Demi: i'm sorry for the way-too-late update... shit happened -shrugs- on with it...

Dedication: It may seem strange to have a dedication here, but it has to be done. A good friend of mine passed away recently and he was a fanatic over BryRay... so, in future, all BryRays i do will be dedicated to him...

To Caberwolf - the Prince of BryRay

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"Oh! My! GAWD!" A female voice screeched. "Look at her! She's sooooo sweet!"

Bryony continued to run as fast as her little legs could go, whimpering in fear of the large, pink-haired neko-jin behind her, other girls laughing. She staggered and fell, her knee burning from the friction with the metal floor, making her cry out. Tears dripped from her eyes, but she stood and kept running-

"Gotcha!"

She screamed as arms encircled her waist. A cheek rubbed against hers and a foreign smell invaded her nose.

"Lemme go!" She cried.

"No, you're too sweet to be wandering around!" Mariah squealed.

The little Russian continued to struggle as Mariah walked back over to the other girls-

"Let go of her!" A voice bellowed.

Mariah whirled around. "What?"

"Big brother!" Bryony grit her teeth before biting Mariah harshly on the arm that held her steadfast. The neko-jin let her go with a shriek and Bryony fell to the floor nimbly, sprinting off over to Bryan, who scooped her up. "B-Big brother…"

She buried her face in the elder's neck, crying from her hurting knee and fear.

Bryan sent an icy death-glare straight at the girly Chinese blader. "Touch one hair on her head again, and you're regret ever being rescued from that whore of a clone."

He turned his back on the girls and walked back down the corridor.

Mariah looked at Julia. "Are you sure she's not his daughter?"

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Tala leant carefully against the cool metal wall of the shower, the hot water flowing over his lean frame. His skin and slowly-healing wounds protested for a while, but he just closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

After a while, he sniffed, pushing off the wall. Quickly, he washed his hair and skin, filling the room with a minty fragrance.

Just as he had wrapped a dull towel around his waist, a knock sounded at the bathroom door, the sound vibrating and bouncing off the metal walls.

"It's me."

"Come in, Kai." Tala replied, rubbing his hair.

The metallic door clicked open.

"What? No lock?" Kai smirked.

"Can it, Kai." Tala snapped.

The Phoenix frowned. "Something wrong?"

Tala just 'humphed', looking away, a scowl present on delicate features.

"Tala, you can tell me. You know-"

"No I can't!" Tala burst out, pushing past him and moving into the bedroom. He grabbed boxers and shoved them on, whipping the towel off after he had done so. As he yanked some jeans on, he continued, "I can't tell you, Kai! I can't tell anyone! You won't understand - I don't even understand myself!"

"Is this something this girl told you?" Kai asked, frowning harshly and standing in the bathroom doorway. "She's just messing with your head!"

"No she's not!" The Wolf yelled back, fists curled at his sides. "I can tell! So many things point towards the truth!"

"What truth?" Kai was confused, eyes narrowing and stepping closer to the hysterical canine. "Tala, what on Earth are you going on about?"

Tala snarled, shaking his head and turning his back on Kai. "I can't tell you!"

"Why not!"

"Because…" Tala shivered, closing his eyes and biting the inside of his lip.

"Tala, please. We may not be the best of friends - heck, maybe not even good friends, but…" The Phoenix trailed off. "Please Tala…"

"I… can't…"

"Yes you can." Kai brushed his fingers against the other's pale forearms and felt him jerk. "Tala…"

"She's not the clone…"

"What?"

"She's not the clone!" Tala repeated, harshly, but still quietly. He turned around, eyes downcast and ashamed. "I am."

Time seemed to stand still. The Phoenix stared in shock at the Wolf.

"You…" His mouth turned dry as he witnessed a tear fall from crystal orbs as they clenched shut. "T-Tal…"

"Yeah, whatever." Tala cut in, wiping the tears away fiercely and turning back around, going to grab a shirt from his bed. "I'm a freak. I'm a clone of a dead girl. I'm not natural. I'm not even real. I'm-"

"Shut up." Kai snapped, striding up to the Wolf and slapping the shirt out of his hands as he said this. "Just shut up. You are real. I'm touching you now, aren't I?"

"You're not getting the point, Kai!" Tala cried. "I'm a-"

"Don't say it." Kai hissed, cutting Tala off immediately with its iciness. His ruby eyes went - if possible - a cold ruby. "You are not a freak, Tala. Yeah, you might be a clone, but you've lived the life - she hasn't! You're the Tala I know. You're the Tala everyone knows! You are the real Tala."

Watery eyes looked at Kai, almost sympathetically. "See…? I said you wouldn't get it!"

"Maybe you're the person who doesn't get it." Kai stated. His hand curled around Tala's limp index finger, thumb stroking the smooth knuckle. "Tala, does it matter what you are? Does it matter what people think of you? What matters is who you are within - a wolf. And a wolf never gives up, does it?" Tala looked down, making the Phoenix lift his chin to regain eye contact once more. "Does it?"

"No…" Tala murmured.

The redhead stepped forward, leaning against the other Russian's hard chest. He heaved a shaky sigh, closing his eyes as Kai wrapped an arm around his waist, feeling a friendly kiss placed upon his damp scalp…

Hands still linked…

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Demi: Thought i needed to get some KaiTal in here -smiles-

Please review - i need all the inspiration to get moving again