-1Cries of a loner

By EpitomeOfMisery

Chapter X:

There was smash as the expensive looking vase fell off the table, shattering onto the floor.

Daichi rubbed his arm where he had banged into the wooden table, before continuing to run as he heard footsteps behind him.

The small red head screamed as he felt someone grab the back of his shirt.

"AHHH! NO LET ME GO!" He cried, trying to run but not going anywhere. "NO TAKE TYSON! NO ONE LIKES HIM ANYWAY-"

The boy was cut off as a hand was placed over his mouth, as he was pulled round into a side room.

"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU LITTLE RUNT!" A very angry Tyson yelled. "I'm more liked than you!"

"Tyson!" Hillary scolded, finally letting go of Daichi's shirt. "We've got to be quiet!"

She sighed, looking around the room at where Tyson, Max, Daichi and Kenny stood before her.

Max stepped back, crying out as he nearly tripped over something on the floor.

"Max!" Hillary hissed angrily.

"Sorry," the American replied. "I nearly tripped on this toy here," he explained, picking up a ragged and threadbare old teddy from the floor.

Tyson blinked, looking around the room that they were hiding in. "What is this place?"

The other looked up, studying the small room.

The floor was plain wooden board. A rickety bed was pushed up against the far wall, the end post only half a metre or so behind Tyson, in the small space.

Max walked up to the old, thick wooden desk, running his finger along the top, picking up dust. "Ouch!" the American complained, wincing as he saw a small spot of blood on his finger.

"Hey Maxy, what's up?" The world champion asked, turning to his friend.

"I cut my finger," the other replied, inspecting the small slit.

Hillary came over. "On what?" She asked, leaning over his shoulder to see.

"I don't know," Max said, looking back to the desk. "It felt like a paper cut."

"I see!" Hillary said suddenly, pointing at the surface of the desk.

Max blinked, not seeing anything, until his gaze fell on a small folder corner sticking out between a crack in the wood. "What's that? It looks like a piece of paper."

As Kenny and Tyson came over, the former pulled at the small, folder sheet. He wrenched it out from between the wood, seeing it was a small piece of thick folded paper.

"It's not just paper," Kenny said. "It's too thick." He unfolded it slowly. "It's a photograph."

Everyone crowded round the chief, staring at the rectangular sheet.

The picture showed three people. On the left was a strong looking young man with dark hair, his arm was round a thin, pale woman. Though her skin was almost white, she was very pretty, with blazing crimson eyes. Her long slate hair framed her even face, as she smiled at the camera.

A silence hung over the room, as everyone's eyes fell onto the small figure in the middle.

A small boy, no more than three, with small slate bangs and bright crimson eyes. A light shone about him, a cheerful smile on his young, bare face.

"Is that…?" Tyson trailed off. He didn't need to finish, everyone else was thinking the same thing.

The small figure was eerily familiar. But despite appearance, there was one big difference. This child radiated happiness…..

….While their captain showed nothing but a cold façade.

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He couldn't look.

Yet he forced himself to watch in horror, as the Russian that had come to be one of his closest friends was hit over and over by his own grandfather.

Kai fell onto his hands and knees on the floor, his hair shadowed his eyes, but his teeth were clenched in anger.

Ray straightened up. He had had enough. He slammed his fist against the air vent he had been peering through. He wasted no time in swinging through the hole. His Neko-jin abilities guiding him to a graceful landing on the carpet, between Voltaire's desk and Kai.

The Russian business man stared at him in shock. "How did you get in here, boy?! I thought I sent my security to deal with you!"

"We work as a team!" Ray said determinedly. "My friends are distracting your lackeys while I bail Kai out. And I'm not leaving until we have our friend back!"

The Chinese boy blinked, as Voltaire began to laugh. A bitterly sadistic chuckle. "So Kai is your friend? How touching," he mocked. "It's nice you believe that, so I really hate to tell you this."

The two guards that had been holding Kai before stepped forward, grabbing hold of Ray.

The blade tried to shove them off, but he was not strong enough to beat the two muscular men.

Voltaire stood before him, his eyes cold. "My Grandson has no need for friends of any kind."

On the floor, Kai was silent. His finger twitched.

"The boy works for me. He works alone."

Kai's hands balled into fists.

"He had no need for you pathetic weaklings. The boy belongs to me."

His teeth clenched. His arms tensed. Ready to pounce. His hand moved to the inner pocket of his jacket.

"My Grandson does not care for the likes of you."

As soon as the words had left Voltaire's mouth, a sound of a spinning Beyblade cut through the room. The Russian business mad gasped, as the room was torn about by the blue blade.

Voltaire and Ray both turned in shock, to find a angry looking Kai stand before them, his launcher clutched tightly in his hand. He was breathing heavily as he glared daggers at his only living relative.

The two guards jumped, letting go of Ray and lunging at Kai.

The teen avoided, giving just enough time for Ray to have Driger in hand.

"LET IT RIP!" The ex-white tiger cried, launching the silver blade after Kai's. The two blades circled together, heading straight for the door. They both blasted it down in one shot.

Kai threw the guards off him, as they tried to pin the boy to the floor. He moved quickly, following after Ray as they both made a run for the exit.

"Catch you later, Grandfather," Kai spat, catching his blade and sprinting through the corridors after Ray.

There was soon heavy footsteps as they heard the guards running after them. But they didn't stop, running on and on through the endless maze.

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The room remained in silence, until Max finally spoke. "It really looks like him."

"I know," Tyson said hollowly, never taking his eyes off the photograph. "Does that mean that… that man and that women… they must be his…."

"I-I've never met Kai's parents," Hillary said quietly.

Fresh tension swept over the room. It was the first time anyone had said the name, that had been running through all their heads, out loud.

"Me neither," Tyson said, as the others nodded.

"He never talks about them," Max agreed. "And if he used to live with his grandfather, then where are they?"

Tyson sighed. "I don't know, Max. I never thought about it before."

"Wait a minute," The American continued. "He used to live with his Grandfather," he said thoughtfully. He stared around the small room. "Then, guys, this must be…. Kai's old room."

The other's heads snapped up, as everything clicked into place. They all looked at their surroundings, deep in thought. It wasn't much of a bedroom.

The walls had no bright colour, only a pale beige tint. The sheets on the bed where a stained white, and the mattress had no sheet covering it. Beside the old desk and the bed, the only other piece of furniture was a plain wooden, three-legged bar stool that seemed to serve as some kind of bedside table.

Max stared at the old teddy that lay forgotten on the floor. The one he had nearly tripped on earlier. It was the only toy, or resemblance of a child that was in the room.

Everyone's minds were running, trying to imagine spending what it would be like to spend your childhood in such a miserable atmosphere. More importantly, was it something that their captain had experienced.

The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by the door swinging open.

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The back door banged against the wall as it was shoved open. Kai led the way, closely followed by Ray.

They sprinted toward the fence.

"There!" Kai cried, pointing toward a small side gate, as they both headed in that direction.

"Wait, Kai!" Ray stopped, just as the Russian's hand reached the latch. "What about the others?! Max, Daichi, Kenny, Hillary and Tyson! They're still in there!"

"What?!" Kai exclaimed. He growled in frustration.

Both turned and ran back in the direction they had come from. Into the jaws of hell once more.

I am so sorry it took me this long to update. I have been really busy recently! So tell me what you think and I will TRY to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Thank you!