Author Note: Gonna dedicate this to those of you who have stuck with us despite the delays and continued to review our story. Also to the people who have visited our facebook page and clicked like. Your continued support is what keeps this story going.
The link to our facebook page is on our profile. The facebook page is where you can be notified of things like the exclusive Cold Competition Puzzles and when we're planning to upload another chapter, also about the updates of the Abridged version of Cold Competition. There are also some pictures of us two cosplaying Naruto on there and some of Dragon's Beyblade pictures. Hope to see more of you over there and thanks to all people who have liked the page.
Beyblade (c) Takao Aoki
Between Two Realms
Chapter Ten
"So what was it?" Hilary asked Kai curiously when he returned to the kitchen.
"Them being prats," Kai muttered, leaning against the wall and folding his arms.
"Why am I not surprised?" Hilary commented with an exasperated shake of her head.
"Did you put the cayenne pepper away?" Ray suddenly asked her. "It was right there a moment ago." He began to move toward the cupboard to check.
"Yeah, I took care of it," Hilary answered quickly, too quickly. Ray looked at her and lifted an eyebrow. "Okay, I decided some payback was in order," Hilary admitted and turned to retrieve two bowls from behind her. Both bowls had red powder about a centimetre deep lying in the bottom of them.
Seeing the evil red stuff Kai shuddered slightly and looked away. "I don't even want to know."
"Tyson and Daichi are going to eat it," Hilary informed him with a dark chuckle.
"Hn. Good luck with that," Kai commented.
"They're gonna spit that out as soon as it touches their tongues, you know that, right?" Ray asked her.
"ANYWAY," Hilary began loudly to cut off any further comments, "I'm thinking something dairy-based for dessert. How does a nice sweet milk pudding sound?"
"Hey that sounds good," Ray agreed, seemingly falling for her little distraction. "Of course, this wouldn't by any chance be to use up the milk, would it?" Ray asked her, proving that he hadn't really forgotten the topic.
"Perish the thought!" Hilary exclaimed in mock-innocence. Ray gave a somewhat suspicious hum of acceptance before grabbing the mortar and pestle. "What do you need that for?" Hilary asked.
"To show you how to really burn someone's mouth," Ray answered as he tipped the chilli pepper seeds into it.
"That's positively evil. Let me do it!"
"Be my guest," Ray replied, handing them over. "I don't really want to get it on my finger anyway."
"Kai, see if you can find anything else for them, please," Hilary requested sweetly as she looked up at the Russian. Puffing out a sigh, Kai reluctantly moved away from the wall to do as Hilary asked. But his mind was elsewhere.
"Penny for your thoughts," Ray asked him as he moved back to his previous task of chopping carrots, Or this way if you prefer? What's eating you?
Kai paused briefly in what he was doing. It doesn't matter... he decided on.
Ray paused and looked at Kai before going back to what he was doing. I know I've been a real pain in the ass lately, but if you change your mind and want to talk about it, I'm here.
It's not that big a deal... Kai lied. Don't worry about it, Ray.
Ray smiled a little. Does it ever work when I tell you not to worry?
You already know the answer to that question, Kai retorted, rolling his eyes. So I really don't need to answer it.
Ray couldn't help but laugh a little at the answer. Well, the offer still stands if you change your mind.
Kai nodded slightly, Maybe later, yeah?
Ray smiled again, this one more than just amused, and nodded his head, Yeah, he agreed.
000
The group stayed at Johnny's estate for another couple of days and thankfully there was no more drama. But as their holiday came to an end they made the decision to split up again. Ray needed to get back to his home town and Kai would be going with him. Max decided that he wanted to go and visit his mom in America, while Tyson and Kenny were happy enough to return to Japan.
That just left Tala, Hilary and Cassie. Cassie was happy to go wherever Tala went and the older Russian had decided that he wanted to keep an eye on Kai for a while longer. Hilary also wanted to spend more time with Kai and was keen to see Mariah again. So the decision was made.
The group travelled down by train to London, after Mr Dickenson organised their individual flights and spent one final day together before heading to the airport. Kai had treated Hilary to a shopping spree around London so she could buy some extra clothes and had even paid for Cassie's shopping as well when he found out Tala was running low on the travellers cheques he'd brought with him. It wasn't like Kai was pushed for cash anyway. He was the heir to a multi-million company after all. But that didn't matter to him. He liked to treat Hilary and he didn't want Cassie to feel left out because she couldn't afford anything. So after making sure it was definitely okay with him, the girls took full advantage of their situation. Kai ended up having to pay extra baggage allowances for the flight, but he merely shrugged and did so.
With everyone checking in to their respective gates, the group said goodbye and parted. It wasn't long after that Ray, Kai, Tala, Hilary and Cassie heard their flight being called and boarded their plane, next stop; Hong Kong, China.
000
After their arrival in Hong Kong, the group decided to wait until the next day before setting out for White Tiger Hills as it was quite a long journey and the girls weren't as used to such long hikes as the boys.
Word reached the village that they were on their way before they got there and so they were met along the way by Ray's team. All of whom were glad to see both Ray and Kai again, though very surprised by the change in Ray. Ray assured them that he would tell them all about it later, but that he really needed to see Tao as soon as possible. Lee, Mariah, Gary and Kevin accompanied them the rest of the way and Mariah soon joined the conversation with Hilary and Cassie.
As they neared the top of a hill which would provide a view of the village, Ray quietly reminded Tala that it was a small village, aware that some people found villagers of such rural areas to be annoying, and not wanting there to be any unpleasant surprises that would reflect badly on his home.
Tala actually smiled slightly and reassured Ray that he would be fine and that he was actually looking forward to experiencing what it was like at Ray's hometown first-hand. It was actually very similar to how Kai had been when he first journeyed to White Tiger Hills.
"They will stare a lot," Ray added as an afterthought. "We still don't get that many people up here so it's not common to see strangers."
"Being stared at isn't exactly something I'm not used to," Tala replied. "It's fine. Don't worry, Ray."
"He's mainly concerned about the ones who call out," Mariah commented. "If you want my advice, don't respond to them. It only makes them laugh."
"Not a problem," Tala replied.
"You know there's a lot of gossip going on right?" Kevin put in, grinning, "Everybody knows everybody here and they're going to ta-"
"You know, we can give you a tour," Lee interrupted the smaller blader, "Including Kevin's tree."
"It's Kevin's tree now, is it?" Ray asked.
"Lee tied him to it five more times while you've been away," Mariah spoke up, "So basically, yeah. It's his tree."
"Oh?" Kai asked, amused. "How did you escape, Kevin? Or did someone else come along and end up rescuing you like I did?"
"I got help," Kevin answered, seeming to deflate. "I had to promise to do favours for them in return."
"Tell him who you owe the favours to, Kevin," Mariah prompted in amusement.
"Bruce..." Kevin muttered sourly.
"And what's the agreement?" Mariah continued, clearly not letting Kevin off the hook.
Kevin gave a long suffering sigh, "I have to do his chores for a month, as well as my own, by myself."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Bruce?" he asked. "You don't mean the guy you called 'Mr Failure' do you?" Kevin nodded miserably prompting a laugh, which was quickly muffled with hands, from Ray. "Ouch," Kai commented. "That's karma for you."
"He has to be nicer to Bruce too," Mariah informed Kai. "Of course, we all found it hilarious."
Kai smirked. "I can imagine." As they neared the village, he started glancing around hesitantly. "Tao's probably gonna pop out from somewhere any minute now."
"And leave us completely confused with some completely random comment, as usual," Ray agreed. "Like bees returning to a hive or something."
"Ah, but bees buzz along casually, while ants always have a destination in mind," Tao announced from where he was sitting on a branch of a tree that stood above the group. He smiled down at the teenagers. "Ants leave the nest to gather what they need, but often return with little to show for it. Just like you young workers, who have come back to the nest in search of what it was you could not find." He laughed. "Am I right as rain?"
Kai sweat dropped. "He's got a screw loose," he muttered.
Ray grinned at Kai before facing Tao. "Actually, to be exact, we found more than we went looking for and that's why we- why I need your help, Sensei."
Tao tapped his stick on the ground thoughtfully then smiled. "Help I shall give. However, this will also be time for the student to educate the master."
"Is he always so...like that?" Cassie asked Mariah in a whisper.
"Every day," Mariah answered while she and her teammates all sweat-dropped. "I've said it before, I'll say it again. I think we need a new Sensei."
Ray glanced at her briefly before focusing on Tao again. "I have got a lot to tell you about. Kai and I have been to the Demon Council."
Tao nodded. "That I am aware of. Fabian paid us a visit just a few days ago, telling me you had been there. However, he insisted that you be the ones to give me the details and not him."
Ray nodded before looking up as a cat ran over to join them. "Hullo, Yin," he greeted, catching her she jumped up to him. "I'll introduce you guys to her when she's more comfortable around you," Ray commented to Tala, Hilary and Cassie. Tao beckoned them to follow him, wanting to get right down to business. They had a lot to talk about. The group followed after him. Mariah spoke with Hilary and Cassie, telling them about Yin, what she was and about how she was shy.
000
Reaching his home, Tao asked to speak with Ray and Kai alone suggesting that the other White Tigers make arrangements for their guests. Mariah took Yin from Ray and headed out the door telling Hilary and Cassie they could stay with her and left Lee, Gary and Kevin with Tala, who took the Russian 'back to base' with them, or in more exact terms, Ray's place. Along the way they informed him it would be the first place Kai and Ray headed once they were done. Ray watched them leave and turned back to face Tao.
Tao sat down and placed his stick across his lap, indicating for the two boys left to sit down in front of him, "Alright. Tell me everything that has happened. Ray, you start."
Ray nodded and thought for a moment before he began to tell Tao all he knew, starting with his encounter with the Panthers and his throwing the bucket at Omar. He told Tao about the first attack of the Tytos, about snapping at Kai in France after receiving the news of his father, about his mood following that up to breaking point with the argument and fight with Kai. Ray's last comments were on the second attack of the Tytos and returning to the Demon Realm and T'rok's advice. "And he said I should come to you," Ray finished.
Tao nodded. "Wise, he is. There is no point in you trying to shape something that is unstable, without guidance. Even if the jigsaw has one mystery piece left to be placed."
I swear my brain just died...Kai commented through the link. Face it, Ray. Your sensei must be on drugs.
Don't forget he taught you too, Ray pointed out. By the way, what d'you think he'll say if I pull a Tyson by laying it on thick and act like his riddles are stressing me out?
I think he'll just start spewing more of them, Kai replied.
Tao clapped his hands together. "Come now. Don't be so rude and keep your conversations to yourselves. It's nice to share."
"I'm just a little... apprehensive about it all," Ray replied, hesitating as he searched for the appropriate word. It wasn't exactly what he and Kai had been discussing, but it wasn't exactly lying either because it was the reason behind his comment to the Russian. "I'd always had much better control of myself and then that was suddenly gone. I think it's left me feeling a little lost too."
Kai placed a hand on Ray's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "Which is why we're here," he said. "You're feeling exactly how I felt after my change. So now I can help you out, like you did me. With Tao's guidance, as confusing as it can be, we'll get you there, Ray."
Tao smiled proudly at his two students. "Well said."
"Thanks," Ray responded sincerely, before laughing a little. "It's funny but Hilary did actually ask how what I was going through was any different to yours. Of course, at the time I had no idea, it was the night before you told me. But of course you'll know how I'm feeling."
Kai smirked a little, removing his hand, "Yeah. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. You'll be fine."
"Right as rain on a summer's day when the snow covers everything and nothing," Tao agreed with a nod.
"..." Kai shook his head and ran a messy hand through his bangs, "Whatever you say, Tao."
"I think I just lost about fifty brain cells," Ray deadpanned quietly. "I think it's something about a reference to order coming out of chaos but I'm too tired for this right now."
"Same," Kai agreed.
"In that case, go and rest," Tao told Ray. "I will speak with Kai and then he will be free to go too. We'll begin training after breakfast tomorrow."
Ray agreed to this and thanked Tao with a respectful bow before leaving with the words 'my place' to Kai as he went. Kai made a small sound of acknowledgement as Ray left and then spoke with Tao for almost another hour, making sure to cover everything that had happened. He spoke of Ray's situation as well as his own, giving Tao enough information to come to a full understanding. When he was satisfied, Tao dismissed Kai and the Russian returned to Ray's place.
000
By the time Kai got to Ray's, the girls were there too, including Kathleen, and the place was quiet. Lee seemed agitated and Ray looked almost like he was caught between feeling guilty and feeling defensive. Mariah and Kevin seemed to be in a state of confused disbelief and Kathleen was looking a little apprehensive. It was hard to read Gary, but he didn't seem to approve of the situation.
Kai raised an eyebrow when he entered, then glanced at Ray. How are they taking it?
Me being full demon isn't really that big a deal because I'm still me. Lee's pissed about the Panthers right now, Ray informed Kai.
Kai rolled his eyes. Why did you even mention them right now? You know that's bound to set him off.
They wanted to know what's been happening, Ray offered with a slight shrug.
"Why, Ray," Lee asked, stressing the why. "Make me understand. After everything they've done, why the hell would you be worried about them? Especially that little runt. You wanted to beat him to a pulp after what he said about Kai!"
"I did throw a bucket of water at him," Ray told Lee earning laughter from Kevin.
"Ray, you're missing the point entirely," Lee pointed out, shooting Kevin a look which meant shut up. "With their track record, after everything they've done to us, to YOU, you're only likely to get hurt by them. Why can't you see that?"
"Kai's already covered it, Lee. I believe they've changed. I can't help how I feel."
"...You've always been so forgiving," Kai mused quietly. "Haven't you..."
"Not so forgiving," Ray replied quietly. "I left my own father in jail when he expected me to bail him out."
Lee scoffed. "He deserves it after the way he crushed you as a child. He deserves a good kick in the teeth to go with it."
"Don't feel bad, Ray. He doesn't deserve you to feel sorry for him, especially if even half the rumours we've heard are true," Kevin commented.
"I don't feel sorry for him. He got arrested for breaching the peace. I wish it was worse so he could rot there. That's what bothers me. I never knew I could hate someone so much." Ray frowned and looked at Kevin, "What rumours?"
"Big mouth," Mariah muttered and Lee nodded in agreement.
"I uh, just remembered, gotta go do Bruce's chores," Kevin commented before sprinting out the door.
Kai folded his arms and leaned back against one of the walls. "Just be careful that your hate doesn't take over, Ray," he advised carefully. "Trust me, it doesn't end well."
Ray nodded a little in understanding. "That's why I told him I never want to see him again."
"As long as you're sure. One hundred per cent."
"I don't. He wasn't there when I wanted him, my uncle was. Then he expected to just walk back into my life and run it. I don't even know the guy, he's a total stranger. I wasn't going to live with a stranger and he couldn't accept that. And it's a funny coincidence that he'd first show any interest in me after our first Russian tournament, don't you think? It's not ME he looks at. He's not my family and I told him that."
Kai was once again reminded of how similar his and Ray's situation was with regards to their fathers. Neither man had been there for them. Both had let down and betrayed them. Ray would never forgive his father. He'd made that clear. And Kai had pointed a gun at his own for crying out loud. Still, at least Susumu seemed to be making an attempt now. Ray's father wasn't. Then again, Ray's father hadn't stood by and done nothing as the mother of his child had been murdered. Kai closed his eyes. He didn't want to make comparisons. Both situations were terrible in their own right. He just wanted what was best for Ray.
Ray turned his head as he felt a small tug on his top and smiled at Yin, who'd taken her human form. "Are you ready to say hello to them?" he asked her and she nodded once. Ray smiled again and told Yin about Tala, Hilary and Cassie. He then faced the others and filled them in, mostly for Tala's benefit because Mariah had told Hilary and Cassie about the child.
"Are there others like her?" Tala asked, looking at Yin. "That you know of?"
"Others like her how?" Ray asked.
"Shape shifters," Tala elaborated.
"I know that there are plenty out there, but Yin's the only one I know personally," Ray answered. "Or if I have met others, I don't know they're capable of it. We can tell humans, demons and half-casts apart, but we can't identify their actual abilities."
"Ah," Tala replied. "I was just curious." He looked back at Yin. "It's nice to meet you," he told her in a friendly tone.
"Hi," Yin responded quietly. Ray told her something quietly and Yin smiled. "Nice to meet you too," she said, seeming to have more confidence and warm up to him.
Tala offered a small smile. "So you're the one Kai has a bit of a soft spot for," he said, glancing at Kai in light teasing. Kai looked away, muttering something under his breath.
Yin giggled and dashed outside, returning a few moments later holding up a wooden model of a cat for them to see. The same one Kai had given her. It had been played with a lot, but taken care of at the same time.
Kai smiled and lifted the little girl up effortlessly into his arms. "I said I'd make you another one when I came back again, didn't I?" he asked her.
"Yup," Yin chirped brightly, smiling widely.
"Well then, how about we have a look for a good piece of wood tomorrow? Then I can get started."
Watching the two, Hilary couldn't help but smile. She'd never seen Kai like this before, and it was wonderful. She'd always known he had a soft side for kids, but this was the first time she'd ever seen him openly show it. Yin actually cheered at the offer, surprising Ray, Mariah, Lee and Gary. It was the first time they'd seen her seem so outgoing.
Kai laughed, forgetting the audience for just a moment. "Okay, we'll do that then. But we'll need a good night's sleep first."
"Okay," Yin agreed with a nod.
Kai smiled again before looking at the others as well. "And I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired."
"I know I am," Ray commented.
"I'll drop Yin off at Huizhong's on the way back," Mariah said as she beckoned the girls to come with her.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Lee stated as he and Gary headed out the door.
"Night gege, night Kai, night Tala," Yin said before wriggling free so she could go with Mariah, Hilary and Cassie.
Once they were all gone, Kai let out a sigh and stretched. "I hope Tao isn't extra wacky tomorrow for training."
Ray grinned a little. "I don't think there's any extra about it. Tao is Tao."
"Do you think he would mind if I came along to watch?" Tala asked. "I'm interested to find out about his training style. I can already tell it'll be very different from what we're used to in the Blitzkrieg Boys."
"We can ask him tomorrow," Ray replied. "I don't see there being a problem." Tala nodded and they started to get ready to turn in.
000
No matter what he did, Kai knew that he would never get over his past. It had a nasty way of catching up with him just when he thought things were starting to improve. He was always left alone. Betrayed. Outcast. Thrown aside like trash.
His grandfather stood above him, cold, merciless eyes staring down at him, straight into his soul. It felt like Voltaire was sucking Kai's energy out of him through eye contact alone.
Everything was Kai's fault. He was weak. He'd failed to see past Voltaire's twisted ambition, letting everyone he cared about down in the process. And his failures hadn't just let down the human world either. The demon realm had also been affected, because he'd been too weak and cowardly to do anything. He was a monster as well. Just like Voltaire.
"I'm waiting to see you prove that you're not like him."
The demon's words echoed in his skull to the point where it was almost painful. What had he ever done to deserve this?!
He'd let everyone down. They'd put their faith in him and he'd wasted it. His teammates cheered him on, only for him to turn around and throw it back in their faces.
Was he really...like his grandfather?!
Kai shook his head. No. He wasn't. He couldn't be! He despised the man with every fibre of his being. The bastard only dying once hadn't been enough!
"You're just like me, Kai," Voltaire's voice spoke in his ear, making Kai jump back in alarm.
"St-stay away from me," Kai growled; his eyes wide. "I'm... I'm nothing like you!"
"Kai."
A sharp gasp left Kai's mouth and he felt a haunting tingle rush through his whole body. That voice...
"M...Mama?"
Kai turned slowly in the darkness, a slight whimper coming from him when he found himself face to face with his mother. The woman's eyes were full of tears, holding both pain and betrayal.
"Kai, why didn't you save me? You could have saved me."
As Kai stared at her, horrified by her words, the hooded demon warped into existence behind him.
"You are like him. His filthy blood runs through your veins. You let your own mother die."
"No I didn't!" Kai yelled, backing away from both of them. He screamed when blood started to run down his mother's face from somewhere in her hairline.
"Kai!"
"Filthy blood."
"You are a weapon!"
"Kai!"
"You might as well be him."
"Do as you're told, grandson!"
"KAI!"
"STOP IT!" Kai screamed. "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!"
000
"Kai!" Ray called in concern, shaking Kai's shoulder but to no avail. "Kai, wake up!"
"Move over," Tala growled, pushing Ray to the side and taking over with trying to wake Kai. When his efforts proved just as futile, the last of Tala's patience disappeared. "Oh, fuck this," he muttered before slapping Kai across the face.
"Tala!" Ray exclaimed, horrified at the Russian's approach. "Don't do that!"
The treatment, harsh as it was, did the trick. Kai's eyes blinked open a second later and turned to look up at Tala and Ray. Kai's body trembled as he tried to catch his breath. "Wh- What?" The stinging pain finally registered and he hesitantly touched his face. "Oww... Did you hit me?"
Ray immediately pointed at Tala. "We tried to wake you, it wasn't working. You were shouting and really distressed," Ray told Kai.
Still holding his abused face with one hand, Kai sat up and shoved Tala away with the other, "Evil son of a bitch."
"It worked didn't it?" Tala shrugged, "Much more effective than Ray just shaking your shoulder and calling your name."
"Hmph," Kai snorted. He lay back down in his bed and turned his back on them both, "Sadistic prick."
"Kai?" Ray asked gently.
The younger Russian let out a quiet sigh, seeming to calm down from his bad mood with Tala. "What, Ray?"
"Are you okay?"
Kai's fist subconsciously clenched around his blanket and he forced it to relax. "...I'm fine."
Ray frowned a little and looked to Tala.
Tala shook his head and sighed in annoyance. "We'll talk in the morning," he told Kai, before returning to his own bed. Kai ignored him. Ray also went back to bed, soon falling into a peaceful sleep again.
000
The next morning Tala and Ray tried again to get Kai to speak, without success, before the group all met for breakfast together. Tao did permit Tala to watch the training which began right away.
"Now my young grasshopper," Tao began, coming to a stop when the small group reached a clearing in the forest about ten minutes out of the village, "Today we are going to focus on the flow of energy." He turned to look at Ray, "I want you to attempt to call upon your power in an attack like the one you described to me." Behind him, the clearing had several training posts dotted around with targets painted on them. "We will work on your range and accuracy using these dummies, to save Kai's face."
"Sensei, don't joke about things like that," Kai said quickly, not wanting Ray to start beating himself up about the whole thing again.
Ray glanced at Kai then at Tao. "Did I mention I have no idea how I did that?" he asked.
"That's what we're going to figure out today," Tao replied, "Through meditation and experimentation. Once you have a full understanding of the unique flow of your energy, it is very easy to focus it where you want it. For example," he pulled a small candle from inside his robe and held it out. "Kai, if you would be so kind?" The Russian nodded and focussed on the candle. A second later the wick caught and a small flame appeared.
"I can do energy bursts, but they're completely ineffective and a waste of energy," Ray commented. "When I did it before," Ray glanced momentarily at Kai, "I was aiming to punch and it just happened... Maybe if I combine the two..."
"Experimentation," Tao nodded, extinguishing the flame with a flick of the candle.
Ray turned to the nearest post and spent a moment concentrating first before throwing a punch charged with energy. The purpose of the exercise was to learn to control his power, so Ray had made sure he was far away from it that his fist wouldn't connect with the target. A few splinters fell from the sides of the post a moment after his strike, but nothing more.
"That's a start in the right direction," Tao praised. "Unless you have no sense of direction and intend to go the other way."
"It doesn't feel the same," Ray replied, looking at Tao. "When it happened; my arm felt heavy. But just now there was no change."
"You did only just start," Kai spoke up. "It's gonna take time."
Ray nodded a little before trying again. As the day wore on, Ray was no closer to performing the same technique he'd accidentally used on Kai, and had only succeeded in draining his energy considerably. Most of the energy scattered off target and what did make it through to hit the post was too small to do any more than chip at the post.
Frustration started to set in and Ray was beginning to lose patience with it. If he couldn't figure out how to do it deliberately then there was less chance to prevent it accidentally. Ray considered stopping and trying to calm down, but he quickly pushed the idea aside. He wanted to learn to control it. He needed to learn.
He tried again, noticing the familiar weight in his arm, before dropping to a crouch and panting. The post was still standing, but bore the distinctive marks from the energy attack as scratches.
"That's it!" Tao chimed from where he was sitting on a rock. "You're starting to get the hang of it now. Remember that feeling."
"Annoyed?" Ray asked breathlessly in reference to the feeling. He was annoyed at the training when it worked and he'd been annoyed at Kai when it first happened. Do I have to get mad for it to work? Or is that only because I haven't learned to control it yet?
Personally I don't think anger is the solution for you, Kai communicated through the link. It's not in your nature.
Ray started a little and looked over at Kai. You're right, but what can I do? It didn't work until I got annoyed. What use is that to me?
To be honest, I think you're trying too hard. Take a break and think about how you've overcome problems like this before. Clear your head.
"But if I don't learn to control it-" Ray began to respond out loud before catching himself, I could end up hurting someone again. I don't want that to happen, Ray shifted from crouching to sitting and thought about it quietly. "It's gone now," he realised. Finding it the first time was exhausting. And it didn't do much even when I did. But you're right. You're absolutely right. Getting mad won't help me and I do need to clear my head. Ray shifted again to make sure he was comfortable and closed his eyes, taking deep, steady breaths and concentrating on that.
Leaving Ray in peace, Kai and Tala moved away to the far side of the clearing to do some quiet training of their own. After his meditation; Ray was still unsuccessful in his attempts, as he didn't have the energy for the technique, and Tao decided it was enough for the day so they headed back.
000
A few days passed with a very similar routine until Ray finally made a breakthrough; managing to use the technique whilst calm. It was nowhere near as effective as when he'd first used it, but he'd at least made a controlled start. Kai wandered into the clearing to see how Ray was doing and stopped several feet away. "How's it going?"
"I've made a start," Ray answered. "The energy's still too dispersed to do much, but I'm managing to access it now."
Kai nodded. "Just be careful you don't push yourself too hard," he advised. "It takes time and practice." He smirked slightly as he recalled a memory of his training, "You have no idea how sick I was of the sight of candles for a while when I was learning control."
Ray grinned a little, "Did you want to just go and trash them with your hands instead of trying to use your powers?"
"You have no idea," Kai replied. "I wanted to throw them away off the nearest cliff."
Ray laughed. And Tao's mannerisms had nothing to do with that?
Kai glanced around to make sure Tao wasn't nearby. "There were times I wanted to throw him off the cliff too," he muttered. Ray couldn't help but laugh at Kai's comment. "You're laughing, but I'm serious," Kai told him. "I don't know how you've kept your sanity, with him as a sensei since you were a kid."
Ray only laughed harder. Maybe it's because he's been my sensei that long, he mused over the link because he was unable to voice it with his laughter. I got used to it at an early age?
Kai grunted. "That's an unfair advantage," he grumbled.
"Maybe you're just too uptight," Ray teased playfully when he'd calmed enough to speak.
Kai rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Ray recalled teasing Kai before and being thumped for it in a playful manner. Kai's reaction this time was more like it would have been when they first met. He wondered for a moment if it was because of their fight. Had he severed the closeness that they'd had before? But then, Kai had made a point to stop Tao's joking about the fight. "Has something happened?" Ray asked after a moment's thought.
Kai sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I guess you could say that."
"Is it something you can talk about?" Ray asked.
"Mm," Kai nodded. He looked away, as if trying to decide whether or not he wanted to tell Ray what was bothering him. "Have... Have you ever heard of a demon losing their power before?"
"Losing their power?" Ray asked in surprise before thinking about it, "Heard of it, yeah. It's a rare occurrence, but it has happened before. I'm afraid I don't know any details on it though, sorry. Why?"
Kai's gaze lowered to the floor as he fiddled with something in one of his pockets, "D'you remember what Tao got me to show you the other day before you started training? With the candle."
"Yeah," Ray answered with a nod.
Sighing, Kai pulled a small white candle out of his pocket and held it up for them both to look at. It was obvious it hadn't been lit. "That's what's wrong," Kai admitted, "I can't do it now."
Ray frowned at the candle before looking at Kai worriedly, "But that's like basic stuff to you. You're not sick or anything, are you?"
"Not that I know of," Kai answered, putting the candle back in his pocket. "I've been getting some annoying little headaches over the last few days, but nothing major."
"Tell me about the headaches. Do they get worse each time?"
"A bit," Kai admitted quietly.
"There's probably something up then," Ray told Kai. "You say nothing major, but you have a habit of ignoring problems. You ignored knotted muscles, which were probably caused by stress, and they hurt for a reason. The pain usually means that there's something wrong."
Kai looked away, much like a scorned child would. "You know I'm not a good patient..." he muttered in an attempt at self-defence.
"Does Tala know?" Ray asked. Kai shook his head after a moment of hesitation. "You don't want him to know?" Ray guessed.
Kai snorted. "After the way he was in Scotland; hell no."
"He worries about you because he cares. We all do. But if you don't want him to know then I won't tell him," Ray assured Kai.
"Thanks," Kai said sincerely. "I promise I'll tell him if it gets any worse."
"There's always a chance that you're worried or stressed out about something and that's affecting your power. Just try to take it easy and see if that helps."
The Russian sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll give that a shot. How much longer are you gonna be out here anyway?"
"A few hours yet. I really want to learn to control this," Ray answered. He didn't go into details about why because he knew Kai was aware of how much the slip had bothered him.
"Okay," Kai replied, turning away. "Just don't forget to stop and come back."
Ray smiled, "I won't forget." Kai raised a hand over his shoulder in acknowledgement and then disappeared.
Ray shook his head a little and decided he'd had enough of a break before going back to training.
000
"What do you think of our hometown then, Tala?" Mariah asked the redhead as she started preparing dinner, knowing Ray wouldn't be much longer and would probably be tired when he got back. "Now that you've been here for a few days and had the chance to see more of it," she added. Yin was on the floor nearby; humming to herself as she played with the model cat Kai had given her. She still didn't talk much to other people but it seemed she didn't mind being around people who Ray said were good.
"It's nice," Tala replied, glancing around the room. "Quiet. Simple." He smirked slightly. "It almost seems unnatural to me if I'm honest." He looked back at Mariah. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not disrespecting your home."
Mariah smiled a little as she looked at him, "It's okay. I know not a lot happens around here. It's one of the reasons Ray likes to get out now and then. There was a time when we actually weren't allowed to go far. Imagine how that would have been."
Tala raised an eyebrow. "I spent a long time in Biovolt. I was lucky to see natural light once a week. It was all cold, dark tunnels and haunting artificial strip lights."
"That's definitely worse," Mariah commented. "I couldn't bear that. How did you manage?"
"Simple," Tala replied. "We didn't have a choice."
"What about family?" Mariah asked before realising what she'd said, "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."
"...It's fine," Tala said after a moment, "...Family hasn't been an option until recently."
"Do you mind me asking what you mean by that?" Mariah asked curiously.
Tala laced his fingers together in front of him. A long moment passed before he decided to speak. "My mother is in hiding..." he told Mariah quietly. "Last time I checked, she was staying in a small town in Switzerland."
"So does that mean you're considering visiting her?" Mariah asked referring to the fact that Tala had said family wasn't an option until recently.
The Russian nodded. "It has crossed my mind."
Mariah smiled, "I think that's great," she commented. "Are you gonna take Cassie with you?"
"Possibly," Tala replied. "But I've got a lot of things to figure out first before I consider something that far down the line."
Mariah nodded understandingly. "So, what's she like?" she asked, still curious.
Yin had stopped humming and was looking at the door. "Gege," she murmured before getting up and dashing out the door. Moments later she could be heard squealing with laughter.
Tala looked towards the door. "Sounds like Ray's back," he commented, subtly changing the subject.
"Yeah," Mariah agreed, accepting the change in topic. "Cassie and Hilary should be getting back soon too from their walk."
Tala nodded. "That just leaves Kai. But I have no idea where he's wandered off to."
"He's seemed a little different lately," Mariah mused aloud, "But I can't figure out why. Mind you, Ray's seemed a little different too. And I don't mean the whole becoming full demon thing. It's like he's hiding something."
"And he's not telling you anything?" Tala guessed.
"No, he's not," Mariah confirmed. "I know something happened, something more than what we've been told, I just can't figure out what. Do you have any ideas about what it could be, Tala?"
"No clue. Kai's not telling me anything either."
"I think it's something to do with India," Mariah commented thoughtfully. "It's while Ray was telling us about that when I noticed it. And he knew what sort of reaction he'd get if he mentioned the Panthers, but he did it anyway."
"We'll just have to ask them," Tala mused. "You're more likely to get an answer than me though."
"Well, Lee's planning to corner Ray about it at some point. He wants to let Ray get the hang of his current training first though," Mariah told Tala quietly before turning to the door with a bright smile as it opened. "Welcome back, Ray, how's the training going?"
"I'm making progress with it, thanks," Ray answered as he came in with Yin on his shoulders. "You don't have to do that," he commented as he noticed what Mariah was doing.
"It's okay, I want to," Mariah responded. "I figured you could use the rest."
"Well, thanks," Ray replied, lifting Yin from his shoulders and setting her on her feet on the floor. "No sign of Kai?" he asked, glancing around.
"Not yet," Tala shook his head. "And he'll just yell at me if I go looking for him."
"Maybe I could try," Ray suggested.
"Good luck," Tala snorted in light amusement. Ray decided not to comment, waving briefly as he left and responding that he wouldn't when Mariah called after him not to be too long. He then went in search of Kai.
000
Despite what Tala seemed to have believed, Kai wasn't actually trying to hide. Frustrated by his training and the sudden unpredictability of his energy, he'd given up for the time being and found a large tree with wide branches to sit in. It hung over the river just down from the falls, and Kai enjoyed watching the water flow past under him, reflecting all the colours in the sky. Tiny flecks of wood were dropped down to create small ripples every now and then as he carved away at what was going to be the second cat figurine for Yin.
"Hey Kai, how's it going?" Ray called up from below when he found the Russian.
Kai blinked and glanced down, then cursed as he cut his finger with his knife because he hadn't been paying attention. "Hey, Ray," he called back before sucking on the wound, "You done training?"
"Yeah, that's me for the day," Ray answered, "Sorry I disturbed you there."
"It's fine," Kai shrugged, inspecting his finger. He frowned slightly. It wasn't healing. "I just wish I knew what was going on..."
"Well, as I said before, you might be stressed about something. Mariah took it upon herself to make dinner tonight and it's going to be ready soon. You wanna come back?"
"Yeah, sure," Kai replied, putting away his knife and the carving. He then walked back along the branch he'd been on until he was over solid ground and back-flipped out of the tree.
"You know what Tyson would say if he was here," Ray commented. Kai raised an eyebrow curiously. "Aw, come on, you know this," Ray stated, clearly amused, "He'd call you a show off for doing that."
Kai smirked. "He really is one to talk, you know."
Ray laughed. "He's just jealous because he lacks any style," he joked.
"He can't be best at everything," Kai agreed with a nod.
"We're terrible!" Ray commented through his laughter
"Yeah, but who cares? It's fun."
"Kai and fun. And to think we all used to call you the Sourpuss," Ray teased.
Kai rolled his eyes. "What can I say? You guys have rubbed off on me," he answered and Ray grinned before starting to head back. Kai followed, still focussed on his finger as the stubborn cut refused to stop bleeding.
"You know Tala's gonna notice," Ray commented.
"Hn," Kai grunted. "Well he'd better keep his opinions to himself."
"He's going to worry about you," Ray pointed out. "I really am sorry for that. I should have paid closer attention to what you were doing before calling out to you."
Kai shrugged. "Forget about it. It's just an annoying little cut."
By the time they reached Ray's place, all the others had already arrived and they were just waiting on Kai and Ray. Tala did notice the cut and immediately asked about it since Kai could normally heal such things in little time. Kai however chose to ignore Tala's question and instead thanked Mariah for preparing dinner and apologising for being late and causing Ray to have to go out and look for him. His finger was taken care of with a piece of medical tape from Kai's bag.
The evening passed without further incident and the girls headed back to Mariah's, the rest of Ray's team went off to Gary's and Tala, Kai and Ray turned in for the night shortly after. Yin had already been taken home.
000
There was no face on the woman, at least not that he could see, and Ray knew that it was because he didn't remember her so well anymore. He regretted that, not remembering what his mother's face looked like. He remembered the softness of her voice, her scent and how she would tell him that it wasn't his fault that Baba was gone. He remembered the blanket of fine black hair which his own resembled when down, something he both liked and hated at the same time.
It was sometimes embarrassing for it to be so long, people often thought it feminine and that aggravated him. But he couldn't bring himself to cut it, or to even trim it down to a length more like Lee's. Ray had let people think it was solely to keep it traditional. It was so much easier that way. He remembered the warmth of his mother's hugs and how she would hold him after every bad dream, assuring him that he was safe and sound.
He remembered all that, but not her face.
Ray wished dearly that he'd had a picture of her or something. Even a painting or sketch. He'd tried several times in the past to draw her for himself, but the only art that he was really any good at was the cooking that his uncle taught him.
So he wasn't really good at everything. Hiro's words came back to Ray, that rainy night when he faced the older male in Tyson's place. Back when Hiro was under the guise Jin of the Gale. Some disguise. Ray scoffed at the memory. Tyson had been clueless and they'd played along. After all, it had seemed that Hiro wanted Tyson to work it out for himself.
That stormy night Hiro had told Ray that to be good at everything meant he'd never be great anything.
Ray wasn't good at everything. But what was he great at, if anything?
Not his training right now. He was still frustrated at his shortcomings with that. And certainly not remembering his mother's face. Ray loved her. Missed her. So why couldn't he remember what she'd looked like?
What sort of son forgot what his own mother looked like?
What did he remember though? Right now? Besides what he'd already considered.
It was her lying on a bed in a darkened room with a damp cloth on her forehead. She'd been tossing and turning with the fever, not that Ray had known that back then, and the cloth had moved to obscure her face.
She called out weakly for Hal and the man had come and held her hand, stroking her cheek and adjusting the cloth.
This was the memory that Ray had of his mother. The clearest one. But when the cloth had been readjusted, Ray's father was in the way and so Ray still couldn't see her face.
She said something to Hal about Ray and he remembered how he'd perked up at hearing his name as he watched from a small stool across the room. He'd been told to stay out of the way of the grownups. Despite her words the man hadn't acknowledged Ray at all. His mother had told Ray that this was his father, but the man had acted as though Ray didn't even exist.
Ray remembered how crushed he'd felt at that.
Over the next few days Ray had tried to get his father to like him, or at least pay some attention to him. But Hal didn't care how much firewood Ray could bring in, or that he'd gotten a splinter in his finger from doing it. Hal didn't care how early Ray fetched some water for the house, even if he fell in the river and had to try bring some back five times because he kept spilling it.
Nothing Ray had done had been good enough for Hal, but it hadn't mattered much because the man wasn't even disappointed in him. He didn't react at all.
Ray remembered his parents speaking and his father mentioning a name, a woman's name, which wasn't hers. It wasn't the name Ray's uncle called her, and it wasn't the name the other villagers called her. She was "Mama" to Ray, but she had a different name to everyone else. Even Hal called her by that name. But that wasn't the one he mentioned to her then. She'd gotten rather upset with Hal from what he'd said, but the only name mentioned, which Ray remembered, was his uncle Stan's, when Hal responded angrily to his wife's comments.
Ray had never heard the woman speak as harshly as she did to Hal after that and she sent the man out before beckoning Ray to her. She'd held Ray in her arms and cried, brushing her fingers through his hair. Ray hadn't understood any of it but he had cried too because she was his whole world and he didn't like that she was sad.
They'd both fallen asleep like that, but she didn't wake up the next day like Ray had. No matter how much the child cried and begged and shook her shoulder.
Hal had been furious when he came in to the sound of a panicked child shouting for help and had shoved Ray aside angrily.
000
Ray started awake with a soft noise of surprise just as his dream-self hit the floor. It was dark. He was in his own bunk, sharing it for the moment with Tala and Kai. The one his uncle Stan had left to him. Ray hadn't been back to his parents' house in a long time. No one else lived there either. It was simply used as a storage space by Ray, even though it had been his uncle who'd last put things in there. He'd been remembering his past in a dream, nothing more.
And he did remember his mother's face. He looked more like her than his father. Even his eyes were more like hers. Hal looked much like his brother Stan, only more ragged, while Ray's mother had a much softer look to her. Her eyes were light while Hal's were dark like Stan's, but they were still a lighter yellow than Ray's were. Meiling. He remembered her name too.
Ray swore quietly and wiped his face angrily as he realised he'd been crying in his sleep.
He quickly and quietly got up and left the single-roomed building for some air. The night air was cold compared to his bed and Ray wrapped his arms around himself as he sat on a log, staring at the starry sky and thinking about his dream.
There had been something between Stan, Hal and Meiling, but Ray didn't know what. From his dreams, his memories, Ray suspected that his father had cheated on Meiling, but Ray knew not to rely on his recollections as fact. Time warped memories and he hadn't understood much at the time. But Ray decided he would ask his uncle about it when next he saw him.
"Ray?" Kai's voice asked quietly as the Russian stepped outside.
Ray turned his head a little, "Yeah, Kai?"
Kai walked over to stand next to Ray, "Something on your mind?"
"A few things," Ray confirmed, "My parents, some suspicions and questions. Did I disturb you guys?"
Kai shook his head. "I just woke up and saw you were gone. And Tala's lying there awake thinking he says."
"How long's he been awake?" Ray asked a little worried; the thought of either of them knowing that he'd been crying left Ray feeling rather embarrassed. It was the reason he hadn't faced Kai fully.
"Just a few minutes," Kai answered. "He says he sensed movement and then accused me of waking him...Asshole."
"That must have been me," Ray commented sheepishly. "I came outside because I didn't want to disturb either of you."
Kai shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's fine."
Ray bit his lip a little before facing Kai, "I had a dream about her, Ma-my mother. I remembered a few things. About the last time I saw her. I've got a few questions so I wanna see my uncle again. I think I'll go do that when I've gotten the hang of this training. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not," Kai said, a little shocked that Ray seemed to think he needed to ask. "You do what you have to do."
"I know there's a lot of other stuff going on," Ray commented, "With the demon council having problems. I do wanna help with that."
"I can keep you posted if necessary," Kai told him.
"Thanks Kai," Ray responded sincerely before facing forward again. The moon was bright and bathed the village in a soft, pale glow, while the trees and buildings casted long, really dark shadows across the ground.
Kai stood quietly, listening to the sounds of the night. As he did, he carefully removed the tape round his finger to check the wound. Annoyingly, it was still there. But when the moonlight caught it, the wound glowed dimly and began to close up. Kai's eyes widened slightly as he lifted his finger to examine it more closely. Then the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end and he turned sharply to stare at the edge of the village.
Ray stood up and turned, scanning the area. "Kai?" he asked, concerned and wanting to be sure he wasn't imagining it.
Kai pulled out his knife from his belt and gripped it tightly in his hand, ready. Something's here, he told Ray over the link.
"I don't see anything yet," Ray commented. "Wait... did that shadow just move?"
Kai felt a growing sense of dread settle in his stomach as the grip on his knife tightened. Get the others. Now. Wake everyone! A thick, black smoke rose up out of the bushes and began to float towards the two boys. Kai's eyes widened. "Go, Ray!" he shouted. "Now, before the smoke cuts you off!"
"What are you going to do?" Ray asked.
Kai adjusted his footing slightly. "I'm going to give them something to hunt, until you get backup." With that, he ran forward into the smoke and disappeared.
"Kai!" Ray shouted after him before gritting his teeth and looking at the approaching smoke. "Get the others, right," Ray murmured to himself before rushing past the smoke, toward the other houses.
"What the hell is going on?" Tala demanded as he appeared outside, spotting Ray and moving to run with him.
"The village is under attack and we need to raise the alarm. Kai's gone in there to buy time," Ray answered, gesturing to the smoke but keeping up his speed.
Tala skidded to an abrupt halt. "That idiot!" he exclaimed, before focussing. "Wolborg, come forth!" Within a few seconds, the large ice wolf shimmered into existence in front of him. "The village is threatened," Tala told him. "Warn everyone and defend it!"
The wolf nodded and threw his head back in a long, deep howl. The note echoed off the mountains and bounced back to the village. Birds took to the air in alarm and Tala turned back to go and help Kai.
For a moment, Ray was distracted by Wolborg. Back in Scotland he'd thought for a moment that Wolborg had taken physical form, but dismissed it. Now he was certain of it. Tala could do it too. Ray had to duck out of the way of some of the suspicious, heavy smoke and it was enough to set him back on course. He had to help wake the others.
000
Lee growled as he stepped outside, sensing a presence that didn't belong in the valley. But it was difficult to pin point where it was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere. "Ray!" he gasped when he spotted the other boy approaching. "Is it an attack?"
Ray nodded as he stopped and glanced back. "That smoke's not natural," he commented, gesturing to it. Something's in there. Kai and Tala are trying to stall it. Kai wants backup." More of the villagers were already starting to emerge from their homes, including the other White Tigers, Kathleen, Hilary and Cassie. Lee quickly announced what Ray had just told them, and everyone started preparing to fight. Mariah instantly went over to Ray, eager to fight by his side. With the backup, Ray headed back up to find Kai. But to do so he and the others had to enter the smokescreen, through which it was impossible to see but they knew their way around the village easily. Ray's heightened senses were a distinct advantage in the mysterious smoke.
000
"Son of a bitch!" Kai shouted as something slashed at the side of his left thigh, retreating back into the smoke before he could get it with his knife. Kai was fighting completely blind, so had his eyes closed in an attempt to focus his other senses. His power had returned, but it seemed to be wavering a lot and he was struggling to use it successfully. He'd faced these creatures once before, but it certainly wasn't giving him an advantage.
They were called Shadow Stalkers and were often referred to as 'the last thing their victims never saw.' They appeared to be dog-like creatures with six legs and thick, shaggy black fur. Special glands on their sides and throat allowed them to dispel large amounts of thick, black smoke that was formed inside their bodies. Red eyes picked out other creatures from their heat signatures within the smoke, allowing the Shadow Stalkers to hunt without the use of normal eyesight. A formidable foe, with six long clawed toes on each paw and two rows of dagger like teeth. Their only known weakness was light, but even the full moon was too weak to keep them at bay.
Hearing the ground being disturbed to his right, Kai leapt out of the way and rolled across the ground, narrowly missing being hit. Getting up again, he stood silently, listening for any other clues. He remembered reading something about Shadow Stalkers one time in the library in the Demon Realm. Apparently they had very low body temperatures and so were unable to track each other within their own smoke. To make up for this problem, they'd developed a form of communication using clicks and low, toneless trills. Kai could hear them now and figured they were probably preparing for another attack. He'd already established that there were five of them, but that didn't really help matters. He was outnumbered, almost completely powerless and surrounded.
"Kai?" Tala's voice called out somewhere nearby.
"Tala!" Kai gasped, crashing to the ground when his feet were knocked out from under him. He jumped up again quickly. "Stay back. It's too dangerous in here! There's no light or wind to counter the smoke!"
"What have you been told about trying to do everything on your own?!" Tala's voice snapped back.
"This isn't the time for arguing!" Kai snarled. "Get me a light source to burn through this smoke." Above the village, more creatures started to descend from the sky to join the attack.
"Where the hell am I supposed to find that in this?!" Tala exclaimed, dodging one attack to come closer to Kai. He grunted as something collided with him and it was followed by a scuffle on the ground. "Ray! Get off me!" Tala suddenly snapped, trying to knock the Chinese teen away from him. "What the hell is your problem!?"
Kai cursed as he was caught again by a set of claws, this time in his right arm. "What's going on?" he demanded.
"Ah! Fuck! Ray's attacking me; that's what's going on!" Tala snarled, managing to knock Ray back, though Ray fell against Kai in the process.
Caught off guard, Kai crashed to the ground. Around him he could hear the clicking of the Shadow Stalkers. They were obviously re-evaluating the situation. Kai grabbed Ray's arm. "What are you doing?" he hissed.
"Taking him down," Ray answered, trying to pull free.
"What?! Why?"
"Let go," Ray snapped at Kai before using the technique with his power again, directed toward Tala who swore vehemently when the technique actually worked.
"Kai, he's lost it!" Tala snapped angrily, "Again!"
Kai was about to protest, but cried out when claws dug into his back and pulled him away from Ray. Kai swung his knife back desperately, feeling relief when it connected with its target and the claws let go. He staggered to his feet. "Ray. Stop." Ray paid no attention to Kai whatsoever and continued his assault on the redhead without another word, much to the older Russian's annoyance. Beyond irritated, Tala violently fought back.