Chapter Fourteen: Letting Go

The train station was quiet. It was a rather secluded one, surrounded by large, leafy dark green trees. It was bitterly cold - the air attacked passers-by with no remorse. A sharp wind hustled through the trees and branches whispered as they rubbed together, squeaking occasionally as they ground. The leaves rustled and hissed in pain as the wind thrashed through. A light rain had fallen earlier but had ceased now and the wind was empty. Just ice cold air that chapped the lips and froze the limbs.

A large clock nearby chimed seven. The night was fast closing in, its shadowy blanket beginning to cover all but the streetlights. There was little sound save for the bay of the wind and the rustling of leaves.

The Blade-Breakers stood huddled at the end of the platform, wrapped in warm coats and clinging to their luggage. Mr Dickinson and Mr Granger had flown home two days earlier, but the boys had requested some extra time in Iceland. Now they awaited the train that would take them to the airport and then they would go home.

Tyson spoke. "It's freezing!" he said through gritted teeth. Max tutted.

"You don't need to tell us that, Tyson. I wish the train would hurry up."

Rei rubbed his arms, which were already clad in a thick aqua blue duffel coat and his own coat underneath. "It should be here soon."

The wind suddenly picked up and lashed into his face, and he could hardly resist from crying out. The Chief hid his face behind his luggage bag.

"Too . . . cold!"

Tyson laughed. "Yeah, Chief, we're all too cold. What lousy weather for a send off."

"At least it's not raining," said Kai quietly from where he had been forced to sit down on a small bench. The end of his scarf had escaped from where it had been tucked in his coat and now flew wildly in the air whenever the wind blew. He looked up at the clock again, even though he knew what the time was.

Then there came the sound of a horn in the distance, and Tyson leapt for his luggage. "Ok, here it comes! I hope it's warm!"

"Anywhere's warmer than out here!" joked Rei, his teeth chattering. Max agreed as he picked up his bag. He slung it onto his slim shoulder and joined Tyson near the edge of the platform. Dizzi bleeped.

"Boy, am I glad I'm in here. It's cosy!"

Kenny rolled his eyes. "If only I were in a laptop!"

"It's not so great, Chief. I have nowhere to go to the bathroom!"

"Very funny!" remarked the Chief as he grabbed his bag. The horn sounded again and Rei grabbed his own bag, and then grabbed Kai's. Kai watched him.

"You don't have to do that, you know,"

Rei glanced at him, and then took Kai's good arm and slipped it over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I do."

Kai sighed, not ungrateful but drained, and stood slowly, and he and Rei made their way to where the others were standing. They could see the lights of the train creeping up around the corner and Tyson pumped a freezing cold fist.

"Alright! Warm train, here we come! I wonder if there's a buffet cart?"

"Tyson!" scolded Max in amusement, "Do you ever think of anything else?"

Kai smiled, inwardly laughing, and shivered as the cold wind seared past them again. He turned his face to avoid the cruel air; and caught sight of an unfamiliar shadow behind them. Startled, he turned, and saw that Janine was standing not too far away. Her hair had come loose and was wild in the blustery weather, and she looked freezing, as she had only come out in her work uniform and a jacket. She offered him a half smile.

Kai nudged Rei, and Rei turned. He stared for a moment at Janine, and then moved towards her. She smiled fully now at the both of them as the train pulled up at the stop, creating a draught of its own.

"Well, guys, it was great meeting you."

She hooked a piece of hair back behind her ear, and looked down at the floor. She didn't quite know what to say. Rei sensed her unease and then looked at Kai, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news but fulfilling his duty.

"Kai, you should get on the train. It's way too cold for you out here."

Kai, his face white in the cold wind, looked at Rei, who had become something of a protector and doctor for him over the past couple of days. He nodded.

"You go ahead, Rei. I'll follow you on in just a second."

Rei looked surprised. "You sure you can manage?"

"Yeah."

With a complying nod, Rei slid away from Kai's grip and picked up the bags. He then turned and ran towards the train, where the others were bumbling on with their things. Kai turned back to Janine, who looked up at him.

"Thanks for comin', Janine."

Janine smiled sadly. "Oh, no problem, Kai. I wanted to see you off."

Kai couldn't bring himself to smile back. After all they'd been through, he and Janine were being split again, probably forever. He didn't like to think about what he would be leaving behind in Iceland. From the look on her face, she thought the same. He looked down at the floor, and cleared his throat.

"Well, I . . . um . . ."

He stopped again, realising how foolish he sounded. This thing really had gotten hold of him by now. He felt Janine grab his hand jerkily and hold it for a second, and when she let go, he found he was holding something. He opened his fist, already knowing what it was.

"Take it with you," she said softly, shivering, "and don't forget."

He looked down at the ring, and it flashed a little in the glow of the nearby lamp. He closed his fingers around it again tightly, and looked back at Janine. He was surprised to see that cold tears were sliding out of her eyes and trickling slowly down her frosted cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he said quietly, though he knew the answer. He looked away, his heart hurting, and felt Janine wrap her arms around his chest, gingerly so as not to harm him. He pulled her near with his useful arm and closed his eyes.

"I'll miss you so much," she said, her voice muffled. He looked down at her. He didn't need to speak - his eyes answered that he would miss her more than she knew. She gently let go and gave him a watery smile.

"I'll call you."

Kai looked down again, his eyes wretched. "It's not the same."

"I know."

Suddenly, he looked up again. "You could still take up Mr Dickinson's offer. He did ask you to come back with us for a while, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why not come?" Kai asked, his voice hopeful. Janine smiled sorrowfully and sighed, more tears escaping.

"We'd just have to go through this again, Kai. There's no avoiding it. And besides, this is my home now. I don't feel I'm ready to leave it yet."

Kai scanned her face, his own full of hurt. "But . . . I don't feel I'm ready to leave you yet, Janine."

Janine glanced away for a second, and then steadied her voice. "I know. I feel the same way. But we'll be . . . alright."

Kai stared at her long and hard, taking in every detail from her face, etching it in his mind, promising himself he would never forget it. And suddenly he remembered when they had first met, when she had looked into his eyes, and now their eyes met again, more familiar now. They locked, not wanting to break away, not wanting to leave.

A call from Rei broke the chain, and Janine looked away.

"You'd better go. It's too cold for you out here, and you might-"

She trailed off as Kai leaned forwards, and she felt his lips softly brush against her cheek. She smiled, suddenly filled with pleasant warmth despite the cruel weather, and sighed. Then she felt Kai brush a strand of her hair back behind her ear with his hand, and as he did so he whispered.

"Thanks."

Janine blinked, still not quite recovered from the kiss, and looked at him as he straightened up again. He was blushing a little but it was barley visible as he was so cold.

"Thanks . . . for what, Kai?"

He smiled at her. "For reminding me . . . that I don't have to . . . be alone."

Janine felt another tear slicking down her cheek, but she felt strong and happy. She hugged Kai again, this time a little tighter. Then she let go, and, with a content, weary kind of smile, he turned and walked to the train. Janine watched, the wind picking up and ruffling her hair about her face. She raised a shaking hand and stroked her face where his lips had touched her, and she sighed to herself. Rei was waiting for Kai and he held out a hand. Kai took it and stepped onto the train, and he took a window seat.

Janine smiled now, more tears escaping, as the train doors closed with a jolt, and the carriages began to move away. She watched, resisting the urge to stop the train and jump on and go with him. His eyes met hers as he gazed out of the window and they smiled at each other, both hurting, both contented, and then their gaze was finally separated. She smiled to herself, ignoring the beatings of her heart and the tears sliding down her cheeks, and watched as the train disappeared into the distance. She stood there for a while, unmoving, as the darkness of night crept in and shrouded around her, and then she looked to the right, over icy plains and frozen fields that glittered with the moon, and watched as the silhouette of a train could be seen moving slowly along the horizon.

********

Inside the train was warm. A smooth current of radiated air breezed about pleasantly, and the overhead lights gave off a balmy glow as well. It was quite deserted - only three other passengers were on the train and they were in different carriages to the Blade-Breakers.

Tyson, upon hearing that there was a buffet cart somewhere on the train, scrambled out of his seat and rushed off, almost knocking over a member of staff on his way. Max apologized for him.

"He's a . . . very . . . hungry boy," he said, inwardly grimacing at how stupid he sounded. The Chief sat and clicked away on Dizzi, flicking through all of the pictures he had taken, right from the very first morning when they had stepped off the plane and gazed upon the glistening flats of Iceland. Now he looked through them, smiling when he remembered all of the things that had gone on.

Opposite the Chief, Rei and Kai sat in silence. Rei was much troubled. In his hands he held a warm cup of cocoa, which they had all been offered as they had stepped on to the train. He had spoken a little when he had gotten on but now had fallen into silence. Next to him, Kai sat still, gazing out of the window. He hadn't said a word since he got on, and he hadn't touched his cocoa either. Rei noticed a small, silver ring, which he turned over now and then in his hands. Rei decided enough was enough, and he spoke directly to Kai.

"So . . . are you looking forward to going home, Kai?"

Kai didn't move. He just kept watching the window, where trees and glistening white dashed past as one rich distortion. He gave no answer - in fact, he didn't even give an acknowledgement that he had heard Rei.

Rei fidgeted, and put his mug down.

"I bet your . . . uh . . . Grandfather will be happy to see you!"

Again, no response. Kai could hear Rei's questions perfectly clearly, but did not feel an inclination to answer them. That last one almost made him laugh, but he had not the heart for it.

Left waiting for an answer, Rei sighed, impatient and worried at the same time.

"Come on, Kai. Speak to me, or at least turn around!"

With a sigh of his own, Kai broke his gaze with the outside and turned so he was facing forwards.

"Happy?"

Rei looked at him for a second. "No."

"Why not?"

Rei faltered. He was unsure of how to phrase himself.

"Well, I'm kinda worried. Are you feeling ok? You're so quiet!"

"I'm always quiet."

"Never this quiet."

Kai didn't respond for a moment, and Rei leaned back in his seat, puzzled. Then Kai answered him.

"I just want time to think. That's all."

He twisted again so he was facing out of the window, his brown eyes full of thought, and Rei, his fears not nearly at rest, gave up. He turned back to the Chief, who was still engrossed in his pictures.

"Check this one out, Rei! It's you and Tyson sliding down a hill of snow! Look at your face!"

Rei smiled lackadaisically. "That's great, Chief. But how long is it till we get to the airport?"

The Chief looked up as if disturbed from a dream and then glanced at his watch.

"Another fifteen minutes or so. It's only a short ride."

Rei nodded, satisfied. Although he had not mentioned it to anyone, he longed to see Mariah again. They had spoken on the phone a lot over the past two days but it wasn't the same as seeing someone face to face. Watching Kai and Janine be split up had made him realize how lucky he was to have someone waiting back home for him, and now he yearned all the more for Mariah. He smiled to himself unconsciously, and then stretched as Tyson and Max waddled past with a ton of food. Max giggled.

"They've gotta reload the cart we took so much!"

The Chief laughed. "Tyson! You've got eight bags of chips!"

Tyson nodded as if this were perfectly normal. "I know. And I've got five chocolate muffins, three bags of peanuts, a whole load of pretzels, and as much chocolate as I could fill my pockets with!"

He turned to the side and the Chief could see wrappers poking out from his pockets.

"And then I gave the rest to Maxy!"

"And the woman at the head of the cart said she could make us some pizzas if we were lucky!"

"So I ordered plain ones - for your sake, Rei."

Rei smiled, amused, thinking back to their silly argument over pizza toppings, and blushed. "Thanks, Tyson."

Tyson leaned over the table in the middle of them and dumped all of his new belongings there. Chocolate bars slid off the side and Rei, with a shake of his head, picked them up.

"I don't know how you do it, Tyson. How much did that cost you?"

Tyson grinned jubilantly, "Hey, this is an all expenses paid trip, remember? I put it on Mr Dickinson's tab!"

"He's sure gonna be happy with you!" giggled Max from behind a stack of potato chips. The Chief spun his laptop around.

"I think I'll take a picture. I wouldn't want to forget this!"

Dizzi scanned the table. "Woah, how many of there are you? Twenty?"

"No, but Tyson eats for at least ten!"

Dizzi flashed for a moment and then Kenny shut her off. He looked up at the others.

"Let's eat!"

Tyson dived in, grabbing pretzels and a muffin and eating both at the same time, much to Max's disgust.

"Tyson!"

"Mff . . . wha?"

Rei rolled his eyes, laughing, and took some pretzels and began to munch happily on them. A waitress brought over some more drinks and he took a Coke, taking alternate mouthfuls - pretzel, Coke, pretzel, Coke - and so on. Tyson seemed to pig everything in sight, not seeming to care that he had chocolate smeared around his mouth with little crumbs stuck in it. His face was lit up in a smile - Tyson was never happier than when he was eating. Max and the Chief ate modestly, having eaten their fill at the Hotel Arctic. However they did help themselves when the pizza arrived, ignoring Dizzi's complaints at how she couldn't even eat. Kai still didn't touch a thing, but closed his eyes after a time of staring out of the window.

Fifteen minutes passed as quickly as the blurred trees outside the train, and soon the announcer was calling their stop. Tyson wiped his face with his sleeve and jumped up, all of the sugar giving him boundless energy.

"Ok, guys. Let's get our stuff! The plane is next - I wonder if they have a buffet cart on it-"

"TYSON!"

Tyson blushed. "Ok, ok!"

He slipped out of his seat and took his yellow bag from the nearby compartment, slinging Max's onto the floor as he did so.

"Oops, sorry Maxy."

"Don't sweat it," grinned Max cheerily as he bent and retrieved his bag. He threw the Chief his, and then passed Rei and Kai's along to where they were still seated. Rei grabbed both of them with ease and stood.

"Well, Kai?"

Kai opened his eyes and looked up.

"Yeah, I'm comin'."

He stood shakily, and watched as Tyson, Max and the Chief moved towards the doors when the train pulled up to the stop. Rei, understanding, took Kai's arm and pulled it around his shoulder.

"Let's go."

They moved to the door just as it opened, and a gust of cold air smashed in. It whipped them all in the faces and Tyson cried out.

"Arghhh! Freezing!"

The officer besides them chuckled. "Do you know what way to go, now?"

Max looked up at the burly man in his black suit. "What do you mean?"

The man nodded outside. "This train doesn't take you directly to the airport. You've got a five minute walk until you get there."

Tyson looked horrified. "We have to walk . . . in that weather?"

The officer smiled. "It's a good thing you're all wrapped up so warm."

The Chief sighed. "Great."

All five boys stepped off the train and the horn went, and the carriages slowly pulled away. Soon it was out of sight. The vicious wind rushed at their faces again and they squinted in discomfort. Tyson huddled and pulled his coat tighter around himself.

"Man, it's so cold!"

Rei looked about himself. "This is terrible,"

He gave Kai a sideward glance. "You ok?"

Kai nodded. "Yeah. We'd better get going. We'll only get colder standing around. Plus, standing here isn't gonna get us there. So let's move."

Kenny nodded. "That's right. If we hurry we'll be fine! Just think of that warm airport . . ."

Max sighed, his vivid imagination taking him there. Then he snapped out of it as the cold wind rushed again.

"Let's just hurry it up!"

The boys set off. It was flat ground and wasn't too slippery, and there was a path marked out so they couldn't get lost. Their only problem was the wind, which froze as it blew, chilling the boys through and causing them some delay.

Rei glanced around through his eyes, which he had squinted into little slits. The amber in them glowed brightly.

"Can you see it yet?"

"Nope!" called the Chief from the front, "But I'm sure it can't be too far!"

Rei nodded, his coat billowing behind him, the shoulder with the two bags on beginning to hurt. Kai noticed his discomfort.

"Want me to take a bag?"

Rei glanced at him, shocked. "Don't be dumb! I'm fine! But are you alright?"

Kai nodded resiliently. "I wish you'd stop asking,"

Rei said nothing, noticing how Kai had to lean on him a great deal more than he usually did. He was obviously finding this difficult. He may have been able to walk a little, but he was by no means ready for something as intense this. What seemed like a short walk to most would be an immense challenge for him, his legs still recovering from the punishment they had taken.

"Tell me if you wanna take a break!" Rei yelled over the bawl of the wind, which slit into them again.

Kai shook his head. "Just keep going."

The wind tore through them again, and, in front, Tyson clutched at his cap.

"Man, this is horrible!" he cried, his usually brown face white, "How far, Chief?"

The Chief opened Dizzi up with difficulty, and she bleeped quickly.

"Oh man! Dizzi's not home! It's . . . too cold out here!"

"Come on, Dizzi, give us a reading. How far till the airport?"

Another bleep as Dizzi scanned the area. "Just over this little hill and you'll be able to see it, Chief. Now close me up!"

The Chief shut his laptop with a click, and Max, who was in the very front, ran on ahead, not seeming to feel the cold as badly as the others did. There was a slope further on and he attacked it head on, racing up and standing still as he reached the peak. It wasn't very steep, but it gave a better view.

"Alright! It's just past this hill!" he cried as the others began to climb the hill. They soon reached the top and looked at the airport, which was about a minute away. In the dark sky ahead they could see planes taking off and landing smoothly, and the lights of the airport dazzled in the shadowy atmosphere. Tyson smiled.

"Oh yeah!"

He leaped forward and ran ahead, desperate for warmth. The others followed, grinning at his enthusiasm. They pressed on doggedly and were soon at the airport check in.

Tyson slung his bag onto a black conveyor belt and watched it chug away. The others did the same, Rei gladly dropping both his and Kai's bags down and relaxing his shoulder. The throb in the muscle died pleasantly and he rolled it a little. Besides him, Kai spoke quietly.

"Rei . . . I need to sit down."

Rei started, and glanced at his friend in alarm. He had not realized how pale he was. His brown eyes stared straight ahead but were dull and slightly narrowed.

"Man, I forgot. Here."

He moved over to a set of seats and, just as they were about to sit, Kai's legs finally buckled. They had done well to take Kai this far but it had been too much for him. Luckily Rei still had hold of him and he lowered Kai gingerly. He then slid into a chair beside his friend and looked at him anxiously.

"Want me to get help?"

Kai, his face ashen, shook his head a little.

"No. I just . . . need to sit for a minute."

He leaned back and closed his eyes, feeling the ache in his almost numb legs subside slowly. Rei continued to watch him, troubled. After a moment the others joined them, and they all sat quietly for a while, allowing Kai to regain his strength. When some of the colour had returned to his face, he looked at them and smiled.

"Sorry 'bout that."

Tyson shook his head. "No problem, pal. You just scared us a little."

Rei, always the doctor, spoke again.

"Are you alright now?"

Kai nodded. "Yeah. I guess I just overdid it."

Rei smiled, relieved, and then stood as a hostess beckoned him over. He hurried to her and she passed him a handful of plane tickets. Rei took them gladly, and went and sat down again, looking at the tickets in his hand. Suddenly it struck him. He looked up, counted the Blade-Breakers, and, confirming that there were five in their group, stood up.

"Hold on a second . . ."

The Blade-Breakers had no time to hear Rei's protest as their plane was taking off soon and they had to board. Tyson and Max, who always got excited at the prospect of flying, jumped up and hurried toward the terminal, while the Chief pulled out his passport and made sure he had all the necessary documents he needed. Rei passed the tickets to Kenny, bent down and offered Kai his shoulder. Smiling, Kai took it, grateful, and he stood again, feeling he had just about enough strength to get to the plane. Rei gripped him around the waist too, for extra support, and the two followed in Max and Tyson's trail, laughing when Tyson fell flat on his face in his hurry. A giggling airhostess stood ready to check their tickets, and, when Kenny handed her the tickets, she looked confused.

"There are only five of you. There should be a sixth person in the Blade-Breaker party."

The five boys looked at each other, bewildered.

"There is!" came a voice from behind them. The boys spun around and found Janine, her face flushed and a bag slung over her shoulder, facing them.

"I guess I'm your sixth wheel, guys," she said with a smile, her brown hair windswept and wild, and her eyes lighting up. The airhostess nodded and ripped the corner of each ticket, and then they were allowed to board. Tyson ran up the steps first, excited, followed by Max, who did his aeroplane impression again by sticking his arms out as he ran up the steps two at a time. Kenny, giggling, followed slowly, and Rei waited a second.

"Well, Kai?"

Kai shook his head. "I'll follow you up, Rei."

He saw Rei's concerned face and waved it off. "Stop worrying. I'll be fine."

Rei, not quite convinced, slipped out from underneath Kai's arm and made his way up the metal steps that led to the plane. Kai stood still for a second, and looked straight at Janine. She smiled, and words escaped her as she walked up to him. They looked at each other for a moment, searching each other's faces with intent. Then Janine dropped her bag heavily and placed her arms around Kai's waist again. This time, she did not bury her face in his chest - rather, she leaned up and touched his lips with her own affectionately. He returned the touch, smiling, and they stood there for a moment, undisturbed by the world around them, and were one.

Janine finally broke away, and she couldn't help thinking that he was a fabulous kisser. She stared up at his face again, warmth spreading through her body and her heart beating, and she smiled.

"When you got on that train, I didn't know what to do," she said softly, "and I turned around and looked at my town. And I couldn't help thinking that . . . well . . . I tried and tried but I couldn't think of why I wasn't going with you. And then-"

Kai put a soft finger to her lips, and then leaned down and kissed her again, closing his eyes in happiness. He felt strong again, his legs filled with a new energy. He pulled Janine closer with his free arm. They broke the kiss in unison and Janine rested her head on his chest blissfully. She couldn't believe she had almost missed this.

The airhostess broke in, grinning, and nodded to the plane. Rei was standing at the top, watching with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open. When he saw Kai and Janine look up at him, he blushed with a little grin and disappeared into the plane, and Janine laughed, picking up her bag smartly.

"Here, Kai."

She took his arm and placed it around her shoulder warmly, and they stepped onto the stairs together. They made it to the top and then turned around. Janine scoured the crowd with her eyes, and she looked a little wistful. Kai noticed.

"You don't have to come, you know," he said, though it went against all of his feelings, his emotions. He hated himself for saying it but he knew he would never be happy forcing Janine to do something she didn't want to. Janine looked at him and smiled.

"I think I do."

Kai smiled back, his brown eyes shining, and Janine returned his gaze. She loved to look at his eyes, and was delighted to see that his gaze was warm, inviting and elated. For once, he felt complete, and he shook his hair out of his eyes. He didn't care that he had to go home to his grandfather; he didn't care that he couldn't walk properly. All he cared about was standing beside him, and he sighed, finally content.

The two stepped onto the plane and the door closed. The motors revved, and the plane began to make its way along the runway. It took off into the sky, which had been draped in a shimmery purple veil, and soon became a diminutive white smudge underneath the pointed assemblage of stars, which glittered in their natural phosphorescence. Soon it was out of sight, and the sky was bare again but for the twinkling of lamps that lit the space around them as candle flames, and the gentle movement of soft indigo clouds that ambled along the skyline at their own pace.

A/N They think it's all over . . . it is now.