Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Hybrid Theory ❯ Hybrid Theory ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: We found it!!!

Kathrine: I hate when we clean our room. WE couldn't find half of our floppies afterward.

JC: We finally found the down in the family computer room and got to finish the chapter.

Kathrine: And right now we're working on a Website so it's taking up a bit of our time.

JC: Yeah, our own place so we can put whatever we want on it and not have to worry about people trying to censor us.

Kathrine: This chapter brings in the other two important characters of our story.

JC: And we have a Title! We changed the first chapter to put it in, but only the last A/N were changed.

Kathrine: A few of implications in this chapter and some things that we hope you all catch.

JC: Now read on an tell us what you think. It's definitely longer than the last one.

Kathrine: The editing is a little messed up because we only looked over the first part. Our eyes are just too tired.

Hybrid Theory

By JC and Kathrine

Chapter 1

He hated it. He couldn't stand the sound, though his stoic features showed nothing. Even so he hated to be forced to listen to the sound when he knew what was going on. What ate at him the most was that there was no sound, no whisper, no cries, no anything. Everything was perfectly silent.

What are they doing to him? he wondered briefly, but then shook the thought from his mind. He didn't care, he wasn't supposed to care. He had left hi-them, anyway. He didn't care what they did to him. He looked down at his bare chest, staring at the bandages that covered the bruised ribs he'd received from his latest training secession. Boris was becoming more demanding and attentive. He wanted them to perform better and was sure to punish them for the slightest misdeed that he meticulously kept track of. Even after the championships had been lost BioVolt was still doing what they did best.

Suddenly his door was opened and he looked up to see the devil's minion himself glaring at him. " Go clean him up," he ordered before walking off down the hall in stiff form that was merely a mask for what he knew he was enjoying. He was confused, but didn't show it as he stood and exited his room. Why would they want him of all people to tend to their 'guest'? It had been almost six weeks and yet they hadn't asked any of the young bladers to do anything concerning him.

He didn't have to go far, merely going to the room across from his own, and opened the door to find who he'd been sent to tend lying on his bed, the sheets covered in blood. The other boy didn't look at him, keeping his head turned towards the wall. He said nothing in return, going into the adjacent room and running water for the other boy a bath. As soon as he believed there was enough and it was about the right temperature, he stopped the running water and went back into the other room.

Now the boy was sitting up, using one arm to hold himself steady because the other had a deep gash up the bicep. A dark purple bruise marred the perfect complexion of his face around his left eye and blood no longer dripped from the shallow cut at the curve of his jaw, but still came from the cuts on his well formed chest. He extended his hand to the boy, not bothering to wait for his consent before taking his arm and putting it around his neck. The boy stiffened at the shifting of his weight to the other, but allowed him to lead him to the bathroom.

There the other boy simply lifted him over the rim and into the warm water, seeing as he didn't have any clothes on to take off. The boy almost winced at the pain that shot up through his spine, but otherwise showed no signs of discomfort. He remained completely silent, eyes trained in front of him as if he was lost in his own mind, even though he was still aware of the very cold reality.

He acts like this is nothing, like nothing matters, the boy thought as he used a damp rag to clean off the blood that covered the boy in the deep bathtub. He didn't understand; why didn't he rebel like he usually did? Why didn't he try to escape? He just remained stoic, unmoving, unchanging, and indifferent. He never tried to fight Boris or anyone, but he didn't try to cooperate with them either. It was like he had just giving up caring about anything.

" You know if you just did what they wanted Boris would stop," he finally spoke, filling the dead silence they been surrounded by.

" Did it stop for you, Tala?" the other boy asked in a dead tone that said as much as the words he spoke. " Did he leave you alone?"

The red-haired boy ignored the truth behind that comment, not wanting to dwell on his own problems. " You're different," he replied. " Voltaire wouldn't let him touch you anymore. You're too valuable to him."

" That's not something to be proud of," the blue-haired teen stated.

" But it's something that can save your life," the other countered.

" At the cost of my soul and my humanity," the younger teen looked up at him, staring directly into his pale blue eyes. " How much has it cost you Tala? How much have you lost and been forced to sacrifice just to stay alive?"

" You must do what you can to survive," the boy shrugged. " What I've done is nothing more than what others have done for the same."

" But can you say you're proud of it?" the other questioned. " Can you look at yourself in a mirror and say you are proud of what you've become? Can you look at me and say it?"

The redhead didn't answer, he merely continued with his task of cleaning the other boy's wounds. He wasn't going to get into a debate over his own thoughts and emotions. He didn't want to think; he just wanted to do what he was told and return to his room. That's all he had to do and he would stay alive, not safe nor sane, but alive nonetheless.

But do I want to stay alive? He quietly wondered to himself. Has staying alive been worth all I've given up for it? I thought that everything was so clear, so black and white. Do you as you're ordered and then return to your quarters. Ask no questions and you don't get punished, do not fail and you don't get punished. Everything I do revolves around trying to stay alive and unharmed. What type of life is that?

" What was it like Kai?" he asked suddenly.

" What?" the blue-haired boy was caught off guard by his question.

" What was it like living away from here, away from Boris and Voltaire, with the Bladebreakers?" he clarified.

" Why?" the other inquired.

Tala didn't answer once again. He pulled out the plug on the tub and let the water drain away from the younger boy as he grabbed the towel from the small shelf a few inches away. Kai was beginning to regain physical autonomy as he grabbed the extended hook on the tub to lift himself onto his feet. He stood somewhat shakily, but hid as much of his instability as he could. Tala could only shake his head inwardly at him, knowing his was only making his injuries worse.

He wrapped the towel around the other's body before helping him to step out of the wide-rimmed tub. He knew that Kai would begin to deny support once he returned to his normal independent mind set. He allowed him to walk somewhat on his own, only using himself as a brace should the blue-haired boy's legs give out on him. He was for once glad that Voltaire was against putting cameras in the bladers' actual bedrooms (much to Boris' disagreement). He believed he had to allow a small amount of freedom to them or tension could rise into rebellion within even the most loyal and perfectly trained of his followers.

Kai made the last few feet to the bed on his own and Tala went to his chest and pulled out a warm long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweat pants along with the necessary undergarments. Tonight was colder than it had been lately. The blue-haired boy took the clothing without a word of protest, without a word at all. The red-haired boy then pulled the first-aid kit from the shelf above the desk and proceeded to bandaged up as much as he could. Thankfully, no ribs were broken or bruised this time around and all he had to do was cover up the cuts, some not as deep as previous others, his worry of infection on the gash on the other's arm. When he was finished Kai pulled away and he put the remained of the kit back where it had originally been.

Tala stood still as the other dressed, not at all unused to the sight of another boy, let alone self-conscious about it. He knew that Kai would refuse anymore 'support' from him so he remained quiet, waiting until he was sure the other was taken care of so that he could leave and return to his own quarters. When he was assured Kai would be all right by himself he turned towards the door to exit. His hand was centimeters from the doorknob when the silence was finally broken.

" It was different… nice," Kai said offhandedly, as if he wasn't really talking to someone, more like thinking out loud. The older teen almost didn't know what he was talking about. " We traveled the world, faced strong opponents and strengthened ourselves as well. We never lost when we fought as a team."

Tala turned around and stared at the blue-haired boy. He was staring off into space, his eyes unfocused as if he was in a trance or a daze. " So you enjoyed being with the Bladebreakers?" he inquired.

" I hated it," the other disagreed. " I thought they were all amateurs and didn't deserve to be around me. They were always trying to get to know me, to get under my skin and find out who I really was. I wanted to kill them for it."

" Then why did you stay with them?" the redhead asked.

" Why do you stay here, in this Abbey?" Kai countered. " Beyblading was all I knew. No matter who I was with I supposed to get stronger, be the best. By staying with them I was able to travel and face opponents across the globe, finding out their techniques and weaknesses. I was able to become stronger, just like my grandfather wanted."

Tala could tell there was more to it, something the other boy left hanging in the air. " So that's all there was to it?" he pushed. " Just you wanting to be stronger. Then why did you come back to the Abbey only to leave again? You could have become stronger here, with us, just like you could with them."

" That's not all there was to it Tala, but you've been here too long to understand," Kai sighed. " I had a chance, given to me by my Voltaire and he didn't even see it."

" What do you mean?"

" He gave me the chance to see more," Kai explained. " The Bladebreakers was more than just a team. We were a group that stood together no matter what, even when I didn't want to stand with them. Tyson always wanting to help everyone, always wanting to be friends with me, even of it meant being friend of his enemy. Kenny was trying to keep the peace, helping everyone with their problems and holding the team together. Max was just a hyperactive ball of energy with an extra dose of caffeine. He and Tyson were like a two team wrecking crew, doing everything together and refusing to take no for an answer or accept defeat."

" Wasn't there someone else on the team?" Tala wondered. " Rei Kon, the boy Bryan faced?"

" Rei…" Kai whispered, thinking about the raven-haired neko-jin. " He seemed to understand what I wanted in a way. He felt strongly about the ties of teammates and friendship, and yet at the same time gave me my space, not trying to smother me like Tyson often did. But he also had this way about him that let me know that he would stick by me, even when I didn't want him to. He…all of them made me realize that I had something I hadn't before, something I didn't even notice until they were pulling me free of a frozen grave at a lake."

" What was that?" Tala inquired.

" That you don't have to be alone, on your own with no one else, to be strong," Kai stated. " Having others, friends, to help me actually proved that. Even if I lost a match I didn't care because I knew I could get stronger and they weren't going to turn their backs on me. It was the closest I had gotten to having a family in a really long time."

" But…" Tala started, ready to defend that they were a family while at the Abbey, but stopped. How could he say that when so many of them would turn on each other just for the chance to be in Boris' favor, for the chance to be strong. Not too long ago he would have done the same, but something had changed in him since the World Championships and he couldn't quite figure it out yet. It was like he didn't care about being as strong anymore.

" This isn't a family Tala," the blue-haired boy replied, as if knowing what his original intentions of speaking were. " A family is bound by caring and trust. With the Bladebreakers I could trust them, even if they couldn't really trust me. Can you trust Ian? Spencer? Bryan? Boris?" He grabbed the bloody sheets on the bed and threw them off, turning to lay on his side towards the wall and away from the other boy. "Think about that first."

Tala knew then that he needed to leave, to get out of that room. So many different thoughts were swirling through his mind and he couldn't think straight enough. He needed to lie down and sort everything out. He left the room, shutting the door behind him and not worrying about the sound that echoed through the halls.

He opened his own door and was about to shut it, but his eyes strayed to Kai's, wondering if his childhood friend was indeed right about what he was saying. Inside he knew the other was, but couldn't quite get past the training that had been ingrained into him over the years. When they had changed him, putting the chip into his brain during the World Championships, he'd felt everything he'd thought before hand slip away, as if all his independence was stripped away. But he'd lost the match to Tyson and the championships and Boris immediately blamed it on the chip he'd implanted, saying it had malfunctioned.

I bet, seeing as it was originally made for Kai, he thought. But now that it was gone he could feel more of himself returning, as if what he'd lost even years before was coming back to him. He wanted to laugh almost. By taking out the chip Boris and his scientists had unintentionally ruined all of the training they drilled into him over the years. I'm not blind anymore, he told himself. I just have to decide what to trust, my eyes, my head, or…my heart. If I even have one. He finally shut his door, leaning against it as he sighed. He really needed to go to sleep.

*****

He listened to the conversation, eyes barely concealing his rage. He could tell when the sound of a door shut in the background that Tala had left the room. Boris cut his eyes behind his vision enhancing spectacles. He had thought for sure that his method of punishment and reeducation had been working on his precious Phoenix, but now found himself to be highly mistaken. Everything was exactly the opposite of what he had believed.

When they'd first taken Kai back into their custody, he'd made sure to put a bug in his bedroom. Not a camera because he knew the blue-haired boy would search for one, but small microphone that was very good at catching even the smallest of sounds. He didn't trust the boy no matter how docile he seemed to have become. Now he found out that the boy hadn't even cracked, let alone as broken as he acted. He still held his strong will and emotions, something he'd been trying to rid him of. And NOW he was poisoning the mind of his most coveted disciple!

No matter, he told himself. Everything is coming together. The experiments are almost ready. All I need now are the final subjects. He pushed a button on the console before him, connecting with one of the many labs in the underground base beneath the Abbey itself.

" Yes Mr. Balcolv?" a female voice asked eagerly.

" It Project H ready for its trial run?" he questioned in his usual commanding tone.

" Yes, and all three subjects have been approved," she confirmed. " Each has specified genetics for the upcoming testing. All we need is all is to collect them and begin."

" Good," he smirked, spectacles gleaming. " Be prepared by the end of this week."

" Yes sir!" and with that the connection ended. The lavender-haired man pulled a small envelope from with in his pocket, address printed on it meticulously. Everything is going perfectly, he thought. You think you're still ahead of me Kai Hiwatari, but you have no idea what I've planned for you.

*****

He listened to the breeze; the gentle whisper of the sounds as it blew across the field and rustled the grass and foliage. It had been a while since he'd returned to his home, two months to be exact, and yet he felt somewhat, empty now then before he'd first left. Yes, being away for a while had allowed him freedom and independence, but he'd still missed the peaceful village. Only now that he was home it was not the same, he was missing something else.

I came back to teach and yet I feel as if I've left something behind again, he thought. Whoever said that you lose a part of yourself whenever you say goodbye wasn't kidding. He stared up at the sky, searching the cloudy blue for the answers he himself couldn't reach. Maybe I just miss the others too much. We spent almost an entire year together, being a team. We were finally becoming a real team and then everything was over, everyone went their separate ways.

" Rei!" he heard a familiar voice call out. He sat up from his lying position and turned towards the direction of the shout. A small girl with red cat-like eyes and pigtails was hurrying towards him.

" What it is Mai?" he asked to the young eight-year old.

" Uncle Faun just came back from the post office, he said something came for you," she told him in her usual cheery tone. Rei couldn't help but smile at her. Mai was Mariah's younger sister and just as spunky as her older sibling at that, though neither girl would ever admit such a thing. Like normal siblings they had that same 'dislike' for each other that both fueled.

" Okay, I'm coming," he took to his feet, wiping the dirt and grass from his red pants. The little girl put out her hand and he took it chuckling when she began to drag him back to the village.

*****

" I found Rei!" Mai called as she pushed open the door to the small wooden cottage. " He was in the field!"

" Good," a somewhat stout woman smiled as she looked up from her sewing. " We sent her out because you got a letter from the post office and I knew you would want to see it immediately. It's over on the table."

" Thank you Aunt Faun," Rei bowed respectfully to her and turned his attention to the small kitchen just off of the living room. The village had a main kitchen building where everyone went to eat in the morning and at dinner, but each cottage had a personal kitchen if someone was sick or hurt and couldn't leave or something else came up. On the small round table was a white envelope.

He walked over and picked it up, looking at it curiously. It didn't look like Tyson's or Max's handwriting, the script to neat and elegant, and if couldn't be Kenny's because it wasn't uncomfortably identical to that of a computer's 'Times New Roman' font. Who would have sent me a letter? He wondered. Deciding that it would be best to read the letter in the privacy of his own quarters, he bowed respectfully once again before leaving the cottage.

Outside the clouds seemed to be getting thicker and the sky darkening. It's going to rain, he thought absently. He turned his attention a little and saw that Mariah and Lee were walking towards the woods together, hands clasped secretly between them. He shook his head affectionately at his two friend's antics. It was no secret that Lee had been stuck on Mariah since they were children, it had just taken the girl a while to realize that what she felt was more than just simple friendship or a sibling-like bond.

Rubbing fingers over he envelope again, he made his way to the outskirts of the small village where his personal cottage was stationed. After his parents had died when he was five, the Elders had wanted their cottage kept pristine, everything as it was when they were alive. Rei had been raised by Lee's family since then, but always snuck into the cottage so he could look back into the memories he'd almost forgotten. When he turned twelve, they gave him control of the cottage allowing him to move back into it and take care of his parent's belongings.

He walked down the dirt paths smiling, bowing, and waving to many people, most of them adults, until he came to the secluded familiarity of his own dwelling. He walked to the wooden door, touching it nostalgically before pushing open. The interior consisted of a cozy living room, small kitchen and two bedrooms, one the master, which was slightly larger than the other, the latter only being the big enough to fit two young children. His parents had always wanted a second child.

He sat on the somewhat cushioned couch in the living room, one of the only 'modernized' pieces of furniture his family had owned. He'd been told that on a trip to the city his mother had seen the sofa and had fallen in love with it, the one thing she wanted from her husband for their wedding day. Even thought it wasn't traditional, he'd gotten it anyway. He blushed at another thought. Aunt Faun said I was conceived on this couch. One would think he would feel very awkward sitting on it, but it was just another piece to the puzzle connecting him to his deceased parents.

Finally, he turned to envelope he held over, opening it with great care and precision. He didn't want to rip anything important that might be in it. Inside was a letter, which was obvious, but a somewhat long and descriptive one from someone he thought he'd never hear from.

To Rei,

Rei was in shock by the time he finished reading the letter. Kai…had wrote him? And actually wrote what he was feeling as well? This was just too much. There was no date on the letter so he couldn't tell when the blue-haired boy had actually written the epistle, but it didn't change the fact that he had. He actually thanked m-us, for being his friends, the raven-haired boy thought before shaking his head. Kai couldn't have written this. He would never write something that could be used as physical evidence to his own 'weakness'.

But then he realized something. I couldn't use this against him, he told himself. Maybe that was why the slightly older boy had written the letter to him of all people. Kai knew he wouldn't use it against him. Max would try to use it to open him up more, as would Tyson after the younger boy tried to have Kai shipped off to a nut house. Kenny would use it to try and delve into Kai's personality, analyze the boy's brain to see if he could get to the 'real' Kai. None of them would mean badly, only not understand him enough to just leave it be and go on.

He turned the letter over and noticed that there was a small note on the back. It read, 'PS Guide 11PM.' He stared at it for a moment, not understanding what it meant. RT Guide? he wondered. Does it mean the Regional Tourist Guide building twenty miles towards the city? The RT Guide was a business set up by a family of foreigners who became obsessed with the regions climate and attractions. They decided to remain in China instead of going home to their home country and opened the guidepost so that other tourists could get tours of the surrounding area and the mountains with a guide for a reasonable price.

Is Kai in China? He wondered. Could he have sent this letter so that I would come meet him? His felt a strange flutter in his chest at the thought of seeing the older boy again. He'd been wanting to see his friend again since they'd separated, but never knew what the other boy would think. But why just send me a letter? Could he be in some kind of trouble? Could Voltaire have tried something and he's on the run from his grandfather? Too many 'worse case scenarios' were running through his mind, some very irrational. But you didn't know what kind of thing Voltaire and Boris would do. He knew he had to go and meet Kai, even if just to make sure that the blue-haired boy was all right.

A/N: See? Heheheheeeee… Poor Rei is so clueless sometimes.

JC: As we've explained before, the title will make sense soon. We just have to get to that point first.

Kathrine: Tala's starting to doubt everything and Kai is nowhere near broken…yet.

JC: Kat…

Kathrine: I won't hurt him…that much. It's not like he'll be the only one!

JC: We want to know what you think please. And tell us if Bryan should be evil or good. We won't tell you the final decision until he shows up.

Kathrine: Yeah, things are really gonna get heated.

JC: Review! Ja ne!