Kai narrowed his eyes and followed Johnny towards the bar, taking care to stick to the shadows caused by the flashing lights and moving bodies around the room. He had seen Tala lunge for him when he had insulted Anastasia, and he had also seen her hold him back, dismissing Johnny's words as if she was used to them. To say that it had made him angry was an understatement, and even now he could feel his pulse thundering, the sound of blood rushing into his ears giving him tunnel-vision. Kai hadn't said anything then, because he knew Anastasia wouldn't like it or appreciate it – she had made it clear often enough that she didn't need protecting – but he wasn't going to sit by and do nothing.

It was completely uncharacteristic of him to do this, Kai knew that. He had never bothered with a girl this much before. Hilary was the closest thing he had to a female friend, and he had never felt the instinct to punch a guy who looked at her the wrong way. He'd do it, of course, because they were friends and he did care about his friends in his own way, but this wasn't about friendship. It was about a primal urge to get his hands dirty because someone had dared to even think wrong about the girl he was falling for, hard and fast.

Kai didn't feel guilty. Johnny McGregor was a pain in the ass anyway.

He got his chance when Robert broke away from his friend, heading towards Lee and the rest of the White Tigers while Johnny went to the bar. Kai knew Ray had seen him tailing Johnny, the neko-jin's eyes were sharp, but he didn't dwell on it. Ray knew when to back off, and he had been doing a much better job than Tala had at handling his friendship with Anastasia. Johnny was by the edge of the bar now, and there was a door right next to it that was wide open, leading into an empty hallway. Kai moved out of the shadows and walked past, reaching out and grabbing Johnny by the back of his shirt. Surprise gave him an advantage, and he was able to throw the redhead out of the room without anyone noticing.

"What the hell, Hiwatari?" Johnny kept himself from falling and turned to glare at Kai, rubbing the skin of his neck angrily.

Kai closed the door behind him and kept his tone even. "I didn't hear you apologize back there."

Johnny blinked in confusion, and then his glare deepened. "Is this about Anastasia? You –"

But Kai had already grabbed him by the collar and pushed him up against the door, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Don't say her name," he snarled. "You've said enough shit, McGregor, don't make me knock you out."

Johnny clawed at his hands, but Kai was taller than him, even if they were equally matched, so he couldn't get him off. Plus, Johnny was drunk, and his reflexes were slow. "What, you couldn't fight me in front of her?" gasped out Johnny. "Afraid you'll lose?"

Kai pretended not to notice him struggling, knowing it would only make Johnny angrier. "I didn't want to upset her. Blood makes her queasy."

"Oh, I bet you know her so well," said Johnny sarcastically. "You can keep her, Hiwatari. She's not my type anyway."

"You mean she's too good for you."

Johnny scoffed. "You in love with her or something? Good thing you dragged me out here then, so she couldn't see me kick your ass."

Kai snorted. Johnny may have beaten him once in a beybattle, but that had been a long time ago, and Kai had gotten his revenge for that. "I don't need people to see me make a fool of myself, Johnny, that's your job," he let him go and Johnny stumbled while trying to get his footing. Kai pushed him back into the wall again, and gave him a warning look. "Stay away from her."

He turned away, leaving Johnny bent over and breathing heavily, but he had barely taken two steps when he felt the air change, and he ducked just as Johnny dove for him. Johnny caught his shoulder and Kai grunted, turning around and landing a square punch to the redhead's jaw. It should have been enough for him to back off, but Johnny clearly didn't know what was good for him.

That suited Kai just fine.

!

"What the hell is going on?"

"Get out of the way, Tyson!"

"Hilary, go back inside!"

"Oliver, grab him!"

"Kai, get off him!"

Anastasia wrenched open the door and entered the scene just as Oliver and Tala succeeded in prying the two boys away from each other. Tala had run ahead of her, but her shoes had meant she wasn't able to follow as efficiently. Breathing heavily, she pushed past Hilary and Tyson, who had started arguing in front of the door. The hallway was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly, and she noted the broken table in the corner. Other than that, there didn't seem to be any damage done. Johnny and Kai were on opposite ends of the narrow passage, and the sounds of heavy breathing told her that the rest of the boys had only just managed to break up the fight. Robert was standing between them, talking to Oliver in a quiet voice as they both looked at their team-mate with annoyance clearly written on their faces. Robert caught her eye as she walked past and gave her an apologetic look, which Anastasia ignored.

Tala and Ray were standing next to Kai a little further on, and Ray saw her approach first. He offered her a small smile, and she saw Tala immediately stopped speaking when he realized she was coming towards them. Kai didn't turn around. She couldn't see his face, but he was rubbing his shoulder as if he was in pain. Anastasia felt fear grip her. Forgetting everything else, she grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around, her fingers latching onto his shirt.

Kai's face didn't reassure her as much as she had hoped. His cheek was bruised and his lip was split open, but other than that he seemed perfectly fine. Johnny's face had looked like mincemeat. Kai had obviously gotten in more hits than the redhead had.

Anastasia expelled a small sigh of relief, and then glared at Kai. "What was that for?" she demanded.

"I felt like it," said Kai expressionlessly.

The fear melted into anger immediately. Was he still going to be casual, after very clearly starting a fight with the boy who had hit on her and then insulted her in the same breath? If this was his way of expressing his feelings for her, or even of denying them, it was a stupid move. He had to be an idiot. Unable to communicate exactly how annoyed she was with him, Anastasia used the oldest trick in the book.

She slapped him. Hard.

The momentum made Kai's face snap to the side, and he didn't look at her as he rubbed the spot where she had hit him, almost absently. It only served to made Anastasia angrier: why could he never react the way she expected him to? "Next time you feel like it, get a punching bag," she hissed. "Preferably one that doesn't hit back!"

Kai caught her hand before she could lower it, and her fingers slipped into the spaces between his easily. Anastasia faltered. Something in his eyes told her that he had seen right through her. He had seen the fear and the anger and the confusion, and he knew exactly why she had slapped him, and he didn't care that she had. Judging from the way Tala was standing at the back, he seemed to be expecting Kai to punch Anastasia next. The thought made her anger diminish slightly, and she squeezed his hand. "I don't understand you sometimes," she confessed quietly.

She doubted he would respond. He was still looking at her with that indecipherable expression that annoyed her, but his hand was warm and steady like it always was, and that was oddly comforting. Sighing, Anastasia turned away and made a face at Ray, who laughed.

With the tension broken, suddenly there was movement everywhere. Johnny had been hoisted up by Robert and was being escorted out, Oliver was trying to break up Tyson and Hilary's argument, and the door leading back to the party had opened, with a few curious onlookers trying to see what was going on. Tala chuckled and walked past Anastasia and Kai, patting his friend on the back soundly. Kai winced at that, and Anastasia narrowed her eyes. And then Ray winked at her and poked Kai in the ribs as he followed, which made Kai grunt and Anastasia scowl.

"You're hurt," she noted.

"How'd you guess?" asked Kai sarcastically. Anastasia ignored him and pressed two fingers against his ribs. Kai didn't flinch, but his eyes flashed with annoyance. That was as close to an admission of pain as she was going to get.

"Come on," Anastasia tugged at his hand. "Let's get you some ice. Kitchen?"

Kai guided her down the corridor wordlessly, and Anastasia was too focused on the fact that he seemed to be leaning on her arm to look around her as they ventured through the house. In contrast to the dark rooms she had just seen, the kitchen was bright and open, with a white marble island and matching barstools. There were a few people loitering inside, clearly hovering over the crates of alcohol, but Anastasia glared at them and they quickly left, which made Kai grunt out a laugh. Ignoring him, she indicated a barstool and opened the freezer, pulling out the bag of ice she knew would be inside. In the drawers by the oven, she found some dishtowels and took them out as well.

When she turned around, Kai was rubbing his jaw. The gesture may have looked absent, but Anastasia wasn't fooled. "You're going to have to stop being superman and tell me where it hurts."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine, or else you'd have told me back there that you didn't want to leave," Anastasia sighed. She put the ice on the island and sat on the barstool next to him, tilting Kai's face gently towards hers. His eyes were boring into her relentlessly. Trying to ignore them, she took out a few cubes of ice and wrapped them in a dishtowel, pressing the makeshift icepack against his cheek. Kai didn't move away, but his eyes did close, and Anastasia was finally able to focus on something else.

It only took her a few moments to voice her next thought. "You need to take off your shirt."

Kai's eyes opened and he raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

"No, if I wanted to seduce you I'd pick a better time, trust me," to make her point clear, she poked him in the ribs. Caught off guard, Kai winced, and she smiled triumphantly. "I knew it. Strip, or I'm taking you to the hospital."

Kai rolled his eyes and began to unbutton his shirt. "Since when are you a nurse?"

"You are probably the only guy in history who complains when a pretty girl is trying to take care of you," Anastasia packed some more ice into a dishtowel and inspected Kai's chest, trying not to gawk or blush. It wasn't hard. Even though he was clearly very well-built, there was already bruising on his ribs and she spotted some more discolorations on his shoulder blade as well.

"I'm not complaining," pointed out Kai. Anastasia smiled slightly and gingerly pressed the ice against his ribs, indicating for him to move slightly so she could see his back. Kai didn't move. "I told you I'm fine."

"Humour me."

Kai made a face, muttering something about how he had tried to warn her, which confused Anastasia until he took the ice from her hands and turned around slightly, allowing her to just barely see his shoulder. Anastasia rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm and twisting him on the stool so she could see his back fully. The sight made her eyes widen.

Kai's back was horrible. Anastasia had admired his broad shoulders more than once, noting the way his back muscles flexed under his shirt while training, but she had never seen him without one. Now, she realized why. Jagged scars ran across the pale flesh, crossing over each other randomly. There was hardly a spot that was free of marks; harsh lines that had grown white with age and without proper care. Most of them looked like they had healed over years ago, and the thought made Anastasia feel slightly sick: how long ago had all of this happened? The bruise on his shoulder seemed insignificant compared to what she saw now.

"Hey, calm down," his voice was quiet, only wary of her expression and her reaction, she could tell immediately. She felt his fingers touch her hand, easing the grip she had on his shoulder and lacing their fingers together again. Her vice-like hold on his arm had been the only indication that she was horrified, and without it she was trying hard to school her expression, even as he watched her silently. His grip was still firm, and steady as ever. It made her blink rapidly, and tear her gaze away from his back to his face, which was impassive.

She didn't know what to say. Kai had never been vulnerable in front of her, and despite his indifferent expression she knew that was exactly what this was: vulnerability. He didn't have to show her his scars, and his half-hearted attempt at hiding them told her that he didn't really care if she did see them. It was so different from a week ago, when he had let her tease him about taking his shirt off, never once voicing or even hinting that there was a more serious reason he never did it.

And he was asking her to calm down. Of course he was. He probably thought she had the worst nerves in the world, judging by the amount of times she had lost her cool in front of him. And he wouldn't appreciate any tears or pity right now, she knew him better than that. And he knew that too, which was why he had let her see. Clearing her throat, Anastasia blinked a few times and squeezed his hand, forcing herself to let him go and hand him back his shirt. "Your shoulder is fine," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. It was hard. Her hands were shaking slightly. Quickly, she packed more ice into a towel and turned to face him, holding it up and trying to smile. "I forgot about your lip. Pucker up."

She knew she wasn't imagining the look of relief on Kai's face. Unsurprisingly, he stopped talking after that, and Anastasia was able to distract herself by cleaning the dried blood off his face, and trying to keep her staring subtle as she held the ice against his lips. For a while, it worked, and it wasn't until Tala walked into the kitchen that she realized Kai had been staring right back at her.

"Is he okay?" asked Tala, sounding faintly concerned. Not realizing he was interrupting anything – maybe because there wasn't anything to interrupt, Anastasia realized belatedly – he leapt up onto the marble island and examined Kai's face. "Ouch."

"Thanks," grunted Kai. He took the ice from Anastasia gently, holding it against his mouth, leaving her hands free to fiddle with the hem of her dress. She gave him a questioning look, and his eyes softened slightly, lingering on her hands. He wanted to hold her hand again, she recognized, and the sudden realization threw her into internal turmoil.

Tala didn't notice the silent exchange. "I sent Johnny home, so you can come back now, Anna. If Kai doesn't have a problem with other guys hitting on you," he added pointedly.

Anastasia replied automatically, her conflicting feelings momentarily forgotten. "That had nothing to do with it, Tala."

Tala snorted. "Yeah, okay. Do you want to come back, or is this a joint decision?" he looked at Kai, who merely shrugged. Tala groaned. "Just find me if you do, okay? Anna, your room-mate's with me," he winked, and Anastasia frowned at him, opening her mouth to retort, but he was already gone.

"Leave it," said Kai quietly. Anastasia raised an eyebrow. He shook his head. "He won't listen to you. Alice will be fine."

"She's star-struck right now," sighed Anastasia. "I don't want him to do anything stupid."

Kai quirked an eyebrow. "He's Tala."

Anastasia half-smiled. "Yeah, okay, fair point."

They lapsed into silence, and Anastasia suddenly realized she had forgotten her cellphone at home. That was a problem. It was her go-to in times of uncomfortable silence, but without it she settled for wringing her hands stressfully, not knowing if it was safe to look at Kai's face, but wanting to anyway because otherwise all she saw was his scarred back.

"You can head back, if you want," said Kai suddenly. Anastasia looked up, and saw that he had put the ice down. His lip was swollen, and would probably swell even more by the time the night was done, but for now it seemed fine.

That didn't mean she wanted to leave him.

"I'd rather stay with you," she said, trying to keep her tone as indifferent as his. It didn't work, because she sounded like she was choking on air. Kai's expression didn't change, but he nodded and stood up, heading to the space hidden behind the island and suddenly disappearing from view. Anastasia stood up and tucked her loose hair behind her ears just as he straightened up. There was something in his hand. She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kai shrugged, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips now. "Tala doesn't get to have all the fun," he said. He held the bottle of Vodka in one hand and grabbed another ice-pack off the island. "Come on," he headed towards the door.

"Are we going back to the party?" asked Anastasia.

Kai shook his head. "Just come on," he held out his hand, and she automatically crossed the room to take it. And then she hesitated.

"Wait," said Anastasia suddenly. Kai paused, turning back and looking at her warily. Anastasia bit her lip. "I have to ask, Kai."

"Ask what?"

"You didn't just do it for me, right?" she asked. Her tone sounded desperate, she knew that, but she wasn't sure which answer she was desperate for. "I mean, Tala was obviously wrong. There had to be some other reason you punched Johnny, right?"

Kai was looking at her expressionlessly, and it frustrated her to no end. "Would it make you feel better if I said yes?" he asked finally.

Anastasia inhaled shakily. "I'm not sure which answer would make me feel better," she confessed. "How about the truth?"

Kai almost smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting up in an expression she saw so rarely that for a moment Anastasia was stunned. "When I figure it out, Anna, I'll tell you."

Anastasia hesitated again. She shouldn't do this. If even he didn't know what he was doing, how was it possible that she knew? Wanting to be around him all the time wasn't enough, finding him attractive wasn't enough, even feeling completely safe and content in his presence wasn't enough. She knew only one thing would be enough for her, and that was if Kai admitted he had feelings for her. But he had basically just told her he couldn't do that, not yet anyway. So that meant she would have to wait.

Was she willing to do that?

Anastasia looked up at him from under her lashes. He was still Kai, cold and distant, but his eyes were so soft, so gentle, and so unlike him as they watched her that she knew there was no choice left, not anymore. She was in too deep.

She took his hand. "Let's go."