Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

A/N: Holy long update time. Luckily, school is out for winter break so I'm hoping to have this story done before class starts up. This chapter is twice as long as the last chapter so think of it as a Holiday present. Hope you enjoy.

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"Not you."

Kai watched, feeling utterly confused as Bryan turned on him and disappeared down the stairs, moving like a man possessed. For several minutes he stayed where he was, still feeling unsteady on his feet from the invasion of his mind by the lavender haired man. When he saw Falborg plunge towards the balcony he knew belonged to Bryan and his companions he finally managed to move, knowing something had happened.

-----

Slowing down Bryan drew the knife from his belt as he neared the door to their room. Fear and pain were roiling out of the room, most of it coming from someone he had never felt before. He paused outside the door, reaching out for Rei, knowing the neko-jin could feel him. Images of a knife and an unknown intruder flashed across his vision, as seen from Rei's eyes.

Growling he stepped into the room, sharp eyes taking in everything. Tala was bent over Rei who was on the floor, pale hands stained with the neko-jin's blood. Wolborg and Driger had the intruder pinned in the corner of the room, impressive canines bared to keep the man from trying to escape. "What happened?"

"We were on the couch when he came in. I got up and he jumped me. The only thing that saved me was my reflexes. If I wasn't a neko-jin I wouldn't be alive now." Rei caught the worried look in his brother's eyes and he waved his hand. "It's nothing serious Bryan. Just a scratch, nothing a couple of stitches and some aspen tea won't cure."

The lavender haired man frowned, silver eyes flashing once with his power before returning to normal. "I don't care if it's just a scratch. He attacked the family member of an Ambassador and he must be punished." Sliding his knife back into its sheath Bryan stepped forward, moving with feral grace.

The man in the corner turned his gaze from the animals pinning him in place to Bryan, fear evident in every line of his face. His pale skin was shimmering with sweat and he looked like he was on the verge of being nauseous. "My Lord, I didn't mean to hurt him. I was only sent here to scare him."

Bryan pressed his thigh against Wolborg, ignoring the halfhearted snap the great wolf made at his hand. Neither Driger nor Wolborg would ever actually attack him but it didn't mean they would relinquish their prey without letting the lavender haired man know their displeasure.

He made a sharp gesture with his hand and both animals backed up, moving closer to Tala and Rei, though their growls did not cease. Reaching down he easily pulled the small man to his feet, hand tangled in the thick fabric of his tunic. "It was stupid of you to attack people with familiars. If I didn't need to know who sent you I would simply allow Driger and Wolborg to rip you apart. And I can tell what you are thinking. 'Safer to be with the human. He won't rip me apart like the animals will.' You're wrong." He leaned down until he was inches away from the man's face, his lips curled in a predatory grin. "You would have been better off with the animals. When I'm done with you, you're going to wish I'd let them have you."

Ignoring Rei's attempts to grab him as he walked by Bryan practically carried the would-be assassin into the small study attached to their suite. The heavy wooden door slammed shut with an ominous 'thud.'

Rei tried to sit up, smacking away Tala's hands as the redhead tried to keep him down. "We can't let him do it Tala. It's an abuse of his powers and every time he does that it's like he looses a little of himself."

Tala drew the neko-jin into his arms, mindful of the smaller man's injuries. "I know Rei, but we can't risk going in there. When he gets like this he has no control over his powers and the last thing he needs is for one of us to rush in there and possibly get hurt. We're just going to have to trust him."

The neko-jin buried his face in the redhead's shirt, nails biting into the palm of his hands. "Any other time I'd trust him, but when he uses his powers like this, Bryan ceases to exist. He becomes a thing that thrives on pain and anguish. One of these days he is going to go too far and he won't be Bryan anymore."

Kai burst into the room, eyes widening at the sight that greeted him. Tala and Rei were on the floor and he could see blood staining the neko-jin's clothing and Tala's hands. Driger and Wolborg were standing guard between the two men and a large closed door where he could just barely make out the sound of a low cold voice. "What happened?"

Rei tried to get up, only to be pulled back down by Tala. "Let me go Tala. I was attacked and Bryan took the attacker in there." He gave up trying to get out of the bigger man's arms and turned to face him, one hand coming up to stroke over his lover's pale cheek. "Kai can go in there and ground him. People of Skethy descent are immune to mind magic. Maybe with him in the-"

"No need to send anyone in. I'm done." Bryan slipped out of the room, leaving the heavy door partially open. "Tala, go find Robert and the Palace Guard. I'll brew some aspen tea and take a look at Rei." Not waiting for the redhead to answer he simply picked Rei up and set him on the couch and carefully started working at pulling the sticky fabric away from the wound. "Kai, there's a small chest at the foot of my bed. Get it for me and then set a pot of water on the fire."

Shooting an annoyed look at the lavender haired man's back for treating him like a common slave Kai none the less followed Bryan's instructions. He knew aspen was used to ease pain and it did look like the neko-jin was in considerable pain. Claiming the chair with the best view of the couch and the door the slate haired man sat down and watched as Bryan took care of Rei, large hands surprisingly gentle as he cleaned and stitched the wound before covering it in a bandage.

Tala returned with Robert and several guardsmen in tow just as Bryan was pushing a mug of tea into Rei's hands. The redhead sat behind his lover on the couch, carefully wrapping an arm around the neko-jin as he leaned back.

"Where is the man who attacked you?" Robert folded his hands into the sleeves of his robe, eyes sweeping over the room, taking in the overturned furniture, the blood on Rei's shirt and the way Wolborg and Driger were pacing the suite, their low growls echoing off the stone.

Bryan nodded towards the study as he repacked his chest of herbs and tinctures. "In the study. He isn't a danger anymore."

Robert glared at the other ambassador's back, burgundy eyes snapping with danger. "This is my castle and my country. I will make the decisions on who is not dangerous and I suggest you watch your tongue Ambassador Kuznetsov. I know you are not on your Emperor's good side and I'd hate to think of what might happen to you if he receives word of your attitude while in a foreign country."

The lavender haired man shot to his feet and spun around, silver eyes glowing with his anger. "Do not threaten me Jurgen. I am the most powerful Mind Mage alive at this time and if I say a man is no longer a threat to me and mine it is true. The man who attacked Rei will spend the rest of his life drooling and staring into space. I could do the same to you and your guards would have no hope of stopping me."

As Bryan's warning hung in the air two of the guards stepped out of the study, the man who had attacked Rei between them, dark eyes wide and blank. His mouth was hanging open and a thin trickle of saliva was trailing down his chin and neck.

Smirking at the shocked look on Robert's face Bryan knelt back down to finish storing his supplies. "I trapped him in a loop of the pain of the attack. All he can feel is Rei's terror and the pain he caused. He doesn't know anything about who hired him or who the traitor is."

Robert waved a hand and the guards carried the man out, two men remaining with him. His eyes widened and settled on Kai, as though he was seeing him for the first time. "Ambassador Hiwatari. I'm surprised to see you here. You and Ambassador Kuznetsov didn't seem to be on the same page at our initial meeting."

The mahogany eyed man shrugged, his gaze locked on Bryan as he spoke. "I was intrigued to find out if he was as much of a bastard as he seemed to be when I first met him." When Bryan's head whipped around to meet his eyes Kai smirked and continued. "It turns out he really is."

"Well, Ambassador Kuznetsov's personality aside, you and the Ambassador's brother are the only two people who have been targeted by the traitor so I'd like you to stay with them for now. If you are both in one room you are easier to guard and we'll need less people so we can continue to search for the man behind this all. Good day gentlemen." Robert swept out of the room, assigning his two guards to stay behind and act as the first watch.

Slowly getting to his feet Bryan turned to face Kai, grinning wickedly. "Sadly this suite only has two bedrooms and it wouldn't do for such an illustrious servant of the state and noble to sleep on the couch. And since Rei has been injured kicking him out of his bed would not be kind." He stalked forward until he was towering over the still seated man, ignoring the knowing look Rei was giving him. "And I am not kind enough to give up my bed so it looks like you and I will be sharing."

Kai simply stared up at the other man, face a mask of apathy. "I can guarantee your attempts at making me uncomfortable are not working. I was trained from an early age to ignore other people and to simply focus on my goals. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get my belongings so I have some hope of being comfortable if I have to be living with you." He got to his feet and brushed past the bigger man, his aristocratic heritage showing in his every word and movement.

The moment the door slammed shut Rei sat up and leaned forward slightly, golden eyes focused on his brother. "You want him. Even if he wasn't Skethyan you would still be trying to seduce him. He reminds you of Johnny." He watched as the lavender haired man's body stiffened before he moved to the sideboard to get a glass of brandy. "Don't try to hide it from me Bryan. My Empathy may not be as strong as yours but I don't have to be strong as you to see what is in front of me."

Slamming the bottle of alcohol down Bryan's free hand clenched on the shelf, knuckles turning white from the pressure. "Rei, you know how I feel about having Johnny brought up and Kai is nothing like my beautiful Flame. It's been so long since I've met someone so compelling. It's nothing more then a fleeting interest." He downed the amber liquid in his glass before turning back to face his companions. "I'm going to the library to see if they have anything on dampening Mind Magic. I'll be back later."

-----

Kai tightened his grip on the towel around his hips, glaring darkly at the guard standing right outside the bathroom. Someone had decided he and Rei were completely incapable of defending themselves so the two guardsmen at their door had taken to following them around, even down the hall to the small bathing chamber. Growling in frustration he passed the man, the telltale thump of the man's boots falling into step behind him echoing down the corridor.

He entered the main room of the suite to find it abandoned, only a fire flickering in the fireplace. The voices of Rei and Tala were barely audible through the door to their room and he carefully made his way through the darkened room to the door of the room he would be sharing with Bryan.

When he'd come back with his belongings earlier in the day the lavender haired man had not been in the suite and both Rei and Tala had been reluctant to talk about anything that had happened earlier in the day or the whereabouts of the violate man.

Pushing the door to the room open he paused, mahogany eyes focused on the sight in front of him. Bryan was sitting on the bed, shirtless, a web of thick scars covering his back. The silvery moonlight highlighted each ridge of raised tissue, throwing them into stark relief against the pale skin.

"Rei didn't manage to completely convince the Emperor to let me go without some kind of punishment. I was imprisoned for three days and whipped every morning and evening. By the time I was released there was nothing a Healer could do to keep them from scarring. They serve as a daily reminder of my insanity, but I would have done worse for Johnny."

Twisting around Bryan looked at Kai, eyes glowing argent in the darkness. "I could feel your pity and disgust. It is impossible to sneak up on me." Moving with feline grace the lavender haired man stretched out on his side, watching his companion.

"Do you mind?" Kai held up his pants, hoping the other man would all him some kind of privacy. He had been trained at the Academy where public bathing was common but looking had been taboo.

Even in the darkness of the room the slate haired man could see the wicked smirk twisting Bryan's pale lips as he answered. "No. I want to see what you've been hiding beneath those gods-awful robes you feel the need to wear."

Knowing he wasn't going to win and not feeling the need to disturb Tala and Rei he simply dropped his towel and changed, acutely aware of the silver eyes watching his every movement. Raising the blankets he slipped into the bed, linen sheets cool and smooth against his skin as he rolled onto his side, back to the other man. The bed was big enough he couldn't even feel the warmth of the other man and he was hoping Bryan wasn't prone to sprawling. Having to share the bed was bad enough without waking up anywhere near the man.

He wasn't sure how long they lay in the dark, the only sounds in the room of their breathing and the soft ruffling of Falborg's feathers as she tried to settle down for the night. When no movement came from the other side of the bed he allowed his body to relax, the day's events finally catching up with him. Between the emotional ride he had been on with Bryan and the shock of seeing Rei pale and bleeding he was ready to sleep for days on end. He was on the threshold of sleep when cold fingers traveled down his spine, causing his body to tense up.

Feeling his frustration grow he rolled over to come face to face with Bryan, scant inches separating them. "Why couldn't you stay on your side of the bed?"

"Because I find you attractive."

The shock and confusion Bryan could feel with his Empathy coming from the younger man brought a smile to his face as he stroked the back of a hand along Kai's cheek, ignoring the slight flinch the other man hadn't managed to completely hide. "I can tell I shocked you with my bluntness. I've spent the last eleven years of my life feeling the deepest emotions of those I care for and I do not feel the need to hide my own emotions from those who are not Empaths."

Kai stared at Bryan, not entirely sure what to think of the man's confession. He had the power to manipulate emotions and could use it to his advantage in his role as Ambassador yet he refused simply because others could not defend themselves. His grandfather had taught him to exploit every weakness he could find in people and in particular their emotions. He closed his eyes, sinking into the feeling of the lavender haired man's hand on his cheek as he tried to figure out when exactly he had decided Bryan was a bastard.

Yes, at their first gathering the man had been vocal and angry, but when compared with his own actions and words Bryan had come out seeming like a saint. And the few times he'd seen Bryan and Rei together the older man had treated his brother like spun glass and with the utmost care. Examining each bit of memory from the time he had first seen the other man to the now, with them lying in bed like lovers that unlike himself, Bryan was only a bastard to those who rightly deserved it or attacked his loved ones.

Warmth spread through his body and he slowly opened his eyes to find Bryan watching him, the incandescent blue streaks again in his eyes. "So you finally realized I'm not the evil bastard everyone wants you to believe I am." He smiled at the look in Kai's eyes as he pressed a light kiss to the man's cheek.

Shifting his weight Bryan pressed Kai back into the mattress so he was leaning over the smaller man, pale hair falling forward to brush against his cheeks. He could see the trepidation in the mahogany orbs staring up at him; feel the anxiety tightening the lithe body. His smile softened as he trailed his hand along Kai's jaw and down his neck to rest over the man's heart. "You really are beautiful."

Kai tensed, frowning up at the bigger man. He was no stranger to intimacy, having shared his bed with a number of courtesans from the King's harem, one of the privileges of being an ambassador. However, all his time spent in bed with women, did not prepare him for the fact another man found him attractive. Same sex pairings were a common occurrence; especially in populations were there were more males than females. In fact it seemed to him the same sex couples he knew of strayed less from their partners.

The hand on his chest slid lower, drawing him from his thoughts and he again focused on Bryan's face. The older man was watching him, head canted to the side, his smile having transformed into a predatory smirk. "I can see you've never thought about taking a male lover. The feel of a hard body against your own, their manhood against you, the way it feels when they take you, make you submit to their every whim." He leaned forward until their lips were touching, covering Kai's body with his own, his words a low husky purr. "And who knows the male form better than another man?"

Without waiting for an answer he claimed Kai's mouth in a savage kiss, pressing down, letting the other man feel his need. For a brief moment he felt nothing but anger and anxiety before something snapped in the slate haired man, passion flaring bright to Bryan's Empathy. Smiling to himself Bryan deepened the kiss one hand sliding between their bodies to brush over the heat between the other man's legs.

Breaking away from Kai he feathered light kisses across the man's cheeks and jaw taking immense pleasure from the way the man was arching against him, breath coming in sharp gasps, arousal racing through his body. Pulling his Empathy back in he buried his face against the crook of Kai's neck, knowing he would push the man too far if they continued. Taking a deep breath he rolled on to his side, pulling Kai with him until the smaller man was pressed against his chest. He could feel the man's arousal manhood against his hip as he stroked a hand along his smooth back.

Slowly the tension eased out of Kai's body, helped by Bryan's Empathy as he used it to calm them both down, to ease them towards sleep. Surprisingly enough even as he drifted off Kai did not pull away from Bryan and seemed to instead move closer to the man as sleep dragged him under.

-----

Strong feelings of anger and frustration woke Bryan and he slowly sat up, careful to not wake Kai who was still asleep, face in a pillow. He could clearly make out Tala's voice from the main suite of the room and it sounded like the redhead was arguing with one of the Palace Guards. Gauging by the angle of the light coming through the window from the moon it was early in the morning, probably no later then three.

The door to their room carefully opened and the lavender haired man could see Tala's outline in the frame of the door. "I'm awake Tal. You can come in."

His friend slid into the room and closed the door behind him, sharp eyes easily making out the shape of Kai pressed against Bryan. "I didn't think you would be able to get him into bed this quickly."

Bryan rolled his eyes as he climbed out of the bed and pulled a shirt on. "Nothing happened. Why are the guards so upset?"

Tala moved to stand at the door to the balcony arms folded across his chest as he stared out at the castle wall. "Ambassador Tyson Granger was attacked an hour ago. He's with the Healers right now. If the assassin's blade had been a little more to the left he wouldn't have survived. Robert wants all the Ambassadors in the meeting hall as soon as possible."

"Of course he does." The lavender haired man ran a hand through his hair before moving to the bed to wake Kai. "There have been two attacks in less then twenty four hours and he thinks getting us all together to talk about it is going to help. Hiwatari, get up. We have a problem that seems to require the attention of every Ambassador in this god forsaken castle."

Kai rolled out of the bed and pulled a robe on over his pants, completely ignoring the two men as he left the room.

"I can see he's going to be a joy to wakeup next to in the mornings." Tala left the room ahead of Bryan, leaving his friend to glare at his back.

-----

Robert glared at Bryan as he entered the room, the last one to show. "So glad you could join us Ambassador Kuznetsov." Ignoring the dark look the other man gave him he settled at the head of the long table, hands folded in front of him. "At first I had come to the conclusion the traitor was simply here to discredit all of us towards our respective leaders and to other nations. However, in light of everything that has happened, the attempted poisoning of Ambassador Hiwatari, the foiled attack on Ambassador Kuznetsov's brother and now the nearly successful murder of Ambassador Granger I realize I was mistaken in all of my assumptions."

"It seems to be that the traitor is simply trying to attack as many people as possible and forestall our negotiations and demoralize us. Since our talks must happen, even in the face of what is happening tomorrow at noon we will resume our talks. Until then each of you will be escorted by two guards."

"Respectfully Ambassador Jurgen, I will do without the guards. My Empathy is all the warning I need before an attack and unlike the other gentlemen in this room I was trained in weapons as well as words." While Bryan's words were civil everyone in the room could read the contempt hidden in the words.

The purple haired man slowly got to his feet, eyes flaring with anger. "Ah yes, the much celebrated Empathy. I can see how well it worked today when your brother was attacked. Forgive me for not trusting it to save you."

Before anyone could react Bryan had pulled a knife from the sleeve of his shirt and with an expert flick of his wrist had thrown it at Robert. The short knife tumbled through the air and landed with a thud in front of the burgundy eyed Ambassador. All eyes in the room were pinned to the knife as Bryan simply turned and strode out, his point made more eloquently with a single flick of his wrist then any thousands of words every could have ever done.

-----

"It's been three weeks. I wish the bastard would make a move. I'm tired of having Robert's goons following me."

Rei glanced at his brother from across the chessboard, golden eyes bright with suppressed laughter. "Bryan, I have the feeling if you hadn't felt the need to throw a knife at Ambassador Jurgen he wouldn't have assigned you twice as many guards as he did everyone else. You've probably got him thinking you're the traitor."

"Simply because I prove to him I'm more than capable of defending myself he decides he has to piss me off. If the assassin comes after me someone is going to die just because his guards are in my way." Bryan moved his bishop and took one of Rei's pawns off the board. "Where's Tala?"

The neko-jin scratched Driger's ears as he examined the board. "In the library. With you actually doing your job you don't have time to look through the books and he refuses to let me out of the room, claiming I'll be safer here with Driger and Wolborg. Speaking of missing lovers, where is Kai?"

"I don't know and we aren't lovers. I told you I simply find him intriguing. That doesn't mean I want to have sex with him." Bryan got up and poured two mugs of Verwort tea from the kettle over the fire and handed one to the smaller man. "Where did you get the idea we were lovers?"

Rei smiled as he took a sip of his tea. "Tala told me you were both awful cozy in your bed the night Ambassador Granger was attacked."

One broad shoulder dipped as Bryan shrugged. "We fooled around that night, but nothing that would make us lovers. I told you after Johnny I was never going to love anyone again. I wish you would-"

A sharp knock on the door interrupted Bryan and he growled as he got to his feet. Today was supposed to be the one day he didn't have to deal with the other idiot Ambassadors and if he had vowed if anyone interrupted his day he was going to kill them then and there.

Jerking the door open Bryan frowned at the six guards, all heavily armed, who were flanking Robert who was looking unusually serious. "If this has anything to do with our negotiations I'm going to kill someone. You are dancing on my last nerve."

Robert shook his head. "This has nothing to do with the negotiations. The Seekers have discovered the identity of the assassin and traitor."

Bryan's hand went to the handle of his knife, eyes fastened on Robert. "Who?"

"Tala Ivanov."