping." Spencer told the boy not wanting to explain the meaning of 'unconscious' at that time.
"Oh..." Ian stepped back.
They helped Kai on the bed in the jumbled mass of blankets, letting him get him warmth.
And still cold, Kai was vaguely aware of the strong bond he had formed with his brothers.