Rimnerel: Hello everyone, it's me, Rimnerel bringing you the next chapter in my epic story of romance, drama, angst, and all that good stuff. Since I didn't have much to say, I just decided to leave a note and start off with this chapter. So you don't have to throw fruit at me for this!
----------------------------------
The young man with brunette hair down to his shoulders brushed his bangs out of his eyes once more as he dressed for his morning classes. The hair he pushed out the way feel back into his eyes again. With a scowl, the brunette tucked them behind his ear again. Why didn't he just cut them like he planned to do two years ago? This made no sense that he was this irritated with his hair.
"Kenny, Kain and Rei are here," his mother called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Tell them, I'm almost ready!" Kenny shouted, tucking a wayward tuff of hair from sweeping over his eye again. With a growl, he grabbed the brush and forced the piece to stay behind his ear for a while. Looking up into the mirror, the young man, now 18 years old, nodded with approval at his reflection.
Three years passed since that summer that seemed years ago. That special summer he met a young man by the name of Tala Ivanor during his stay with his relatives in his mother's childhood hometown. At first when Kenny arrived, he was doubtful he would have anything to do, let alone enjoy his summer there. That opinion changed when he met Tala, and his cousin, Kai Hiwatari.
Kenny soon learned from his cousin Tyson that the two were the black sheep of the two, causing all sorts of trouble. Not to mention many rumors surrounded them, but those had little truth in them, as Kenny found out over time. Eventually Kenny became so entranced with Tala that he fell in love with the red haired older teen. Yet Tala was...
"You took my heart and virginity with you," Kenny smiled almost bitterly. "The perfect way to end a summer." Kenny looked down at the picture on his dresser in a picture frame. It was of Tala leaning back against a tree with his eyes closed, while a cigarette hung from his lips.
Picking it up, he ran his thumb over the picture, as a tear splashed onto the glass of the frame. They were all supposed to live together when both Kenny and Tyson graduated. After he fell in love with Tala, and Tyson fell in love with Kai...the two said they wanted to live together. But...
"What happened that day?" Kenny whispered. "That day, that Tyson called me...what happened?"
-------------
{Flashback}
Kenny walked into his house after spending the whole day with Rei and Kain. Rei was still angry with Kain for sacrificing him to see the opening day for the movie, The Matrix. Kenny figured that until Kain did something extreme to get back on Rei's good side, there would be more than one day without a kiss from his favorite Chinese boy.
"Well, I still have to say that Kain brought that on himself," Kenny shook his head, going up to his room to take off his shoes. Changing into a worn pair of cargo shorts, and a faded blue t-shirt, Kenny went back downstairs to the kitchen. "Mom, I'm home!"
There was no reply from the woman, who was usually home when he came home from hanging with Rei and Kain. Looking around the kitchen, he found a note on the kitchen counter. Picking it up, he scanned over it.
"Had to go check on your grandmother, should be back before dinner, if not, please heat up the food that I left in the fridge. And don't eat too much junk food before dinner you know it will ruin your appetite. Will see you later, sweetie. Mom." Kenny put down the note with a grin. It wasn't like he was like his cousin Tyson who tended to eat almost every two hours claiming that he was a growing boy and that he needed to eat that much.
Going over to the fridge, Kenny opened the door and got a Pepsi off the door, then closed it back. Heading for the living room, Kenny flopped down on the couch, picking up the remote from the top of the sofa and cutting the TV on. Popping open his soda, he took a sip before placing it down to flip through the channels.
He usually would already be up in his room on his computer, but...he really didn't feel like sitting in front of the screen like he use to. A lot about him had changed that summer. Slowly, he found that the world away from the screen of a computer had a lot more to offer him. Even a bit of TV could be educational if he found the right thing to watch.
Suddenly, the phone rang, startling him. Nearly dropping the remote, Kenny quickly picked up the cordless that rested on the table behind the sofa and placed it to his ear. "Shinoda residence."
"Kenny..." the voice on the other end cracked, as if straining to remain calm or something.
"Hello?" Kenny frowned, wondering if it was Kain playing some sort of practical joke on him. "Whose this?"
"It's me, Tyson," the voice on the other end sniffed.
"Tyson? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Kenny inquired immediately.
"I...I...they...they..." Tyson's voice trembled as he tried to form words, but end up crying again.
"Tyson, what's wrong? Calm down and tell me!" Kenny said, wondering if it had to do with Tala and Kai. Kenny hoped that it was something else, that maybe the young man was playing a joke on him. It was a full minute before Tyson was calm enough to say a word, but by then the phone was taken from the young man.
"Kenny...?"
"Max? What's going on? What's Tyson crying about? Has something happened to Tala and Kai," Kenny asked, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. What was going on? Max was silent for a long minute before starting.
"We just found out that two days ago...Tala and Kai were killed by their uncle. He went crazy or something and killed a maid, his wife, and them also. But someone ended up killing him, or he killed himself in the end. No one is really telling anyone anything around here. My mom told us today," Max said softly. "I'm sorry...Kenny."
"They..." Kenny couldn't believe what he heard. It couldn't be true. In the background, Kenny could hear Zeo trying to comfort his cousin, who continued to cry. "How can everyone be sure? They wouldn't..."
"Tala's blood was found spilled all over the house, along with bloody shoes that belonged to both Kai and Tala," Max said.
"What about their bodies? If there aren't any bodies, there's a chance they escaped, right? They wouldn't let themselves be killed like that," Kenny argued, feeling the tears slip down his face.
"I'm sorry Kenny, their relatives have already identified bodies that were found not too far from the scene. They took the bodies back to Russia to be buried. I'm really sorry. If you need to cry, I'll let you go. We just wanted to let you know, okay," Max replied sympathetically.
"Thank you...Max..." Kenny said as both hung up the phones. For a long minute, Kenny sat on the couch, refusing to believe any of it. Lowering his head, he tried to force back the tears. For a long time, he sat there, trying to reason out that they had the wrong bodies that Tala and Kai made it out, that it wasn't their blood on the floor of the house that they would be heading up to Massachusetts soon.
When the doorbell sounded, Kenny didn't realize he had gotten up to answer the door until a voice broke him out of his stupor. Looking up, he found Kain and Rei staring down at him with concerned eyes. It was then that he realized that it wasn't a dream. The tears falling as he clung to both boys wailing his heart out. It wasn't right, it just wasn't right at all.
{Flashback end}
--------------
"You know," Kenny said to the picture. "I really miss you...but...I can't keep hurting like this. I know you don't mean it, but...I think...I think I should move on, okay? Three years of this empty ache is enough, I know I can't replace you...but I have to move on. No matter what, I will always love you."
Kenny wiped away the tears that trickled down his face before raising the picture to his lips and kissing his first love good-bye for the last time. Placing the picture down, Kenny went over to his door and grabbed the bag that was beside the door. Closing the door to his room, Kenny headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Waiting in the kitchen for him was his two best friends. Rei was reading the morning paper, looking up at Kenny with a smile. Kain was drinking a cup of coffee while eating a slice of toast with egg and bacon on it. Kenny's mother was in the living room watching the morning news.
"So, you stopped primping yourself to come down," Kain teased taking another bite of his toast, egg, and bacon.
"I don't know why my mother keeps feeding you, she should know that wild animals always come back if you keep feeding them. Not to mention that you're already going to burst the seams of your pants with that fat ass of yours," Kenny replied in an upbeat tone. If it hadn't been for these two over the past three years, Kenny didn't know how he would have been able to take the news about Tala.
The brunette watched Kain chock on his toast before glaring at Kenny. Rei lifted up his paper to conceal the smile that rest on his lips. "You little—"Kain was about to start before Kenny's mother walked into the kitchen.
"Kain, would you like another slice of bacon before you leave?" Kenny's mother asked.
"No ma'am, I think we should get going," Kain said, finishing off the last bit in his hand, continuing to give Kenny the evil eye.
"You sure?" Mrs. Shinoda inquired.
"I'm absolutely sure, but thank you for asking," Kain said getting up from his chair. "Okay you two, I think we should get going."
"I think so too," Rei said, finishing up his cup of coffee, and also getting up from the table. "My first class is in half an hour."
"All right then boys, have a good day," Mrs. Shinoda waved them off.
"Bye mom. I have to work today, so I should be home by 11:30 tonight. You don't have to save me any dinner, I'll probably get something before I get off," Kenny said as Kain dragged him out of the room. Exiting the room, Kenny caught the stare that Rei was giving him. It always seemed that the male knew when there was something wrong, maybe it was just due to the fact they've known each other so long.
"Hey Kenny...were you..."
"I was just saying good...finally," Kenny interrupted with a short smile. "You don't have to worry about me anymore, I'm going to try to move on."
"You sure, buddy?" Kain inquired.
"Yeah, I'm positive. He wouldn't want me to remain this way forever. So, I'm going to live for the both of us," Kenny nodded.
"Well, since you're moving on, I know a couple of people that would like to help you get started on your full recovery," Kain grinned.
"I don't know whether you're majoring in accounting or pimping," Kenny said, getting from his friend's grasp. He, Rei, Tyson, and Kain were all attending the same college. Kain was majoring in accounting so when Rei got his degree in business and they opened their own restaurant, they wouldn't have to worry about anyone else handling their books.
Tyson didn't know what he wanted to do just yet, though he thought about majoring in Psychology, probably because of Kai. Kenny thought that maybe he would get a degree dealing with computers, but then decided upon being a writer. So right now he was starting to get to work on a Masters in English. He also was starting to attempt a fictional account of his life and the events of what happened to him that summer, deciding to call the book Oleander Summer as a sort of dedication to Tala.
Right now he was working at a Starbucks/book store close to his home. Tyson also worked there, both trying to gather up the money to get an apartment together, since the scholarships they had managed to get at while in their senior year of high school took care of almost all their educational needs. The two still wanted to make Tala and Kai's dream come true, so they could at least say they tried.
"Hey, I just know people, nothing wrong with that," Kain said as he opened the front door and pulled out his keys to his 1997 Pathfinder, a present from his parents for moving out of the house into a dorm on campus with Rei and going to college. Kenny just figured they were grateful to get him out finally.
"Strange people might I add in," Kenny said. "Remember that girl you thought would cheer me up, then she turned out to be possessive and I had to change my number three times?"
"Well...she seemed sweet at the time," Kain said.
"Yeah. Don't do me any favors please," Kenny begged.
"Fine, suit yourself. I'll leave alone," Kain nodded, opening the driver's side of the car and getting in. Kenny seated himself in the back, Rei sitting up front with Kain, of course.
"Thank you," Kenny praised.
"Even though," Kain started putting the key into the ignition. "Maybe you should just chill for a while, you know. Just let things flow until you find someone."
"That's what I was intending to do anyway," Kenny countered. "Now stop giving me that mother complex and drive before we're all late."
"Fine you little bastard, I'll drive!" Kain said, glaring at Kenny from the rear view mirror. Kenny looked out the window with a smile, knowing that he probably wouldn't have lasted as long without them both. No matter what, they were always there for him.
----------------------------------
Okay, this chapter is done finally. And before I see fruit flying, I just want to let everyone that things will not be that simple, but you'll all have to wait a while before you figure out what I'm doing. Okay, now I will say good-bye to you all for now.
----------------------------------
The young man with brunette hair down to his shoulders brushed his bangs out of his eyes once more as he dressed for his morning classes. The hair he pushed out the way feel back into his eyes again. With a scowl, the brunette tucked them behind his ear again. Why didn't he just cut them like he planned to do two years ago? This made no sense that he was this irritated with his hair.
"Kenny, Kain and Rei are here," his mother called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Tell them, I'm almost ready!" Kenny shouted, tucking a wayward tuff of hair from sweeping over his eye again. With a growl, he grabbed the brush and forced the piece to stay behind his ear for a while. Looking up into the mirror, the young man, now 18 years old, nodded with approval at his reflection.
Three years passed since that summer that seemed years ago. That special summer he met a young man by the name of Tala Ivanor during his stay with his relatives in his mother's childhood hometown. At first when Kenny arrived, he was doubtful he would have anything to do, let alone enjoy his summer there. That opinion changed when he met Tala, and his cousin, Kai Hiwatari.
Kenny soon learned from his cousin Tyson that the two were the black sheep of the two, causing all sorts of trouble. Not to mention many rumors surrounded them, but those had little truth in them, as Kenny found out over time. Eventually Kenny became so entranced with Tala that he fell in love with the red haired older teen. Yet Tala was...
"You took my heart and virginity with you," Kenny smiled almost bitterly. "The perfect way to end a summer." Kenny looked down at the picture on his dresser in a picture frame. It was of Tala leaning back against a tree with his eyes closed, while a cigarette hung from his lips.
Picking it up, he ran his thumb over the picture, as a tear splashed onto the glass of the frame. They were all supposed to live together when both Kenny and Tyson graduated. After he fell in love with Tala, and Tyson fell in love with Kai...the two said they wanted to live together. But...
"What happened that day?" Kenny whispered. "That day, that Tyson called me...what happened?"
-------------
{Flashback}
Kenny walked into his house after spending the whole day with Rei and Kain. Rei was still angry with Kain for sacrificing him to see the opening day for the movie, The Matrix. Kenny figured that until Kain did something extreme to get back on Rei's good side, there would be more than one day without a kiss from his favorite Chinese boy.
"Well, I still have to say that Kain brought that on himself," Kenny shook his head, going up to his room to take off his shoes. Changing into a worn pair of cargo shorts, and a faded blue t-shirt, Kenny went back downstairs to the kitchen. "Mom, I'm home!"
There was no reply from the woman, who was usually home when he came home from hanging with Rei and Kain. Looking around the kitchen, he found a note on the kitchen counter. Picking it up, he scanned over it.
"Had to go check on your grandmother, should be back before dinner, if not, please heat up the food that I left in the fridge. And don't eat too much junk food before dinner you know it will ruin your appetite. Will see you later, sweetie. Mom." Kenny put down the note with a grin. It wasn't like he was like his cousin Tyson who tended to eat almost every two hours claiming that he was a growing boy and that he needed to eat that much.
Going over to the fridge, Kenny opened the door and got a Pepsi off the door, then closed it back. Heading for the living room, Kenny flopped down on the couch, picking up the remote from the top of the sofa and cutting the TV on. Popping open his soda, he took a sip before placing it down to flip through the channels.
He usually would already be up in his room on his computer, but...he really didn't feel like sitting in front of the screen like he use to. A lot about him had changed that summer. Slowly, he found that the world away from the screen of a computer had a lot more to offer him. Even a bit of TV could be educational if he found the right thing to watch.
Suddenly, the phone rang, startling him. Nearly dropping the remote, Kenny quickly picked up the cordless that rested on the table behind the sofa and placed it to his ear. "Shinoda residence."
"Kenny..." the voice on the other end cracked, as if straining to remain calm or something.
"Hello?" Kenny frowned, wondering if it was Kain playing some sort of practical joke on him. "Whose this?"
"It's me, Tyson," the voice on the other end sniffed.
"Tyson? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Kenny inquired immediately.
"I...I...they...they..." Tyson's voice trembled as he tried to form words, but end up crying again.
"Tyson, what's wrong? Calm down and tell me!" Kenny said, wondering if it had to do with Tala and Kai. Kenny hoped that it was something else, that maybe the young man was playing a joke on him. It was a full minute before Tyson was calm enough to say a word, but by then the phone was taken from the young man.
"Kenny...?"
"Max? What's going on? What's Tyson crying about? Has something happened to Tala and Kai," Kenny asked, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. What was going on? Max was silent for a long minute before starting.
"We just found out that two days ago...Tala and Kai were killed by their uncle. He went crazy or something and killed a maid, his wife, and them also. But someone ended up killing him, or he killed himself in the end. No one is really telling anyone anything around here. My mom told us today," Max said softly. "I'm sorry...Kenny."
"They..." Kenny couldn't believe what he heard. It couldn't be true. In the background, Kenny could hear Zeo trying to comfort his cousin, who continued to cry. "How can everyone be sure? They wouldn't..."
"Tala's blood was found spilled all over the house, along with bloody shoes that belonged to both Kai and Tala," Max said.
"What about their bodies? If there aren't any bodies, there's a chance they escaped, right? They wouldn't let themselves be killed like that," Kenny argued, feeling the tears slip down his face.
"I'm sorry Kenny, their relatives have already identified bodies that were found not too far from the scene. They took the bodies back to Russia to be buried. I'm really sorry. If you need to cry, I'll let you go. We just wanted to let you know, okay," Max replied sympathetically.
"Thank you...Max..." Kenny said as both hung up the phones. For a long minute, Kenny sat on the couch, refusing to believe any of it. Lowering his head, he tried to force back the tears. For a long time, he sat there, trying to reason out that they had the wrong bodies that Tala and Kai made it out, that it wasn't their blood on the floor of the house that they would be heading up to Massachusetts soon.
When the doorbell sounded, Kenny didn't realize he had gotten up to answer the door until a voice broke him out of his stupor. Looking up, he found Kain and Rei staring down at him with concerned eyes. It was then that he realized that it wasn't a dream. The tears falling as he clung to both boys wailing his heart out. It wasn't right, it just wasn't right at all.
{Flashback end}
--------------
"You know," Kenny said to the picture. "I really miss you...but...I can't keep hurting like this. I know you don't mean it, but...I think...I think I should move on, okay? Three years of this empty ache is enough, I know I can't replace you...but I have to move on. No matter what, I will always love you."
Kenny wiped away the tears that trickled down his face before raising the picture to his lips and kissing his first love good-bye for the last time. Placing the picture down, Kenny went over to his door and grabbed the bag that was beside the door. Closing the door to his room, Kenny headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Waiting in the kitchen for him was his two best friends. Rei was reading the morning paper, looking up at Kenny with a smile. Kain was drinking a cup of coffee while eating a slice of toast with egg and bacon on it. Kenny's mother was in the living room watching the morning news.
"So, you stopped primping yourself to come down," Kain teased taking another bite of his toast, egg, and bacon.
"I don't know why my mother keeps feeding you, she should know that wild animals always come back if you keep feeding them. Not to mention that you're already going to burst the seams of your pants with that fat ass of yours," Kenny replied in an upbeat tone. If it hadn't been for these two over the past three years, Kenny didn't know how he would have been able to take the news about Tala.
The brunette watched Kain chock on his toast before glaring at Kenny. Rei lifted up his paper to conceal the smile that rest on his lips. "You little—"Kain was about to start before Kenny's mother walked into the kitchen.
"Kain, would you like another slice of bacon before you leave?" Kenny's mother asked.
"No ma'am, I think we should get going," Kain said, finishing off the last bit in his hand, continuing to give Kenny the evil eye.
"You sure?" Mrs. Shinoda inquired.
"I'm absolutely sure, but thank you for asking," Kain said getting up from his chair. "Okay you two, I think we should get going."
"I think so too," Rei said, finishing up his cup of coffee, and also getting up from the table. "My first class is in half an hour."
"All right then boys, have a good day," Mrs. Shinoda waved them off.
"Bye mom. I have to work today, so I should be home by 11:30 tonight. You don't have to save me any dinner, I'll probably get something before I get off," Kenny said as Kain dragged him out of the room. Exiting the room, Kenny caught the stare that Rei was giving him. It always seemed that the male knew when there was something wrong, maybe it was just due to the fact they've known each other so long.
"Hey Kenny...were you..."
"I was just saying good...finally," Kenny interrupted with a short smile. "You don't have to worry about me anymore, I'm going to try to move on."
"You sure, buddy?" Kain inquired.
"Yeah, I'm positive. He wouldn't want me to remain this way forever. So, I'm going to live for the both of us," Kenny nodded.
"Well, since you're moving on, I know a couple of people that would like to help you get started on your full recovery," Kain grinned.
"I don't know whether you're majoring in accounting or pimping," Kenny said, getting from his friend's grasp. He, Rei, Tyson, and Kain were all attending the same college. Kain was majoring in accounting so when Rei got his degree in business and they opened their own restaurant, they wouldn't have to worry about anyone else handling their books.
Tyson didn't know what he wanted to do just yet, though he thought about majoring in Psychology, probably because of Kai. Kenny thought that maybe he would get a degree dealing with computers, but then decided upon being a writer. So right now he was starting to get to work on a Masters in English. He also was starting to attempt a fictional account of his life and the events of what happened to him that summer, deciding to call the book Oleander Summer as a sort of dedication to Tala.
Right now he was working at a Starbucks/book store close to his home. Tyson also worked there, both trying to gather up the money to get an apartment together, since the scholarships they had managed to get at while in their senior year of high school took care of almost all their educational needs. The two still wanted to make Tala and Kai's dream come true, so they could at least say they tried.
"Hey, I just know people, nothing wrong with that," Kain said as he opened the front door and pulled out his keys to his 1997 Pathfinder, a present from his parents for moving out of the house into a dorm on campus with Rei and going to college. Kenny just figured they were grateful to get him out finally.
"Strange people might I add in," Kenny said. "Remember that girl you thought would cheer me up, then she turned out to be possessive and I had to change my number three times?"
"Well...she seemed sweet at the time," Kain said.
"Yeah. Don't do me any favors please," Kenny begged.
"Fine, suit yourself. I'll leave alone," Kain nodded, opening the driver's side of the car and getting in. Kenny seated himself in the back, Rei sitting up front with Kain, of course.
"Thank you," Kenny praised.
"Even though," Kain started putting the key into the ignition. "Maybe you should just chill for a while, you know. Just let things flow until you find someone."
"That's what I was intending to do anyway," Kenny countered. "Now stop giving me that mother complex and drive before we're all late."
"Fine you little bastard, I'll drive!" Kain said, glaring at Kenny from the rear view mirror. Kenny looked out the window with a smile, knowing that he probably wouldn't have lasted as long without them both. No matter what, they were always there for him.
----------------------------------
Okay, this chapter is done finally. And before I see fruit flying, I just want to let everyone that things will not be that simple, but you'll all have to wait a while before you figure out what I'm doing. Okay, now I will say good-bye to you all for now.