Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Intoxication ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Intoxication

Chapter Six

It didn't take Kai long to find the person he was meeting, even in a busy café in the middle of the town. They had agreed to meet in a public place, despite the delicate nature of exactly what they were discussing. However, with the very conspicuous, almost flamboyant appearance of the both of them led to a lot of stares, although none of them lingered. Kai strolled casually to the booth where his acquaintance was sitting, with a piece of pie untouched before him. Kai slid onto the flame-red vinyl seat and greeted the other boy with a nod. The other nodded back, and spoke tersely.

" You wanna tell me why I'm in this tacky purveyor of cheap, nasty food, Kai?"

" That's why, Tala. That patronizing little sentence you just spewed out."

Tala chuckled, an oddly humourless sound. Then he turned serious, and leaned in to speak in hushed tones.

" Okay. What's happened that's led you here?"

Kai was able to keep the emotion out of his voice, but not his eyes. They spoke volumes about how critical the situation was. Kai took a folder out of the rugsack he was carrying. He placed it on the cracked ceramic table but didn't open it.

" Rei's been abducted by a serial rapist and murderer."

Tala took a quick bite of his pie. His voice was solemn.

" Is he still alive?"

" Yes. Or at least, they haven't found his body yet."

" How do you know it's the guy you think? And how do you know he's had others?"

" We hacked into the police files. They're calling it the Borgia case."

Kai passed Tala the file. Tala opened it, and looked down the details of the cheaply printed profile page. He chewed the inside of his cheek and appeared to be deep in thought.

" You said he was a murderer. How many?"

" They're on the next page."

Tala turned the page and read the details of the case. Then he closed the folder and fixed Kai with a hard stare.

" Seems like the police have a pretty detailed file. So what do you need me for."

Kai's voice quavered, just a little.

" They closed the case. Rei's been missing for three days and they closed the fucking case. We won't see him again, unless it's on a slab in the morgue missing body parts. I want him back, Tala. I need you. I need you to tell me what to do."

Tala winced when he heard his old comrade plead. Even though he wasn't exactly fond of Kai, he felt sorry that he had resorted to begging. The Chink must have some sort of effect on him, he mused. He opened the file again.

" I have the other three outside. We might need them."

Swallowing, Kai nodded. He was starting to feel hopeful.

……………………… ………...................................................... ........................................................................... ...............

Rei was starting to understand why solitary confinement was considered a big time punishment. Stuck in his cell with nothing to stare at but the lovely and distressing paintings, he was losing it. He was desperate for the door to open, despite the fact that all he wanted to do the previous night was go back in. He paced back and forth, avoiding eye contact with Europa, who looked self-satisfied on the back of the bull, the nymph, who looked self-pitying, and Io, who looked sickeningly happy. His logical internal voice ceased being logical and started being a goading little bitch. It was definitely a female voice, one that he couldn't place in the small number of females he had come across in his lifetime. For a moment, he thought it might have been his mother. But then, he could only remember the sound of his mother's voice on two occasions, and on neither of those occasions had she sounded like Miss Logic.

Keep staring at that wall, Rei. It's not going to disintegrate by the force of your thoughts, much as you want it to. Hoping for a miracle? That's stupid. Those walls have gotta be three feet thick! That door is pure stainless steel. You're stuck here, Rei, like a little piggy in the abattoir. Take the food when he brings it, piggy, fatten up like a good piggy, get nice and plump and tasty, all for the butcher, 'cause he's waiting for you, just for you.

Rei was thinking about taking a good run at the wall with his head down to shut her up for good, when the door beeped three times and then slid open. He was unsure whether to be thankful or apprehensive, and he didn't make a move towards the door.

Suddenly, a voice that could only belong to one person crackled from within his room.

" Rei, make your way down the corridor and through the open door. Don't loiter."

Rei stepped out of his room and walked briskly through the corridor, not stopping to look at the paintings that lined the wall. The open door was soon visible, and there was an almost undetectable scent coming from inside. C was inside, Rei knew. He was terrified of what he would find in there, but he attempted to prepare for the worst and stepped inside.

Unfortunately, Rei's preparations for the worst fell tragically short. The room, sparsely lit with candles on an antique candelabra, was full of equipment that looked like it was surplus from the Spanish Inquisition. There was an Iron Maiden in one corner, a rack over a grate in the centre of the room, a garrotte against a wall, the list went on. And several were stained with unidentifiable fluids. Over near the candelabra, the was a small wooden chair, looking completely out of place in the stone and metal room. And behind it was C, looking at Rei. He wasn't wearing a coat, just the black trousers, frilled shirt and boots. The mask was the same.

" Take your clothes off, Rei. Just leave them there on the floor."

His tone was businesslike, but strangely chilling. For a few moments, Rei didn't move. Then a voice he hadn't heard before, a soft, nervous, female voice full of panic and sorrow.

This is it. He's going to rape you now. Then he'll kill you. They're all the same, that's all they want from us. When they don't get it by asking, they take it by force! There's nothing you can do…

Then Miss Logic broke in sternly.

Oh, shut up. He's not going to rape you! He wants to fatten you up until you're nice and juicy, Rei. No point in roasting the pig when it's nothing but bones. You're not ready for him yet, he made that clear. Take it off, Rei, take it all off. Shake your ass for him, he won't even blink. And don't be embarrassed, 'cos that's what he wants. You're a hot little number, that's why you're here in the first place. If you'd had anything to be ashamed of, you wouldn't be here. He's not gonna fuck you, Rei. Not yet. But there's no point in getting him mad for refusing just 'cos you're nervous. So get naked.

" Rei?"

C's voice cut through his introspective period. Rei shook his head slightly. C chuckled warmly.

" Your clothes, Rei."

Rei fixed C with an unwavering stare while he undid the sash on his tunic and let it fall to the ground. His hair brushed his shoulders like a damp sheet, and he shivered slightly. He undid the tie on his trousers and let them fall onto the tunic. He was naked in front of C, but not ashamed. He didn't even make an attempt to cover himself. C gazed at him without turning away for what seemed like a long time. At last, he spoke.

" Sit in this chair, Rei."

Rei did so, feeling more comfortable with his nudity with every step. The chair was cold and hard, he would have preferred to stand. C lifted his hair and draped it over the back of the chair, stroking it lovingly. C began to walk in a slow circle around the chair.

" Have you ever heard of Torquemeda, Rei?

" No. It doesn't ring a bell."

" He ran the auto de fe in Spain during the Inquisition. He was a master when it came to torture."

The fear that was burning in Rei's stomach intensified.

" You see, he understood that torture was about more than just pain of them body. To really make someone want to confess, even when they hadn't done anything, you have to make them feel shame. The suspects were stripped naked, which worked especially well with young women, then the pain was inflicted."

C picked up a large stick that was lying by Rei's bare feet, and stopped just behind Rei. He gathered up the long ebony locks that cascaded over the back of the chair. Rei felt him caress the hair down the end, fiddle with it, and then a weight was laid upon it. C had tied the stick to his hair.

" There was a particular type of torture they used to use on women in those days. The sign of a loose woman was long, unbound hair, so first they would remove the head coverings of the women to make them ashamed. Then they would be stripped, and a stick, like this one…,"

…C gave the stick a tug for emphasis…

"… would be attached to the hair. Then they asked the questions. For each wrong answer, the stick would be twisted. Sometimes the method would result in the scalp being ripped off, sometimes the neck would be broken. Most of the time, the woman would confess. Do you know why this was so effective, Rei?"

Rei said nothing.

" It was effective because a woman's hair was her crowning glory. It was akin to the genitals back then, for a lover's eyes only. Most women couldn't face losing their crowning glory, even though they were doomed to be burned at the stake if they confessed. So, now, a little test. Do you like it here, Rei?"

Rei's internal voices shouted at the same time, but Rei answered truthfully.

" No."

The stick was turned. There was no pain.

" Do you like me?"

" No."

Another turn. Rei was almost thankful for his long hair. Almost.

" Do you find me sexually attractive?"

" No."

The stick turned. There was a slight tug.

" Do you want to have sex with me?"

" No."

That came out very forcefully. The turn brought a slight pain in the scalp.

" Do you wish to return home?"

" Yes."

Twist. Rei's scalp burned. Both of his internal voices cried for attention. The timid one was begging for a good answer. The logical one was saying stick to the truth, C wouldn't let it go too far.

" Are you going to obey me?"

" Maybe."

That earned him two twists. The pain was almost unbearable. Rei's vision was swimming and tinted red.

" Do you fear me?"

" Yes."

Finally the pressure eased. Rei put his burning head between his knees, regardless of the fact that C was still holding onto his hair. The stick was untied, and C's voice was slightly admiring.

" Very good, Rei. You passed. The others told me what I wanted to hear. You are a smart creature."

C placed his cold hand between Rei's shoulder blades. Rei didn't care.