Author's note:

Welcome back to the sequel to Carnival of Rust. This is a bit of backstory for this chapter, Kai is a bit OOC in this, but I tried to keep up his cocky attitude best I could.

The chapter is a song by Starset called It Has Begun, I do not own the song or any of the other's that I will be using.

Enjoy, let me know what you think, it's a bit of a slow beginning.

Kai's POV/ February 13th

It took us an hour to get back from the airport after dropping all our guests off, seeing them off before they boarded and left. My home had never been so crowded before, having the old team and Mariah with us for half a month was tiring. Ray had explained to them all what had happened over the years and why he had left so unexpectedly, it took a while for them to grasp the concept that he had been pregnant, and was pregnant again. Upon meeting Kain they couldn't deny it though, he didn't seem to mind their constant questions and he looked to be rather enjoying himself in their company. We had all exchanged numbers once again, promising to stay in touch now; well Ray and Kain did.

Their lives seemed to have been going better than ours had, Tyson and Max were together and had been for quite a while now; starting five years after I had left. Hilary went off to beauty school, after I left, and now she owned her own salon. Kenny was head developer of the BBA, while Tyson was now chairman; having taken over Dickenson's place. Max was a stay at home father to their three kids, all ranging in age. The oldest Mako was twelve, then they had a six-year-old Charlotte, and ten-month-old Judy; named after Max's mother who had died in a car accident shortly before the baby had been born. Daichi hadn't come, they told me he ran back off to whatever place he had come from after they all turned eighteen.

It was nice seeing them, but even through the years they still grated on my nerves. Tyson's eating habits hadn't died down in the slightest, Mako had Max's sugar addiction and it didn't help Charlotte did either. Luckily, we didn't have to entertain the kids all that much, Kain practically took them under his wing and they stuck to him like glue; bless that child of mine. I think the attention on him has helped him, I know he's still having problems with what happened the month before. Coming close to killing his father, the hold Black Dranzer has on him, so the momentary distraction was good for him.

I know Ray has noticed it, but there's not much we can do for him besides be here for him. His grades haven't slipped, but he isn't coming home when we request him to be. He's sneaking around a lot and I don't think he's been making many friends here, I've offered to take them back to Shang Hai, I can move my company wherever I want, but Ray has told me it's not necessary. Next month his friends from China will be here, and so we're holding out hope that he'll turn around and start acting more himself.

Having Ray back in my life is as if we had never split to begin with, he was always adaptable to how I worked things when I was captain, so I wasn't all too surprised when he just fell in step with my life. The only thing that's a bit different is we can't go more than two nights without sex, well I can it's him who's become the sex addict; guess being abstinent for fifteen years can really get to you. For once I'm sad to admit it, but I need a break and I think Kain does too. Every morning he'll greet us with this sloppy smile and that look in his eyes that he knows what we did, it doesn't matter if I've bathed three times before stepping out of my room, he just knows. I put his more permanent room as far away as possible on the second floor, but his damn hearing is just that good, and it didn't matter.

Tala and Bryan have been around, at first it took a while and a bit of mediating between Kain and myself until we knew his father wasn't going to kill Bryan, for having helped our son get kidnapped. Tala thought it was the most hysterical thing in the world, the way Ray snarled and yelled and threatened his lover. In the end, the first time they came around went without incident. Ray still seems a bit tense around Bryan at times, but after a few hours of them being around each other the tension in the air leaves and they act like old high school friends.

After having come home from the airport I found myself in my study, having to catch up on my work before it completely fell apart. The past month with Boris trying to kill Ray and me, to having the house completely packed has caused me to fall back. I have to finish up the paper work for the ending of the year, and start work on what's already been done for this year before it's too late and I lose everything. Kain went off somewhere after we got inside, Ray meandered around the house for a while till he found me in the study; and I'm not surprised that he did.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, the exasperated tone evident but he still came and sat on the corner of my desk and faced me.

"Hm, just seeing what you were up to." He shrugs, but he doesn't look at the computer to actually see what I am doing; nor do I think he really cares.

His white shirt hugs his stomach, it's slightly bumping out now as he's about in his second month; eleven weeks along I think. He's kept his hair loose in a braid or simple pony-tail for a while, I think he's too tired to actually fight with it at this point. His morning sickness has finally died down, I had no idea one could throw up eight times in one day before this. We'll find out whether the baby is a boy or girl in April, but for now I'd rather not wish that to come sooner than it needs to. I'm still in the early stages of processing it all, trying to get things settled before hand.

"Just work, that's all." I motion to the computer, as I can tell he was getting annoyed by me not saying anything.

"Okay…" He bites his bottom lip and starts to kick his bare feet a bit, since they're barely touching the floor.

It must be an Asian thing, but neither of them wear their shoes past the foyer. I'll be honest, after living in Japan for half of my teenage years it was a habit I had to break after leaving.

"What are you doing?" I manage, since he's gone quiet again.

"Not much, Kain's in the kitchen raiding it right now." He slightly chuckles. "Think Tyson's eating habits have rubbed off on him."

"Better not have." I warn, but he just laughs again.

"Thank you, for getting them to come out here. It was fun."

"If you count Charlotte breaking my mother's forty-thousand-dollar vase as fun…" I roll my eyes.

"Well… No… Not that in particular…"

"Then, Mako and Tyson breaking the diving board in the pool house."

"Not that either."

"Max was on a complete sugar rush the entire time, and half the time he spoke to me I didn't understand a damn thing he said."

"That's just him." He flicks his wrist with his words.

"Then, Mariah let Charlotte get a hold of her hair dye. She was pink for a week, along with the carpet in the living room. You know there's still a spot the maids can't get out, right?" I raise an eyebrow to him and he's no longer smiling.

"Why are you being like this?"

"I'm just telling you." I shrug.

"Don't you have work?" He interjects, and something gleams in his eyes that I can only describe as annoyance.

"I do. Glad you remembered." Now I'm just being a cocky bastard because it's fun.

"Then get to it." He huffs, motioning to me then to the computer.

"Then you should go." I offer, and he feigns annoyance for a moment before jumping off the desk.

"DAD!" Kain yells before Ray has even made it back around the front of my desk.

"WHAT?!" Ray calls back, after composing himself from the sudden outburst.

"NOT YOU, THE OTHER ONE!" He says and Ray's shoulder slumps.

"Am I not good enough now?" He mumbles under his breath and hangs his head.

My son has become attached to my hip, when he wants something he comes to me. I'm more laxed with the things he wants, like drinking, but we don't tell Ray this. Nor have I told him of Kain's smoking habit, or mine. It's something we do to 'bond', I'm not pleased with it since he is underaged, but it takes the stress off and I can't stand it when he is stressed. A stressed Kain equals an angry Kain, which equals an angrier Kai and that leaves one very confused and often hurt Ray. Even though Kain has changed there are a few things he still does that annoy the piss out of me, like yelling through the house to get my attention.

"I'll go see what he wants then, how many times have we told him not to yell through the house?" I ask walking past Ray, who just shrugs.

Ray stays in the study as I search out our son, I find him in the kitchen sitting on the counter. He's sitting on it with his legs crossed, a pickle jar between his legs and its half empty. My son, the weird oddity that he already is, is even more so since he doesn't eat the pickles whole. No, he skins them, with his teeth, and then spits the skins out and then eats the damn pickles. So, beside him lay the discarded skins all over the counter with a few on the floor beneath him.

"You're going to clean that up." I scorn, crossing my arms over my chest as I step into the room. He gives me a grin, and a fang sticks out as he looks up from the pickle jar.

"Yeah, of course. So, I was wondering… If I could go to the movies…" He starts, normally I'd say this a normal request, but I can see there's something in his eyes that say otherwise. His voice is slightly pleading, at least more than usual. I cock an eyebrow, since he stopped talking trying to read my facial expressions.

"Um… You see, I met someone at school… An I kind of like her… So… I was wanting to take her out tomorrow night…" He scratches the back of his head, his eyes left mine and now he's starring at the floor.

"You couldn't ask Ray this?"

"Dad doesn't want me to date…" Ah, there it is. I simply nod and think it over, I already allow him to do too much behind Ray's back. I don't know why he doesn't want Kain to date, so maybe I should ask him.

"Why not?"

"Dunno, he never said. Just that he didn't want me dating before I'm eighteen." He shrugs, okay that's not a good enough excuse. If memory serves me right, Ray was sixteen when we started dating; a bit hypocritical my lover is.

"I don't care, just don't tell Ray. And stop yelling through the damn house." I scorn before leaving him, turning on heels back to the study.

"Thanks dad!" He calls, but I don't bother to turn back.

Maybe this'll be good for him, I trust him enough not to be stupid. He's fifteen, he should know better than to be stupid. It's a simple date to the movies, that won't be too bad I suppose. As I come back into the study Ray is still there, this time he's laid out on the sofa to the left of the room reading a book.

"He alright?" He asks as I walk by him.

I simply nod to him as I take my seat back down at my desk, praying to get work done before one of them starts to bother me again. All goes well, for about thirty minutes.

"Why does he constantly go to you now? I'm the one that raised him." He pouts over his book, and I can tell this really does bother him.

"Making up for lost time?" I suggest, though I know that's bullshit. "Jealous?" I smirk, and he bristles at my comment.

"No!" He couldn't have sounded more unconvincing if he tried. "I just don't get it, is all…" He huffs and settles back on the couch.

I don't know what he wants me to say, so I go back to my work. By now it's nearing seven and he gets up without another word and leaves to make dinner, since coming here I haven't had to have any servants cook for me now. I only have a maid come every now and then, as he's taken up to doing that on his own as well. Without further disruptions I'm able to peacefully finish December's charts, and file them away. Before I can even get to January's charts, Kain yells out for me again. Having been so wrapped up in the work, I falter, and my fist goes through the monitor as my foot kicks the legs of the desk.

"Fuck!" I manage to growl out, and stand up even though my toes are screaming in pain; I'm going to kill that son of mine.

I stomp down the hall to the kitchen, where he's seating with a stupid grin on his face as he watched me favor the foot I just murdered against my desk. It's like he knows what he's done, and he's enjoying it.

"What did I say about yelling through the goddamn house?!" I shout, and Ray looks up at me worried.

"Sorry, dinners done." He points to the plates of food on the table, leave it to Ray to make a three-course meal.

I growl in my throat at him before taking a seat at the head of the table, Ray is on my right, as always, and Kain's sitting a bit further down by Ray. Normally he sits on my left, but since he knows I'd have been ready to hit him he chose to sit far away; he's not as stupid as he looks.

"Keep this up and you won't be able to go tomorrow." I say as he's still snickering while eating, he drops his fork and looks over at me. Ray does as well, this time with a questioning look.

"Go where?"

"Nowhere if he doesn't straighten up." I comment, I'm not foolish enough to rat myself out for letting Kain go on a date.

"Where are you going tomorrow Kain?" Ray turns to our son, giving him a pointed stare. Clearly, he didn't like my answer and now he's on the hunt to find out, I should be worried that Kain will spill but I'm not.

"Dad was going to take me out and show me his work, after school." He lies through his teeth, which he does much better than his father.

"Oh… I really don't want you back there…" Since the incident, Ray hasn't stepped foot near my work nor has he allowed Kain to do so either.

"It's a warehouse, not the headquarters." I step in. "He wanted to see some of the new models of the rifles we've developed."

"Oh yea, because being around guns is so much better." Ray huffs out, I blame his mood swings on the pregnancy.

"There's a gun in every drawer of this house, some behind false panels in the walls." I say, I know he knows this since I told him.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." He shakes his head, but something else is bothering him.

"Do you want to come?" I ask, knowing how he already feels left out it won't hurt to ask, even though I know he'll say no.

"No, you two go on. I have to make a grocery list and set up an appointment with my doctor." He still doesn't sound better, but I knew he'd say no and I think I saw Kain breathe a sigh of relief.

Dinner was quiet after that, neither Ray or Kain said much. Afterwards Kain picked up the dishes, put the leftovers away while Ray and I headed to our room. Something in the back of my head was still nagging at me, there was something else bothering Ray and it was starting to get on my nerves that he hadn't said anything yet. Shutting the door behind us, he's already crawling into the bed.

"What's wrong?" I stand over him, as he's laid down now.

"Nothing." He breathes out, which screams that he's lying.

"You sure about that?" I press, I'll give him one more try before I head to the shower; I can only take so much.

"Yeah, just tired." He fakes a yawn and rolls over, he never has his back to the door.

I give up and leave him, he'll tell me when he wants to I suppose. I leave the bathroom door cracked as I step through, shedding my clothes before stepping into the shower. Halfway through I didn't even hear him come in, my mind was blank for the most part but he's just that damn quiet.

"Want to tell me what's wrong now?" I ask, not turning to face him.

"I want to marry you." I freeze, and it's not because he just turned the water temperature down either; I like hot showers he likes cold.

"Why?" I ask, though I don't think those were the right words. I don't mind marrying him, I would in a heartbeat, but I don't want to do it just because we have to since we have kids together.

"Well, for starters I love you. Second, we have a fifteen-year-old son and are about to have a baby. I don't see why we shouldn't, do you?"

This, I already knew he would say. This is not why I want to marry him, nor the reason I can't. I do love him, and only him. Maybe it'd be a good idea to tell him my little secret then, though I don't think he'll like it very much.

"I love you too." I say, turning to embrace him, but he pulls away. He's too smart to realize the ruse, so I drop my hands to my sides.

"So, why haven't you at least asked me?" His tone gets colder and he narrows his eyes. Just as I can read him like an open book, he has the same ability now.

"I would, if I could." I begin, voice in a low whisper as I know he's about to explode.

"What's that mean?" He raises an eyebrow, a habit he got from being with and around me too much.

"I'm already married." I could hardly hear myself say it, but with his hearing I know he did.

He makes some kind of noise between a gasp and a growl, then it gets quiet beyond the sounds of the water coming down on top of us.

"What the fuck does that mean?!" He shrieks, if I wasn't used to Tyson screaming all the time when we were teenagers, I wouldn't have been prepared for that.

"It means, that I am already married."

"To who?!"

"I don't really remember her name…" I shrug, and it's the truth. "I haven't seen her in ten years, she up and left after our first three years of marriage." I explain, having regained my voice to speak louder than above a whisper.

"I'm guess it was an arranged marriage?" He crosses his arms over his chest, another habit he picked up from me.

"Yes, so it never worked out between us and she left. We never divorced though, so technically I'm still married and I can't marry you because of that."

"So, divorce her?"

"I would have, if I knew where she ran off too. And no, before you ask, we never slept with each other." I could see the question coming before he even spoke it and he closes his mouth quickly.

"Guess we better look for her then." He sighs out with a shrug.

"I've tried. It's like she fell off the planet."

"Well, we'll have to try harder. I'm not going to let you stay married, where we can't because she ran off. Stupid twit." He mumbles the last part and it causes a slight chuckle to pass my lips.

"Does marrying me, mean that much to you?" I cock my own eyebrow up at him, and he studies me for a second.

"It should mean as much to you, as it does to me. So, yes. It means a lot to me that we do get married, and not just because we have kids together but because we want to."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." I offer, and he gives me a smile in return before spacing the gap between us, wrapping his cold wet arms around my neck and initiating a kiss.

I already know where this is going, the way he's trying to secretly grind his hips into mine along with the moan between the kiss, even though I've done nothing to warrant him to be moaning yet. I pull back, placing a hand on his chest and he gives me a confused look.

"Not tonight kitten, I have to get up early." The confused look turns into a pout.

I don't know why I bothered trying to get out of sex, it didn't work, like I knew it wouldn't. At least it put him in a better mood, and relieved some of the new stress that's found its way into my life; as if I didn't already have enough. He fell asleep almost immediately after, and I slipped out of the bedroom to have a midnight smoke. After going the length of the house to the backdoor in the kitchen, I step out and Kain's already sitting out there with his own cigarette between his fingers.

"Hey." He doesn't even bother looking at me as I sit in the chair across from him, he's starring out at a tree in the yard.

"Light?" I ask, realizing I left mine in my pants pocket.

Once again, he doesn't bother looking at me and fishes out his lighter from his pants and hands it to me. I hand it back, and he takes it without a word. I don't pester him, he'll talk if he feels like it and right now I'd like to be left to my own thoughts for the moment. He's finished his cigarette by the time he lets out a breath of air, fishing for another one which I find odd as he normally just has one at a time.

"Dad?" He whispers, still not looking at me as he blows out a cloud of smoke.

I sit back in the chair, blowing out my own cloud but don't say anything.

"Did you ever… Did you ever have nightmares after using Black Dranzer?"

"Yes."

"I mean like… Really… Explicit ones, ones that feel more like reality than a dream?"

"It would depend on what the dream was about." I explain, but his attention is still at the tree.

"What if… What if somehow you realized later, that the dream wasn't a dream at all?" His voice cracks slightly, and I can see he's starting to shake a bit, but I don't think it's from the cold air as he has a blanket wrapped around him.

"How would you know the difference to begin with? Did you wake up in your bed, or somewhere else? Did you have the feeling that you had actually been awake, or slightly awake to everything going around you?" I ask, and he goes quiet again for a moment before taking in a shaky breath.

"I woke up in bed… It didn't feel like I had been awake, but not nearly enough like I had been asleep either. It's a bit foggy… There wasn't much to focus on around me at the time, it was kind of dark and cold but warm at the same time. At least… I was warm the entire time."

"What happened? Do you remember?" By now I've finished my cigarette, and get another as he hands me his lighter again without me asking.

"I… I… I might have killed someone."