A/N: Well I'm glad at least one person likes my mindless dribble. I really appreciate it and thank each and every one of you. :) Somebody feel free to let me know if I jump around too much. I know I started a bunch of tangents to go off of. I hope you trust me enough to tie them all together eventually. Maybe after a few more random tangents. Haha! I love you guys…

Chapter 9: Act Re-Act

Continuous thought over Tyson's behaviors since moving in as well as finding out about my and Kai's relationship had led me to believe that I knew who his possible "crush" was…all TOO well. As much as I wanted to resist such conclusions, it was difficult to deny; especially considering Max's reluctance to speak on the issue and his growing uneasiness at approaching me with the subject. The answer was really quite simple.

It was me.

Reaching this notion had been relatively easy and painfully obvious. I could slap myself for not realizing it sooner or even in the moment that the insinuation of a crush had been introduced. But there it was now, blinding me with its clarity. The way Tyson was so adamant to bash Kai openly in front of me. The intervention. The invites to practically everywhere, including travelling to work when he could more conveniently travel with Kai. The discomfort over Kai and I's affection towards one another. His curiosity. It was all so, so apparent.

It hurt.

To think that I could be so blind and inconsiderate to my friend's feelings. That I blatantly flaunted and purposely provoked him with our open exploitations. I had egged Kai into doing the same, declaring it an 'experiment' when in reality it was just a mean and unnecessary spectacle that created a rift of resentment between us. No wonder Tyson was always so vehement these days. It was cruel. Too cruel for me to continue without feeling more terrible than I already do for even starting it.

And so, here I am, taking a detour from my regular routine and schedule, to walk here. Even if I couldn't approach Tyson about all this without starting something entirely different, I COULD approach Kai. I needed to tell him my thoughts and ask for a better solution than just avoiding Tyson altogether, which was impossible anyway. Besides, we needed to talk about Max's little secret too.

Man, this place is a lot different when you walk in without a request to be there. I feel like everyone is staring at me. Is there something in my hair?

I brush a hand through my hair as if to make sure and then straighten my shirt unconsciously.

"Hey Ray! Long time no see!" one of the secretaries waves over at me. I smile back at her and quickly stop my fidgeting.

"Oh Ray! You look great! How've you been?" another secretary greets me after my presence had been called to her attention. Before I can say anything in response to either of them, three more people approach me and offer me their hellos.

"Good to see you around, Ray."

"Almost got the whole crew here today, eh? Get into any trouble lately?"

"Ray, you totally gotta talk to Tyson about 'professionalism'. He totally doesn't get it." An eye-roll.

I laugh. I take back my statement indicating that this is uncomfortable. It's strangely relaxing when everybody knows your name. I pass by a few more vaguely familiar faces wandering the hallways and exchange brief 'hello's' before I step into the elevator and take it up to the third floor. I could see how this wouldn't be such a bad place to work.

I hear the ding before the doors open and step out into the new hallway. This one has much less people in it and the ones that are, don't look nearly as cheery. Okay, so maybe it's not as great as it seems on the outside. I wonder why the atmosphere is so different up here.

I send a few nods to a couple of guys looking over the vending machines tiredly and make my way to the office at the end of the hallway. The secretary there looks up as she hears my entrance and eyes me curiously, not quite sure what to make of me.

"You lost?" she asks me critically. I smile to lessen the tension and shake my head.

"Um, hello. I'm here to see Kai?" I answer and she immediately nods her head towards a chair.

"Mr. Hiwatari is in a meeting but it should be over shortly."

"Thanks." I obey her silent request and take a seat in one of the chairs lined up against the wall behind the door. Having Kai addressed in such a manner only made me feel small and I wondered if he cringed internally every time he heard his name spoken that way. He had never struck me as one for such formalities. Especially since he seemed to stray from all the appropriate rules and guidelines that he was supposed to follow. He had always made his own rules, even when he was doing what he was told.

"I'm going to go find some coffee. You want anything?" the secretary asks as she stands up. I shake my head and she shrugs. "Suit yourself." She exits, closing the door behind her and I am left alone to ponder why I am starting to feel like a child waiting to see a doctor for a checkup.

A few minutes later the door slams open, fast, and nearly crushes my fingers as it hits the chair. Good thing my cat-like reflexes are fully intact, as I manage to stand up and move away before any harm could be done.

"That doesn't make any sense at all! Hiro, listen. You gotta talk to them. They listen to you," Tyson bursts out in to the room as exuberant as ever, and completely oblivious to my presence or his attempt to cut off my extremities.

"Tyson, the condition of the microwave isn't what a staff meeting is meant for. Write a note for the janitor or the director. Sheesh." Hiro comes into view behind him but he doesn't enter the room, instead stopping in the doorway. On some level I am surprised to see him after so long but that thought is relinquished almost as quickly as it had appeared. He does work here too after all. Quite closely with Kai if I remember correctly.

Unlike his brother, he notices my presence right away and turns away from the annoying outburst to offer me a hand in greeting.

"Ray! You don't happen to be here for a job, do ya?"

I take the hand and smile.

"Not today," I laugh off the mere idea.

"Pity." He sends me a sympathetic look and goes on his way, trying to hide the pain on his face from the headache he probably had. Tyson, following his brother's consideration, lingers behind.

"Yo, Ray! Listen! I found this really awesome place I wanted to try for lunch, wanna come?"

"Well actually…" I look past him at Kai as he finally makes his entrance into the room.

"But you're gonna love it! Kai's buying. He already owes me from earlier," he beams. Kai just shakes his head and crosses to his office.

"Umm…" I debate my options in this situation, wondering whether to just ignore Tyson and follow or to show some sort of politeness and at least decline properly. Kai seems to already know that leaving such a decision to myself is trouble and grabs my arm, pulling me into the room with him.

"Good-bye Tyson," he salutes and closes the door behind us. He stands next to me for a minute, letting out a heavy breath and seemingly counting to 10 before he relaxes and walks over to his desk to sit down at his computer to work. I watch him a minute, undecided on what to do next.

"Kai?" I ask hesitantly, if only to remind him that I am still there. He doesn't respond and I start to feel out of place and intrusive, which is ridiculous since he was the one who had invited me in to begin with. However, he was obviously busy even if he hadn't told me to leave. I take that to mean that I'm not unwanted but he had other things that needed attention first. So instead of bothering him further, I take the opportunity to wander around a bit, looking over the plaques and posters on the walls. My eyes find a picture resting comfortably on a small shelf and stop. It was framed nicely but was noticeably old based on its discoloration and the frayed edges that were visible under the glass. It was a picture of us. The five of us. The first picture they took after we had won the World Championships the first time. Without realizing it, my hand drifts up to touch it.

Everyone was so different back then. THINGS were different back then.

"Seems like forever ago, huh?" Kai's voice halts me and makes me withdrawal embarrassed. I turn to find him watching me and he smiles. I return the smile, the uneasiness of being caught dissipating at his friendly reception.

"If you had this why'd you bring home that terrible painting? This was more what I meant," I motion towards the picture fondly.

"Oh, you mean you don't like the painting I made?" he scowls as if he's hurt by my words.

"You made that?" I stare at him in disbelief, starting to feel a bit panicked.

"Yeah. I have to express myself somehow, don't I?"

"Oh man, well I can't say I didn't LIKE it. Not really anyway. It's just that…"

"Relax," he stops me before I get too carried away with my apology. "I bought it at an Estate Sale. It was only a few dollars." I let out a big breath of relief and chuckle.

"Okay, I hate it," I admit openly.

"Yeah, me too," he agrees, shrugging it off before going back to his work.

"So why did you buy it?" I ask incredulously.

"Because you asked me to. I was being facetious."

"Hn." I shake my head and walk over to his desk, putting my palms down on the edge and leaning over him. "What are you working on?" I change the subject, acting as if I would understand it. I might in a way but if he got too technical it would sound like the gibberish Kenny spouts all the time. I am actually surprised at how much Tyson has started to sound that way too. When I overhear his talking to Max or Kai he spouts things just as technical and gibberish-y. Was it possible that he was learning something here?

"Just work, nothing special." Kai seems to know my thoughts and waves it off nonchalantly. He shuffles through a few papers, types something into his computer and looks back up. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to? Did I forget your birthday?" I snort and move away from the desk to sit down in a chair that's a few paces away.

"Not yet but I'll be sure to be a complete drama queen when you do so you never forget again," I throw back teasingly.

"Please do," he replies coyly before completely refocusing on his work again.

"I just wanted to talk. Well ask. Or maybe address. I'm not sure about exact phrasing…" I look up at the ceiling as if thinking and I catch the bemused look he sends me in response to my mindless yammering. I smile playfully and meet his eyes. "Are you free enough for lunch? You get one of those right? I'd understand if you aren't though. No pressure." I try to sound laid back and non-persuasive but he knows I'm toying with him and responds in much the same way.

"I don't know. I'm a busy person, after all…"

As if to prove his point, even if he was joking, the door opens timidly.

"Mr. Hiwatari, Mr. Makoto is on the phone. He says it's urgent."

"Thanks," Kai rolls his eyes and she smiles warily before bowing and closing the door again. "It's a freakin' kid's game, how 'urgent' can it be?" he grumbles. He picks up the phone angrily and pushes a button. "Hello, Mr. Makoto?" he questions gruffly. "I heard this was 'urgent'?" His attempt to be polite doesn't mask his mocking tone on the last word or his irritation of the situation. I decide that this is probably a private matter and I shouldn't be sitting here eavesdropping, so I stand up to leave. I send a quick, reassuring smile at him to let him know I'd be right outside when he was done. He doesn't like this choice and stands up to stop me. "Wait. Ray. Just… No! I told you yesterday that that wouldn't work. The trajectory is all off. I sent you the modifications. Did you not understand?" I hesitate, unsure of what to do as his mood seems to play volleyball with itself. "Ugh, well that's not my fault. Take it up with Granger. I told you I didn't want to be invol…" He twitches and as I watch him get more and more frustrated, I get an idea. "I don't care which one." I smirk and sneak my way around the back of his chair, making sure he's completely distracted by how annoyed he is to notice. I place my hands on his shoulders and massage them smoothly as the tension around him seems to keep building up. He is startled at first, trying to move away before he realizes what I am doing but his conversation becomes more important than my advances. "This whole project wasn't even a part of my department." He growls before I feel him start to relax and he sits back down. Soon after, the tone of his voice changes to match the tension leaving his shoulders. "I understand, sir." He closes his eyes. "Yes, sir. I'll make sure he knows." He hangs up the phone and moves back into my touch to better appreciate it. He lets out a contented sigh and opens his eyes to look up at me. "How about that lunch?"

"Well…if you're too busy…" I start to drift away, which he responds to by grabbing my wrist and pulling me down so he can trap me from leaving, so I drape my other arm over his shoulder and hug him loosely.

"I can be persuaded…" he smirks before tilting his head to kiss the amusement right off my face.

"Gross. Are you guys ever not fooling around?" Tyson enters the room without bothering to knock. I try to pull away instantly but Kai increases his hold, keeping me in place and not losing the teasing smirk he has from making me flustered. My uncomfortableness only grows because of my recent understanding of Tyson's feelings and I persist, managing to loosen the hold slightly but not enough to be released. Tyson drops a handful of menus onto Kai's desk and plops down in the chair I had used before.

"Don't be jealous," Kai replies audaciously, continuing to ignore him and still trying to keep me from pulling away again, but I successfully push him back and take a few steps away. He sulks but turns back to Tyson anyway.

Tyson blushes and Kai quirks an eyebrow, not quite expecting such a reaction. Me, not being surprised anymore, blushes myself and tries to hide it by covering my face with a hand.

"I'm…n…not jealous. That's ridiculous!" Tyson protests. Kai studies him judgingly before giving me a look and turning away, suddenly annoyed again.

"What do you want anyway?" he asks Tyson dryly. Tyson growls at the tone and motions to the menus he had placed in front of us.

"Lunch!" he replies delightfully. "I told you, you owe me!" Kai looks up at the ceiling as if to keep himself from saying something bitter. I was nonplused at why he would be taking such a precaution but what he said next was even more perplexing.

"Fine, but if I owe you then it's your choice right?" he sends Tyson a tired look and I toss a few glances between them as Tyson jumps up victoriously.

"Yes! I know the perfect place! Ray, you're gonna love it! I knew you'd see it my way, Kai." He rushes over to give Kai a quick pinch on the cheek and whirlwinds out of the office. "I'll meet you guys outside!" He calls, followed by a crash, an apology and a tired sigh from the secretary as he moves on.

"What was that about? You really owe him lunch?" I look at Kai confused and a little put off. I had wanted to spend our lunch alone so we could discuss everything that was going on, Tyson tagging along made that difficult. Not only that but it was unusual for Kai to go along with Tyson's frolics, much less something where he owed Tyson anyway. It just seemed an unlikely scenario under any circumstances.

He makes a noise of ungratefulness before gathering up the piles on his desk into a neat stack and sliding them into a drawer and locking it.

"Yeah. Just a friendly game I never should have agreed to. He's too damn lucky for his own good." He stands and turns towards me, ready to leave, but seeing the look of suspicion I had failed to hide from my face, he crosses his arms and remains stationary instead. "Don't look at me like that. He told me you had a similar situation this morning. Or was he lying about that?"

I roll my eyes to the side and relax into a fatigued pout.

"Thanks for reminding me. I'm still trying to figure out how to get out of that one…"

"Maybe this is an opportunity to get him to lay off," Kai offers as a comfort. I snort at the thought but nod in agreement.

"Let's give it our best shot." I throw out my apprehension of going along with them before I get to properly discuss things with Kai, and follow. And not only was nothing resolved, lunch became something much more interesting than meaningless conversation and idle banter.

I had never considered Kai as a possible candidate for Tyson's affection. Whenever Tyson regarded him, he acted like he hated him; like he was poisonous. I guess there IS that saying that there's a fine line between love and hate. The obsession of hating someone can consume the mind until it's all you think about. Then, it's just a matter of time before your feelings become something different. Sitting here watching Tyson's body language and the way his eyes lit up when he was teasing Kai and getting away with it, I couldn't deny the probability.

The implication made me feel awkward. Not because I ever thought Kai would respond to his advances if they became more sensual, but because Tyson was very good at invading personal space and making it look innocent. In those cases, it was often overlooked and brushed aside, even by Kai. Not only that, but Tyson was always around. Avoiding him, his presence, his voice, his…overpowering personality, was not easy. For anyone. And they worked together. Him and Kai. I was much more comfortable thinking that I was the object of Tyson's affection. Kai, was a whole different story.

Subconsciously, I move closer to Kai, even despite our rather 'public' meeting place. I wanted to put whatever unwelcome feelings that watching the two of them exchange insults was bringing up inside my gut. At first, neither of them notice the movement, being too preoccupied with their quarreling. However, that sneakiness was shattered when my hand drops onto Kai's leg and stays there. He stops his protest to whatever Tyson had pushed on to him to look over at me, his discomfort clear on his face but no other movement was made to call attention to my bold gesture.

I try to act natural, like it was a mistake made on purpose, which just leads him to watch me closely as I shift and remove the hand to grab a cup of water.

I still feel his eyes studying me as I look away and casually take a sip.

"What's wrong, Kai? Did you not hear me?" Tyson raises his voice to catch Kai's attention back. The eyes linger on me a moment before shifting back to Tyson.

"Yeah," Kai snarls.

I take my napkin from my lap and stand up before either of them starts another fight.

"Sorry to bail but I gotta get back to class. I'll cya guys at home." I nod at Tyson and squeeze Kai's shoulder as I pass by him, making sure Tyson is paying attention when I do. It is really ironic that only an hour or so ago I had dedicated myself to making him less uncomfortable around us and now all I wanted was to make him as uncomfortable as possible. I feel the eyes on me again but ignore them, (as well as my face heating up), and continue to the exit without looking back.

I start to feel sick.

If Tyson liked Kai, what did that mean for us? If it HAD been me that he liked, we could work it out. Our friendship might become a little weird but we could at least compromise or find a way to get used to it. We could talk it through and everything could work out. But Kai? Kai was mine. Well, as much mine as Kai could be. I had a feeling that me suddenly becoming possessive would lead Kai to feel trapped and eventually to him pulling away, which on all levels was NOT what I wanted. And it would totally ruin my friendship with Tyson if I decided to start treating him differently, possibly even negatively. But what was I supposed to do?

Even the fresh air wasn't enough to calm me down. It all felt suffocating and I didn't know why. It wasn't like Tyson had openly admitted to anything. I was basing ALL of my conclusions on a secondhand story that was completely incomplete. Who was to say that Tyson even liked either of us? Or even a guy? He had made no move to suggest so. He'd been nothing but himself around either of us. So why did I feel so paranoid? Was it Max's confession? If Max liked Tyson, then what was stopping me from believing that Tyson liked Kai? It wasn't completely farfetched, but I was still letting my thoughts get the best of me with no real proof.

Besides, it wasn't like Tyson would have a shot with Kai anyway…right? Sure, Kai tolerated him way more than he would ever tolerate anyone else who approached him in such ways. And sure, they were together practically 24 hours a day. But none of that means anything. That's just my insecurity talking…

"What was that about?" Kai startles me from behind and I jump. I spin around to find him right behind me, arms crossed, critical look on his face, watching everything I do with total attentiveness.

I grip my shirt over my chest, my heart not ready to slow down yet from the surprise.

"You scared me," I state the obvious, before dropping my hands and taking a small step towards him. "What happened to Tyson?" I look behind him, expecting the other boy to be on his heels or somewhere else close by.

"Bathroom. That doesn't answer my question." I cringe. I didn't want to start a fight but I didn't want to talk about this here. Not when Tyson would be there any second to interrupt and probably make things more complicated than they needed to be.

"It's nothing," I reply, giving the door behind him a nervous glance that betrayed my affirmation. "I really gotta go. Talk later?" I smile and turn to leave, rushing through any communication that he might have in response.

"Ray." He stops me dead in my tracks. I turn back around, slowly, and with substantial guilt displayed on my face.

"It's really nothing." I shake my head as if it will make him agree with me. The door opens, producing Tyson and I take another step forward, grabbing onto Kai's arm. "Just trying to get through this day so I can see you again." I smile again but much less fake and much more seductive. Totally lame. I have no idea what I was even thinking with a line like that. I can see the gears working inside his head as he doesn't buy it either, but Tyson jumps on him before he can tell me to try again. The action makes me release him and turn away again, taking the distraction as my way to escape. Without acknowledging the twinge of jealousy, the desire to clobber Tyson, or the want to permanently attach myself to Kai's hip, I make my way back to the bus stop and the escape of being consumed with school.

Something was seriously wrong if I felt that school was a "safe" place, and yet there I was, wanting it way more than facing Kai at that moment. I knew I would have to tell him everything anyway. And as much as that had been my original goal, I had a feeling there was nothing but trouble waiting for me when I got home and did just that.