Disclaimer: The lawyers can fuck off because I own nothing.
So, yeah, another late chapter...been fighting off colds and small children drain you dry, but my small child is with her daddy and I can enjoy having no bedtime and drinking water out of a wine glass. Pokemon Hunting is also crazy time consuming. If anyone cares, I'm Team Instinct!
Thank-you to Granger Rebellion, Senseless, Violet Hiwatari, KiraFox and Tyka's Flower for all your kind words that keep me motivated to finish this story. Thank-you to all my readers. I adore you all!
Warnings: None?...Oh wait...ALL of the warnings. This chapter is painful.
Happy reading!
"So what happened with Voltaire? How did you end up to be one of Boris' pawns?" asked Tyson.
"Well..." Anya continued, "...Kai wasn't a normal child."
THUD!
"Waaaaaaah!"
The young mother raced into the room, her heart rattling in her chest as panic threw her mind into a frenzy. Her heart rose into her throat when she saw her 18 month old son's arms laying limp under the book shelf that had detached itself from the wall. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, she picked up the heavy, oak shelf and threw it onto the other side of the room.
She forced herself to swallow the bile that had risen in the back of her throat.
Blood covered her son's face and his nose was clearly broken, his arms had huge gashes on them and his breathing was shallow and raspy. In a gentle voice, she tried to soother her crying babe as she took him into her shaking arms. "Shh, it's ok, it's ok. Mama's here. Mama's here." She brushed a blood-soaked silver strained of hair out of his eyes as she struggled to hang onto her sanity.
She had to call an ambulance.
"Don't move sweetie." She ran to the kitchen and grabbed the phone that was attached to the wall and dialled 911.
"Hello 911, what's your emergency?"
But Anya wasn't paying attention, too focused on the scene happening before her. Her son was glowing. His injuries healing before her very eyes. Soon Kai was sitting upright looking around, the only evidence of the ordeal was the blood that stained his face and clothes.
"Hello? 911, what is your emergency?"
Anya hung up the phone.
"You let a bookcase fall on me?" said Kai disbelievingly, his arms folded over his chest, his piercing gaze boring into his mother, clearly not impressed.
"It's not my fault! You had a bad habit of climbing on nearly everything! Bookcases. Kitchen counters. I had to tie things to the wall so they wouldn't fall!"
"You obviously missed something."
"I didn't think my 1 year old would attempt to climb a freaking bookshelf! Trust me, it wasn't in the parenting manual."
"Sounds like Dranzer was the only one keeping an eye on me."
Anya then shot a glare so deadly, Tyson actually saw Kai flinch. "Watch your tongue Kai Alexander Hiwatari and remember who gave it to you in the first place. I could have always aborted you."
Kai's eyes went wide and Tyson's mouth dropped and he forced himself not to laugh. It wasn't everyday that the snarky Russian was put in his place. Fortunately Kai wisely kept his mouth shut and Anya continued her story. "Your healing abilities did not go unnoticed by your grandfather, and that's when he started his research into bitbeasts. Then he met Boris. Together they decided to combine their resources to unlock the power of the bitbeasts. Then one day, everything changed..."
"Left?! What do you mean he left?!" Anya shouted, not believing her ears.
"It appears Susumu wanted something else. Chose beyblading over the company." Voltaire said calmly.
"He wouldn't do something like that without telling me!" the woman insisted, "He wouldn't leave me, leave Kai, without some sort of warning!"
"I guess it appears that neither of us really knew him, doesn't it?" the old man snapped, causing Anya to bite her tongue. "As it stands, Kai is the sole heir to the company. I want him properly educated. I have made arrangements with my associates Vladmir Kusenov and Boris Balkov to be trained at an abbey in Russia."
The woman's body then started shaking in rage and she struggled to keep her voice even. "R-Russia? Kai is only 5! He's too young to be that far away from me!"
Voltaire rose to his feet. "It's already been decided. Put your petty womanly feelings aside and see that this is for your son's future!"
His words felt like a slap to the face. She clenched her fists and bowed her head as the powerful man strode past her. After a few moments she finally lifted her gaze and it landed on Boris, who was smiling like he had gotten everything he had ever wanted.
That smile made her rage bubble over.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY HUSBAND?!" She bellowed, reaching out and snatching the purple-haired parasite by the collar, her eyes glaring daggers into his smug visage. "What have you done with Susumu?"
His grin widened. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She swung her fist but he caught it and slammed her against the wall, leaning in close enough that she could smell his rancid breath. "If I were you, I would be thinking really hard about what I say and do, as both your husband and your son's fates lie with me."
"And just like that my rights were stripped, my freewill taken. I had absolutely no say in anything and I couldn't do anything without the fear they would hurt you or your father. You have no idea how relieved I was when you finally escaped out of their clutches. And when you were in danger once more, I wasn't going to stand there and let Boris have his way with you." Anya and Kai shared a small, understanding look between each other.
Several moments passed before Tyson asked, "So what happened to Kai's dad?"
"I have no idea, and after 14 years, I don't think I'll ever know. I learned nothing from Boris and neither did Dimitri. It's like he disappeared without a trace. Bastards probably changed his named and brought him to some remote country." She scowled.
"There's gotta be something we can do!" insisted Tyson.
"Just drop it Kinomiya."
Tyson looked at his rival with disbelief. "You can't be giving up too! It's your father!"
"Doesn't change the fact that no one has heard from him in 14 years."
"But Kai-"
"Trust me, false hope doesn't help anyone." said Anya darkly. "The only thing that matters now is stopping Boris. At this point, I can only assume that Susumu is dead so we can concentrate on taking out Boris without fear."
Tyson was about to protest again, but seeing the solemn expressions on both the Hiwatari's faces told him that this wasn't an easy decision for them to come to. With nothing else left to do, he balled up his fist. "We'll make Boris pay."
Kai glanced over at Dimitri. "How do you fit into all of this?"
"Well...Your mother and I only met a short time ago. Boris had called me while I was in the middle of surgery and just by the sound of his voice I could tell that something was immediately wrong. He told me I had to come to his place right away, saying that he had fucked up big time and it was a matter of life or death. I called in another doctor and I left in the middle of the surgery, not knowing I was in for the shock of my life."
The doctor stared in the doorway, his jaw slack. He knew of his step-brother's sadistic and twisted habits...but this...this was too much.
A frail, battered woman lay lifelessly on her stomach on the cold, dusty floor of the musty prison cell, her dark midnight hair obstructing her face from veiw. Her dress was torn and he could see the ugly purple and green bruises on her milky legs, some new and some old, clearly suggesting that she was used to harsh treatment. Around her was a pool of crimson, the walls were splattered with blood.
"I don't care how you save her, just do it." ordered the monster walking away, leaving the doctor alone with the woman.
"Asshole." muttered the Russian under his breath. Preparing for the worst, he gently knelt down to the woman, and pulled the hair from her face, internally wincing when he saw the cresent-shaped, purple-black bruise around her left eye. Blood was still leaking from her nostrils and running down her mouth and chin. "Can you tell me your name?"
The woman moaned and he eyes fluttered open. Dimitri froze when he saw those intense rubies. Could it be...? "Can you tell me your name?" he repeated, a little more demanding.
"A-Anya Hiwatari." she whispered.
Coming to a resolve within himself, he delicately took the woman's hand. "Hello Anya. My name is Dimitri. I'm going to fix you up and then you and I are going to come up with a plan to get you out of here."
"Why would you help me?" asked the woman warily, "What's in it for you?"
"I just happen to know a stubborn, young man with eyes like yours who would probably turn in his blade for a chance to see you again."
"Kai?" she smiled wistfully. "He wouldn't do that. I doubt that he would even remember me."
"Care to test out that theory?" the doctor asked, holding out his cellphone, offering her a will to live and a reason to continue fighting.
Through her blurred vision, Anya could just barely make out her son's name on the screen. With a trembling hand she pressed the call button...
Kai's face went white and he looked over to his mother. "You mean that first time you called me-"
"I was laying in a pool of my own blood after getting my ass kicked by Boris." finished Anya bitterly.
"After I mended her, we came up with the idea of faking a pregnancy to keep Boris' from unleashing his temper out on her. I gave her a bottle of ipecac to induce vomiting and it was easy to fake the rest of the symptoms." explained Dimitri.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kai asked, his voice and face stern.
The doctor sighed, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "Do you really have to ask? I've seen how wound up you get over an injured kitten. You jumped to your death for Tyson for Pete's sake! Knowing you, had I told you, you would have stormed Boris' fortress without a plan or back-up and gotten yourself captured or worse...then what good would have done anyone?"
"If Kai got captured, then the team would've just gone in there and rescued him." Tyson said, grinning, "Boris wouldn't have stood a chance."
Kai just crossed his arms and sent the doctor a smug look as Tyson just validated his point. Dimitri just shook his head and laughed. "You boys are just to much."
"But everything is alright now, right Kai?" Anya asked, trying to put the past behind them.
Kai stood up, his lips drawn in a tight line. "The only thing that would make any of this alright is Boris behind bars." He walked out of the room, leaving his mother and the doctor to stare after him.
"Awww, don't worry about the sourpuss. He's happy to have you back, he's just worn out from all of the excitement today." said Tyson, explaining Kai's mannerisms. He checked the time. "Jeez no wonder he's cranky! It's past midnight! Feel free to spend the night, we have tons of rooms upstairs."
"Thank-you Tyson." Anya said sincerely.
"Awe, don't sweat it. Any family of his is family of mine! G'night!"
"Night."
Once the adults were sure he was out of earshot, Anya leaned over and said, "Is it just me, or are they head over heels for each other?"
Dimitri chuckled. "It really seems that way doesn't it? I think everyone but them can see it too."
The woman sighed. "Well there goes my hopes of having grandchildren. Who would have ever guess that Kai would turn out gay?"
"I think there's a story between them that we're entirely unaware about."
"I guess so." She said sighing, before a smile crept onto her lips. "But Tyson does seem good for him, doesn't he?"
"Yeah. Your son is in safe hands."
"That's a relief." Her soft look quickly became one of confusion as the doctor draped his arm around her narrow shoulders and tenderly took her hand into his.
"I hope you know that you are too. I won't let Boris or anyone else hurt you again."
"...Dimtri, I-" but she was silenced with a single finger laid over her lips and he leaned in closer. Shutting her eyes, Anya finally let go of the belief that her husband was still alive somewhere and pressed her lips against his. Warmth flooded her being as she slowly felt herself opening up to the man who had helped giving back both her son and her freedom.
Upstairs, Tyson timidly knocked on his roommate's bedroom door.
"It's open Kinomiya."
Tyson walked into to see Kai sitting on his bed tinkering with his Dranzer, Kei curled up on his left thigh, purring soundly. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and grey sweatpants, his face free of his warpaint. "What is it? Need a human teddy bear?" He asked teasingly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Actually I wanted to thank-you for saving my life today, Kai. When Boris kicked me off the ledge I thought I was done for."
"You can thank me once we put him away for good." said the Russian gruffly.
"Just know you won't have to do it all alone." Kai looked up and they shared a small smile, before Tyson strolled over and took a seat on the edge of the king-size mattress.
"You should get some sleep Kinomiya. Tomorrow I'm going to be ruthless until I know we can win out matches against those bastards."
Tyson sighed. "How do you think they became so strong in the first place? I mean we've faced tough opponents before, but even Brooklyn wasn't this tough." He laid down on the mattress.
"It's a combination of incredibly powerful bitbeasts, high-tech beyblades and the fact that losing just isn't an option for them." explain the Phoenix Master, setting down his blade, stroking Kei's fur softly.
"It's more than that. It's like they have no conscious. They don't even care who gets hurt in the process." He looked up at his Captain. "What did Boris do to make them so soulless?"
"Boris, Gideon, Dr. K...It doesn't matter. Our only mission is to stop them by any means necessary."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. But it still makes me wonder."
The older blader sighed. "You're only going to give yourself a headache." He picked up his kitten and turned off the lamp on his bedside table. "You staying or not?" He asked as he crawled under the covers.
"I'll stay." The teenager threw off his red jacket and kicked off his jeans so he was only wearing his yellow wife-beater and baby-blue boxers and climbed in next to Kai, who put his arm around him. They couldn't help but feel safe as their bodies pressed up against each other, their shared warmth coaxing them into relaxation. They laid their together, the comforting sounds of their breathing making all the horrors of the world ebb away from their minds, and the sweet intoxication of each other's scent gently pulling them into a deep slumber.
From the doorway, Anya Hiwatari couldn't help but smile as she peered down at their peaceful expressions, silently wishing that time would just stand still.
And there! Done and edited! Please let me know what you think in a review! Next chapter the focus shifts back to the tournament!
