"…" Speech '…' Thought … Implied words
Disclaimer: Once again I own nothing and earn nothing from this
Chapter 9: Creating conflict
It was about midday when the sun finally managed to harness it's full power and sent a ray of bright light blasting down on the earth, dissolving the last patches of frost and filtering through the windows of the hotel.
It's light must have stirred Takao's senses because his eyelids began to flutter, they opened wearily to reveal chocolate brown orbs. With a groan he hoisted himself into a sitting position, rubbing out the last traces of sleep from his eyes when realisation hit him like a sledgehammer.
"Crap! What time is it? Kenny!" Takao bellowed for his friend.
"What?" Kenny dashed into the room with a worried look on his face, his hair was tousled and he looked like he had been working late in the night. As soon as he realised there was nothing to be alarmed about his expression turned to one of slight irritation.
"What time is it?" Takao asked urgently.
"It's midday," Kenny groaned as he left Takao's room.
"Midday?" Takao spluttered in shock. "No! I was supposed to go see Max today with Rei! He must have left by now!"
He sprang out of bed and dressed quickly when a loud rumble from his stomach reminded him that he hadn't had breakfast yet.
'Hmmm, breakfast or Max? Breakfast or Max?'
Outside the alleys
Rei idly kicked a loose stone on the floor as he left his dark refuge in favour for the light streets of Russia.
Of course he had heard everything Kai had said, he had woken just in time to hear everything. It had hurt. It had been painful to see Kai betray him again but what hurt Rei the most was that he was no longer surprised at Kai's actions.
He wasn't sure whether he was angry or just hurt: maybe a bit of both. True, Kai had helped him in the old building that showed that Kai cared but Kai leaving him again contradicted Rei's more positive thoughts. His brain was exploding trying to figure out Kai's reasoning behind his actions but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't understand the stoic boy.
'…If you don't understand then you should ask…'
Rei frowned. Last time he had asked Kai something he had received no answers just a very crude hint of Kai's logic. This time he would get the answers he was searching for.
Hospital
Takao gulped down his last sandwich as he entered the white building. The hospital gave him the creeps; it was so disgustingly…hygienic if that made any sense. It probably didn't.
Takao scanned his surroundings with unease; there were doctors wheeling patients in and out on wheelchairs, most people were in a rush, which just made Takao even more confused.
"Lost?"
Takao spun around to come face to face with a tall doctor with long blonde hair and green eyes. She smiled cheerfully, revealing a set of dazzling white teeth. Her blonde hair was tied up in what looked to Takao like a shower cap. He was sure he had never seen her before yet somehow she seemed strangely familiar.
"I…I'm looking for my friend Max Mizuhara," Takao faltered.
"Max Mizuhara?" The woman brought out a clipboard. "Room 134, your friend should be there. It's about time someone visited that poor boy."
"What? Didn't Rei come here?" Takao was slightly taken aback. "He's Chinese, about this tall, with amber eyes and lack hair."
"Err...I don't think so. Max is one of my patients so I should know."
Takao thanked the doctor when he suddenly realised why she had seemed so familiar. She looked like Maxi's mum: Judy. He felt a tinge of guilt creeping over him. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to tell Maxi's mum that her son was in hospital.
'It' not my fault. Normally it's Rei or even Kenny who does this stuff," he told himself but he couldn't stop the feeling of shame creep in. He shook his head and began to walk down the long corridors counting the rooms as he went by.
"134," Takao muttered. The numbers were in blue but the door was white; everything in the hospital was so white it made him nauseous.
What would he do when he entered? Screw that, what would he say? He was the one responsible for Maxi's injuries. He didn't know if he could face Max yet even if he was unconscious.
Takao bit his lip and took a deep breath, summoning all of his courage he placed his hand on the door. He stared at it for what seemed like ages, he wasn't sure if anyone else was staring at him and he didn't really care. Finally he managed to push open the door and stepped inside.
Inside Maxi's mind
"This is boring," Max stated simply. It felt like he had been here for ages just sitting on a dark floor surrounding by inky blackness, he couldn't see anything except his own hands and feet, there was nothing else in all directions.
He had tried walking but he had found nothing and so he had given up. Now he just sat waiting for something to happen. His patience was slipping.
'I thought I'd be in heaven or hell by now. Where am I?'
He hugged his knees tighter and then rested his chin on his knees so that he was a compact ball. Slowly he felt his eyes drifting down.
Drip
The sound of water made his eyes snap open. He looked around but there was nothing yet he could still hear the familiar drip of water. Using his ears, he walked in the direction of the sound. His heartbeat quickened as each step turned into a large stride until he found himself running at full speed.
Finally he came to a stop. His heart did summersaults at the appearance of a stream. It wasn't much but at least it was something in this dark abyss. The water, however, was pitch black too and the only indications that it was a stream was the soft sound of flowing water and the golden glimmers of light reflecting off the pond.
'Light? What light?' Max wondered. 'There's no light…or maybe I jut can't see it.'
"That's correct," a sweet, almost musical voice echoed around the blonde haired boy. It was so familiar it gave Max the shivers, he wondered if he was delirious or if he had heard correctly. He looked around for the source of the voice but no one was there, only the flowing stream.
Max didn't dare to speak. He felt confused, it would have been so straightforward if he had just plunged down to hell or flew up to heaven. Why did he have to go through this ordeal first? What was the point of staying in a barren and dark land?
"This is where you must decide," the voice came again. This time Max knew where he had heard that voice before. He couldn't believe that he had not been able to recognise it before.
"M…Mom?" He didn't know why his voice was shaken, he didn't even know why he felt scared when he heard that voice, weren't familiar voices meant to be comforting?
"You can decide whether you want to keep living in the material realm or to pass on into the spiritual world," the voice explained.
Max felt a little relieved: finally someone was explaining what to do! His answer was simple, he couldn't believe it had taken so long for whatever authority inhabited this dark void to ask him such a simple question.
"Yes," he replied. "Of course I want to keep living with my friends and family." What kind of question was that? No one wanted to die and he was perfectly happy with his life. He had friends, family, a career doing what he loved and most of all a place where he belonged.
There was no sound except the running water; it made Max wonder what a stream was doing in such an unlikely place. Max shook his head and waited for him to be taken back home, back to his friends…back to where he belonged.
More silence followed, it seemed to expand across the stretch of endless land until finally a voice spoke. It wasn't his mother's voice but it was equally familiar, it breathed four words into the back of his ear yet these four words deeply unsettled the blonde haired boy.
"You're a bad liar."
Outside
"You remember what to do, right?" Tala kept on questioning the slate haired boy.
"Yes!" Kai snapped in annoyance. "I'll meet you there. Can you leave now?"
Tala glared back at the crimson-eyed boy and grudgingly left Kai alone in the middle of a crowded street. Alone even though people surrounded him he was still alone.
Kai watched Tala walk away. He felt some kind of rude gesture would be appropriate but he could think of none so instead he turned away.
He kept his head down as people rushed past him, caught up in their own little world, one man even barged into his shoulder and walked off without apologising.
"Idiot," Kai muttered darkly to the back of the man. He was about to continue throwing his silent insults when yet another person ploughed into him.
Kai's temper rose. He was not in the mood, especially when he had his grandfather to see.
"Watch where you're going, you - " Kai stopped.
"Sorry Kai," A black haired, amber eyed boy apologised.
"Hn," was Kai's only reply.
"Actually, I'm glad I bumped into you," Rei became serious. "I heard what you and Tala said. He's right…for once he's right, nothing's written in stone, you can still defy fate."
Kai didn't say anything. Deep inside he was shocked that Rei had heard the conversation between Tala and himself.
"Kai, I don't know how to prove to you that we won't use you or abandon you," Rei desperately cried. "What about the frozen lake? We could have left you there; you weren't part of our team but we didn't, we helped you, doesn't that mean anything?"
Kai remained silent. Rei had a point but still he knew all about fate and he knew that time changed things.
"Kai, there's no such thing as the inevitable if you can avoid it, you can end this spiral of fate. You can defy it! You just have to take your chances and do whatever it takes!"
"Sorry Rei," Kai granted the Chinese boy that much: an apology. "You're being blinded by heroic ideals; sticking with friends to the end, fighting evil together, I've seen it before. The thing is, when you realise that life isn't an anime show, good doesn't always win, when you realise this you'll run."
Rei gaped. Did Kai have such little belief in his team-mates? In his friends?
"Bye," Kai nodded curtly.
"No!" Rei grabbed him by the arm.
Kai would have swatted away the grip as if Rei was a leper but this time he didn't do anything.
Rei stood in shock at his own actions. "Kai…" he began as he tried to get over the initial shock. He didn't want Kai to go, it was madness to go to an insane bastard such as Voltaire but he also had other reasons for his protectiveness, a reason he couldn't identify.
'What the - ' Kai's trail of thought ended there. For once he seemed surprised and made no effort to cover it up. He felt warm drops of liquid splash onto his arm; he looked at them and then up into Rei's amber eyes.
"Why are you crying?" Kai asked, even more confused.
Rei blinked past tears that had somehow seeped past his eyes. Kai sounded so innocent when he asked that question; he really didn't understand Rei's pain.
'…No one feels another's grief, no one understands another's joy. People imagine they can reach one another. In reality they only pass each other by'
Kai shook himself from his trance and freed himself from Rei's grip but as soon as Rei let go he felt a little out of place but continued shaking off any feelings of unease.
"I have to go," Kai said solemnly.
Rei nodded and wiped away his shameful tears, what was the use of trying anymore? He was too dam tired to chase after Kai. Who knows? Maybe Kai would be better off on his own.
Kai didn't now what it was that crept into his ice heart. Pity? Remorse?
"Rei…"
The cat boy looked into Kai's crimson eyes; the sound of his voice made his stomach squirm. He couldn't take it anymore, the doubt, the fear, wondering how and where Kai was. He just wanted a little confirmation, a little closure.
Before he knew what he was doing he gingerly placed his lips over those of the phoenix. A light touch so silky and delicate, not pressing or urgent but it held a longing and silent passion that had been locked away for ages.
This was what he was missing; this was what he wanted.
'I want him…I love him…' Rei's mind slowly processed the thoughts. It took a while for him to realise that Kai wasn't kissing him back.
Rei shoved himself away, covering his mouth with his hand and his amber eyes wide, trying to deny what he had done.
"I…I'm sorry Kai!" Rei looked away from the slate haired teen. Not daring to look into those crimson eyes again. "Something…I…I couldn't help myself!"
Kai was looking at Rei as if he wasn't sure whether he was really there or not. Had he just been kissed…by Rei?
'A kiss…I never thought I would experience it…kisses are emotional…. They're weak but…' he stopped thinking.
Rei had always thought of Kai…maybe not in any way that surpassed friendship but it had all added up to love. Kai was…enchanting…his garnet eyes, his slate blue hair…he was his phoenix, his star.
It was just one shock after another, Kai wondered if he was dreaming, never had he imagined such events could take place yet they were, they were happening in front of his very eyes.
'Love…I've never experienced it before…what is love? Can I love? Do I love?'
Rei's lip trembled; waiting for the crushing blow but it never came.
"Goodbye."
Well there it is; this fic has now officially become my first yaoi. It's only mild stuff and sorry to all those who didn't want yaoi but I have to be democratic.
