Hello everyone! What's up?

Thanks to CuteTyHil, TwilightUniverse018, Scarlet witch of Terra, Rock the Road and AnimeJunkie-23 for reviewing. Also thanks a lot to CuteTyHil, TwilightUniverse018 and Scarlet witch of Terra for faving and following :D

Justafan: Hi, thank you so much for reviewing. I'll continue "Crops" but since it's a birthday fic, it'll be updated only once in a year.

So, before starting, I want to let you know that I've modified the chapter 39 of "Kingdom". Nothing special, just the part where Dr.K curses Kai.

Okay enough my blabbering...now enjoy! :D

Every dawn, when the sun used to yawn and roll down idly on his bed, murmuring to the sky and requesting her to let him sleep more just like a lazy school-going boy, when the most restless sparrow used to rub its beak against the leafy twig of the crimson-shaded gulmohar tree adjacent to the hermitage premises, the learners had to wake up. They were given only fifteen minutes to become fresh and complete the toilet purposes. Then, in separate rows, they came down to the temple yard. They could see their stone-hearted principal lighting the joss-sticks, dipping them into the rice grains inside the clay pots. Their severe aroma made most of the students feel dizzy but they couldn't protest. The smokes often blinded them but they didn't have to courage to say anything against the headless head of the institution.

After the veneration, everybody was to do physical exercises for an hour. 15 minutes were fixed for jogging, 15 minutes for yoga, 15 minutes for cycling in the gymnasium and the rest of the time was for weight-lifting, sit-ups and push-ups. The following half an hour was for having shower and breakfast. Before the morning meal, everybody had to pray in the presence of the principal. When the purple-haired man nodded, the students were permitted to sit on their chairs. Taking breakfast, the students went to their respective classrooms. Nobody was allowed to talk or sleep during the periods. Everybody had to be very responsive to the teachers. After the classes had broken up, the learners headed to the dining hall for their lunch. Subsequently, sessional classes took place. Those who didn't have sessionals were to go to the library. The tasks kept continuing till the sunset.

In the evening, returning to their chambers, the students completed their homework and further studies in anticipation of the next three hours. Then, it was dinner time. After having supper, the boys returned to their rooms and prepared for sleeping till 9.30 pm. After everybody had slept and the lights of all the rooms had been turned off, the stoic principal of the hermitage himself went to the gate and locked it.

There was no television or games room. Except the annual sports competition, no festival took place in Balkov Hermitage. Singing, dancing, painting, stage dramas, poem recitation, debating, science fest-all the co-curricular activities were banned there. According to Boris Balkov, they all created obstructions on the ways of the students to their goals. He hated all the stuffs that were supposed to soften the hearts of the human beings. He hated softness, he hated love and he wanted his students to be like him. However, some people weren't ready to follow their principal.

In a random evening, the hyperactive American entered his room, humming the lyrics of a known song. The wall by his bed had already been covered with the photos of different girls and female celebrities of the world. Looking at them, he smirked, sending flying kisses to the pictures. His raven-haired friend turned over the page of his thick, red book, not caring. The eyes of the blonde fell on the floor on which there was a photograph. Curious, he picked it up. In it, the raven-haired neko-jin was smiling...no, there was actually his younger version. Behind him, a pink-haired girl was also grinning, exposing her flashy teeth and embracing the neck of the boy with her slender tanned arms. Her honey orbs were glimmering in joy, expressing the mischievous and carefree nature of their owner.

"Cool!" Max commented, raising an eyebrow which broke the attention of the Chinese. Removing his eyes from the pages of the book, he noticed the photo in the hands of his friends. Jolting up, he left his bed and spoke, "Hey! It's my photo!"

"I can see that," The American chuckled, dodging his friend, "But who's the pinky lady with you?"

"Nobody, please..." Ray was chasing his roommate for the dear photograph as well as his dear dignity, "Please return the photo!"

"Ray's got a girlfriend... Lalalala..." Max sang, jumping over his bed, "The pinky and Ray sitting in the tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g..."

"Stop it, Max..." Desperately, the raven was running behind his friend all over the room just like a cat trying to catch a mouse but failing, "What're you doing?"

"First comes love, then comes marriage," The hyped boy continued, "Then comes baby in the baby carriage..."

All of a sudden, an unexpected knock at the door was heard by them. Biting their tongues, the boys got back to their seats and started pretending as if nothing had been going on there. Pushing the door, the slate-haired guy entered the room, holding his notebook and pen-holder in his hands.

"Oh Kai, it's you!" Max sighed in relief, "Thank goodness! We were nearly dead."

Keeping the stuffs on the desk, the Russian wrinkled his eyebrows, wanting to know what had been happening before his arrival.

"Let me show you something!" The golden-haired guy winked, handing him the photograph. Ray shot his comrade with his death glares but they went in vain.

"Who's that?" Inquisitively, the phoenix-prince asked.

"Cannot you recognize?" Max rolled his eyes, "He is Jack with his Rose, Romeo with his Juliet, Ray with his..."

"...Mariah." The ebony-haired student completed the sentence, almost snatching the square-shaped photo from him, "Mariah Wong and your assumptions are totally wrong. She's only one of my closest friends..." His tone became slightly gloomy, "Actually, she was."

"Was?" Max puckered his brows.

"Yes, she was," Ray retorted, "Mariah was my childhood friend. We were best buddies. We were neighbors, growing up together. This photo was captured in Hungry Ghost festival which is very famous in China. It was her birthday. On the next day, she left us forever. Her father was transferred to another city for job purposes. It was the last time since I had seen her, before seven years. We were only 13 at that time."

The shimmering golden pupils of the neko-jin seemed dreamy as he dived into the ocean of sugar-coated, colorful memories, swimming, not caring of the rest of the world named reality.

"Do you know where she is now?" Max asked, leaning forward.

"Lately, I have got to know that she's maybe living in this city, with her brother."

"Hey great!" The blonde cheered, "It means you know where she lives."

"No," The neko-jin shook his head, "Nor do I want to know that."

"Why?" Max puckered his brows.

"Because several years have passed since we met each other last," Ray stood up from his bed, heading to the open windows through which the nightly wind was intruding the inner atmosphere of the compartment, "Even I don't know whether she'll recognize me or not. I don't know whether she'll want to meet me or not. If our fates want us to meet each other once again, we'll surely get to have each other's glimpses. If they don't, don't let it be."

Opening a drawer, he gently placed the snapshot inside it. Pushing it back, he threw his eyes towards the evening sky wearing the cloak of twilight. Bunches of stars were revamping the attires. A droplet of tears fell down on his cheek as he heaved a sigh.

"Someone is in love." Leaning against a pillar, the slate-haired Russian commented, smirking.

"Hey, not that thing!" Quickly wiping his cheek, the neko-jin turned back, blushing hard, "Nothing like that. She's just my friend..."

"Enough, Ray!" Max snapped, keeping his palms on both sides of his waist, "Tell me one thing. With how many pictures of how many just-friends have you been roaming here and there for the last seven years?"

Ray scratched his head, gulping. Luckily, the last bell of that day rang, both ordering the students to go to their beds and saving the neko-jin at the same time. Clearing his throat, the dual-haired Russian climbed up to his bed. Smirking, the raven-haired also progressed towards his cot.

"Your bell has rung, lucky you!" The blonde grimaced, "Had this photo been inside my pocket, I would have been taking the bites of strawberry lava cake made by her sitting on her own bed. Whereas, there are you...if they don't, don't let it be...huh!"

Turning off the lights, he again opened his mouth, "By the way, do you know that there's a girls' college behind our college?"

"So what should I do?" Ray smirked, "Should I make some sisters?"

"No no, you don't need to do anything," Max spoke, "You just think, sleep, have dreams of Mariah and leave the rest of the world on my shoulders. Buhahaha!"

The bell of the classes had already started resounding, echoing throughout the entire campus of Balkov Hermitage. Flags on the domes of the buildings were wafting, counter-hitting the air. Blundering, the trees were standing in the winter morning. The heavy sheets of fog covered the sun behind their own prisons, making the sky looking like a chain smoker. Meanwhile, a flaxen-haired boy was running madly, putting on the teal coat.

"I'm gonna be doomed, I'm gonna be doomed!" Cursing himself, he was galloping through the concrete streets of the college, streaked with white arrows directing towards different structures and areas. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the tiny forest beside their premises. Pillar-like trees were looking at the foggy sky in that woodland. Most of them were bald, having piles of arid leaves beneath them. Under one of those beings, there were some grocery items kept in sacks. He saw a slim figure concealed in black robe advancing towards those satchels.

"Hey!" Max yelled, rushing to the thief, "Who's that?"

He shouldn't have done it. Hearing his voice, the burglar had already started running, intending to flee from the area. The hands of the intruder were closer to the chest, holding several apples. When she was running, those ripe fruits were falling from her hands on the grass-covered land, scattering here and there.

"Where are you escaping?" The blonde didn't give up, keeping chasing her, "You bloody thief!"

Increasing his speed, he decreased the distance between them. Behind her, he pulled her coat which got put off. With another hand, he clasped her wrist firmly. Wincing, she looked back.

It was his time to gasp as his eyes were laid on her. She was tall and slender, having the complexion of the inner portion of a red apple. Her nocturnal blue hair was tied into a high ponytail, two strands hanging almost being annexed to her jawbones. Though the ponytail was high, her hair wasn't hesitating to cross her 24-inch waist. Her forehead was covered with a red bandana. Her eyes were glossing as if someone had placed a pair of rain-drenched tobacco leaves inside the sockets. She was slightly shivering, her lips formed a pout. She was struggling hard to be free from the grasps of the blonde, twisting her wrist. Though she was failing, Max's grip was slackening. Her body was striving against the hyperactive American while her eyes were pleading to him.

The expression of the face of the sugar-high boy was also mellowing. His jaw dropped. Shivers passed across his body too. He felt as though she'd been progressing to him with emerald flames inside her orbs. Bit by bit, his fingers were leaving her.

"Mariam!" The voice of a girl could be heard, "Come on, Miss Kincaid is calling us!"

Not delaying a bit, just in the agility of a crocodile, the blunette dunked her sharp fangs in his wrist.

"Ouch!" The boy finally had to remove his grip from her, not able to bear the pain. Pushing him back, the girl started running forward again, crossing the area of the hermitage. Looking back at the baffled boy, she mocked him, showing her tongue. However, he didn't bother. Looking at the marks of her teeth, he sniggered.

"Mariam..." He silently kissed on those tiny holes on his arm, not being able to realize that he was getting late for his classes, "The eternal source of merriment..."

Night had arrived there before a while, revealing her star-embellished draperies on the earth and dressing her forehead with the tiara of the moon. The station lights were turned on, trying to prove that they weren't less than the asteroid. Wooden benches were empty, so was the stoppage. Rays of different light sources were falling on the different-sized pebbles of the rail-tracks, making them represent diamonds. At the other side of the rail-line, there was a dense woodland where the elevated trees were having a bath in the moonlight. The slate-haired boy was strolling there carelessly, waiting for someone.

"Have you come here for someone, my son?" An elderly man asked him, approaching.

"Hn," He nodded, "For the professor of my college. He was supposed to come here by the train of 9 pm."

"Don't worry, my son," The clergyman patted his shoulder gently, "It will come here anytime."

"Thanks." Kai didn't say much, just trudging aimlessly, keeping his hands behind his waist. Unexpectedly, his amethyst eyes penetrated the impermeable bushes of the tiny forest. There was standing a medium-height brunette, thirstily looking at the only light source of the night sky. The moonbeams seeped on her creamy chocolate hair, down to her waist. She was looking like princess Luna herself. The Russian felt like the celestial moon was affectionately blessing the material moon. Her rose-colored orbs gleamed like rubies. She was wearing a long white gown with puffy-sleeves having golden borderlines. Two moonstones were swinging from her ears as a diamond necklace beautified her goose-like neck.

Was Cinderella waiting for her prince charming there?

"She's Hilary," The priest spoke, "Often she comes here."

Kai thought to know more about her. He felt his throat dry, craving for the ethereal liquid of life. Then again, destroying the romantic atmosphere, like a witless and dry person, the train came. Its whistling shattered the quietness of the night. It stopped, a middle-aged man came down from the compartment. Seeing the phoenix-prince, he approached him.

"From Balkov Hermitage?" He asked.

"Yes," Nodding, the dual-haired Russian respectfully picked up his bags. Earsplitting the aura once again, the train left. His reckless eyes again searched for her light in the darkness of the bushes. Too late it was, the girl had already left the place. Sighing, the Russian started trailing his professor.

All the students of the learning center were enjoying the slumber, covering their bodies with sackcloth blankets and resting their heads against rock-pillows. Only the three were awake that night, looking at the square-shaped sky through the windows.

"Enough it has been!" The blonde jumped, taking the attentions of his friends to him, "I've taken my decision already. When the next morning comes, I'll cross the gate of this abbey and go to the girls' hostel. Finding the girl wherever she remains, I'll pour my gazes into hers and tell her, 'Oh, you're so beautiful!'"

The duo rolled eyes at him. Not caring, the sugar-high turned to them and inquired, "What are your decisions?"

Not replying, the boys heaved sighs. Approaching the raven-haired one, Max whispered in his ear, "Will she remain as only a good friend of you for the rest of your life?"

"Nah," Hesitantly, Ray shook his head, slightly smiling, "I've passed many years with her as a friend. Now, I think I have to advance."

"That's the spirit, my man!" Max punched on his shoulder, revolving to the dual-haired one, "What about you, Kai?"

"Hmm..." Without uttering a word, the phoenix-prince went back to his usual pose, leaning against a pillar, "It was nothing but a dream."

"Dream?" Max cocked an eyebrow, "Are you a gay?"

"Huh..." Kai leered, walking to his bed, "Maybe you're forgetting. But I still have clearly remembered all the words of Sir Balkov. If you get caught having a romantic affair, you'll be kicked out from here."

"Come on, Kai..." Max laughed, "Don't be such a chicken, okay? In a speech, people can break the Mount Everest. A speech is a speech, not a stone."

"The words of Boris Balkov are stones, Max," The dual-haired boy sighed, "He maintained the weight of his words before and he'll do it in future too."

"What did he do before?" Screwing his brows, the neko-jin asked.

"It's a famous legend," Kai started, "Before several years, there was a student in this college. People say that he was very brilliant and worthy enough to shine in his future. But the poor man committed a mistake. He broke a rule of Balkov Hermitage. Unknowingly, he fell in love."

The hyperactive American and the raven-haired Chinese gawked at each other confusedly, listening to the words of the phoenix.

"When Sir Balkov got to know the news," He continued, "He banished him from this college without even seeing the face of the student. As we all know, a student cannot study in any other institution in the country if he gets suspended from here once. People don't know where or how the student is at present. Now, he's only a joke to the people of Balkov Hermitage. The girl whom he loved sacrificed her life. She was the only daughter of Sir Balkov."

The flags on the domes of the castle stopped blowing though the nocturnal wind was insisting them to do so. Ray and Max dropped their jaws. They felt as if someone had hit their heads with logs.

"Everyone felt that the heart of Sir Balkov would melt after this accident," Kai turned to his roommates, "But no. After it, he became rougher and tougher."

Smiling unhopefully, he placed a hand on Ray's shoulder, "Ray, Max, I'm not a chicken. I...I just cannot bear it..."

Unable to complete his words, he ran towards the bathroom, letting his friends pronounce no word. Entering it, he shut the door, producing a loud sound. The boys could hear the reverberations of the droplets of water falling on the mosaic floor. They could easily understand what was happening inside the washroom. After all, it was not the time to take bath. They sighed, trying to exhale all the sorrows deep inside their lungs and hearts.

"I think...some relations are limited," Ray looked at the photo, "They have to stop on the border of friendship."

"Then I will wait!" Max surely was shocked but he wasn't the one to give up like his college-mates, caressing the cloak which had been snatched by him in that morning.

"How long?"

"As long as someone comes here to save us from the claws of Boris Balkov," The blonde smirked, placing the cape on his chair, "I believe...my heart tells me someone will be here for us. Very soon..."

How was it? Good or bad?

Do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and the spelling errors. Take care :D

-Misty ^_^

P.S: Shab-e-Barat Mubarak to all my Muslim friends :*