Escape
Escape, my sweetest victory,
No empty room nor frozen heart,
With you, love. Your light
Leads me on; to escape.
Two days had passed since Kai had woken up and he was finally well enough to get up and walk about. He had spent most of the two days sleeping and the time while he was actually awake he had spent trying to watch Zephyr covertly, not wanting the strange girl to notice. Because that's what she was; strange, odd. She was different from people he'd known before, she reminded him a little of Rei, the only Blade Breaker he'd ever really got on with. She didn't talk non-stop or loudly, she was quiet and considerate. She almost never asked questions, even when he could tell she wanted to know. It felt like…like she understood him. Kai paused in his thoughts, his eyes still watching her as she sat in that chair by his bed. He frowned slightly, she had refused to leave his side as well. Not even finding somewhere like a hotel to sleep. Why? Either she was a complete fool or…Kai shut his eyes tight against the thought that was creeping in his mind. He couldn't deal with it. Instead he took a deep breath. It was time to end this.
'So...what are you gonna do now?' he asked quietly. Zephyr looked up from the leaflet she had been reading. Kai wasn't looking at her, he was staring out the window, watching the birds swoop past on silent wings, avoiding her gaze...
'What do you mean? she asked, though she thought she knew exactly what he meant. There was a short silence before Kai turned his head and looked at her. His intense gaze breaking through her determination. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to. They both knew what was being asked.
'I ...guess you don't really need someone like me tagging along, huh?' said zephyr, her words all rushing out at once. Kai looked away from her again as her cheeks reddened, his eyes were clouded with some hidden emotion.
You'd only get in trouble if you stayed.' he stated rather stiffly. Zephyr clenched her fists helplessly in her lap. There was a tense silence. Finally Zephyr stood up with one decisive movement.
'I see.' Kai glanced back up at her, startled now that it was happening. Her eyes refused to meet his and instead she turned and grasped the door handle with shaking fingers. Something within Kai tensed up as she paused but...
'I guess we won't see each other again.' she turned her head slightly as if to look back at him one last time but changing her mind, turned back to the door, her grip on the handle tightening.
'Good Luck.' she whispered and was gone.
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It had been three days now since Kai had last seen Zephyr. He assumed she had gone back to her home, wherever that was. Having left the hospital he had realised that he had completely lost his sense of direction and, unfortunately, had neglected to ask Zephyr where exactly it was that she had brought them. Since he had been judged healthy enough to be released from the hospital's care, Kai had had to get used to being chased and shouted after all over again. Being with Zephyr in those few days had almost made him forget what had happened to him. What he was doing...as if he had ever known before what he was doing. Truth was Kai hadn't a clue. He was wandering aimlessly, it was starting to seem as if his sole purpose in life was to evade capture and it was tiring him out. He had to escape them each and every time. They only had to win once.
Three days and he still wasn't sure quite where he was. Kind of sad really. He would have asked someone but he could only think of how much of a bad idea it was to draw any kind of attention to himself. Kai sighed once again. He could tell he was in a bad situation, and it probably wasn't going to get any better any time soon. He could feel himself tiring, growing weaker as he was forced to sleep out in the cold, forced to live on any crumbs and leftovers he could scavenge. He didn't even have his cloak any more to help disguise himself from the ones searching for him. Searching for a murderer.
kai looked up, gazing down the road where, in the distance, he could see what looked like a large city. He frowned to himself, the last inhabited place he had been in was a small village early this morning. Looking at the towering buildings and grey smog hovering over, Kai knew that it was a bad idea to venture into such a place where he would be surrounded by people who would be on the lookout for him. Surrounded by hands waiting to reach out and grab him. But despite this danger, it was still more foolhardy to stay out in the country, prey to cold and starvation. Reaching up Kai rubbed the blue triangles on his face ruefully. They didn't smudge or disappear. He couldn't get rid of them, they were there for life, a mark given to him by the Abbey, a way for anyone to easily recognise him.
Resigned, Kai quickened his pace. It would be night soon and he would be better able to slip through the streets without notice. As he walked, he let his mind wander, letting his thoughts drift to memories of Zephyr, the few that he had. He thought back to the dream he had had just before waking up in hospital, he could barely remember it now but it had left a distinct impression on him, a feeling of something more than the emptiness that he had now. He vaguely remembered the faces of his old team, the Blade Breakers. He remembered once more his sisters last words,
' don't give up Kai…you still have friends, they care about you…they still remember you…even if you don't...' Kai closed his eyes, trying to block out the echoing words but they were still there, whispering back and forth through his head. Pushing his hair back out of his eyes with a heavy sigh, he peered up at the dark shadows of buildings rising up before him. Though it was getting late the sounds of the city were still in evidence, cars rumbling past, laughter floating from open windows, here and there the squeal of tires and the shouts of drunken teens. Kai grimaced, he almost envied their carefree abandonment. Almost. He couldn't help but feel hatred for their drunken behaviour. His scarred stomach still ached a little from his fathers inebriated attack.
Kai let out a low curse as he stumbled on the uneven pavement and painfully stubbed his toe. He stopped for a second to let the pain settle. Grimacing he looked back up and got a shock as he realised that he was completely surrounded. He hadn't even heard them sneak up on him, they just appeared out of nowhere. Dark figures, shadows in the night, they closed in warily around him. Kai backed away a step before bumping into the wall his eyes wide, fearing the worst.
Grimacing at his own weak behaviour Kai whipped out his Beyblade, Dranzer, and took up a defensive position. Glaring at the shadowy figures surrounding him, he waited cautiously for someone to make the first move. He wasn't going to let himself get beaten again. He'd had enough of it. he hadn't been trained in The Abbey for nothing. He was surprised at the feel of the blade in his hand, it had been so long since he'd taken it out that he had almost forgotten, the sharp edges, the cold metal, the feeling of power resting in the palm of his hand. Fear still lingered in his heart, fear of being captured, being dragged back into a nightmare of pain and horror but it no longer showed in his eyes. If Kai was anything, he was a master at hiding his emotions.
The group of hooded figures had backed away slightly, their movements wary. Kai tightened his grip on the ripcord, ready to destroy anything that came between him and his freedom, what freedom he had anyway.
'Wait!'
Kai looked up in surprise. That voice... one of the figures stepped forward, lowering his hood.
'Kai, stop! It's me, Tala!' Kai's eyes widened again in shock.
'Tala, why? How?' Kai realised that his hands were shaking and let them fall to his sides, despite his previous actions, in reality, he was too weak from hunger, cold and lack of sleep to have put up much of a fight.
'I'm here to help you Kai. Come on, we've got to get you away from here. It's not safe.' He reached out to take Kai's arm but Kai pushed him away.
'Wait a second! Why should I trust you? you're with Voltaire right?' He shouted, 'You're probably just gonna take me straight back to him!' He backed away from his old friend his back hit against the wall and there was no way left to escape. his breathing was getting heavier. He was so tired. Tala watched him. Kai was surprised to see that his eyes were tinged with worry.
'Kai, Voltaire thinks I'm dead and has thought so for over a year now. Please come with us, we can help you.' Kai let his gaze shift to the other figures surrounding him. Though they had removed their hoods he didn't recognise any of them. Though it was hard to tell, it was so dark and he felt dizzy and weak. Looking back at Tala he wondered if he was telling the truth or not. He couldn't think straight any more.
Tala watched his old friend, wondering how he could persuade him of the truth. He could see that Kai was near the end of his strength, the fact that he hadn't even noticed them approaching him was proof enough of that. Tala sighed and closed his eyes.
Kai looked up at his old friend. His eyes were closed and he could no longer read anything from that pale face. Kai suddenly realised he was on his knees. As his eyes blurred and his vision went black, Kai let out one last gasp before his body hit the frozen concrete with a soft thud.
'Tala...'
~To Be Continued~
