Author's Notes: Good one, guys! 106 reviews!!! Hugs to all of you. However,
the chapters are SO long, that i guess i deserve a little bit more. Come
on, reviews are air for my lungs!
Here are some answers:
-Fighting Spirit: Thanks a lot. Yeap, i agree. There are fics where they met in the 1st part, kiss in the 2nd, and get laid in the 3rd. My Goodness, what the heck is that!? Nope, we're going to give them time to develop that feeling. AND there's NO LAID in my fic. Sorry if any of the readers were expecting that. Maybe a kiss, just that.
-Kuramas: Okay, i forgive you with the wolves thing, if you forgive me first. I had no idea the group of wolves were called PACKS, gomen, but English is not my native language, cut me some slack. Anyway, thanks for yor review, appreciate it. As you can see, it's officially K+R now.
-S.G.: You're a Trowa lover, ne? Good for you. Hi, i am a Duo-obessesed. Thanks for the poem thing, i love poems. I wish i could use that kind of words 'thee, thou, etc' but it's really hard to find a dictionary with antique english, so there, you'll have to understand my humble writing.
-Chibi Kai Lover: Gomen i let you down with the 30th date. I couldn't post it, but in reward, LISTEN PEOPLE, i'm posting TWO Chapters right now. Hugs for you.
-Elbereth: (thinks for a minute) Are you a Lord of the Rings lover? Your name sounds like that..........Okay, sorry for bad spelling 'launch'! Don't hurt me please. I'll be more careful with the grammar. OH, why don't you like Kai having a crush? I must warn you then, in MY fic, he's falling for Rei.
-Inari: Nice question!! Hug or kiss? BOTH, but easy. And not yet. Kai have to learn to be a friend first, in order to be something else, don't you think?
NOTE: i hate this!! This site keeps scrunching my fic!!! ARGH!!!! Sorry for the lack of space, i swear it's not my fault.
"Staring Into Scarlet Eyes"
by Shinigami's Voice.
-chapter ten-
["Your eyes, they reveal your soul. You try to hide behind a smile, but I know. You are not the same. You may be here, but your heart, your heart has gone to look for him......"]
The Breakers' captain continued a silent walk 10 minutes more, until he reached the limits of the park adjacent to the Stadium. It looked like nobody was there.
But looks can be deceiving.
With quiet steps, two tall men dressed in suits came out of nowhere. The small tags on their jackets read the letters 'BC'.
"Is the area being supervised?" -one of them asked out loud through the microphone attached to his ear- "Fine" -he said to whoever answered him.
Kai waited on his spot, his head turning slightly to gaze at the closest tree. He turned his face back to the front, a frown on his features.
"We have a message for you" -the second man said in all seriousness, taking some steps towards the blader.
"It's not clear" -Kai suddenly interrupted him- "The zone is not clear" -the phoenix explained.
"Were you followed?" -one of them questioned, while the other draw his hand towards the waistband of his trousers.
The suspicious bump clicked as the gun was being charged.
"Probably" -the boy said- "Retreat and contact me later"
"No, the message is urgent. Tell us where's the intruder" -the man with the hidden gun demanded.
"No" -Kai shook his head firmly, and attempted to whirl and walk back to the park.
But the first dog advanced and grabbed him by the scarf, forcing the teen to face them.
"Obey the orders. We'll get rid of the obstacle" -the man grunted.
His answer was a low growl from the youth- "Get your hands off, dog. I'm leaving" -the blader snarled, his expression mortally serious.
The other watcher put a hand on his partner's shoulder, murmuring in warning:
"Let him go, he's the grandson. And don't forget the triangles"
The man scolded, but complied anyway. He released the white scarf, and in an instant they disappeared as fast as they had arrived.
Kai stood there for a moment, making sure any more keepers were in sight. When he assured himself of that, he walked towards the tree.
"I told you not to follow me" -he said, his voice carrying an angry tone.
With the grace of a feline, Rei jumped off the lower branch. He landed square on his feet, his long wrap of dark hair swinging behind him.
When both teens' sights caught with each other, both amber and crimson eyes had become slits.
"This is enough, Kai. I want to know what's going on here and I want to know it in this exact minute"
"Don't get yourself involved in things you can't handle, Rei" -Kai replied seriously.
"I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want. I'm worried sick about you, Kai, and you don't help me any"
"Wrong" -Kai interrupted- "I'm helping you off a very dangerous situation, Rei."
"You were the one who almost busted me there" -Rei replied- "Why did you tell them I had followed you?"
"For your own good, that's what you don't get" -the phoenix crossed his arms- "If you had heard anything of that, you'd have found yourself in serious trouble. Open your eyes, these people don't mean any good"
"And what are you doing meeting them?" -the dark-haired teen questioned, also folding his bandaged arms over his chest- "Who are them? Why are you related to these people?"
"That's.......that's......." -Kai stammered, not finding any reasonable excuse to hide the truth- "Damn, that's not your problem" -he huffed exasperated.
"Fine then. I have some news to announce to you. From this point on, IT IS my problem" -the Chinese teen marked the words with authority in his voice- "I'm not blind, Kai. I know there's something weird going on. The way you always isolate yourself, the way you avoid people's contact, even the way your wounds heal. And now this!" -Rei stomped his foot in frustration.
"Since when you are my mother hen?!" -the other blader protested, his temper flaring- "What is it that you want, that you're always around me? What do you expect to gain in all this? You're asking and worrying about me, acting like......like....."
"Like a friend, damn right!" -the tiger cut him off- "You don't want to believe it, Kai, but I'm your friend. The team members are your friends, and we care about you. I do care about you a lot" -Rei's voice softened at the last sentence.
The phoenix remained silent, not quite comprehending that. He passed a hand through his blue hair, calming his temper.
"Listen, Rei. If you want to think that, fine, go ahead, fool yourself" -the boy said, this time his tone serious and even- "The only thing I can tell you is that I can take care of myself. I'll find a way to fix my problems, on my own. I've never depended on no one else. If it helps any, I appreciate your......errrr.....worry, but I don't need your aid, neither I want to involve you in this. If you really want to help, go and look after the other guys, make sure they're safe"
Rei sighed, watching the captain taking his leave in the opposite direction of the hotel.
"But you will come back, ne?" -he called in soft voice.
"Aa" -the answer sounded a bit far according with the distance, as he disappeared around a corner.
"And would you open your heart to me, Kai? Would you trust me for once?" -the boy mused sadly, asking to the wind, while he made his way back.
***
Rei found his other three teammates merrily partaking in a bunch of delicate hors d'oeuvres while they played cards on the gigantic couch of their private room.
"Ha! And again, I win!!" -Max exclaimed proudly.
"Cheater. It's the third in a row!" -the Chief protested.
"Don't be a sore loser, man" -Takao dismissed the matter with a smile.
"Sure, Takao" -the little boy said, his voice dripping sarcasm- "You only say that because you're always on Max's side"
The dragon chuckled somehow guiltily, and exactly there the boys turned to greet the incoming tiger.
"Hiya, Rei, where have ya..uh? What happened to you?" -Max watched in curiosity the way the Chinese teen had his hand on his right cheek.
"Uh, nothing. I.." -the boy let his sight wandered the room- "I bumped into a ...tree, that's it"
The looks on the faces of the sitting boys spoke volumes. Each one had an eyebrow rose in incredulity, and you could almost see the sweatdrop on their heads.
"Sure, come up with the lamest excuse in the history of man kind" -Takao said, putting his cards down.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry" -the long-haired boy waved his hand, like dismissing the topic- "How've you been doing?"
"Bored out of our minds" -the tortoise exclaimed, throwing his five cards in the air.
"By the way, Rei, what did Kai tell you about the kidnappings? Did it surprise him?" -the Chief asked
"No. He already knew. In fact, all the captains know about it. I guess they hadn't told us in order not to stress up the teams" -the boy answered.
"Why it doesn't surprise me?" -the dragon plopped back on the couch- "I mean, it's not like Kai will come and tell us every little thing he knows about. Can you imagine it: 'Guys, guys, I have something very important to communicate you' " -Takao gestured with his hands and mimicked his voice- "I can't, not in a bazillion years. We are the friendliest people, but we are stuck with the most mouth-closed boy in the entire planet"
The others agreed and giggled in light humor. Rei silently nodded, knowing perfectly well how reluctant was the captain about sharing even a little piece of his mind.
'But it can be done' -he mused- 'With more time and a bit of patience, we can make him feel comfortable enough to give it a try' -the boy shook his head in a depressed manner- 'But with all these strange things around him, he just keeps closing and closing into himself. I must learn what's going on here. I have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.......'
"Uh, Rei, you in there?" -Max asked, looking at the wistful blader.
"Sure" -the tiger rapidly looked up, flashing a smile- "Kenny, I need to ask you a favor" -he suddenly addressed the strategist of the team.
"Okay, shot. What is it?" -the boy replied, happy to be useful.
"Could I borrow your laptop for a minute? I need to do some searching"
"No prob" -the boy walked to a nearby table, where the machine rested. He took the dark case and brought it to the central table in front of the couch- "Something Dizzy and I can help you with?"
"Ahhhhh, not really" -the Chinese teen shrugged- "It's just......stuff. But thanks anyway" -the tiger motioned to take the computer and leave the room.
But when he was about to stand and walk towards his room, his sight fell on the serious expressions of his three friends.
Takao, Max and Kenny exchanged glances, and the same Chief took the word.
"Are you going to tell us the truth now, Rei? We've been patient, waiting for the moment you felt right to tell us"
"Truth? What truth?" -Rei repeated, not comprehending.
"You've been very distant lately" -Takao started- "We've been talking about it, you know, we can take in some details too. And we kind of think you've been worried about whatever stuff Kai has told you"
That left Rei dumbstruck. He gaped for a second, no words coming out.
They had noticed it, after all. However, he tried to sneak out of it.
"Stuff? I ...don't really get what you're talking about" -he stammered. Man, he was a lousy liar.
"It's okay, Rei" -Max tried to calm things down- "You don't have to tell us if Kai doesn't want. We're just worried for both of you now.....and Rei, please don't try to deny 'coz it would hurt us if you don't trust us"
The Chinese boy let his shoulders slumped- "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad" -he said, taking a sit again- "Yes, you're right, I've been very thoughtful these past days"
"Can we help in some sort of way?" -the smaller boy asked.
"I'm sure you can. The little problem is that I don't how" -Rei admitted, then he sighed in frustration- "Man, I don't even know what's been worrying me! It's just, there's something I can't put my finger on ...I must sound very stupid"
"No" -the dragon shook his head. Then let out a small smile- "Well, maybe a little. Don't you think it would help if you tell us what's happening?"
"It's very contradictory, to say the truth" -Rei started- "I had always thought how nice it would be if we could, you know, crack open Kai's shell, make him talk and things like that. I've always tried, in some slight or tricky way, to coax him to tell us about him......"
"Don't need to elaborate there, dude, we have taken note of that" -the tortoise cut Rei, giving him a smile.
"Go on" -Kenny urged.
"Well, the point is that, when we were back in the lodge, I tried a direct approach" -in his mind, the tiger thought for an instant how weird that sounded, like if he had tried to hit on the captain or something. He resumed his talking- "I spent some time talking to him, offering the team's support if he wanted people to trust in, and offering my friendship in case he needed it"
"And he kindly told you to get lost?" -the dragon said.
"Aa. Very similar" -Rei smiled a little- "But the thing is that I tried again, when I found him in the dorm patching his wound. I could tell my sincerity had left him surprised and still sort of confused, because after a moment of reluctance, he allowed me to help him out with the bandages" -Rei preferred to skip the part of the upgraded metabolism for the time being- "And, brace yourselves, he held a conversation with me for a while"
"Wow" -Takao said, his mouth shaped in an O - "And you're still alive to tell the story, pal"
"Aa" -the yellow-eyed boy nodded- "I had thought I would be happy to learn about him, but guess that was the contradictory part. The few things he has told me, are just either sad or perturbing......." -the boy halted for a minute, looking seriously at his teammates- "You gotta promise you won't comment this in front of him. He would kill me first and then come for you"
The three boys held up their hands as in a vow.
"Okay" -the dark-haired blader sighed- "Kai's an orphan, like me......."
"I sensed that" -Max said with sad blue eyes- "The way he rejects everyone, it's like he never had someone close to him"
"Was he raised in an orphanage then?" -Takao asked.
"No" -Rei said, but then thought it over- "Well, I don't think so. He told me he has a legal tutor, his supposed to be grandfather, Hiwatari. I suppose that, having a tutor, he couldn't be in an orphanage home. But he also told me his grandfather hadn't raised him. For what I caught on his words, he doesn't feel any affection for this man, and it seems the sentiment is mutual"
"At least we know now where his last name comes from" -Kenny pointed out- "I wonder what kind of man is this Hiwatari-sama, who adopts a kid and doesn't care about him"
"That's exactly the part which makes me worry" -Rei exclaimed- "Kai mentioned something about his grandfather contacting him for some reasons Kai didn't want to explain me. In fact, he got pretty tensed up when I asked more about Hiwatari. Guess he doesn't like to talk about him"
"Could this be connected to the way he's been paying so much attention to his surroundings?" -Takao mused- "I mean, during the trip, he stared all the way long through the bus window. When we got to the airport, he looked around every now and then. When we got here, he was also studying every hall and room we stepped in"
"Takao, you impress me" -the Chief exclaimed at the dragon's words.
"Well, he can be very mindful sometimes" -Max said, giving his roommate a flattering smile. Takao smiled back.
"You're right" -the tiger agreed- "He has spent the nights watching over the balcony too" -he told the others- "And I am sure there's something stressing him up, he's preoccupied about.....about.....a thing I don't know yet"
"That's why you asked me Dizzy?" -Kenny questioned- "Did you find some data we could use to investigate, or did he tell you something else while you were talking a moment ago?"
"Hmmm, we didn't really talk about his past anymore. He asked me not to question him about it, he repeated almost three times that it was dangerous for me" -the tiger sighed- "And sure I learnt that"
Max's eyes lit up with a sudden revelation.
"Kai hit you?!"
"No! No!" -Rei shook his head, but then amended the sentence- "Well, actually yes. But it was not on purpose!" -he added rapidly.
"Lie" -Takao spat out, with mild anger- "You don't hit someone square on the face and say it was an accident"
"Wait, guys, hear me out" -Rei replied. He didn't want the others to get mad at Kai for something the phoenix hadn't meant- "I provoked it. It was partly my fault. I was just trying to show him we cared about him, and somehow ended up hugging him. I guess I startled him quite a lot.
He sort of snapped away and pushed me back. The blow was unintentional, and I didn't have time to duck it. That's all"
Rei was twisting the truth in Kai's favor, because he knew perfectly well that Kai HAD meant to deliver the blow, very intentionally. But the fact was that Rei also knew he didn't mean to hit Rei, so he said just a partial truth.
For some reason, Max watched carefully his Chinese friend, and then nodded.
"Okay, Rei. We believe you" -he said, with that smile and soft voice of his that dissipated anger off the air.
"Anyway, Rei, don't you think it was kind of imprudent on your part to do that?" -the Chief wondered- "Sure, we trust Kai, but we also know he's not the friendly, touchy type. I think you went a little too far with that"
Rei gulped at the comment.
He knew that.
Why he had done it then?
'God, I'm starting to suspect this I feel is not simple friendship' -the tiger felt his cheeks pinking up nicely.
Takao and Kenny quirked their eyebrows, wondering why all of a sudden, Rei had found the rug soooo interesting, that he couldn't rip his glance away from it.
The always supportive blonde of the team came to the rescue.
"So, what was it that you found out and wanted to investigate on the net, Rei?"
The blader with the Chinese white suit gazed gratefully at the tortoise. The change of topic was perfect.
"Something very fishy, really" -the boy answered- "And that's what makes me worry more. I think Kai's deep into some serious problem. I followed him to a desolate side of the park, and two very intimidating men halted him. Kai seemed to knew them, 'cause he didn't run away and........."
Rei continued explaining the way Kai had told them to leave, the way the men threatened the blader and even the discussion both teammates had have after that.
"It's very preoccupant indeed" -the dragon mused- "Could those men have been trying to kidnap him?"
"No, Rei said Kai knew them" -Max replied.
"I think it's something to do with his grandfather" -Rei opined- "I want the laptop to look for Hiwatari's information"
"Well then, lets get working" -the Chief said, opening it.
To Be Continued........
A/N: There you go. For the ones who said they missed the other 3 breakers. Yes, you're right, i had spent to much time only with Kai and Rei.
But, also for the ones asking for a bit of flufness between the Phoenix and Tiger, fasten your seatbelts, and GIVE me a REVIEW PLEASE! Only then, you can go and.........READ the 11 chapter, which is being posted.............right NOW!!
Happy March, my birthday month, people!!!
Here are some answers:
-Fighting Spirit: Thanks a lot. Yeap, i agree. There are fics where they met in the 1st part, kiss in the 2nd, and get laid in the 3rd. My Goodness, what the heck is that!? Nope, we're going to give them time to develop that feeling. AND there's NO LAID in my fic. Sorry if any of the readers were expecting that. Maybe a kiss, just that.
-Kuramas: Okay, i forgive you with the wolves thing, if you forgive me first. I had no idea the group of wolves were called PACKS, gomen, but English is not my native language, cut me some slack. Anyway, thanks for yor review, appreciate it. As you can see, it's officially K+R now.
-S.G.: You're a Trowa lover, ne? Good for you. Hi, i am a Duo-obessesed. Thanks for the poem thing, i love poems. I wish i could use that kind of words 'thee, thou, etc' but it's really hard to find a dictionary with antique english, so there, you'll have to understand my humble writing.
-Chibi Kai Lover: Gomen i let you down with the 30th date. I couldn't post it, but in reward, LISTEN PEOPLE, i'm posting TWO Chapters right now. Hugs for you.
-Elbereth: (thinks for a minute) Are you a Lord of the Rings lover? Your name sounds like that..........Okay, sorry for bad spelling 'launch'! Don't hurt me please. I'll be more careful with the grammar. OH, why don't you like Kai having a crush? I must warn you then, in MY fic, he's falling for Rei.
-Inari: Nice question!! Hug or kiss? BOTH, but easy. And not yet. Kai have to learn to be a friend first, in order to be something else, don't you think?
NOTE: i hate this!! This site keeps scrunching my fic!!! ARGH!!!! Sorry for the lack of space, i swear it's not my fault.
"Staring Into Scarlet Eyes"
by Shinigami's Voice.
-chapter ten-
["Your eyes, they reveal your soul. You try to hide behind a smile, but I know. You are not the same. You may be here, but your heart, your heart has gone to look for him......"]
The Breakers' captain continued a silent walk 10 minutes more, until he reached the limits of the park adjacent to the Stadium. It looked like nobody was there.
But looks can be deceiving.
With quiet steps, two tall men dressed in suits came out of nowhere. The small tags on their jackets read the letters 'BC'.
"Is the area being supervised?" -one of them asked out loud through the microphone attached to his ear- "Fine" -he said to whoever answered him.
Kai waited on his spot, his head turning slightly to gaze at the closest tree. He turned his face back to the front, a frown on his features.
"We have a message for you" -the second man said in all seriousness, taking some steps towards the blader.
"It's not clear" -Kai suddenly interrupted him- "The zone is not clear" -the phoenix explained.
"Were you followed?" -one of them questioned, while the other draw his hand towards the waistband of his trousers.
The suspicious bump clicked as the gun was being charged.
"Probably" -the boy said- "Retreat and contact me later"
"No, the message is urgent. Tell us where's the intruder" -the man with the hidden gun demanded.
"No" -Kai shook his head firmly, and attempted to whirl and walk back to the park.
But the first dog advanced and grabbed him by the scarf, forcing the teen to face them.
"Obey the orders. We'll get rid of the obstacle" -the man grunted.
His answer was a low growl from the youth- "Get your hands off, dog. I'm leaving" -the blader snarled, his expression mortally serious.
The other watcher put a hand on his partner's shoulder, murmuring in warning:
"Let him go, he's the grandson. And don't forget the triangles"
The man scolded, but complied anyway. He released the white scarf, and in an instant they disappeared as fast as they had arrived.
Kai stood there for a moment, making sure any more keepers were in sight. When he assured himself of that, he walked towards the tree.
"I told you not to follow me" -he said, his voice carrying an angry tone.
With the grace of a feline, Rei jumped off the lower branch. He landed square on his feet, his long wrap of dark hair swinging behind him.
When both teens' sights caught with each other, both amber and crimson eyes had become slits.
"This is enough, Kai. I want to know what's going on here and I want to know it in this exact minute"
"Don't get yourself involved in things you can't handle, Rei" -Kai replied seriously.
"I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want. I'm worried sick about you, Kai, and you don't help me any"
"Wrong" -Kai interrupted- "I'm helping you off a very dangerous situation, Rei."
"You were the one who almost busted me there" -Rei replied- "Why did you tell them I had followed you?"
"For your own good, that's what you don't get" -the phoenix crossed his arms- "If you had heard anything of that, you'd have found yourself in serious trouble. Open your eyes, these people don't mean any good"
"And what are you doing meeting them?" -the dark-haired teen questioned, also folding his bandaged arms over his chest- "Who are them? Why are you related to these people?"
"That's.......that's......." -Kai stammered, not finding any reasonable excuse to hide the truth- "Damn, that's not your problem" -he huffed exasperated.
"Fine then. I have some news to announce to you. From this point on, IT IS my problem" -the Chinese teen marked the words with authority in his voice- "I'm not blind, Kai. I know there's something weird going on. The way you always isolate yourself, the way you avoid people's contact, even the way your wounds heal. And now this!" -Rei stomped his foot in frustration.
"Since when you are my mother hen?!" -the other blader protested, his temper flaring- "What is it that you want, that you're always around me? What do you expect to gain in all this? You're asking and worrying about me, acting like......like....."
"Like a friend, damn right!" -the tiger cut him off- "You don't want to believe it, Kai, but I'm your friend. The team members are your friends, and we care about you. I do care about you a lot" -Rei's voice softened at the last sentence.
The phoenix remained silent, not quite comprehending that. He passed a hand through his blue hair, calming his temper.
"Listen, Rei. If you want to think that, fine, go ahead, fool yourself" -the boy said, this time his tone serious and even- "The only thing I can tell you is that I can take care of myself. I'll find a way to fix my problems, on my own. I've never depended on no one else. If it helps any, I appreciate your......errrr.....worry, but I don't need your aid, neither I want to involve you in this. If you really want to help, go and look after the other guys, make sure they're safe"
Rei sighed, watching the captain taking his leave in the opposite direction of the hotel.
"But you will come back, ne?" -he called in soft voice.
"Aa" -the answer sounded a bit far according with the distance, as he disappeared around a corner.
"And would you open your heart to me, Kai? Would you trust me for once?" -the boy mused sadly, asking to the wind, while he made his way back.
***
Rei found his other three teammates merrily partaking in a bunch of delicate hors d'oeuvres while they played cards on the gigantic couch of their private room.
"Ha! And again, I win!!" -Max exclaimed proudly.
"Cheater. It's the third in a row!" -the Chief protested.
"Don't be a sore loser, man" -Takao dismissed the matter with a smile.
"Sure, Takao" -the little boy said, his voice dripping sarcasm- "You only say that because you're always on Max's side"
The dragon chuckled somehow guiltily, and exactly there the boys turned to greet the incoming tiger.
"Hiya, Rei, where have ya..uh? What happened to you?" -Max watched in curiosity the way the Chinese teen had his hand on his right cheek.
"Uh, nothing. I.." -the boy let his sight wandered the room- "I bumped into a ...tree, that's it"
The looks on the faces of the sitting boys spoke volumes. Each one had an eyebrow rose in incredulity, and you could almost see the sweatdrop on their heads.
"Sure, come up with the lamest excuse in the history of man kind" -Takao said, putting his cards down.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry" -the long-haired boy waved his hand, like dismissing the topic- "How've you been doing?"
"Bored out of our minds" -the tortoise exclaimed, throwing his five cards in the air.
"By the way, Rei, what did Kai tell you about the kidnappings? Did it surprise him?" -the Chief asked
"No. He already knew. In fact, all the captains know about it. I guess they hadn't told us in order not to stress up the teams" -the boy answered.
"Why it doesn't surprise me?" -the dragon plopped back on the couch- "I mean, it's not like Kai will come and tell us every little thing he knows about. Can you imagine it: 'Guys, guys, I have something very important to communicate you' " -Takao gestured with his hands and mimicked his voice- "I can't, not in a bazillion years. We are the friendliest people, but we are stuck with the most mouth-closed boy in the entire planet"
The others agreed and giggled in light humor. Rei silently nodded, knowing perfectly well how reluctant was the captain about sharing even a little piece of his mind.
'But it can be done' -he mused- 'With more time and a bit of patience, we can make him feel comfortable enough to give it a try' -the boy shook his head in a depressed manner- 'But with all these strange things around him, he just keeps closing and closing into himself. I must learn what's going on here. I have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.......'
"Uh, Rei, you in there?" -Max asked, looking at the wistful blader.
"Sure" -the tiger rapidly looked up, flashing a smile- "Kenny, I need to ask you a favor" -he suddenly addressed the strategist of the team.
"Okay, shot. What is it?" -the boy replied, happy to be useful.
"Could I borrow your laptop for a minute? I need to do some searching"
"No prob" -the boy walked to a nearby table, where the machine rested. He took the dark case and brought it to the central table in front of the couch- "Something Dizzy and I can help you with?"
"Ahhhhh, not really" -the Chinese teen shrugged- "It's just......stuff. But thanks anyway" -the tiger motioned to take the computer and leave the room.
But when he was about to stand and walk towards his room, his sight fell on the serious expressions of his three friends.
Takao, Max and Kenny exchanged glances, and the same Chief took the word.
"Are you going to tell us the truth now, Rei? We've been patient, waiting for the moment you felt right to tell us"
"Truth? What truth?" -Rei repeated, not comprehending.
"You've been very distant lately" -Takao started- "We've been talking about it, you know, we can take in some details too. And we kind of think you've been worried about whatever stuff Kai has told you"
That left Rei dumbstruck. He gaped for a second, no words coming out.
They had noticed it, after all. However, he tried to sneak out of it.
"Stuff? I ...don't really get what you're talking about" -he stammered. Man, he was a lousy liar.
"It's okay, Rei" -Max tried to calm things down- "You don't have to tell us if Kai doesn't want. We're just worried for both of you now.....and Rei, please don't try to deny 'coz it would hurt us if you don't trust us"
The Chinese boy let his shoulders slumped- "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad" -he said, taking a sit again- "Yes, you're right, I've been very thoughtful these past days"
"Can we help in some sort of way?" -the smaller boy asked.
"I'm sure you can. The little problem is that I don't how" -Rei admitted, then he sighed in frustration- "Man, I don't even know what's been worrying me! It's just, there's something I can't put my finger on ...I must sound very stupid"
"No" -the dragon shook his head. Then let out a small smile- "Well, maybe a little. Don't you think it would help if you tell us what's happening?"
"It's very contradictory, to say the truth" -Rei started- "I had always thought how nice it would be if we could, you know, crack open Kai's shell, make him talk and things like that. I've always tried, in some slight or tricky way, to coax him to tell us about him......"
"Don't need to elaborate there, dude, we have taken note of that" -the tortoise cut Rei, giving him a smile.
"Go on" -Kenny urged.
"Well, the point is that, when we were back in the lodge, I tried a direct approach" -in his mind, the tiger thought for an instant how weird that sounded, like if he had tried to hit on the captain or something. He resumed his talking- "I spent some time talking to him, offering the team's support if he wanted people to trust in, and offering my friendship in case he needed it"
"And he kindly told you to get lost?" -the dragon said.
"Aa. Very similar" -Rei smiled a little- "But the thing is that I tried again, when I found him in the dorm patching his wound. I could tell my sincerity had left him surprised and still sort of confused, because after a moment of reluctance, he allowed me to help him out with the bandages" -Rei preferred to skip the part of the upgraded metabolism for the time being- "And, brace yourselves, he held a conversation with me for a while"
"Wow" -Takao said, his mouth shaped in an O - "And you're still alive to tell the story, pal"
"Aa" -the yellow-eyed boy nodded- "I had thought I would be happy to learn about him, but guess that was the contradictory part. The few things he has told me, are just either sad or perturbing......." -the boy halted for a minute, looking seriously at his teammates- "You gotta promise you won't comment this in front of him. He would kill me first and then come for you"
The three boys held up their hands as in a vow.
"Okay" -the dark-haired blader sighed- "Kai's an orphan, like me......."
"I sensed that" -Max said with sad blue eyes- "The way he rejects everyone, it's like he never had someone close to him"
"Was he raised in an orphanage then?" -Takao asked.
"No" -Rei said, but then thought it over- "Well, I don't think so. He told me he has a legal tutor, his supposed to be grandfather, Hiwatari. I suppose that, having a tutor, he couldn't be in an orphanage home. But he also told me his grandfather hadn't raised him. For what I caught on his words, he doesn't feel any affection for this man, and it seems the sentiment is mutual"
"At least we know now where his last name comes from" -Kenny pointed out- "I wonder what kind of man is this Hiwatari-sama, who adopts a kid and doesn't care about him"
"That's exactly the part which makes me worry" -Rei exclaimed- "Kai mentioned something about his grandfather contacting him for some reasons Kai didn't want to explain me. In fact, he got pretty tensed up when I asked more about Hiwatari. Guess he doesn't like to talk about him"
"Could this be connected to the way he's been paying so much attention to his surroundings?" -Takao mused- "I mean, during the trip, he stared all the way long through the bus window. When we got to the airport, he looked around every now and then. When we got here, he was also studying every hall and room we stepped in"
"Takao, you impress me" -the Chief exclaimed at the dragon's words.
"Well, he can be very mindful sometimes" -Max said, giving his roommate a flattering smile. Takao smiled back.
"You're right" -the tiger agreed- "He has spent the nights watching over the balcony too" -he told the others- "And I am sure there's something stressing him up, he's preoccupied about.....about.....a thing I don't know yet"
"That's why you asked me Dizzy?" -Kenny questioned- "Did you find some data we could use to investigate, or did he tell you something else while you were talking a moment ago?"
"Hmmm, we didn't really talk about his past anymore. He asked me not to question him about it, he repeated almost three times that it was dangerous for me" -the tiger sighed- "And sure I learnt that"
Max's eyes lit up with a sudden revelation.
"Kai hit you?!"
"No! No!" -Rei shook his head, but then amended the sentence- "Well, actually yes. But it was not on purpose!" -he added rapidly.
"Lie" -Takao spat out, with mild anger- "You don't hit someone square on the face and say it was an accident"
"Wait, guys, hear me out" -Rei replied. He didn't want the others to get mad at Kai for something the phoenix hadn't meant- "I provoked it. It was partly my fault. I was just trying to show him we cared about him, and somehow ended up hugging him. I guess I startled him quite a lot.
He sort of snapped away and pushed me back. The blow was unintentional, and I didn't have time to duck it. That's all"
Rei was twisting the truth in Kai's favor, because he knew perfectly well that Kai HAD meant to deliver the blow, very intentionally. But the fact was that Rei also knew he didn't mean to hit Rei, so he said just a partial truth.
For some reason, Max watched carefully his Chinese friend, and then nodded.
"Okay, Rei. We believe you" -he said, with that smile and soft voice of his that dissipated anger off the air.
"Anyway, Rei, don't you think it was kind of imprudent on your part to do that?" -the Chief wondered- "Sure, we trust Kai, but we also know he's not the friendly, touchy type. I think you went a little too far with that"
Rei gulped at the comment.
He knew that.
Why he had done it then?
'God, I'm starting to suspect this I feel is not simple friendship' -the tiger felt his cheeks pinking up nicely.
Takao and Kenny quirked their eyebrows, wondering why all of a sudden, Rei had found the rug soooo interesting, that he couldn't rip his glance away from it.
The always supportive blonde of the team came to the rescue.
"So, what was it that you found out and wanted to investigate on the net, Rei?"
The blader with the Chinese white suit gazed gratefully at the tortoise. The change of topic was perfect.
"Something very fishy, really" -the boy answered- "And that's what makes me worry more. I think Kai's deep into some serious problem. I followed him to a desolate side of the park, and two very intimidating men halted him. Kai seemed to knew them, 'cause he didn't run away and........."
Rei continued explaining the way Kai had told them to leave, the way the men threatened the blader and even the discussion both teammates had have after that.
"It's very preoccupant indeed" -the dragon mused- "Could those men have been trying to kidnap him?"
"No, Rei said Kai knew them" -Max replied.
"I think it's something to do with his grandfather" -Rei opined- "I want the laptop to look for Hiwatari's information"
"Well then, lets get working" -the Chief said, opening it.
To Be Continued........
A/N: There you go. For the ones who said they missed the other 3 breakers. Yes, you're right, i had spent to much time only with Kai and Rei.
But, also for the ones asking for a bit of flufness between the Phoenix and Tiger, fasten your seatbelts, and GIVE me a REVIEW PLEASE! Only then, you can go and.........READ the 11 chapter, which is being posted.............right NOW!!
Happy March, my birthday month, people!!!