A Helping Hand- Rei
Rei sighed heavily for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that night. The pain had finally gotten the better of
him, earlier that evening and when he began to scream, they had arrived with all their drugs and painkillers. He was
beginning to see why Kai hated the hospital so much now.
He was feeling heavier as well. A while ago, he had been holding on to the bed, trying to ignore the feeling that he
was about to float away. Max had talked to him before the 'episode', on the phone. He had rung to say that they'd
found Kai, not to worry. Stay where you are, rest.
Rei was sick of being unable to do anything. He didn't care if he couldn't see, he couldn't care less if his body
exploded with pain every few hours, all he wanted was to go home. He wanted to help the others get Dranzer back,
after all, it was my fault.
Sighing again, Rei ran his hand across his arm, trying to feel some sort of mark, a trace of what happened. All he
could feel was his soft skin, completely smooth, beneath his cold fingers.
With a frustrated growl, he clutched his Beyblade tighter in his hand, the sharp edges digging into his skin with little
pinpricks. With distant wonder, he marked the slow trickle of warm blood, caressing his skin.
'Master Rei, you're bleeding.' The slightly accusing voice made Rei jump. He hadn't heard the nurse coming. He
hadn't really been paying attention though.
'It's nothing…' he protested feebly as her hands wrapped around his own, opening them deftly to inspect the
damage.
'Oh really? If you can't control yourself then I'll have to take this off you, we can't have you hurting yourself more than
you already are.' With a painful shock, Rei realised that Drigger was gone, taken from his hand.
'No, Please. Don't take him away. Please. I…I won't do it again…' there was a silence from the nurse as she thought
about it. Finally,
'Alright then, but wait a second while I bandage those cuts and then you can have it back, and no complaints okay?'
Rei nodded mutely. He could feel it happening, inside his body, the poison spreading. The pain was growing so
much faster without Drigger to slow it.
The unseen nurse took, what seemed, an age to finish wrapping soft cotton bandages around Rei's hand. Finally it
was over, though by that time, Rei was shaking from the oncoming pain.
'Now,' said the nurse. 'All better…are you feeling alright Rei?' Rei shook his head distractedly, he felt physically sick,
'Please, Drigger. Let me have him back. Please.' He gasped. He stretched out his hand for his one lifeline. Finally, the
comforting weight was placed gently in his outstretched hand and with a relieved sigh Rei let his arm fall, his hand
clutched protectively around the Beyblade. There was an uncomfortable silence from the nurse as she tried to
understand what had happened.
Opening his blood red eyes to the void, Rei looked in her direction.
'Thank you'.
She didn't answer him; there was only the sound of her footsteps, hastily retreating from the room. Rei closed his
eyes again, thinking. Then, with a sudden determination, he swung his legs off the bed and sat up. For a while all he
could do was sit there, trying to ease the pain burning in his muscles. Finally, with one hand still on the bed for
guidance, he stood up, though shakily.
With his other hand he felt about the empty space to his left for some kind of wall. I must look so stupid! He thought
as he did so. With a suddenness that made him jump, his hand pushed against the solid wall. Breathing heavily, Rei
moved towards it, trying to feel for any obtrusions in his path.
Then, with his left hand fixed to the wall and his other sweeping the area in front for obstacles, Rei moved slowly
forward. One step at a time, he walked around the room, searching for the door.
He was halfway around the second wall when his method failed him. His hand had failed to find the small cabinet
that he walked straight into.
Rei fell to the ground with a crash. As his hand came down to stop his fall, Drigger was knocked out of it, tumbling
away from him. He hit the floor and pain rushed through his body, his muscles burnt and it hurt to breathe, He
couldn't move. He just lay there, shaking, as the pain grew more and more intense. With desperate gasps Rei
whispered the name of his Bit beast again and again,
'Drigger…Drigger…' But he was helpless to the poison destroying his body.
Then a voice penetrated through each layer of pain, making his blood run cold. It was a voice he knew, a voice he
feared.
'well, well, well, looks like I came just in time. You look like you're in a bit of trouble there, perhaps your looking for
this?' with that, Boris Balkov, dropped Rei's Beyblade, Drigger, into his outstretched hand.
Rei lay still, his blood red eyes wide open in shock. Was it Boris talking to him? Why had he given back Drigger?
Rei still couldn’t talk and instead he stayed on the floor, gasping, like a fish out of water.
'You may remember me, master Rei, I am Boris Balkov. I am quite well 'acquainted with your friend, Kai. We go a long
way back.'
Finally Rei had enough breath to spit out a disgusted sentence.
'What do you want, scum?'
'Oh, tch, tch, tch, master Rei. Shouldn't you be more polite to a 'helping hand'?' Fighting against the burning in his
lungs and muscles, Rei clenched his trembling fingers tight around Drigger and shoved himself roughly away from
Boris' voice. Then drawing his feet towards him he pushed himself slowly up the hospital wall until finally he stood,
shaking as he supported himself against it.
'I would never except help from someone like you.' He gasped, stumbling blindly backwards as Boris' voice came
steadily nearer,
'I'm afraid you don't have a choice.' Rei jumped in shock at the sudden grasp on his arm, Boris' hand gripping his
arm tight, struggling weakly, Rei could do nothing as he felt the sudden pinprick in his arm and then the now
familiar feeling of liquid diffusing through his body.
His thoughts scattering and the pain slowly fading, Rei's struggles soon stopped altogether…
