(A/N: I'm lazy...I know...Here's the next three chapters.)
Dawn of Terror
Chapter 20: Speeches
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" screeched a rather panicked Mariah.
Rei hissed, having been jolted fully awake by her screaming and sat up, slapping a hand over her mouth.Kai wrapped himself in one of the bedsheets and strode over to the door, shutting it and locking it. Mariah bit Rei, who winced and retracted his hand. "Bitch!"
Mariah stared at them both for a moment, shock apparent in her eyes. Kai looked back at her, somewhat confused as what to do. Rei was nursing his bleeding hand. Silence reigned supreme for a moment or two, then Mariah spluttered, "What on Earth were you doing?!"
Kai and Rei exchanged guilty glances. Rei blushed and looked at the floor. "We were..," he murmured softly.
"Consumating our love for each other," Kai finished boldly.
Mariah looked as though she'd had a heart attack. "Excuse me? Master Kai, you can't be serious!"
Kai frowned. "I have never been more serious in my life, Mariah."
The pink-haired girl looked back and forth between her master and her dear, little Rei-chan. Finally, she glared at Kai, hissing, "You're gay?"
Kai frowned and shook his head. "No, Mariah."
The neko-jin tapped her foot. "Then what do you call this?! Last time I checked, it was called homosexuality, Kai, unless you have a new word for it nowadays!"
From his perch on the bed, Rei looked up at her, saying in a small voice, "It's love."
Mariah blinked. Then, she started to laugh. "Love, Rei? Love? Ha! Love is something beautiful and pure- this is pure corruption! Shame on both of you!"
Rei looked back at the floor. "This isn't corruption, Mariah. This is more beautiful and more pure than anything I've ever seen before."
The female neko-jin stared at Rei for a moment. "You've got to be kidding me," she said at last.
Rei shook his head. Kai wandered back to the bed, sitting beside Rei and folding him in his arms. He looked earnestly at Mariah. "He's my best friend and my brother. I'd never leave him and I never could. He's too precious to me for that, but most people don't understand that anymore. Best friends are for children, brothers are for little girls who need protecting."
Mariah blinked in confusion. Kai sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that now that we're older, nobody understands this bond anymore. I'm sixteen- I should have a wife or at least a lady I'm courting. I shouldn't be so focused on someone I consider my 'brother' or my 'best friend'. Rei needs to become my lover in order to make sure that we don't loose what we've got."
Rei sighed happily. He was glad Kai had this all figured out, 'cause he sure didn't. All he knew was that he liked to be held by Kai and be close to Kai. Being with Kai, to him, was better than any heaven some God could offer him. Mariah, however, wasn't buying this.
"You're both sick. Master Kai, you're only right about one thing: you should have a wife."
"Mariah..."
"Hiwatari Kai! You will listen to me!"
Kai ground his teeth together, holding Rei possesively. He glared at Mariah, who continued, regardlessly. "You will find a wife and you will have a family! There will be no more of this...this...disgusting act, Kai! I won't allow it!"
"You're not the Master here, neko-jin!" Kai bellowed.
Mariah turned smartly on her heel and stormed out of the room. Kai looked back at Rei, who was looking up at the bluenette with a perplexed expression. "What?"
"Well, this may sound a bit silly, but isn't Mariah being a bit hypocritical?"
"Why do you say that?"
Rei shrugged. "It's just...she doesn't like people judging her because she's a neko-jin and she doesn't understand why some people hate neko-jins, just because they're different. Yet, just because we're acting a little different, she goes off the deep-end, saying it's disgusting."
Kai sighed. "People are like that Rei. They don't understand what they don't know."
Rei put his head on Kai's shoulder. "I wish they could just be...I dunno...non-judgemental. It all seems pointless to me."
Kai stroked Rei's hair. "It is pointless, koneko. Hatred just breeds more hatred. And from that springs death and wars."
Rei nuzzled Kai's shoulder and purred. Kai smiled a bit. "But let's forget that now, koneko. We've got each other."
Rei sighed again and this time, pulled himself away from Kai. "Mariah's right though. You should have a wife and at least an heir to the Hiwatari estate. Nobody lives forever and what will happen after you go?"
Kai glanced about the room. "I...don't know..."
Rei flopped back on the bed. "Seems kind of pointless. To have all this money, but you can't take it with you. I guess money isn't everything."
"Stop being philosophical, Rei. It doesn't suit you."
The neko-jin stuck out his tongue, then yawned. "I'm gonna go back to sleep now..."
Kai kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, koneko."
~*
Mariah sat in the kitchen, tapping her nails on the table top. Li eyed her. "What's wrong, Mariah? Is Rei alright?"
"He's fine!" she spat, her words more acid than she'd intended.
Li blinked. "What's going on then?"
Mariah's face twisted up. "The Master and Rei are sleeping."
Li raised an eyebrow. "That's a bad thing?"
"Yes. When they're sleeping together, of course."
Her words had the desired implication and Li blinked. "They're...sleeping together?"
"Yes. And both of them are raving about love and all this other stuff."
Li shrugged and picked up his tea. "At least they're happy, 'riah."
The pink-haired girl grabbed his arm, hissing. "It's wrong, Li! Boys don't like boys!"
Li shrugged again. Mariah growled. "It's not right. Women like men and men like women, which is why God created both."
Li frowned. "And who drilled that into your head?"
"Li! A man has to have a woman to bear his child! There's nothing good that can come from boys with boys!"
Li shook his head in dismay. "Mariah, there may not be any reproductive point to it, but as long as they're happy, who gives a fuck? Would you rather see them with people they couldn't care less about? Or happy. Be glad they found something special-"
"It's wrong Li! It's immoral, and it's dirty and-"
"Mariah! Shut up! You're spouting nonsense! You make love out to be a wonderful thing and when two people you love dearly find it, you shun them for it! That's the most idiotic thing!"
"B-but Li-"
Li turned to her, taking her hand. "Mariah, they really do care about each other. Even if you don't like it, they're not going to stop loving each other. And I don't think either of them has eyes for anyone but the other. Isn't that the way love's supposed to be?"
"Y-yes..."
"Then just be happy for them. Don't worry about the nature of the relationship. Their happiness is really what counts here."
He patted her hand reassuringly, then stood and walked off. Mariah blinked, several times in a row. How did Li know that...?
~*
Kai stood at the door, talking with Li. Rei was still curled in the bed. Kai, who had since gotten dressed (A/N: SMART BOY!), eyed Li warily. "So, you talked with her?"
The older neko-jin nodded. "I did indeed. But I don't think it made much of a difference. She seems pretty set against it."
Kai sighed. "Maybe we should just lay off it then."
Li shrugged. "Do what you want. I doubt she'll be anymore forgiving later."
Kai sighed again. He really, really liked Rei and he just wanted Mariah to understand that. But she couldn't seem to get by the fact that both he and Rei were boys. "Maybe..," he said quietly, looking over his sleeping koneko.
Rei always looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. There was silence for a moment, both Li and Kai watching Rei. "You really love him, don't you?"
Kai jumped, surprised by the question. "Love him?"
He glanced back at Rei. "I guess I do."
Li smiled and shook his head. "The purest love is never really recognized, I guess."
Kai looked at Li, bemused by the statement. Li shrugged, then turned away. "I'm off to find Kevin. He's bound to have gotten himself in some sort of trouble."
Kai nodded. "Just make sure he hasn't broken anything."
Li smiled. "I'm quite sure he has."
And with that, he walked off. Kai shut the door and walked back over to the bed, sitting down on it and watching Rei. The neko-jin's breathing was heavy and slow, almost like a lullabye. Kai smiled gently and kissed Rei's forehead, sweeping the long black locks clear of the skin before he did so.
"Aishiteru, koneko-koi."
Rei stirred and shifted a bit, then settled back into his slumber. Kai lay down with him, nuzzling the back of Rei's head. 'This is nice...' he thought, yawning.
He could get used to this. Just the two of them, lying there, with the early morning sun streaming through the window....
He sat up and glanced around for a clock. Unfortunately, he found one and saw that it was nearly ten o'clock. Kai sighed. That meant snuggling with Rei would have to wait until later. Right now, he had to get up and go do things, such as balance the damn checkbook.
He slid out of bed and padded out of the room. He went into the kitchen, grabbing the newspaper off the table and a cup of coffee. He headed to his office.
As he walked, he looked over the front page of the paper, reading the headlines in bold black print. He sipped his coffee. "EMPEROR'S SUCESSOR DECLARES WAR!"
Kai spluttered. Pictured on the front page was Enrique, the Emperor's advisor, in all his black-and-white glory. "What the hell?"
He walked into his office. He set down the cup of coffe and spread the paper out on the table. He scanned the article, fear growing inside him with each sentence he read. "Enrique declares war on neko-jins..."
His heart cracked. "Neko-jins will either be executed on sight or rounded up and shipped to other countries for slave labor."
Kai felt sick. Hadn't Rei had enough of this shit? Hadn't Li and Kevin already gone through it? Did they really deserve to be punished like this, over and over again? "More over..," he read out loud through numbed lips, "men between the ages of fifteen and thirty-four are being conscripted for service in the army-"
He couldn't read any more. He tore his gaze away. Not only were they going to kill Rei, they were going to send him to do it. He swallowed hard. That....he couldn't imagine it. It would be fine if they went to war with some nameless country he didn't know. But this...this was right here, at home. Not against a foreign people in a foreign land.
He sat down heavily in his chair. He felt so helpless. He couldn't do anything to stop this obvious genocide - he'd get himself killed. And if that happened, nobody would protect Rei. It was a vicious circle and it seemed happy to swallow him whole, drowning him in that circle.
Kai Hiwatari rarely cried. But today was different and he broke down and sobbed into his arms. He cried until his throat was raw. And then, when he'd dried his tears,he felt not hope, but despiration. Today was a black day.
~*
Grandpa sat out in the yard, peeling the bark off a rather large stick with his pocket knife. He hummed as he went, happy to be outside in the pleasant June weather. Before long, it would be too hot to sit outside like this. He glanced up as he noticed someone approaching. "Hey der," he said, looking up at Mariah, who had just walked outside.
"Hello," she said, then continued looking out at the horizon from her spot near the door. Grandpa patted the ground beside him. "Come sit down here 'n' tell Grandpa what's got ya bothered."
Mariah looked at the old man for a moment, then did as she was told. Grandpa continued peeling bark and wood. "Now den, what be botherin' ya, Miss Mariah?"
The pink-haired neko-jin sighed. "It's Kai and Rei...They're...in love."
She said the last two words with audible sarcasticness. Grandpa only nodded in response. Mariah continued. "They're both boys though, and that's not right! Men love women and vice versa! Right?"
Grandpa opened his eyes and looked right at her. He stopped peeling wood. "Miss Mariah, there ain't nutin' wrong 'bout love. Unless they ain't happy, 'n' then der be sumat mighty wrong wit it."
Mariah sat there, staring at Grandpa dumbfoundedly. She hadn't expected the old man to be so...so 'down with it'! After all, he was from the old school, so hadn't he been taught it was wrong? "But-"
He looked at her again. "Dun mistake me, Miss Mariah. I ain't liking it anymore dan I like neko-jins, no offense or nutin', but I ain't gonna go around sayin' bad things about 'em fer it. After all, people coulda said bad things 'bout me."
Grandpa went back to his peeling of bark and wood. For a moment, there was no sound other than that of the scrape of the knife against the stick. Mariah sat there, almost dumbfounded.
Then, there was another noise. Mariah's ears twitched. She glanced away, towards the road that led back to town. "That sounds like..."
"Drums," Grandpa concluded, still peeling the bark.
Mariah blinked. "I didn't know there was a parade today."
Grandpa shook his head. "Dat's cuz there ain't no parade. I heard drums like dat once afore. Those be army drums, Miss Mariah. I can here da clatter of soldiers' shoes too. Can't ya?"
Mariah listened harder. Indeed, she could hear boots on pavement and the occasional shift of a rifle. There were voices too. "What on Earth is the army doing here?"
She turned around. "Come back inside, Grandpa. I don't like this-"
She was talking to thin air. Grandpa had already gone back inside. She padded indoors. She went to walk away, then thought better of it and went back, shutting and locking the door. She then walked off to find Kai.
~*~*~*
Dawn of Terror
Chapter 20: Speeches
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" screeched a rather panicked Mariah.
Rei hissed, having been jolted fully awake by her screaming and sat up, slapping a hand over her mouth.Kai wrapped himself in one of the bedsheets and strode over to the door, shutting it and locking it. Mariah bit Rei, who winced and retracted his hand. "Bitch!"
Mariah stared at them both for a moment, shock apparent in her eyes. Kai looked back at her, somewhat confused as what to do. Rei was nursing his bleeding hand. Silence reigned supreme for a moment or two, then Mariah spluttered, "What on Earth were you doing?!"
Kai and Rei exchanged guilty glances. Rei blushed and looked at the floor. "We were..," he murmured softly.
"Consumating our love for each other," Kai finished boldly.
Mariah looked as though she'd had a heart attack. "Excuse me? Master Kai, you can't be serious!"
Kai frowned. "I have never been more serious in my life, Mariah."
The pink-haired girl looked back and forth between her master and her dear, little Rei-chan. Finally, she glared at Kai, hissing, "You're gay?"
Kai frowned and shook his head. "No, Mariah."
The neko-jin tapped her foot. "Then what do you call this?! Last time I checked, it was called homosexuality, Kai, unless you have a new word for it nowadays!"
From his perch on the bed, Rei looked up at her, saying in a small voice, "It's love."
Mariah blinked. Then, she started to laugh. "Love, Rei? Love? Ha! Love is something beautiful and pure- this is pure corruption! Shame on both of you!"
Rei looked back at the floor. "This isn't corruption, Mariah. This is more beautiful and more pure than anything I've ever seen before."
The female neko-jin stared at Rei for a moment. "You've got to be kidding me," she said at last.
Rei shook his head. Kai wandered back to the bed, sitting beside Rei and folding him in his arms. He looked earnestly at Mariah. "He's my best friend and my brother. I'd never leave him and I never could. He's too precious to me for that, but most people don't understand that anymore. Best friends are for children, brothers are for little girls who need protecting."
Mariah blinked in confusion. Kai sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that now that we're older, nobody understands this bond anymore. I'm sixteen- I should have a wife or at least a lady I'm courting. I shouldn't be so focused on someone I consider my 'brother' or my 'best friend'. Rei needs to become my lover in order to make sure that we don't loose what we've got."
Rei sighed happily. He was glad Kai had this all figured out, 'cause he sure didn't. All he knew was that he liked to be held by Kai and be close to Kai. Being with Kai, to him, was better than any heaven some God could offer him. Mariah, however, wasn't buying this.
"You're both sick. Master Kai, you're only right about one thing: you should have a wife."
"Mariah..."
"Hiwatari Kai! You will listen to me!"
Kai ground his teeth together, holding Rei possesively. He glared at Mariah, who continued, regardlessly. "You will find a wife and you will have a family! There will be no more of this...this...disgusting act, Kai! I won't allow it!"
"You're not the Master here, neko-jin!" Kai bellowed.
Mariah turned smartly on her heel and stormed out of the room. Kai looked back at Rei, who was looking up at the bluenette with a perplexed expression. "What?"
"Well, this may sound a bit silly, but isn't Mariah being a bit hypocritical?"
"Why do you say that?"
Rei shrugged. "It's just...she doesn't like people judging her because she's a neko-jin and she doesn't understand why some people hate neko-jins, just because they're different. Yet, just because we're acting a little different, she goes off the deep-end, saying it's disgusting."
Kai sighed. "People are like that Rei. They don't understand what they don't know."
Rei put his head on Kai's shoulder. "I wish they could just be...I dunno...non-judgemental. It all seems pointless to me."
Kai stroked Rei's hair. "It is pointless, koneko. Hatred just breeds more hatred. And from that springs death and wars."
Rei nuzzled Kai's shoulder and purred. Kai smiled a bit. "But let's forget that now, koneko. We've got each other."
Rei sighed again and this time, pulled himself away from Kai. "Mariah's right though. You should have a wife and at least an heir to the Hiwatari estate. Nobody lives forever and what will happen after you go?"
Kai glanced about the room. "I...don't know..."
Rei flopped back on the bed. "Seems kind of pointless. To have all this money, but you can't take it with you. I guess money isn't everything."
"Stop being philosophical, Rei. It doesn't suit you."
The neko-jin stuck out his tongue, then yawned. "I'm gonna go back to sleep now..."
Kai kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, koneko."
~*
Mariah sat in the kitchen, tapping her nails on the table top. Li eyed her. "What's wrong, Mariah? Is Rei alright?"
"He's fine!" she spat, her words more acid than she'd intended.
Li blinked. "What's going on then?"
Mariah's face twisted up. "The Master and Rei are sleeping."
Li raised an eyebrow. "That's a bad thing?"
"Yes. When they're sleeping together, of course."
Her words had the desired implication and Li blinked. "They're...sleeping together?"
"Yes. And both of them are raving about love and all this other stuff."
Li shrugged and picked up his tea. "At least they're happy, 'riah."
The pink-haired girl grabbed his arm, hissing. "It's wrong, Li! Boys don't like boys!"
Li shrugged again. Mariah growled. "It's not right. Women like men and men like women, which is why God created both."
Li frowned. "And who drilled that into your head?"
"Li! A man has to have a woman to bear his child! There's nothing good that can come from boys with boys!"
Li shook his head in dismay. "Mariah, there may not be any reproductive point to it, but as long as they're happy, who gives a fuck? Would you rather see them with people they couldn't care less about? Or happy. Be glad they found something special-"
"It's wrong Li! It's immoral, and it's dirty and-"
"Mariah! Shut up! You're spouting nonsense! You make love out to be a wonderful thing and when two people you love dearly find it, you shun them for it! That's the most idiotic thing!"
"B-but Li-"
Li turned to her, taking her hand. "Mariah, they really do care about each other. Even if you don't like it, they're not going to stop loving each other. And I don't think either of them has eyes for anyone but the other. Isn't that the way love's supposed to be?"
"Y-yes..."
"Then just be happy for them. Don't worry about the nature of the relationship. Their happiness is really what counts here."
He patted her hand reassuringly, then stood and walked off. Mariah blinked, several times in a row. How did Li know that...?
~*
Kai stood at the door, talking with Li. Rei was still curled in the bed. Kai, who had since gotten dressed (A/N: SMART BOY!), eyed Li warily. "So, you talked with her?"
The older neko-jin nodded. "I did indeed. But I don't think it made much of a difference. She seems pretty set against it."
Kai sighed. "Maybe we should just lay off it then."
Li shrugged. "Do what you want. I doubt she'll be anymore forgiving later."
Kai sighed again. He really, really liked Rei and he just wanted Mariah to understand that. But she couldn't seem to get by the fact that both he and Rei were boys. "Maybe..," he said quietly, looking over his sleeping koneko.
Rei always looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. There was silence for a moment, both Li and Kai watching Rei. "You really love him, don't you?"
Kai jumped, surprised by the question. "Love him?"
He glanced back at Rei. "I guess I do."
Li smiled and shook his head. "The purest love is never really recognized, I guess."
Kai looked at Li, bemused by the statement. Li shrugged, then turned away. "I'm off to find Kevin. He's bound to have gotten himself in some sort of trouble."
Kai nodded. "Just make sure he hasn't broken anything."
Li smiled. "I'm quite sure he has."
And with that, he walked off. Kai shut the door and walked back over to the bed, sitting down on it and watching Rei. The neko-jin's breathing was heavy and slow, almost like a lullabye. Kai smiled gently and kissed Rei's forehead, sweeping the long black locks clear of the skin before he did so.
"Aishiteru, koneko-koi."
Rei stirred and shifted a bit, then settled back into his slumber. Kai lay down with him, nuzzling the back of Rei's head. 'This is nice...' he thought, yawning.
He could get used to this. Just the two of them, lying there, with the early morning sun streaming through the window....
He sat up and glanced around for a clock. Unfortunately, he found one and saw that it was nearly ten o'clock. Kai sighed. That meant snuggling with Rei would have to wait until later. Right now, he had to get up and go do things, such as balance the damn checkbook.
He slid out of bed and padded out of the room. He went into the kitchen, grabbing the newspaper off the table and a cup of coffee. He headed to his office.
As he walked, he looked over the front page of the paper, reading the headlines in bold black print. He sipped his coffee. "EMPEROR'S SUCESSOR DECLARES WAR!"
Kai spluttered. Pictured on the front page was Enrique, the Emperor's advisor, in all his black-and-white glory. "What the hell?"
He walked into his office. He set down the cup of coffe and spread the paper out on the table. He scanned the article, fear growing inside him with each sentence he read. "Enrique declares war on neko-jins..."
His heart cracked. "Neko-jins will either be executed on sight or rounded up and shipped to other countries for slave labor."
Kai felt sick. Hadn't Rei had enough of this shit? Hadn't Li and Kevin already gone through it? Did they really deserve to be punished like this, over and over again? "More over..," he read out loud through numbed lips, "men between the ages of fifteen and thirty-four are being conscripted for service in the army-"
He couldn't read any more. He tore his gaze away. Not only were they going to kill Rei, they were going to send him to do it. He swallowed hard. That....he couldn't imagine it. It would be fine if they went to war with some nameless country he didn't know. But this...this was right here, at home. Not against a foreign people in a foreign land.
He sat down heavily in his chair. He felt so helpless. He couldn't do anything to stop this obvious genocide - he'd get himself killed. And if that happened, nobody would protect Rei. It was a vicious circle and it seemed happy to swallow him whole, drowning him in that circle.
Kai Hiwatari rarely cried. But today was different and he broke down and sobbed into his arms. He cried until his throat was raw. And then, when he'd dried his tears,he felt not hope, but despiration. Today was a black day.
~*
Grandpa sat out in the yard, peeling the bark off a rather large stick with his pocket knife. He hummed as he went, happy to be outside in the pleasant June weather. Before long, it would be too hot to sit outside like this. He glanced up as he noticed someone approaching. "Hey der," he said, looking up at Mariah, who had just walked outside.
"Hello," she said, then continued looking out at the horizon from her spot near the door. Grandpa patted the ground beside him. "Come sit down here 'n' tell Grandpa what's got ya bothered."
Mariah looked at the old man for a moment, then did as she was told. Grandpa continued peeling bark and wood. "Now den, what be botherin' ya, Miss Mariah?"
The pink-haired neko-jin sighed. "It's Kai and Rei...They're...in love."
She said the last two words with audible sarcasticness. Grandpa only nodded in response. Mariah continued. "They're both boys though, and that's not right! Men love women and vice versa! Right?"
Grandpa opened his eyes and looked right at her. He stopped peeling wood. "Miss Mariah, there ain't nutin' wrong 'bout love. Unless they ain't happy, 'n' then der be sumat mighty wrong wit it."
Mariah sat there, staring at Grandpa dumbfoundedly. She hadn't expected the old man to be so...so 'down with it'! After all, he was from the old school, so hadn't he been taught it was wrong? "But-"
He looked at her again. "Dun mistake me, Miss Mariah. I ain't liking it anymore dan I like neko-jins, no offense or nutin', but I ain't gonna go around sayin' bad things about 'em fer it. After all, people coulda said bad things 'bout me."
Grandpa went back to his peeling of bark and wood. For a moment, there was no sound other than that of the scrape of the knife against the stick. Mariah sat there, almost dumbfounded.
Then, there was another noise. Mariah's ears twitched. She glanced away, towards the road that led back to town. "That sounds like..."
"Drums," Grandpa concluded, still peeling the bark.
Mariah blinked. "I didn't know there was a parade today."
Grandpa shook his head. "Dat's cuz there ain't no parade. I heard drums like dat once afore. Those be army drums, Miss Mariah. I can here da clatter of soldiers' shoes too. Can't ya?"
Mariah listened harder. Indeed, she could hear boots on pavement and the occasional shift of a rifle. There were voices too. "What on Earth is the army doing here?"
She turned around. "Come back inside, Grandpa. I don't like this-"
She was talking to thin air. Grandpa had already gone back inside. She padded indoors. She went to walk away, then thought better of it and went back, shutting and locking the door. She then walked off to find Kai.
~*~*~*