Yes, I'm back! I'm back to torture our beloved boys till they can't stand life and begs for me to kill them.
No, okay. Maybe not that much. But a lot. So, let's go through the basic stuff.

Warnings; Boris. (Really, I mean it. He's not very nice in this one. Not nice at all.) Alcohol, drugs, fighting, shooting, swearing, boy on boy love (I don't do lemons, folks) and aaaaaall that great stuff.
Disclaimer; Let's say I own them. Just for fun. You know I'm lying anyway.
Pairings; Rei/Boris. (Also known as Ray and Bryan) are the main pairing. Who knows, maybe some else will come along.
Other; I'm going all 'original names' on your asses. If you don't know them, google it.

And if any of you read Fatal Flaws… ha ha. I don't think you noticed but I gave Boris the wrong eye colour in that one. It's not actually grey, it's blue. Yeah…

Let's roll!

Chapter One
Dirty Wrapper

Rei Kon is always confident, Rei Kon is always strong. He is always level-headed, does what is right and just and never stoops so low that he can't get up. Rei is intelligent, sensitive, caring, calm and always no matter what thinks before he leaps.

That's what they all used to say about me. Me, Rei Kon, the saint of the world. I was never the kind of person who would get involved with criminals or drugs, hurting others or, as the stubborn and independent person I am, let anyone hurt me without fighting back. Never. And yet, there I was. But don't get me wrong, I did fight back at first, I really did. I fought with all that I had, ferociously and refusing to die. I didn't want to become vermin, a delinquent, a youth gone wrong. I had such big plans for my life and none of them involved any of that.

And yet I would, no matter how hard I fought or how fast I ran, always end up at that dirty old floor, crying like a foolish little girl with her heart broken in thousands of dirty pieces. Around me bags and bags of cocaine, heroin, amphetamine… A gun to my right, a drunken and passed out murderer to my left. A bruise on my face, a lump in my throat and a hole in my heart. It was all so unlike me, so surreal. As if all of it was just another bad dream, one of many, blurry pictures melting into something morphed, deranged, deformed. As if my memories were not my own but borrowed from someone else, someone horrible.

After a while I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror because when those golden pools would look back at me, I'd know that this horrible person – it was me. And I couldn't stand wondering 'how did I ever become this?' because the answer was always so blunt, so hurtful, so obvious and god damn silly.

How did I end up like this? It was simple.

As in any other story, it all started with a boy.

X

It had been a fairly boring week, if you want to be pessimistic about it. Work had been slow and the people around me even slower. Kai had a busy time dealing with his schedule and thus he had no time for me, his long time friend. Takao and Max were busy keeping Daichi from wrecking the bar they owned and worked at while Kenny had a hard time trying to keep Hiromi from turning alcoholic from all the nights she spent there, flirting, looking for Mr. Right. I guess I couldn't really blame her, after all I was kind of hoping for him to come along as well.

Yeah, you heard right, I said him. Me, Rei Kon, gay. What a great shock and disgrace. At least that's what my family thought and I guess I have to admit it's a little heartbreaking that my mother hasn't even called me during the years since I came out. But I guess it's not really her fault. I mean, now who will continue the legacy of the Kon family? My father was bristling. I almost feared his skin would tear just to give room for that explosion of fury. Even though I was just a child then, it's one of the few things I remember clearly, as if it has been tattooed into my brain.

You are not my son.

Funny how things should turn out, isn't it?

One big relief for me though was that Rai didn't take it as bad. He's a long time friend of mine after all and most Beybladers around the world simply shrugged and gave me that; 'Good for you, whatever. When's our next match?' kind of look. You know the one.

I tried not to think about it too much. I mean so what if my family rejected me? I had my friends, a job, a place to live in a town which wasn't half bad and there was always Beyblading. Even if I didn't attend that many tournaments anymore but I hadn't forgotten about Byakko, I never would be able to.

And yet there was something missing, a bitterness in my heart which lingered even in my happier moments. As if a shadow resided within me, waiting, biding its time until the right moment to strike. 'You're just lonely' Mao would say to me and wink her little wink, toss her pink hair over her shoulder and give me a Cheshire grin with no equivalent to match.

So I guess this is the part where most sane people run as fast as they can. But since it had been a Monday morning and my mind was moving slowly, I guess it was too much to ask of me to suspect that girls aren't always as innocent as they try to look. And that's how I ended up with a blind date. Don't ask me how she did it, with Mao no one never really knows. She scratches like a leopard but is charming like a housecat. No one knows how she gets her way but oh, does she get it.

I'm not very fond of blind dates, to be honest. I like to know the person a bit beforehand and I don't like jumping headfirst into relationships. And also, one never knows what to wear.

Standing outside the bar Takao and Max owned, The Dragon and the Tortoise as it was so imaginatively named, I was finding it hard not to feel nervous. But of course I did, who wouldn't? Partially I was overly excited because what if this was right? What if this man actually was exactly whom I had been looking for? But then on the other hand, what if he found me boring? Or if he was boring? I didn't want to be rude or offensive and I especially didn't want to hurt any feelings, neither his nor my own. What if he didn't even show up?

Eventually, when I suspected I had been loitering for far too long, I pulled myself together and brought out the Tiger that everyone believed I had within me. As I entered the bar the old familiar smell of beer and food hit me like a slap in the face, warmth swallowing me accompanied by the chatter of early guests.

It was a popular bar, I assume because Takao owned it. During the evenings it was a simple place to eat, drink and have nice conversations to fine music. But after ten o'clock, oh boy did the party animals crawl out from their hiding places. The music turned up, the booze readied and the kitchen closed as the dance floor lit up in life and expectation. It was a great place to go if one felt for a good time and surely would you get it.

This time of day though the party hadn't started and I felt a little bit more content with that. I'm not a bore, mind you, but I think that if one should get to know a person you should start out calmly. Plunging headfirst never turns out well, which I had learned the hard way. So with a deep breath I looked around, telling myself it was going to be fine and perhaps I even partially believed it.

But to my bitter disappointment there was no one there.

Now wait a damn minute! Why wasn't he there? Where had he gone to? I thought Mao had specifically and quite violently told me that there would be a tall man, foreign but she never said where he came from, with piercing eyes and silver hair. But there was no such man around, only a few middle age couples eating their dinner and a few students having a round of beer. None of them fit the description and so it left me fairly shocked, and disappointed, insulted even. Had I just been stood up?

Perhaps Mao had just told me the wrong time? Or perhaps this man was just bad at punctuality? Was that good or bad? I didn't know, didn't really think there would come any out of pondering either. With a brave shrug I decided to wait and see what happened. If he hadn't arrived before the night was over I was going to go home and glare at John Hughes movies all night. And no, for the record it was not pouting. Really, it wasn't! It was just some good old self pitying in front of a TV screen, possibly with some sugary snacks within my grasp. Nothing abnormal and sulky there.

''Hey, Rei! Early today, eh?'' I heard a familiar voice cheer behind me.

I turned around to see the ever brilliant, youthful and perhaps overwhelming smile of Max, his blue eyes making the sky envious of its color and vasteness, his blonde locks reminding me of sunlight. Without doubt I can say that he is one of the kindest people I have ever met and although his positivism could get overbearing from time to time, one was never really sad around him.

Except me of course, stubborn as ever.

''Hi, Max'' my voice an attempt to sound cheerful but failing halway, crashing and burning into the abyss of awkward silences.

And now he was staring at me, like his eyes could see right through my soft little heart. I supposed a nervous smile wouldn't really work, and I was proven right when he gave me that sad, puppy-like look. The one that just makes your heart melt, leaving you feeling oddly nice towards the world. I have no idea how he does it and I don't think I will ever find out.

''Hey, looking a little down there'' he said, frowning somewhat in worry as he flung his arm around my shoulders. ''You okay?''

I nodded meekly, smiling to prove it.

''Actually I'm waiting for someone.''

''Oooh! A date?''

''Yeah, something like that. Mao set me up.''

The blonde gave me a meaning look, knowing just as good as anyone that trusting Mao with such things could almost legally count as suicide.

''I know, I know. But she offered to help me out.''

Max shrugged as I damned myself and my kindness. Sure, I loved Mao. She was one of my longest friends, and I even suspect she had a crush on me once. And even though she wasn't the best at finding men, at least she tried. Denying her that would just have been rude, and I guess Max understood that as he nodded.

''How does he look? Maybe I could find him for you?''

''That's the problem. It's a blind date.''

Max immediately stepped back from me, hands in the air as he made an odd little face often seen on people who're backing away from a crime scene.

''Then it gets hard!''

''Tell me about it. All I know is that he's foreign and grey haired.''

After I had said that, Max's eyes suddenly sparked with a sense of recognition. I looked questioningly at him, wondering if he had realized something. And he sure had, as he soon pointed towards the corner tables.

''Why didn't you say so? Some Russian guy came into the bar half an hour ago ordering a pint!''

I looked at where he was pointing, squinting as it was hard to find anything remotely grey in the mess of heads that moved there. But after a while of staring, feeling slightly like a hunter on watch, I noticed the only grey haired head in the entire bar. I had just hit jackpot.

Suddenly, as luck would have it, I was feeling nervous. Well, maybe nervous was an understatement. I was nearly sick to my stomach, feeling a shyness I wasn't really used to. In a lot of areas in my life, I'm very confident. Beyblade is the main one, in which my confidence has led to my downfall several times.

But when it came to dating even the mightiest tiger could feel fear. In theory it wasn't hard. I only had to walk over there, introduce myself and see where it went. Either we would have a lot to talk about or we'd be spending the evening in awkward silence until one of us came up with a good enough excuse to leave.

But theory and reality are two very different things.

This wasn't like launching a blade which I knew I was good at. It wasn't like exercising or cooking or speaking or any of the things I'm remotely decent at. It was just like running through a large forest the fastest I could with my eyes closed. Either I would get out alive or I would run into a tree and crush my skull.

Well, not literally. But you get the picture.

''Oh, what are you waiting for?'' Max broke my barrier of thoughts. ''Go get him, tiger!''

And with a gentle little shove he pushed me away, into the crowd and towards my doom. I gave him a slight glare, but he just kept smiling his blinding smile so with a sigh I admitted defeat and trudged on. Through the amount of bodies that moved around me, as it was time to bring out the party animals, I had a hard time actually getting through.

It didn't help that my legs felt like failing me, and I had to mentally yell at myself to stay composed. It was sick, the way the butterflies kept fluttering in my stomach in rhythm with my frantic heart. I felt warm and ill at the same time, hating my weakness in such a simple moment.

Taking a deep breath I shut down all fear, and realized I had reached the table.

''Excuse me?''

The man didn't look at me, just glaring at his beer like I wasn't even there. Like no one was really there at all but him, his beverage and a world of private thoughts. I figured he hadn't heard me, or he just didn't think I was talking to him, so I tried a little louder.

''Excuse me''

This time he looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. Freezing cold, merciless ice-blue eyes pummelled me into the ground right where I stood. Meeting his glare felt like the worst moment of my entire life. Like I had just been shoved into an ice cold sea, thousands of knives stabbing me with that vicious murderlust.

And that was when I realized who he was.

''Oh shit''

''Kon?''

Boris Kuznetsov was staring at me – no, let me rephrase that; glaring at me like I had just insulted and murdered his mother. I blinked stupidly, opening my mouth to say something but just as bewildered I closed it again. No words coming to my aid as I was standing there, dumbstruck and completely confused. Then reality decided to crash in and ruin my day, realisation dawning in my mind as I suddenly remembered just why one should never trust Mao with blind dates.

I knew the idea had been stupid the moment I heard about it, but never in my mind could I have imagined to have such worthless luck. Of all the people it could have been, of all the grey haired foreigners which lived in town it just had to be this one. The man who had nearly killed me, and even if I had forgiven him a long time ago Boris still remembered.

The Neoborg had never really warmed up to anyone, but one would think that after a few years and helping hands they could have at least stopped throwing murdering glares at you whenever you bumped into each other. Which, thank my lucky star, was very rare but whenever I saw one of the Russians on the street, they did have the decency to grunt in recognition.

All except for Boris. Kai had been my trusted friend for years, and Yuriy at least tried to pretend like he could stand us. Ivan and Sergei never said much which I guess was just their way of behaving. But Boris… well he was one hard nut to crack.

''What the fuck are you doing here?''

Still as polite as I remembered him. This was going to be a fairly interesting night.

''I…'' I fought hard to keep the surprise out of my voice, but even as I got my body under control my eyes still deceived me. ''I'm… looking for someone.''

''Then why are you bothering me?''

I had never before heard such contempt in a voice. Such latent fury that just begged to be let free, waiting for the smallest spark to burst into malicious flames. I knew this man had some serious attitude problems, and I was not in the mood to introduce my face to his fist. I was seriously considering coming up with some lame lie and walk out of there, but something held me back.

Whether it was my conscience or manners, or perhaps even my stubbornness, I did the stupid thing and fought on.

''Actually I'm looking for you.''

''And now you've found me. Now do I have to make you go or do you prefer your legs unbroken?''

Now that wasn't just angering, that was a pure and naked challenge. Even though I wanted to say no, my instincts got the better of me and faced the challenge head on. I was there for a blind date and I was sure as hell not going to walk out of there empty handed. Whether it would cost me a few ribs or just my good mood was for time to decide.

''You don't have to be so rude, you know. I just wanted to sit down.''

Boris snorted, and even that was somehow mockingly brutal. He glared thinly at me before taking a large sip of his beer, slamming the pint down without tearing his eyes away. I just stood glaring back at him, refusing to move an inch before I had completed my mission.

''What makes you think I'd want you to?''

Now what on Earth did I ever do to him? Even after our beybattle I treated him nice. I never held a grudge or acted rudely towards him. The least I could get was a little less hatred.

''Oh, don't try to act like you don't know!''

''Know what? What the fuck are you talking about?''

''Mao! That's what I'm talking about!''

''Mao? What does that bitch have to do with anything?''

The irritation within me sparked into anger at his words. Clenching my fists I couldn't help but snarl slightly at him, glaring heatedly as he stared at me with that nonchalant and mocking dislike. There were a few things I never budged from, whatever common sense had to say about it. The first one being to never back down from a challenge, and the second to never let anyone badmouth a friend.

''Don't talk about her like that!'' I growled, but he just snorted again.

''I talk about her in whatever way I want to talk about her. Now would you stop bothering me and go away?''

He was looking dangerously close to rage now, but I blindly ignored this as my own anger was burning inside me. Gritting my teeth, unavoidably baring my fangs I leaned closer, hands against the table and glared with as much power as I could muster into those bone-chilling eyes.

''Don't you even try it, Kuznetsov! I'm going to sit down at this table and you're going to keep your mouth shut about her!''

That was a very stupid thing of me to do. No, on second thought, swimming with sharks while bleeding heavily from a wound is a very stupid thing to do. This, this was just insane.

''Are you telling me what to do?''

He stood up now, and even though his height was not a lot greater than mine he still managed to look as threatening as an oncoming comet. For a moment it felt like standing in the shadow of one very large, very angry giant. A giant whose fists felt like racing trucks against my face as he sent me flying through the air and into the nearest table.

People around us turned to stare in shock, some of them shouting things I couldn't make out through the ringing in my ears. Everything cringed when I opened my eyes, the very breath knocked out of me as my ribcage blazed in pain. I hissed through gritted teeth, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

I didn't have much time to suffer though, because soon he was back with a vengeance, yanking me up by the collar. If I thought it was hard to breathe before that, his hands around my neck didn't exactly help. Kicking, trying to remember every move I had learned through my years of living I felt like the fish caught on one large, sharp hook.

Furious eyes drilled their way into me, his clenched jaw tense and threatening. Reminding me of the look a lion gets just before it leaps for the gazelle's throat. But I wasn't a scared gazelle, I was a white tiger. With a roar I threw whatever punch I could, and with some sort of luck I successfully landed it right in his face. Boris roared something obscene as he stumbled backwards, blood pouring out of his nose like mad.

I got to my feet, gasping and panting but staring at him altogether through sweat covered bangs. He was out of his mind with rage now, carnage and death in his eyes as he fixed them on me, veins pounding in his neck as he ran forth. A sudden moment of panic hit me, before I by pure reflex jumped out of harms way. This resulting in him tipping the table over, before he very loudly grabbed a chair.

Armed now, he was coming towards me anew and this time I didn't have the time to escape. Instead I felt the wooden furniture slam against my stomach as he plummeted right through the crowd and what I soon discovered to be a window. It was insane. Glass shatter everywhere, flying like deadly little diamonds through the air as the cold night bit my skin. Out on the street I hit moist asphalt, getting the very breath knocked out of me.

I lay there wheezing and trying to breathe through the pain, but I could as well have tried to swallow a mountain as it was impossible with the dull, thick ache in my back. To add a perfect ending to a perfect night, the rabid Russian threw himself over me, his fists coming faster and faster by each hit. Black spots beginning to form before my eyes, the only thing that made the pain go away was when there came a new much worse one.

But I guess someone up there must like me, because soon the beating stopped. It took a while for me to realize, the pulsating explosions in my face and the blood in my eyes making it slightly difficult to think. My brain felt like it had just been run in a mixer and I was not quite sure if I was still alive and breathing. But when two worried dark eyes looked down at me, saying something I couldn't quite make out I assumed that if it was not a Death God, then it had to be Takao.

''Rei? Rei? Are you alive, man?''

I gasped a little more, before blinking I tried to nod. He seemed to sigh in relief, drawing a hand through his hair as he shook his head at me. He soon held out a hand for me to take, and after much effort, I managed to grab it. I don't know where the kid gets his strength, but he managed to pull me to my feet and the second after I was standing I fell against him.

The world was spinning quite madly, a brutal merry-go-round stained in blood red. I gulped after clean, fresh air, before I finally managed to stand on my own. All the while Takao shifted between looking worriedly at me and very accusingly at someone else. And in the pit of my gut, I felt the sinking sensation of not knowing where Boris had gone to.

''What the hell, man?!'' Takao burst out. ''There's a sign! No fighting in the bar!''

''Don't blame me for whatever stupid thing your friend said!''

I recognized the second voice, but I couldn't focus too good on my intellectual process since I still felt a bit woozy. But as soon as my sight cleared I caught sight of Yuriy, doing his best at restraining the still angry Boris. Red hair had escaped its otherwise perfect combing, his winter blue eyes thinly glaring at us.

''Look, I'm not gonna tell you this again! Behave or get lost!''

''Yeah, yeah, I heard you Kinomiya! Don't act so high and mighty!''

''You know I'm very close to just throwing you – ''

I put my hand on Takao's arm, and he almost looked like he had forgotten me. I gave him a meaning look, not wanting to cause any more trouble than I already had. He seemed to get my point, as he growled grumpily, throwing his hands in the air in resignation.

''Whatever. Just take it easy!'' Then he turned to me, worriedly eyeing me. ''I hope you feel better than you look''

I tried to smile, but with a split lip it's not all too easy.

''I'm fine.''

''You sure?''

I nodded.

''Perfectly sure. Thank you''

''Hey man, don't thank me. Yuriy was the one who pulled the madman away!''

Boris barked something in russian at hearing that, but Yuriy just glared at him and growled. With a pat on the back Takao turned to leave, but not without a final warning look towards the Falcon. Yuriy turned his piercing glare towards me then, and suddenly I felt a little dizzy.

''I don't know what you said, Kon, but don't do it again. Next time you won't be so lucky.''

Never in my life had I been so reluctant to see Yuriy leave. Left alone with the still muttering Boris, I didn't feel all too good. That lame excuse to get away from the date suddenly seemed very tempting, but Boris had other plans on his mind.

''You owe me a fucking drink.''

X

What was supposed to be one drink oddly turned into three. By the end of it my nose had stopped bleeding, and even though Takao was watching us constantly, spending the night with Boris at the bar wasn't as bad as I thought. As long as I kept the booze coming and shut up he kept calm, if yet extremely rude.

Despite his best efforts, we had actually spoken about things. Okay, I had spoken and he had muttrered at me to shut the fuck up. Even though I didn't think he listened, staring down into my Mojito I felt relieved to get things off my chest. Mostly about work and customers, but I think that somewhere between the third and the fourth drink, I could have said something about my parents.

And in the light of the bar and the sound of people moving endlessly to some crappy old song, I somehow managed to see just how Mao picked her men. If one overlooked the fact that Boris was Boris, and if you pretended like he couldn't speak, he was actually good drinking company. His eyes blunt and unforgiving, face strong and hair reminding me of silver reflecting moonlight.

Alright, Rei, time for you to stop drinking! Put down the glass and walk out of there before you lose your mind!

I groaned, guessing my brain had a point. There I was, checking Boris Kuznetsov out, of all people it could have been. With a sigh I reached for my money, at the same time gripping after my jacket but the Russian beat me to it. In the blink of an eye he had diverted my attention from making my egress by simply lighting a cigarette and blowing a big puff of cancer in my face.

I coughed as the smoke snuck down into my lungs, shielding my mouth poorly with my hand. Boris gave me a sideward glance, somewhat gleeful amusement glinting behind his eyes.

''Hey! HEY! Kuznetsov, can't you read?!'' Takao growled, pointing angrily at two signs hanging over the bar. ''It says no fighting and no smoking!''

Boris barked in irritation, baring his teeth as he glared at the bartender.

''If you can't smoke in a fucking bar where can you smoke?! What's next? I can't drink here either?!''

Takao just curled his mouth in a sneer, all of his little patience already gone.

''You know, maybe you can't!''

''Fine!''

With a loud Russian curse he slammed his fist into the bardisk, before grapping his jacket and like a shadow he swept past me. Loud and angry steps drowned in the music, followed by the wake of aggression. I didn't really know why I did what I was going to do next, I guess the tipsiness didn't really help much. But I, for some reason, slid off my chair and ran after him.

''Rey! Where you going?!'' I heard Takao shout, and I glanced back at him as I hurried my steps.

''Put it on my tab!''

''What?! All of it?!''

''All of it!''

Now that was going to cost me, I realized with slight dread. I had just earned myself another month of surviving on low price noodles and showering in cold water. But I hadn't time to worry about that, as I saw something grey disappear out the doors. I was almost half running now, pushing my way past drunk girls and groping men, climbing out of the crowd and out through the door.

A cold breeze hit me harshly, and I gulped in the fresh night air. It was much quieter outside, back in an alley the sound of driving cars was distant. Wrapped in a veil it sounded so far away, even if it was just around the corner. I could have just stood there the rest of the night, enjoying the privacy that oddly enough didn't seem to exist anywhere else.

But the fresh air broke apart as a familiar, thin cloud of smoke made its way through. The sharp smell of tobacco scratched at my nostrils, and when I turned around I found Boris hadn't really left completely. Instead he stood there, hands in his pockets, staring up at the sky with his cigarette tightly squeezed between taut lips.

''Doing some stargazing over there?'' I said, not really expecting an answer.

Boris snorted.

''There aren't any stars here''

I gave him a shrug, knowing he was right. With all the bright lights that never seemed to turn off, the sky above never reached that rich, full color of black. One could barely even see the moon at night, and the only way to see stars was to buy a celebrity magazine. It was a saddening thought, but none the less a truthful one.

''Oh, crap'' I suddenly blurted out, earning a suspicious glare cast my way. ''I forgot my jacket!''

He gave me a look as if questioning me why he should care, but I ignored it and stormed back into the bar again. I admit I was slightly panicked, it being my only jacket and I could surely not afford a new one for a long while. Besides I liked it, we had been through a lot together and I would not catch a cold just because I was stupid enough to leave it in a bar.

I squeezed my way through the crowd once more, getting stepped on and elbowed quite a few times before I reached the bar. To my horror my jacket was nowhere in sight and the slight panic rose inside me to full length. Repeating the mantra 'oh shit' over and over again, I looked under and around every seat there was. But I couldn't find anything but peanuts and dirt, biting my lip as I was nearly in despair.

''Looking for something?''

I looked up and found Max curiously staring down at me from behind the bar, a little like a child watching his parent run around like a lunatic.

''Max, have you seen my jacket?''

A slight pitch of desperation had snuck into my voice, but I couldn't bother caring about that. My jacket had not only my wallet, but my housekeys, ID, cell phone and my driver's license. If I lost that jacket I wouldn't only go cold for the rest of the year, I'd also go hungry and homeless.

But Max turned out to be the savior of my day as he dove out of sight. When he emerged again he was holding just what I had been looking for.

''Here it is! Saved it for you!''

''Oh thank you, thank you! Max, you just saved my night!''

A small blush spread across the blondes face and I gave him a thankful smile. Relieved I took the jacket and, just to be safe, put it on so I wouldn't misplace it anywhere else.

''Take care now, Rei!''

''You too, goodnight!''

With a wave I turned around, once again beginning my journey towards the exit. Just like if a stone had left my chest, my breathing came easy and I couldn't thank my luck enough. It was a stupid little mistake I had made by leaving the jacket, one I never usually was stupid enough to make. But I guess my mind had been a bit distracted through the night, and it all ended well so there was no reason thinking about it.

Accidentally elbowing a few people, I threw excuses like flowers as I went. Soon I saw the black door like a miracle in the night, half running towards it to finally make my escape. Free of the thumping music, free of the sweaty people and the smell of alcohol, the streets had never looked any better. I took in a large gulp of air, which was when I realized that something was wrong.

First of all there was no cigarette smell in the air, so the choking feeling I got had to be something else. Something cold and metallic in my gut that kept sinking, sinking so low that I could feel it in my toes. Call it instinct, call it paranoia, call it whatever you want but when I turned to see Boris, I was not surprised, if yet shocked, at what was going on.

Two men, not too friendly looking standing in some sort of threatening attack-position, the glares fired between the three like bullets. The thought that they were just friends was a fairly idiotic one since for one; Boris didn't do well with friends and secondly; they were carrying knives. My 'oh shit' mantra suddenly stood on repeat again.

They hadn't seen me yet, which I gladly used to my advantage. Even though Boris was one mean murder machine, no one with at least a shred of moral would let him face armed strangers alone. The Tiger in me growled, as I took advantage of my extra keen senses and as silently as a house cat snuck closer. Before they even had the chance to notice me I had leapt out of the air, kicking one of the guys off his feet.

I landed not too shabbily, glaring at the second man with what unmistakably had to be slit pupils. Obviously he wasn't used to those things, as his face scrunched up in some macabre shock. Boris glared at me, poorly hiding his surprise as I guess he didn't expect me to come flying down from the sky like that. He looked like he bristled for something to say, so with one heavy punch aimed at the chin, he knocked the other guy down in the blink of an eye. I didn't have much time to muse over this though before he grabbed my collar, dragging me forward.

''What the fuck are you doing?!'' he roared, which left me in some sort of shock.

I know Boris isn't the happiest person in the world, but I would have expected something friendlier. I had just saved him from getting his gut cut up, was gratitude that hard to show? Instead he looked like he wanted to kill me, eyes burning in hateful anger. He shook me a few harsh times, making sure to scramble my brains completely.

''Take it easy! I helped you out, damn it!''

''No, you didn't! Kon, you fucking moron!''

He stopped shaking me, thank the Gods, and instead leaned in till I could smell his beer-stained breath on my face. For a second I saw that spark in his eyes which he had held on our first encounter, the one that had sent me right to the hospital. That wrenching sensation in my stomach returned full force, twirling and twisting as Boris' face only got redder.

''You just signed your own death warrant''

Somehow the way he said it, more than what he actually said, scared me. He didn't scream, yell or roar or anything like it. Instead he had just hissed, a low, threatening growl from the back of his throat, as if I was the only one allowed to hear this. Some sort of macabre secret between him and me, and I swear, I would have trembled if I hadn't been too proud.

''What are you talking about, Kuznetsov?'' I finally managed to snarl.

But instead of giving me an answer, like most civilized people would do, he yanked me harder by the collar, dragging me down the street. It wasn't easy keeping up with his broad, hurried steps and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were running from something. Which made even less sence since I couldn't for the life of it, imagine Boris running from anything. By the end of the third street I was getting really freaked out.

''Where are we going?''

''Shut up''

''Don't be such an assh – ''

''I mean it! Shut the fuck up!''

Covering behind a dumpster at one in the morning, a death grip around my shirt and the stubborn sense of being in trouble was not my perfect idea of a date. Not that my company fit the description too well either, but this was really pushing it. I wanted an explanation, and a damn good one as well. Somehow I got the feeling I wouldn't get one at all.

The sudden breeze of a bullet gracing my cheek added to this suspicion. I heard a small flashing noise before the wall next to me cracked, spitting out speckles of debris and dust. I didn't have much time to panic before Boris pushed me forward, my stumbling feet refusing to run as fast as my instincts felt they had to.

''What the hell was – ?!''

''Just run, damn it!''

My heart thumping loudly in my chest, like the beat in the bar with the volume on max. My pulse rushing with no time to spare and the world swooshing by me, I couldn't focus on anything but running. Running as fast as I could, another bullet nibbling at my trails. Boris fastened his steps, for some reason dragging me along with him, forward on the road to certain damnation.

My lungs burned and ached with exhaustion after a few more streets, but even though the world was spinning around me and my muscles screaming in pain I couldn't stop. I knew it'd be the end of me if I did and I wasn't exactly in the mood for dying. But the luck I'd had during the night had to run out sometime. I just wish it wouldn't have been right then.

Another bullet came at us, relentless and unstoppable as it headed for my leg. I didn't know why anyone would want to open fire at us, I couldn't even remember ever angering a person with that sort of psychotic mind. I had met a lot of creeps in my days, but none of them I thought would go this far. My suspicion only rose as Boris didn't seem as surprised as pissed off. I guess it angered him to no end that he had to flee like a coward.

''Why are they shooting at us?!''

''Just run!''

I tried to. I really tried. But my karma must have been running on empty, because even though I used up all the strength I didn't have in that last spurt into safety, my cards had all been dealt. A sharp pain was all I had as a warning before I fell. Burning and gnawing, churning like a little parasite in my leg as everything turned upside down. I would have screamed if everything hadn't turned black.