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Swimming through a sea of darkness, and the sound of tribal drums pounding in his head, Kai groans as he attempts the difficult task of opening his eyes and returning to the world of the consciousness. Lifting his hand, Kai presses the palm to his forehead as he bites his bottom lip to stop himself groaning in discomfort. The first two things that he is aware of when he wades through the thick fog of his mind is that he's laying on something soft and warm and there is something heavy laying on his waist, in a vice like grip.

Finally opening his eyes, Kai blinks multiple times to bring everything into focus. He finds himself staring up at a ceiling that is not his own, and the thing around his waist is starting to move a little. Wearily gazing down he sees that the thing is in fact an arm and it belongs to one Rick Anderson.

Slowly titling his head to the side, Kai finds himself looking into the sleeping face of said teen. He instantly feels his cheeks become warm when he realizes that he's laying up against his chest, Rick's arm holding him almost protectively.

Kai swallows and tries to think rationally, but with the constant drumming in his head, it's not working very well. He sighs and turns his eyes back to Rick's face, finding it mildly fascinating that he no longer has the scowl he does during the day, that seems rather constant. The lines in his brow all but gone, and his eyes no longer drawn into a glare. He actually looks quite calm. Taking his eyes off of Rick's face, Kai realizes that he has his hair out and the first coherent word that pops into his mind, is handsome. Once you get past the stand-offish outward appearance, he is actually ruggedly handsome.

Strange, Kai has never associated that word with anyone before.

Quite suddenly, Rick shifts and without thinking, Kai closes his eyes and pretends that he is still asleep. He's hoping that this will ward off the awkward conversation that will no doubt follow after waking up in each other's arms.

The bed shifts, and Kai hears Rick mutter something about the time and that he should get up. He lets out an involuntary groan of disappointment when Rick slowly moves away from him, causing him to shiver a little from the loss of body heat.

Deciding that this is the perfect time to 'wake up' Kai groans and throws an arm over his eyes and peers up at Rick, through his lashes. "Rick?"

Rick is sitting on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his hair. He pauses for a moment to glance over his shoulder. "You're awake," he says, a hint of relief in his voice. "How's your injuries?"

Injuries? Kai blinks for a moment, then realization dawns on him. Right, I was attacked yesterday, wasn't I? I didn't think I hit my head that hard.

Kai blinks for a moment, then realization dawns on him.

"Ok, considering. My head is pounding though," he says as he slowly pulls himself into a sitting position, his hand moving to tenderly touch the back of his head. "Are you sure it's just a graze?"

"Yeah," Rick moves to take another quick looking, while saying, "I checked it and double checked it. I'm certain." he then pulls back and stands up straight. "Do you want something for it?"

Kai drops his hand to the bed with a sigh. "I suppose it shouldn't hurt."

"I'll be right back."

"Kay," Kai mutters as Rick walks out of the room. He waits until he's alone before falling back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling once again, thinking about what transpired yesterday afternoon and night. What was Bat Fang thinking when he attacked me yesterday? He was probably using me as a pawn to get to Rick, that's the only logical explanation…

"Here."

"What?" Kai mutters, titling his head slightly to the side, immediately sitting up when he sees Rick standing there with a glass of water and a couple of white pills in an open hand. "Oh, thanks," he says as he takes the offerings.

Rick sits down on the edge of the bed again, his back towards Kai, his elbows resting on his knees as he furrows his brow in deep thought. "Thinking about yesterday?"

Kai pops in the last pill and quickly drinks the rest of the water, before sighing, "Yeah, I guess. So are you."

"Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence falls over the room and Kai gingerly holds the glass in his hand, staring at it absentmindedly. "You want to go after him, don't you?" he asks softly.

Rick balls his fists in front of him, so tightly that his knuckles are turning white. "You have no idea how much."

Kai softly sighs again, then moves to lean against Rick's back, almost as if he wants to give him some sort of comfort. He feels Rick tense for a split second, before relaxing completely. "You know the only reason he attacked me is to get to you. He probably have used the others if he had seen them the other day, when he saw me."

"I don't know," Rick mutters.

Kai lifts his head up to look at him from the side. "What else could there be?"

Rick turns his head to gaze at him for a moment, then abruptly turns away, glaring at the wall on the other side of the room. "…Nothing."

"Right," Kai murmurs, not believing him but he decides that it's best that he doesn't push the older teen. "Anyway, what should I do? Should I go to the police?"

Rick lets out a harsh snort. "Like that would do any good."

Kai sighs again for the umpteenth time and pushes away from Rick, to slip his legs out of the bed on the other side. "I should probably go home and get some new clothes."

"You're coming with me today."

Kai pivots in his seat to stare at Rick's back, not quite believing what he heard. "What?"

"You heard me," Rick tells him, standing up abruptly.

Kai rubs his forehead with the palm of his hand, moving to sit straight again. "What if Bat Fang appears?" he asks. "Wouldn't it be better if we were separated?"

Snorting again, Rick turns to face Kai, folding his arms over his chest. "And give him another chance to attack you?"

Kai, too, climbs to his feet to face Rick, the shirt he leant him hanging off one shoulder, a hint of dark blue boxer shorts seen. He is standing with one hand on his hip while the other moves about as he tries to prove a point. "He's using me to get to you, this is what he wants."

"Yeah, but if you're with me, he has no reason to take his frustrations out on you."

"But-"

"No buts," Rick tells him, cutting him off with a hand motion. He then points at him, and pins his with a steely glare. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not."

Kai presses his lips together in frustrations at how stubborn Rick is being. He should start calling him Bull, after his stubbornness and not to mention his body structure. He returns the glare, but retreats when the dull thumping in his head makes a sudden return. "Fine," he mutters as he resists the urge to cross the room and slap the smug smirk off Rick's lips. "Where are we going?"

"Training."

"What?" Kai asks, reeling slightly in surprise. "But the others are going to be there. They're going to ask me a million and one questions. What do you want me to tell them?"

Rick shrugs and folds his arms over his chest again. "That you were mugged. They'll believe that, after all, we are in New York City."

Kai rolls his eyes. "Right, of course, logic."

Rick snorts to cover up a chuckle. He moves to rifle through his closet, looking for clothes. "Just get up. We need to be there in an hour's time," he then pulls out a jacket for Kai to wear. "We'll swing by your place so you can get changed. Also, we can have someone check your injuries. I'm no doctor, so it's best to have a professional check on them."

Kai takes the jacket and slips it one, pausing for a moment when he realizes that this jacket is the reason he was out on the streets yesterday afternoon. "Alright, I see there's no point in arguing. Not that I'm in the mood for it anyway."

Rick peers at him for a moment, concern abundant in his eyes, even though his face is less reluctant to show it. "You're injuries bothering you that much?"

Kai presses his lips together, realizing he let it slip. "I guess."

Another uncomfortable silence fills the room and Kai starts to feel is choking him, but then Rick smirks, breaking the tension considerably. "Want me to carry you?" he asks.

Immediately Kai bristles, and glares at him with a hint of humiliation in his expression. "Don't even think about it."

------

"You were mugged?" Michael asks, in complete and utter disbelief.

"Dude," Eddy mutters, equally in awe. "You're kidding?"

"Kai!" Max lets out a concern cry and hugs him around the waist. "Are you alright?"

Kai winces when the smaller teen suddenly attaches himself to his waist. "I'm alright," he replies, patting the small blond on the head to reassure him. "They're just flesh wounds, honest."

Max lifts his head and gazes up at him with big, watering blue eyes, his bottom lip trembling. "Really?" he asks in a soft sad voice.

Kai immediately sweatdrops. "Yeah, of course."

"I'm so glad," Max replies, happily nuzzling his face into his chest, causing Kai to wince again.

"Still," Michael mutters. "You were mugged? Jeez, if they can get to you, on one's safe."

Blushing softly at all of the attention, Kai moves to sit on the back of an overly-stuffed couch when Max steps back from him. "It's nice to know you think so highly of me."

Michael rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, well…"

"That's enough," Judy says suddenly, clapping her hands in front of her to gather everyone's attention. "Everyone get back to training."

"Yes mum," Max says as, casting concern blue eyes over to Kai again.

"Yes, Ma'am," Michael salutes, earning a glare from the said woman.

Eddy laughs, throwing an arm around Max's neck in a buddy-like fashion. "Yes, we must listen what mumsy says," he says, jokingly and begins to ruffles Max's hair, causing him to squirm in his grasp.

"Ah, stop that," Max says as his arms flail around. He manages to pull himself from Eddy's grip, but in doing so, he accidentally bumps into Kai. "Oops."

"Hey!" Kai says in surprise as he falls backwards and lands on the seat of the couch, his legs still hanging over the back of the couch. "Ow."

"Kai?" Max asks quietly, peering over.

"Hey," Rick says as he marches into the room and straight over to the couch. "Watch what you're doing. You're going to make his injuries worst."

"Ugh," Kai mutters as he tries to pull himself out of the fluffy cushions that seems to be content in swallowing him whole. "This isn't very comfortable."

"I am so sorry," Max says as he subconsciously shies away from Rick's warning glare.

Kai sighs as he stops the fruitless struggle. "Don't worry about it, the couch cushioned my fall."

Rick shakes his head and walks over to the part of the couch where Kai's legs are. "Keep still," he says before he then leans over the back of the couch, placing his hands around Kai's waist.

"What…?" Kai mutters in surprise. But then Rick hoists him into the air and then gently puts him back on his feet, making it look effortless.

"You have to be more careful," he says, a smirk on his lips.

Kai blinks in silence for a moment, before his eye twitches. "You just love throwing me around, don't you?"

"Heh," Rick laughs, placing his hands on his hips. "It's just so easy."

Kai immediately bristles and points an finger at him in warning. "Another comment like that and you'll get a blade right between the eyes."

Rick laughs again, a retort on his lips, but before he has a chance to fire it off, the sound of breaking glass shatters the light mood in the room, causing Rick's newly found protective streak kick in and shield Kai from any danger. Glancing over his shoulder, Rick sees a window broken, glass shards littering the floor, then a familiar leather clad teen slips in, miraculously missing all the glass shards as he does so.

How the hell did he manage to make it to the window? Climb up a drain pipe?

"There you are," Bat Fang smirk, his eyes immediately upon Rick's form. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Rick. You weren't at your apartment, so I assumed that you're here."

"You!" Rick hisses as he spins around to face, standing in front of the group. "What the hell are you doing here?!" he demands as he suddenly pushes Kai behind him when Bat Fang's gaze drifts towards him.

"I see he's still walking," he mutters in a softer voice. "Interesting. He's tougher than he looks."

Subconsciously, Kai grabs onto Rick's arm, because something in Bat Fang's voice startles him. It's like he's disappointed that he's still up and about, but there was a hint of relief, that is somehow not his own. Kai shakes his head, that isn't making any sense. He gets the feeling that there is a lot more to Bat Fang then being a wannabe punk blader. Something not natural. Also, something quite familiar...

"Is that the guy that attacked you, Kai?" Max asks from the back of the room, before drawing out his blade along with everyone else when Kai slowly nods.

"So, he's told you all about me?" Bat Fang asks, a cruel smirk making it's presence known on his lips. "How flattering."

Rick growls deep in his throat as he body twitches with rage barely in his control. "Grr, you-"

"Rick, calm yourself," Kai whispers to him. "Letting your anger take control will not help the situation one bit."

Rick's eye twitches uncontrollably, but doesn't make a move for his blade and takes a deep breath, breathing through his nose. "What do you want?" he asks harshly.

"Isn't it obvious? I want a battle," Bat Fang says, and then pulls out his blade. "Now."


-munches on popcorn- Now things are getting interesting. Want some popcorn?

Please review.