Rei (whom I do not own) + Kai (whom I don't own) + angst (which I made up) + future world (woot!) = fanfiction. Now go and read!!
Rei jumped as something clattered somewhere in the house.
He quickly pulled his arms from the sink, where he had been submerged to the elbow in soapy water while doing the dishes. He listened. The silence continued. Pausing for a few seconds, he made up his mind.
Heart racing, he rushed into the dim living room and made sure the door was locked. He pushed the heavy vase aside and flipped open the piece of carpet on the floor, punching the deactivation code for all the cameras in the house. It was the only good thing about being Head of Intelligence; no one bothered to check his security records.
As he flew down the hallway, he quickly checked the clasps of the windows.
Approaching the door to his bedroom, he slowed his pace. He stopped as his hand grasped the doorknob.
Rei had told himself after the last time that it would never happen again. The cycle was too dangerous; his position had changed dramatically. If caught, he would be easily compromised.
And above all…he glanced wistfully at the ring on his finger. The simple gold band shined dimly in the electric light of the hallway.
Trying to steel himself, Rei opened the bedroom door.
Framed against the soft evening light stood the source of all of Rei's sleepless nights and inner demons.
Kai…
Adrenaline surged through his veins.
"Hey babe. Sorry I dropped my gun on the way in. Your house gets harder and harder to break into." Kai Hiwatari shot Rei a cheeky grin as he shifted his gun from one shoulder to another. The illegal weapon hung from a black leather strap.
Blood oozed slowly from several cuts on his chest, arms, and face. Kai winced as he wiped a few drops trailing from a gash on his cheek. "I made sure not to bleed on anything on the way here though. Now the Geno Guards can't track me."
Noticing Rei's uncharacteristic silence, Kai frowned. "Why so quiet?"
Rei just sighed and crossed his arms, averting Kai's gaze.
They made an odd couple. Kai was dressed in low rise baggy cargo pants with black combat boots. He had stolen them from the unfortunate soldier who had been ordered to track him when he had gone "bent". The pants were dyed black. He wore no shirt; only a black vest with several pockets. Dog tags hung around his neck, a remnant from his army days. Fingerless gloves protected his hands.
Rei, on the other hand, was dressed in crisp black slacks and a designer white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had long gotten rid of his red headband, but his hair remained in its tidy braid.
Rei shook his head, his braid bumping gently into the backs of his thighs. "Kai. I told you last time."
His voice sounded weary, tired. He had repeated this phrase too many times already.
Kai scratched his wild, slate grey hair. It had been part of the reason he had been rejected by the Gene Corps. His abnormal hair color, coupled with a few genes that indicated tendency toward violence, prompted the government to mark him for "neutralization". But Kai would have none of that from Gene Corps.
"Rei. I'm in a jam." Crossing the room, he hooked his muscular arms around Rei's slender waist. He pressed a kiss into Rei's cheek.
"Besides, it's your birthday tomorrow."
Rei almost cried. Ever since Gene Corps had taken over, it had ordered the destruction of measurable time. Time, Gene Corps had concluded, made humans paranoid, contributing to ill will and feeling in a community. The government was terribly strict and repressive in its search for "the creation of a perfect society".
Thus, "undesirables" like Kai had gone "bent". Along with Tala, Bryan, and other undesirables who refused to be killed through lethal injections, Kai had fled into the mountains. The rebels had waged a war on Gene Corps for almost five years now.
Rei pushed Kai away. "I-I can't. You know what will happen if…"
He trailed off as he saw Kai brush away another trail of blood, this time from his chest. No doubt he had gotten himself into trouble again. Rei felt his resolve wavering.
Without saying a word, he walked quietly into the bathroom and pulled out a bottle of healing salve.
"What happened this time?" Rei murmured as he spread the salve on yet another one of Kai's cuts. Kai had discarded his vest and was sitting on the bed, his back against the wall. The salve made a soft hissing noise as it closed Kai's wounds.
"Well," Kai lifted his arm to allow better access to a cut running down his side. "I had just finished off a couple of Geno Guards and was about to drive off in their truck when I got ambushed by one of those metal dogs. Turns out they built a new honing device that signals whenever one of their personnel gets attacked."
Rei screwed the cap back on the jar and said nothing. Walking into the bathroom, he returned the salve back to its place in the cabinet.
When he walked back into the room, Kai was reaching for his vest. "Good job on your promotion, by the way. Head of Intelligence? Not bad." Kai began searching through the pockets.
Rei leaned against the desk. "It makes me sick though, the things I see."
"It'll be all over soon. In a few weeks we'll make our final strike and it'll end, good or bad."
They fell silent for a moment. Rei struggled against his inner feelings. He couldn't love Kai, he just couldn't. Not anymore.
Ding.
They both jumped when the doorbell rang. Rei went to answer it as Kai fingered his gun nervously. The gun lay on the bed next to him.
In the hallway, Rei made the decision to kick Kai out the second he returned to the bedroom.
"Rei." The door opened to reveal the smiling face of Tyson.
"Oh. Hello."
Tyson grinned. After being promoted to Head of Security, he had pursued Rei relentlessly.
"Now that we're engaged, you should be happier to see me." He leaned on the doorframe.
"It's been a tiring day." Rei tried to smile.
"You've been doing the dishes," Tyson said, noticing Rei's rolled up sleeves.
"I'm almost done."
"Anyways," Tyson's face became serious. "I came to warn you. The rebels have been lying low for a few weeks. But some of our guards at the gate have just been attacked. One of 'em is loose in the city."
Rei nodded.
"We know for sure he hasn't been able to run back into the mountains. We have guards watching the gate and the trail."
Tyson reached out and pulled Rei into an embrace. Rei had a heavy feeling in his stomach.
He whispered into Rei's hair. "But don't worry. Once we catch him we'll just scan his mind. The machines can overcome his willpower. We'll use the information to crush the rebels. Then life will be perfect for you and me."
Life will be perfect…for you…and me…
Rei wondered if he could ever become truly happy.
"Thank you, Tyson." Rei forced himself to smile.
"Just don't want you to worry. And tell people to report anyone they suspect might be harboring him." Tyson waved and walked into the street. He climbed into the waiting car and was off.
Rei shut the door, feeling sick. And traitorous. And dirty.
It had started when Kei left. Rei and Kai were both from an orphanage; they were in love. They shared a few happy months together after purchasing a house. Kai had worked as a mechanic; Rei landed a much coveted spot with the government.
But Kai disappeared soon after Gene Corps announced the "neutralization of undesirables" and the "restructuring of society".
The country had been living in fear of this announcement for months. A few years back, the government began genetic testing of all citizens. Then, asylums began disappearing overnight, replaced by shiny new government buildings. Parents who had disabled children became frenzied when their child never returned from school. In a few weeks, homeless people no longer roamed the streets. The jails became empty as criminals were systematically gassed.
By then, people had guessed what was going on. The announcements that "undesirables" would be "neutralized" had been the last straw.
Violence filled the streets, some of it directed at Rei because he held a government job. People screamed and cried. Geno Guards slaughtered protesters in the streets, the blood sometimes spattering on Rei's window pane. Miles away, whole cities were bombed and annihilated. The skies grew black with smoke from the burning of corpses. Children wandered aimlessly, lost and confused.
Kai left in the middle of the night. Rei had woken up alone.
Tyson happened to be fellow government employee. Confused and alone for the first time, Rei had slept with Tyson because he had reminded him so much of Kai. The same bad-boy attitude, the same muscular body.
Tyson thought it was love.
The violence finally stopped seven agonizing months later. Gene Corps was happy with the result. Only thirty percent of the country's original population remained, not counting the "bent". And after a while, Tyson wasn't so bad. Rei stopped seeing Kai whenever he looked at Tyson. He convinced himself Kai was someone of the past.
But then, Kai had shown up at his window suddenly in the middle of the night. Rei had not seen him for months. And the feelings and memories that Rei had painstakingly packed away had burst out, flooding him with emotion. The night had been hot, and fast, and quick. Kai had left by morning. Rei woke up alone.
Rei had called in sick and spent the day in bed crying, hating himself.
A few days later he called Tyson and told him he wanted to take a break. Tyson acted like he understood.
Kai failed to reappear for weeks. Tyson wooed Rei back with a bouquet of roses. Rei silently mended his heart.
Rei climbed the ranks of the government. His superiors especially liked him because he was a diligent worker. In truth, Rei worked late at night to stave off memories of Kai and he spent his weekends with Tyson.
Out of the blue, Kai showed up again, this time badly injured and running a bad fever. Rei called in sick again and nursed Kai for a week. When asked about the lapse in his security records, he blamed his cat. This time, Rei didn't bother breaking it off with Tyson.
The cycle continued for five long years.
Rei sighed as he walked to the bedroom, hoping that this time would be the last.
Once inside the bedroom, Rei climbed into Kai's lap. Their bodies fit together perfectly.
"Who was that?"
"Tyson." Rei rested his head against Kai's strong shoulder.
"Oh. Him." Was that jealousy?
"Yes. Him."
"What really do you see in him?" Kai faked nonchalance, but Rei knew him all too well.
Kai's hands fidgeted nervously with the end of Rei's braid.
"Well…he's stable. He's there when I need him. He takes me out on dates and gives me presents and I can call him whenever I need to. He isn't prone to deserting me." Rei knew that each statement was hurting Kai, but he said them anyways. He said them because he was angry at Kai for leaving him again and again. And he was angry that Kai forced him to live a life of deceit and infidelity. But mostly, he was angry at himself for loving Kai.
A long pause ensued. Rei closed his eyes.
Finally, Kai said, "I'm sorry."
"But I remember your birthday." Rei opened his eyes and watched as Kai uncurled his fist. A silver pendent on a delicate chain rested in his palm.
Rei lifted the pendent and examined it. It was the shape of a bird. Rei vaguely remembered long ago in the orphanage, when he and Kai had first met.
"If I could be a animal, I would be a phoenix. Then I could die as many times as I want to but still come back and pwn you!" After hearing those words, five year old Rei had punched seven year old Kai in the gut. Both were sent to bed without dinner.
Rei smiled with the memory.
"So you do remember." Kai lifted the necklace and fastened it around Rei's neck, under his braid.
"How could I forget? It was the only time I ever had a real excuse to hurt you." Rei turned around and hooked his arms around Kai's neck.
Kei feigned injury. He was so cute when he frowned.
"But thank you." Rei leaned forward and kissed Kai on the mouth.
Soon, that kiss led to another kiss, then another.
Rei's shirt was the first to land on the floor, followed by Kai's pants. Rei groaned as Kai's hands roamed over his back, so sure and so firm.
The ring was the last to go, trailing from Rei's fingers onto the floor. Kai smiled at the almost silent "clink".
A thousand dates with Tyson could not replace even one hour with Kai. And Rei knew this. This was why his heart ached every hour, knowing that Kai was in danger. This was why he was always doing dishes late into the night, hoping for a knock on the window.
This was why years later, in the midst of the final battle, as the president of Gene Corp prepared to slash Kai's throat, Rei would lodge a bullet in the back of the president's brain.
But for now, Rei would settle for a night with Kai. One night, and always just one night only.
I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!
Yup. I was feeling a bit angsty yesterday. After reading a bunch of short stories about the future of the world, this was my result.
I realize that Kai's personality was changed a bit. I needed him to be a bit more wordy to move the story along. Tyson was a random character.
I actually got this written in a day. Hopefully it wasn't too long. My biggest challenge was Rei's inner turmoil. I didn't want to make it over dramaticized, but wanted to show enough of it for the story to have an impact.
Future world setting was a bit generic. But I'm already working on a setting for Cold Metal.
With that being said, I shall ask this question again (Note - answer quick, I'm on spring break for four more days):
What story do you want me to update next???