Mizu_Tenshi: This fic has been classed as non-yaoi. That doesn't mean it will definitely be non-yaoi
but it's just a label until I decide
"…" Speech
'…' Thought
*…* Implied words
Disclaimer: Like I said before, I don't own any characters or anything.
*************************
Chapter 5: Innocent injuries
Rei woke with a groan as the morning sunlight roused his senses. It may have just been wishful
thinking but he couldn't help but feel as if Kai's resignation had been nothing more than a bad dream.
Of course the absence of Kai's things eradicated what little hope he had almost instantly.
They had told Mr. Dickinson, he had said not to worry, he was finding them a new team member soon
but that wasn't the point. The point was that things would never be the same without Kai. Things
wouldn't be the same without hearing him fight with Takao, force them through hours of arduous
training or just stand there with his trademark death glare on his face.
'You never know a good thing till it's gone.'
Strange, he never imagined he would miss backbreaking training or being glared at yet he would give
anything just to have Kai tell him to shape up or to be scowled at with annoyance.
'Okay, Kai's gone, we need a new leader and a new team-mate. Mr. Dickinson will supply us with
another team-mate but how are we gonna decide who the new leader is?' Rei wondered. Sighing in
confusion he made his way to the balcony.
It was bright and sunny; Rei squinted as his eyes adapted to the change in light. Below the roar of
traffic made it almost impossible to concentrate. Still, Rei leaned on the balcony railings a little tensely,
inhaling the cold yet fresh air that whipped across his face. Unbeknownst to him he was leaning on the
exact same spot Kai was before he had decided to leave.
Blowing raven black tendrils of hair from away his face he stared uninterestingly at the people below
him. His head was spinning in thoughts. It had been a while since they had trained; maybe he should
make the effort to get them to practice again.
Maybe it was the shock that had made it do hard for him to accept Kai's resignation. Especially after
Kai had returned to their team. After that event when they had all celebrated, Kai had even smiled a
little, when everything seemed to be getting together it had been broken yet again.
'But he had smiled.' Rei thought. 'He seemed…happy to be on the team, it brought us all closer
together so what changed?'
What was different? After Kai rejoined the team they had gone to fight for the world championships
against the Russian team.
'I sure don't want to be the leader.' Rei prayed. 'Maybe the new team-mate will take Kai's place as
leader.'
Rei's thoughts dissipated and were replaced with the sound of Takao's urgent yelling.
"Hey, Rei!" Takao called, it sounded muffled and distant yet his voice was unmistakable. "I thought I
saw Kai down there! Let's go and get an explanation of him!"
Rei leaned over the balcony, he leaned so far he was afraid that he might fall over. His eyes dilated in
an attempt to distinguish Kai's figure. His eyes locked onto who he thought was Kai. There was no
doubt about it; the white scarf was a dead give away. Part of Rei wanted to just leap over the balcony
and down to Kai but his logical side held him back.
'You can't talk to Kai in pizza form,' Rei reminded himself. Using all the strength he could muster he
tore himself from his spot and raced out of the door, his heart pounding in his chest.
~ The Streets ~
Kai barged his way through the crowds, trying to blend in as best he could as he felt the intensity of
someone's vigilant eyes on him. It was not an easy task to blend in with the masses, especially with his
white scarf billowing in the wind and his face contorted with disgust; everywhere he went he saw
weakness and immaturity.
'It's like I'm suffocating,' his mind spat. 'Not a single worthy opponent for miles at least with the team
I could fight people who at least had bit beasts...'
Kai banished those thoughts, he had admitted to himself when he first left that there would be things
he'd miss but he had still decided he was better on his own and that was how it was going to stay.
'What was up with Tala?' Kai mused. 'He didn't try to force me back or anything…well whatever he
thinks he's doing it's not my problem.'
He had to loose his silent stalkers. On the surface he appeared as he always did; aloof, calm and
collected, it had been a great talent of his to project the same intense aura of control no matter what he
felt inside. Inside his stalkers were making him uncomfortable and slightly frustrated. Those invisible
eyes unnerved him greatly and made him feel like an escaped science experiment being hunted down
by curious scientists.
'You can't avoid them forever,' Kai's logical side told him. '…But if you're gonna go down then go
down with a bang and be sure to drag some with you,' Kai smirked. He imagined it would be a little
like those one-man-stands you saw in gangster movies but not as dramatic.
"Kai!" That familiar and somewhat annoying voice sliced through Kai's thoughts like a knife. Kai kept
on walking, wincing a little as Takao called him but whether guilt or annoyance had caused him to
flinch none could tell.
"Kai, you jerk!" Takao screamed at the arrogant boy's retreating back. "Kai, are you gonna tell us why
you're resigning or are you just gonna walk away like the coward you are?"
The last remark made Kai stop in his tracks, spinning round he glared murderously at the younger boy.
"Since when did I ever have to explain anything to you? Why do you care what I do?" Kai snapped.
"I care because you're a friend no matter what you may think, you're part of the team," Takao shouted,
earning a few stares from people passing by.
Kai's stomach contracted at the sound of that forbidden word 'friend' he had never used it on anyone
and he had expected that everyone else would do the same for him.
"Kai," Rei walked up too Kai so that they were face to face with each other, noting very briefly the
discomfort he was feeling from the crimson eyed boy at having someone else at such a close proximity.
Kai's wounds had not yet fully healed but most of the bruises and swollen marks on his face and arms
had gone. Nevertheless Kai stood with cool indifference as he stared with haughty amusement at Rei.
"Oh, are you going to try and beg me to come back?" Kai mocked the Chinese boy.
'How can he look so aloof and calm on the outside? How does he do it? How does he convince people
that he feels a certain way? Was this part of his training?' Rei wondered. Kai was the biggest living
enigma he had come across, but for some reason Rei was determined to unravel the mystery that was
Kai.
"We just want to know," Max spoke up. "We just want to know what made you decide to leave us so
suddenly?"
Kai growled. Why were they so dam persistent? They didn't actually care, did they? No, they wouldn't
trick him again; they were only trying to bring him back because they were lost without him. They
would not need him as soon as they got a taste of real power. He wouldn't allow himself to be caught
in the same trap he had fallen into countless times before.
"Don't you care for you're team?" Rei asked accusingly.
"It's not my team anymore," Kai turned round, signalling the end of the conversation he resumed his
former course away from his old team but Rei barred his way.
"No, not this time, Kai, you can't just walk away from your fears this time." Rei yelled.
"When was I ever afraid of anything?" Kai look at the Chinese boy ludicrously.
"Everyone's afraid of something, Kai," Rei reasoned with him. "What about those Biovolt men? I
reckon they have something to do with your resignation, don't they?"
"No," Kai denied his accusations. "You can think what you want but the truth will always be the same;
I never wanted this team and I never will."
"Kai! You don't mean that!" Max gasped.
'What the hell, Kai? Why are you acting like this? Why am I acting like this?' Rei felt so confused and
unsettled. He felt his anger well up inside as he tried to suppress it. Now was not the time to be petulant
but he couldn't help it, he couldn't stand the way Kai was hurting him and his former team-mates.
"Kai…I really don't want to do this," Rei said slowly. "But if I have to then I will!" Rei raised his
launcher. "I challenge you! If I win you have to tell us everything and I mean everything."
"You'd blade me?" Kai raised an eyebrow. Rei detected a bit of shock in his former captain's normally
expressionless eyes.
"Rei, let me blade!" Takao offered. "I'll teach you Kai!"
"Not this time, Takao," Rei shook his head, his eyes still resting upon the phoenix.
"Come," Kai ordered them to follow him. He led them through the crowds to a small park, it wasn't
much but it would suffice for a battling arena.
'This is stupid,' Kai's mind snarled but if it were the only way to get rid of them then he would fight
them.
The two boys stood several meters apart from each other and Takao in the middle. There was no
blading dish so they had chosen a large slab of pavement for the arena.
"3…2…1…Let it rip!" Takao screamed at the top of his lungs.
The two blades flew off their launchers with incredible speed and sped forward to clash in the middle.
Sparks flew from the two blades in the midst of the heated battle, each one spinning as if they were
fuelled by their master's desire to win.
"You're being very childish, you know?" Rei smirked. "All you have to do is give us a valid reason and
we'll leave you alone."
"What? Isn't me hating you reason enough?" Kai said through gritted teeth. He had to end this quickly
or else his stalkers would find him.
"Not for me it isn't," Rei replied.
"C'mon Dranzer, let's end this quickly!" Kai ordered. The blade began glowing red and an impressive
red bird emerged from the blade, spreading its wings to allow everyone to catch a glimpse of the
majesty of a phoenix.
"Drigger!" Rei summoned his blade. It went through the same sequence of events and then, with a roar,
a beautiful white tiger leaped gracefully out of the blade.
Each beast was relentless in their attacks; they fought furiously in the middle, causing long cracks in
the pavement to form.
"We can end this now Kai, we don't have to fight!" Rei cried from the opposite side of the pavement
but he was pretty sure the stoic boy could hear even if he didn't respond.
'I really don't want to fight Kai but if I have to then I must,' Rei said determinedly.
"It's hard to say who's got the upper hand," Kenny informed the other team-mates as he typed furiously
on his laptop.
Kai's crimson orbs were fixed on the two blades battling in the middle. They circled one another and
then came forward to clash in the middle; it was like a fierce battle dance. He balled his fists in
frustration at his performance. He felt as if he wasn't giving it his all but that was impossible he had no
reason to hold back.
"If you don't fight with everything you've got then you'll always loose!" Kai yelled as he signalled
Dranzer to go for one last attack.
"Drigger!" Rei shouted his warning as the attack rained down on the tiger. Drigger leaped at the
phoenix as more fire was let loose. A huge cloud of smoke erupted from the area but when it cleared it
gave everyone a shock.
There were two blades in the centre, around them was a huge crater inflicted by the battle. Both of
them had stopped.
"A tie?" Takao yelled in disbelief. "Then you'll have to fight again."
"Forget it!" Kai snarled menacingly. "I've wasted enough time on you idiots."
"Hey, who're you calling an idiot?" Takao yelled at Kai's retreating back. "Kai, come back here, I'm not
done with you!" Takao raced after the slate haired boy.
"Takao!" Max and Kenny yelled but he had already begun the chase.
With slight reluctance the rest followed Takao.
Kai silently cursed himself for stopping and talking, even though he had not said much or stayed for
very long it was enough for his silent predators to track him down.
They were getting closer with each heartbeat; Kai could feel it somewhere deep within him, it was like
a sixth sense. He glanced around the street but he still couldn't detect anyone dangerous, cursing even
more at letting himself become such a vulnerable target he headed for the alleys.
'What happened?' Kai asked himself. 'How could you allow you have drawn with Rei? Shape up before
you get too weak!' his mind snapped at him.
Once he had reached the alleys he felt safer, the darkness seemed to be like a warm enveloping shell to
him.
"You can't hide from us, not even in the darkness," a man appeared from the shadows, sneering
haughtily at Kai. Another man appeared behind Kai with a familiar facial expression as the first man.
'Only two? Is that how weak they think I am?' Kai's mind said arrogantly.
"Kai!"
Kai recognised that voice, it made his stomach contract. It was Rei's voice.
'No, not here, not now,' Kai silently prayed but it was in vain, prayers were meant to be said by those
with faith. Kai had no faith. He believed in nothing except the survival of the fittest. Therefore his
prayers were useless.
"Oh, you brought back up did you, Kai?" The first man flashed a disgusting display of yellow teeth.
The team stood in confusion at the suspicious show in front of them.
"Who are theses guys Kai?" Takao asked.
"Boivolt men, right?" Rei answered for Kai.
"What!" Takao looked at Rei oddly. "How do you know? Never mind, if they want Kai to go back to
that hell hole then they're gonna have to fight us!"
Kai shook off a look of bewilderment from his face and replaced it with his normal, impassive
expression.
"I can deal with it, go," he ordered.
"Um…maybe we should listen to Kai," Kenny backed off slightly. "We'd probably just be in the way."
"What! You have to be joking!" Takao turned to face the brown haired boy. "We can't leave one of our
own like that."
"How many times must I tell you," Kai was beginning to get annoyed and the men were impatient. "I'm
not with the stupid team!"
'First he resigns then these men come for Kai, is there a connection?' Rei pondered.
"Enough!" the first man roared and attacked Kai. Kai ducked just in time to miss the first attack but the
second man managed to land a punch on his already bruised face.
Max and Takao leaped on the man who had hit Kai. He struggled with them briefly before he was able
to throw them off.
Rei rushed to help Max and Takao screaming instructions to Kenny: "Go get some help or something!"
The younger boy needed no second bidding; he was gone in a flash.
"Dam, the brat's gone to get help!" one of the Biovolt men growled.
"Then let's make this quick!" the second one smirked. Picking up a metal pole from the garbage and
other trash that littered the alley he swung it dangerously as he approached Kai.
"Kai, look out!" Rei shouted a warning. Kai ducked just in time as the pole soared across where Kai's
head would have been.
The man kept on swinging, Kai barely managed to dodge the random swings.
'Go help him!' Rei's mind was screaming but he couldn't get anywhere near the man while he was
swinging that pole round.
"Help is on its way!" Kenny returned to the scene.
"C'mon, we'll deal with this later!" the first man beckoned the other to escape with him.
"Oh, no you don't!" Takao stepped in front of them. The man with the pole let out a growl of rage and
swung the pole at Takao's head.
"Takao!" Max yelled and pushed him aside. The pole hit Maxi's head with a sickening crack.
"Max!" Takao caught the boy as he fell to the floor. The two men escaped as police and ambulance
sirens appeared.
******************
Mizu_Tenshi: Sorry! I just couldn't decide who should win so I made it a tie. I was planning on making
this into two chapters but then I thought that would be too boring so I turned it into one! Should I put a
little bit of the next chapter in, like a sneak peek thing? To be updated: 23rd of April.
angel yame - Okay, more Rei will be coming up. I personally liked the battle but I just couldn't decide
who would win!
camilleon - Thanks for the e-mail! They're greatly appreciated. You'll keep R&R - ing, won't you?
enkeli - Yep, to be updated 23rd of April!
HellFenix - Really? It's not crappy? Yay! Thanks a bunch!
Mistress of Anime - Poor Kai, the world keeps screwing him over. Thanks for the review. More Tala to
come!
mespike4eva - Uh…so you like the story, right? Sorry about the cliff-hanger but I just love suspense.
devildragon - Thanks for the review. Next chapter will be on the 23rd April, be sure to R&R!
Sky Dragon - Thanks, this is actually quite fun to write. I enjoy torturing the gang! You will be
forgiven if you R&R!
MidnightLoner - I know, it's strange, isn't it? I have very weird friends.
darkarc - Don't worry, I'm not mad. Well I am crazy but I'm not angry. Thanks for the review please
R&R again!
Hazel - Really? Wow, I'm honoured! Thanks and please keep R&R - ing!
StormDriger - Thanks for the idea, I really appreciate it. Sorry for not using it but I've got the next two
chapters written up already!
Epona - Yay! Thanks for your review. Be sure to catch the next one on the 23rd!
Lady Blade WarAngel - Thank you! I love your 'Tragic past' fic. I reviewed but I'm not sure if it got
deleted or something. Well it was good anyway.
Sunset Dreams - Thank you! Lots of surprises in store! *Grins evilly*
Cho-Hakkai - Thank you! Please R&R!
SNEAK PEAK!
Kai stood up bravely; he mustn't show weakness or fear in front of his tutor. Inside his heart was
beating twice as fast; this was his last chance at to see her…
Mizu_Tenshi: Okay so that was a pretty lame sneak peek but I'm trying to get people hooked.
Remember! 23rd April!
but it's just a label until I decide
"…" Speech
'…' Thought
*…* Implied words
Disclaimer: Like I said before, I don't own any characters or anything.
*************************
Chapter 5: Innocent injuries
Rei woke with a groan as the morning sunlight roused his senses. It may have just been wishful
thinking but he couldn't help but feel as if Kai's resignation had been nothing more than a bad dream.
Of course the absence of Kai's things eradicated what little hope he had almost instantly.
They had told Mr. Dickinson, he had said not to worry, he was finding them a new team member soon
but that wasn't the point. The point was that things would never be the same without Kai. Things
wouldn't be the same without hearing him fight with Takao, force them through hours of arduous
training or just stand there with his trademark death glare on his face.
'You never know a good thing till it's gone.'
Strange, he never imagined he would miss backbreaking training or being glared at yet he would give
anything just to have Kai tell him to shape up or to be scowled at with annoyance.
'Okay, Kai's gone, we need a new leader and a new team-mate. Mr. Dickinson will supply us with
another team-mate but how are we gonna decide who the new leader is?' Rei wondered. Sighing in
confusion he made his way to the balcony.
It was bright and sunny; Rei squinted as his eyes adapted to the change in light. Below the roar of
traffic made it almost impossible to concentrate. Still, Rei leaned on the balcony railings a little tensely,
inhaling the cold yet fresh air that whipped across his face. Unbeknownst to him he was leaning on the
exact same spot Kai was before he had decided to leave.
Blowing raven black tendrils of hair from away his face he stared uninterestingly at the people below
him. His head was spinning in thoughts. It had been a while since they had trained; maybe he should
make the effort to get them to practice again.
Maybe it was the shock that had made it do hard for him to accept Kai's resignation. Especially after
Kai had returned to their team. After that event when they had all celebrated, Kai had even smiled a
little, when everything seemed to be getting together it had been broken yet again.
'But he had smiled.' Rei thought. 'He seemed…happy to be on the team, it brought us all closer
together so what changed?'
What was different? After Kai rejoined the team they had gone to fight for the world championships
against the Russian team.
'I sure don't want to be the leader.' Rei prayed. 'Maybe the new team-mate will take Kai's place as
leader.'
Rei's thoughts dissipated and were replaced with the sound of Takao's urgent yelling.
"Hey, Rei!" Takao called, it sounded muffled and distant yet his voice was unmistakable. "I thought I
saw Kai down there! Let's go and get an explanation of him!"
Rei leaned over the balcony, he leaned so far he was afraid that he might fall over. His eyes dilated in
an attempt to distinguish Kai's figure. His eyes locked onto who he thought was Kai. There was no
doubt about it; the white scarf was a dead give away. Part of Rei wanted to just leap over the balcony
and down to Kai but his logical side held him back.
'You can't talk to Kai in pizza form,' Rei reminded himself. Using all the strength he could muster he
tore himself from his spot and raced out of the door, his heart pounding in his chest.
~ The Streets ~
Kai barged his way through the crowds, trying to blend in as best he could as he felt the intensity of
someone's vigilant eyes on him. It was not an easy task to blend in with the masses, especially with his
white scarf billowing in the wind and his face contorted with disgust; everywhere he went he saw
weakness and immaturity.
'It's like I'm suffocating,' his mind spat. 'Not a single worthy opponent for miles at least with the team
I could fight people who at least had bit beasts...'
Kai banished those thoughts, he had admitted to himself when he first left that there would be things
he'd miss but he had still decided he was better on his own and that was how it was going to stay.
'What was up with Tala?' Kai mused. 'He didn't try to force me back or anything…well whatever he
thinks he's doing it's not my problem.'
He had to loose his silent stalkers. On the surface he appeared as he always did; aloof, calm and
collected, it had been a great talent of his to project the same intense aura of control no matter what he
felt inside. Inside his stalkers were making him uncomfortable and slightly frustrated. Those invisible
eyes unnerved him greatly and made him feel like an escaped science experiment being hunted down
by curious scientists.
'You can't avoid them forever,' Kai's logical side told him. '…But if you're gonna go down then go
down with a bang and be sure to drag some with you,' Kai smirked. He imagined it would be a little
like those one-man-stands you saw in gangster movies but not as dramatic.
"Kai!" That familiar and somewhat annoying voice sliced through Kai's thoughts like a knife. Kai kept
on walking, wincing a little as Takao called him but whether guilt or annoyance had caused him to
flinch none could tell.
"Kai, you jerk!" Takao screamed at the arrogant boy's retreating back. "Kai, are you gonna tell us why
you're resigning or are you just gonna walk away like the coward you are?"
The last remark made Kai stop in his tracks, spinning round he glared murderously at the younger boy.
"Since when did I ever have to explain anything to you? Why do you care what I do?" Kai snapped.
"I care because you're a friend no matter what you may think, you're part of the team," Takao shouted,
earning a few stares from people passing by.
Kai's stomach contracted at the sound of that forbidden word 'friend' he had never used it on anyone
and he had expected that everyone else would do the same for him.
"Kai," Rei walked up too Kai so that they were face to face with each other, noting very briefly the
discomfort he was feeling from the crimson eyed boy at having someone else at such a close proximity.
Kai's wounds had not yet fully healed but most of the bruises and swollen marks on his face and arms
had gone. Nevertheless Kai stood with cool indifference as he stared with haughty amusement at Rei.
"Oh, are you going to try and beg me to come back?" Kai mocked the Chinese boy.
'How can he look so aloof and calm on the outside? How does he do it? How does he convince people
that he feels a certain way? Was this part of his training?' Rei wondered. Kai was the biggest living
enigma he had come across, but for some reason Rei was determined to unravel the mystery that was
Kai.
"We just want to know," Max spoke up. "We just want to know what made you decide to leave us so
suddenly?"
Kai growled. Why were they so dam persistent? They didn't actually care, did they? No, they wouldn't
trick him again; they were only trying to bring him back because they were lost without him. They
would not need him as soon as they got a taste of real power. He wouldn't allow himself to be caught
in the same trap he had fallen into countless times before.
"Don't you care for you're team?" Rei asked accusingly.
"It's not my team anymore," Kai turned round, signalling the end of the conversation he resumed his
former course away from his old team but Rei barred his way.
"No, not this time, Kai, you can't just walk away from your fears this time." Rei yelled.
"When was I ever afraid of anything?" Kai look at the Chinese boy ludicrously.
"Everyone's afraid of something, Kai," Rei reasoned with him. "What about those Biovolt men? I
reckon they have something to do with your resignation, don't they?"
"No," Kai denied his accusations. "You can think what you want but the truth will always be the same;
I never wanted this team and I never will."
"Kai! You don't mean that!" Max gasped.
'What the hell, Kai? Why are you acting like this? Why am I acting like this?' Rei felt so confused and
unsettled. He felt his anger well up inside as he tried to suppress it. Now was not the time to be petulant
but he couldn't help it, he couldn't stand the way Kai was hurting him and his former team-mates.
"Kai…I really don't want to do this," Rei said slowly. "But if I have to then I will!" Rei raised his
launcher. "I challenge you! If I win you have to tell us everything and I mean everything."
"You'd blade me?" Kai raised an eyebrow. Rei detected a bit of shock in his former captain's normally
expressionless eyes.
"Rei, let me blade!" Takao offered. "I'll teach you Kai!"
"Not this time, Takao," Rei shook his head, his eyes still resting upon the phoenix.
"Come," Kai ordered them to follow him. He led them through the crowds to a small park, it wasn't
much but it would suffice for a battling arena.
'This is stupid,' Kai's mind snarled but if it were the only way to get rid of them then he would fight
them.
The two boys stood several meters apart from each other and Takao in the middle. There was no
blading dish so they had chosen a large slab of pavement for the arena.
"3…2…1…Let it rip!" Takao screamed at the top of his lungs.
The two blades flew off their launchers with incredible speed and sped forward to clash in the middle.
Sparks flew from the two blades in the midst of the heated battle, each one spinning as if they were
fuelled by their master's desire to win.
"You're being very childish, you know?" Rei smirked. "All you have to do is give us a valid reason and
we'll leave you alone."
"What? Isn't me hating you reason enough?" Kai said through gritted teeth. He had to end this quickly
or else his stalkers would find him.
"Not for me it isn't," Rei replied.
"C'mon Dranzer, let's end this quickly!" Kai ordered. The blade began glowing red and an impressive
red bird emerged from the blade, spreading its wings to allow everyone to catch a glimpse of the
majesty of a phoenix.
"Drigger!" Rei summoned his blade. It went through the same sequence of events and then, with a roar,
a beautiful white tiger leaped gracefully out of the blade.
Each beast was relentless in their attacks; they fought furiously in the middle, causing long cracks in
the pavement to form.
"We can end this now Kai, we don't have to fight!" Rei cried from the opposite side of the pavement
but he was pretty sure the stoic boy could hear even if he didn't respond.
'I really don't want to fight Kai but if I have to then I must,' Rei said determinedly.
"It's hard to say who's got the upper hand," Kenny informed the other team-mates as he typed furiously
on his laptop.
Kai's crimson orbs were fixed on the two blades battling in the middle. They circled one another and
then came forward to clash in the middle; it was like a fierce battle dance. He balled his fists in
frustration at his performance. He felt as if he wasn't giving it his all but that was impossible he had no
reason to hold back.
"If you don't fight with everything you've got then you'll always loose!" Kai yelled as he signalled
Dranzer to go for one last attack.
"Drigger!" Rei shouted his warning as the attack rained down on the tiger. Drigger leaped at the
phoenix as more fire was let loose. A huge cloud of smoke erupted from the area but when it cleared it
gave everyone a shock.
There were two blades in the centre, around them was a huge crater inflicted by the battle. Both of
them had stopped.
"A tie?" Takao yelled in disbelief. "Then you'll have to fight again."
"Forget it!" Kai snarled menacingly. "I've wasted enough time on you idiots."
"Hey, who're you calling an idiot?" Takao yelled at Kai's retreating back. "Kai, come back here, I'm not
done with you!" Takao raced after the slate haired boy.
"Takao!" Max and Kenny yelled but he had already begun the chase.
With slight reluctance the rest followed Takao.
Kai silently cursed himself for stopping and talking, even though he had not said much or stayed for
very long it was enough for his silent predators to track him down.
They were getting closer with each heartbeat; Kai could feel it somewhere deep within him, it was like
a sixth sense. He glanced around the street but he still couldn't detect anyone dangerous, cursing even
more at letting himself become such a vulnerable target he headed for the alleys.
'What happened?' Kai asked himself. 'How could you allow you have drawn with Rei? Shape up before
you get too weak!' his mind snapped at him.
Once he had reached the alleys he felt safer, the darkness seemed to be like a warm enveloping shell to
him.
"You can't hide from us, not even in the darkness," a man appeared from the shadows, sneering
haughtily at Kai. Another man appeared behind Kai with a familiar facial expression as the first man.
'Only two? Is that how weak they think I am?' Kai's mind said arrogantly.
"Kai!"
Kai recognised that voice, it made his stomach contract. It was Rei's voice.
'No, not here, not now,' Kai silently prayed but it was in vain, prayers were meant to be said by those
with faith. Kai had no faith. He believed in nothing except the survival of the fittest. Therefore his
prayers were useless.
"Oh, you brought back up did you, Kai?" The first man flashed a disgusting display of yellow teeth.
The team stood in confusion at the suspicious show in front of them.
"Who are theses guys Kai?" Takao asked.
"Boivolt men, right?" Rei answered for Kai.
"What!" Takao looked at Rei oddly. "How do you know? Never mind, if they want Kai to go back to
that hell hole then they're gonna have to fight us!"
Kai shook off a look of bewilderment from his face and replaced it with his normal, impassive
expression.
"I can deal with it, go," he ordered.
"Um…maybe we should listen to Kai," Kenny backed off slightly. "We'd probably just be in the way."
"What! You have to be joking!" Takao turned to face the brown haired boy. "We can't leave one of our
own like that."
"How many times must I tell you," Kai was beginning to get annoyed and the men were impatient. "I'm
not with the stupid team!"
'First he resigns then these men come for Kai, is there a connection?' Rei pondered.
"Enough!" the first man roared and attacked Kai. Kai ducked just in time to miss the first attack but the
second man managed to land a punch on his already bruised face.
Max and Takao leaped on the man who had hit Kai. He struggled with them briefly before he was able
to throw them off.
Rei rushed to help Max and Takao screaming instructions to Kenny: "Go get some help or something!"
The younger boy needed no second bidding; he was gone in a flash.
"Dam, the brat's gone to get help!" one of the Biovolt men growled.
"Then let's make this quick!" the second one smirked. Picking up a metal pole from the garbage and
other trash that littered the alley he swung it dangerously as he approached Kai.
"Kai, look out!" Rei shouted a warning. Kai ducked just in time as the pole soared across where Kai's
head would have been.
The man kept on swinging, Kai barely managed to dodge the random swings.
'Go help him!' Rei's mind was screaming but he couldn't get anywhere near the man while he was
swinging that pole round.
"Help is on its way!" Kenny returned to the scene.
"C'mon, we'll deal with this later!" the first man beckoned the other to escape with him.
"Oh, no you don't!" Takao stepped in front of them. The man with the pole let out a growl of rage and
swung the pole at Takao's head.
"Takao!" Max yelled and pushed him aside. The pole hit Maxi's head with a sickening crack.
"Max!" Takao caught the boy as he fell to the floor. The two men escaped as police and ambulance
sirens appeared.
******************
Mizu_Tenshi: Sorry! I just couldn't decide who should win so I made it a tie. I was planning on making
this into two chapters but then I thought that would be too boring so I turned it into one! Should I put a
little bit of the next chapter in, like a sneak peek thing? To be updated: 23rd of April.
angel yame - Okay, more Rei will be coming up. I personally liked the battle but I just couldn't decide
who would win!
camilleon - Thanks for the e-mail! They're greatly appreciated. You'll keep R&R - ing, won't you?
enkeli - Yep, to be updated 23rd of April!
HellFenix - Really? It's not crappy? Yay! Thanks a bunch!
Mistress of Anime - Poor Kai, the world keeps screwing him over. Thanks for the review. More Tala to
come!
mespike4eva - Uh…so you like the story, right? Sorry about the cliff-hanger but I just love suspense.
devildragon - Thanks for the review. Next chapter will be on the 23rd April, be sure to R&R!
Sky Dragon - Thanks, this is actually quite fun to write. I enjoy torturing the gang! You will be
forgiven if you R&R!
MidnightLoner - I know, it's strange, isn't it? I have very weird friends.
darkarc - Don't worry, I'm not mad. Well I am crazy but I'm not angry. Thanks for the review please
R&R again!
Hazel - Really? Wow, I'm honoured! Thanks and please keep R&R - ing!
StormDriger - Thanks for the idea, I really appreciate it. Sorry for not using it but I've got the next two
chapters written up already!
Epona - Yay! Thanks for your review. Be sure to catch the next one on the 23rd!
Lady Blade WarAngel - Thank you! I love your 'Tragic past' fic. I reviewed but I'm not sure if it got
deleted or something. Well it was good anyway.
Sunset Dreams - Thank you! Lots of surprises in store! *Grins evilly*
Cho-Hakkai - Thank you! Please R&R!
SNEAK PEAK!
Kai stood up bravely; he mustn't show weakness or fear in front of his tutor. Inside his heart was
beating twice as fast; this was his last chance at to see her…
Mizu_Tenshi: Okay so that was a pretty lame sneak peek but I'm trying to get people hooked.
Remember! 23rd April!
