Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of the Past ❯ Betrayal and Trust ( Chapter 2 )

AN: Here we go with chapter 2. What can I say; I thought it wouldn't be ready until the weekend, but the words just kept flowing. Just wanted to let everyone know that this is where the AU part really picks up, even though I will be keeping some of the original events from the series. Oh, and I fixed all the `Driggers' from last chapter. It's spelled correctly, now. Stupid fingers automatically wanting to spell it with two `g's.

 

Reviews

Studio: You're correct in thinking you haven't heard of me. I've been tossing around the idea of actually writing some of my fic ideas for a couple of years, but I wasn't sure how it would be received. I really appreciate the encouraging words. This isn't my 1st fic, though. I've got one posted in the Weiss Kreuz section that's up to chapter 8 as of today, so if you're into that fandom, you should check it out.

 

Crystal Rose: I'm glad you like it. You don't have to wait to find about Rei's training… it's up first thing; I couldn't leave everyone hanging for even a few paragraphs.

 

And-then-he-said-no: Yeah, I don't know where the whole 'twins' thing came from. They were originally just going to be half-brothers, but then I got this great idea that would make for some fun plot development; once I worked out the finer details, I had a much better storyline. Glad you're enjoying it.

 

Yami Pandora, Zoranie, and anon. reviewer: Here's the update. Hope you enjoy the chapter as much as the last.

 

Warnings: RAPE (not as graphic as it could be), language, Mariah (I really don't like her, but I try to keeping the bashing to a minimum… still I thought you might want to warned that she was in here).

 

Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm a nearly broke grad. student so it would cost more than I'm worth to sue me. I do own Ivan, and the `good' doctor, who's only mentioned here but will show up later.

 

 

Internal Dialogue

 

Chapter 2

 

I can't believe this place, Rei thought as he and Ian were led down one of the many dank corridors by several guards. Both teens were confused as both the medical exam and physical training had been completed.

 

“No,” Ian gasped out, barely audible, as they began to descend to a lower level of the complex. The neko-jin looked over curiously and saw that the short `blader looked slightly pale. However, due to present company, he was unable to inquire as to what was wrong, nor was Ian able to give Rei the warning that was caught in his throat.

 

“You are to remain out here,” the guard Ian knew as Ivan stated. “Make sure that no one enters.” All the Vyborg wielder could do was nod numbly and obey the orders he knew must have come directly from Boris. This isn't supposed to happen, yet, he thought frantically as Rei was led into the dark room.

 

As soon as the neko-jin stepped into the room, he knew he was in trouble as it hadn't taken his eyes long to adjust to the dim lighting. What he saw could only be described as a dungeon, converted for the use of torturing anyone unfortunate enough to be brought there. Before amber eyes could even blink, the door was slammed shut behind him and he was grabbed from either side by two guards.

 

“Strip him and then restrain him,” the order came from the man he assumed to be in charge. The raven-haired teen froze in fear as he was roughly divested of his clothing, which became nothing more than tattered rags on the floor. Guess I won't be able to wear that anymore, the more detached part of his mind thought as the guards carried out their orders. The feel of cold metal tightly encasing his wrists snapped him from his stupor, though there was nothing he could do to escape now; his nude form was suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the cell, his toes just barely able to balance him on the floor. The predatory look he saw on the guards' faces sent an involuntary shiver don his spine. Terrified gold eyes could only watch as the lead guard approached his vulnerable, exposed form.

 

“This particular part of the training generally comes later, but Boris has ordered that things be stepped up,” the man paused as he took the time to leer at the body displayed before him. “I can't say that any of us mind, though, what with a fine specimen such as you at our disposal.” Rei couldn't hear the words the man was saying, though; he was trying his hardest to block everything out… the feel of the man's calloused hand as it traveled over his bare abdomen, the cloth covered hardness that pressed against his backside, the sound of a zipper and the rustling of fabric as said man prepared to do what the neko-jin feared most. I will not let them see my fear; I will not give them the satisfaction. It was his mantra, the only thing keeping the tears from falling from dull, amber eyes. Nothing he told himself, though, could stop the shattering scream forced from his throat as the guard savagely thrust into his unprepared passage; he was in no way ready for the painful, ripping sensation that passed through him as the man continued to drive into him, nor was he ready as the next guard took his turn. It had never been like this with Kai; the phoenix wielder was always careful with him and vice versa. Somehow, despite all the agony and abuse that gave way to the horrific sounds escaping his lips, he never once shed a tear.

 

Outside of the cell, an indigo-haired teen shut his eyes and tried in vain to ignore what he knew was happening behind a closed door. The screams had finally stopped a few minutes ago, the neko-jin likely having lost his voice, but Ian knew, he knew, they weren't finished yet; they never stopped until the victim was no longer aware of what was happening.

 

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“Ivan, you were in charge of training the new recruit; report on his status,” Boris ordered one of his most loyal employees. The moment the Demolition Boys had returned to the Abbey, they were ordered into Boris' office where they were currently being forced to listen to the details of Rei's day; it was a tactic the sinister man often used to ensure that no one stepped out of line.

 

“His medical exam showed him to be in perfect health. He also cleared the training course without a single scratch anywhere on his body.” Kai and Tala both stiffened imperceptibly at the implication of that statement. He doesn't mean that… The blue-eyed neko-jin stopped the thought before it could completely form as Boris spoke again.

 

“Very good,” he commented idly, having expected nothing less of the twin to one of his most promising trainees. “And the rest?” He was very interested to learn of Rei's `endurance'.

 

“Kon remained conscious up to and partially through the fifth man's turn with him.” Four sets of fists clenched, knuckles going white, as their suspicions were confirmed. They hadn't expected something like this to happen as that particular method was saved for a much later point in the training; they had thought Rei, and themselves as well, would be long gone from the Abbey before it could ever go that far.

 

“Exactly like Tala,” Boris muttered under his breath, his theory on twins starting to prove true. Said red head had heard the comment, though, and silently cursed the man with a thousand painful deaths for putting his brother through that for something as asinine as a hypothesis.

 

“Sir?” Ivan questioned as he hadn't caught the purple-haired man's words.

 

“Never mind,” the sadistic man spoke up. “Give Kon one day to recuperate then resume his training agenda. You are dismissed, all of you.” At the order, the four teens left the office for their quarters as quickly as possible without arousing suspicion. Upon entering their room, they were treated to the sight of Ian rummaging through Tala's clothes and an unconscious neko-jin on his bed, covered with only a flimsy white sheet. Ian looked up from where he was, not bother to greet his teammates as he began speaking.

 

“I'm trying to find something that will fit him. Tala's only a little taller, but they have the same build, so I thought he could use your clothes. I managed to clean all of his wounds, but I couldn't stop the bleeding… They… They… I couldn't do anything to stop them. His screams, gods, his screams…” the indigo-haired teen's babbling trailed off as he slid to the floor; Rei's brutal treatment had brought back his own tortured memories, and it had taken every ounce of will he had not to break down before the others returned. Hearing the jumble of words falling from the shortest `blader's mouth only fueled the already burning rage his friends felt. Never before had any of them been forced to witness the atrocious actions they had all been required to endure.

 

“Ian,” Spencer crouched down next to his friend while Kai and Tala took over Rei's care. “You can't do this to yourself; it's not your fault. Put the blame where it belongs.” The blonde tried to comfort him.

 

“I know, but…” the Vyborg master started. “After they finished… they made me go in and there was just so much blood and… and they just left him hanging there. And the looks on their faces,” finally, the teen was snapping out of his hysteria to replace it with fury. “They enjoyed it, every minute of it. I could hear every sick word they said to him, and even though he couldn't hear it, Ivan,” he spat the name as it left a bad taste in his mouth. “He had the gall to tell me what a `good fuck' Rei had been.” That statement got everyone's attention. Bryan literally had to hold Tala back from leaving to go tear off a certain appendage from a sadistic guard. Kai wasn't doing much better, but as Spencer was getting ready to stop the irate teen from doing something stupid, a weak gasp was heard from the bed.

 

“Kai,” the awakened neko-jin's voice was barely above a whisper, his throat still raw from the over-use. Revenge no longer foremost on their minds, everyone gathered around Rei's bed as he tried to sit up only to collapse as immense pain shot through every nerve.

 

“Rei,” Tala's tone was soft. “Don't try to move right now. Now that you're awake, you won't have to stay like this much longer.” Golden eyes narrowed in confusion for a moment as he saw all the concerned looks he was getting and wondering why he hurt so much; as if to answer his question, everything came flooding back, and panic set in as Rei was lost in the memory of what had occurred.

 

“You need to calm down, Rei,” Kai reached out to soothe his lover, only to draw his hand back when the teen flinched away from the contact. “It's just me, Kai. Tala and the others are here, too. You're safe.” His gentle voice seemed to calm the neko-jin and he eventually managed to pull himself out of the waking nightmare.

 

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered. “I'm so, so sorry. I… I couldn't…”

 

“Don't,” the phoenix wielder stopped him. “There was nothing you could do. You're not to blame for this. We all understand what you're going through.” He really knows, Rei thought as he stared into shadowed, ruby orbs. They've all had the same thing happen. What kind of place is this? A looked of understanding passed over his features, and this time when Kai reached for him, he took comfort in the arms of his phoenix. Tala made to move so as to allow the couple their moment, but he was stopped as a bandaged hand caught his wrist. Seeing the movement, Kai relinquished his hold on the raven-haired neko-jin and made room for the blue-eyed `blader and watched as the twins silently cried in one another's arms. They've only just found each other and to have to go through this…How could I let this happen. A hand squeezing his shoulder caused Dranzer's master to turn around.

 

“It wasn't your fault, either.” Bryan stated quietly. Kai's head nodded in appreciation at the words of reassurance.

 

“There has to be something we can do!” Spencer suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him. “This has been going on for to long. We can't just stand by and watch while Boris and Voltaire ruin more people's lives.”

 

“There is something,” calculating lavender eyes gazed around the room. From the bed, Tala adjusted his position so that he could support his brother, allowing him to sit up. Kai and Ian joined them on the bed, while Spencer and Bryan pulled chairs over.

 

“Bryan's right, but it will have to wait for a day,” the red head began. “Boris is giving Rei a `day off' tomorrow, which means that once someone finds out he's awake, he'll be taken to the lab and placed in a regeneration tank.” Everyone nodded except Rei, but he didn't ask seeing as how he would find out soon enough. “So when he gets out, here's what's going to happen…” Over the next two hours, five young men plotted against the organization that had introduced them to hell. There would still a great deal of planning left once the doctor released Rei, but plans were beginning to take shape. They were no longer worried that too many people were involved; too much was at stake to leave anyone out. Boris, Voltaire, and all of BioVolt would be punished for their transgressions.

 

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“We're going back,” Takao stated, not giving anyone a chance to argue as he continued. “I don't believe Kai would willingly do something like that.” Max and Kenny exchanged frustrated glances from their seats on the couch; the dragon wielder had spent the whole day following their captain's apparent betrayal rationalizing, basing his conclusions on the things he had seen during the tour of the Abbey and the confrontation from two nights prior. He had decided that Kai was somehow being forced to act against his friends. The others weren't so sure, though; no one had ever been able to get the dual-toned haired teen to do anything he absolutely didn't want to, well except maybe Rei, but that was a different story. The Chief had tried to point this fact out, but all that did was send Takao's already overactive imagination into overdrive. Now his theory was that the people at the Abbey were holding Rei prisoner and using the poor neko-jin as bargaining chip for Kai's loyalty; yes, Rei was missing, but they didn't really think he had been kidnapped as it seemed too preposterous an idea.

 

“I don't think returning to the Abbey is such a good idea,” Kenny threw out his opinion. “You know what happened last time we were there, and Dragoon's not ready for another battle. I'll be hard pressed to finish his repairs in time for your first match tomorrow if you go out and undo everything I've managed to finish so far.”

 

“Don't worry about that, Chief. I'm just going to talk to him.” This is insane, Max thought as he let out an exasperated sigh.

 

“Since we obviously can't talk you out of this, I'll go with you. It wouldn't do to have you vanish, as well,” the blonde didn't actually trust the bluenette not to start something. “Kenny, you don't mind staying here, do you? I know you've got a lot of work to do.” The bespectacled teen shook his head.

 

“Actually,” he replied. “I plan to head to the All-Stars' hotel and help them with some upgrades. Their exhibition match against the Demolition boys is in the morning, so your mom and I are trying to improve their odds, especially after what happened yesterday.”

 

“Hopefully,” Takao began. “It won't even matter, if we can talk some sense into Kai, get him to let us help him.” Having said that, the young man put on his cap and walked out the door with Max following a moment later. The ride to the Abbey was relatively short, putting them at the gates within a half an hour. Takao all but demanded to speak with Kai while the blonde stood by and watched, not really expecting to get in. Imagine his surprise when they were permitted to enter and greeted by none other than the master of Dranzer himself.

 

“…take care of this,” they heard the older teen tell a guard before turning to face them. Piecing ruby eyes glared at the two younger `bladers. “You have no business here,” he stated coldly. “Leave. Now.” The slate-haired `blader turned his back on the two Bladebreakers, but they made no move to leave.

 

“No. We won't leave until we know what they've got on you,” the navy-haired teen was adamant; Kai remained motionless, not deigning to respond. “Come on, Kai. We can't help you unless you tell us what this is about,” Takao practically begged for an explanation; he received only silence in answer. Might as well see if Takao's theory pans out. There's nothing else left to try.

 

“Is it because they have Rei?” the blonde asked in a last ditch effort. “If that's what it is, then we can help him, too. You just have to tell us.” It seemed to have worked as Kai was turning to face them once again, but the look on his face told them he was going to refuse; they didn't have time to wonder why the phoenix would so ruthlessly turn against his own boyfriend as the answer made itself known.

 

“And what makes you think I need your help?” a snide but familiar voice called from above.

 

“Rei! You're okay!” Takao exclaimed as the tiger wielder jumped down from a tree to land gracefully at Kai's side. Dragoon's master seemed to be ignoring the condescending tone that had been used at the relief of seeing his missing friend. Max wasn't so naïve.

 

“You're with them, aren't you.” The blonde stated more than asked, his voice slightly dull from the shock of the realization. The navy-haired teen took a closer look at the situation upon hearing his best friend's voice; he couldn't place his finger on it, but there was something dark lingering behind those amber eyes, something that he was afraid he didn't want to know about.

 

“Rei?” was all the capped teen managed to get out.

 

“You should leave,” his uncharacteristically cold and commanding voice echoed in their ears as the youth wrapped an arm around the two-toned bluenette's waist. Placing an arm around Rei's shoulders, the crimson-eyed teen smirked at their expressions. What could have caused such a drastic change? Rei was never like this, not even when we first met him; he's even dressed in a black version of the Russian captain's clothes. It seemed Max was wondering the same thing.

 

“What did they do to you?” he asked. “You're not like this… not like… Kai.” Another figure dropped from above to stand almost protectively in front of the couple. Apparently, Rei hadn't been the only one perched in the tree.

 

“You're right about one thing,” Tala spoke as a devilish look colored his face and a hint of fang peaked out. “He's not like Kai. My brother tends to be more like me.” Turning, the Wolborg master motioned for Rei and Kai to follow him. “Enough time has been wasted on these imbeciles.” Two gaping figures were left to stare as the trio walked away, back towards the Abbey.

 

“Come on, Takao,” the blonde quietly prodded. “They've made their choice; there's nothing we can do about it, now.” With that, the disheartened `bladers made their way off the premises and slowly walked to where the next bus would pick them up. They had to get back and tell the others about the disturbing turn of events they had just witnessed, though they weren't quite sure how they would manage that.

 

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“They must have heard wrong,” Lee's voice held a bitter twinge of denial. “Or they missed something. Rei would never turn his back on his friends; I refuse to believe it.” Kevin just listened as his boyfriend ranted on. After Takao and Max had finished relating the details of their encounter, the orange-eyed neko-jin had stormed out of the hotel suite only to be followed by his green-haired lover. Now, the two were sitting on a bench in a nearby park; thankfully, Kevin had thought to grab their coats so as to ward off the bitter cold of the Russian winter.

 

“I agree that Rei wouldn't normally act like they say he did,” Kevin broke in. “He must have a reason for so cruelly brushing them off.” The violet-eyed `blader stood and began pacing, trying to come up with a viable explanation for their friend's strange behavior. Sitting down, he started to speak. “He might be trying to help Kai with whatever he's doing…” Lee wrapped a supportive arm around him as he tried to organize his thoughts. For once, the older of the two was being patient and listening. “He loves Kai, and despite recent events, I don't think either of them have betrayed us like Takao and Max seem to believe. There's probably something more going on, and Kai was probably trying to handle it alone.” That statement brought forth a small chuckle from Galeon's master.

 

“Rei always did say Kai was like that, never letting anyone help him,” Lee sobered as he continued. “And now Rei's stuck in the middle of… whatever this is.”

 

“Yeah,” Kevin sighed. “But there is one thing I really don't understand. Max said that the one Demolition Boy, Tala, called Rei his brother.” He wasn't the only one confused on that point; none of the White Tigers thought Rei had any family left.

 

“I don't know what to think about that,” the dark-haired teen admitted. “He's never remembered anything from before the day Grandfather brought him to the village.” Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Lee continued. “I guess it's possible Rei still has living relatives, but to find a brother in Russia… I wouldn't even consider it if they hadn't told us about the blatant fang display. I would never have guessed he was a neko-jin just by looking.”

 

“Neither would I,” the younger established. “He doesn't have any of our more prominent features.” The two remained silent for awhile, thinking over the whole mess.

 

“We'll just have to trust that they know what they're doing,” Lee finally stated. “I have a feeling that things will only get worse before they'll get better, but I have no doubt in my mind that we'll see our bits again.” Kevin nodded his agreement.

 

“You know,” he said, after a few moments. “None of the others are going to appreciate our take on the situation.” Orange eyes gazed up at the sky as the older neko-jin shrugged.

 

“That's their problem… if they find out,” Lee replied. “It's probably better that we don't mention anything about it and try to find a way to let either Kai or Rei know we're behind them, even if we can't help.” Kevin silently agreed, leaning his head onto his lover's shoulder. They stayed like this for a while before making their way back to the hotel, where they were immediately assaulted by their very pink teammate.

 

“Where the hell have you two been?!” she fumed. “We have to find a way to save Rei. Who knows what that basta…”

 

“Not now, Mariah,” the dark haired `blader cut her off without giving her a second glance. “I'm not in the mood to hear you bitch about something that we can't do anything about.” The couple didn't see the angry glare she gave them as they had already entered their bedroom for the night; they would deal with her and everyone else after they'd gotten some sleep.

 

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“No!” two voices cried out, cutting through the silence of the dark room, waking the other three occupants.

 

“Wha..?” Ian mumbled as he rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed.

 

“Rei and Tala,” Spencer answered as Bryan and Kai rushed to the sides of their respective lovers. “Another nightmare.” The twins had been doing this since the night of Rei's arrival, waking up from a disturbed sleep at the same time. They weren't having nightmares, per se; it was more like they were reliving the day of their mother's death and the subsequent kidnapping of Tala, only each night more of the memory would return. The truly incredible part of it all was that they were in complete sync with one another, experiencing the troubling dreams, from start to finish, simultaneously.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” the lavender haired teen asked once they'd calmed. Two heads shook, indicating that they once again did not want to talk, drawing sighs of frustration from everyone in the room. For three nights now, the twins would dream, inadvertently wake everyone up then refuse to talk about the details to anyone but each other.

 

“You need to talk about this,” Kai pointed out, aggravated at his inability to really help his lover or best friend. “It might help if you do. Telling us about the about it might cause more memories to surface and maybe make the nightmares stop altogether.” Crystal blue eyes exchanged a quick glance with sun-gold eyes; the neko-jins nodded to one another and Driger's holder stood, moving to join his brother on his bed. The two clasped hands together for support one could only find in a sibling as they began to relate the contents of their dreams.

 

“It always starts out the same way,” Tala began while running his free hand through fiery red locks. “We're playing in the forest when a loud noise distracts us, and we go to find out what caused it. We start to realize that it came from the direction of our home and run the rest of the way back.” As if planned, Tala stopped speaking and Rei picked up the tale without skipping a beat.

 

“When we get there, we see mama surrounded by several men who are threatening her, and Tala calls out to her. Boris steps out from somewhere and sends them after us while she yells for us to run… Then Boris kills her.” The raven-haired neko-jin paused, and his brother, giving his hand a quick squeeze, started once again.

 

“Rei tries to get me to run, but I'm frozen in place. When we do finally try to get away, they're already closing in on us. We manage to make it to a very narrow cave that they wouldn't be able to follow us into, but before we can enter, one of the men grabs me…”

 

“…and Tala pushes me through the opening. That's where the memory ended the first time, and at night, we see more of what happened, but it's so strange…” the golden-eyed teen trailed off with a thoughtful look on his face.

 

“How so?” Kai prompted.

 

“We've been seeing the rest in fragments,” Wolborg's master answered. “The first night, we saw everything that happened to Rei; last night, it was from my point of view.”

 

“Tonight,” Rei continued. “We saw everything as if we had been watching and not experiencing it. We know everything that happened, now. Even parts that we should have no knowledge of.” Two sets of pupils slit; it was the first time Tala had ever displayed any of his neko-jin nature other than the fangs, and the look was rare even for Rei.

 

“BioVolt isn't just a Russian organization,” the blue-eyed teen began, venom dripping from every word.

 

“They're in China, as well… Specifically, the village I was raised in,” the raven-haired blader finished, unsurprised at the stunned silence that settled over the room.

 

TBC