Phoenix Fallen: Yea, yea, I know, I'm annoying – how long has it been since I've last updated? Half a year, or something? sigh Wow, I'm a real slacker… blame my teachers! growls

Meh, whatever. winkwink I'm really sorry, by the way. I feel really bad now… hides in a corner

Oh, and for those that have forgotten, we've just left off when Kai catches a glimpse of the man. Hope you enjoy this!

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Disclaimer: Aoki-san owns Bakuten Shoot Beyblade. Not me. I'm just a fan. This is my story based on his characters and their situations. I just wish Aoki-san would elaborate more on Kai's situation… he's more focused on Takao/Tyson's. Not that I don't like Takao… Kai is just better.

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For Those Who Are Beaten

Chapter Six: To Be Bombarded With Questions

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... How is it that blood can suddenly run so cold?

Kai's jaw clenched as he felt his insides turn completely icy - just as they had done when witnessing his grandfather charging furiously down on him; when he had psychically begged for acceptance, and silently pleaded to be forgiven for the fact that he couldn't live up to what was expected of him; that he could never be the strong, unafraid warrior that Biovolt was wanting him to be...

The adolescent tensed, realizing, and trying to rid himself of the emotion-drived frost occupying his internal organs, catching a saddened whimper that had begun to erupt in his throat and forcing it back down. Why had he suddenly been brought back to the feelings he had experienced during his fateful departure almost a day ago? He shook himself mentally, forcing his muscles to relax.

What's wrong with you, Hiwatari? Why have you gone so apprehensive all of a sudden? He brought one hand into a gentle fist, squeezing lightly and trying to concentrate on the stabbing flecks of pain it brought as the shining glass shards penetrated deeper into his palm. Why is it you feel so sick...?

He glanced up towards the door, watching as Tyson Kinomiya gave a cresent-moon grin that seemed to stretch the perimeters of his face an unbelievable amount; "Kai!" he exclaimed joyfully, and he bounded over, reminding the unfortunate teen of an eager mutt greeting its owner when he comes home, "You're awake! Ah, finally!" The Japanese boy sat himself down at the side of his futon - opposite Hilary - giving him an expectant and excited expression, but Kai couldn't help but ignore him: his dark-honey irises trailed along to focus on another person entering the room, and then...

The dark-haired man locked eyes with him.

His stomach flinched abruptly, his heart rising up into his throat, and despite all his efforts, he froze once again. His chest rose as his lungs desperately filled with air, and he found himself beginning to breathe quite heavily. He fought not to shudder, his muscles becoming taut as he suppressed distraught mewls from escaping his lips, and in the process, found himself becoming nauseous as the pressure built up inside of him.

... Is it... D-death?

The thin, awkward thought fragment suddenly made itself apparent in his mind, and refused to budge, no matter how much he tried to push it away. It was... scary. Why that word? Why now?

You're going insane Hiwatari! He growled exasperatedly at himself. What's with this wave of anxiety all of a sudden? Get a goddamn grip before you begin to lose it completely! You're being stupid; you don't even understand what you're thinking! He is not...

He let his thought waver as he watched the young adult begin to advance closer towards him.

... Death...?

"Hey, Kai? Kaa-aai! Hey, can't you hear me?"

The teen drew a sharp breath of surprise, jerking his head to his right where the Tyson's voice had come from, and a vague slap of pain got him in the temple for doing so. Max and Rei had joined the navy-haired blader's side, and all three of them were giving him wondering looks.

"Are you doing alright?" Rei asked, looking slightly sympathetic.

Kai blinked a few times in surprise, then nodded once, swallowing as he did so. Calm down - it's just your team, he tried to tell himself. They are not the one who broke you; you'll be fine. Just relax, Hiwatari, you're only imagining the trouble...

"Good morning, Kai," Mr. Dickinson was now in front of his futon, smiling all around as he usually did, "How are you? From what I've heard, you've certainly been through a lot."

He shrugged, averting his eyes onto the blanket covering his lap. He'd been through a lot like this before, although, that was different - that was with Boris, and Boris wasn't one he had trusted; he wasn't the family that had suddenly turned on him; the person who abandoned him in the abbey of stone-cold, Russian winters.

Not that he didn't like the winter: he loved the way weightless snowflakes floated lazily down from the sky, how he would try to catch them in his mouth and experience the toasting sensation of them evaporating on the warmth of his own tongue. He loved trying to keep his balance just to end up sliding around while standing on the ice, and the crunching sound you make as white powder gives way underneath your feet.

Winter even had its own scent as well; it smelt of pure cold, pine needles, smoke from bonfires created to light up the dark and keep you warm at night, freshly baked goods wafting from the stores on the main street of Moscow, and air so crisp and minty that it burns your nose with its own cleanliness.

There was also the thrill of a good snowball fight - building forts as quickly as you could to protect yourself as you engage in battle. Kai remembered these quite fondly, for these were the times in Russia when he and all the other boys fought for fun, and had forgotten all about the strict training, and punishments they were forced into back home in that old church.

Those were the rare times that they - the recruits - were permitted to escape from that horrible building and roam freely, even if it was only to find other bladers to practice their skills on. But the clear sounds of Moscow were calling out, and back then, the young, naive Kai wasn't afraid to bend the rules, and lead every other boy to do the same. But that was before things had started to get serious...

"Kai?" Hilary whispered timidly, snapping the negative thought train that had begun to consume him once again, "Are you sure you're okay? You keep..." she paused, her rich, ruby irises big and filled with concern, "You keep zoning out."

He said nothing, completely aware of the numerous pairs of eyes that were focusing on only him. He sighed, she's right. I can't even hear them talking to me anymore.

"Kai," Mr. Dickinson began softly, "I'd like to introduce you to someone." the teen raised his head with a hint of difficulty, watching as the elder gestured to the young adult nest to him, "This is Azra Black. He was the one who brought you here."

The next thing escaping the youths mouth surprised near everyone in the room, including himself.

"I know," he heard himself plainly say, though on the inside, his mind churned in panic and suspicion.

Hiwatari, what in hell are you doing?! He yelled internally at himself, you don't know this man, why would you say that? He gazed over to the adult, watching him smile gently in recognition, and wondered: why would he play along with this? Do I actually...?

The one now known to him as Azra Black knelt down beside Hilary, balancing himself on the back of his heels, his features calm, serene, and strangely familiar. He reached out with one hand, and with the slightest hesitation, the teen leaned forwards took it in his own.

You're face, your actions... even your name makes me feel like I really do know you from somewhere. He began to wonder as he stared into the rich irises of the male opposite himself. And somehow I can't help but suspect that... I can't help but think that youknow that I can hardly remember. And you do... don't you...?

And somewhere there was an emitting - a penetrating into his thoughts - and he heard a soft chuckle: "And I know everything else as well..."

His eyes widened, and he gasped sharply the second he made physical contact with the young man, withdrawing his whole arm immediately and protectively holding it close to his chest. The moment they had touched, it felt like a jolt of electricity had run straight through him, and then... There was another voice in my head, he whimpered frantically to himself, why was there another voice in my head?

"Sorry, are you okay?" Azra asked, his eerie aura disappearing completely - evaporating into nothingness that he, if he could stop remembering, would forget was even there - and he was suddenly back to being the kind, generous, twenty-year-old who had carried him here, "I forgot: your hands are hurt."

Kai blinked in slight confusion, his brain still desperately trying to register what had just happened, then slowly lowered his hand down in front of him: his palm glistened in separate pools of deep red as bloody pinpricks grew, vibrantly dotting his skin's surface, and slowly dripping downwards to meld with one another. He bit his lip lightly, only now realizing the pain he had caused himself by the brief handshake.

"You hurt your hands?" Tyson craned his neck forwards to see, letting out a small grunt of surprise, "Wow, Kai, how'd you do that?"

At this comment, Hilary's own hand shot forwards, grabbing the ends of his fingers where they weren't slashed and quickly pulled his whole limb closer to her so she could look at his wounds. She frowned, and when she looked up at him, her expression showed she was truly sorry for him, "How did you do that?"

"I..." he paused, watching the tiny red flecks swell and merge into one another, "I fell... on glass."

"Glass?" Max leaned forwards as well.

He nodded once, "China... from a broken vase."

There was a period of silence.

"What about all your other cuts and bruises?" it was Rei's turn to ask something now, "How'd you get those? Were you in a fight, or something?"

The adolescent exhaled, saying nothing. What was he supposed to tell them anyway? Did they really want to hear him say that his grandfather beat the crap out of him yesterday morning? Besides, they'd never let him go back if they knew...

Another question formed, but by who, he wasn't even trying to know: "Where were you going when you were walking out in the rain?"

There was a long silence, partly because not even Kai knew the answer to that, and the last inquiry was dropped as another emerged from someone else: "Why were you walking out in the rain? I mean, why didn't you just go home, or something?"

The boy's insides flinched, and his thoughts trailed backwards just to remind himself why, but still, nothing was heard escaping his lips.

"C'mon, Kai, you can tell us! We're your teammates; your friends!"

"Yeah, Kai. Why're you beat up so bad?"

Unchanging. He remained unchanging in expression and reply; a silent, slightly out of tune character whom which the words 'stoic' and 'brooding' had most probably evolved. He didn't move, and he hardly blinked, contemplating on how he had ended up in this mess.

"Kai," Mr. Dickinson began, "Please. Maybe we can help."

Maybe you can't help - you'll only make things worse between my grandfather and I if you decide to intervene. The teen's thoughts swirled spitefully, creating a maelstrom of frustration and grief; I already know he's not going to enjoy the fact that I've been cared for here, but he'll hate me forever if I tell you! You're not going to help, you're going to-

His crimson-brown irises began to trail upwards and to his left as he interrupted himself, for something was applying pressure to his hand. He looked over, remembering that Hilary was holding it in her own, and found her giving him a light, encouraging smile, pleading for him to speak. He frowned slightly; they aren't going to leave me alone, are they? He growled irritatingly at himself. Might as well tell them something...

Exhaling, he finally muttered, "I fell."

Everyone in the room glanced to one another, and the elderly man continued, "Where did you fall?"

"I..." he felt his toes curl in slight resentment as he felt the brunette girl give him another reassuring squeeze under his fingers, "I fell down a staircase."

Tyson cocked an eyebrow skeptically, "How do you get that hurt from falling down stairs?"

Kai shot him a glare, resisting the urge to smack him, because obviously, he had never fallen down the stairs before, "Because he threw a - " he began angrily, but he cut himself off abruptly, catching his sentence in his throat before he could finish it.

"Was it," the soft, masculine vocals of Azra Black reached his ears once again, and he turned to face him, "Was it the same person who told you to run?"

Kai stared at him for a while, a mixed feeling of trust and suspicion rising inside of him, "Yeah," he breathed quietly, "It was."

"And did he throw something at you because you didn't want to go?"

On the inside, he winced. Was this Azra just getting some lucky guesses, or did he really know? Still in his head he could hear his grandfather's harsh voice as he uttered the syllables: "Stupid boy. Get out of my house!" It hurt so unbelievably much - the fact that he wasn't wanted.

"Is this true, Kai?" Mr. Dickinson asked, looking down with a hint of sadness in his expression, "Did this really happen?"

He tensed, and the room was almost dead silent. This is getting too far, he commented, think up something quickly, Hiwatari, or they'll begin to suspect it was him...

"Kai -"

"There were five of them," he blurted, faking a sudden crumbling under the pressure they put him under, "We were in the abandoned warehouse, on the far side of an open field, behind some paper and mechanics factories."

The old man before him raised his eyebrows, probably surprised at his abrupt 'confession', "What were you doing there?"

He shrugged, his mind racing as he built himself a convincing enough story, "Just... talking."

"And what inspired them to throw something at you?"

He frowned, for he knew they were probably thinking it was only the vase that had been chucked in his direction instead of the table too, "We... didn't agree on a few things."

Tyson tilted his head to one side in his inquiry, "Like what?"

"I..." his brow furrowed, his frown not fading, "We had made some deals a while back - before this team existed - and I wasn't willing to live up to my part of the agreement anymore."

"That was when you were a part of that gang, the Shell Sharks, am I correct?" Mr. Dickinson continued.

The boy gave an internal growl as he nodded, will they ever stop asking me things?

"Is that all that happened?"

He paused, debating with himself whether or not to add more details to his story, but finally decided against it - it would make things too complicated, and he might not remember all he had said when he was asked to confirm things in the future. That was the problem with most liars - they didn't know when to stop, and by the time they did, they had weaven something too confusing, and would end up getting found out. But luckily, this male had perfected the art of delusion when he was younger; something he owed to Boris and all his rules.

"Yeah," he murmured, his eyes attached to the floor, "That's it."

The old man sighed heavily, straightening from his slightly bent over position he had unconsciously taken on whilst listening, "Alright then, Kai," the shown emotions upon his face were faint and gentle, "You had better get some rest now."

The teen slowly let out a breath he had been unknowingly holding, silently agreeing. Near exhausted, he looked upwards, watching as everyone stood up - every pair of eyes watching him in concern - and one by one, headed to the sliding door and disappeared into the backyard of the Kinomiya dojo.

"Good luck, Hiwatari Kai," Azra Black spoke in almost a whisper as he left, "I'll see you again soon."

He froze in repeat: good luck...? To be seen again... soon? But before he could ponder on it any longer, another voice seared through the calm: "Kai?"

Hilary was lingering in the doorway, leaning her head against the frame so that he could only see half her face, "You can't do everything yourself." she paused, her expression turning troubled, "We're here for you... okay?"

He gazed at her, feeling a bit unsure; "Okay," he told her.

She smiled softly, "I'll be close by; don't be afraid to call if you need something," and then, just like the others, she disappeared too.

Kai sat there motionless, staring at the exact place where she had just been. He frowned suddenly, slumping down into his futon, pulling the covers tightly around him, shutting his eyes forcefully.

"Don't be afraid," he scoffed, muttering, "Don't be... afraid."

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Phoenix Fallen: That's right, Hiwatari! Don't be afraid! giggles Oh, he is such a cutie. Thanks to all you reviewers (84 reviews! Huzzah!), I love you all!

Actually, this was the second version of this chapter (just so you know!). I had written two different versions, and this turned out to be the better one – the two are VERY different. The other one was bad, but I don't know why. So, I just started from scratch again. Heh heh heh…

So, here are two questions you may like to ponder until I come again with the next chapter…

Why does Kai think of Death around this Azra fellow? That sure is random… yay randomness!

What'll happen next?! Will Kai meet his grandfather and patch things up? Or will he just deal with his problem from afar? Or will he just forget about his issues at home and try to live as normally as he can?

Oh man! This is killing me, all these questions! laughs You must hate me right now… but that's okay. grin

Yeah, I'm gonna go watch Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas now (I adore Jack; he's so charming! And Sally is such a sweetheart!).

Leave me a review! Bai bai!