I apologise for the late update. I got stuck with writer's block for a while.

4

Truth

The next morning all was quiet. Kai was the first out of bed, plodding to the bathroom. Once he'd brushed his teeth and washed his face, Kai ventured to Ray's room. The first thing he saw was Brooklyn snoozing behind Ray, an arm around his waist. Mariah appeared at the door just as Kai tugged on Ray's fingers to wake him up. She too was surprised to see Brooklyn sharing Ray's bed. "Ray what's going on?" The questioned man came around from his slumber slowly, eyes resting on a worried Kai. Upon stretching he found the cause of Kai's worry, rolling over slightly to see Brooklyn sleeping without a care. "Ray?" "I've told him numerous times not to do this. Mariah, I swear to you this is not what it looks like." "Then what is it Ray?" "Look, Brooklyn's obviously worried about me after what happened yesterday. Last time I was in this state was when my uncle Stan passed away. Brooklyn stayed with me after the funeral. I'd had a hard time explaining to Mr. Dickenson why he'd found us in the same bed. He just wants to comfort me." Mariah wasn't buying Ray's excuse, her eyes portraying evil thoughts of getting Ray to cough up the truth. She left with orders that Ray get to the kitchen as soon as possible, taking Kai to get his breakfast. Once they were gone, Ray snuck his hand under the sheets and grabbed Brooklyn fiercely by his manly bits, waking him right up. "You've gotten me into trouble again. With Mariah this time." "Wha? She was here?" "Did you forget that Mariah lives here now? And she's not falling for my lies. I…I might have to tell her the truth."

Brooklyn worried. He had no idea how Mariah would react if she knew Ray was gay. By the time they were ready, Kai was sitting in the living room. Mariah banished Brooklyn from the kitchen so she could confront Ray about the real reason she'd found them in the same bed. "Mariah, for crying out loud I'm telling you the truth." Mariah did not respond as she got some medical supplies ready. It was only then that Ray noticed just how banged up his fists were and he knew what Mariah was going to do to get the truth out of him. He hissed when Mariah dabbed at his knuckles with a cotton ball soaked in a medical liquid. "Do you really think I'm going to fall for that Ray? Or have you forgotten your little tell?" A giveaway that he was lying? Ray couldn't think of one for a moment before he remembered what Mariah was talking about. Only the people in the village knew of the way Ray's ears would twitch when he told a lie. And Mariah was wise to the twitching of Ray's ears when he opened his mouth to speak, pressing the cotton ball onto the wound making him yowl in pain. "It's only going to get worse if you keep this up Ray. You'll tell the truth if you know what's good for you." Ray bit his bottom lip hard, trying to fight the stinging pain shooting through his knuckles until it became too much to bear. "Alright I'll talk. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone." "And why should I accept your condition?" "Because if people knew, I'd lose my job." There was genuine sadness in Ray's voice that made Mariah really consider what he'd said. "Okay I won't tell anybody. Now what's going on Ray?" "Mariah, I'm gay. And Brooklyn…he's my boyfriend. We've been on and off for years because of my job but he won't let me quit." "I wouldn't have judged you if you'd just come out and said it, Ray." "But Kai wouldn't understand. He's too young."

Now that Ray had divulged his secret, Mariah was gentler when cleaning his wounds. For the sake of Ray's job she promised to act like she didn't know the truth. Brooklyn was allowed into the kitchen once breakfast was ready. The triumphant look on Mariah's face told Brooklyn all he needed to know. "Ray, tell me you didn't…" "Sorry Brooklyn. I had no choice. There's no way I can lie to Mariah." "What? Why not?" Ray opened his mouth to speak but Mariah pipped him to the post. "Because when Ray lies his ears twitch. Foreigners are blind to this little tell of Ray's." Brooklyn thought back to the times he'd seen Ray's ears twitching and most of them were when he'd said I love you to him. "Ray does that mean you…you don't…" "I don't what Brooklyn?" "Thinking back there were times when your ears twitched during our conversations. I'd never thought much of it back then but…every time you said you loved me your ears would start twitching frantically." Mariah watched very carefully to see what Ray had to say in response. "Brooklyn, how could you think that? I've never lied to you." Upon careful inspection, Ray's ears did not move an inch. "Then why…?" "Every time we were together back then, when I'd tell you just how much I loved you, Brooklyn, I meant every word." This time Ray's ears went crazy and Mariah understood why. "I'd almost forgotten about that one." "Mariah?" "Ray wasn't lying, Brooklyn. Ray's ears twitch slowly when he's lying. But when he's saying I love you to somebody close to him his ears will go mad. That means he's crazy in love. I haven't seen them move like that since his mother held him tight the day before she vanished. Now eat up or I'll paint your backsides red." Brooklyn felt better now he knew the truth, not caring about Mariah when he pulled Ray into a fairly passionate kiss. Try as he might, Ray could not resist, settling into Brooklyn's arms.

As the day went on, Ray and Brooklyn grew more comfortable displaying their relationship in front of Mariah. Shelinda noticed the unease between her masters had gone as she walked in the paddock with her foal. Brooklyn received a call around midday saying he was needed. Despite his feelings of nervousness around Brooklyn, Kai hugged him before he left. With his lover gone, Ray took Kai to go give the new ponies a bath. Mariah watched fondly from the door as the pair bonded. A knock at the door drew her attention away. Outside the front entrance she found a man and woman, noticing wedding rings on their fingers. The man was tall and handsome with cream coloured hair and hazy blue eyes. His wife was short and petite with shoulder length light pink hair and rosy pink eyes. Mariah would've said something to the couple if she hadn't felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to find Ray there. "Ray?" "I've got this Mariah. You go and help Kai out back." Mariah felt uncertain but did as she was told, leaving Ray with the couple. "Sorry about that. Mariah's new to the country so people knocking on the front door is strange to her. Please come in and have a seat." "Thank you Mr. Kon. I guess Mr. Mizahura told you we'd be stopping by?" It was the man to speak, his voice strong. "Yes but he didn't say when. Tea?" "Please. Milk two sugars for both of us." Ray was gone a matter of minutes, setting a tray down on the table. He then sat himself opposite the couple. "I…take it you yourself are not from Japan, Mr. Kon?" "What makes you ask?" "Well I haven't seen many Japanese men wearing Chinese clothing. Plus you just don't look it." "You got me. Born and partially raised in China. I came here at the age of ten. You however have quite a tan Mr?" "I'm Miguel and this is my wife Mathilda. We just wanted to have a chat with you about the boys."

Ray tensed a little. He didn't particularly like discussing the children he'd treated but Miguel and Mathilda had just adopted two of them so he felt obligated to help the couple understand the boys. "Well I'm not exactly sure where to start. With Aaron you have to be very patient. He's quite a shy boy. Claude is not as withdrawn but still gets nervous around strangers. They were both verbally abused by their blood parents with mild physicality." "Do they lash out at all?" "I've never seen the boys be violent towards anyone. They're passive from my experience. Are they settled with you?" Mathilda gripped Miguel's hand and Ray noticed the gesture. "We're…a little concerned, Mr. Kon. Not long after we decided to adopt the boys Mathilda found out that she's pregnant. While trying to get Claude ready for bed last night he stumbled into the room we've prepared for the baby." Ray's face fell. "How did he react?" "I've never seen so much malice in a child's eyes before. It's almost as if Claude thinks we adopted him and Aaron to be play mates for the little one. I can assure you this is not the case." "Not long after Claude was referred for treatment at my ranch his mother gave birth to a little girl. She was showered with the love he had been denied. In Claude's eyes that baby replaced him. It's possible he fears the same thing is going to happen with you and Mathilda." "We swore to love him and Aaron as our own and we'll do so." Ray knew the couple wanted advice, trying to find a solution to their problem. "Are the boys with you?" "Yes they're out in the car." "I'd like to speak with them. I'll get this mess cleared up for you I promise." Miguel glanced at Mathilda, seeking her approval and she gave a small nod. The second the boys saw Ray they were glued to his waist. "Mr. Ray!" "Hey boys. Listen, Miguel has told me that Mathilda's having a baby."

Claude's face grew sour immediately making Ray very nervous. He crouched down and gripped their shoulders gently. "You don't have to worry. They're not replacing you. Claude, I know for you an event like this left you scarred deep down. You're frightened about being replaced again and I understand but Miguel and Mathilda aren't like your parents. They've promised, sworn even, to love you like their own son." "But Mr. Ray…" "No buts little man. I know an honest person when I see one. Now I want you boys to do something for me okay? Promise you won't see that baby as a threat, but as family. When that kid grows up it'll call you both brother and look up to you so you gotta set a good example." It was hard for Ray to get the boys to look at him but he succeeded eventually. "Promise?" Claude and Aaron nodded, their eyes holding no lies. Miguel and Mathilda noticed Ray's ears twitching when he hugged the boys close to him. "Um…Mr. Kon…your ears…" "Hm? Oh, sorry about that. I can't control the blasted things." "Why were they?" "When I get really happy or if I'm close to somebody I care about my ears twitch excitedly." "I thought you weren't allowed to get attached to the children?" "Normally I don't. But these little rascals kinda reminded me of what I've been through." Ray was distracted by somebody pulling on his sash, turning to find Kai looking incredibly nervous. "Hey Kai. What's up little buddy?" In response Kai pulled Ray toward the back door eagerly. Arriving outside, Ray found the problem. Zeus had pinned Mariah to the roof of Ray's house. He'd never seen the colt so rattled before, immediately lassoing the angry creature and pulled him away with some struggle. Miguel and Mathilda watched worriedly as Zeus pulled against Ray quite violently. "Ho boy! Calm down! Don't make me get the whip buddy."

Ray's threat seemed to work on Zeus as the colt calmed down at a steady pace. Kai managed to distract Zeus so Mariah could get off the roof. Ray knew by the look in her eyes that he was in for an ear bashing. "Why in the blazes is such an aggressive animal here?! Have you no sense Ray?!" "I thought I'd locked that stall tightly but apparently not. I never let Zeus near the kids. Except for Kai. There's a strange bond between them that I'm trying to figure out." "That's beside the point! He could've killed me Ray. I saw the fire in his eyes. All that creature wants is to hurt people. Whatever happened to that horse is something you can't undo, Ray. Brooklyn told me what happened to Zeus, that he was abused violently after being taken from his mother at a young age. He's beyond saving Ray. It'd be kinder to put him down so he'll be free of his pain." Being told Zeus should be euthanized by somebody he cared about broke Ray's heart, watching as Kai cuddled up with Zeus some distance away. Although Ray had no particular plans for Kai to stay with him permanently, he worried the boy would react badly to losing one of the only friends he had. "Zeus isn't a bad horse, Ms. Mary." Mariah looked down at Claude, determination set on his face. "And why is that young man?" "He just needs somebody who understands his pain. That's why Zeus has never attacked Mr. Ray." "But he could really hurt somebody one day. What if Zeus did turn on Ray? Would you still think he's not a bad horse?" Claude was not budging from his belief for nobody, walking over to Zeus calmly. "Claude what are you doing? Don't go near him." Claude ignored Ray, continuing on his route. Zeus looked up at the determined boy with no amount of malice. He even allowed Claude to pet him. Ray had never seen Zeus so calm before. "Maybe he just doesn't like big people?"

Mariah looked at Mathilda with daggers making the shorter woman cower. Ray suddenly had an idea. What if children were the cure to Zeus's fear? "Y'know Mathilda, you just might be right. Horses are sensitive animals. It's why I use them here on the ranch to help the children. Maybe Zeus just needs some child whispering to help him overcome the trauma he's suffered." Shelinda caught Ray's attention by kicking at the fence of the paddock. "And of course, I can't forget the star of the show. Calm down Shelinda. You'll get your chance. Miguel, Mathilda, this is Shelinda. She's my main therapy horse. Shelinda, these are Claude and Aaron's adoptive parents. Come and say hi old girl." Thowra stuck to his mothers' heels as she plodded over to Miguel, staring into his eyes and soul yet he was not unnerved. Instead Miguel stroked Shelinda's gold cheek tenderly. "There's a good girl. And who might this little one be?" Shelinda blew a loud raspberry when Miguel bent down to get a better look at Thowra. She didn't appear angry, just protective of her first child. "That's Thowra. He was born just yesterday." Miguel respectively backed away and Shelinda put her hoof down. Given how understanding Miguel was of Shelinda's mood Ray figured the tanned male worked with horses. "Just looking at Shelinda I can see she's a strong horse. I promise we'll look after the boys. They're dear to you I know." To Ray's surprise, Shelinda tugged Miguel into a hug and he readily returned it. The boys couldn't stay long so Shelinda allowed them a quick ride. While the boys were busy Ray took Miguel and Mathilda to meet the other horses. Zookie and Ray's other dog were happy to see Claude and Aaron again, giving them both a big sloppy kiss. Ray felt better about letting the boys go this time, knowing they were in safe hands with Miguel and Mathilda.

A couple of days drifted by after Ray met the people who adopted Claude and Aaron. Zeus was making a slow recovery but Mariah still believed the black colt should be put down. It was early afternoon, Ray and Kai were sitting in the living room doing some English lessons. Max had offered to take Mariah around town to see if she could find a more permanent job. Brooklyn was out working. The doorbell chimed so Ray excused himself to go see who it was. He was baffled at seeing a pale skinned man wearing a police uniform. The man had devil horn scarlet red hair and icy blue eyes. Ray immediately noticed the officer was not local to Japan by the badge on his vest. "C-Can I help you officer?" In response the man raised his badge, speaking up with a gruff Russian voice. "I'm Sergeant Vladimir Valkov. You must be Mr. Kon?" "I am. How might I help?" "We have received intelligence from your precinct about a lost child. I would like to discuss this with you privately if possible." "O-Of course. Please come in. Would you like a drink sergeant?" "Tea please, one sugar and a spot of milk." "I'll be right back. Please take a seat the sitting room." Sergeant Valkov didn't need much persuasion when he saw Kai, kneeling in front of the boy eagerly, addressing him in Russian. Ray came back from the kitchen to find Kai in Vladimir's arms. "Is…something wrong sergeant?" "How long has Kai been here?" "No more than just over a month. A friend of mine found him unconscious by the bridge that goes over the river." "You are in great danger, Mr. Kon. Kai's grandfather, Voltaire has been scouring all of Russia looking for him." "And Kai's parents?" "His father, Konstantin Hiwatari was murdered three years ago by an unknown assailant. Mrs. Hiwatari vanished from our radar the night she tried to get away with Kai. I do not feel comfortable discussing the rest in front of Kai."

As luck would have it, Mariah came back with Max. They too were surprised at seeing a cop. "Ray? What's going on?" "Mariah, take Kai into the kitchen and keep him there, please. I'll explain later." Regardless of her feelings of confusion, Mariah did as she was told, Max not far behind. Kai wasn't very willing to leave Ray's side, gripping tightly to his sash until it came loose. Vladimir wasn't deaf to the word batia coming from the scared child. "How long has Kai been calling you batia, Mr. Kon?" "I dunno. About a week at the least. I didn't think to stop him since he always looked so happy. What does batia mean?" "It's the Russian word for dad. I can see you are a good man, Mr. Kon and I don't want to see you get hurt. But Voltaire is not a man for talking. The longer Kai stays here, the greater the danger you and your friends are in. He's no stranger to killing people." "Does Kai have no other family?" "He had an uncle but we lost track of him. Kai's mother had been planning for a while to leave Russia, wanting to come home to Japan. As I'm sure you can see I'm a close friend of Kai's parents. But that is not enough to gain guardianship. Kai is happy here, even sees you as his father." "I've tried not to let him get attached but all my methods keep failing. You say Kai's father died three years ago?" "Yes. Why?" "I've had a hunch for a while that one of my horses is Kai's father reincarnated. It's bonkers to believe such a thing I know but there's no other way to explain Zeus's behaviour around Kai." "May I see this horse, Mr. Kon?" "I must warn you he's quite aggressive with strangers." "But if Zeus is Konstantin reincarnated he should recognise me and will not attack. Let us go. There is much to discuss." Ray didn't argue, taking Vladimir out to the stables. Zeus was hesitant around the man at first but clamed within a minute or so.

Ray stood ready with a lasso just in case Zeus bolted. Vladimir was careful when approaching the black colt, attention primarily on his crimson eyes. Zeus relaxed when Vladimir's pale hand met his cheek. "How old is this horse?" "Three years old. The only odd thing about him, other than his behaviour, is his eyes. Zeus was heavily abused before he came to me as a foal. I've tried to ease his suffering but to no avail." "He's not just suffering from abuse, Mr. Kon. He is grieving. I have no doubt that your theory of Zeus being the reincarnation of Kai's father is correct. Is he close to Kai?" "Quite. He took to him like a cat to a bowl of cream. It seems Zeus is not fond of adults." Vladimir sighed softly, ignoring the nudge of his shoulder. Ray wondered if Voltaire would find out that Kai was no longer in Russia. With the suspicion eased, Ray and Vladimir went back inside. "So what do we do sergeant? Surely Voltaire will turn his eyes this way eventually." "Indeed he will. For now there is not much we can do to ensure your safety. For years now we have tried to put Voltaire behind bars. He has dark plans, Mr. Kon. Very dark plans. World domination is his goal." "But why cause Kai so much pain?" "When Konstantin died, Voltaire started taking partial custody of Kai. Every weekend he'd stay with his grandfather, returning home beaten within an inch of his life. Voltaire has so much influence in Russia that there was nothing we could do. He keeps paying our men to keep silent but I for one refuse to do so. I will do my best to locate Kai's mother and uncle but it is highly likely they are already dead. To my knowledge Kai's mother was shot through the lung. It's not likely she'd survive such a grievous wound. Reports tell of a boat owned by her brother. Voltaire's men chased this boat for quite some distance, eventually sinking it, passengers and all."

Ray could hardly believe his ears but Sergeant Valkov did not appear to be the lying sort. After taking a sip of his tea he continued. "They found no trace of Kai or his uncle among the debris so Voltaire's thugs returned home. I'm amazed that Kai made it here alive. You say he was found by a river?" "Yes. The bank is steep in most places, except near the bridge. It's possible he washed up on shore. Or something pushed him out of the water. It's not uncommon for dolphins to rescue drowning people but I've never heard of them swimming up rivers." "Maybe one didn't. How far is the nearest beach from the river?" "A good hour's walk away. You think Kai would've had the strength to walk that far?" "It's possible. He's a strong boy. Just like his father. What time of day was he found?" "I think late afternoon. The streets aren't too packed on that route with the kids at school." "It's possible Kai ran from anyone who tried to talk to him. How did he react to you?" "Kai was quite frightened and kept his distance mostly. He tried to escape twice so I had to tie him up until things calmed down. We alerted the police the day we found him." Vladimir nodded, taking in everything Ray said, glancing to his watch. "Sadly I must go now. The police here have been very patient with us through these negotiations. You must speak to nobody else but me about this matter, Mr. Kon. I fear you will be harmed otherwise if one of my corrupted comrades comes to the door. I will call you whenever I am going to come here." "I understand. Man this is gonna be hard to explain to the others. I'll do my best to keep Kai safe, Mr. Valkov." Vladimir stood to leave in time for Kai to pounce on him. It warmed Ray deep down to see Kai with somebody he knew and trusted. Vladimir was like a second uncle to the boy. With sergeant Valkov gone, Ray turned to Kai. "Now, where's my sash?"

As promised, Ray explained the situation to Max, Mariah and Brooklyn, leaving them all worried. How soon would Voltaire turn his eyes to the peaceful little ranch? Would Kai be safe from the man? In the later evening Ray was about to go to bed when he heard the soft sound of singing. He figured Mariah was trying to ease Kai into a peaceful sleep. For a moment Ray believed Mariah's singing had worked but that belief shattered when he heard crying. Stepping into Kai's room, Ray found Mariah trying to comfort the crimson eyed orphan while he tried his hardest to push her away. "Mariah? What's going on?" "One minute Kai's drifting to sleep the next he freaks out." "I think you might've caused a memory to surface. Stand back, Mariah. Give him space." Mariah did as she was told with much reluctance, standing by the door. Kai wept into his pillows, not caring to be silent. Ray carefully set a hand on Kai's back only to have the boy latch onto him like a leech. Ray pitied the boy. He knew the pain of losing family, after all. Kai's whimpering eased as Ray rubbed a soothing circle on his spine, stroking his silky hair. "M-Matia…" "Sshh we'll find her. Your mom wouldn't want to see you like this. You've gotta be strong now, Kai. For her. And for your uncle who got you out of Russia." Mariah watched fondly as Kai slowly drifted to sleep against Ray's chest, tears drying. Soon all you could hear was Kai's soft breathing. Ray settled the boy's head down on the puffy pillows and settled the covers on his shoulders. Turning the light down low, Ray retreated from the bed and closed the door a little. He faced Mariah with worry in his eyes. "I noticed you didn't promise, Ray." "It would've been an empty promise, Mariah. I couldn't do that to him. With any luck he'll be better in the morning."

Ray woke to the sound of rain the next morning, and a head on his chest. Looking down, he saw Kai fast asleep. 'When'd he climb in here? Well it's good job I don't sleep nude.' Ray's thoughts went out the window when Brooklyn appeared at the door soaking wet. "Brooklyn did you forget your umbrella again?" "No. I parked closer to the door and still got soaked." Ray rolled his eyes and slid out of bed. Perusing through his wardrobe, he found a shirt and some trousers that would fit Brooklyn shortly followed by some boxers from the bedside drawers. "Here you fool. Get changed before Kai wakes up." Brooklyn didn't respond verbally, taking the opportunity to flirt with Ray while nobody was looking. Sadly this led to Ray sitting at the table with a very noticeable bulge in his trousers, earning him a scolding from Mariah, Brooklyn too. Afterwards they spent the day indoors either watching TV or playing scrabble to test Kai's English. Deep down, Ray had a gut feeling something was going to happen soon and it wasn't good for him or Kai. Ray made sure to give Mariah and Brooklyn sergeant Valkov's number in case of emergencies. That night, they were all blissfully unaware of the danger heading their way.

The next morning heralded no surprises. Mariah took to cleaning the house while Ray taught Kai the finer points of horse riding, deaf to the sound of rotor blades drumming in the distance getting closer. Ray knew something was wrong when the other horses started to kick up a fuss but by the time he noticed why, it was too late. A bullet ripped through his left side, knocking him from Odin's saddle. A masked man disembarked from the chopper, grabbed Kai and returned to the airborne contraption. Mariah had heard a bang, arriving once the chopper was out of sight. Once outside she found Ray close to unconsciousness. "Ray!"

CLIFFHANGER! I know sergeant Valkov isn't Tala but he's related!

Will Ray survive? What will happen to Kai?

Find out in the next chapter