Disclaimer: Don’t own the characters but I own the plot… what little there is of it. And a beyblade I bought for two Euros in Germany.

xxxxx

I grinned as I inhaled the deep smell fresh pine and listened to the snow crunch beneath my feet.

I was home.

Granted, the Abbey wasn’t the nicest place to be returning to, but all the guys were there and – I inhaled deeply again – I had so many stories to tell!

It had been eighteen months since the last time I last saw them… well, at least I think it was eighteen months. I lost track of time in the Amazon Rainforest and when I hitched a lift on an outgoing trade vessel – alright, I was a stowaway – I didn’t stop to ask. Then I trekked through the Balkans and the Ukraine before arriving back in Moscow for the surprise return.

I feel fantastic. I actually feel alive, that I had found myself at last. I’d made the radical decision to go travelling shortly after Tyson’s victory over Brooklyn and booked a ticket to South Africa. I grinned again as I ran down the road to the Abbey and opened the eerie gates.

Lights flickered inside and I heard familiar voices echo through the building.

“Will you lighten up? You’re turning into Kai, you big grouch, it’s scary.”

“Watch it, Spencer…”

I shook my head and laughed. “Hey guys!” I yelled, my voice resonating in the cold night air. “I’m home!” I laughed again and span around. “I’m home!”

There were loud footsteps down stairs and the door was flung open. Two figures were silhouetted in the doorway and I walked into the light. Their stunned faces were exactly what I wanted to see.

“Bryan?” Spencer said. “Bryan? Is that you?”

“The one and only!” I shouted, spinning around on one foot.

Spencer let out a sigh of relief and leant against the door frame. Tala, however, looked furious.

“Where the hell have you been?” he snarled.

I rolled my eyes. “Travelling. Duh.”

Tala stormed out of the door, feet crunching in the snow. “For three friggin’ years?”

I felt my mouth drop open. “Thr… three years?”

“Yes, Bryan,” my name was spat out angrily. “Three. Fucking. Years. Don’t you know how much you’ve missed?”

“Tala…” I started. “Don’t… I didn’t know I’d been gone that long! Am I allowed inside or do you want me to bugger off for another three years?”

Tala whimpered. “I missed you, you lilac haired freak!” I staggered backwards as he threw himself in my arms. “I bloody missed you!”

Spencer told me afterwards that my face was unbelievably funny. Having my usually bad tempered, loud mouthed captain throw himself at me and burst into tears was something I wasn’t entirely used to. I blinked stupidly a few times before lifting Tala back to his feet.

“Tala… come on, get a grip. It’s not that big a deal.”

Whoops.

Shouldn’t have said that…

Tala’s icy blue eyes flashed. “Not that big a deal? Not that big a deal?” I doubled over as he punched me in the stomach. “I’ll give you not that big a deal, you feather-brained twit!”

“Hey!” Spencer said, grabbing Tala by the back of his shirt before he could lay into me some more. “Calm down, Tal. Let’s get inside and get the vodka out.”

I sighed wistfully, the pain in my stomach receding slightly. “There’s a thing I’ve missed,” I murmured as I went through the door.

They’d certainly been busy renovating this place. How they managed to get central heating everywhere I’ll never know and Boris’s old office had been thoroughly trashed and turned into a living room. The fire roared and I slung my numerous backpacks down on the floor before flopping onto the sofa.

“Where have you been then, Bryan?” Spencer asked, handing me a glass of vodka.

I sniffed the sharp smell of the alcohol and took a sip, sighing as it burned down my throat. Yep, I was definitely home. I stretched, kicked off my boots and wiggled my toes in my hole ridden socks. “Do you want the full story or the revised version?”

Tala curled on the armchair by the fire. “The revised version. Save the long one when we go to Germany, you can wow the other teams at the Worlds.”

I blinked. “I’m not on the team, am I? I’m really rusty…”

“I’ll put you as a reserve later and you can spin if you like. Now spill it! Where’ve you been?”

I leant backwards and let out a long breath. “I went to South Africa, as you know, then travelled north, stopping in various places along the way. I stayed with some tribes for a while then went to Kenya and went west. It was a bugger getting through Uganda, though. Took a plane from Nigeria,” I yawned and continued. “Went to Brazil. Got stuck in the Amazon rainforest for god knows how long before finding my way out and going south. Visited Argentina, the Falklands then went north again through Bolivia, Peru, went up the Andes then into Ecuador. Travelled along the coast through Venezuela and so on until I got to French Guiana. Hitched a ride on a trade vessel from Cayenne to south France and trekked home.” I yawned again. “There you go. Three years in a nutshell, but I must have been lost in the Amazon for longer than I thought.”

“How long did you think you’d been gone then?”

“Eighteen months.”

Tala snorted. “Whatever. When… when you said it was a bugger getting through Uganda, what did you mean?” He looked worried.

I shrugged. “Got taken hostage by some weird extremist gang. No biggie.”

“No… no biggie! You make it sound like it was some kind of joke!”

“On the contrary, when confronted with fifteen blokes with knifes and guns its far from funny.” I smiled slightly. “Never piss of a guy with a machete, it doesn’t do you any good in the long run.”

“Bryan…” Spencer said, frowning. “Explain.”

I shrugged again and sat up, lifting the hem of my yellow shirt. Tala gasped and Spencer’s eyes widened at the long scar that was drawn across my right side.

“Shit!” Tala said. “You could have been killed, Bryan!”

I smirked and sat back in the seat again. “I know,” I answered somewhat smugly.

Tala spluttered. “It’s not funny, Bryan! Quit smirking! You could have been sawn in half, shot, eaten, captured and we wouldn’t have known anything about it! It would have been nice for you to contact us or something when you got to a city or town!”

“Easier said than done, Tala, I had no money and I hardly went near a town or city. Anyway, I kind of… well, forgot about contacting you and stuff. In fact I forgot about life here altogether until I started walking through Hungary and Czechoslovakia.”

Tala looked quit hurt. “Well that’s the last time I worry about you.” He sniffed.

“Aw… Tal, come on. I was enjoying myself. And I think I can safely say I’m not a war machine anymore.”

“You were never a war machine to me,” Tala murmured.

I was rendered speechless for a few minutes. “But I still felt like a stoic, frozen and emotionless… thing. But that’s changed now.” I smiled, something that I’d grown used to doing but Spencer still looked shocked when I did. “Now, what’s been happening in the big bad world of beyblade?”

Tala sniffed before settling into his gossip mode. “Well… Bladebreakers (aka G revolutions) won the Worlds again… and last year too.” Tala sighed. “So nothing much has changed there. Kai and Tyson have been going out for about two and a half years…”

I held my hand out to stop him. “Whoa! Wait one second,” I said. “Kai and Tyson?” I whistled. “Who’d’ve thought it?”

“Tell me about it!” Tala said. “Anyway, me and Spence’ have been tidying this place up with, surprisingly enough, Kai’s help.”

I smiled. “How exactly has Frozen Phoenix helped?”

“Financially. His written all the Abbey accounts into our names. You included, even thought we didn’t know when you’d be back,” Spencer said.

I was vaguely impressed. “What did you do to get him to do that?”

“Nothing!” said Tala, blushing. Spencer chuckled.

“Kai said if Tala, I quote, ‘stapled his mouth shut,’ end quote, about him and Tyson then he’d do it.”

I laughed. “So how hard has it been trying not to tease him, Tal?”

Tala huffed and stuck his nose in the air, declining to answer. Me and Spencer laughed.

“That hard?” I said. Tala’s eyes flashed and he changed the subject.

“Anyway, moving on… well, that’s about it, not a lot has happened. The Justice 5 team have entered the tournament, though.”

My eyes narrowed. “Let’s hope G revolutions can kick them in before we have to battle them.” Spencer nodded in agreement.

I yawned again and rubbed my eyes. Spencer sighed. “Go on, you. Off to bed. We haven’t done anything to your room, just put central heating in it.”

“And a new shower. With hot water!” Tala said happily. Spencer groaned.

“Don’t even get him started on hot water.” I laughed.

“I thought dogs didn’t like baths, Tala?” I said teasingly. He snarled.

“Wolf, Bryan, wolf! We’re proud of our hygiene thank you very much. I am not some common mongrel.” He sniffed and it took all my energy not to laugh again.

Walking up the stone staircases I noticed the different atmosphere. It was so much more relaxed. I opened the door to my room, my very empty room and sighed.

“It’s really boring. Can I decorate it?”

Tala blinked. “Sure…”

“Don’t look at me like that,” I said.

“Well, that just seemed like the last thing you would say.”

“Gee, thanks.” I dumped my bags on the floor and lay on the bed, sighing. “If its any consolation… I did miss you too.”

Tala sat on the end of my bed and pulled off my holey socks. “I know you did,” he said, tickling my feet. I wiggled my toes at him but that was the only response he got. “Damn it! Do you have no nerve endings or something?”

I sat up and grinned at him. “Obviously not.”

Tala growled. “Alright Mr Nerves-of-Steel. Get some sleep.”

“Yes mother,” I said with a yawn, lying back on the covers.

Tala looked around and huffed. “You’re right, it really does need decorating.”

“Tal?” I mumbled sleepily.

“Yes?”

“G’way. Please.”

I felt Tala’s hand grip my own before he left, allowing me to get some much needed rest.

xxxxx

I don’t know how long I was out, but the sun was up when I woke. I sat up and rubbed the grit from my eyes.

Damn. No watch.

What day was it anyway?

I went to test the new shower, revelling in the hot water. Alright, so it wasn’t as dramatic as a waterfall in Botswana but I got clean. I put on my old blading gear and went out of my room. I got lost several times on the way to the kitchens but eventually I found Tala in there raiding the fridge.

“What day is it?” I said by way of greeting.

“Why, good morning Bryan, nice to see you too,” Tala said somewhat sarcastically. “It’s Thursday.”

“Oh. I’ll go shopping today then. Decorate my room.” I looked over Tala’s shoulder at the stuff in the fridge and screwed my nose up before leaving again.

“Hey!” Tala said. “Aren’t you having breakfast?”

“Not hungry,” I answered.

Tala frowned. “How much did you actually eat when you were ‘travelling’?”

I shrugged. “Depended on where I was. If I was with a tribe I ate quite well; one main meal and sort of snack in the morning. I didn’t have any food for about five weeks in Uganda when I was held hostage then in the Amazon… well it was on off. Sometimes I ate, other times I didn’t.”

Tala looked horrified. “Come here,” he ordered.

I raised my eyebrow. “Tala, don’t force feed me, I’m just not hungry that’s all.”

“I wont force feed you. Just come here.”

I went to Tala and looked suspiciously at him. “What?”

Tala put his bowl of cereal down on the counter and hugged me again. I blinked as he stepped back and paced around me, eyeing me critically.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “Tala, I’m fine.”

His eyes watered. “But Bryan…”

“No buts, I’m fine.”

He scowled. “Spencer!” he yelled, still staring at me.

I snarled. “I’m fine! There’s no need to bring him into this!”

“Too late,” Spencer remarked as he came up behind me. His brow furrowed. “Is it me or have you lost loads of weight? Either that or your clothes have got bigger.”

Tala was looking suitably smug. My scowl deepened. “Just knock it off, will you? I’m fine, leave me alone.” With that I walked out of the kitchen and left the building out into the cold.

Stupid Tala, stupid Spencer, what do they know? I don’t need their help, I’ve already proved that.

I searched the Muscovite streets for a suitable shop and smiled to myself. This was a chance to really jazz up my room.

Jazz up? Where the hell did that come from?

xxxxx

I’d been in Russia for about six weeks and not a lot had changed.

Tala and Spencer didn’t directly confront me about eating or my weight but they made “subtle” hints about it. As it was I only ate twice a day which suited me fine, but Tala would deliberately put an obvious lunch break in the training schedule in an effort to add a third meal.

Not a chance, Tala. It’s not working!

In that hour I shut myself in my room and continued with my project. The other two had seen nothing of it – I installed a lock on my door to prevent certain nosy wolves… yes Tala, I’m talking about you – sticking their nose where it wasn’t welcome.

I was stood on the ladder adding the finishing touches to the ceiling in my room. I was well chuffed with it, if I say so my self.

I really have lost it. Chuffed? What the hell?

Moving on… my room. The bed was the same hard mattress and single pillow that has no right to the name pillow. Why I hadn’t changed it was beyond Tala, but I felt comfortable on them, strangely enough. The bedside table was still in the same place and the window was still a bugger to open at times but that’s not what I’m pleased with.

The curtains were made from a thick black material, casting the room in total darkness if I so wished. The west facing wall with the French windows (that led to the balcony) on it was of the Amazon jungle… well, a good imitation of it. A leopard peered out from a thick bush and various animals littered the scene including capybaras by the river and brightly coloured birds in the tree branches.

The north facing wall was the African savannah. Elephants, lions, gazelle… I had a large room so when I plastered the cold stone walls it didn’t make it feel smaller. I also had loads of space to vent my creative side. Back to the savannah, the sky was dotted with thin clouds and a flock of birds was frozen across it. The door to the bathroom irritated me so I tried to incorporate it as well, painting the scene across it. It looked alright but a professional could have done better.

The west facing wall had the door to the corridor on it. I liked this wall best – it wasn’t so… busy. Well. The Namibian desert can’t be said to be that exciting but I enjoyed staying there. It was me against the desert and nothing else, not me against predators or humans, just me. The sky was perfectly clear in this one. Another reason I like this is because it was surprisingly hard to paint. It was hard to infuse life into it, but I was proud with the result. Again, I painted the door in the scene. Stupid door.

Finally the wall that headed my bed was the Andes. Cloudy skies, majestic eagles and rocky slopes unfurled from the wall.

I clambered down from the ladder and folded it up, dumping my paintbrush in the surgical spirit. I sighed and flopped backwards on my bed, releasing a proud smile as I looked at the ceiling.

Falborg, my brother in arms and companion, was painted on the ceiling, wings spread for an imminent attack, his red eyes shining in the sunlight through the window.

All in all, not bad for six weeks hard work. Kind of tells you how much spare time I had on my hands.

I lifted my head slightly as the outside door opened and shut and muffled voices came through the floorboards. I stood up and locked my room behind me, following the voices to the living room.

Hiwatari? Here? I peered through the gap in the door. Spencer handed Kai a coffee and sat down on the sofa, out of my sight.

“How’s Tyson?” Spencer asked. Kai smiled. Shit, he smiled? I really had been gone a long time.

“He’s fine. He would have come with me but his Grandfather was ill, so he had to stay.” He set his coffee down on the table. There was silence for a moment before Kai spoke up again.

“Any news on Bryan?”

I smirked as I pushed opened the door. “Some news, yeah. Nothing exciting though,” I said.

Kai’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Welcome back, brother.” He stood up and walked towards me, grasping my outstretched hand in his own. “Long time no see.”

I pulled him into a rough, brotherly embrace and ruffled his hair. “Too long. You’ve found your life partner, I hear?”

Kai flushed. “Tala can’t keep anything to himself, can he?” He pulled away and frowned at me, looking me up and down.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight,” he said.

I growled as Tala whooped with laughter. “There we go, feather boy, three of us have said it now!”

“Stop acting like I’ve denied it, I know I’ve lost weight. It’s not a problem, is it? I’m healthy enough.”

Kai frowned and sat back down on the sofa. “Even so…”

“Don’t bother, Kai, we’ve tried everything to get him to eat more,” said Spencer. “At least he’s not skipping breakfast anymore.”

“How much is he eating?”

“Stop talking like I’m a patient that’s not here!” I snapped. They ignored me.

Typical.

“He’s eating twice a day, light breakfast and an evening meal,” Tala quipped, smirking.

“I don’t know why you’re smirking, Tala,” I said. “But you can’t make me do anything.”

Kai sighed. “He’s right Tala. We can’t.”

I huffed. “Thank you, Kai. Someone who has some common sense.”

Kai sighed. “But I really wish you would eat some more, Bryan. We’re not in the Abbey anymore.”

“I know that!” I snapped.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Tala said. “You’ve still got your old bed!”

“What?” Kai said. “Those rock hard mattresses and godforsaken pillows?”

“It’s what I’m used to!” I said. “Those damn hotel mattresses gave me an aching back.”

“Moving on,” Kai sighed. “How was Africa?”

I smiled. “I didn’t just go to Africa.”

“You didn’t?”

I went through the places I’d been – in order. Kai frowned when we got to Uganda.

“Any problems going through there?”

I shrugged. “Some.” Tala growled.

“I’ll give you bloody some, the idiot got kidnapped by extremists and held hostage for five weeks.”

“Only until they realised I wasn’t of any value.”

“Bryan, one of the assholes sliced you!”

“What?” Kai shot out of his seat and looked at me in worry and anger.

“It was no worse than some of Boris’s beatings!” I protested.

“Show him the scar, Bryan,” Spencer ordered.

I folded my arms and stuck my nose in the air like a petulant five year old. “Na-uh.”

“Captain’s order – show the scar, Bryan!” Tala snapped.

I scowled. I couldn’t go back on a captain’s order. “…sod you,” I muttered, lifting the hem of my shirt.

Kai sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes widened. “You could’ve died out there!”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Too much drama. I’m going to my room.”

“You wait right there, mister,” Tala said. I ignored him and went up the stairs, opening the door to my room.

I paused and looked around. I could’ve sworn I heard something behind me. No doubt Tala or someone had followed me but…

“SHIT!”

I was thrown into my room as Tala tackled me and pinned me to the floor. “Get off… you idiot…!”

Kai and Spencer quickly followed. Tala was too busy pinning me on the floor to take note of the new look but Spencer looked at the walls with his mouth hanging opening.

Kai swallowed and blinked. “You’ve certainly been busy, Bry,” he said.

“Yep!” I grunted, lifting Tala’s knees from the floor and flipping him over.

Tala looked at Falborg over my shoulder and his eyes widened. “Wow. I knew you were arty Bryan but this… is amazing!”

Spencer and Kai followed Tala’s line of sight. Kai settled himself on the floor and looked up at the ceiling. “Do you do commission?” he said, smiling.

I clambered off Tala and sat on my bed. “Don’t fuck with me, Kai.”

“I’m serious!” Kai said, twisting his head to look at Bryan. “Any chance of one of Dragoon and Dranzer?”

I blinked. “Well… get me a photo or screenshot or something then yeah…”

Kai smiled. “Do you want paying for it?”

I snorted. “Don’t be stupid, Kai, I’ll be using your money to be the stuff anyway.”

Tala picked himself up off the floor and lay on my bed. “I really don’t know how you can sleep on this. It’s like sleeping on the floor.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is,” Spencer, Kai and Tala said in unison.

I sighed and lay backwards next to Tala. “Tal, we can’t both fit on one bed anymore.”

“You’re telling me. If I go further this way anymore I’ll fall off.”

I sighed and lifted my arms wrapping them around Tala’s shoulders. He in turn slung his arms around my middle and buried his face in my shoulder. He sniffed.

“What’s wrong with you?” I said.

“Missed you,” he mumbled in my shoulder.

I sighed. “Tala, I’ve been back six weeks. There was nothing to miss anyway.”

“Don’t be stupid!” he said, poking me in the ribs.

“You’re all turning soft!” I said. Kai snorted.

“And you aren’t? I don’t remember you allowing Tala to hug you like that.”

“Well he’s hugged me like this before,” Tala said, pouting slightly.

“When?”

“After… each time Boris…” Tala faltered and buried his face in my chest again. I shushed him and rubbed his back soothingly. Kai was looking thoroughly confused.

“What did he do to you, Tala?” Kai said, scowling.

Tala clung to me tighter and sniffed. I sighed and looked at Spencer pleadingly. The tall man huffed.

“Boris raped Tala. More than once. It took us a while to figure it out but… Kai?”

Kai had frozen. “When did he start?”

“Shortly after you left. It was part of my punishment for loosing,” Tala spat bitterly.

Kai was looking thoroughly enraged. He looked around my room in a frenzy before storming out. There was a resounding thud and I helped Tala off the bed so we could see what had happened.

Kai slid to the floor, his fist bleeding and a dent in the stone wall from where he had punched it.

“Stupid… lying… bastard…” Kai said through gritted teeth. “Shouldn’t have believed him… at all!”

“Kai?” Spencer asked. “What did he do?”

Kai gave a shuddering sigh. Tala dropped on his knees beside our brother and rubbed his shoulders.

“He… told me…” Kai said, “he told me that he wouldn’t… wouldn’t touch you… like… like… that if I… if I…” Tears flowed down Kai’s cheeks, smudging blue painted cheeks.

“Oh, Kai you didn’t!” Tala said, tears springing in his own eyes.

Kai bit his lip, screwed his eyes shut and nodded once. Tala pulled the younger blader close and rocked him. “The sick bastard.”

“But he said he wouldn’t touch you if I did,” Kai said, almost whispering. “That was the bargain.”

I screwed my eyes shut and grabbed the side of my head. Flashes of the old me were returning, the one that got enraged over the stupidest of things, the one that was brain washed, hurt people, cold and uncaring like the sadistic bastard he was bred to be…

“BRYAN!”

I jumped like a startled jackrabbit, lost my balance and fell over against the wall. Kai blinked in shock at my dramatic reaction and Tala looked worried.

“What the hell was wrong with you? You were holding your head and shaking it from side to side.”

I gulped in a breath of air and swallowed. “Just… it’s… not a problem. Don’t worry about it.”

“Bryan…” Tala’s eyes narrowed dangerously. I scowled.

“Alright, I just felt like I did back then, that’s all. I didn’t like it. Can we stop brooding on memories? What’s done is done, nothing more can be said about it. The old bastard is rotting away in some prison which I’m quite happy not to know the location of and the other git is long dead so if you’ll excuse me, I’m going for a walk.” I stood up and went to grab my jacket.

“I’m coming too,” Kai said. I shrugged.

“Whatever.”

“Let’s all go,” suggested Spencer, slinging his arms around mine and Kai’s shoulders.

I shrugged him off and shuffled moodily in front. Glancing behind me I noted that Tala had taken up my space.

The grounds of the Abbey would be eerie and unnerving to an outsider. Gravestones littered the pathways and dark trees shadowed each other. But this provided retreat among the Abbey dwellers – the peace of the dead being better than the hell inside.

I stopped at the top of a small cliff in the land – obviously the softer ground had slid away. The moon shone down, big and almost full but not quite. Stars were dotted across the clear sky, twinkling serenely. I sighed and sat down in the snow, regardless of the cold water seeping through my clothes.

“Bryan, don’t sit down, you’ll get wet.” It was Tala.

I said nothing and lay backwards to emphasise my indifference. Kai sighed. I could almost hear Spencer rolling his eyes.

“You’re so stubborn.” Tala trudged through the snow towards me and lay down next to me. I tilted my head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “You’ll get wet.”

Tala raised an eyebrow in return and looked back at the sky.

“You’ll get cold,” I continued.

Tala lifted my arm and snuggled into me. “No I won’t.”

I sighed and nuzzled the top of Tala’s head. “Come on. Don’t keep Kai and Spence waiting.”

“They’ve already gone. And I’m not going without you.”

“I can’t move unless you get up.”

Tala propped himself on his elbows, pouted and sat up. “Come on then.”

I slowly sat up and crunched some of the cold powder between my slim fingers, revelling in the coldness between my fingers. Damn I’d missed it.

“Good to be home, huh?” Tala smiled at me. I gave a small smile back.

“Yeah. There’s so many places I haven’t seen though.”

Tala looked terrified. “Don’t go away again!” he pleaded.

The whimpering note in his voice made my eyes widen. “Tala…” I didn’t know how to phrase this. “Did you miss me that much?”

Tala reached forward and wrapped his arms around me. He nodded into my chest and sniffed. I sighed. “I won’t be going anyway for a while. I promise.”

“Promise?”
“I just said, didn’t I?”

Tala pulled a face. “You don’t understand how worried we were, Bry!”

“I don’t think I ever will, Tal. Come on, I want to bug the others.”

“Okay.” Tala looked mollified at the challenge. We spilt up and disappeared into the darkness of the trees. I moulded a handful of snow into a ball and followed the path until I was beside Spencer and Kai. I don’t know what they were talking about but I didn’t really care. I took aim and smirked as another snowball pelted from the opposite side. Tala’s senses were as sharp as ever.

My snowball hit Kai squarely on the side of the face and Tala’s hit Spencer’s shoulder. I burst out laughing at Kai’s expression and revealed myself.

“Aren’t you a bit old for childish pranks?” Kai snapped, wiping the snow away.

I paused to consider and my face slackened. I’d been away for three years… I was eighteen at the last World Championships I went to… so that meant…

I looked doubtful. “Twenty one?” I said in disbelief. I fell to my knees, looking horrified. “I’ve… lost two years!”

“No you haven’t,” Kai said sternly, kneeling beside me. “You just lost track of time. It doesn’t stop when you go travelling.”

“I suppose… I’m just shocked that’s all.” I lifted up another handful of snow and allowed it to sift through my fingers. “Damn.”

Kai sighed and nudged my shoulder friendlily. He then paused. “Bryan since when did you have ear piercings?”

I looked blank for a moment before comprehending. “Oh! I’ll show you when we get back to the Abbey. Actually, I haven’t even shown Tala or Spence my collection from my travels. It was really hard to keep travelling light – I had to give a load away but I kept something from each tribe I stayed with.”

The walk back to the Abbey was quicker than the one there. I went into my room and pulled out one of my backpacks. I’d been so absorbed in my room decorating I had hardly emptied my packs. I pulled out an ornately carved wooden box and flicked it open, sitting on the floor next to the others. I slid the earrings in gently – it took a little while I hadn’t worn them for months.

“Wow,” said Tala, kneeling closer. “They look really heavy.”

“They are,” I admitted. “I got some more modern ones in Prague on the way back through, but these are good for show.”

“Did it hurt?” Spencer asked. “When then pierced it?”

I shrugged. “No more than a machete.”

“Will you stop bringing that up?” Tala said. His voice sounded quite stuffy and nasal. I frowned at him as he looked at the floor. Reaching out I lifted his chin up and my eyes widened at his tears.

“What are you crying for now?” I said disbelievingly. “Tala, I swear you are getting more like a girl every day.”

Tala sniffed. “But you could have died!”

I sighed. “You could have died when you were in that coma, but do you see me kicking up a fuss?”

“That’s different and you know it.”

“Is it?”

Kai interjected at this point. “Tala I know you’re upset but don’t argue about it, and Bryan you’ve got to understand, Tala’s been your team captain for years now. Even though you were travelling he still feels you’re his responsibility, right Tal?”

Tala nodded quickly. I put my box of treasures down and pulled Tala into a one armed hug. I seemed to be hugging him a lot lately. “Do you want me to show you the rest of my stuff?”

Tala’s eyes brightened and he nodded. I ruffled his hair before pulling the earrings out of my ears – the beads and lumps of gold were really heavy. I pulled out a long beaded necklace with slats of carved bone and held it out for them to see. “I was adopted by the Huaorani tribesmen in the Amazon. It was amazing, I learnt how to fish, what plants could be eaten, what couldn’t… it really is an entirely different civilization. People may say they’re behind but I think they’re ahead of the game, especially when it comes to plant knowledge. It’s passed down from generation to generation.”

“No scarring from the Amazon, then?” Kai said. “Quiet tribe life, eh?”

I smirked. “Not likely. When I stayed with a tribe near the edge of the forest they had some shit from American cattle ranchers.” My scowl darkened. “Selfish money-making bastards. Falborg actually got some exercise that day.”

Tala scowled. “What did you do?”

“Wrecked their machinery. Took down some gunmen, no biggie.”

“G-g-gunmen?” Tala said, paling.

I sighed. “Tala… I’m fine. Not a mark. Honest.”

“You’re lying,” Spencer said matter of factly.

I scowled. “Fine maybe I caught one bullet… but it was in my arm damnit!” I exclaimed angrily as Tala latched onto me again.

Kai sighed. “Come on Tala. He’s alive, isn’t he? Stop over reacting.”

Tala scowled. “Over reacting? Over reacting!” He sat bolt upright and glared. “You’re not telling me you weren’t worried sick too! It took Tyson at least an hour to calm you down!”

I blinked. “What?”

Kai was looking reasonably downcast. He sighed and inched closer and wrapped his arms around my neck. “I panicked. We… I… hired a team of investigators to tail you. They got to Rwanda and found… found a busted attack ring which was definitely Falborg’s then found your gun launcher and ripchord in Uganda. I freaked, we all thought you’d…” He faltered and leant heavily on my shoulder. I gaped.

“I lost that when I was taken hostage… guys, talk about jumping to conclusions! That’s the last thing I expected of you, Kai!”

“Hey! Don’t just blame us! I might of freaked but Spencer burst into tears!” Kai accused.

“What?” I spluttered. The tall blonde flushed.

“Alright, maybe I was a little upset,” he admitted. Tala snorted.

“A little? You fell to your knees and blubbered you big whale.”

“News flash Tala...”

“Shut up!” I shouted. “For fuck’s sake, quit arguing about it, you’re giving me a headache. I didn’t die, I’m right here so whinging about what happened is not the way forward.” I sighed and disentangled myself from Kai and Tala, walking over to the balcony and throwing it open to the night air. I sat on the stone barriers and pulled a lighter and a packet of cigarettes from my pocket, lighting one with practised ease. I took a long drag and watched the smoke undulate in the clear night sky as I exhaled again.

Tala followed me out onto the balcony. “Give me that,” he said, snatching my cigarette from my hands.

“Hey! Tala I’m not in the mood for your health lecture… huh?”

Tala twirled the fag in his slender fingers and took a shaky drag. I noticed his hands were shaking.

“You don’t smoke,” I accused. He glared at me.

“Well I started when we found your launcher and ripchord. This is the first one I’ve had since you’ve got back but…” He took another drag and let it out slowly. “Sure as hell needed it.”

I took it back off him. “There’s no need for you to pick up my bad habits. You used to snap at me every time I had one before I left, and I was only allowed to smoke outside.”

“I’m only allowed to smoke outside and Spencer snaps at me everytime I have one,” Tala said, sniffing.

“That’s not true, I snapped at you when you had one and I was trying to give up,” Spencer said, coming out on the balcony as well.

I blinked. “I didn’t realise I was missed that much,” I said. “I still don’t believe I was missed that much.”

“Believe it,” Kai said, taking my cigarette off me again. He had a drag and offered it to Spencer who accepted. Tala sighed.

“Tyson’ll kill you if you go back smelling of nicotine,” he said to Kai.

“I’m staying for a couple of days anyway. I’ll have to wash my clothes though, his sense of smell is impeccable.”

I slid off the balcony wall and sat on the stone floor next to the others. I pulled out my packet of cigarettes, lit another and slid the lighter and the packet into the middle of the circle. “If we’re all smokers we might as well all have one,” I said. “But I’m not letting you guys continue, there’s no need for you to kill off your lungs like this.”

“Hypocrite,” Tala said. I shrugged and Spencer sighed.

“He has a point Tala.”

“I’ll give up as long as he does,” he said. I scowled and Spencer laid a hand on Tala’s shoulder.

“Remember Bryan’s been smoking longer.”

“When did you start, Bry?” Kai asked.

I shrugged. “Thirteen. Got offered one out on the streets and hey presto.”

“Hell you kept that quiet,” Tala said.

“Okay, when did these two find out?” Kai said.

“Spencer found out when I was eighteen… after we’d woken up and Tala was still out of it. I sure as hell needed one then.” I sighed. “Tala caught me when he was prowling around when he should have been in bed resting – I was in the bar at the time and he half dragged me up the stairs and yelled at me.”

Tala pouted. “If you’re so worried we’ll wreck our lungs, what about yours?”

I ticked the reasons off on my fingers. “One – my lungs are stoked anyway, two I smoked all sorts when I was travelling so nicotine’s mild compared to that stuff.”

“What stuff?” Tala’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Cannabis. Cocaine. What else? Oh, hemp. Natural toxins. Some weird plant that gave the most amazing trips but I can’t remember what it was called.”

Kai snorted. “You were that high?”

“I was that high.”

“Did you bring any of it back?” Tala asked, his tone extremely serious.

“No.”

“Liar,” Spencer said quickly. I swore my bad luck. How could Spencer read me so well?

“Hand it over Bryan,” Tala ordered.

“No way!” I said. “I worked hard for that stuff!”

“Bryan.” Kai had joined the battle now. There was no way I was going to win.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered, walking into my room, grabbing my backpack and retrieving the offending packages of leaves. I threw them on the floor at Tala’s feet and scowled at him in a huff.

“That’s all of it?” he said, picking up the four packets. I nodded sullenly.

Tala looked to Spencer and the Whale nodded his head in confirmation. Tala stood up and emptied the packets in the cold wind. I watched the charred leaves and powder float away.

“I did have seven,” I admitted sullenly, “but I sold two in Vienna and smoked one on the way here.”

Tala tutted loudly and rolled his eyes. I scowled.

There was a slightly awkward silence.

“’M gonna get some vodka,” Kai said, stubbing his cigarette out on the cold stone.

“Good idea,” Spencer said. I said nothing and scrunched in the corner, my scowl still evident. Tala looked reasonably upset.

“You know it was for your own good, Bryan!” he said.

I sniffed and said nothing.

“Bryan stop being a stubborn prick,” Spencer said. I turned away and stared at the stone barriers and hunched my shoulders.

I heard footsteps behind me, the chick of a bottle and glasses and Kai’s sigh. “Bry, come on now, stop sulking. Here.” There was a rustle of clothing as Kai sat down. That much I could see through the corner of my eyes. There was the familiar glugging sound of liquid and a hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned slightly and took the glass off Kai, smiling slightly to convey my thanks. There was hearty sniff and I turned around.

“Oh not again!” I groaned. Tala scowled at me and wiped his wet eyes.

“For your information I read my file from the labs a couple of months ago and found out they injected female hormones in me so I’m more emotional now the cyborg chip’s been deactivated.” He snarled. “So it’s not my fault!”

“But what are you crying about now?”

“I pissed you off and you went into sullen mode. And then I started thinking about what you said, you started smoking at thirteen?” I nodded. Tala continued. “When we thought you’d…” he faltered and swallowed, “died, I started to realise how little I knew about you. You’d been in the Abbey since you were seven, I knew that much, and we’d been friends for just as long, but I didn’t know anything about your life before it.”

“I don’t know anything about your pre-Abbey life,” I stated. “Or yours,” I said pointing to Kai. “Or Spencer’s.”

Tala sighed. “I’ve been in the Abbey since I was three, Bryan. Three. I can’t remember anything before that.”

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who stared. Kai’s mouth dropped open in shock and Spencer nearly dropped his vodka glass.

“Three?” Kai spluttered. He reached out and grabbed Tala’s hand. The redhead shrugged.

“Better not knowing than remembering like you do,” Tala said.

Kai released Tala’s hand and knocked back his glass of vodka before pouring himself another.

“I came to the Abbey when I was six,” he said, launching into his story straight away. “My parents refused for me to come, my father directly disobeying Voltaire by taking his family to Japan. Eventually Voltaire lost patience and sent Boris and his cronies to our house in Japan. He… he… um…” Kai knocked back yet another glass and reached for the bottle with shaking hands. “Boris killed them. My mum and dad. Right… right in front of me.”

Tala went to comfort Kai but I got there first, pulling him back against my chest. Tala swiftly caught the abandoned bottle as Kai clung to my shirt, his wide eyes shedding silent tears. I rubbed his back soothingly and nuzzled his hair.

“Of all of us you have suffered the worst,” I said gently, looking to Spencer to see if he could prove me wrong. He shook his head.

“My father was a drunk and my mother was a whore. I wasn’t welcome or planned but I wasn’t abused either. They fell for Boris’s façade on the “school” – a training facility for young bladers.” Spencer grimaced. “I was nine.”

I sighed as they all looked expectantly at me. My breath ruffled Kai’s hair and I shifted slightly to get more comfortable. I plunged headfirst into my story and recounted all I could remember…

(A/N: Should I leave it there? Well? I’ve written loads… Would it be cruel to leave it there? I think so. So… on with the story!)

“As Tala said I came to the Abbey when I was seven. Before that… no, I’ll start from the beginning. I lived in a small house with my parents in the centre of St. Petersburg. I have a sister too, had a sister. Alana. We were happy. Not wealthy or extremely well off but content.” I gulped my vodka. “By God were we happy.”

“What happened?” Tala said in my pause. “If you lived in St Petersburg… how did you get to Moscow?”

I sighed. “It was a clear night when the first disaster happened. Full moon if I remember rightly. The blacksmith down the road caught fire. By the time it was put out the whole street had burnt down. Fifty seven deaths. My parents were two of them.”

“And Alana?” Kai said. I shook my head.

“She survived. We were orphans, but we were together. And I had Falborg by that point too. I was nearing my seventh birthday and she had just turned five. We lived on the streets, learnt how to live really rough, thieving, fighting…” I pulled my blade out of my pocket and smiled as Falborg flashed. “Beyblading. Then Boris took his head-hunting to St. Petersburg. I was caught by a couple of his cronies after he watched me battle. My sister was in the market at the time I was taken.”

“Where is she now?” Spencer’s turn to question. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. If she’s dead then so be it. Half of me misses her, half of me is glad she never got taken to the Abbey. She was strong, yes, but how long did the girls last in the Abbey?” The others murmured in disgust, remembering the few girls that passed through. They were brought in as play-things, really, not to be trained. No, Alana didn’t need to go through it.

“What did she look like?” Tala asked.

I smiled despite myself. “She had long, lilac hair and dark blue eyes. My mother’s eyes. She was thin, but then living on the streets we were all thin.” I chuckled at one particular memory. “There was a tattooist in our territory. The teenager there was a bastard. Ivan, his name was. One of our street rat gang called him Ivan the terrible and the poor kid got caught by him. He said that he’d tattoo his face for the insult… but Alana stepped in saying she’d take it. Ivan agreed and she had it done. Two turquoise lighting shapes right here.” I touched the point under my left eye and drew downwards. Tala winced.

“Ouch…” I smiled.

“Alana didn’t make a sound. I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud.” A single tear escaped my eye and slid down my cheek. I hastily wiped it away and finished my glass. “I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough for one night.”

“Me too,” said Tala. He crept over to me nervously and gripped my arm. “I’m sorry about your… the cannabis and stuff but it’s for your –,”

“- own good. I know Tala. But that doesn’t stop me being peeved about it.”

Tala gave a small smiled. I pulled him closer.

“Come here you big softie,” I said, pulling him into a hug. “I always said your name was girly.”

“Watch it, Kuznetsov.”

I sniggered as Tala followed Spencer out of the room. I stood up and helped Kai to his feet.

“You’ll be alright, little brother?”

“I… yeah,” he said. “Yes, I’m fine.”

I hugged him again. “You know where to find me.”

Kai nodded. See you in the morning, Bryan.”

I shut the door behind him and locked it as soon as his footsteps had died away. I shut the balcony windows and opened the drawer of my bedside cabinet. Inside was a leather wallet containing a single photo. It was of me and my family, before the fire, before the Abbey. My parents were smiling, my mother with her blue hair and even bluer eyes, my father with his lilac hair and pale eyes. Finally my sister, her eyes wide and inquisitive, wrapped in my arms and smiling happily.

I curled up on my bed and let the tears fall, chewing my pillow to muffle my unwanted sobs.

xxxxx

Oh. My. God.

Wasn’t that the longest ramble ever? It finally has a plot now! Well, in my head anyway. Fourteen pages and nearly 8,000 words to find a plot. Tch, stupid. Oh well, I had fun, I hope you enjoyed reading it too… did you? Please review! I’d really appreciate it!

And it will be Tala/Bryan eventually… I hope. Providing Bryan won’t be too dense to notice. Let me know what I should do, it’s all up to you! Well, kinda.

I’m so mean:hugs Bryan: I made him cry! Oh, what did you think of Tala’s hormone excuse? Hehe, he’s a bit emotional isn’t he? Ah well. Hope you enjoyed it, I’ll quit babbling now, love phoenixandashes.