Hi guys. Yes, a long time, but not nearly as long as the time before last.
Now, this chapter was definitely something I felt I had to breach. It's always important to emotionally develop the characters, so this is one of those chapters.
If anyone notices anything wrong in either storyline or grammar, please feel free to let me know; I'd really appreciate it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblades or any of it's characters; I write for the soul purpose to amuse and entertain. I also do not own any of the songs by Nickelback (one of which will be featured in this chapter), and use some of their lyrics purely to entertain, and without profit.
Enjoy guys!
Chapter 21 – Love Kills Slowly
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The angels that milled around them, once imbued with distrust and fear, now cradled a new emotion.
Awe.
Four guardians. Four boys. Four school mates. Well, three, and one…outsider.
Upon their arrival at school the following day, every angel, student and teacher, had lowered their eyes and their heads as the four approached; a mark of respect at the power they now held. True, they had received no training, they were still very young and they still behaved like idiots (Tyson), but they were heavens protectors none the less. Ms. Takahashi in particular found their roles to be almost sad, feeling that it would lead to the demise of four of her most vibrant students.
The students themselves, however, had taken this new mark of power in their own individualistic ways.
"Make way! Comin through! Guardian bearer coming through! Yes, the name is 'Tyson'. T –Y – S – O ~ "
"Tyson!" Rei abolished, almost feeling embarrassed at the Dragon masters reckless abuse of this new power.
"C'mon Rei! We're the biggest and most talked about thing in heaven since the arch angels! Why can't I enjoy it?"
Golden eyes turned on him, radiating wisdom that Tyson simply rolled his eyes at.
"Tyson, we were given these 'gifts' for a reason. We should be humbled they chose 'us' at all. Don't you feel any humility from Dragoon at all?"
"Ah Rei, you know Tyson. He'd rather 'adapt' then change. Let him enjoy it for a little while yeah? The novelty will wear off him once we all get started in the training," Max soothed, even catching the 'kill joy', muttered from Tyson.
Rei sighed again, and sought the gaze of his lover. Much to his consternation, Kai had turned into far more of a recluse than he'd ever expected since the ceremony. The dark angel was even being distant with him, of all people, and he struggled not to be too suffocating in the wake of the huge responsibility being dumped on all their shoulders. Not only did Kai have to do the training they did, plus learn the language of the demons (on Mr. D's insistence) but he had to train Tyson, Max, Kenny and himself. Speaking of Kenny…
"Hey, have you guys seen Kenny lately?"
Max shook his head, a look of concern passing over his sunny face. "No Rei, I haven't. I'm actually a little worried about him. You don't think he's feeling jealous or anything like that do you?"
Rei shook his head. Kenny was not the jealous type.
"Rei."
Rei turned at his name, and was greeted with the sight of his friends, heads bowedin respect, eyes lowered. The sight was the final straw that was going to straddle this poor camels back.
"Guys get up!" he snapped, grabbing Lee, Mariah, and then Kevin beneath the arms and shaking them. He'd try it with Gary if the lad wouldn't take a forklift to move. "I'm still the same old Rei, ok?"
"Yeah," Kevin piped up, "cept you're in possession of a thousand year old talisman that could secure the safety of heaven for another thousand years to come. No big deal."
Rei glared daggers at the youth. "Kevin….shut up."
"He has a point Rei," Lee said softly, watching as Tyson and Max moved off to class, before turning his bronzed eyes on his childhood friend. "There was always something special about you. Always something more, as though you were destined for something bigger than our village." Rei felt his face going redder with every word, until a cruel thought wedged it's way into his mind.
"What are you thinking Lee…" he whispered, eyes betraying the fact he wanted to know about as much as he wanted to piss glass.
The bronze eyes narrowed slightly, before he looked away, seeking something, anything, to look at other than his best friend.
"I think it's why you survived."
Mariah took a sharp intake of breath, yellow eyes widening in comprehension. "Lee…" she breathed, shocked, before Gary took the initiative, grabbing her and Kevin and shuffling on to their next class, despite her protests.
Rei, meanwhile, stood there, and gaped.
"W-what?"
Those bronze eyes were back, but Rei almost couldn't bear to meet them. The good natured calm that had descended over him this morning was gone, replaced by cold emptiness and an infinite sense of universal betrayal.
"You survived Rei. When your parents were attacked, and you fought to defend them… you were hurt. I was watching you Rei. You fell from such a height…I thought I'd be crying over your grave as we buried the last of the Kon's! No-one should have survived such a fall, but you did. You were meant to survive and you were meant to come here, to be a leader."
The halls were nearly empty, the last students wandering mindlessly into a classroom and shutting the door. In his mind he knew they where there, but he couldn't see them, he couldn't hear them. All he could see was his past replaying itself in his head, all he could hear were those faded shrieks of pain…
"Are you saying, Lee," Rei whispered, voice breaking under the strain of his emotions, "that my parents were meant to die? That they were meant to be tortured before death? That they were meant to leave me in such a horrible way and scar me? MY PARENTS WERE MEANT TO DIE?!"
The last sentence burst from him in a cry, and his vision started to blur as he stood there, wings sinking lower and lower, heart aching as he felt the heavy weight of the talisman, and everything it could mean, in his pocket. No…no no no….
"Yes Rei…" Lee finally managed, looking like he hated himself for saying it. "I think that if your parents hadn't died, you would still have been in the village. You wouldn't have made it here, and you wouldn't have met your destiny. They had to go…"
Lee made to glance at his friend, sensing the devastation and agony radiating from the teen, only to be met with blinding gold light.
When Lee woke, Rei was long gone.
Kai let his pen slide across the paper as he jotted down yet another note in his English class. This work seemed almost tedious to him, as though it couldn't even stimulate him enough to care, but for the sake of the man before him, Mr. Nicholai 'Nic' Yuinichi, he conformed and continued, dot point after boring dot point being placed onto paper.
Before him sat Tyson and Max; Rei's absence strangely noticeable. On entrance Nic had raised an eyebrow at the Tiger's delay, but Kai had simply shrugged. If he were going to lengths to avoid the lad, surely that would mean he 'didn't' know where he was?
Gasping, Kai found himself on his feet, his hand clutching his chest just over his heart. His heart ached fiercely, and he felt as though someone was going to great lengths to rip it out with a sharpened spoon. Images flashed through his mind and he felt a sensation of rippling striped fur, golden eyes and pain, before it began to fade. He was breathing heavily, trying to regain his composure, before he even noticed the room staring at him, Nic calling his name in concern.
"Are you alright, Kai?"
Red eyes darted around the room. It was Rei, it had to be. Rei was in pain. Rei needed him. Conflict and confusion that had nestled over his heart concerning the Tiger vanished immediately at the idea he was being hurt and in pain. Straightening up, he made for the door, shooting his teacher an almost apologetic glance. He sensed the man following him, and didn't pause to speak until he was outside the door, Nic poking his head out after him.
"Kai, what~"
"It's Rei," he said simply. "Rei's in pain. I felt it. He needs me."
Nic's eyes widened drastically, before nodding. "Go to him, help him as best you can."
The Phoenix could only nod his agreement before he was moving again, following the dull ache in his heart that didn't even belong to him.
He stood on the ledge of heaven, looking down to the wasteland of earth, fractured by stray floating clouds. It's barren landscape echoed to the hollow feeling in his heart, and he trembled as he sensed the guardian glow in his hand, responding to his pain.
He hated it…so much... it hurt.
The comfort of his parents killer…
His normally golden eyes were dimmed to shadowed amber, as a single tear managed to escape, cascading down his cheek to fall to the earth so far below. He was tempted to follow it; to simply close his wings and let go of everything. The suppressed emotions that begged to be released in a wave of tears and sobs, of cries and broken hearts, surfaced beneath his dull eyes and he blinked them back furiously.
Again the Talisman glowed, and this time he looked at it in his hand. He could see the Tiger's eye gem glowing faintly, the rest of the bit warm in his hand. He didn't want it.
This beast…this guardian…it was the reason he had no family…
He was the reason…
If he hadn't had some stupid destiny to meet, some supposed power that made him the keeper of Drigger, his parents wouldn't have had to die. They died because of him…because of who he had to become…
His heart felt as though it was ripping in two at the idea, and he felt to his knee's on the ledge, another tear falling, this time landing on the Guardian so that it shook in his fist, horrified that its master was in so much pain and desperate to help in some way. He clenched his fist and his eyes shut, hearing the purring in his head but forcibly shutting it out.
No.
He couldn't…wouldn't do it…
As though on automaton, he held his closed fist over the ledge. Opening his fingers slowly, he watched as the Talisman flashed under the sunlight. Tilting his hand, he watched the bit slide a fraction…then a fraction more…
In his mind he saw his parents falling, their bodies contorted in pain, their voices crying out to him and pleading for help…for deliverance…
…all his fault…
"Rei!"
His eyes snapped out of their reverie, widening in surprise before his hand instinctively closed around the Talisman and snapped back to his body. Rising, he spun to face his aggressor.
"Kai?"
The dark angel approached slowly, watching the hand that held Drigger close to the neko's body. Content that the Talisman still rested in it's rightful owners hands, he rose his eyes to Rei's, noticing the lost and haunted look that captivated the boys normally calm visage.
"What's wrong Rei?" he asked softly, his voice barely carrying on the wind to where his lover stood on the ledge.
Rei's eyes watched him, shimmering with unshed tears, before they lowered to the ground in shame. Guilt tore him open on the inside as he continued to berate himself, and the weight of the Talisman in his hand was almost unbearable.
"I'm wrong, Kai."
Crimson orbs narrowed in confusion, surveying the ebony haired teen with great care. He took several more tentative steps forward, radiating calm.
"I don't understand."
Tortured golden eyes rose to meet him, and he stopped as he saw the depth of the pain normally hidden there.
"Rei?"
"They died because of me…"
The voice came out in a fractured whisper, strained with guilt and pain. As soon as he heard it, Kai tensed, understanding dawning on him as he looked from the Talisman in the boys hand to the haunted golden eyes.
"No, they didn~"
"They did, Kai!!" he suddenly shouted, eyes burning with conviction. "They died because of me! Because of some stupid destiny I had to meet! They died because this stupid Talisman in my hand needed an owner and it picked me! They're gone because of me…"
A deathly silence fell as both angels watched one another. Kai's mind processed everything rapidly, aware that Rei could be right, but it still wasn't his fault. The neko's need to blame someone for his parents demise, and to vent his anger on that someone had always been there, and now that this revelation had been made, the weight of those emotions and the need for revenge had collapsed on top of him. Kai could understand his pain; in the back of his own mind he was already considering the fact that his parents had also died in order for him to end up here, but he knew he could not control that if that was the case.
Rei was angry, confused and upset. Kai could only respond to that in one way.
SMACK
The ringing slap echoed through the silence, and Rei's head snapped to the side as though a blur. His cheek immediately began to burn where Kai had struck him; the second time in nearly as many days.
"Wake up to yourself Rei! You are many things but I never thought 'weak' was one of them. How can you sit here and blame yourself for their death when you know it was drunken fuckwits that killed them! You told me yourself. I will not stand here and listen to you spout such bullshit!"
Golden eyes slit black. "That was my fault. If I didn't have some stupid destiny to meet they would be here!"
"And you're saying you can control your destiny, your fate?! Grow up Rei! You couldn't have controlled that situation or stopped it happening for all the cat nip in heaven! If it was meant to happen then it was meant to happen; don't sit here trying to find a way to keep feeling guilty!"
Rei stepped back in shock, staring into those crimson eyes that were fueled by anger and, to his surprise, concern. He wanted to feel angry, he wanted to feel justified in pushing away this burdensome 'destiny' he held in the palm of his hand, and more than anything, he wanted to vent the onslaught of emotion his parents death had brought that he'd failed to deal with since it happened.
Perhaps he was afraid of the power he held; he'd never been anything but a simple neko, a little love-struck by this dark angel and positively certain there was nothing special about him. He'd always wanted to blame someone or something for their death, and not just blame them, but show them his anger, and yes, hate, in all it's glory by inflicting pain…but he'd never done that. The chance to blame something; the talisman or himself, offered something of a release, but not the right one.
He felt his heart lifting slightly, felt the weight he had been burdening it with melting off at Kai's words. He worked so hard to blame someone for his parents death for so long, and since the real culprits were gone, a part of him had secretly carried around that blame. He felt he was the one who had been unable to reach his parents and save their lives, and now, his destiny and fate to protect heaven had also lead to their demise.
Yet Kai was right. He hadn't put his parents in that position that would endanger their lives in the first place, and he had no control over God, fates and his destiny. He was just…desperate to know someone or something would pay for his parents untimely death, and the loss he felt within himself.
His eyes fell back into golden ambience, and he stepped away from Kai in his shock, feeling himself go numb. His left cheek burned slightly but he ignored it, finding it an almost soothing reminder of reality and truth.
Kai was right…
The next instant, he felt himself falling, and blinking out of his reverie, he realized he had stepped back off the ledge of heaven, and was plummeting towards the earth.
"Now Rei…" he heard Kai's voice, turning his head to see him falling beside him, "I'm pretty good with this, and I'm quite certain that for it to work you're going to have to open those wings before that big baron mass hits you really hard in the face."
Rei managed a small smile. "Kinda like you then huh?"
The rueful smirk gave him his answer.
"Soar with me, Tiger."
And with that, the dark angel threw open his wings, and soared higher, lifting away from Rei who took but a second to throw open his own wings, and follow.
They flew together for hours, breaking through cloud cover and diving in sunlight. Rei felt a new freedom in flying with Kai, a surge of passion towards life and to the talisman now resting comfortably in his side pocket. They had raced each, summoning their powers in childlike delight to hurtle through the air at incomprehensible speed, Rei's wings glowing gold, Kai's burning molten red.
Even in that moment, Rei had realized that Kai was ahead of them again with their Talismans. He held a different control over Dranzer, as though he had trained with her already, had already begun to meld himself to the mighty phoenix when they had only had the power in their hands for a matter of days.
And he was yet to see Kai's Talisman. Unlike Rei, Kai need not clutch it in his fist to summon its strength; he simply closed his eyes, opening them to reveal burning embers alive with Dranzers fire.
Rei felt great admiration for Kai, it taking a seat atop the already huge mountain that was his love for the dark angel. Unable to contain his curiosity, he broke the gentle silence that had descended on them while they sat on the edge of heaven, gazing onto the baron landscape of the earth below.
"Kai?"
"Hn?"
Crimson eyes turned to regard him, open to a question or suggestion for them to make more mischief; Kai's readiness to attend to Rei's desires spurred by the reappearance of the fiery, defiant neko he had glimpsed the other day.
"How have you become so close to Dranzer so fast?"
A small smirk graced ivory lips. Kai had been waiting for this question. He had seen it brimming on the edge of Rei's senses all day as they had, for lack of a better word, frolicked through the skies. In a rare moment, Kai simply shrugged, looking completely unconcerned and accepting of his new found power. He settled another steady gaze on the ebony haired teen, making him even more anxious for the answer.
"I have taken all Dranzer was, is, and will be, into my life form. I have accepted all her power, no matter how grand or small. My life is her life, her life is my whole life. I am her."
Rei's golden eyes widened. "B-but Kai," he spluttered, "you can't just give away your life like that. You can't stop who you are cause of the talisman. Dranzer is Dranzer and you are Kai!"
Kai shook his head. "No Rei. You don't understand. At some point, you and Drigger will be the same. It is what is meant. Most achieve it over time, with much perseverance to truly earn the respect of the talisman. But I…" here, he looked out to the horizon, eyes swimming with past memories, emotions and pain, "I've been waiting for Dranzer my whole life…"
His last sentence was a whisper, carried away on the wind so that Rei's acute hearing barely caught it. But he was meant to hear it, and Kai turned soulful eyes back on him, daring him to question the sense of his words. Rei stared at Kai, slightly bewildered, unable to see how he would ever accept Drigger to be a true part of his own being.
Yet at the same time, he understood deep within himself exactly what Kai described, and why Kai had accepted Dranzer without hesitation. To Kai, Dranzer would now symbolize something of a family; a constant support and ally, no matter who, or what, he was. Unconditional Love.
Rei looked away, suddenly ashamed of his outburst. "I'm sorry Kai. I…I understand how much Dranzer would mean to you."
Kai nodded softly, returning that haunting stare to the horizon, leaving Rei to dwell in a pit of his own inadequacy.
A surge of jealousy had sprung up in the pit of his stomach, and it was well directed at the Phoenix talisman. He longed to be that close to Kai, to be a pillar of support and show the dark angel that he could rely on him also. The neko wanted Kai to know that he could give unconditional love, at the drop of a feather. Glancing sideways under his lashes at the dark angel, he wondered if Kai would ever accept him as being someone he could utterly depend on, and ultimately love. He knew something like that would be incredibly hard to do; for Kai to love an angel he would have to ignore his entire past of torment at their hands. Yet he was determined. He loved Kai, he'd never been surer of anything in his life.
"We should go."
Rei started slightly, shaken out of his own thoughts to glance up at the outstretched hand before him. He accepted it with a smile, and felt his defiant self re-emerge at the prospect of another joyous flight. With a wicked gleam to his eyes, he used the grip of their arms to launch himself off the edge, dragging Kai with him whose eyes betrayed a brief moment of shock before Rei was soaring high above him in the air. Using the fall to flip himself, he raced after the golden glowing wings, his own leaving streaks of fire through the sky.
As both teens strolled back through the double doors, re-admitting themselves to the school, smirks stole over their faces at the stunned looks they were receiving from other students. For Kai, many students looks quickly turned from shock to anger and they looked away, adamant not to pay this upstart talisman stealer the slightest bit of attention.
Rei's interesting reaction stemmed from disbelief that he would share the same space as Kai, as both walked shoulder to shoulder, both equally as pleased with their cutting class as the other.
"Kai! Rei! Where have you been?! Are you alright Rei?! Lee said he might have upset you; do I have to break his face?!"
Kai's smirk became a chuckle at the mental imagery of Tyson trying to even scratch someone as formidable as Lee, while at the same time he mentally logged away the fact it was Lee who had driven Rei to the edge of heaven in the first place. Lee was formidable enough for Tyson, but if he ever pulled that shit on Rei again, Kai would make him look like he was standing still.
"No, Tyson, though I'd love to see you try," he said, serving the dragon master with a rueful smirk. Tyson responded with a lopsided grin, before turning around and bounding back down to where Max was trying desperately to stop a mountain of books cascading out of his locker. Rei turned to face Kai, winking as he moseyed on down to join them, surreptitiously nudging the teetering tower so that they fell to the ground. Max let out a yelp of indignation, while Rei laughed teasingly and took off down the hall, toward the cafeteria. Max and Tyson raced after him, leaving the small brunette to sigh and begin forcing the mass back into the overcrowded locker.
With another smirk, Kai turned to leave, only to come to a dead standstill, finding himself face to face with the principal, Nic, and Mr D.
He kept his face impassive, eyes betraying the briefest flicker of emotion before they closed ff completely. Nic had a soft frown on his face, while the other two looked generally displeased. Kai raised an eyebrow, questioning them.
"We need to speak with you, Kai."
Mr D looked stern, the principal trying hard to look equally as intimidating. Nic was quietly trying to analyze Kai with his eyes, searching the red for an answer and finding nothing. Behind them, he could hear Kenny quietly shutting the locker, and backing away, of the intent to go and find the others and hopefully bail Kai out of the predicament he was in.
Kai found his voice in a nonchalant reply. "Hn."
With a stern glare, Mr. Dickinson turned and walked away, toward the head office with the principal in tow. Nic stayed only long enough to question Kai with his eyes, before he too turned and moved away. Kai sighed, shook his head, and followed. He sensed the Chief running off behind him, as well as the warm glow of the Phoenix against his chest, bound to the sleek silver chain. In his head he heard the soft, enchanting melody of the phoenix trying to reassure him and give him strength. He closed his eyes as he walked, savouring that feeling and closeness, sending his own energy down into the talisman so that Dranzer felt his thanks and compassion.
They were one in that moment, linked by more than destiny.
His eyes opened to ignite into an inferno, and he held his wings high, proud and defiant. He would not be tamed by heaven, and nor would the Pheonix. She craved freedom, longed to be set free into the night and to soar. She would stand by him and he by her. Heaven and hell would not sever the bond they had made.
Entering the office, dark wings framing him like the midnight sky, he let his eyes slide over each adult, in turn giving them his own defiant glare and daring them to punish him. Mr Dickinson returned it with ease, while the prinicipal cowered in his seat. Nic tried not to let the amused smirk pass over his face, and instead let it shine in his eyes. Kai saw it, and smirked again.
"Kai."
The fiery gaze snapped back to the elderly man.
"Perhaps I didn't make it clear when you were bought here, and admitted to this school, that cutting class, and such behavior, is 'NOT' tolerated."
Fire eyes narrowed coldly.
"I will not tolerate a renegade attitude towards your schooling just because you have been chosen. It is disrespectful, disgusting and will 'not' happen again. Am I understood?"
Silence.
"Kai! Answer me! There a methods of punishment that can be met even for one as 'prestigious' as yourself. The consequences of your impudence could be severe."
Eyes still narrowed into slits, Kai felt the stir of heat on his chest that begged him to stay calm. Her fear that they'd be separated rushed him and his eyes widened at the thought of such a loss. He clutched at his chest as if in sudden pain, and closed his eyes, the emotion too overwhelming. Nic started to move but was held back with a hand from Mr. D., concern covered his features, even as Rei burst through the door.
"Mr. D!" he cried, out of breath, having obviously just run from the cafeteria to make it here as fast as he did. "Whats wrong? Whats going on?!"
Gray eyes turned to him. "This does not concern you Rei. I'm merely discussing the severity of Kai's desire to lead you astray from your schooling and make you cut class. Such offenses can stand for Kai to lose his possession of the Phoenix, as negative behaviour leaves room for negative power to take hold."
Golden eyes flashed to Kai in a heart beat, seeing his pain and fear in his body language and sensing his inner turmoil through Drigger. His eyes flashed back to gray.
"Kai didn't take me out! I left of my own accord."
All eyes turned to Rei in surprise, excluding the molten lava pair that still hid behind ivory lids.
"You left yourself, Rei?"
Mr. Dickinson's eyes were on Rei, almost disbelieving. Was it possible that the inner Tiger that had lane dormant in this boy since the death of his parents had finally stirred?
Wise old eyes lit inside at the thought, elated that this dark angel had re-awoken the spirit necessary to tame the Tiger guardian.
"Yes. I did." Rei took another deep breath and centered himself. "I was upset, and I flew off. Kai…well I don't know how he did it but he saved me…saved me from making a mistake I would have regretted forever." Here, he spared Kai's dark feathered back a look of deep gratitude. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Kai opened his eyes and turned, meeting the liquid gold that burned with a protective intensity.
Rei looked back at the elderly angel.
"It's the truth, sir."
A small cough interrupted the intensity of their gazes, and each angel present turned to face Nicholai. Turning to face Dickinson, he spoke in a clear tone that left no indecision.
"I believe this to be the case, Charles. When I entered my class room this morning, it was to find it devoid of Rei. When I asked Kai where Rei was he said he did not know. It was only a quarter of the way into the lesson when Kai suddenly seemed to be in pain. When he got up to leave the classroom, I asked him what was wrong. He told me it was Rei; that Rei was in pain and needed help." The educator shrugged. "The Phoenix has often sensed the despair of it's companions; as leader of the Guardians it claims protective right over all who stand beside it. Drigger would have called to Dranzer, who in turn would have let the connection between Rei and Kai bloom into life so that Kai may help Rei."
During Nic's entire presentation Kai had watched the emerald eyes, while Rei had stared in disbelief at Kai, stunned as to the connection they already shared. Was it possible that Kai had already let Rei closer than any other angel? So close that Kai himself could sense when Rei was in turmoil, in danger, in pain?
Mr. Dickinson looked stunned. Running a hand over his shining scalp, he looked at Kai with honest regret.
"I apologize Kai. I jumped to a rash conclusion based on others information. Forgive me."
Crimson eyes narrowed again, but with a nod, Kai turned away, accepting the old mans apology. Shooting Nic an appreciative glance, he spun abruptly and left the room.
His head ached with the notion of being so incredibly close to the neko-jin teen that he was capable of feeling as the other boy felt, knowing where he was and what he was doing. The same information divulged to Rei threatened to plunge this traitorous situation he was in even further off the track.
Kai was desperate to figure out his exact feelings for Rei, now concerned that Dranzers love of Drigger would also corrupt his intent. He did not want some random relationship to come to life right before his very eyes that he had no control over.
Still…he couldn't help the tiniest of smiles flitting over his lips; Rei had run to his defense also, had run to make sure Kai was spared from punishment and his name was cleared. He cared…
Eyes burning once more, Kai decided on seeking out the cause of today's misgivings in the first place.
Meanwhile, Rei stood and stared at the door through which Kai had vanished, still unable to comprehend the fact that he and the dark angel were already so close. Shaking his head slowly in bewilderment, he turned back to face his parental guardian. The old man was watching him closely, eyes not betraying a single thought that ran through the ancient head. His surprise at the re-emergence of Rei's once fiery and defiant nature that had possessed him each day of his life before the death of his parents not withstanding, he was yet to decide whether or not Rei deserved some form of punishment for his actions.
"Why did you leave?"
Rei swallowed, a million thoughts racing through his mind, before he finally decided on a small portion of the truth, knowing the elderly man would see straight through a point blank lie.
"I was upset."
A white eyebrow rose. "Upset, Rei? Whatever about?"
The neko swallowed again. In his throat he could feel the familiar lump forming that came whenever he spoke of his parents; especially since the scars of their passing had been reopened into fresh, raw wounds.
"My parents."
At this, the elderly man realized at once, and gave a nod of acknowledgement. The principal, seated comfortably behind his desk, looked back and forth at both speakers, being the only one in the room who was unaware of the trauma the young boy had suffered. Nic, however, refused to look anywhere near Rei, instead fixating his gaze at some fascinating spot on his shoe. His wings hung limply around him, and inside he could feel a deep seated swell of emotion as familiarity reigned him in.
"I see. Would you like to discuss it?"
Golden eyes flashed defiantly. "No."
Sighing despite himself, Mr Dickinson moved from around the desk to approach the teen. Placing a comforting hand on the slender shoulders, he tried his best to radiate warmth and acceptance, wanting Rei to know he was not being judged, nor punished for his actions.
"Are you sure I can't do anything to help?"
Rei, however, was over feeling like he had to depend on everyone else's acceptance or approval. He didn't want them to help him; he wanted to help himself. His spirit felt fierce and untamable, no doubt a rub off from Kai's own fiery attitude. In a small way he appreciated that Mr. Dickinson was their, and in another he wanted to finally stand on his own two feet.
"No, thank you."
The grey eyes watched Rei leave with a hint of sadness. He had grown into his pain, and was accepting it as he should, but perhaps Kai's influence was making him bare the burden in a different light then necessary.
A tired sigh escaped the old angels lips as he turned to survey those still present in the room. Seeing the discomfort in the young teachers face, he hurriedly thanked the principal for his time, and took his leave with the young man, watching him as he shut the door with a soft, sad click.
"Are you alright, Nicholai?"
The green eyes widened slightly, the dark ebony locks falling forward and casting shadows over the already pained gaze.
"Not quite. Memories." A sad smile graced his face. "I know Rei's pain…"
"Yin!"
Lee turned at the sound of his name, but his bronze eyes widened in shock at the sight of the person addressing him. Anger, distrust and suspicion flared in him instantaneously, and he took up a defensive fighters' stance, wings at the ready.
The dark angel approaching him held his own wings at attention, his powerful arms tensed and his eyes smouldering with the desire for retribution.
"Kai."
The name brought the attention of all present, and three other sets of eyes turned to view the tense being before them. Mariah rose from where she had been placidly sitting on the grass, her wings curled against herself to protect her from the cool breeze. Her own amber eyes regarded Kai curiously, sensing his displeasure.
"I have something pertinent to discuss with you in private. 'Now'."
Lee's hackles rose at the impudence, regardless of his guardian stature.
"Who the hell are you to demand anything from me?"
Kai surged forward in the blink of an eye, seizing the neko-jin by the collar and lifting him effortlessly from the ground. Bronze eyes contracted in sudden fear and shock, attempting immediately to free himself from the vice like grip, his wings beating at the air to pull himself away.
Behind him, Kevin and Gary leapt to their feet to join Mariah, yelling in shock and anger.
"A concerned 'friend' and a guardian to boot; what the hell did you say to Rei this morning?" Kai hissed, his voice low and dangerous.
The confusion that had taken over evaporated, and even the neko-angels paused in there movement to help their friend, curiosity spiked.
"W~what?"
Red eyes narrowed into demonic pits of molten fire. "What. Did. You. Say. To. Rei?!"
Turning slightly, he threw the angel away from him, watching with barely contained enjoyment as Lee landed with a satisfying thump on the ground. He did not stay down however, leaping to his feet as his friends came to stand at his side.
"It's none of your business what I say to my friends!"
"It becomes my business when whatever you said drove your friend to the edge of heaven, ready to forsake everything he's been given!"
Lee gasped in shock. "Rei did what?"
Kai scowled, his distaste even more apparent. "He did nothing, because I stopped him."
Looking ashamed, Lee's eyes filled with guilt as he spoke. "I…" he took a deep breath, "I told Rei it was necessary that his parents had died. Otherwise he wouldn't have come here to accept his destiny…"
Behind him, the others let out small exclamations of surprise and sorrow, staring at their friend in bewilderment.
"Lee…" Mariah whispered softly, "did you really say those things to Rei?"
Closing his eyes, the neko nodded morosely.
"How could you? Do you have any idea how much that would have hurt him?" the pink haired teen gasped, feeling close to tears. Lee may have been a good friend, but the teen had all the subtleness of a flying mack truck.
"I didn't want to hurt him! I just wanted him to realize the truth! I thought that if he knew why his parents had passed on he'd feel some closure since he has the guardian beast!"
Kai snorted in contempt as his eyes snapped back on to Lee in a heartbeat. The gaze made Lee sink back, his wings lowering in submission at the angry, mocking crimson orbs.
"Answer me this, Yin, if you had been in Rei's position, and someone had approached you to tell you that the reason your beloved parents had died was so you could receive the piece of silver clasped in your hand, would you warm up to that piece of silver or would you hate it to the end of your existence for taking something so precious?"
Lee looked as though Kai had just smacked him across the face. The color fled from his face as his imaginations stole away with the idea of his parents dying such a horrific death. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat, conscious of the fact Kai had once again walked up to him and was now staring him down.
"Kai! Stop!"
As if on queue, Rei, Tyson, Max and Kenny burst through the doors that led to the outside yard. The three bringing up the rear were staring at Kai with mild anticipation, while Rei was stepping forward to place a calming hand on the dark angels shoulder, staring him in the eyes.
Lightly, he shook his head, making it clear that he did not want Lee punished (even if he felt the neko could use a good smack). Kai, in a rare moment of co-operation, blinked out of his intense reverie.
Stepping away from the shaken youth, who was now watching his oldest friend and apparent enemy with calculated eyes, Kai gave Rei a very simple, very effective look. 'He'll only get this one reprieve.'
Nodding, and offering a rueful smirk in the process, Rei then turned to watch his old friends.
"Rei…I…"
Rei shook his head. "Forget it, Lee. What's done is done. You can't take back what you said, despite the fact I know, right now, you'd kill someone to do just that. What you said…" Rei's eyes narrowed as he stared at the ground, his thoughts hardening to prevent another depressing lapse into the past, "what you said was painful. Thoughtless. But to some extent…yes, it might have been true. That doesn't mean I wanted to hear it," he added at the sudden hopeful look in the teens face, making him drop back into guilt, "it just means I needed to come to turns with that on my own. Having something like that thrown in your face from a normally reliable source is kinda…what's the word…oh, agonizing."
He graced Lee with a stern look, under which Lee felt even more like a naughty, guilty, misbehaved child. Still, struggling against his guilt, he managed a weak glare at the fire guardian.
"I understand Rei, but why did 'he' have to come and try to punish me when it's none of his damn business?"
Rei's eyes turned cold at the disrespecting words. Behind Yin, Mariah, Kevin and Gary each hushed and stepped back at the sudden dishonor their friend was bringing upon them. Kai, meanwhile, lifted his gaze to burn holes through the neko's, his wings shimmering around him as they generated their own heat.
Turning, Rei made to step away from his childhood friend, willing and ready to stand beside Kai at a moments notice. Lee, in a moment of shock and hurt, reached for him, missing Rei's shoulder but catching the collar of his shirt. Using this leverage, he spun Rei back to face him.
The fading bruise on the pale skinned collar bone flashed at them like a beacon. Instantly, Lee released him, staring at the mark in a stupor.
Blushing, Rei felt a flicker of not only annoyance but also…relief.
Now, he wouldn't have to hide it away; Kai's and his relationship. Now, thanks to Lee, Rei could comfortably acknowledge that he and Kai were lovers without saying he blatantly went out and told people about it. Behind his back, Kai's eyes flashed momentary horror at the revelation.
"Rei…who…" Lee's mind struggled to absorb the enormity of the mark, and who could have put it there.
Rei's golden eyes flashed defiance as he took a step back to stand beside the dark angel. 'His' dark angel.
"'Him'?!" Mariah's eyes were the size of dinner plates in her shock, her mind secretly doing back flips over the notion that two of the most attractive angels she had ever lain eyes on weren't even remotely interested in the female side of the race. (AN: Nooooo!)
Lee was yet to form a cognitive mind pattern let alone sentence. His amber eyes simply stared, watching his oldest and dearest friend. Could he really be falling for the charm of some demon in disguise? Some messenger of hell that had taken heaven's talisman?
"No."
The golden eyes hit the teen with the force of a bullet, but Lee stood his ground.
"What do you mean 'no', Lee?"
Lee's amber eyes slitted in his anger, while Rei's followed at the sign of battle. Both neko-jins radiated defiance, and the others watching them stared in disbelief as the once best friends seemed to square each other off; wings held high in tense anticipation.
"I mean how can you want to be with some upstart demon who you've only known for little more than a week?"
"He is no demon!"
"How do you know?! You don't even know him Rei! And you're taking his side over me; someone you've known your whole life!! I couldn't care less that he is a guy, I really couldn't, but he is spawned from something else! He doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself!"
"Funny," Rei spat coldly, "it seemed he was out here earlier defending me against your wonderful remark this morning. Very selfish of him indeed."
A blush rose in the tanned cheeks, and Lee felt his resolve weaken. He tried his best to glare at Kai, but Kai's gaze made him feel as though he might as well not exist.
"Listen Lee," Rei growled, "you're right, you have been my friend for longer, so I would have thought you'd be a little more understanding and accepting of the people I trust. If I'm so 'bad' concerning the people I place my trust in, maybe you'll be my new definition of why that's so." Lee's face paled. "So what's your choice Lee?"
Before Lee could utter a sound, before Kai could begin to formulate exactly where he would like to bruise the arrogant neko, before Rei could completely dismiss his best friend, Gary stepped forward. Three sets of eyes turned to him intently, moderately surprised, Rei even more so when the gentle giant moved to stand beside him.
He stared Lee down with determination, and spoke without any doubt.
"Rei right. We always trust Rei, Rei is our friend. Now, it is 'you' who let prejudice stand in the way of good friendship. You wrong Lee. I trust Rei."
Turning, Gary held out his massive ham of a fist to Kai. Kai didn't even hesitate in taking it in a firm grip, and letting Gary shake on their new 'trust'. As if on cue, Kevin and Mariah stepped forward also, taking a stand with Rei, beside Kai, before Lee.
The weight of it all seemed to crush his remaining spirit, and he sank to the ground, wings folded in defeat. His bronze eyes seemed dull as his mind tried to absorb what Rei meant, why he was doing this. If his other friends could understand, why couldn't he? What was wrong with him?
He tilted his head up slowly when a hand rested on his shoulder.
Above him stood Rei, his aura bathed in golden light, warm and comforting. Lee felt that warmth spread through him to calm him, to bring him closer and reassure him. Yet still, he was confused, and it betrayed itself in his eyes.
Seeing it, Rei smiled benignly, and offered out his hand.
"Come my friend. I want you to fly with me. We need to talk."
Lee paused before a nod, and taking the proffered hand he stood. Rei smiled at him again, before turning back to face Kai, raising an eyebrow and asking a question in one. This new freedom of relationship status finally let him communicate to Kai openly.
Kai read the expression and felt awkward when he nodded. Rei was asking him permission to fly with Lee; but Kai was no-one he had to seek permission from, and neither was he someone that should be that close to Rei that Rei felt he 'had' to ask.
Watching the two take flight, Kai ignored the inquisitive stares of the other angels beside him, turning and launching himself in the opposite direction. His wings swept the air beneath as he flew, intent on expressing his own inner turmoil.
----------------------------------
"So…why are you here?"
"Why do you care?"
"Well, the terms we left under weren't exactly endearing. I mean Christ, if you were a chick I wouldn't get laid for a year cause by now every other chick would know what a dick I was."
"And you're getting laid now?"
"The point is that I was a jerk, not how my sex life is."
"I'll take that as a no."
"Fuck you Kai."
"You wish..."
Bryan glared softly at the teen, aware that even as Kai tried to insult him, there was no real malice behind anything he said. Watching the dark angel, he saw that Kai had a certain tense position hanging over him, his wings more twitchy then they had been on his first arrival. His eyes were shadowed with hidden conflicts, and he seemed to stare out over the horizon as if looking for something.
"So I figure I should say sorry."
"Hn. I thought it would be polite of me to come round to give you that opportunity. I know how much effort it takes to find someone and say those words out loud."
The lavender haired teen scowled. "You're just not going to make this easy are you?"
"I'm not easy."
"Yeah, I noticed," Bryan grumbled to himself, then blushed, aware of the power and ability Kai had to hear 'everything'.
Kai's exasperated smirk caught him off guard however, and brought a smile to his face.
"You know what they say Bryan, 'Take it easy. If it's easy take it twice.'"
"Is that an invitation?" the teens devilish smirk made Kai sigh again, regarding him with curiosity and fatigue.
"Bryan, don't you love Spencer?"
The question almost smacked the remaining mirth from the pale skinned face. Bryan's smirk dropped like a stone; softness crept into his eyes, and his voice came out low.
"Of course I care about Spencer. He and I have been together for a long time, and friends even longer. I would kill anyone who ever sought to hurt him. But…" the Lavender eyes bore traces of confusion and regret. "I feel what I feel. I have always accepted that what you feel should be expressed, one way or another. You bring out the most mischievous side of me I have ever seen, Kai. And I don't know how to deal with that. Sometimes I think I'm not meant to be with Spencer, that we were together as long as we needed to be, to look out for one another. Now, I feel like I've grown into a different person. I feel that he has too." He shrugged; a sad, resigned movement of his shoulders. "I think it is only time before we both choose to act on it."
Kai regarded him curiously. Bryan was openly admitting an obviously sensitive subject to Kai, someone he had barely met. His desire to do so surely stemmed from a need to make Kai see he wanted his friendship, and that he trusted him. The dark angel squared his shoulders as he stood, eyes now moving to scan the rooftop.
They were seated above The Thorn, it's rooftop bedecked with a few chairs and comfortable been bags, no doubt Bryans midnight retreat. Kai had been flying serenely over the store when he had seen the lavender haired teen basking in the afternoon sun.
As his eyes swept the roof, he noticed the guitar lying neglected in a corner, half sidled onto an old bean bag. Eying it critically, he walked over and picked it up.
Bryan, who had taken the movement as a dismissal of his confession, looked on with a slightly hurt expression he hurriedly tried to mask. When Kai picked up the guitar however, his eyes lit again, yet he did not speak. Sensing the others excitement, Kai turned to view Bryan, giving him a mischievous look of his own. Walking back over, he took up his seat again, resting the guitar in playing position on his lap. His fingers strummed the strings, and for the next few minutes, the only sound to be heard was of the dark angel tuning the old instrument. Finally satisfied, Kai granted Bryan one last, small, sad smile, before he picked up a tune.
It was light, somber, the tenors reaching Bryan even in the darkest depths of his mind. It broke through the silence and brought new life to the air. The sound of Kai's voice punctuated the tenor and Bryan found himself captivated.
"Prison gates won't open up for me
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'
Oh, I reach for you…
Well I'm terrified of these four walls
These iron bars can't hold my soul in…"
He paused, his eyes becoming lost…
"All I need is you
Come please I'm callin'
And oh I scream for you
Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin…"
Around him red light began to shimmer into life, the Phoenix called forth by the haunting melody. He radiated warmth while his soul exuded loss, confusion, and regret. His soft tenor reached a new depth, and power surged through his voice.
"Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
Say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth saving me…
Heaven's gates won't open up for me
With these broken wings I'm fallin'
And all I see is you…
These city walls ain't got no love for me
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story
And oh, I scream for you
Come please… I'm callin'
And all I need from you
Hurry I'm fallin'… I'm fallin'
Hurry I'm fallin…"
The song ended softly, the vibration of the last string echoing through the air until silence fell once again. As it faded, so did Kai's burning light, the embers of the Phoenix dying down to nothingness. Without even realizing, Bryan found he had been half holding his breath, and exhaled quickly, struggling to bring oxygen back into his lungs, his mind falling all over itself to preserve such a precious song and moment.
Kai sat in the silence, his wings finally still, his eyes staring into nothingness and void of all emotion.
Almost afraid to end the tranquility that had fallen over the Phoenix, Bryan's voice came out in a whisper.
"Kai…where did you learn that?"
The teen stirred, life flooding back into the crimson orbs that turned to Bryan with mingled emotions.
"I…taught myself…with the help of a friend."
"And the song?"
"We made it."
Bryan whistled appreciatively, making Kai smirk faintly.
"So who were you singing it for then, Kon?"
The smile fell from Kai's face immediately, his eyes hardening to the point of diamonds. His voice came out cold and ruthless.
"I sing for no-one. Rei and I are not together, understood?"
The lavender haired teen threw his hands in the air to a defensive position, aware of the heat beginning to scald his skin as Kai glared at him.
"Sorry man, that's just not the word on the grape vine. Word spreads fast around us teens, and apparently, you and Kon are an item, you and he have…" his voice trailed off, leaving Kai to surmise that despite his desire for that night to be a secret, news, and the mark on Rei's neck, was fast becoming well known.
Growling to himself, he stood, and began to pace. Control of the situation was spiraling madly away from him, and all he could do was watch and make vain attempts to soften the damaging blow. What made everything worse was the fact that he still did not know in what light he regarded the innocent angel, which is why he was so against just 'jumping' into some relationship without any forethought. Did he love Rei or Tala? Did he want Rei or Tala?
"Kai?"
The dark angel paused in his movement, sparing his friend an agitated glance. Bryan did not waver in his question.
"You sang it for someone. May I ask who?"
At the question, images of brilliant blue eyes and fire red hair came unbidden to his mind, and which a lurch of his heart he remembered Tala in all his imperfect perfection. The sudden rush lowered his mask enough for Bryan to see the longing and regret, the insatiable need for this other angel.
Abruptly, Kai sat, and before he could even think it through, words had cascaded from his lips in a torrent of fresh, raw emotion.
"His name is Tala. He was my childhood friend, and, hopefully, is still my friend now. We grew up in the orphanage together. He…" Kai steeled himself to the truth. "He is the only angel I will ever openly confess to loving."
The light purple eyes regarded him half lidded. "So this is why you will not be with Rei."
Scarlet eyes rose to meet them. "Yes," he said simply. "Rei is something special, something pure and good…something I crave but for reasons even I don't know. But Tala…" the long sigh that followed expressed more than enough, to the point of Bryan being genuinely impressed that someone could cast such a spell over someone who was already spell binding.
"What does he look like, incase I ever have the privilege of meeting such an angel?"
Kai gave a sardonic smile, his eyes now twinkling as they remembered the fiery defiant nature of his red head.
"He's slightly shorter than I am, but not by much. He is slender, but defined. He could put you on your back in a heartbeat," Kai added, flashing the muscled teen a smirk, which Bryan returned. "He has pale ivory skin; flawless where mine is scarred. He has hair the colour of fire, and his eyes…" Kai exhaled softly, closing his own garnet orbs at the memory inside his mind. He continued, eyes closed, tone reverent.
"His eyes are fresh fallen snow…or the highest of tides…they can leave you breathless with a look…pulling the air from your lungs…they are crystalline…ice…" he opened his eyes, crimson orbs burning, "they are perfect cerulean."
The image of the angel now soaring through his mind made Bryan smile fondly at the blunette; the dark angel, in his mind, deeply smitten with this 'Tala'. He watched Kai, still lost in memory, when a thought occurred to him upon which he acted with gleeful, if not psychotic, enthusiasm.
"Kai, I know what we have to do."
Kai turned questioning eyes on him, curiosity spiked.
"Oh?"
"I'll tell Spencer when you tell Kon."
----------------------------------------
Their wing beats were the only sound made for almost twenty minutes. Having known each other since the first day they opened their eyes, both teens could time their own wings to the sound of the others.
Once they had left the boundaries of heaven, free to soar out over the vast horizon, Rei spoke, his voice warm and melodious.
"Lee…"
Amber eyes flicked to him momentarily, unable to hide their guilt.
"I want to know why it is that you keep…sabotaging me of late."
Lee nearly fell out of the air at the notion, his wing beat faltering badly so that he jarred a joint trying to stay aloft.
"Sabotage you?! Rei, never! I wouldn't do that! You know I love you like a brother!"
Golden eyes turned to him.
"Do you want me to be happy, Lee?"
His companion nodded rigorously, eyes belaying his sense of earnestness. Rei could feel the emotions radiating off the young man in waves; confusion, sorrow, regret, sadness, but more than anything, love & loyalty. Lee did not intentionally want to hurt him, he was just confused how he was supposed to go about things.
"Of course I want you to be happy Rei! Ever since your parents," he paused a second, wincing and shooting his fellow neko an apologetic look, "I've been afraid you'd never be happy again. You locked yourself into this tight little ball and never let anyone know how you thought or felt. I was scared for you."
Rei nodded his understanding. He had known his childhood friends had been worried for him for some time. Due to them being so close to him, having known his family, his parents, he had found it difficult to confide in any of them as they all had their own opinions, and their own grief counseling methods. Being able to confide in Kai had been an unburdening of his soul.
"I know Lee. And I also want to say I'm sorry for not confiding in you; I know how much it hurt you." Lee looked away, trying to hide the truth of the words, before returning his gaze to his friends. "But that doesn't mean I don't still love you just as the brother you are to me. And if you want me to be happy, you should be able to see how happy Kai makes me."
At the mention of the dark angel's name, amber eyes narrowed into slits, and Lee turned to face his friend, easily avoiding a wisp of cloud in the process.
"How on earth can 'he' make you happy?! He's part demon Rei! Something never even before heard of, and something of which we have been 'taught' to despise. Why should I trust him?"
Rei shook his head sadly, smiling. "I'm not asking you to trust him, I'm asking you to trust me. And he is not only part demon, he is part angel too."
Lee sighed in exasperation. "And why do you trust him Rei?"
Another smile, warm and brilliant and exposing his canine teeth. "Because he trusts me. He has done much to gain my confidence."
"And why do you love him?"
The smile faltered as Rei thought best how to answer that question. He did not want to upset Lee by keeping things from him, but at the same time he knew he would upset him by telling him all about his love for Kai. Lee was no fool, he could see that Rei was falling for this dark rogue, and falling hard. Kai was just so different from everyone else; he wasn't another angel, he was something else.
"I love him because he is different."
"Yeah, well I don't like different."
"Says the pot calling the kettle black."
Lee graced his friend with a slightly amused smile, before he sighed. "Ok, fine. If you trust him, I trust 'you', and if you love him, and he hurts you, so help me God…"
Rei laughed. "Yeah yeah, you'll grind his bones and pickle his spleen. I got it."
Lee managed a laugh at this too, pretending not to enjoy the idea of pickling Kai's spleen for fun. Rei, catching the devious light in the others eyes, playfully punched the boy in the shoulder. Lee swerved through the air slightly, banking his wings until they both could fly tip to tip. Giving Rei a feral smirk, Lee dove down, bursting through cloud to vanish beneath it. Rei, giving into childish pleasures, plummeted after him.
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So that everyone knows (and since few people read the 'beginning' remarks of the author) I want everyone to know that I have nearly completed this story. I have promised myself that no matter what, it will be completed, and I can almost guarantee that the last chapter will be posted before July next year. I need this fic to be finished soon; it is something I have carried around for so long I need to know I can finish it.
So, once again, I thank everyone for their patience and their kind reviews – they seriously help me and motivate me.
Ciao
NC