(A/N: WOOT!Over 50 reviews! ^O^ My empire is slowly rebuilding to its former glory!
Tanoshi: *smashes AB over the head with the Frying Pan of Reason* X3
AB: @@ Ok, ok...I'll stop being so ego-istic. Thankies for all the loverly reviews! ^O^
Rei: --;; She's happy, no?
Kai: @@ Too...much...happy...x_X
Rei: Oo;;;; Kai? *pokes Kai with a stick*
Kai: X_x
Tanoshi: Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight....*exits fic*
Rei: Glad he left. He scares me....;;
Kai: All vampires scare you....9_9
AB: ENOUGH! To the reviewer thanks! This is pure insanity!
Rei: Sounds accurate. You're writing it. -_-
AB: -- Neeeeeeee wayz, Lady Zephyros: I'm evil, that's how I could end it there. =D Kurohime, you get a cookie. ^^ Burn...yes...excellent...=) Mayb I won't write the next chappie...*decides she'd better* Hmm...Bleeding Soul: Ebiiiiiiiiilness. =) MWHA! And yes, that cliffy was ebil in the most ebil of ways. -_- Sowwie. Kawaii Kai: Somebody actually picked up on that phrase?! Oo Wow....oO Amazing....;; I didn't think any body would realize it was there...^^ I'd like to kill Mao, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be in the agenda...yet. =) Celina: *looks at the three insanley long reviews, all in a row* O_____o;;;; You scare me, Cel. And yes, you DO review too much...at least it's not 18 times in a row tho. -_- *sigh* Somebody did that with my other story. X3 XD lmao! XD Rei thinks Kai's sexy when he's 'manly'! MWHA! o^^o That's great!
Rei: #--# (- Blushing ^^)
Kai: #Oo#
AB: X) And, Rei's not imbred! Oh wait, yes, yes he is...
Rei: ;_;
Kai: What? You WANT a tail? *pauses to entertain that thought* =) That could b amusing...
Rei: XP Leave me and my catt-ish-ness alone!
AB: -- Back to the reviewer thanks....Celina: O______O Give me back my muse! I can't write this without him!
Rei: Actually, you probably could....
Kai: SHUSH! Don't tell HER that!
AB: Eee! X) Kai wants to b a psychiatrist so he can rape Rei!
Rei: But then it wouldn't b rape. ;_;
Kai: ;_; That's no fun.
AB: Oo;;; Poor, poor fire....*pets and gets burnt* O. Owwies...And no, I won't update with a 300 lb Gary on me....
Rei: That just sounds wrong...XP
Kai: 9_9 Baka hentai....
Rei: That's it! No sex for you!
Kai: O____________O NOT THE SEX!
AB: -- Erm...what's "snogging" ne wayz? Hicksville isn't up to date on their terms. -- NOT THE RANDOM PEASANTS! O.O
Random Peasants: O__________O MEEP! *hide*
AB: I can see myself wrapping this up in a couple of chappies. --
Rei: She has the end in mind. --
Kai: HURRAH! We'll be out of this hell-hole!
Rei: -- Not likely.
Kai: -- Damnshitfuck.
Rei: You've been here too long.
AB: ^^;;;; Mystik-chan: Yes, vacations abound...In hopes of completing this. -- Momo Adachi: Oo Stolen? What's stolen? *looks about, then hides all the random anime bishies* Nothin' stolen in here. ^^;;;
Rei: Suuuuuuuuuuuuuure...9_9
AB: 70? 100? O___o
Rei: *cough*Onlyacouplechappiesleft*cough*.
Kai: Speak slower, baka! *smacks Rei*
Rei: OW! You don't appreciate me! ;_; *runs out*
Kai: O.o;;;;
AB: *sigh* Asaka! So, Linity isn't related to Rei. She's related to Emily instead.
Rei: =) Nobody's related to meeeee!
Kai: O___o How does THAT work?
Rei: I don't know....
Kai: -__-
AB: Waterandice: What does 'extrapilate' mean? O__o Glad u like the fic! ^^ Erm, not sure exactly which words I used in the fic, but here are a couple of the common ones:
Koi (short form of 'koibito')~ Lover
Aishiteru~ "I love you"
Any others I've missed, you can check out my glossary at: If you can't find the word there, just ask! ^^ And it is Japanese. ^^ Jenny-fer: Wheee hee! Glad u like the fic! ;_; Ur not gonna like this chappie tho....I'm mean to Tala....tho the freak deserves it in my opnion...
Tala: *glares*
Kai: *pokes Tala with a stick*
Tala: Oo;;;
Rei: Kai, stop poking Tala with your stick! You're supposed to do that to ME!
Kai: --;;; Baka hentai.
AB: Dun worry, Kai doesn't die! ^^ Auri: Erm....hope you aren't too fond of many of the Beyblade characters....^^;;; I have a habit of killing people off. O_o;;; And Tala isn't free for long....Don't cry! And now, a WARNING: This chapter does contain YURI/SHOUJO-AI and MULTIPLE CHARACTER DEATHS, so be prepared. Don't wanna read that kinda of stuff, git out while you can! Yaoi is still abound, so this applies to that as well.
Finally, I'd like to thank all my readers and all my reviewers. ^^ You've been a great inspiration and I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. This IS the LAST chapter, then end, the grand finale. There will be NO more. Thusly, I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Any questions can be e-mailed to me at: miss_l_a_666@hotmail.com OR lemonlime_angeblood@hotmail.com Please feel free to drop me a line, either through e-mail or the review. Enjoy the story. ^^
On with the fic....)
End of the Affair: Part 13- Decamated Ranks
~*
Micheal stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking about the busy streets. He took off his cap, rubbing his forearms across his sweaty brow. "Fuck, it's hot."

Emily frowned, but said nothing. Micheal spoke the truth- it WAS hot. But that went without saying. Despite the heat, the market was packed. Micheal watched as people hurried by, on their way to the next shop. He glanced out over the crowd and frowned. "Not a strand of green hair in sight..." he muttered.

Emily frowned and turned away. "Judy won't be pleased."

Micheal nodded in agreement. "Maybe she's found him."

Emily looked up at him. "Not likely. Judy thought he would be in the market. It's the most crowded place and easy to get lost in the masses."

Micheal shrugged. "But still..."

"Go back if you want. I'm staying here."

Micheal turned around abrubtly. "Have it your way."

Emily walked briskly away from him. A few moments later, she disappeared in the crowd, leaving Micheal on his own.

~*
Mariah wring her hands, staring down at the teacup. "I just can't believe..."

Kevin remained silent. Gary, too, looking unusually cast down. Oliver sat with them, along with Enrique. They were sitting in the hotel's restaurant, awaiting the police inquiries to begin. Right now, the officers had the entirity of upper floors closed off, looking for anything to inform them as to what happened. For the moment, it was believed Li had committed suicide.

Mariah looked at her tea. "He wouldn't do that, would he?"

Oliver bit his lip, then said slowly, "I don't know."

He looked over at Enrique, who was avoiding eye contact. The blonde drew on his cigarette heavily, gazing out at the bright Costa Riccan day. "Dunno," he murmured non-chalantly, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Oliver coughed discreetly, shooting his boyfriend a glare. Enrique shrugged and tapped the end of the smoke on the ash tray, idly watching the ashes fall. Mariah looked at him oddly, looking a little pale. "From what I've heard, Italians are pretty apt to being hitmen-"

Enrique stood up, slamming his hands down angrily on the table. "Don't you go fucking catergorizing me based on what you've heard, you motherfucking bitch!"

Mariah sat back, eyes wide with shock. Kevin growled angrily, starting to get up. Mariah recovered before he could attack, and pushed the shorter boy back down, glaring at Enrique. "Say that again, wop."

"I will, you stupid chink!Fuck you!"

He threw the smoking remians of his cigarette into the ash tray with a violent jerk of his arm, then stormed away, shoving people out of his way. Mariah snarled after him. "What's his problem?" Kevin muttered, folding his arms and following Mariah's gaze.

Oliver looked after his boyfriend, pursing his lips in thought. "Enrique-kun..."

~*
Emily wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. Maybe Micheal had been right to go back and get out of the sun...

She glanced around her and noticed that everything was unusually quiet- not a soul in sight. She glanced skywards and realized why. "Ciesta...of course....stupid me..."

Looking around anxiously, she sought out a place she could get out from under the glare of the sun. She settled on one of the large brick buildings nearby- perhaps a newer hotel. Maybe they would have a restaurant and she could get something to eat as well. She scurried off in the direction of the building, shading her eyes with her arm.

She entered the building, only to find that the heat was just as bad, if not worse. Several surly men were standing in the lounge. They turned and frowned at her. "Ma'am, this area is off limits to civilians."

Emily frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You can't come in here."

She growled angrily. "Who are you to be telling me not to go somewhere?! I demand to be allowed in!"

"Ma'am, this is a police investigation site. We can't let you in."

Emily gritted her teeth. "You will let me in, or you'll hear from my lawyer, police investigation or no."

"Ma'am, we can't-"

"Do you even know who I am?!"

"Ma'am, it doesn't matter who you are-"

"I work for the American government," she said quickly, pulling out her ID card.

The men looked at each other. "I didn't know the American government was sending anybody down here..."

"Well, we are."

The police looked at each other, then shrugged. "I guess..."

They parted, creating a path for her and she walked haughtily between them and walked into the lounge.

She paused, looking around at a sea of surly faces. The room was smoke infested and sullen eyes glared at her. She swallowed nervousl and sat down at an empty booth near the door. She waited for several moments to be served, but no waiter came. "Wonderful service here," she muttered, getting up and grabbing her purse.

She stormed into the ladies' room, throwing back the door angrily. She walked in slightly calmer, listening to the clacking of her heels against the floor. She set her purse down on the counter, angrily pulling out her make-up kit. "Horrible service out there," she said to the girl standing beside her.

Whoever it was didn't reply and Emily looked sideways at the girl. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of pink and whirled, utterly surprised. "Mariah?"

The pink-haired girl looked up at her, eyes wet with tears,cheeks stained pitifully. "Emily?" she asked quietly, wiping her eyes with her forearm.

Emily looked at the slouched girl worriedly, hesitantly placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

Mariah shook her head,shutting her eyes tight against a new floodtide of tears. "Li's dead..."

Emily looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"And that bastard Enrique killed him."

Emily looked back at the girl, eyes wide with shock. "What?!"

Mariah choked back a sob. "He did it, I know he did. I could see it in his eyes...But why?"

She turned to Emily, tears starting to overflow her eyes. "Why?"

Emily searched for words for a moment, then realized she didn't know the answer. "I-I don't know..."

Mariah turned away, starting to cry afresh. "Why would he do such a thing? Why Li? Why did he do it?"

Emily's heart went out to the girl. She'd had enough of this- first Rei, and now Li, disappearing out of her life. Feeling compelled to do so by her empathy, she leaned in and kissed Mariah on the lips, gently. Mariah looked at her, startled when she pulled away.

"I'm here for you," the red-head said simply, and Mariah smiled a little, feeling a little safer and a little empowered.

"Thanks," she whispered.

~*
Enrique wandered down mainstreet, ignoring the growing hub-bub as people emerged from their houses, refreshed from their noon-time ciesta. His shoes scuffed the dusty street.

"Enrique!"

"Hmm?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, watching Oliver fight his way through the crowd. Enrique stopped and frowned, merely watching the other boy, slightly amused. Oliver struggled up to him. "Why did you do that?! She knows you did it! She knows!"
He grabbed Enrique by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "She's gonna rat you out to the cops!"

Enrique shrugged. "That can be easily fixed..."

He lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing the gleaming black pistol at his side. "Enrique!" Oliver hissed, glancing around to make sure nobody had seen the weapon.

"People could see!"

Enrique shrugged again.

"Then they'd call the cops-"

"And I'd be jailed, I know. Isn't that what you want? To stop me from killing more people?"

Oliver bit his lip hard, then cried out, "NO! That's not what I want at all!"

Enrique pulled away from the shorter boy and started to walk away.

"Enrique!"

"What now Oliver?"

The blonde turned irately back to the green-haired boy, who looked at him, dumbfounded. "I didn't say anything."

"Enrique!"

Both boys looked to the left. Robert frowned at them, arms crossed. Johnny was standing slightly behind the purple-haired boy, eyes narrowed.

"Huh? Robert? Johnny? what are you guys doing here?"

"I've got a job for you, Enrique-"

"He's not taking any more jobs!" Oliver said, stomping his foot on the ground for emphasis.

"Oliver-koi, shut up."

"Enrique, you're in enough trouble already!"

"I want you kill Hiwatari Kai."

Enrique looked at Robert, confused. "Kai? What did he do?"

"Doesn't matter. I want him dead."

"He's not taking any more jobs!"

"I told you to shut up!"

Oliver fell silent, looking hurt by Enrique's sudden aggression. The blonde turned back to Robert. "How much?"

"As much as you want, Enrique."

Enrique paused to ponder. "He's not taking any more jobs."

"I thought-"

Enrique stared wide-eyed at the owner of the voice, who was not Oliver.

In fact, the green-haired boy was being held at bay by a giantic person- Gary to be exact. Mariah had her gun trained on Enrique, ready to fire at any second. Enrique's eyes got wide. "What the hell-"

"Enrique! Run!" Oliver screamed, before Kevin, who'd been standing nearby all along, kneed him in the stomach. Oliver flopped over in pain.

"Oliver!" Enrique dashed forward, heedless of anything but Oliver's pain. "Stand still!" Mariah screamed, firing.

Hundreds of on-lookers turned at the sound of a gunshot, either screaming in terror and fleeing, or staring slack-jawed at the frightened girl, who held her gun tightly, teeth clenched, eyes wide, panting with fear. Enrique lay prone a few feet away, dead on impact.

"Enrique, no!"

In his panicked desperation, Oliver was somehow able to break free of Gary's grip. He ran to the body of his love, tears running freely down his face. "Enrique-kun, speak to me! Don't die, please! Enrique- don't be dead. Enrique!"

The green-haired boy crumpled pathetically against the bloody corpse, sobbing helplessly whil all anyone else could do was stare. Still sobbing, Oliver grabbed the pistol that was strapped at his dead lover's side. He made sure it was loaded, then gingerly placed the barrel inside his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Within seconds of the second gunshot, the police were on the scene. "Grab her! She shot him!"

Mariah, too petrified by what she'd done, couldn't move. She could only stare at the dead bodies before her. The cops cuffed her hands behind her back and led her away, but her eyes were trained on the bodies until the very last.
Robert blinked out of his stupor. "Holy....shit...."

Johnny stepped forward to stand beside him, shaking slightly. "Oliver....Enrique..."

Medics arrived on the scene, unfolding wraps and laying them over the blood-bathed bodies. The police were clearing people off the site. "Robert?" Johnny asked shakily.

"What?" Robert sounded equally unstable.

"What just happened?"

"...I have no idea."

"Robert?"

"Yes, Johnny?"

"Now wouldn't be a good time to tell you I love you, would it?"

"No,Johnny. I don't think so."

Johnny watched the medics lift the stretchers into the ambulance. "I didn't think so."

~*
Max looked around, wondering why the crowd had suddenly changed direction. Tyson was shoved roughly into him. "Assholes," the blue-haired boy muttered under his breath.

Max tugged on one of the passer-by's sleeves. "Excuse me, Sir? What's going on?"
"Hable espanol, chico!"

Max looked at him confusedly, and the man walked angrily away, pulling his sleeve out of Max's grip. "What crawled up his ass and died?" Tyson asked, joining his boyfriend in staring after the irate man.

"I don't think he spoke English, Tyson."

Tyson rolled his eyes. "I gathered THAT, Max."

He looked around at the masses of people scurrying by. "Still, I wonder what happened."

"Let's go check it out!" Max cheered suddenly, grabbing the collar of Tyson's shirt and dragging him along behind.

"'cuse me, coming through, sorry! Look out!"

The blonde battled his way upstream, against the constant flow of people. At last, they came to a clearing in the crowd. Standing at the edge of the mainstream of people were two familiar faces. "Hey! There's Robert and Johnny!"

He tugged harder on Tyson's hand and waved to the other boys. "Hey! Guys!"

Neither one of them turned. They stood stone-still, as though they were stuck in a trance. "Huh. Wonder what's up with them."

Tyson tried shouting. "HEY! GUYS!"

At last, Robert turned to them. They were close enough by now to see that Robert was pale, eyes wide with terror. Max stopped short. "Robert? Hey, Robert, what happened?"

He dropped Tyson's hand and dashed forward, reaching up and grabbing Robert by the shoulders. "Hey! What happened?!"

"Enrique and Oliver....they're..."

Robert pointed and Max looked over his shoulder. "Huh? Enrique and Oliver? I don't see them."

Johnny cleared his throat. "They're dead."

Max blinked. "What?"

"Oliver and Enrique are dead."

Tyson joined Max. "What? How, when? What happened?"

Robert spoke, snapping out of his trance, returning to his composed self. "Mariah shot Enrique. And Oliver shot himself."

Max looked at Tyson, wide-eyed. The Japanese boy returned his gaze. "But why?"

"Enrique killed Li. So Mariah killed him. Oliver was so upset he committed suicide."

Max dropped his arms, stricken speechless. "Dead...they're....dead...."

He sank to his knees in shock. "They're dead..."

~*
Tala looked at Ian, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "We're off course," he said softly.

His tone was edged with poison. Ian looked at the red-head curiously. "It's okay, Tala. I told you before, we're just taking precautionary measures and avoiding the police-"

Tala picked up the shorter boy the collar. "You little fuck! You're trying to get me caught!"

"No, Tala, you're wrong-" Ian squeaked, but it was no use.

Tala flung him against the wall, hard. Ian's breath left his lungs forcefully. Panting, he raised his gaze to see Tala grab the pistol out of startled Spencer's hands and train it on his head. "You little bastard, you're not taking me home at all!"
He pulled the trigger and Ian never knew what hit him. "Turn on me, will you!?" Tala shrieked, firing at the corpse again and again until it was practically unrecognizable, blood and chunks of flesh flung all over the walls and floor.

Spencer leapt to his feet, pulling another pistol out of his belt. "Tala, you motherfuck-"

"Shut up, bitch!"

Tala whirled on his former teammate, shooting him. The gun fell lifelessly from Spencer's hands. A moment later, Tala opened the hatch and shoved the corpses out, watching them plummet to the ground, laughing with satisfaction. All the crew was dead. Nobody would stop him, nobody would catch him- not now. Not ever. He was free!
"Freedom," he hissed, turning back to the cockpit, now stained red with blood.

He grinned sadisticly. His face lit up in horror as trees loomed up in front of him. "No- this can't happen...what....."

And all he knew in that last second was pain, searing pain, tearing him apart and he screamed, fire engulfing his lungs as he did so.

And then, Tala knew no more. Tala was no more and neither were any of the Demolition Boys.

~*
Micheal wandered down the alley. It was quiet- too quiet for his liking. The hustle and bustle of the market had died away some time ago, leaving him in solid silence. He glanced around nervously, wary of the sudden quiet. "Micheal..."

He jerked his gaze up, reaching for the gun at his side. "Who's there?"

"Psst, Micheal! Over here!"

He looked in the direction of the noise and his eyes fell upon a familiar form. "Steve..." he growled.

"I thought I'd give you a little payback for being such a dear customer of mine..."

Micheal eyed the green-haired boy suspiciously, hand still groping for his gun. Steve pulled out his own pistol, smiling acidicly. "And a little payback for being the fucking rat you are!"

Micheal whipped out his own revolver, training it on Steve and pulling the trigger almost simultaneously with Steve.

"Motherfucker!" Steve shouted, clutching his chest. "Rot in hell!"

His words fell upon deaf ears, for Micheal had already fallen to the ground, dead. In a matter of seconds, Steve followed him, dead as soon as he hit the ground.

~*
Emily sat at the table, staring boredly out the window. Calm ocean breezes wafted through the window, leaving no sign of the havoc or bloody nature of the day.

The sun was just starting to set, spilling it's brilliant colors into the water and the sky. Emily sighed, walking out onto the balcony of her hotel room. It had been a long and hot day. Even now, the heat still shimmered on the stilling air.

She hummed lightly to herself, letting her thoughts wader as she stared out into the mind-numbing glory of the sunset. The door clicked open, but she didn't realize it. The door shut, snapping her out of her reverie.

She jumped, looking over her shoulder, startled. "Judy?"

The blonde woman didn'treply. A moment of silence hung between them. "What happened?"

Judy looked up at her, eyes brimming with tears. "They're all dead."

Emily's heart leapt into her throat. "What? Who? Who's dead? Judy!"

She charged across the floor, grabbing the older woman by the shoulders. "Who's dead? Tell me who!"

"Oliver and Enrique...Steve and Micheal..."

Emily let go and put her hand to her mouth, silencing any foolish words she'd say. "When..."

"Mariah shot Enrique in the plaza early this afternoon. Oliver shot himself shortly there afterward. Steve and Micheal were found in an alley a little while ago. Both of them were dead from gunshot wounds. They killed each other."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "But....why?"

Judy shook her head. "I don't know. The remaining members of the White Tigers have been arrested. Johnny and Robert are here right now- they're leaving shortly. Max and Tyson are okay- oh God, I'm so glad it was my Max-"

Judy broke down then, burying her head in her hands, sobbing pitifully. "I'm just so glad it wasn't Max. It's horrible, I know, but I just can't...what if it had been Max?"

Emily guided the hysterical woman to the edge of the bed and let her sit down. "Hush, Judy. It's okay...it wasn't Max..."
Judy sniffed loudly and wiped her forearm across her eyes. "I know."

She smiled sadly. "And I'm so thankful it wasn't Max. I don't know what I'd do if it had been him."

She glanced at the clock anxiously. "Oh....we're supposed to meet everyone else downstairs in five minutes for sort of a memorial gathering...I think..."

Emily stood up. "Then let's go."

They exited the room, Emily locking the door behind them.

~*
The small sector of the dining hall was secluded and silent. Everyone was pale and tired, remembering those that had been lost that day.

Max sat with Tyson and Judy on either side, head bowed in silent prayer. Judy stirred her tea idly, watching the liquid spin around. Emily sat beside her, sipping her tea, watching the others over the rim of the cup. Robert was beside her, idly sipping his fingers on the table. Johnny was beside him, drawing on his cigarette, watching Robert's fingers tap irately. Even Tyson was silent. Minutes ticked by.

"Would you cut that out?!" Johnny screamed getting to his feet, crushing his smoke in the ash tray, glaring widly at Robert.
The occupants of the table stared at him, before Robert muttered, "Sorry."

Johnny sighed and sat back down, murmuring his apologies as well. Emily cleared her throat and set her cup down. "It's okay- both of you. It's been a long day."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Max looked sideways at Tyson who had opened his mouth as if to speak. "Don't even think of saying it."

"What? I was just gonna say 'how could things get any worse?'"

Max smacked his forehead. "Tyson! You said it!"

Tyson grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

The table fell silent again. There was no sound save for the rambling of the TV.

"And in other news, several bodies were found strewn over the jungle of Costa Rico early this evening. A helicopter wreckage was also found and has been identified as one of Russian company, Biovolt's, corporate helicopters. There were no survivors.
The single passenger is believed to have been Tala of the Russian Beyblading team, the Demolition Boys. The other bodies have been identified as the other members of the Demolition Boys. Police are investigating the relationship between the crash and the bodies."

Everyone was silent, digesting this new news. Finally, Robert spoke. "So, all the Demolition Boys are dead. All the All Starz are dead, save for Emily. Half of the Majestics are dead and the White Tigers in jail, except for Li, whose dead."
Johnny frowned. "Seems like the Bladebreakers are the only ones left with all their original members."

"Wait a second. What about Kai and Rei?" Max asked, lifting his head to look at the the other occupants of the table.

Emily shrugged. "Last I heard, they'd gone back to Japan."

"Nobody's contacted them?" Judy asked, setting down the spoon she'd been using to stir her tea.

Everyone shook their heads. "Hnn-"

"We'll call Kenny! He'll know where they are."

"If they're still in Japan," Tyson muttered, looking at Max sideways.

Max frowned. "Oh yeah."

"What if they've left the country?"

"How will we get ahold of them?"

"I guess we'll just have to call and see..."

Max reached for the phone.

~*
The plane touched down, skittering down the runway, finally coming to a halt, only a few meters away from the nearest building.

Kai looked over at Rei, who was clutching his arm like there was no tomorrow. "You okay, koibito?"

Rei nodded stiffly, finally relaxing his grip. "Yeah...yeah, I'm okay."

"Good," Kai said, getting up out of his seat.

Rei followed him, too quickly and found his legs wouldn't support him. He sprawled clumsily into Kai. "You're scared of flying, aren't you?" Kai accused, glaring at the shaking neko-jin.

Rei shook his head. "I'm not scared of flying. Just of taking off and landing."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

The two exited the plane and wandered aimlessly through the airport, out to the road. "Well, here we are. Costa Rico," Kai commented, turning to his koi.

Rei smiled. "Arigato, Kai-koi."

Kai smiled. "Anything for you, Rei-kun."

He linked arms with his boyfriend and together, they walked down the road, intent on finding their hotel.

~*
The door to the lounge swung open and everyone turned in that direction, wondering who would be entering at this time of night.

Max cradled the phone between his shoulder and neck, glancing over towards the door. Who should walk in, but Kai and Rei?

"Never mind, Kenny. We found them. Yeah, they just walked in. Talk to you later. Bye."

Max hung up and turned around, looking at his former teammates, who were standing before them all, hand in hand. Rei smiled sheepishly as Kai hastily freed his hand. "Er, hi guys. Fancy meeting you here..."

~*
Rei sighed heavily and looked at Kai, who was still inside the room, unpacking their stuff. Rei looked seaward again, watching the stars twinkle in the velvet nightime sky. A cool nighttime breeze brushed by his face, lifting his bangs out of his eyes, cooling his face, taking away his tears. "I just can't believe that, Kai..."

"Hnn."

"It all seems too...I dunno...contrived."

Kai 'hmphed', then joined his lover on the balcony. "That's because it hasn't sunk in yet that those people are dead."

Rei pouted a bit, glaring at Kai. "Well, you could be a little less blunt about it."

"Fine. 'They have passed from the physical existence of this life to the next.'"

Rei punched the bluenette playfully. "Don't be an ass."

"But that's what I do best, love."

Rei smiled and brushed the tip of his nose against Kai's. "You're an asshole, you know that."

Kai smirked. "I've been informed on several occasions."

Rei sighed and rested his head on Kai's shoulder. "It still doesn't seem like it's real yet."

"It will by tomorrow."

"I know. And then, I dunno what I'm gonna do."

"Why not?"

"Well, just thinking about it- that shit like that really does happen and can happen to people like you and I- it's gonna drive me nuts. I know it is."

Kai laughed lightly, wrapping an arm about Rei's shoulders. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings, now won't we?"

He kissed Rei's hair gently, then looked seaward again, following Rei's gaze away into the night.

~*OWARII*~

[A/N: Feel free to leave a review and/or send any comments/questions you have to me at either of my e-mail addresses (see above.) Thank you for reading.]