Guess what? I'm finished the outline! It turned out to be nine chapters
after all! I have a few words to say tho before I continue...
To Rei, Oliver, and Kai r da bomb~ hee hee... when ever I see your name I take offence cause I see Rei, Oliver, and Kai r dumb... I know... I'm blind... but I always see that when I look at your name! (just had to point that out... not like you care...)
To Kapparan Majic and Serenity~ I'm glad that you like my story, but you might have misunderstood what I said in the second chapter. Each chapter includes one day for the Bladebreakers... not that I'm posting one chapter per day (even though that's what I've been doing) but I'm gonna take a break for a few days and try to type up the next few chapters (meaning six to nine)
To aishiteru (from chapter one)~ I'm sorry but I have to hurt Rei... um... just read on to see what I mean.
To Kai Hiwatari (who e-mailed me)~ thanx for the e-mail! Even though this says it's part romance... you can read it mostly like a friendship fic (I didn't realise that until I read your e-mail). I didn't really become a true Kai/Rei fan until I read a Kai/Rei story just to try something new. I know that Rei ends up with Mariah in the end and I'm fine with that. I think the only reason I like this yaoi pairing is because they are the hottest (and coolest) beybladers in the show (not to mention that they're also my faves). That's probably the only reason I can think of that so many people are into this pairing. Or maybe it's because they're five teenage guys spending all of their time together and they don't seem too interested in girls so... (Sorry guys but it's true... around that age you start looking at girls a lot more... a lot... I mean look at Enrique... I rest my case.)
And last but not least to darkness~ I love your stories!!! Here's my post just like I promised you so now I want you to post the next chapter of your story! And now on to the story...
Another Word for Strength
Chapter 3: The Truth's Consequences
***
Rei woke up when the sunlight in his eyes began to bother him. He groaned and tossed back the covers. Climbing out of bed, he made his way over to the bathroom and splashed water on his face in order to better wake himself. The cool water effectively washed away the sleep from his eyes and he smiled at his reflection. Everything about this day seemed like a good sign. For the first time, Rei was in a very good mood and even the weather seemed to reflect his cheerfulness.
When he was sure he was fully awake, Rei changed into some comfortable clothes and smiled seeing Dranzer's bit still hanging from his neck. The metal glinted in the sunlight. He tucked the beast beneath his shirt and went to the dining room to see if everyone else was downstairs. He had been the only one in the room when he woke up.
***
"Hey, Rei!" Takao called out to him when he walked into the room. Everyone was there. Well, everyone except Kai.
"Good morning, Rei." Mr. Dickenson exclaimed cheerfully. "How did it go?" Rei smiled happily.
"It worked perfectly." He replied, taking a seat at their table. "Thank you very much for the help."
"What worked perfectly?" Takao asked confusedly. He was looking from Rei to Mr. Dickenson and back again. He had a thoroughly confused look on his face. In fact all of the Bladebreakers looked at Rei this way. "What help?"
Rei laughed and waved a hand.
"Oh, nothing." He smiled mischievously. Mr Dickenson winked at Rei and excused himself.
"I believe I have some work to do." His eyes twinkled. "I'll be seeing you four later."
He turned and left Rei alone to face his team's questions. They wanted to know the secret to his happiness.
"Come on, Rei. Spill." Takao pushed, forgetting what happened yesterday when he pushed Rei too far.
Rei continued to smile as he piled his plate with pancakes and began to eat.
"AWW!" Max groaned. The suspense was killing them. "You've got to tell us what you two are talking about."
Rei finished his pancakes and looked at the team. He cracked another grin and winked.
"No I don't." he laughed and walked out of the room. "I'm gonna go for a walk. See you guys later." He called over his shoulder and left them in disappointment.
***
Rei walked for most of the day and checked out all the different Beyblading stores. He had been meaning to get a couple of new defence rings to test out some new moves for their next match.
Just as he was walking out of one of the stores someone ran head first into him, making him crash to the ground. The boy didn't stop, only stumbled, and continued to run.
"You're excused!" Rei called angrily, but never caught sight of the boy who crashed into him. Picking up his bags again he dusted himself off and continued to walk.
He headed to a restaurant and decided to have some lunch before he headed back to the hotel.
Once the waitress had taken his order he pulled out his wallet to make sure he had enough money and noticed a folded envelope fall out of his pocket.
"That wasn't there this morning." He muttered to himself and picked up the envelope.
His name was scribbled on the front. Raising an eyebrow, he opened the envelope to find a letter inside. He took it out and read it.
~Rei,
I'd like to meet you again tonight in the usual place at sunset. I assume you won't be late this time.
~Kai
It was short and simple.
'So that's who ran me over.' Rei grinned to himself. The waitress had returned with his order and he shoved the letter back into his pocket.
***
Rei finished his lunch and hit a couple more stores before heading back to the hotel. He punched the elevator button and waited until the doors opened.
"Rei!" Takao shouted and came running at him.
"Woah, Takao!" Rei grinned as Takao came to a sliding stop in front of him. "What's up?"
"We were just coming to look for you." Takao exclaimed breathlessly. "We're going to do some practicing in our rooms. Do you want to come?"
"Sure!" Rei answered and followed Takao into the elevator.
"So what was Mr. Dickenson talking about this morning?" Takao asked.
"You're still bugging me about that?" Rei laughed. "It's our little secret." He replied, making Takao even more frustrated.
"Why won't you tell us?"
"Then it wouldn't be a secret."
"You're no fun."
"I know."
The elevator doors opened and they walked to their room. The beds had been pushed to the walls and a mini arena had been set up in the center. Max and Kenny were lounging on the beds waiting for Rei and Takao.
"Hey guys!" Max greeted them. "We were waiting for you. Let's get going."
"Who wants to go first?" Kenny asked.
"How about Takao and Max can go first and I'll face the winner." Rei opted.
"Great idea." Takao exclaimed and stood on one side of the dish. Max got ready on the other side.
"Three."
"Two."
"One. Let it RIP!" Takao and Max launched their blades into the dish. This reminded Rei of Kai's comments on their skills. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell them. About his suggestions without letting them know Kai had told him all of them.
"Takao, you should work on your launches." Rei spoke up. "You aren't getting enough speed into them." He instructed. Takao nodded and called on his bit-beast.
"Attack, Dragoon!" when Rei thought about it, Kai's observations were pretty obvious. In the next few minutes Dragoon would run out of steam, and Draciel was doing nothing but defence.
"Max!" Rei called. "Attack him! You can't do anything if you do nothing but defence." Max's eyebrows went wide as he noticed his error and he smiled.
"Thanks, Rei!" he gave Rei a thumbs up and called on his beast.
"Go, Draciel!" both bit-beasts emerged from their blades and collided head on. Since Takao had messed up on the launch his blade was the first to stop moving.
"Aw, man." He groaned. "Thanks, Rei, for pointing out what went wrong with my shot."
"No prob." He smiled. He pulled out his blade and stepped up to the dish.
"Three."
"Two."
"One. Let it RIP!"
'I have to focus on the battle and the battle alone.' Rei chanted to himself. 'The battle is no place for personal issues.'
"Go, Drigger!" he called out and attacked Max head on. He was calm and focused. In a brilliant flash of light Draciel was sent flying back to Max's hand.
"Nice job, Rei." Kenny congratulated him. "I see you've been able to clear your head."
"Nobody will be able to stand in our way!" Takao cheered and pumped his fist into the air. They continued to practice and work on polishing up their moves.
***
When Rei was finally finished with practice the sun was beginning to set. He hurried out of the hotel giving Takao an excuse of a forgotten errand and ran off to meet with Kai. He walked quickly to the building and hurried up the stairs.
"Hey, Kai." He greeted the boy at the window. Kai turned and smiled at Rei half-heartedly. "You wanted to talk?"
"No." Kai replied. "I wanted you to talk. You can't just listen. I want to know some things about you." Rei smiled and sat down on the other side of the window sill.
"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked.
"How about you tell me about your past."
"Ok. On paper I'm an orphan, but I know that I was abandoned when I was little." Rei began. Kai was startled at this. 'How can someone give up him by choice?' he thought, but remained silent.
"I was taken in by Lee's family and we became quick friends. By the time the child care people found an adopted family for me I had settled into my lifestyle so comfortably that Lee's family decided to adopt me, themselves. I don't know exactly what happened, but I heard that my parents had been the ones who wanted me back and were threatening to go to the courts for custody over me, but the expenses were too much for them. Last I heard they were traveling in Europe. That was about five years ago, though." He sighed. He didn't like thinking about his real parents. "Nobody but you knows that I know all this. From what I hear, Lee's parents were close friends with my real mother and father, until they made millions of dollars. They ignored all their friends, believing they were superior to everyone. I think they probably thought about all the cash they'd have to spend on me when they decided to leave me. Then they figured I could make them more money in the long run and came back for me."
"I never knew." Kai whispered apologetically.
"Nobody did." Rei shrugged lightly. It was all behind him and he didn't care for these people anyways. "I bet that they're hitting themselves now, knowing that they could have been parents to a member of the team that wins the Beyblade World Championship." He added lightly.
"What makes you think that you'd beat the Demolition Boys?" Kai asked.
"I don't think, I know, because the Bladebreakers are the best team and we will win against any opponent."
"Are you so sure you'll be able to win against me and Black Dranzer?" Kai hadn't even thought that he might have to face the Bladebreakers in the finals. He knew Black Dranzer could handle all of their beasts, but he didn't want to take Drigger from Rei.
"Yup." Rei replied smiling. "Oh, that reminds me, I have something of yours." He fumbled with his shirt and drew out the bit-beast around his neck. He lifted it from his neck and handed it to Kai.
Kai looked at Rei's hand and turned away.
"Keep it." He exclaimed, his voice emotionless. "Maybe you can keep it safe for me. That way at least one bit-beast can survive against my grandfather. Think of it as something to remember me by."
"Why does your grandfather want the bit-beasts?" Rei asked, returning the bit-beast to its place beneath his shirt.
"I'm not sure really. He probably thinks he can rule the world if he is in possession of all of them, and thinks he can use me to get them." Kai looked up at Rei to find the boy staring deep into his eyes. He could see the question he wanted to ask but couldn't.
"I guess you want to know what happened the other day with the men from the abbey." He sighed. "Please keep what I'm about to tell you a secret from the rest of the Bladebreakers." Rei nodded and he continued.
"I had just finished having a little argument with my grandfather and he came to take me to speak with my grandfather personally. I had already been told that I was going to be punished for... a weakness I had acquired. He wanted to try and beat the weakness out of me. They were dragging me off when you guys came." Rei's eyes were wide with surprise.
"He was going to beat you?" he asked, shocked.
"Yeah, and did. I was bleeding for hours." Kai let his head hang.
"But you looked fine when I saw you later that night." Rei insisted, hoping Kai was lying. "You look fine now." Kai looked up at Rei smiling grimly.
"The wonders of a little make-up." He said and dragged a finger across his face, smudging the painted triangles. He stood up and walked over to the corner where the leaky faucet stuck out of the wall. Putting his hands beneath the water, he splashed his face and scrubbed it clean of the triangles with the sleeve of his jacket.
Rei gasped when he saw Kai's paint-free face. It was littered with cuts and bruises.
"Oh, Kai." Rei whispered. He couldn't say anything else. "Why do you stay there?" he asked after a few moments.
"That's the million dollar question I suppose." Kai shrugged and sat down beside Rei again. "My grandfather knows a deep secret of mine, even though I've tried to hide it from everyone, including myself. How he found out about it, I'll never understand, but he's using it against me." Rei nodded.
"I also don't want you guys to get involved in this. Stay away from the abbey. He won't hesitate to hurt you if you try to help me. If my grandfather finds out that I've been meeting with you, he'll make sure you are hurt. Seriously." Kai's eyes shone with worry.
"If you see him walking your way I want you to promise to walk the other way." He pleaded. "He hates the Bladebreakers and you especially. Please don't try anything. I can get myself out of this."
"I'll do it for you." Rei nodded, wondering if this warning had anything to do with him being forced into blading for the Demolition Boys.
"If I blade for the Demolition Boys then I'll be okay." Rei frowned, doubting what Kai said.
"I don't believe that for a second but I'll do what you say." He sighed in frustration.
"I have to go back to the abbey, now." Kai exclaimed, looking out over the city. "Thanks for meeting me here."
"Anytime." Rei grinned, ignoring the foreboding feeling he was beginning to get in the pit of his stomach. He hugs Kai before he can second guess himself and smiles when he felt Kai wrap his arms around his waist, returning the hug.
"We all miss you, Kai. Especially me." He whispered into Kai's ear. Kai didn't respond and let Rei go. He turned and walked out of the building.
'I wish I could tell you how I feel about you.' Rei thought sadly before following Kai's example and heading back to the hotel.
***
Kai slipped back into the abbey, completely unnoticed by any of the guards. He quickly made his way to his room and closed the door quietly behind him, hoping no one would have noticed his absence. He leaned his back against the door and nearly had a heart attack.
Hiwatari-sama was sitting in a leather chair at the desk, waiting for him. Kai's heart began to race and he prayed that Rei would be ok.
"I've been waiting for you, Kai." He said sharply. "You've ignored me again. I thought I told you to stay away from that boy." His voice was steadily getting angrier. "You never listen, do you? I'll just have to punish you again. How about if we pay Kon a little visit?" he laughed harshly. Kai's eyes widened in horror.
"No!" he cried. "You leave Rei out of this." He commanded. He didn't like the evil glint in his grandfather's eyes.
"Oops." He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Kai's eyes grew wider and his mouth fell open.
"For your insolence, you'll feel my wrath ten times what I've shown you." He snarled as three men stepped out of the shadows and began to assault Kai. Through all of the pain and freely flowing blood, Kai could only think of what they had done to Rei.
"Rei!" Takao yelled shrilly. The Bladebreakers all rushed over to where Takao was standing and saw the boy's body lying a couple hundred feet from the hotel. His clothes were torn and he was covered from head to toe with his own blood.
"Max, get Mr. Dickenson and have the front desk call the hospital." Kenny ordered while Takao kneeled beside Rei's body to check for a pulse. Max nodded and sprinted back to the hotel.
"He's still alive." Takao said solemnly. "Nothing seems to be broken, though."
"What happened to him?" Kenny asked in bewilderment. Rei's eyes began to flutter open and he groaned before coughing up a bit of blood. His eyes remained at half-mast and he groaned again.
"He knows about our visits." He whispered hoarsely before passing out again.
Finis
That's it for chapter three. That's what Rei gets for wanting to know the truth.
Coming up next:
Chapter Four: Sweet Revenge
Please review or e-mail me (firebird_dranzer@hotmail.com) one of my many. If you want to chat or just send a review that's fine.
To Rei, Oliver, and Kai r da bomb~ hee hee... when ever I see your name I take offence cause I see Rei, Oliver, and Kai r dumb... I know... I'm blind... but I always see that when I look at your name! (just had to point that out... not like you care...)
To Kapparan Majic and Serenity~ I'm glad that you like my story, but you might have misunderstood what I said in the second chapter. Each chapter includes one day for the Bladebreakers... not that I'm posting one chapter per day (even though that's what I've been doing) but I'm gonna take a break for a few days and try to type up the next few chapters (meaning six to nine)
To aishiteru (from chapter one)~ I'm sorry but I have to hurt Rei... um... just read on to see what I mean.
To Kai Hiwatari (who e-mailed me)~ thanx for the e-mail! Even though this says it's part romance... you can read it mostly like a friendship fic (I didn't realise that until I read your e-mail). I didn't really become a true Kai/Rei fan until I read a Kai/Rei story just to try something new. I know that Rei ends up with Mariah in the end and I'm fine with that. I think the only reason I like this yaoi pairing is because they are the hottest (and coolest) beybladers in the show (not to mention that they're also my faves). That's probably the only reason I can think of that so many people are into this pairing. Or maybe it's because they're five teenage guys spending all of their time together and they don't seem too interested in girls so... (Sorry guys but it's true... around that age you start looking at girls a lot more... a lot... I mean look at Enrique... I rest my case.)
And last but not least to darkness~ I love your stories!!! Here's my post just like I promised you so now I want you to post the next chapter of your story! And now on to the story...
Another Word for Strength
Chapter 3: The Truth's Consequences
***
Rei woke up when the sunlight in his eyes began to bother him. He groaned and tossed back the covers. Climbing out of bed, he made his way over to the bathroom and splashed water on his face in order to better wake himself. The cool water effectively washed away the sleep from his eyes and he smiled at his reflection. Everything about this day seemed like a good sign. For the first time, Rei was in a very good mood and even the weather seemed to reflect his cheerfulness.
When he was sure he was fully awake, Rei changed into some comfortable clothes and smiled seeing Dranzer's bit still hanging from his neck. The metal glinted in the sunlight. He tucked the beast beneath his shirt and went to the dining room to see if everyone else was downstairs. He had been the only one in the room when he woke up.
***
"Hey, Rei!" Takao called out to him when he walked into the room. Everyone was there. Well, everyone except Kai.
"Good morning, Rei." Mr. Dickenson exclaimed cheerfully. "How did it go?" Rei smiled happily.
"It worked perfectly." He replied, taking a seat at their table. "Thank you very much for the help."
"What worked perfectly?" Takao asked confusedly. He was looking from Rei to Mr. Dickenson and back again. He had a thoroughly confused look on his face. In fact all of the Bladebreakers looked at Rei this way. "What help?"
Rei laughed and waved a hand.
"Oh, nothing." He smiled mischievously. Mr Dickenson winked at Rei and excused himself.
"I believe I have some work to do." His eyes twinkled. "I'll be seeing you four later."
He turned and left Rei alone to face his team's questions. They wanted to know the secret to his happiness.
"Come on, Rei. Spill." Takao pushed, forgetting what happened yesterday when he pushed Rei too far.
Rei continued to smile as he piled his plate with pancakes and began to eat.
"AWW!" Max groaned. The suspense was killing them. "You've got to tell us what you two are talking about."
Rei finished his pancakes and looked at the team. He cracked another grin and winked.
"No I don't." he laughed and walked out of the room. "I'm gonna go for a walk. See you guys later." He called over his shoulder and left them in disappointment.
***
Rei walked for most of the day and checked out all the different Beyblading stores. He had been meaning to get a couple of new defence rings to test out some new moves for their next match.
Just as he was walking out of one of the stores someone ran head first into him, making him crash to the ground. The boy didn't stop, only stumbled, and continued to run.
"You're excused!" Rei called angrily, but never caught sight of the boy who crashed into him. Picking up his bags again he dusted himself off and continued to walk.
He headed to a restaurant and decided to have some lunch before he headed back to the hotel.
Once the waitress had taken his order he pulled out his wallet to make sure he had enough money and noticed a folded envelope fall out of his pocket.
"That wasn't there this morning." He muttered to himself and picked up the envelope.
His name was scribbled on the front. Raising an eyebrow, he opened the envelope to find a letter inside. He took it out and read it.
~Rei,
I'd like to meet you again tonight in the usual place at sunset. I assume you won't be late this time.
~Kai
It was short and simple.
'So that's who ran me over.' Rei grinned to himself. The waitress had returned with his order and he shoved the letter back into his pocket.
***
Rei finished his lunch and hit a couple more stores before heading back to the hotel. He punched the elevator button and waited until the doors opened.
"Rei!" Takao shouted and came running at him.
"Woah, Takao!" Rei grinned as Takao came to a sliding stop in front of him. "What's up?"
"We were just coming to look for you." Takao exclaimed breathlessly. "We're going to do some practicing in our rooms. Do you want to come?"
"Sure!" Rei answered and followed Takao into the elevator.
"So what was Mr. Dickenson talking about this morning?" Takao asked.
"You're still bugging me about that?" Rei laughed. "It's our little secret." He replied, making Takao even more frustrated.
"Why won't you tell us?"
"Then it wouldn't be a secret."
"You're no fun."
"I know."
The elevator doors opened and they walked to their room. The beds had been pushed to the walls and a mini arena had been set up in the center. Max and Kenny were lounging on the beds waiting for Rei and Takao.
"Hey guys!" Max greeted them. "We were waiting for you. Let's get going."
"Who wants to go first?" Kenny asked.
"How about Takao and Max can go first and I'll face the winner." Rei opted.
"Great idea." Takao exclaimed and stood on one side of the dish. Max got ready on the other side.
"Three."
"Two."
"One. Let it RIP!" Takao and Max launched their blades into the dish. This reminded Rei of Kai's comments on their skills. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell them. About his suggestions without letting them know Kai had told him all of them.
"Takao, you should work on your launches." Rei spoke up. "You aren't getting enough speed into them." He instructed. Takao nodded and called on his bit-beast.
"Attack, Dragoon!" when Rei thought about it, Kai's observations were pretty obvious. In the next few minutes Dragoon would run out of steam, and Draciel was doing nothing but defence.
"Max!" Rei called. "Attack him! You can't do anything if you do nothing but defence." Max's eyebrows went wide as he noticed his error and he smiled.
"Thanks, Rei!" he gave Rei a thumbs up and called on his beast.
"Go, Draciel!" both bit-beasts emerged from their blades and collided head on. Since Takao had messed up on the launch his blade was the first to stop moving.
"Aw, man." He groaned. "Thanks, Rei, for pointing out what went wrong with my shot."
"No prob." He smiled. He pulled out his blade and stepped up to the dish.
"Three."
"Two."
"One. Let it RIP!"
'I have to focus on the battle and the battle alone.' Rei chanted to himself. 'The battle is no place for personal issues.'
"Go, Drigger!" he called out and attacked Max head on. He was calm and focused. In a brilliant flash of light Draciel was sent flying back to Max's hand.
"Nice job, Rei." Kenny congratulated him. "I see you've been able to clear your head."
"Nobody will be able to stand in our way!" Takao cheered and pumped his fist into the air. They continued to practice and work on polishing up their moves.
***
When Rei was finally finished with practice the sun was beginning to set. He hurried out of the hotel giving Takao an excuse of a forgotten errand and ran off to meet with Kai. He walked quickly to the building and hurried up the stairs.
"Hey, Kai." He greeted the boy at the window. Kai turned and smiled at Rei half-heartedly. "You wanted to talk?"
"No." Kai replied. "I wanted you to talk. You can't just listen. I want to know some things about you." Rei smiled and sat down on the other side of the window sill.
"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked.
"How about you tell me about your past."
"Ok. On paper I'm an orphan, but I know that I was abandoned when I was little." Rei began. Kai was startled at this. 'How can someone give up him by choice?' he thought, but remained silent.
"I was taken in by Lee's family and we became quick friends. By the time the child care people found an adopted family for me I had settled into my lifestyle so comfortably that Lee's family decided to adopt me, themselves. I don't know exactly what happened, but I heard that my parents had been the ones who wanted me back and were threatening to go to the courts for custody over me, but the expenses were too much for them. Last I heard they were traveling in Europe. That was about five years ago, though." He sighed. He didn't like thinking about his real parents. "Nobody but you knows that I know all this. From what I hear, Lee's parents were close friends with my real mother and father, until they made millions of dollars. They ignored all their friends, believing they were superior to everyone. I think they probably thought about all the cash they'd have to spend on me when they decided to leave me. Then they figured I could make them more money in the long run and came back for me."
"I never knew." Kai whispered apologetically.
"Nobody did." Rei shrugged lightly. It was all behind him and he didn't care for these people anyways. "I bet that they're hitting themselves now, knowing that they could have been parents to a member of the team that wins the Beyblade World Championship." He added lightly.
"What makes you think that you'd beat the Demolition Boys?" Kai asked.
"I don't think, I know, because the Bladebreakers are the best team and we will win against any opponent."
"Are you so sure you'll be able to win against me and Black Dranzer?" Kai hadn't even thought that he might have to face the Bladebreakers in the finals. He knew Black Dranzer could handle all of their beasts, but he didn't want to take Drigger from Rei.
"Yup." Rei replied smiling. "Oh, that reminds me, I have something of yours." He fumbled with his shirt and drew out the bit-beast around his neck. He lifted it from his neck and handed it to Kai.
Kai looked at Rei's hand and turned away.
"Keep it." He exclaimed, his voice emotionless. "Maybe you can keep it safe for me. That way at least one bit-beast can survive against my grandfather. Think of it as something to remember me by."
"Why does your grandfather want the bit-beasts?" Rei asked, returning the bit-beast to its place beneath his shirt.
"I'm not sure really. He probably thinks he can rule the world if he is in possession of all of them, and thinks he can use me to get them." Kai looked up at Rei to find the boy staring deep into his eyes. He could see the question he wanted to ask but couldn't.
"I guess you want to know what happened the other day with the men from the abbey." He sighed. "Please keep what I'm about to tell you a secret from the rest of the Bladebreakers." Rei nodded and he continued.
"I had just finished having a little argument with my grandfather and he came to take me to speak with my grandfather personally. I had already been told that I was going to be punished for... a weakness I had acquired. He wanted to try and beat the weakness out of me. They were dragging me off when you guys came." Rei's eyes were wide with surprise.
"He was going to beat you?" he asked, shocked.
"Yeah, and did. I was bleeding for hours." Kai let his head hang.
"But you looked fine when I saw you later that night." Rei insisted, hoping Kai was lying. "You look fine now." Kai looked up at Rei smiling grimly.
"The wonders of a little make-up." He said and dragged a finger across his face, smudging the painted triangles. He stood up and walked over to the corner where the leaky faucet stuck out of the wall. Putting his hands beneath the water, he splashed his face and scrubbed it clean of the triangles with the sleeve of his jacket.
Rei gasped when he saw Kai's paint-free face. It was littered with cuts and bruises.
"Oh, Kai." Rei whispered. He couldn't say anything else. "Why do you stay there?" he asked after a few moments.
"That's the million dollar question I suppose." Kai shrugged and sat down beside Rei again. "My grandfather knows a deep secret of mine, even though I've tried to hide it from everyone, including myself. How he found out about it, I'll never understand, but he's using it against me." Rei nodded.
"I also don't want you guys to get involved in this. Stay away from the abbey. He won't hesitate to hurt you if you try to help me. If my grandfather finds out that I've been meeting with you, he'll make sure you are hurt. Seriously." Kai's eyes shone with worry.
"If you see him walking your way I want you to promise to walk the other way." He pleaded. "He hates the Bladebreakers and you especially. Please don't try anything. I can get myself out of this."
"I'll do it for you." Rei nodded, wondering if this warning had anything to do with him being forced into blading for the Demolition Boys.
"If I blade for the Demolition Boys then I'll be okay." Rei frowned, doubting what Kai said.
"I don't believe that for a second but I'll do what you say." He sighed in frustration.
"I have to go back to the abbey, now." Kai exclaimed, looking out over the city. "Thanks for meeting me here."
"Anytime." Rei grinned, ignoring the foreboding feeling he was beginning to get in the pit of his stomach. He hugs Kai before he can second guess himself and smiles when he felt Kai wrap his arms around his waist, returning the hug.
"We all miss you, Kai. Especially me." He whispered into Kai's ear. Kai didn't respond and let Rei go. He turned and walked out of the building.
'I wish I could tell you how I feel about you.' Rei thought sadly before following Kai's example and heading back to the hotel.
***
Kai slipped back into the abbey, completely unnoticed by any of the guards. He quickly made his way to his room and closed the door quietly behind him, hoping no one would have noticed his absence. He leaned his back against the door and nearly had a heart attack.
Hiwatari-sama was sitting in a leather chair at the desk, waiting for him. Kai's heart began to race and he prayed that Rei would be ok.
"I've been waiting for you, Kai." He said sharply. "You've ignored me again. I thought I told you to stay away from that boy." His voice was steadily getting angrier. "You never listen, do you? I'll just have to punish you again. How about if we pay Kon a little visit?" he laughed harshly. Kai's eyes widened in horror.
"No!" he cried. "You leave Rei out of this." He commanded. He didn't like the evil glint in his grandfather's eyes.
"Oops." He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Kai's eyes grew wider and his mouth fell open.
"For your insolence, you'll feel my wrath ten times what I've shown you." He snarled as three men stepped out of the shadows and began to assault Kai. Through all of the pain and freely flowing blood, Kai could only think of what they had done to Rei.
"Rei!" Takao yelled shrilly. The Bladebreakers all rushed over to where Takao was standing and saw the boy's body lying a couple hundred feet from the hotel. His clothes were torn and he was covered from head to toe with his own blood.
"Max, get Mr. Dickenson and have the front desk call the hospital." Kenny ordered while Takao kneeled beside Rei's body to check for a pulse. Max nodded and sprinted back to the hotel.
"He's still alive." Takao said solemnly. "Nothing seems to be broken, though."
"What happened to him?" Kenny asked in bewilderment. Rei's eyes began to flutter open and he groaned before coughing up a bit of blood. His eyes remained at half-mast and he groaned again.
"He knows about our visits." He whispered hoarsely before passing out again.
Finis
That's it for chapter three. That's what Rei gets for wanting to know the truth.
Coming up next:
Chapter Four: Sweet Revenge
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