Disclaimer: While this plot is definitely mine, the characters and the lyrics are not.
Warning: A little cursing, some mention of blood, but overall, relatively tame.
Author's note: hiding in shame Oops, I've been very, very bad, ne? This is a shorter chapter (sorry, I know it should be longer due to wait time). It is meant to give a little more info, but not realy too exciting. Please enjoy and hopefully, the next one will be faster (both in updating and in pace)
A World so Cold
Chapter XXIX: Need to Find
RING…
What the hell?
RING…
Burrowing deeper into his blankets, Takao dragged his pillow over his head and tried to convince himself that 'no, there was no annoying sound.' Unfortunately, he didn't do a very good job of it because the irritating noise continued to invade the room. Peeking out from under his pillow, hoping for salvation, Takao looked around to see if either of his team mates might have gotten up to deal with the rude noise. He almost snickered when he saw Max, similarly buried under his covers, with one arm snaking out to pound away fruitlessly on the bedside table in search of a non-existent alarm clock. Now that Takao was awake enough to realize that the noise was coming from the phone and not an obnoxious time piece, he was fairly sure that Max wouldn't be able to stop it that way. Scanning the room, he also noticed that the third bed was empty. Any hope that Kenny was up answering the phone was dashed when he heard the faint sound of water running in the bathroom. Since it was getting close to the time Kenny needed to relieve Rei, Takao figured that he was probably getting cleaned up to go to the hospital.
RING…
Knowing he didn't really have a choice, Takao reluctantly pushed off his covers and climbed out of bed to stumble towards the phone. It took him a full minute to get the receiver lined up right before he could mumble a greeting into the phone.
"H'lo?"
"Yes, I'm trying to reach the friends or relatives of Kai Hiwatari."
"This is Takao, I'm a friend of Kai's" Takao answered, suddenly wide awake. The person's inquiry may have been very simple, but he could hear the urgency behind the words. "What's wrong?"
"Are Kai's other friends currently with you?" The male voice continued, ignoring Takao's question.
"Yeah, I think so. Hold on." Takao answered, briefly covering the mouthpiece and yelling, "Kenny! You there?"
Takao heard a startled exclamation from the bathroom and then Kenny's head peeked out from behind the door. Even though the brunette's appearance was quite comic, his glasses askew and shampoo still foamy on his head, Takao didn't laugh. He simply turned back to the phone to find out what was happening.
"Yes, everyone is here." Takao repeated more assuredly to the faceless speaker. "Everyone but Rei. He's visiting with Kai right now. What's wrong?"
"Are you sure he's currently with Kai?"
"Yes!" Takao was getting tired of the man asking questions but not answering his. "What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer your questions over the phone. We need you to come to the hospital. Now."
Takao didn't bother responding to the man. Slamming the phone down, he raced to the chair that his clothes were hanging carelessly over.
"Everybody up!" He yelled as he pulled his pants on and wrestled his shirt over his head. "That was the hospital. Something's going on. We need to go now!"
He hadn't even finished speaking before Max was out of bed and rummaging around looking for his own clothes. Kenny had ducked back into the bathroom and Takao could hear the water burst back to life. He would have worried about the delay, but as he finally managed to wrestle his arms and head through the appropriate holes, he saw a small, naked body streak past him.
Within five minutes, all three boys were dressed and in the elevator heading down to the lobby. They glanced at each other, eyes full of fear and concern for their friend. Because they were so preoccupied with their worries, they didn't notice that Takao's shirt was on backwards, Max's hair seemed to be defying gravity, and Kenny was creating a small pond on the floor of the elevator because he had not taken the time to dry off.
Thankfully, it was close to 11 o'clock at night by the time they hit the lobby. Otherwise, their mad dash through the hotel lobby and across street might have been interrupted by someone or, worse yet, some car. In fact, due to the late hour, they didn't encounter any resistance in their mad dash until they actually reached the ICU where Kai was staying. That, of course, was where they reached an impasse.
The nurses' desk absolutely seethed with activity. A mass of people in scrubs moved behind it, speaking rapidly in low tones to each other. When Takao caught sight of the confusion at the desk, he thought that they would be able to go right past without anyone noticing them. But despite the obvious chaos, they didn't even manage to make it one step past the desk into the ICU.
"I'm sorry, you can't go in there," a polite, but flustered woman in scrubs called out to them.
"We were told to come in," Max explained rapidly. "Our friend Kai is here."
The three boys were amazed because those were somehow the magic words. All conversation stopped and everyone behind the desk turned as one to look at them. If they hadn't been scared before, they would have been terrified now.
"You're Kai's friends?" the woman repeated, her voice going up an octave.
"What's wrong with Kai?" Takao decided to try his luck again at getting an answer.
"We can't let you go back right now," she ignored his question and began to move around the desk. "If you come with me, I'll let them know you're here."
She tried to herd the boys to the conference room, ignoring their questions and giving soothing platitudes as she walked behind them. Takao tried to interrupt her, tried to get her to tell them what was going on, or find out who she was going to notify, but the secretary didn't allow him to get out more than a word or two at a time. Finally, tired of being ignored, he ducked under her arm and took off down the hallway at a sprint. She reached out for him, trying to snag him as he ran by, but he easily dodged past her. Taking advantage of the woman's distraction, Max and Kenny followed close behind him.
Even though the halls were packed with people, some in scrubs, some in dark blue suits and a surprising number of uniformed police, the trio didn't encounter any more resistance. It looked like everyone besides the secretary at the front desk was deeply involved in something else. They made it all the way to the open door of Kai's room before anyone noticed them. Even with the policemen in Kai's room, the trio might have been able to remain unnoticed. But they didn't get a chance to test that theory, what they saw before them made them unable to remain quiet.
"Oh my god!" Kenny gasped.
From the doorway, the young bladers could easily see the empty, rumbled bed and the deep red blood stain beside it. The pool of blood was so large that the two policemen crouching beside weren't quite enough to block it from view. What the boys didn't see, though, was any sign of their two friends.
"Where are they!" Takao yelled at the officers in the room.
The two men crouching down exchanged glances with each other before the man on the right stood up to face them.
"You kids shouldn't be here."
"We were told to come!" Takao continued to shout at the man, letting all his fear and frustration out at the first target he saw. "Kai is our friend! They were supposed to be helping him, keeping him safe! And where's Rei? He was supposed to be here, too! What happened to him? We have a right to know what happened here! Where are they! Are they alright! Is anyone…hurt?"
The tall officer had come to a stop a few feet in front of the boys and allowed the anxious bluenette to finish his rant. The man was experienced enough at his job to know that sometimes you just had to let a person blow off steam before you could answer them. When Takao's voice finally changed from determined and loud to fearful and shaky, the officer stepped closer to answer the fear and frustration in his voice.
"I know you're very concerned about your friends." The man's voice was calming, comforting. But he didn't make a move to come any closer to the three boys, he knew from first hand experience that getting too close or trying to touch an angry person could cause them to lash out instinctively. He wasn't worried about the bluenette hurting him, he knew it was much more likely that he would hurt the young boy if he needed to restrain him. "If you come with me, I'll tell you everything we know right now. It would be helpful if you were able to answer some of our questions, too."
"No," Takao answered the man's calm reasoning with understandable reluctance. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened!"
The officer took a moment to look over the trio in front of him. His practiced eye took in their disheveled appearance and wide, frantic eyes and he knew that they were probably close to their breaking points. Stepping forward, he deftly moved to block more of the room from their view and did his best to address their fears.
"Approximately 15 minutes ago, the night nurse, Yukiko, entered your friend's room to check on him. Neither of your friends, Kai nor Rei, were in the room. She did find one of the security guards, I believe his name is Ken, drugged and hooked up to the monitor in one of the bedside chairs."
"But where are they?" Max interrupted. "What about the bl…the blood?"
"We don't know who the blood is from; we aren't sure what happened yet." The officer turned to the concerned blonde. "When we arrived on scene, we immediately locked down the hospital and secured the area. We weren't able to find your friends nor any sign of where they went. Because there are signs of a struggle, we are working under the assumption that they did not leave of their own volition."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Takao couldn't stop the comment. He remembered too well Kai lying so desperately ill in the hospital bed.
"Because of the hospital records," the officer continued, not showing any offense at Takao's rude comment, "we were able to determine that the blood on the floor is not Kai's."
"What about Rei?" Kenny interjected.
"I'm afraid that we don't have any medical info on your friend, Rei, so we can't rule out the possibility that he is injured." The officer was taking great pains to make sure he spoke in the present tense about the missing children. He was trained to assume they best, but life experience had taught him that he had to expect the worst. He didn't want to even hint at the worst to the young boys in front of him.
But the worried boys didn't need him to point out the possibly tragedy that awaited them, they were well aware of the possibility that one or both of their friends could be injured or dead. They had witnessed with Kai the sheer cruelty that Voltaire was capable of. They didn't get the opportunity to continue questioning the policeman, though, because it was at that moment that Houo Hideaki chose to arrive. He had also been called to come to the hospital, but because he lived further away, he arrived after the 'Breakers.
"What's happened?" Hideaki looked over the officer's shoulder and paled at the expanse of blood on the floor.
"Kai and Rei have been abducted," Kenny summarized. "It doesn't appear that Kai was injured, but Rei may possibly have been."
"What?" Hideaki blinked at the news. "How? Who?"
"His bastard of a grandfather, that's who," Takao answered him angrily. "He couldn't just leave him alone, could he. I say we hunt him down and feed him his balls!"
"His grandfather?" The officer interrupted Takao's rant. The hospital had been too frantic about what happened to actually provide the police with much background on the missing patient. "Why do you suspect him?"
"The reason for the boy's stay in this hospital was because of his grandfather's maltreatment," Hideaki answered, forestalling anymore ranting from the over-active bluenette. "It appears his grandfather had abducted and abused him horrendously before he was recovered by his friends. Since his grandfather did this previously, it only makes sense that he would do it again."
"Do you have proof of any of this?" The officer was eager for an excuse to follow up on this lead.
"I'm not sure," Hideaki answered reluctantly. "I'm sure the hospital can give you the medical records, but I'm not sure if anything could actually be used as evidence against his grandfather."
"Damn!" Reluctant to let the lead pass him by, the officer decided to try an alternate possibility. "Do you have this 'grandfather's' address? We should probably inform him that his grandson has been kidnapped. Plus, we can use it as an excuse to look around a bit."
Even in his mad rush from their hotel room, Kenny had managed to bring Dizzi with him. He quickly opened up the laptop and provided the policeman with Voltaire's nearby home address. Pulling out a small notepad from his right inner, breast pocket, the officer jotted down the address and gave them a grim smile.
"Tsuzuki," the officer called over his shoulder. "Gather a few of the boys together, we've got a lead." The officer behind him straightened up from where he was crouched over the blood stain and gave a mock salute before leaving to inform his team. The officer in front of the boys gave a soft sigh of exasperation at the usual behavior from his subordinate and turned back to the trio of children, "Can you give me a number to contact you at if I have more any questions or more information?"
"We'll be here," Takao was quick to answer. "We're not going anywhere."
The others quickly nodded their agreement with the bluenette. Since it was the reply he had been expecting, the officer didn't try to dissuade them. "Fine, but you can't stay here, this is a crime scene. This area is off limits."
"No problem, Officer," Hideaki spoke quickly to forestall any attempts by the boys, Takao in particular, to argue the point. "We can wait in the lounge."
"That'll be fine."
Nodding an absent farewell, the officer left them to meet up with his men. Takao and the others were so relieved that the police were taking them seriously and going to investigate Voltaire that they didn't try to argue with Hideaki as he lead the way to the lounge. And once they were seated in the small room, no one spoke. It wasn't that they had nothing to say to each other, but rather that they all had too much on their minds to be able to coherently express it. Takao's emotional turmoil was easy to spot as he paced back and forth the short length of the room. Normally it would have been distracting, but no one commented today. Kenny had retreated to the comfort of his laptop, his eyes scanning rapidly from page to page while Max sat quietly on the uncomfortable sofa. The only sign of the blonde's agitation was the relentless gnawing at his bottom lip.
Hideaki sat in silence with them, leaving the bladers to their internal struggles. He too was lost in his own thoughts. Despite his suspicions over the last few days, he had resisted his urges to interrogate the injured boy. He had told himself that the child would recover and that he would have the luxury of time to investigate all his concerns. With Kai missing, and not receiving any type of medical care, he knew chances were becoming slimmer by the minute that he would be able to get the answers he needed.
Time seemed to move slowly in the small room, as time was wont to do when it was being measured with such intensity. Four pairs of eyes watched each minute tick sluggishly by without any word from the police about their friends. Each passing minute added more weight to their fears. Almost an hour had passed in silence before the sound of someone at the door drew all eyes expectantly to it.
Three disappointed sighs were released when the door finally opened wide enough for the young 'Breakers to see that it wasn't the police officer returning to tell them that their friends had been found. Instead, they found the nurse, Yukiko, looking cautiously around the room from the doorway.
"I'm so sorry," she spoke forlornly, her guilt that her patient was kidnapped on her watch weighing heavily on her. "I should have kept a closer eye on them. I'm sorry."
Silence answered her apology. They knew it wasn't really her fault, but they weren't up to providing reassurances to anyone right then either. She took their silence with dignity and turned to leave them to their private contemplations, but hesitated briefly at the doorway.
"When Kai-kun was in the Emergency Room, they sent him for several procedures that made it necessary to remove any valuables." Yukiko looked around the room at each of them, but the only one who met her eyes was Hideaki. "Because it is hospital policy that any valuables be placed in the hospital safe, this was locked up for safekeeping."
Approaching Hideaki, Yukiko held her hand out to him. Nestled in her palm, in a spill of a thin, silver chain, was the scarred, silver locket that the young man had noticed before when he had carried the wounded boy out of the woods.
"I'm afraid they had to cut the chain to remove it," she said with a small frown. "It didn't seem to have a clasp or anything. Would you please return it to Kai-kun for me when you find him?" She asked him, complete certainty in her voice that the injured boy would be found.
"Yes," Hideaki answered her confidence with his own renewed. "I'll make sure he gets it."
Hideaki reflexively held out his hand and felt the cool silver cascade into it. He tightened his fist around it, vowing he would find the boy. I have to find him. He doesn't deserve anything that has happened to him. Besides, he was Ran's friend. I would be failing my nephew if I let the friend he sacrificed so much for be hurt anymore. And I...I need to talk to him. I need to know the truth.
As Yukiko reached the door, she was stopped by the soft, hesitant voice of the blonde behind her. "How long?"
Yukiko didn't answer immediately, she just stood in the open door looking away from them. There was a moment of silence before Max asked again, "How long can he last?"
"…"Yukiko looked down and for a minute it seemed like she wouldn't answer them. When she finally raised her head, they could see tears in her eyes. "At the rate he was declining…without medical support he…maybe, 12 hours…maybe less…"
Yukiko hurriedly stepped out of the room, brushing past a young police officer as she left. The young man was someone they hadn't met before and he was obviously new to his job. You could practically see the untarnished polish that only the new and untested show.
"You're friends of the abducted boys?" he asked randomly to the room.
"Yes," Takao stopped his pacing and stalking up to the man. "Did you find them? Are they okay? Where are they now?"
"Detective Owaru just called, he says that they searched the house and were unable to find any signs of your friends."
"What!" Takao yelled. "Did they look everywhere? They have to be there!"
"I…I'm sorry, bu…but they weren't," the poor cop stuttered in the face of Takao's fury.
"How could they search the house?" Kenny looked up from where he sat. "Don't they need a search warrant or something? The officer from earlier said they didn't have enough evidence for that."
"They didn't have a search warrant, but Officer Owaru said that Mr. Hiwatari seemed very concerned about finding out that his grandson was missing and agreed to let them search his home." The young officer was reading from his notepad to make sure he didn't miss anything. "Since the search was consented, they didn't need a warrant. They searched the entire house and the surrounding grounds, but couldn't find any trace of the two boys."
"You have to call them back," Max urged. "Voltaire is really tricky. I'm sure he only let them look certain places. He wouldn't let them search where he was really holding Rei and Kai."
"They're already on their way back to the hospital. There are a few other leads that we need to follow up on. We'll find them." Putting away his notepad, the rookie tried to put on a strong face. He had seen his peers do it, instill trust and confidence in others with merely a look. He tried it, but failed miserably.
Seeing that the three boys didn't look any more confident in him, in fact, they looked as if they wanted to rip his ears off and feed them to him, the young cop beat a hasty retreat. Takao didn't wait for the door to shut fully behind the cop, with a sharp motion he beckoned Max and Kenny to him.
They had trusted the cops to handle everything and the cops had blown it, now it was time for the 'Breakers to take matters into their own hands. Putting their heads together, they had a hushed conversation about how to get their friends back. They were trying to keep it quiet because they didn't want Hideaki to hear and maybe try to stop them. But they didn't really need to bother whispering because the younger Houo brother wasn't paying them any attention. He was completely focused on the scarred, silver locket in his hand.
Turning the silver locket over in his hands, he realized that it might hold some of the answers he needed. With gentle fingers, he tried to open the locket. Unfortunately, the heat that had caused the scarring had warped the soft silver and the locket resisted his attempts to discover its secrets. Looking up at the boys in their conspiratorial huddle, he smiled grimly at the thought that their secrecy would let him do a bit of secret prying of his own. He didn't really want the boys to see want he was doing with their friends keepsake. It wasn't exactly that what he was doing was wrong, he just wanted to look after all, but he wanted to do it alone. He wanted a private moment to digest whatever he found, or to come to terms with it if there were no answers inside. Reaching into his pocket, Hideaki pulled out a small, retractable blade. It wasn't large enough to be used as a weapon, but it was perfect for trying to pry open the reluctant locket.
It was a good thing that the locket was made of high quality silver, since silver was softer and more malleable than steel. It took some persistence, but finally the locket fell open to his blade and Hideaki saw what it contained. His breath caught in his throat and his brain seemed to freeze. He had somehow known what would be inside, but now that he saw it for himself, he just didn't know how to react. Should he be happy? Sad? Angry? He just didn't know.
There was a picture framed on the left side of the inner locket. It was small and the edges of it had been yellowed, probably by the same heat that scarred the locket. But Hideaki still recognized the face in the picture. It was Marya. Even though it had been so long ago, he had never truly forgotten his first love. He could remember running his hands through her long, cobalt hair. The picture even showed her eyes, seemingly frozen in a shade somewhere between blue and green, and reminded him yet again of the fascination he had held for their ever-changing hues. But it was her smile that he remembered best. Her smiles were always small, reserved, but they seemed to hold so many hidden meanings. There was always a hint of sadness mixed with the joy. They had been such a mystery to him, but he had loved them all the same.
The opposing inner face of the locket was blank. Instead of a picture, there was just a blank piece of paper. Hideaki frowned in disappointment, he had wanted a bit more definitive an answer in the locket. He had already known that Marya was Kai's mother, but he was hoping the locket would have pictures of both mother and father. He almost gave up hope on the possibility of the locket giving him anymore answers, but he couldn't help but try one last thing. Picking at the yellowed edges of the blank piece of paper, he gently worked it out from the locket's framing. With luck, maybe it would have something written on the hidden side.
It took a bit of effort, the paper was old and fragile so he had to be careful not to tear it apart as he removed it from the locket, but, finally, the paper came free in his hand and he set the locket aside to completely focus on the small scrap. Taking a few deep breathes, Hideaki braced himself and turned the scrap over.
He let out a disappointed sigh as he saw that the back of the scrap was as bare as the front had been. Sinking back in the couch, he closed his eyes and resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't get any answers until they found Kai.
"Hey, who's this?"
Hideaki opened his eyes in surprise at how close Takao's voice sounded. Almost directly in front of him stood the bluenette holding the silver locket he had put down. The boy's question drew his friends to his side. Kenny peered around Takao and looked closely at the picture.
"Since that is Kai's locket, it would be safe to assume that this is his mother, Marya Hiwatari."
"Hmmm," Max looked thoughtfully over Takao's other shoulder. "Then who is H. H.?"
"What?" Hideaki sat up straight on the couch.
"H. H.," Max repeated. "It's carved into the opposite side of the locket."
Abruptly, Hideaki snatched the locket out of Takao's hands, ignoring the indignant 'hey.' His eyes searched the inside of the locket intently, looking for the engraved letters he had missed before. Sure enough, the inside of the locket that had been concealed by the blank scrap of paper had two, faint initials carved into it. H. H.
Closing his fist around the locket, Hideaki bowed his head over it. He had finally found his answer.
"Um, Houo-san?" Takao interrupted his thoughts. "We were hoping we could come home with you. You know, in case the police need to contact us, it would be easier if we were all together."
"Sure," Hideaki answered absently. "Sure."
In a daze, he led the 'Breakers out of the ICU. Hideaki was working on autopilot, his mind too overwhelmed to really understand what was going on around him. He was aware of Max informing the hospital staff and the police of where they would be. He knew Takao went to pick up their bags from the hotel. He only vaguely remembered the drive home. So he really couldn't be blamed for missing something pretty big.
If he had been a little more cognizant of what was going on around him, he might have figured it out. But he wasn't and so he didn't. The 'Breakers had made the decision that, since they couldn't depend on the cops to find their friends, they would do it themselves. Once they arrived at the Houo home, they would make a plan and go get Kai and Rei. And they weren't going to let anyone or anything stop them.
...tbc...
Well, this is definitely not my favorite chapter, but it was necessary. It shed a little more light on one puzzle and set the stage for one of my last twists. Hope you liked it.
Special Thanks to:
Lilphoenixkd: giggles Glad you enjoyed the chapter, but you haven't seen the end of my twists yet. Stay tuned it's a crooked path we wander ;P And I sort of liked Hedeon (evil bastard that he is)
SchoolBoredom: Thanks for the review, glad to have a fan till the end. Especially since the end is coming. Just a few more chapters and we'll know if I need to flee. ;) Sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoyed this chappie, too
MasterFranny: Sorry, I haven't emailed, I tend to be not the best at staying in contact with people. Please do look me up if you're on msn messengering though, I'm trying to be a bit more available there. I just updated my services and they even give you a blog for free. So I'm attempting to blog. Pitiful, but true. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I agree that Hedeon deserves a more noteworthy death. Giggles Stay tuned, maybe we'll both get our wish.
Droopy1389: laughs I did say it before, but, for you, I'll say it again…, no, this is not TaiKai or ReiKai, or any other pairing. I'm trying to stay true to the genre. You may see hints of any pairing you like, but this is not meant to be shonen ai. Your blonde is definitely showing through ;P
Ellen: smiles Have I said how much I like your reviews? I'm sure I must have, 'cause I really do. I had a wonderful few holidays (sadly there've been a few since my last update, ne?) I hope classes are treating you better. I'm glad you are starting to like Hedeon and Marya. I don't think the villains ever think that they are the villains. I think you're right in that people do what they think is best and then everyone else makes judgments on it. Hedeon was a cruel bastard, but he did truly love Marya and so he hated those he thought hurt her. Marya was a frigid b…but she loved Kai and tried to show that love the only way she had been taught. With Votaire as her role model is it any wonder that Kai hated her. As for Black dranzer, I don't believe they will have any luck removing the claw. They really don't want to try since removing it will almost certainly cause Kai's death. Then again, can Kai survive leaving it in. Hmmm…the end is coming and we'll find out I guess.
Kuja's Kittikat: laughs thanks for going through the hardship of typing out a review snickers that last chapter really was a doozy. Somehow, my stories start out with short chapters and each chapter they grow. . Strange
Natasha-Li: I'm glad it's starting to clear up for you. Really, that's what the final chapters are for. Now, I'll solve a few more mysteries, have a final climax, and it'll be all over. I'm a bit sad that I'm almost done ;.;
Fey Phantom: sniffs happily Such a nice review. I'm happy you liked Kai baring his soul. The poor boy needed it, didn't he. I was a little worried about it, because it is so not in character for him to do it, but I tried to make it believable (I mean, the boy is dying, he won't get another chance, if he ever would, now would be the time.) I'm thrilled that you are enjoying my hidden clues. It's so fun to hide things and watch readers find them. It's almost like the rewards you find in a treasure hunt. I'm definitely having fun in my new home. It's a bit of a struggle, it's not home after all, but it's still nice. Now that it's beginning to warm up, I'm looking forward to doing a little exploring :)
Jixnce: laughs do you really want me to answer your question? There's just a little more of the story to go. You'll have to stick around to find out if I kill Kai and Rei or not.
Becky: huggles welcome back. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I should have been finished by now, but you know how it goes. I'm close to done though, so come again and see how it ends. I did find the ship, or it found me, whatever, and it's nice to have my stuff back. Thanks again for the review
Endoh Chiaki: I hope life is treating you better. As for the title, sadly it is much simpler than you had guessed. I like the idea 'need to find his soul,' but the poor boys need to find him first ;P Thanks for the review, catch ya next chappie!
Lena: laughing hysterically I don't think I've ever seen a truer definition of pop-ups. They bug the hell out of me. Thank god for pop-up blockers.
Lightdragon1987: smiles I'm just full of twists and turns. There are a couple more to come, I hope you enjoy them as much :)
DarkWolf88: Thanks for the midpoint review, I'll try to get that pic out to you. I hope you enjoy it, LaDiNi did a great job with it. Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying it. :)
Midnight Insanity: laughs Well, you are actually pretty close to what's going on with your guesses. Voltaire is defiantely going to have something backfire on him and as for Black Dranzer and the claw, well, if the can't remove it, then….you'll have to wait and see. Giggles Come back for the next chapter, you won't be disappointed.
Lady Blade Dragon Priestess: laughing I'm amazed to find someone who hates KaiRei. Don't worry, it isn't. If you're seeing it then you need to have a talk with your own subconscious, because I'm writing them as friends (what you see is entirely up to you ;P) Good luck with that giggles You know how I love to tease you
Umi: smiles deviously Done enough to Kai? Are you kidding? Never! It the final hurrah, though, so I'm sorry to say it's coming to an end. For all the twists and turns to my story, it does have some classic elements to it. One of which is the final climatic event. Be prepared, it's coming
Ashla: shifty eyes Am I too late for the cookies and Kai plushies? Giggles I've been bad about my updates, sorry! I hope you did enjoy this chapter though. Yep, Voltaire took Rei and Kai. And yep, Voltaire shooting Hedeon only makes him more of a bad guy. But, never fear, evil is always done in by the evil it does. Winks Stick around and you'll see what I mean
Jae: glomps with breath smothering hug Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My biggest fear is that I will move beyond what makes Kai, Kai. I love his character, so deep and multi-leveled, I'm so glad I'm still remaining true to it. Thanks! You definitely have some of the upcoming plot pegged. Kai is in a bind with Rei as a hostage, but Voltaire may have just bitten off more then he can chew. I doubt Kai will do exactly what his grandfather wants. Thanks again giggles and see ya next chapter
Krage: I know, I'm being so mean to Kai. But one way or the other, it'll be over for him soon. Mwahahahaha
Darkinuyasha: cowers from whip How can I update when I'm having to run in terror from you? Laughs Besides I'm not even in the story. It'll be up to the 'Breakers whether of not they get saved. Maybe they'll get help from an unlikely source? Hmm… who could I mean? laughs
Chibi Kitty: smiles Don't worry about it, as you can see from the continuing chapters, that question keeps coming up. I'm so happy that you like the story so far. Sorry for the long update, but it's here now and I hope you enjoy it. Hopefully the next will be faster
LaDiNi: giggles Don't worry, little imouto, you are not the only one who started to take a liking to Hedeon. He is reluctantly becoming liked by many (I'm so happy) And I think you saw wome little prophetic flash of the upcoming chapters. Voltaire will get what's coming to him, but I doubt kai will be in any state to triumphantly see it. Poor boy.
Syaoran-Lover: laughs Some fun ideas you have, but since I'm getting close to the end, I'm afraid you won't see them here. Sadly, Kai is going to suffer a bit more before it's over. He's the tragic hero, it's his job ;P But I think he's beautiful at it, ne? Thanks for the reviews, see you next chappie (of whatever I update first ;))
Sorekai: Update granted, and I'll send the pic when I can. Ja ne!
Kiko Cat: Beautiful and sad…just what I was hoping for. Thanks for the review.
Kai-luver: giggles I don't even have a Hoover. Laughs Thanks for the sweet comments. I'm glad you find it addictive, that wasn't even my worst cliffie (and there's a mean one ahead ;P) And don't worry, I would never treat anyone like I've been treating Hedeon. It's just too cruel; unrequited love, misshapen scarring, betrayal, etc, etc. Poor guy, do you think he has it worse than Kai dodges rotten fruit No, I agree, Kai's had it worse
Ghost: :) ;) ;P giggles
Kristy Himura: Thank you for recommending my story to others. I'm quite proud of it and love reviewer feedback. Hope you continue to enjoy.
Mrsalexwatkins: Thanks for the review. I'll send the pic. Keep enjoying.
ConRtist: giggles You're not as in the dark as you think. And don't worry, when this story is over, you can go over and read my other fics wink-wink, nudge-nudge
Pharaoh17: laughs It's okay, I know CPR. Of course, as long as it took me to update, maybe you went from a dying teenager to a dying elderly person. ;) Thanks for the great comments. This one chapter doesn't end on a cliffie, but the next couple might. ;) See you then and don't forget your heart medication
Mith'quissir: Updated! Mission accomplished
Bibbs: Oops blushes It has been a while, hasn't it. Sorry! I'll try to be better. Thanks for the review
Kai Hiwatari1: As you can see, I updated, but unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next chapter to see what happens to Kai and Rei insert evil laughter here I'm so mean, ne?
Ktkt: Now you wait patiently (I hope) while I finish this epic (length) story ;) Hope you enjoy!
Whoa, that was a lot. Sniffs happily I love my reviewers!
Alright, we're getting close. I believe the final countdown is 3 chapters to go and counting. So close, I'm getting a bit anxious.
Thanks again for all who reviewed and please don't forget to leave a little light. The next chapter will be dark! Bring the Sun!
BTW, the next chapter will be…A Lightless Corner
