^.^ I'm glad you all seemed happy with Igor coming back into the picture. There are only a few things in the story that, no matter how small, don't play some importance later on. ^.^ Anyway, short chappie today. Sorry, but I'm pretty tired. Weekend update will be longer. Anyway, enjoy!
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 37
Normal POV
"What…what is this?"
A frown creased his brow, as he frowned down at the worn, slightly torn paper in his hands. He had never seen this paper before, but it must have been important to Igor, being as it was hidden. Important enough, at least, that he felt the need to keep it very safe.
Tala turned the paper over. The paper was covered in lines; a think black one around the edges that formed a large boxy shape, with thinner lines, running parallel and close together inside, crossing the thicker line at one point. He looked at it, puzzled, trying to decipher what it could possibly be. He turned it over, looking for writing on the other side that might explain the paper's meaning.
"I wonder…why did he hide it in there?" he mumbled under his breath, not daring to raise his voice. He couldn't be sure if there was anyone outside the door, searching for the two missing boys. After all, they knew that Tala and Kai had to be somewhere in the abbey.
A stirring sound attracted his attention. Peering through the gloom, he looked towards the bed, his eyes barley making out the shadowy figure lying there. Stuffing the paper into his pocket and resolving to look at it closer later, he walked quickly to the bed, making as little noise as possible and being careful to avoid the clutter on the floor.
He stepped up the bed, peering down at Kai's still form. His eyelids were fluttering slightly, indicating he was slowly waking up. Carefully, Tala perched on the edge of the bed, feeling the knot of worry in his stomach return and grow larger. How could he explain himself and his actions to Kai? Would the boy even listen? There was a definite stubborn streak running through Kai, and Tala knew very well that his trust was hard to gain, and easy to lose. It was delicate balance.
Nervously, he cracked his knuckles. It had been a habit of his years ago, whenever the stress was getting to be too much, but he couldn't recall haven't done it in a long time. It just went to show; his fear of losing Kai's fragile trust was extreme.
Slowly, as he watched with an eager, slightly nervous expression, Kai's scarlet eyes fluttered open. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, before closing them again, and bringing a hand up to his head, as though he were in pain. Tala watched him, licking his dry lips. He hadn't even thought about how hard he had actually hit the boy. it took a lot of force to render the boy unconscious, Tala knew this having seen many abbey guards try, and fail, to subdue the boy. Many, many times, they had been reduced to using drugs, and even then, they needed so many that Kai would often be out for days afterwards.
All part of the past.
"Kai?" Tala whispered, hoping that Kai would respond, and not ignore him. Slowly, Kai turned his head, looking at Tala with confused eyes, his face pained.
"Wha…. Tala?" Kai started, his voice thick and low. He seemed groggy, not quite awake, as if he weren't all there yet. It would still take sometime for him to get his thoughts back from where Tala had jarred them loose.
A small sigh of relief escaped Tala's lips, though he knew he shouldn't relax just yet. After all, Kai hadn't had much time to react yet. For all he knew, the phoenix was getting ready to hit him back in repayment. "Just relax Kai."
Kai winced at the words. Boris had said the same thing when…
Boris…
He shot up in bed, immediately regretting it as pain stabbed through his skull. He clutched at his hair, suddenly remembering what had lead them up to here…or at least…some of what…
"Tala," he gasped, looking at his friend with wide eyes. "You… Boris… he didn't…."
Tala flinched with the sudden recognition of the look it Kai's wide, scarlet eyes. It was concern, and true fear. It unnerved Tala just a bit; Kai never looked like that. So scared, so lost…
Impulsively, he wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, pulling his into a close embrace. Kai closed his eyes, suddenly fearing the worst from Tala's actions. Why wouldn't the red head say anything? But then, did he really want to hear him say… no. That couldn't happen. Not for his sake.
"Tala…"
"Fancy…" Tala cut his words off quickly, his voice muffled against Kai's shoulder. "Fancy thinking that Kai would ever care about anyone else." His voice trembled slightly, and he raised sad eyes as Kai abruptly pulled away.
Crimson eyes stared at him, burning holes into him with their heat. Kai wore a peculiar expression; something somewhere between rage and hurt. There were strange emotions running through him, emotions he could barely recognize or know how to deal with.
"Tala…how could you…" he started. Tala cast his azure eyes downward, avoiding the other boy's gaze. Kai had obviously just remembered that Tala had hit him. He clenched his fists to stop them from trembling.
Gentle hands carefully grasped Tala's chin, forcing him to look upward, mere seconds before he was dealt a sharp slap across the face.
"You bastard! What the hell were you thinking?!" Kai's voice was shaky, half from anger and half from hysterics. "Why would you do something like that?! And for me of all people?!"
Stunned, his cheek stinging, Tala looked up, blinking confused eyes at Kai. "Kai…"
Kai lowered his head, trying to hide the small streams of tears that flowed down his cheeks. "Why did…I'm not worth that."
Suddenly, Tala felt himself at a loss for words. This wasn't what he had been expecting. "Kai…I…"
"You're an idiot. I would have rather died, than let him lay his hands on you."
Unsure of how to behave, due to sheer lack of experience with situations like this, Tala acted on his instincts. Reaching out, he lifted Kai's chin, watching as the boy flinched, subconsciously expecting Tala it slap him the same way he had done before. Kai's eyes were shimmering with tears, but he seemed to be trying to hold them back, by directing his gaze anywhere but with Tala.
"Kai." He whispered, and the scarlet eyes shifted towards him. "I already told you. You are worth far more than that to me." He brushed a stray tear away from Kai's face gently. He locked his gaze with that of the distraught boy, looking at him very seriously and directly. "He didn't touch me."
Kai blinked away tears. Tala certainly looked like he was telling the truth…
"I promise you. Boris didn't lay a hand on me. But…" he grasped the sides of Kai's face gently, rubbing the boy's wet cheek with his thumb. "I need to know the truth…about what he did to you."
*Hides from people trying to kill her because of the cliffy* I'm sorry! I know this chapter really sucked, but the motivation to write was kind of overpowered by tiredness.
Anyway, the description of that paper wasn't very good, and Tala and Kai won't find out what it is until much later anyway. But it is important. Very important as you shall see…
Good night everyone. Please leave me a review, and I'll make the weekend nice and long…with some nice Tala/Kai moments. ^.^
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 37
Normal POV
"What…what is this?"
A frown creased his brow, as he frowned down at the worn, slightly torn paper in his hands. He had never seen this paper before, but it must have been important to Igor, being as it was hidden. Important enough, at least, that he felt the need to keep it very safe.
Tala turned the paper over. The paper was covered in lines; a think black one around the edges that formed a large boxy shape, with thinner lines, running parallel and close together inside, crossing the thicker line at one point. He looked at it, puzzled, trying to decipher what it could possibly be. He turned it over, looking for writing on the other side that might explain the paper's meaning.
"I wonder…why did he hide it in there?" he mumbled under his breath, not daring to raise his voice. He couldn't be sure if there was anyone outside the door, searching for the two missing boys. After all, they knew that Tala and Kai had to be somewhere in the abbey.
A stirring sound attracted his attention. Peering through the gloom, he looked towards the bed, his eyes barley making out the shadowy figure lying there. Stuffing the paper into his pocket and resolving to look at it closer later, he walked quickly to the bed, making as little noise as possible and being careful to avoid the clutter on the floor.
He stepped up the bed, peering down at Kai's still form. His eyelids were fluttering slightly, indicating he was slowly waking up. Carefully, Tala perched on the edge of the bed, feeling the knot of worry in his stomach return and grow larger. How could he explain himself and his actions to Kai? Would the boy even listen? There was a definite stubborn streak running through Kai, and Tala knew very well that his trust was hard to gain, and easy to lose. It was delicate balance.
Nervously, he cracked his knuckles. It had been a habit of his years ago, whenever the stress was getting to be too much, but he couldn't recall haven't done it in a long time. It just went to show; his fear of losing Kai's fragile trust was extreme.
Slowly, as he watched with an eager, slightly nervous expression, Kai's scarlet eyes fluttered open. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, before closing them again, and bringing a hand up to his head, as though he were in pain. Tala watched him, licking his dry lips. He hadn't even thought about how hard he had actually hit the boy. it took a lot of force to render the boy unconscious, Tala knew this having seen many abbey guards try, and fail, to subdue the boy. Many, many times, they had been reduced to using drugs, and even then, they needed so many that Kai would often be out for days afterwards.
All part of the past.
"Kai?" Tala whispered, hoping that Kai would respond, and not ignore him. Slowly, Kai turned his head, looking at Tala with confused eyes, his face pained.
"Wha…. Tala?" Kai started, his voice thick and low. He seemed groggy, not quite awake, as if he weren't all there yet. It would still take sometime for him to get his thoughts back from where Tala had jarred them loose.
A small sigh of relief escaped Tala's lips, though he knew he shouldn't relax just yet. After all, Kai hadn't had much time to react yet. For all he knew, the phoenix was getting ready to hit him back in repayment. "Just relax Kai."
Kai winced at the words. Boris had said the same thing when…
Boris…
He shot up in bed, immediately regretting it as pain stabbed through his skull. He clutched at his hair, suddenly remembering what had lead them up to here…or at least…some of what…
"Tala," he gasped, looking at his friend with wide eyes. "You… Boris… he didn't…."
Tala flinched with the sudden recognition of the look it Kai's wide, scarlet eyes. It was concern, and true fear. It unnerved Tala just a bit; Kai never looked like that. So scared, so lost…
Impulsively, he wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, pulling his into a close embrace. Kai closed his eyes, suddenly fearing the worst from Tala's actions. Why wouldn't the red head say anything? But then, did he really want to hear him say… no. That couldn't happen. Not for his sake.
"Tala…"
"Fancy…" Tala cut his words off quickly, his voice muffled against Kai's shoulder. "Fancy thinking that Kai would ever care about anyone else." His voice trembled slightly, and he raised sad eyes as Kai abruptly pulled away.
Crimson eyes stared at him, burning holes into him with their heat. Kai wore a peculiar expression; something somewhere between rage and hurt. There were strange emotions running through him, emotions he could barely recognize or know how to deal with.
"Tala…how could you…" he started. Tala cast his azure eyes downward, avoiding the other boy's gaze. Kai had obviously just remembered that Tala had hit him. He clenched his fists to stop them from trembling.
Gentle hands carefully grasped Tala's chin, forcing him to look upward, mere seconds before he was dealt a sharp slap across the face.
"You bastard! What the hell were you thinking?!" Kai's voice was shaky, half from anger and half from hysterics. "Why would you do something like that?! And for me of all people?!"
Stunned, his cheek stinging, Tala looked up, blinking confused eyes at Kai. "Kai…"
Kai lowered his head, trying to hide the small streams of tears that flowed down his cheeks. "Why did…I'm not worth that."
Suddenly, Tala felt himself at a loss for words. This wasn't what he had been expecting. "Kai…I…"
"You're an idiot. I would have rather died, than let him lay his hands on you."
Unsure of how to behave, due to sheer lack of experience with situations like this, Tala acted on his instincts. Reaching out, he lifted Kai's chin, watching as the boy flinched, subconsciously expecting Tala it slap him the same way he had done before. Kai's eyes were shimmering with tears, but he seemed to be trying to hold them back, by directing his gaze anywhere but with Tala.
"Kai." He whispered, and the scarlet eyes shifted towards him. "I already told you. You are worth far more than that to me." He brushed a stray tear away from Kai's face gently. He locked his gaze with that of the distraught boy, looking at him very seriously and directly. "He didn't touch me."
Kai blinked away tears. Tala certainly looked like he was telling the truth…
"I promise you. Boris didn't lay a hand on me. But…" he grasped the sides of Kai's face gently, rubbing the boy's wet cheek with his thumb. "I need to know the truth…about what he did to you."
*Hides from people trying to kill her because of the cliffy* I'm sorry! I know this chapter really sucked, but the motivation to write was kind of overpowered by tiredness.
Anyway, the description of that paper wasn't very good, and Tala and Kai won't find out what it is until much later anyway. But it is important. Very important as you shall see…
Good night everyone. Please leave me a review, and I'll make the weekend nice and long…with some nice Tala/Kai moments. ^.^