Unable to express his confusion Kai stayed staring down at the redhead. Maybe he could glare so hard the boy would faint and be taken with the rest of the children. No such luck, all he accomplished was turning the boy's skin snow white.

"I-I..." He tried but trailed off, there was nothing he could say. Kai wanted him to lose and he failed him. Wiping a speck of blood from the corner of his mouth, where a well-aimed punch had caused his lip to split on a tooth, he avoided eye contact. Hoping Kai would leave. He didn't.

"I never expected you'd win." He admitted, the sounds of the last few scraps masking his voice. "I suppose congratulations should be in order. It is a miracle you're not crying. You have no fighting history and are as strong as a wet paper bag. Yet, you have good instincts, that I'll admit. Practically playing possum to throw your punch. I would congratulate you. But I'm not. It was pitiful, you'll do better next time."

Leaning down he grabbed the oversized clothes, yanking him to his feet. Staring at his mouth with narrowed eyes he wiped off the speck of blood, ignoring the pained hiss.

"Stop whining. Would you prefer I hand you over to the guards? I assure you, they won't be so gentle." The redhead gulped, that was gentle? He didn't want to find out what the guards were like. He'd take his chances with the bluenette. Standing he stared the boy in the eye, having to tilt his head up.

"I'm not whining. I won and I'll prove myself next time. You wanted me to fail and I didn't. I'll continue to prove you wrong." A sly smile crossed his tattooed face.

"Perfect, then you won't be clinging to me twenty-four seven."

"Nope" folding his arms over his chest he couldn't help feeling conned, had Kai done that on purpose?

"Silence!" The booming voice of Boris shook the room, all its inhabitants shutting up and standing in line. "You've had more than enough time and my guards have been watching you like hawks. All those that failed stand by the scientists. You are to go with them."

Bruised and battered children inched away from their partners, creeping slowly across the room, rubbing at their arms to sooth bruised bodies and egos. The guards glared at hesitant children, the men in coats grabbing onto the children that stood before them.

"Good, those who survive will be allowed to re-join their cellmates. Those who die, well, it just proves you were never meant to survive. You're far too weak." The guards pointed their guns at the children as they were being marched out. Tala inched closer to Kai. That could have been him. It very nearly was.

"Don't disappoint me." Kai muttered. "You were redeeming yourself." Nodding he stared up at Boris, the man was so imposing it made him shrink where he stood.

"You are all dismissed. Breakfast shall be served. You have half an hour to eat."

As the few guards that remained lead the children out Kai grabbed onto Tala's arm and yanked him to walk ahead of him. The boy winced at the rough handling but stayed quiet. He didn't want to irritate the bluenette anymore. The boy was dangerous, that much he was certain.

They walked from the large room Kai glaring at the back of Tala's head.

"You, redhead" one of the guards called making all the children freeze. Four people in the row were ginger and all preyed it wasn't them, and as the guard passed them they breathed a sigh of relief. Tala's arm was snagged by the guard who lifted him from the ground with ease and carried him back to the training room.

His cerulean eyes widened as he stared back at Kai, silently begging the boy to come save him. The row of children's eyes followed him but Kai turned back forwards, not caring to look at him.

"Kai" he whined softly, begging him to at least look over.

"Quiet boy, Boris wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Quiet!" Trembling at the sudden ringing in his ears from the harsh shout. He nodded softly, wanting to go home and curl up with his mother.

The guard carried him into the virtually empty room dropping him before the only other living entity there was. The tall intimidating figure of Boris.

"You boy, I have checked every file you have no record. No birth certificate. You don't exist. Now, let me ask you one very simply question." Leaning down to stare the boy square in the face he narrowed his eyes. "Do you come from this time?"

0000

Kai dropped down on his pitiful excuse of a bed, the rocky lumps he suspected were rocks digging into the backs of his legs. Leaning back on his hands he stared towards the spot Tala had curled up on the night before. He didn't understand a lot, during their sparse breakfast he'd tried to decide on his thoughts for the redhead. He couldn't sort them, his mind telling him to ditch him but his heart clutching onto him to try and save the innocence he still possessed.

It was strange, having conflicting emotions. He had been trained to block them out, use other's weakness as his strength. Use their fear. Now, he was protecting the weakest of the pick. The boy who had won by a fluke. Laying back he waited for the boy's return. Maybe Boris would kill him.

He could only hope.

0000

Tala's eyes were wide, his heart hammering against his rib cage.

"W-What?" He stuttered.

"Do you come from this time?" He repeated, switching his language to English.

"H-How did y-you know I speak English?"

"One of my guards overheard you and the blue haired bastard talking. Nothing gets past me boy." His face was pressed up against Tala's. The redhead beginning to sweat from nerves.

"Oh" his voice had shrunk, coming out as a pathetic whimper.

"I'll ask you one more time. Do you come from this time? Answer or you're joining those other weak children."

"Bu-but I won."

"And because of that I've lost one of my best fighters. Now answer!"

"N-No, I-I don't. I don't." He answered, shrinking in on himself. A grim smile spread across Boris' face, his eyes shrinking into dots as he stared dead into the boy's eyes.

"Good. That means it works. I must say I'm impressed with my own genius. Back to your cell." An almost pleasant tone seeped into his voice and if anything it made Boris seem all the more imposing.

Scrambling to his feet he ran from the room. Lights still lined the hall, making it far easier to follow the track back to his cell. What had worked? What was Boris talking about? He didn't know, and he didn't want to find out. All the redhead wanted was to be with his cellmate and be protected from this world. Would Kai do that? He didn't want to think about it.

0000

Taking a few wrong turns he eventually reached a hall that looked somewhat familiar. Glancing inside the cells his heart skipped a beat at the glares he received. A few of the cells only held one child. And those children's glare bored into his head the worst.

Walking, his body shrinking with each step, towards the cell he hoped was his he stared in, his cerulean eyes landing on the bluenette. For the first time since they met Kai wasn't examining everything, his mind seemed to be at ease. He was laid on his back, arms spread, staring at the ceiling.

Pressing his body against the bars Tala tried to force himself through, holding in as many noises as he could. It was a tight squeeze and his skin was being pinched by the rough splintered metal of the bars.

"What're you doing?" A calm monotonous voice asked making Tala start. The bluenette's eyes were closed but Tala knew he was staring at him.

"I-I'm a little stuck" he admitted, pushing himself as hard as he could, but his stomach was aching badly from the strain against it. Pushing himself up Kai strode over, grabbing the redhead's arm and pulling sharply. Making him jolt from his trapped position and land in a painful heap on the floor.

"Don't do that again. At least not till you've lost a few stone. The children here don't need more reason to beat the hell out of you." Taking his arm Kai stared straight into Tala's face, throwing him onto the bed. "Now, out with it. What did Boris want? What did you do?" Pushing himself up he shrank back on the bed, lowering himself under the intense gaze.

"Uh, he um, I don't know."

"You're a terrible liar." Kai stated, towering over the boy, his arms folded over his chest. "Spit it out. Every detail. Nothing out." Nodding Tala thought back to what Boris had said. Not wanting to repeat it as it sent shivers down his spine.

"He uh, said I wasn't from this time. He knew." He answered, staring up with wide eyes.

"He did? You're not lying? Swear on your mother you're not lying."

"I-I'm not. I swear. I do." He answered, holding his hands up to shied himself. Nodding he stepped back, pacing the room.

"I wonder how he knew. I don't necessarily believe you. You may be an insane brat. But, I'm giving you a benefit of the doubt. Find out how he knew. I'll figure everything else out."

"How?"

"How the hell should I know? I'm not the brat who uses witchcraft to jump back in time. Ask him. Just find out. Or I swear to God above you'll be meeting him prematurely." He gulped. Kai knew how to make a convincing threat and he wasn't going to question him again.

"Ok" pulling his knees to his chest he wrapped his arms around them, trying to comfort himself.

"The inspector's coming today. We were told during breakfast. Smarten yourself up. We need to keep up appearances. The inspector will cut funding if they aren't satisfied. We'll be starved if that happens again. Last time we lost a couple to a fiery end. Both by children and guards. Cannibalism. And I partook."

A gasp shot out of Tala's mouth, cannibalism? He'd heard of that.

"Don't look so scared. I'm not gonna eat you." Kai sat beside him, his hand settling on his knee. "I'm the bad kid" he started, not sure why he was even saying this. "Everyone thinks I'm a bad kid. I don't wanna be. I wanna care for my friends. But no one trusts me."

"I don't think you're bad. You're my friend. Right?" Tala inched closer to him, placing his hand on Kai's shoulder.

"Why would you consider me your friend? We've barely known each other a day."

"I don't care, I wanna be friends with you."

"Just cos I can protect you." The bluenette grumbled, rubbing at his tattooed face as the recent pin pricks were irritating him once more. "I only had these done a week ago. Hurt like hell. But I'm glad. It's a marking depicting my place. Scum. But only to the outside, people here fear me."

"Kai, I don't know you. And I don't say I'm not scared of you. But please help me get back home." The question threw him off guard.

"What're you talkin' about? I don't even know if you are from the future."

"But you're older than me. And you're smarter than me too." Tala answered, pulling his knees to his chest.

"You expect too much kid. Definitely a naïve lad. But, I suppose it's understandable. Where you're from there probably ain't no place like this."

"Not really" he agreed, pushing himself to his feet. "Kai, what do we do for the rest of the day?"

"Not sure, but this place will eat you alive if you're here too long." Licking at his lips Tala gazed out at the other children. Their thin faces were sunken. Pale eyes sunken, and glassy. Bony fingers gripped the pale bars, rattling them with little care. It was like the boys were robotic, following their daily routine. Were all the children like this? Or was it just these ones? Kai seemed to be the only one with life in his eyes.

Tala rubbed at his own, wincing as he caught a tender cheek. He'd forgotten about his injury, so much happening that it had filed itself away in the corner of his mind.

"If you're willing to be punished I do have an idea." Kai's voice cut in the silence, a startled gasp pulling from Tala's lips.

"Alright."

"The research lab isn't too far from our door. We'll sneak out on our way to afternoon training. Maybe we can figure something out there."

"That sounds ok." The redhead agreed, Kai stood, hovering over him.

"You'll need your rest. It's not far to walk but we'll be using a lot of 'shadow moves' you'll need all your strength." Nodding the redhead curled up on the lump riddled mattress, and despite the early hour and the uncomfortable bedding he was soon pulled into sleep's warm embrace. Kai standing over him, his own protector.

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