PROTECTING YOU

RATED T

SUMMARY=

"I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU" TALA MURMURED TO BRYAN WEAKLY.

DISCLAIMER=

I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

CHAPTER ONE=

Bryan was waiting anxiously for Tala to return home from school. Every day for 2 months now Tala had been making excuses to not walk home with him. Bryan hadn't thought anything of it, at first. Then he had noticed that one of Tala's school shirts had blood on it. Bryan asked the red-headed Russian about it and been slightly mollified when Tala claimed he'd fallen over during P.E. and cut himself on a piece of glass. Then Tala started to come back with more obvious wounds, a black-eye, bruises on his wrists, a bloody nose. The answers Bryan had received then was much less than reassuring. Fighting, tripped over, all excuses that he himself had used God knows how many times before.

The lilac-haired teen sighed and glanced at the clock. Tala was nearly an hour late. Thoughts ran through Bryan's head. What if Tala had collapsed? Had he been in a fight and been badly hurt? Was he even alive? Bryan was snapped out of his reverie when Ian slammed the front door as he returned home from school. (A/N: because Ian is 2 years younger than Tala and Bryan he goes to a different school.) Said shrimp sauntered into the living room where Bryan was still waiting. "Hey." Ian said as he slung his bag on the floor and jumped onto the sofa next to him. "Hnn" was all he got as a reply.

Ian looked round and realised Tala was no where to be seen. Puzzled he turned back to Bryan "Where's Tala?"

"I have no idea."

"Do you think he's O.K.?"

"I hope so."

Suddenly the door slammed. Bryan sprinted into the hall. Ian followed at once when he heard Bryan yell. "Tala! Oh my God, Tala!"