I'm not entirely sure about Russia or Japan, so I'm putting the age that
you can live without a guardian as 18. That's what it is here in Canada.
Another Word for Strength
Chapter 7: Mr. and Mrs. Kon
When morning came, the Bladebreakers were woken up suddenly by Mr. Dickenson. He tore back the blinds and shook each of them awake, purposely avoiding Takao.
"Come on, sleepy heads." He called cheerfully, standing at the foot of their beds. "I have some more good news!" he waited for the three of them to wake up. He'd let them deal with waking Takao up later.
"What is it, Mr. Dickenson?" Rei asked, being the first one to be fully awake.
"I need to talk with you outside first." Mr. Dickenson winked and led the tired boy outside.
"What is it?" Rei asked when the door was shut behind him. Mr. Dickenson seemed to be practically beaming at the news he held.
"I have just been informed that your parents will be arriving for the finals." He said. "Not your surrogate parents, but your birth parents. They are going to come to see your final match and take you home with them." Mr. Dickenson exclaimed. Rei stood still. He was in shock.
Mr. Dickenson didn't give Rei a chance to sort things out before he was pushed back into the hotel room and the others were told. While they whooped and cheered like Mr. Dickenson expected him to do, Rei just stood there with his mouth open. He didn't want his parents to come. He didn't want anything to do with them in fact, but he didn't want to dampen the mood so he remained quiet.
He remembered when he had told Kai about his parents, that they were only after money, so he assumed that's what they were coming for. They would stake a claim to some of his winnings just until they had enough and then send him back into the streets with no way to get back to his friends. He shuddered. He didn't like what his future looked like so he tried to direct his thoughts back to the hotel room.
"When are they going to get here?" he asked Mr. Dickenson.
"I believe I was told they would be arriving just before your match."
"This is great!" Takao cried. While Rei and Mr. Dickenson were in the halls talking the others set about the task of waking Takao up for this news. "You get to celebrate our win with your whole family! And then you get to go back to a home. It's like a fairy tale." If Takao had known what Rei had told Kai, he wouldn't have thought Rei's ending was much of a fairy tale after all. Rei shrugged Takao's praise off and changed the subject.
"We still have to win the final round first." He stated. No one noticed his attitude towards the news of his parents. "We have to do a lot of training or else we'll lose."
"That's right, boys." Mr. Dickenson piped up. "Whoever you'll end up facing will be very tough to have made it so far. I suggest you start thinking of practicing sometime today.
"Let's get ready, go downstairs for breakfast and head out to that dish we were at yesterday." Max offered. Everyone agreed and Mr. Dickenson left in order for them to get ready. They had a lot of practicing to do that day.
***
Although the pressure of the finals was pressing on his brain, Rei couldn't shake out of the funk he had been put into by the news of his parents' intentions. He hadn't felt much like blading but practiced with his team mates anyways, even though his heart and soul were elsewhere. They had bladed for a few hours, perfecting their aim, speed and agility and when Takao noticed it was nearly 5:00 pm they all parted ways each having their own thing to do. Max wanted to show Takao some things he had seen the day before in a shop window, and Kenny claimed he had wanted to check out the stadium to get an idea of a few dish types they might be facing. Rei had absolutely nothing to do so he found himself wandering back to the hotel alone.
And that's the way he wanted it. He didn't want to deal with anyone and certainly wanted to avoid any possible mention of his parents' visit.
He wandered into the hotel room and sat down at the computer. He signed on and began to search for some form of solitaire that would draw his attention from his own self-pity. He unknowingly found himself in the chat room where he and Kai met the past couple of times and stumbled on Koishiteru, Neko-jin. Apparently Kai had nothing better to do than surf the net.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: Hey Rei.
Neko-jin: I'm sorry Kai, but I'm not really in the mood to talk with you right now.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: what's wrong?
Neko-jin: nothing's wrong. I just don't want to talk.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: but you always liked to talk with me.
Neko-jin: look, I don't feel like talking so just drop it. Rei was getting annoyed. 'Can't Kai just mind his own business for once?' He thought to himself.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: Why won't you talk to me Rei? You should know by now that you can talk to me.
Neko-jin: Just go away! I said I don't want to talk about it. Rei blocked Kai's messages from then on and renewed his search for games.
Not twenty minutes later Rei heard a knock at the door. By then he had already given up on the computer, slammed his fist into the wall (not breaking through it, but knowing his hand would hurt like hell the next day) and was lying on his bed, his head devoid of any thoughts. Takao and the others had returned to ask if he had wanted to go out for food and to check out this boy's built-in beystadium, but they had found him curled up, asleep. So they had left him a note and walked back out.
He pulled himself up off of the bed and walked to the door. He assumed it was Takao and Max who frequently left their key behind. He unlatched the door and opened it, revealing the one person he least expected.
Kai.
At once he knew that Kai was there to find out why he had been blocked and tried to slam the door shut. Kai, however, had anticipated this and shot his foot in the way before the door could close properly. Rei panicked at this and tried to push his weight against the door to force Kai out. But Kai was much stronger and he leaned into the door, forcing it open. Rei stumbled back.
"Rei, what the hell is going on?!" he yelled, closing the door behind him. Rei withered under his stare until an idea came to him. He bolted towards the bathroom, Kai right behind him, and tried his best again to keep Kai from getting through the door.
Kai pushed that door open, too, and while kicking it closed with his foot he slammed Rei up against the wall.
"What the fuck is going on?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low. Rei struggled against Kai's grip but said nothing. Kai had Rei's hands pinned next to his head and was leaning his body in very close. Had Rei not been trying to avoid looking at him, he would have been more than aroused at the nearness of Kai's body. Kai pressed Rei harder into the wall at his lack of response and asked again.
"Tell me what the hell is wrong." Rei avoided his eyes and turned his head away from Kai.
"Nothing." He whispered, knowing full well Kai wasn't going to accept that as an answer.
"You have never run from me." Kai stated. "Ever. Now tell me what you're hiding." He pushed Rei against the wall even tighter and Rei winced as his wrists began to hurt from Kai's grip. He looked into Kai's eyes, but said nothing.
Even though they didn't notice it, their bodies began to notice their proximity and they both began to feel the heat emanating from the other. Kai stepped closer so that his body was pressed against Rei's and he vaguely noticed that his breathing had become husky and shallow. He leaned in, closed his eyes and felt his lips touch Rei's burning skin.
"Please tell me." He whispered, his lips moving against Rei's earlobe. He kept his eyes closed as he leaned back and felt Rei struggle again. He sighed and gave up. There was no use trying to coax it out of him, he was too stubborn. He let go of Rei's wrists and was stunned when he felt Rei launch himself into Kai's arms.
He tore his eyes open and looked down at the mess of black hair that was fixed to his shoulder. Rei's arms were locked around Kai's neck and he was as close to Rei as they could get with clothes on. He grinned at being able to break the boy and closed his eyes, absentmindedly stroking Rei's back.
His other hand found its way to the base of Rei's head, just where his wrap began, and it began unravelling the boy's long silky hair. Once they were free of their prison, Kai moved his hand through his hair, holding him close to him. That was when he noticed that Rei was shaking.
"What is it?" he asked harshly. Even thought his body might be comforting Rei, his voice was far from soothing. He felt Rei lift his head ever so slightly and whisper his reply into his ear.
"My parent's are coming to take me back." He said, his voice about to break. Kai remembered exactly what he had been told about Mr. and Mrs. Kon and he thought they were the foulest people on the earth... second to his grandfather, of course.
"You aren't seriously thinking about going with them are you?" he asked, pulling Rei back so he could look into his eyes.
"Iie." Rei answered.
"So then what's upsetting you?" he asked, knowing the arrival couldn't be the root of his problem.
"I'm afraid that they'll make a fuss over it and take it to courts. I'm not 18 yet so they can still get custody." He voice barely above a whisper.
"You don't want attention drawn to you." Kai understood.
"Right." Rei nodded. "The others will make a lot of commotion over my decision because they don't know what the whole thing is about. They don't know what you know." Rei bowed his head. Kai lowered his eyes too. They needed to sit down, and a bathroom was no place to talk about things like this. He took Rei's hand and led him to the bedroom. Rei lay down, face up, on his bed and Kai sat on the edge of what was supposed to be his. He looked at Rei who had brought his hands to twine together and rest on his chest. He looked every bit the part of a psychiatrist's patient.
"They'd want to know why you refuse to go with them. Whether you like it or not, they're going to find out, unless you go with your parents." Rei sighed deeply, acknowledging Kai's words.
"Then maybe that would be better." He said solemnly. Kai's eyes widened.
"What?! You can't sacrifice your happiness to keep your secrets hidden." He exclaimed. Rei rolled over and looked into Kai's face. His expression was dull and lifeless. It made Kai shudder.
"Well, I'd only be following your example." Rei retorted. His reply stung a bit and Kai involuntarily flinched. He knew Rei was right, but this was the way he had been taught. He stayed quiet for a few moments, in silent contemplation.
"Why am I the only one who knows about your parents?" he asked after a few minutes. Rei blinked in mild surprise.
"Because you asked." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"No, I didn't." Kai shook his head, remembering clearly their conversation that night. "I asked about your past. Are you telling me that if the Bladebreakers asked you, you'd tell them what you told me?"
"No." Rei didn't even hesitate in his answer. Kai cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Then what makes me so special?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. Rei rolled his eyes.
"You mean other than the obvious?"
"Yeah."
"You're... you can keep a secret." Rei answered.
"Takao wouldn't just blab this to anyone, and the others are just as, if not, more trustworthy than him." Kai retorted, wanting to find the real reason for Rei's trust in him.
"I know, I know." He replied and rolled over onto his other side.
"So, then, what's the real reason?" he prodded. He heard Rei sigh again.
"I guess it's just that I feel that I can tell you things. That you're easier to talk to." Rei was glad his back was to Kai and he couldn't see the blush creeping up his cheeks.
"Me?" Kai was astonished. He hadn't thought he'd ever be described as 'easy to talk to'.
"Hai." Rei nodded. When his blush was controlled he rolled back over to face Kai and sat up. "Underneath it all you aren't as cold as others think. I would trust you with my life." He said fiercely and his gaze burned deep into Kai's.
"You already have." Kai said and lowered his head. Rei smiled and stood from his bed.
"Yup, and I'm still here." He sat beside Kai and hugged him again. Kai smiled at his friend's attempt to shift his guilt. He almost laughed when he realised it had worked. He wrapped his arms around Rei and whispered his thanks.
"I came here to help you and you end up helping me." He found that thought amusing.
"Yeah." Rei grinned, too. "Funny how those things work out."
"So where's everyone else?" Kai asked, finally noticing the empty apartment. Rei shrugged and picked up the note he had found. He gave it to Kai for inspection. It read:
~Out. Won't be back till noon.~
Neither of them could decipher Takao's meaning so they ignored it.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" Rei asked, standing from the bed. Kai shrugged and followed. He smiled watching Rei's hair flow in silky waves over his shoulders and almost reach the floor. They crashed on the couch and Kai channel surfed until he felt a light weight on his shoulder. He turned slightly and noticed that Rei had fallen fast asleep and was leaning on his shoulder. He smiled to himself and brushed a strand of hair out of Rei's face before placing a small kiss on top of his forehead.
"Oyasuminasai, Kai no koneko." He whispered.
~Finis
And the crowd goes "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" lol
Ok... two more chapters to go and then the story says buh baiz.
Chapter 8: Cassette By the way, I'm gonna put a few meanings at the bottom of this chappie so those who don't know Japanese can understand some stuff.
Oyasuminasai= Good night
Kai no= belongs to Kai
Koneko= Kitten
Iie= No
Hai= Yes
Hn (In Kai's silly little language)=Yes (in most cases)
Aa (If I ever use it)= Yes
Kuso= Shit
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.
Another Word for Strength
Chapter 7: Mr. and Mrs. Kon
When morning came, the Bladebreakers were woken up suddenly by Mr. Dickenson. He tore back the blinds and shook each of them awake, purposely avoiding Takao.
"Come on, sleepy heads." He called cheerfully, standing at the foot of their beds. "I have some more good news!" he waited for the three of them to wake up. He'd let them deal with waking Takao up later.
"What is it, Mr. Dickenson?" Rei asked, being the first one to be fully awake.
"I need to talk with you outside first." Mr. Dickenson winked and led the tired boy outside.
"What is it?" Rei asked when the door was shut behind him. Mr. Dickenson seemed to be practically beaming at the news he held.
"I have just been informed that your parents will be arriving for the finals." He said. "Not your surrogate parents, but your birth parents. They are going to come to see your final match and take you home with them." Mr. Dickenson exclaimed. Rei stood still. He was in shock.
Mr. Dickenson didn't give Rei a chance to sort things out before he was pushed back into the hotel room and the others were told. While they whooped and cheered like Mr. Dickenson expected him to do, Rei just stood there with his mouth open. He didn't want his parents to come. He didn't want anything to do with them in fact, but he didn't want to dampen the mood so he remained quiet.
He remembered when he had told Kai about his parents, that they were only after money, so he assumed that's what they were coming for. They would stake a claim to some of his winnings just until they had enough and then send him back into the streets with no way to get back to his friends. He shuddered. He didn't like what his future looked like so he tried to direct his thoughts back to the hotel room.
"When are they going to get here?" he asked Mr. Dickenson.
"I believe I was told they would be arriving just before your match."
"This is great!" Takao cried. While Rei and Mr. Dickenson were in the halls talking the others set about the task of waking Takao up for this news. "You get to celebrate our win with your whole family! And then you get to go back to a home. It's like a fairy tale." If Takao had known what Rei had told Kai, he wouldn't have thought Rei's ending was much of a fairy tale after all. Rei shrugged Takao's praise off and changed the subject.
"We still have to win the final round first." He stated. No one noticed his attitude towards the news of his parents. "We have to do a lot of training or else we'll lose."
"That's right, boys." Mr. Dickenson piped up. "Whoever you'll end up facing will be very tough to have made it so far. I suggest you start thinking of practicing sometime today.
"Let's get ready, go downstairs for breakfast and head out to that dish we were at yesterday." Max offered. Everyone agreed and Mr. Dickenson left in order for them to get ready. They had a lot of practicing to do that day.
***
Although the pressure of the finals was pressing on his brain, Rei couldn't shake out of the funk he had been put into by the news of his parents' intentions. He hadn't felt much like blading but practiced with his team mates anyways, even though his heart and soul were elsewhere. They had bladed for a few hours, perfecting their aim, speed and agility and when Takao noticed it was nearly 5:00 pm they all parted ways each having their own thing to do. Max wanted to show Takao some things he had seen the day before in a shop window, and Kenny claimed he had wanted to check out the stadium to get an idea of a few dish types they might be facing. Rei had absolutely nothing to do so he found himself wandering back to the hotel alone.
And that's the way he wanted it. He didn't want to deal with anyone and certainly wanted to avoid any possible mention of his parents' visit.
He wandered into the hotel room and sat down at the computer. He signed on and began to search for some form of solitaire that would draw his attention from his own self-pity. He unknowingly found himself in the chat room where he and Kai met the past couple of times and stumbled on Koishiteru, Neko-jin. Apparently Kai had nothing better to do than surf the net.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: Hey Rei.
Neko-jin: I'm sorry Kai, but I'm not really in the mood to talk with you right now.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: what's wrong?
Neko-jin: nothing's wrong. I just don't want to talk.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: but you always liked to talk with me.
Neko-jin: look, I don't feel like talking so just drop it. Rei was getting annoyed. 'Can't Kai just mind his own business for once?' He thought to himself.
Koishiteru, Neko-jin: Why won't you talk to me Rei? You should know by now that you can talk to me.
Neko-jin: Just go away! I said I don't want to talk about it. Rei blocked Kai's messages from then on and renewed his search for games.
Not twenty minutes later Rei heard a knock at the door. By then he had already given up on the computer, slammed his fist into the wall (not breaking through it, but knowing his hand would hurt like hell the next day) and was lying on his bed, his head devoid of any thoughts. Takao and the others had returned to ask if he had wanted to go out for food and to check out this boy's built-in beystadium, but they had found him curled up, asleep. So they had left him a note and walked back out.
He pulled himself up off of the bed and walked to the door. He assumed it was Takao and Max who frequently left their key behind. He unlatched the door and opened it, revealing the one person he least expected.
Kai.
At once he knew that Kai was there to find out why he had been blocked and tried to slam the door shut. Kai, however, had anticipated this and shot his foot in the way before the door could close properly. Rei panicked at this and tried to push his weight against the door to force Kai out. But Kai was much stronger and he leaned into the door, forcing it open. Rei stumbled back.
"Rei, what the hell is going on?!" he yelled, closing the door behind him. Rei withered under his stare until an idea came to him. He bolted towards the bathroom, Kai right behind him, and tried his best again to keep Kai from getting through the door.
Kai pushed that door open, too, and while kicking it closed with his foot he slammed Rei up against the wall.
"What the fuck is going on?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low. Rei struggled against Kai's grip but said nothing. Kai had Rei's hands pinned next to his head and was leaning his body in very close. Had Rei not been trying to avoid looking at him, he would have been more than aroused at the nearness of Kai's body. Kai pressed Rei harder into the wall at his lack of response and asked again.
"Tell me what the hell is wrong." Rei avoided his eyes and turned his head away from Kai.
"Nothing." He whispered, knowing full well Kai wasn't going to accept that as an answer.
"You have never run from me." Kai stated. "Ever. Now tell me what you're hiding." He pushed Rei against the wall even tighter and Rei winced as his wrists began to hurt from Kai's grip. He looked into Kai's eyes, but said nothing.
Even though they didn't notice it, their bodies began to notice their proximity and they both began to feel the heat emanating from the other. Kai stepped closer so that his body was pressed against Rei's and he vaguely noticed that his breathing had become husky and shallow. He leaned in, closed his eyes and felt his lips touch Rei's burning skin.
"Please tell me." He whispered, his lips moving against Rei's earlobe. He kept his eyes closed as he leaned back and felt Rei struggle again. He sighed and gave up. There was no use trying to coax it out of him, he was too stubborn. He let go of Rei's wrists and was stunned when he felt Rei launch himself into Kai's arms.
He tore his eyes open and looked down at the mess of black hair that was fixed to his shoulder. Rei's arms were locked around Kai's neck and he was as close to Rei as they could get with clothes on. He grinned at being able to break the boy and closed his eyes, absentmindedly stroking Rei's back.
His other hand found its way to the base of Rei's head, just where his wrap began, and it began unravelling the boy's long silky hair. Once they were free of their prison, Kai moved his hand through his hair, holding him close to him. That was when he noticed that Rei was shaking.
"What is it?" he asked harshly. Even thought his body might be comforting Rei, his voice was far from soothing. He felt Rei lift his head ever so slightly and whisper his reply into his ear.
"My parent's are coming to take me back." He said, his voice about to break. Kai remembered exactly what he had been told about Mr. and Mrs. Kon and he thought they were the foulest people on the earth... second to his grandfather, of course.
"You aren't seriously thinking about going with them are you?" he asked, pulling Rei back so he could look into his eyes.
"Iie." Rei answered.
"So then what's upsetting you?" he asked, knowing the arrival couldn't be the root of his problem.
"I'm afraid that they'll make a fuss over it and take it to courts. I'm not 18 yet so they can still get custody." He voice barely above a whisper.
"You don't want attention drawn to you." Kai understood.
"Right." Rei nodded. "The others will make a lot of commotion over my decision because they don't know what the whole thing is about. They don't know what you know." Rei bowed his head. Kai lowered his eyes too. They needed to sit down, and a bathroom was no place to talk about things like this. He took Rei's hand and led him to the bedroom. Rei lay down, face up, on his bed and Kai sat on the edge of what was supposed to be his. He looked at Rei who had brought his hands to twine together and rest on his chest. He looked every bit the part of a psychiatrist's patient.
"They'd want to know why you refuse to go with them. Whether you like it or not, they're going to find out, unless you go with your parents." Rei sighed deeply, acknowledging Kai's words.
"Then maybe that would be better." He said solemnly. Kai's eyes widened.
"What?! You can't sacrifice your happiness to keep your secrets hidden." He exclaimed. Rei rolled over and looked into Kai's face. His expression was dull and lifeless. It made Kai shudder.
"Well, I'd only be following your example." Rei retorted. His reply stung a bit and Kai involuntarily flinched. He knew Rei was right, but this was the way he had been taught. He stayed quiet for a few moments, in silent contemplation.
"Why am I the only one who knows about your parents?" he asked after a few minutes. Rei blinked in mild surprise.
"Because you asked." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"No, I didn't." Kai shook his head, remembering clearly their conversation that night. "I asked about your past. Are you telling me that if the Bladebreakers asked you, you'd tell them what you told me?"
"No." Rei didn't even hesitate in his answer. Kai cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Then what makes me so special?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. Rei rolled his eyes.
"You mean other than the obvious?"
"Yeah."
"You're... you can keep a secret." Rei answered.
"Takao wouldn't just blab this to anyone, and the others are just as, if not, more trustworthy than him." Kai retorted, wanting to find the real reason for Rei's trust in him.
"I know, I know." He replied and rolled over onto his other side.
"So, then, what's the real reason?" he prodded. He heard Rei sigh again.
"I guess it's just that I feel that I can tell you things. That you're easier to talk to." Rei was glad his back was to Kai and he couldn't see the blush creeping up his cheeks.
"Me?" Kai was astonished. He hadn't thought he'd ever be described as 'easy to talk to'.
"Hai." Rei nodded. When his blush was controlled he rolled back over to face Kai and sat up. "Underneath it all you aren't as cold as others think. I would trust you with my life." He said fiercely and his gaze burned deep into Kai's.
"You already have." Kai said and lowered his head. Rei smiled and stood from his bed.
"Yup, and I'm still here." He sat beside Kai and hugged him again. Kai smiled at his friend's attempt to shift his guilt. He almost laughed when he realised it had worked. He wrapped his arms around Rei and whispered his thanks.
"I came here to help you and you end up helping me." He found that thought amusing.
"Yeah." Rei grinned, too. "Funny how those things work out."
"So where's everyone else?" Kai asked, finally noticing the empty apartment. Rei shrugged and picked up the note he had found. He gave it to Kai for inspection. It read:
~Out. Won't be back till noon.~
Neither of them could decipher Takao's meaning so they ignored it.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" Rei asked, standing from the bed. Kai shrugged and followed. He smiled watching Rei's hair flow in silky waves over his shoulders and almost reach the floor. They crashed on the couch and Kai channel surfed until he felt a light weight on his shoulder. He turned slightly and noticed that Rei had fallen fast asleep and was leaning on his shoulder. He smiled to himself and brushed a strand of hair out of Rei's face before placing a small kiss on top of his forehead.
"Oyasuminasai, Kai no koneko." He whispered.
~Finis
And the crowd goes "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" lol
Ok... two more chapters to go and then the story says buh baiz.
Chapter 8: Cassette By the way, I'm gonna put a few meanings at the bottom of this chappie so those who don't know Japanese can understand some stuff.
Oyasuminasai= Good night
Kai no= belongs to Kai
Koneko= Kitten
Iie= No
Hai= Yes
Hn (In Kai's silly little language)=Yes (in most cases)
Aa (If I ever use it)= Yes
Kuso= Shit
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.