… Unbroken …

II

Sleep

Tires traced two sets of parallel lines against the perfect white blanket, breaking it into patches as the snow beneath the tires became marred and gray.

Under the darkening gray afternoon sky, the sleek black limousine of the Hiwatari manor rolled to a slow stop at the mansions head.

It was at the end of the snow-white blanket that the Hiwatari mansion lay in its stone gray dreary. Hauntingly it loomed, beneath the threatening sky, but peaceful it sat with its coverlet of white adorning its once black shingles. In its prime, the manor had been a beauty within itself, the stones wrapping about it, smooth and pristine, the brick white and unmarred. But time and weather had taken its toll, as had its neglectful attendants and it now seemed desolate and devoid of care.

It was something he'd have to look into, if he ever found the time, and if by that time he hadn't decided to sell it. It didn't seem to be a home, not to him any way. To him it was a place of nightmares, and long forgotten horrors, and memories he did not wish to resurface.

"We have arrived sir."

The Russian words broke through his silent thoughts as he eyed the hideous gray walling, as it looked to be peeling like old wallpaper, calling to him, reeling him into its clutches.

He shook his head, his elbow propped comfortably against the car doors window frame. At his temple his fingers sat, his thumb hooked just bellow his chin in contemplation.

A seat before him, the tinted glass now drawn down, the driver waited patiently for any instructions, cautiously keeping his eyes to the rearview mirror.

Kai silently sighed with a push from his fingers against his temple, bringing his eyes to the driver within the mirrors reflection. He kept his gaze blank, and with a few words of instruction, he turned his attention to the slumbering figure against him.

Blankly, he watched the soft rise and fall of his chest, noticing the stay strands that obscured his eyes.

The drive from the Russian airport had been a little over an hour and a half in length, the first half of which he'd designated to numerous calls of importance. It was shortly into the second half of the hour that the sudden, yet small pressure against his shoulder startled him from his speech. He'd turned in surprise to find the raven-haired youth already deeply asleep against him.

It was upon this that he'd directed any further calls requiring his attention to his voicemail, not wishing to disturb his slumbering companion.

He then remembered during the nights of the tournament, and the nights following, that the raven-haired neko-jin had hardly slept. During the hours of darkness, he lie awake for hours, in their shared bedroom, in the pretense of sleep whenever he entered. On several of these nights, he'd wake to find Rei slipping silently from the room, barely making a sound as the door clicked to a close behind him.

Kai had followed him on one or two of these excursions, twice finding him within the living room, simply staring blankly into the space before him out the window. It was more frequent of him, however, to slip into his coat and shoes and slip from the hotel room itself; wandering the dark city streets early into the morning for hours before returning just as silently to slide beneath the covers before anyone woke.

During the day, he talked little, and listened even less, his thoughts elsewhere. The days showed a growing unease in him and a wariness that followed. Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes and his eyes had lost their luster.

Quickly it began to gnaw at him with a questioning worry. But the worry that bubbled he kept silent, as Rei's behavior continued in its unusual actions and he simply watched from afar.

Watching him now as he pushed a stray lock obscuring Rei's eyes, he realized this was probably one of the longest times he'd slept in weeks; and he did not wish to disturb him. Yet he would somehow have to get him from the car without waking him, as leaving him in the car in the middle of winter was unheard of and he would soon grow cold with discomfort.

Quietly opening his car side door, he slid over the sleeping figure and unfastened the safety restraint at his waist before gently gathering his slender form into his arms.

Within the stone cold manor, with its gray peelings that resembled nightmare-ish creatures, he paced to flights of stairs, and turned two corners before depositing the figure, that by all means seemed to be growing in weight the longer he held him, into the freshly arranged guestroom with his belongings; and onto the newly made bed.

Gently, he arranged his limbs upon the bed, removing the shoes upon his feet and setting them to the floor, and moved to lift the thick blankets that had been pushed to the end of the bed atop him.

He froze at the touch of the sudden hand clasping tightly about his wrist, wrinkling his shirtsleeve.

A soft, distraught sound escaped the figure upon the bed, holding tightly to him as words came mumbled from him in whispers so soft, Kai wasn't sure he had heard them.

Rei woke well into the early evening of the day, groggily, as he stirred about the comfortable warmth enveloping him.

Shifting languidly, he opened his eyes lazily to the sight before him.

Close at hand, Kai sat beside him in a brought up wooden chair close to the bed's edge. Silver glasses adorning his nose, and a thick hard bound book sitting squarely atop his lap, with an arm propped upon the bed beside him.

Crimson eyes never once left the typed confines of the book before him, "You're awake."

Rei blinked, Kai's eyes finally, yet slowly rising to his own as his fingers deftly turned down the page corner, closing its cover.

"Ah… Where…."

"One of the guest quarters on the second floor. I brought you up here shortly after our arrival."

Rei blinked in confusion, "But…"

"You fell asleep in the car." Kai cut quickly to the chase, knowing the question would come next as he knew Rei all to well. Raising the hand upon his book, he took the glasses from the bridge of his nose and set them atop the now closed book.

"Ah." Rei's brow creased in question as he paused, "Do you usually make it a habit to stay with your guests while they sleep?"

Kai let his eyes reluctantly leave his golden orbs, looking to the arm still within Rei's hold before lazily returning them. "No, only ones who have a… certain hold over me."

Rei stared in utter confusion, following his gaze down. He all but blanched as a furious blush crept across his cheeks as his eyes widened, releasing his arm.

A small smile ghosted his lips, "Thank you," he paused looking to the wall clock with a grimace. "I have a few business calls I have to attend to before I can give you a tour. Dinner starts at seven, I or one of the keepers here will come for you in about a hours time. I'll be joining you then." He took a quick look about the room with a look almost of distain, "You should find everything you need within the room. I'll be two rooms down in the left hall if you need me."

With the brief overview done, Kai stood, and turned to leave, pausing once more at the door as if he had something further he wanted to say, or ask, but he simply pushed away from the door and left quietly.

Rei watched him leave as the blush began to slowly fade from his cheeks, despite his prolonged embarrassment. And finding himself suddenly overly warm, he pushed back the set of thick blankets about him to his feet, running a hand through his sleep tousled bangs.

He sighed, giving a small undignified grunt at his behavior and buried his head in the palm of his upturned hand, before exhaling and taking a chance to look up and about the room.

The room itself, the architecture, felt old with simple decorations adorning the tables and walls. Even though, he was sure it had been wallpaper upon the walls at one time, now a fine white paint lay smooth over its old wood. Someone most likely hadn't liked it in the past few years, and had decided to change it. But despite that the room seemed to have never been used and it somehow felt forgotten.

He closed his eyes, just as he felt, he thought.

Lines creased his brow at the slow build up of pressure within his head and its steady pound with the internal struggle within himself. He had to forget; he had to leave it behind, to close it off. Because, even then, he had known that it meant nothing, no matter how it felt… Because it had been done without love.

The sheets wrinkled beneath the palm of his hand, his fist shaking slightly. He fought back the chock trying to surface, and the tears he knew he could no longer shed, slowly releasing the sheets at his hand.

Because it hadn't meant anything.

He pushed away his tormenting thoughts, pushing himself from the bed.

He'd have to hurry.

But suddenly he couldn't remember what he was running from.

From them?

Or him?

He could feel their anger, and their sense of loss, but he could feel nothing more from them, as if they had almost moved on, and forgotten; knowing they would no longer speak of him.

It was during the Russian tournament that he had turned his back upon them. No one had dared do such a thing. Choosing to follow his own path, his own dreams, not some arranged plan that had been made for him. But right now, his dreams were black and he couldn't see them for all the darkness clouding him.

With him though… It hurt just to be near him, and he could already barely bring his eyes to meet his. It hurt the longer he stayed. The longer he stayed, the more he felt broken.

With no place to return to.

He ran his eyes over the polished wooden floorboards and along the cracks between their planks to the wall opposite him and found his duffle bag neatly placed against it.

Now would be the opportune time. With Kai busy and no one to check upon him for at least another hour, a half an hour at the least, he'd easily be able to slip from the house and into the city unnoticed. With the time before someone came to get him for dinner, his tracks would already be cold, having vanished in the continuous fall of snow and amongst the busy city life.

All he had to do was slip past Kai.

And as it was, slipping past Kai's room was simple enough; his door only slightly ajar, the light from within spilling into the hallway. And at the risk of being spotted, he didn't chance a look in, but rather quickly and silently passed by, and continued down the flight of marble stair casing spilling into the foyer – and incidentally, leading to the front door, unnoticed.