I Just Saw The Truth
"Where are everyone?"
Max wondered as he ran around the streets looking for his team-mates, Rei, Takao and the Chief, Kai disappeared this morning like usual so he didn't count. He was with them a second ago, saw something that held his attention and when he turned to follow his friends, they were simply gone.
"How come they didn't even wait for me?" he pouted as he turned few corners in search for them, "How could they forget me!"
Suddenly he heard a distant noise that sounded suspiciously like crying.
Max, being Max, followed the noise till he reached an area with big and small houses. Max looked around for the source of the crying and far from him he found a small kid that looked to be about only two years old only.
"He must have gotten lost!"
The Kid was crying loudly and walking around the houses in what to be like searching for his own home but failing, which made him panic even more and cry louder.
Just as Max was about to go and help the kid, another voice called.
"Are you lost?"
Frantically, Max almost fell over as he tried to hide back.
The voice belonged to none other than Kai Hiwatari, his ruthless Captain.
Slowly, oh so very slowly, Max peeked out of his hiding behind the building, "What is he doing here?"
The kid turned around to face the person that called, his crying lessened a bit as he focused on the new-comer.
Kai walked up to him and kneeled in front of the kid taking in his state.
His clothes looked in good shape, a bit dirty but that was because the kid must have been playing. His hair was short, black in color. His face was pale and round due to the baby fat, but was all red and wet from the crying, so were his eyes, which were soft honey colored.
Kai's eyes softened a bit as he realized the kid was still hiccupping and rubbing his eyes with a hand while holding his shirt in the other in distress, "That was rather a stupid question, I admit."
A mewling took the kid's attention and he quickly looked behind Kai.
The kid's face brightened, "Maw!"
Kai blinked in surprise; the kid was clearly not able to talk yet, but he seemed to be fascinated by cats, or may be animals in general.
Smiling, Kai held the kitten that was behind him and presented it to the small boy, "Here, it's called a cat."
"Maw!"
Even though the kid was amazed at seeing the cat so close to him, he was still hiccupping.
"Yes, it's maw" figuring the kid didn't know what a cat meant, he though he might as well go with the flow with him. The kid kept looking at the cat and try every now and then to touch it. It amused Kai to watch such display of interest, although it didn't distract him from what he really came here for.
Taking the chance that the boy was engrossed with the small kitten, Kai searched in the boy's pockets for a clue as to who he is or where he might live.
Max, from his hiding place, watched in amazement as their supposedly emotionless and cold-hearted leader was trying to help the little lost boy.
Finding something in the kid's pocket, Kai read the paper, "So you're Akito." The kid, known now as Akito, looked up at the mention of his name making Kai smile and rub his head, "Nice name you got. Mine's Kai, Come on, I know where your home is."
Akito's eyes filled with tears once more as soon as he heard the word 'home' and started crying loudly again.
"Don't worry, Akito" Kai whispered as he picked the crying kid up, " I'm taking you there."
As Kai started walking to the direction of the kids house, the kitty followed them.
Max followed them also, but keeping his hide. The last thing he needed was Kai finding him and leaving the kid alone because of him.
"Why does he not show us this side of him?"Max wondered as he watched the way he was carrying the kid, gentle and caring, and somehow managing to not scare the kid. He knew that small kids only get close to people they know as family or ones they're used to, so by being with Kai with no fear meant a lot to Max.
Kids are known to know the feelings of older people, if they were good or bad, which meant by trusting Kai, it's proof he's a good deep in his heart.
Max smiled at his discovery, however he stopped as he realized that Kai stopped by a normal house and rang the bell.
Akito, when he recognized his home, started Crying loudly.
"Calm down, Akito, someone in there must have been looking for you, so don't worry."
As he finished that sentence, he heard a frantic movement from the other side of the door.
The door slammed open and a young looking woman came out in rushed steps. She heard her son's voice crying outside.
She has been searching the house for him for almost half an hour now, and hearing him out made her heart almost get out of her chest.
As soon as she saw her son she leapt out and grabbed him from Kai's arms, making him almost loose his balance at the sudden movement. However, as he was getting his footing right he felt something struck his left cheek so hard that he did fall to the ground this time.
Supporting himself on his arm he touched his hurting cheek and looked up in confusion, though he tried to hide it.
"Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on my son, you street rat!" the woman threatened as she retrieved her outstretched hand that had slapped Kai.
She wrapped her arms around her son, who was now sobbing softly as he buried his face on her shoulder. She rubbed his back and turned around closing the door behind her.
Kai could still hear her as she went further into the house, all the while whispering soft word to her son.
A nudge by his side alerted Kai to the kitty's presence with him, "Well, he's safely back home now, ne?"
Picking the kitty up, and getting up himself, Kai touched his sore cheek smiling, "She was worried about him. At least now we know he's well taken care of."
As Kai passed the building Max was hiding behind, Max let out a long sigh he didn't know he was holding and sank to his knees.
"He was content." Max whispered to himself, "Even though she hit him, it didn't deter his conscious to help the little kid."
Smiling softly, Max felt himself holding a new respect for his captain. He wasn't going to tell any of his friends of what he witnessed today; this was something he wasn't supposed to have seen, but at the same time, he was glad he did.
He know found out what Kai really does when he finds someone in need, and it wasn't what most people assumed it would be, which was ignoring them if not add more pain to them.
No, it was other way around, even going so far as to accept bad treatment, being content that he helped someone and that seemed to matter most to him.
Max stood and walked back the way he came from, and as he turned the corner he found his friends.
"Max!" Takao shouted as he saw him, "We looked everywhere for you, where were you?"
Max grinned, "I got lost."
"Lost?" Rei tilted his head a bit, "Well, at least you're back now."
"Yeah, you had us worried there for a minute." the chief said, no hint of worry in his voice at all.
"More like a second."
"I know you're being sarcastic, Dizzy."
Max grinned even more, he really was happy that he returned to his friend.
Safely.
They let him know that he was missed and he felt it too.
Then his grin slipped from his face, "But who worries about Kai?"
Really, who does their captain have to worry about him?
Max felt ashamed at himself and his friends also. They always took Kai's return when he goes out for granted, never once worrying about him and his safety.
He knew for a fact now that Kai was not what he seemed to be in the out-side.
"A golden Heart behind a mask of ice."
"You ok, Max?" He heard Takao ask and realized that he must have spaced-out on them.
"Yeah, sorry." He grinned once more to assure them, "I just remembered something, that's all."
Rei looked at him worriedly, "Was it something happened while you were away?"
"You can say that…" Max's grin turned to a wise smile, "I just saw the truth."
The Blade-Breakers stared at him in confusion, so Max just jumped at them, "Let's go get ICE CREAM!"
Laughing at Max's antics, they forgot the matter.
Even though Max was laughing and playing around, he had resolved to do one thing.
And nothing was going to stop him.
Later That Night
23:30 PM.
Most of the Blade-Breakers went to sleep.
Except for Max, who was watching an action movie to keep him awake while eating ice cream.
Don't ask how he got.
Max decided that he was not going to sleep till he did what he planned before.
Even if it killed him.
Though his eyes were drooping shut slowly then snap back open.
Finally, he heard the sound of the knob turning signaling the return of their captain.
Jumping up and strolling to the unsuspecting captain, who was in the process of removing his scarf, Max jumped wrapping his arms around Kai's neck, "Welcome back home, Kai!"
Not seeing this coming, Kai was taken back by the force of Max's weight, which got him to drop his scarf and getting trapped between sugar-high blonde and the wall, though he quickly regained his bearings.
"Why are you still awake?"
Max hugged Kai tighter, "You were out for so long and I wanted to make sure you came back home safe."
Kai's eyes widened then softened a bit at Max, "You shouldn't worry about me; I can take care of myself."
"I know you can." Smiling, he added, "I just want you to know that I worry about you."
Kai stared at Max for a few second, not sure he heard right, but the cheerful look American's young face and his hopeful ocean blue eyes…
Max was beyond shocked when Kai wrapped his left arm around him in a hug and resting his right hand on his head, messing his hair.
"I appreciate it, Max" he heard Kai whisper.
Never in his life did Max think such simple words could mean so much. And he felt like he did a really huge feat by having those words directed at him.
Kai then let go of him but took his hand as he pulled the blonde with him, "You need your sleep,"
Max couldn't help the grin that broke on his face, "Aye aye, captain!"
Catching the smile that graced Kai's lips, Max was beyond happy to have been the reason for it.
Few Days Later
The Blade-Breakers, including Kai this time, were walking through the city.
Somehow, as the others noticed, Max managed to become closer to Kai more than any of them, not that they ever were close to him.
Takao, Rei and the chief were ahead of the group while Max preferred to stay close to Kai, though he didn't talk or reply to him much.
As they were passing through the busy streets, Kai saw something ahead of them coming their way, he kept his eyes on the figure as they were getting closer and closer to them.
Max noticed his lack of attention and glanced the way Kai was focusing on.
What he saw took him by surprise.
The woman from few days ago and her son were there. She was holding him up with one arm while the other had a plastic bag.
Kai and Max continued their walk, but keeping an eye on the woman and her son, who had his back to them.
When they walked past them, Kai turned half way to have a last glance at them, then sighed almost silently and turned back to continue his own way with Max.
"Maw!"
Kai and Max together turned back to look at the kid that was now waving happily at Kai, "Maw!"
It was clear he saw and recognized Kai.
Kai was speechless as was Max, but then waved back at the kid and whispered to no one, "Bye, Akito, just don't get lost again."
Max heard him, which brought a happy but small smile onto his lips.
Akito, as Max finally got to know his name, was still waving his hands at Kai happily, "Maw!" akito's mother tried to get him to ceases his movement as she wasn't able to walk straight with all the movement, "Kah!"
At the call of his name, both Kai and Max were shocked to say the least; this kid who wasn't older than two years old remembered the name of his rescuer.
Kai's eyes sparkled with unknown feelings for him.
Max, though unknown to Kai, stared at him from the corner of his eyes.
Yes, he really did just see the truth of Kai Hiwatari.
Owari
Beta-read: 11-02-2015
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