NO WAY! AN UPDATE? I MEAN, AN ACTUAL UPDATE?! OF COURSE IT IS AN UPDATE!
You guys have no idea what I've been through. I would've been doomed if my results were bad of my annual exams. It was announced yesterday and thankfully, I actually made it! Gosh! So happy!
SPECIAL NOTE WRITTEN AFTER A WEEK OF ABOVE WRITTEN NOTE: My life is a mess. My one and only sister unfortunately had a mis-carriage on her first time to be a mother. Please if anyone likes my story and is reading this, please pray for her and me. I'm extremely depressed.
A/N: This chapter is DEDICATED to SKYRESSSHUN because of her BIRTHDAY...
Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.
Chapter 5: My Friends, My Family.
The water dripping on his forehead was cold. But it didn't affect him much. He just wanted to sleep.
"Kai?" The familiar voice bounced off his cloudy mind as if a fog was preventing him to catch hold of complete consciousness. Groaning, he shifted a bit.
"Aye?" This voice was young and tearful, "Ian miss you Aye. Open your eye."
"Hey..." Some one had nudged him lightly, this voice was a bit gruff.
He tried to open his eyes and managed to crack open one before closing it again.
"Kai? Hey come on now, wake up." This voice belonged to an older person.
Kai shifted again and with another low groan, he finally opened his eyes, blinking slowly.
"Hey, you're awake." A shock of red hair met his sight before he was hugged gently.
"How're you feeling?" Bryan let out a sigh of relief.
"Dunno." Kai tried to ease the stiffness of his arms and legs.
"Ian was miss you Aye!" Ian pounced on Kai from the back, hugging him tightly.
Spencer blinked at Ian's tortured English and placed the cold, damp cloth he was holding aside.
"You worried us to death back there." Tala told his best friend, sitting in front of him.
"What happened?" Kai tried to remember what had happened after he was thrown out in the cold.
"Um...when we came back from training yesterday, we found you unconscious here. We tried to make you warm but then, you kept sleeping and when we returned today, you had a fever." The red head explained.
Kai frowned, "Sorry."
"Not your fault." Bryan told him, "What exactly happened? Why were you so cold?"
"I..." Kai blinked at the sudden images, flashing in his mind at the memory of his grandfather, "Nothing. It was just a punishment."
"Punishment? But why? What did you do?"
Kai knew that his resolution to fight back would earn him punishment every now and then. It was more often that he would have liked.
Even without him answering the said questions, Tala somehow knew why Kai had been punished. Living with him for almost three months now gave the red head some idea about the personality of his friend. He also learned the fact about his grandfather being the money machine which fueled the abbey and how he stayed behind the scenes when his business partner Boris took care of the abbey.
"What time is it?" Kai asked, averting his gaze and pulling Ian off him.
"We have about half an hour before training." Spencer replied, getting up, "Better get ready."
Kai swallowed. He didn't feel good at all. His body ached from the fever and previous punishments and he felt exhaustion taking its toll.
"You know you can't skip training Kai." Tala seemed to be reading his mind.
"I...know." Kai slumped back tiredly.
"Boris would probably think you're making up a lame excuse." Bryan spoke up.
Kai looked up and sighed.
"Ian will be help you Aye!" Ian piped up, trying to cheer up his brother.
"Ian, you'll be the one needing help instead of Kai!" Bryan smirked at the youngest.
Ian frowned, "Ian help Aye!"
"No Ian needs help from Aye!" Bryan told the young boy.
"No...Byan help Ian and Ian help Aye!" Ian shook his head furiously.
"What a splendid plan my dear bro!" Bryan rolled his eyes.
"Ian know!" Ian informed Bryan kindly, "Ian is 'pendid'!"
"Pffft!" Bryan tried to control his laughter at the poor word 'splendid' who was tortured by Ian to become 'pendid'.
Spencer shook his head, "You know Ian, teaching you to speak properly is like teaching a brick wall. At least show some progress."
"Well he did make progress Spence." Tala pointed out, "He stopped hurting poor 'I' and uses his name now!"
"Pencer Pencer!" Ian jumped, "Aye is sleep."
"Huh?"
Tala looked over, "Kai? He fell asleep again?!"
"His fever's really high. Should we tell Boris he can't come?" Bryan frowned. He honestly didn't like his brother in a condition like this no matter how much jealous he felt for him being close to Tala.
"We can't. Either he'll be punished or taken to the medical wing and we can't risk that." Tala shook his head.
"Well? What else can we do?" Bryan pursed his lips.
"Kai? Hey Kai...can you hear me?" Tala bent over Kai and shook him gently.
No response came. Kai's cheeks were flushed as he drew in sharp breaths.
"We have to get him up on his feet. Otherwise he'll be late for the training." Tala told Bryan.
"One thing, the training starts in fifteen minutes. Second thing, do you really expect him to be able to train in this condition?" Bryan looked at the red head.
"He must. We have to save him from the punishment Bry. It's the only way. We've got to help him." Tala's face became serious.
Bryan pondered at the words for a moment before finally saying, "Okay...let's do it."
When Spencer returned after changing his outfit, he was surprised to find a feverish Kai standing upright with Tala supporting him and Bryan telling him something in a low voice.
"Pencer look good!" Ian told the blonde from his place, "Tara and Byan wake Aye, Pencer!"
"You little gossiper!" Bryan looked at Ian only to receive a bright toothy smile from the young boy.
"I wear this every day Ian and you noticed it now?!" Spencer sighed, "And what are you two doing?"
When Tala told the blonde, he agreed to help. After all, Kai couldn't take anymore punishments...at least not so soon.
Kai pulled away from Tala shakily as the door was unlocked. He threw the uncertain red head a hollow smile before walking out unsteadily.
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Their training went smoothly. Nothing special happened, well except for the fact that Kai was panting hard and struggling to keep up with the rest. His brothers tried to help him as best as they could without the guards noticing. Given the fact that Spencer was helping Ian, Bryan and Tala took Kai's responsibility, keeping as eye out for the dual-haired boy.
Kai tried to lift up a weight but failed miserably as his arms and legs shook with fever. He attempted again and surprisingly, this time it was lifted off the floor easily. Looking beside him, Kai was relieved to find Tala helping him. He nodded gratefully as a silent thanks and the red head smiled at him.
The friendly smile turned to one of a concern before turning into a fearful expression. Not understanding what was going on, Kai looked back only to find a guard standing behind him, a savage smile on his face.
"I...I..." Tala stuttered.
"You seem to have forgotten the rules of this place brat. You need to be reminded of them. Master Boris would be very pleased to teach you a lesson." The guard took hold of Tala's shirt as he dragged him outside the room.
"No!"
All of a sudden, Tala felt himself being pulled backwards. Looking in the direction, his eyes widened, "Kai? No, don't do this. I'll be alright." He almost pleaded in a low voice.
"Let him go." Kai stubbornly pulled the red head towards him again.
"Get lost, you insolent brat. Don't make me teach you a lesson as well." The guard angrily tugged at Tala.
"No, let go of him. I wont let you take..." Kai was pushed back with a strong kick in his chest followed by a hard blow. He staggered behind and felt someone catch him.
"No...Tala..." As Kai tried to lash out again, he felt someone restraining him.
"Calm down Kai. You'll only make it worse." Bryan hissed in his ear, as he controlled the enraged boy.
Spencer looked up sadly from where he was standing with Ian. Compared to him, the young boy almost came up to his shin, making him appear even smaller. He grabbed Spencer's hand and didn't let go, fear evident in his eyes.
"Come on." Bryan dragged a resistant Kai towards his group, pushing the boy every now and then to keep him on track. Kai tried to look back at the door but to his horror, it had been closed. He swallowed as his throat became dry and allowed Bryan to lead him where ever he was going to.
The rest of the training went like usual.
'If only I hadn't been so weak...Tala would've still been with us.' Kai thought angrily. This anger fueled his body and he completed the session without taking anyone's help.
Returning to their rooms, the boost of adrenaline wore off and Kai felt his vision waver slightly. He blinked to clear the sight in front of him but accidentally bumped into another boy who rewarded him with angry Russian curses. He would've replied, had he not been feeling so nauseous and weak so he remained quiet, focusing on walking properly.
Bryan listened the labored breathing beside him and before he could think or ask, he was forced to catch a semi-conscious Kai.
"Whoa...Kai? You okay?" Supporting the boy, Bryan realized how feverish he actually was.
Thankfully being a quick-thinker, Bryan quickly took hold of his brother. Not letting anyone suspect an issue, he steered the delirious boy towards their room. Spencer threw a worried glance back but kept his mouth shut.
Once inside their safe heaven, Bryan let out a breath he had been holding. With the help of Spencer, he finally lied the boy down on the nearest bed gently.
As Spencer went to get a cold rag for Kai, Bryan sat beside him with a sigh. He looked at his brother sadly.
"Aye?" Ian took a step forward hesitantly, "Aye sleep very much." He shook his head in disapproval.
"Kai's sick Ian." Bryan told the young boy, "He's resting."
"Oh. Aye, Don't wake up. Be..." Ian struggled to find the word to replace 'better' due to his limited vocabulary, "Be...good!"
Bryan looked at the youngest. As he opened his mouth to say something, he heard some incoherent words in a low voice from his friend's side. Leaning over the delirious, sick boy, Bryan could catch some of the words he was saying in his semi-conscious state..
"Tala...no...come back..." His voice faded as a feverish sleep took over him.
Bryan shook his head sadly and bit his lip in helplessness. Who knew what was going on with the red-head at that time.
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For the rest of the night, Spencer and Bryan took turns to cool Kai's head with the damp, cold cloth. They couldn't afford to have him suffering with high fever during the training. They kept waiting but Tala didn't come. Ian slept after his failed attempts to help his brothers. He had dumped the cloth on Bryan's head, tripped and spilled the water all over the floor, fell over Spencer's legs as he tried to cross it and accidentally got his head stuck under the bed.
Right now, while sleeping, he was cuddling Kai's scarf which reminded him of his toys which he used to sleep with. Tangling his blanket around him as he twisted to free himself, he had fallen off the bed and now sat on the floor with tearful eyes. An ugly bruise made itself known on his right temple and as he touched it gingerly, a few tears escaped his eyes.
Seeing the young boy on the verge of tears, Bryan got up from Kai's side as Spencer was sleeping after his turn. Reaching near, he sat on the floor beside him.
Looking into the boy's tearful eyes, Bryan asked, "Does it hurt?"
Ian nodded his head and sniffed.
"Don't worry, the pain will go away soon." Bryan swallowed awkwardly. How was he to comfort a young tearful kid?!
He touched the bruise lightly and before he could do anything, Ian lashed forward and hugged his older brother with all his might.
"Hey!" Bryan almost squeaked. It was indeed an awkward situation for the lilac haired boy and he hesitantly patted Ian's head before clearing his throat, "Okay, enough. Now off the floor."
He stood, pulling Ian up with him. This was gonna be a hard night.
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"YOU THINK YOU ARE TOUGH? THAT YOU CAN BREAK THE RULES AND HELP THAT DAMNED BOY?" Boris thundered as he glared at the red-head present in his office.
"I...I'm sorry..." Tala didn't want to reveal the secret of Kai's sickness.
"SORRY?! YOU'RE SORRY? WHY WERE YOU HELPING THAT TRECHROUS GRANDSON IN THE FIRST PLACE?" Boris slapped the boy in a fit of fury.
"Gr-grandson?" Tala couldn't help his curiosity.
"Yes, GRANDSON!" Boris's voice turned venomous.
"I...I didn't know sir." Tala mumbled, though still puzzled as to why Kai was referred to as 'Grandson'.
"WHAT DIDN'T YOU KNOW? THAT HE WAS VOLTAIRE'S GRANDSON?!" Boris was yelling again.
Tala gasped at the news. Voltaire's name wasn't new for his ears...on for anyone living in the abbey...for the matter.
And then...before he could do or say anything, blows began to shower down upon him.
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Bryan blinked the sleep away from his eyes. Spencer and Ian were both sleeping now...on the same bed. Bryan snorted lightly at the sight. A young boy had actually hugged him...hugged a cold, heartless idiot named Bryan Kuznetsov! How...entertaining!
He was sure if Tala was here at the moment, he would've laughed his heart out at the scene. But unfortunately, there was none.
And Kai...he would've surely smiled...a true smile at that hilarious moment. But he was unconscious, spiking up a high fever and calling for the red-head faintly.
Bryan shook his head at the randomly flowing thoughts and hesitantly...his mind resisting...but his heart forcing him to...he took Kai's burning hand in his own, not knowing any other way to comfort the restless boy.
The door was unlocked. Bryan jumped in his place and instantly dropped motionless on the bed. He heard two different sounds of footsteps entering the room.
When the door closed again, the lilac haired boy sighed in relief and got up to have a look. Spencer had woken up too but Ian was still sleeping as if nothing had happened.
Tala looked up at his brothers and met their concerned gazes. He tried to smile, "Hey."
"Hey." He was greeted back in an equally low voice.
"How's Kai?" Tala swallowed.
"Sick. He was asking for you." Bryan told the red head sadly.
Tala went over to his best friend and placed a cool hand on his forehead, not knowing what else to do.
Kai shifted under the touch before murmuring, "-ala..."
"I'm right here Kai." The red head told the feverish boy, "I wont leave you again, I promise."
Surprisingly, Kai relaxed as he heard those words. Tala brushed back his hair and patted his head gently, making up for the loss.
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In the morning, Kai's fever finally broke. Opening his crimson eyes, he was relieved to see the person he trusted the most. Tala Ivanov was the first sight before his eyes. Blinking slowly, he took a deep breath, "Tala..."
"Hey, you're awake." Tala smiled down at the boy.
"When did you..."
"Last night." Tala cut him off.
"What did they do?" The whispered question was hiding emotions.
Tala was left speechless, "Nothing new Kai...just the same."
Kai didn't demand an explanation. Remembering something, Tala countered with his own question, "Kai?"
The boy raised his head to meet his brother's gaze.
"Whose your grandfather?"
Didn't know where to end the chapter. Can't think right now.
A moment of silence will be appreciated.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Thank you.
Rose out...until next time.