A/N: I've decided to make this an arch, since so many of you have asked for it. This is also for the KaixReiML fic rush challenge. I know how it feels to have your computer corrupt everything. In fact, as I'm writing this, I have to completely reinstall everything on my computer. Everything I had is completely destroyed! (That's over 11gb worth of files. Gawd, I can't seem to stop crying).
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System Crash
Clicity-clack-clack. Clicity-clack-clack.
Rei's long, eloquent and nimble fingers dashed over the keyboard, pressing keys in a seemingly random fashion. The noise seemed odd in the small motel room, resounding off the walls. If you looked at the boy positioned in front of the screen, if you noticed the faint crease in-between his eyebrows, you would have thought he was in a life-threatening situation, choosing one way over the other. The ancient, relic machine was a hunk of junk. Dust and bits of food were permanently caked between some of the keys; those had to have special pressure applied to them. Rei squinted at the small print on the rounded monitor, cursing the layers of grime and fingerprint residue left on the screen. The sound card was damaged – he didn't remember when that happened– and emitted an annoying whirr whenever a new page loaded. It was a wonder to the Chinese youth how the computer was still alive, despite its feeble attempts.
He opened up a new page and sat back in his seat with a sigh; the internet was slower than a snail, it would be a long while before anything actually happened. Rei wished that trusty old Kenny was by his side, Dizzi tucked snugly under his arm. Kenny would know what to do, how to help him. But alas, the bespectacled boy was nowhere to be found, as was the rest of his team. He suspected that Takao and Max had gone to the park for a nice picnic (he heard the blonde mention something of that sort over breakfast). Kenny was at a computer convention in the neighbouring town. And his captain had disappeared, again, without a trace.
Rei knitted his eyebrows some more and brushed at the shock of raven hair getting into his eyes. It was a blistering hot day, and not even in the confines of a motel room could the neko-jin escape the heat. Small beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face, matting his hair to his forehead. His throat was dry and he felt sticky all over, and, being a very hygienic person, he did not like the sensation in the least.
He blinked his brilliant golden orbs when the page loaded. With another sigh, he scanned the contents of the page, his eyes dashing along the lines. Cursing softly under his breath, he closed the page, finding it useless. Rei racked a hand through his hair and forced his eyes to remain on the screen. He would have to endure the torturous process. Suddenly, with a bleep and a mechanical hum, an error message popped up. It declared in bold, black letters that there occurred a problem with an xxx program, ok? The Chinese youth nearly screamed when the monitor went blank after another whir, deleting all the files he had had up till then. He cursed profoundly under his breath, desperately trying to calm his nerves.
His ears flat against his head (if that could describe the action), Rei growled deep in his throat and pressed the 'on' button. He pushed out of the seat, irritated, and crossed the small expanse of the room to stand in front of the window. It would be a while for the computer to run through the regular system maintenance check. Sighing, the poor, sweat drenched neko-jin leaned against the window frame, closing his eyes.
All of a sudden, with his keen ears he picked up a faint, indistinguishable almost, buzzing sound. It was no more than a tickle at the back of the mind; it might not even have been real. Curious as a cat, Rei tugged tentatively at the sienna-coloured drapes, peeking in through a small gap. His topaz eyes widened slightly when he saw his aloof captain. Kai was propped up against a tree, eyes closed and muscular arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing the standard issue "leave me alone or I'll pound you to a bloody pulp" clothing. Rei wondered how Kai could withstand the heat with so much clothing on. He himself had abandoned his traditional Chinese outfit for a sleeveless undershirt and simple cargo pants. The bluenette must have been sweating bucket loads under all those layers of clothing.
"What's he doing?" Rei murmured to himself, tracing Kai's figure through the glass with his finger.
Kai was in an almost meditative state, relaxation seeming to seep from him. Perhaps he was even asleep, lost in the world of the dreamers, where cold-hearted leaders like himself had all the bey battles to fill their frigid hearts' content. Or maybe he just closed his eyes for a moment, letting the garnets rest for a while.
Rei knew better, however. Kai was practising, as per usual. It may not have seemed that way to the average person, but the Chinese lad had spent a long time with his taciturn leader, and given their proximity, he had grown to read Kai's moods to a certain extent. If he looked closer, the teen could detect a small, round object at the other youth's feet, emitting sparks once in a while. It was no little wonder to Rei that Kai should spend such a lovely – though annoyingly hot – day practising. After all, his only goal, indeed, his only wish was to achieve victory.
Kai had his own demons to chase, his own dragons to slay. Kai was strong; he would persevere, with or without help. Still, Rei wished that Kai would open up, to him at least. Oh, how he wanted to be the one to break Kai, to bring him out of his shell! His hands practically twitched every time the other boy was near; this need to hold Kai so overwhelming yet so wrong, so raw.
Beep.
Startled, Rei ceased his hold on the drape, only then realizing how hard he was gripping it, and turned to the blasted computer. Sparing a glance at the still entranced boy, Rei made his way back to the computer. With a sigh, he clicked on the internet icon and prepared to wait.
~*~
When the stars had began peppering the sky and the horizon was no more than a strip of red, Kai ambled into the darkened room, revelling in the cool air that touched his body. He had spent most of the day outside in the scorching heat and blazing sun, and he was beginning to think that it was taking its toll on him. He glanced about the room, blinking several times when his eyes fell on a glowing form. Rei sat in front of the computer, his face illuminated by the pale glow of the monitor. The simple white shirt contrasted oddly against the raven rope of hair, and his pale skin seemed to radiate a quiet luminescence of its own. Kai had to blink several more times before he was able to pull his eyes away.
He gritted his teeth and strode over to one of the beds, the one closer to the window, and plopped down. Still looking at Rei, as if the other boy would disappear if he closed his eyes, Kai peeled away his sweat-laden shirt.
"What have you been up to?" The bluenette asked, digging in his duffel bag for a clean shirt.
"Huh?" Rei, caught slightly unawares, turned to look at Kai. The youth flushed when he caught a glimpse of alabaster skin, the other boy's stomach muscles clenching and unclenching as he pulled on a black t-shirt. "Oh... I- I've been looking for some information on my opponent for tomorrow's match."
"I thought that was Kenny's job," Kai stated, getting off the bed in one fluid motion and coming closer to Rei.
"Aa..." he began, feeling slightly embarrassed, though he didn't know why. "It is, but he's not here, and I don't want to bother him just because I am a little nervous. He deserves his vacation leaves, too."
Kai was standing behind him now, peering over his shoulder at the screen. Rei sucked in a breath, pretending not to notice how he could feel the other boy's heat, how he could see the faint hairs on Kai's forearms, how his own hand trembled slightly posed as it was over the keyboard. If it weren't for the darkness of the room, his red ears would have been too obvious.
Rei wondered how someone like Kai could be so handsome, if not beautiful. Strands of wild, slate-coloured hair fell haphazardly into his eyes, curling slightly at the nape (the few times Rei had seen Kai with his hair wet, he noticed that it tended to curl on the longer ends). Soft, rounded, baby-like cheeks were accentuated with cerulean stripes, the same ones he had wanted to remove. Fangirls had chased his reticent leader on many occasions, wanting desperately to pinch those cheeks. He had a very masculine jaw with just a hint of cruelness to it, cold and unbreakable like the person. An elfin nose graced his features. Kai had surprisingly soft-looking, pouty lips, dusty rose in colour. There was a faint trace of a dimple in the corner of that (dare he say it?) gorgeous mouth, and suddenly he wanted to see what it would be like if Kai had smiled. Long, luxurious black lashes swept against his pale cheekbones, shielding the ruby gaze in an almost tantalizing way.
The Chinese boy cursed himself mentally, berating his own stupidity, and tuned to face the monitor. Thoughts like that were ludicrous, dangerous even.
"And you've been on for the entire day?" Kai asked, tilting his head just ever so slightly. "What's the problem?"
"Err... I can't do anything because the computer turns off every few minutes."
"That's all?" The bluenette asked, eyebrow raised inquisitively.
Puffing out his cheeks, Rei glared at the monitor. "Apparently. I haven't been able to find out anything. Where did I get this piece of junk anyway? Now how am I going to face my opponent?" Rei could feel the jittery butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He'd heard his adversary was strong. Though he hated to admit it, he was afraid, more of losing than the actual person. He did not know what he would do if he lost.
"How about you just..." Kai began. Within an instant, he pressed the "shut down" button, at which the screen went blank. "... do this?"
Rei opened his mouth to protest; he'd been hoping that site was the one! That meant a whole day wasted at the click of a button! Instead, he closed his mouth and looked at Kai, the question clear in his eyes. The other boy shrugged and turned to the door, saying: "The night is still young. There is still time to practice. In order to overcome any enemy, you first need to be able to face your fear of him. There is no better way to do this than get stronger."
For a moment, the Chinese lad stayed silent, just staring at the spot Kai occupied before moving outside. He said that the only way to gain victory was to gain strength, to get which you needed practice. Though he might not have said it, after all, Kai was Kai and Kai's didn't like to admit things they're not comfortable with (the strange creatures that they were), but the captain had meant that he would help Rei, in his own special way. Rei knew what it meant for the other boy, to actually help somebody, and he was glad that it was he who had that opportunity – nay, privilege.
"Are you coming or not?" He heard Kai's voice float over from the hall, beckoning him.
Rei grinned to himself, only the darkness of the room a witness to the secret smile. He patted the computer top, almost affectionately, not minding in the least that grime might have been left on his hand, and stuck Drigger into a pocket. Kai had offered him his help, which meant, on some deep, philosophical level, that he was asking help from Rei in return. A shadow of the grin still evident on his lips, he strode into the darkness of the night.
(tbc...?)
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