Blood Price

Disclaimer: for the twenty-second FLIPPIN TIME! I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE!

A/N: I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD! Took me a while to get back into this story! I just realised that, on my PC, I've lost chapters 1 – 16 of 'The Dranon Heiress'. That means no more references to DH and this story is steering off in another direction. It's going to be finished soon too . . . I'm a little sad that I can't fully get back into Beyblade, or this story, but yeah . . .

And guess what? OUTCAST HAS 99 REVIEWS! Wow! And I finished it last year sometime . . . it's my pride and joy, after all. My first serious BB fic and my all-time favourite to write so I'm very happy that others enjoyed it too. Apparently it's very soap-operaish.

- Chapter Twenty-Two -

Alex had grown sullen and withdrawn, very surprising for a five-year-old. He was scowling more often and there was coldness in his eyes that reflected his father's. And, along with the fact that his eyes were emerald green like Kaika's . . . it was unnerving. And that was Chika's thought when she first saw her son.

Her daughter, who had her blue eyes, was quieter and more easily scared. She flinched away from contact a lot and had grown apart from her twin. They could barely stand each other any more, with Alex frequently hurting his sister whenever they were near each other.

"Mom, I want my own room," was the first thing Alex said to her.

"Alex, you have to ask," Allie reprimanded, frowning.

"Shut up," Alex snapped. "Girls are wrong and boys are right."

"Alexander," Chika growled warningly.

He huffed and turned away, crossing his arms. She didn't know what had gotten into him at all. Barely three months at school and he had already changed so drastically. Five-year-olds weren't supposed to change that quickly. He seemed too rebellious . . . but then again, Alex was rather precocious.

They got into the car, still on edge with each other. When they were about ten minutes from home, Alex asked a startling question.

"Are we bastard children?"

Chika almost slammed the brakes down, eyes paling and grip tightening on the steering wheel. She glanced through the rear view mirror in shock at her son, who was glaring at her. Allie was shrunk against the window, attempting to – unsuccessfully – hide her red face behind the seatbelt. She gathered her wits about her quickly.

"Who said that to you?"

"Everyone at school." He looked out the window. "The teachers talk about it when they think we don't hear. They think we don't understand. I asked people and they said bastard children don't have dads."

"Where's our dad?" Allie piped.

"He's . . . busy at work," she lied.

"But we've never seen him," Alex quipped. "And you never tell us anything about him."

"Just know you aren't what they call you," Chika said sharply. Her tone softened. "Look, next time someone asks who your father is, tell them he works overseas and rarely comes home."

"You mean lie?"

"It's not a lie, Alex."

He didn't reply, only kept staring out the window, his young face dark.

Things didn't improve when they got home. Alex saw Kai and stormed up to his room, slamming the door. Allie smiled timidly at him and fled wide-eyed. He exchanged glances with her, before she left as well, frowning. A moment later, he followed her.

"Daijoubu ka?" he asked, using Japanese.

"I'm fine . . ." she sat at the table, her head in her hands.

"No you're not."

She glared at the tabletop, eyes reddening.

"They're not going back to school," she said harshly. "I don't care if I have to home teach them, they're not going back to that school."

"Talk?" he guessed.

"Alex asked me in the car if they were 'bastards'." She spat the last word out like it was poisonous. "He said that all the teachers talked about them that way and the other children were starting to say the same."

Kai remembered the glare the boy had given him. Perhaps that had something to do with it . . . he didn't know. But since the children were Kaika's . . .

"I don't know if I should tell them about Kaika. I don't think they're ready and they can't back up the claim of us getting a divorce, because we haven't. Then there's the fact that I haven't told them because I wanted to keep them safe from Kaika, who we both know doesn't have a heart at all."

Kai suddenly felt anger boil within him. He wished to leave immediately. Not just leave the house, but the country. He wanted to put this all behind him. He didn't want to get mixed up in this dangerous situation when Kaika came back from wherever the hell he was now. It was selfish of him, he knew, but the attitude he had when he was a teenager came back. He wasn't stupid enough to get mixed up in all this. After all, he had come to England to find her; not to have all her problems heaped onto his shoulders.

He felt sick and tired of having to be nice. It nauseated him to have to care about things that didn't involve him. Ever since he had come to England, it had always been trouble for him, inconvenience for him and danger. No, it was ever since he had met her, he had been in danger. Why did he have to suffer for her sake?

I know I'm being selfish, but I don't care. I didn't come here to die.

"Oh Rika . . . come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Miriam giggled as she called out into the dark alleyway. She had a meeting with Ketsueki Rika, who seemed rather annoyed and angry. Not without reason, of course, and Miriam knew it well. She was practically spitting death threats at her for telling Rei about her past. They both knew it was something she would rather forget.

"I know you're here," Miriam crowed.

"Stop it with the crooning," a voice ordered from the shadows. "I'm here."

Rika glared at her from her seat on top of the dumpster. Her red-violet eyes glinted with malice and a promise of death. The green-eyed woman strolled down towards her, smirking and smiling as she made of show of sauntering like a model on a catwalk.

"Ah, nice to see you, Rika," Miriam simpered.

"Stop bullshitting Miriam," Rika snapped. "Why did you tell Rei?"

"Wouldn't you enjoy a few more lines of camaraderie?"

"I would enjoy it more if you explained just what the fuck you thought you were doing, telling Rei about my past."

"Tsk, tsk, Rika." Miriam shook a finger in her direction. Rika gave her the finger in return, glaring. "I was only doing what should be done. You can't expect to build a relationship on lies you know."

Rika jumped down from the dumpster and grabbed Miriam's collar roughly. With one hand, she pinned the other to the damp wall and raised the other to the woman's throat. Miriam hung still, but she was still smirking. The nails on Rika's fingers glinted, razor sharp.

"You stay right away from Rei, you hear?" she hissed.

"Why are you so touchy?" Again, the smirk.

"Shut the fuck up and listen to me." Rika's eyes narrowed. "I can kill you in a split second and you know it. You know I won't hesitate to do so."

"Yes . . ." Miriam murmured. "You're the one who severed all ties with us, at the cost of Kyan's life. You who slaughtered so many people at the age of seven, who worked as an assassin for both the gang and Count Dranon for ten years . . . why would you hesitate?"

A peculiar emotion flickered in Rika's dark hues. Miriam couldn't quite decipher what it was, but she knew she had hit a nerve. Rika claimed to be reformed, quitting the job of assassin and Beyblader, but her past as both these haunted her until this day. She hated her past being mentioned to anyone.

"You can kill me now, you know," the bluenette continued in that same, soft voice. "I wouldn't mind seeing whether or not your assassination skills have deteriorated."

"I'm not an assassin."

"You were born to be one. Don't fight it, Rika, it's in your blood. Feel angry – hate me. Let the anger take control and kill me." Miriam chuckled in a low voice. "Besides, it's no use hanging around if there's nothing left for me. I have no goal to work for, no reason to live. Kill me. You know you want to."

"SHUT UP!" Rika shrieked. She clamped her vice-like grip around Miriam's neck. "SHUT THE FUCK UP! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT HAVING NOTHING LEFT? WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING ALONE AND HAVING NO GOAL? YOUR MISERY IS NOTHING COMPARED TO MINE, SO DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW!"

Miriam didn't struggle against her grip, but relaxed and continued to smirk. The grip around her neck didn't budge, only grew tighter and tighter, cutting off her circulation and respiratory system. Her face grew steadily redder with the lack of oxygen and her eyes bloodshot and she let out a strangled yelp. Rika was breathing heavily, bare hands crushing the other's windpipe, nails digging into the back of her neck. Blood trickled down on her clothes, staining them crimson.

"Don't pretend to understand . . . don't . . ."

Mama? Where are you? Don't leave me alone here! Where are you going? Mama? MAMA? Why are you crying papa? Where's mama? Why didn't she come home with you? What happened? Where are you taking me?

Mama . . .? Papa . . .?

Don't leave me alone . . .

"No one will ever understand what it's like to be me . . ."

- End of Chapter Twenty-Two -

A/N: sorry it took so long for me to update! I want you guys to know that updating on this fic will be exceptionally slow and it will sound very strange for a while, until I can realise what I'm doing. Sorry in advance! My penname has been changed (again!) to Relinquished.

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