Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, the country or Rei's dagger.
A/N: Once again, huge, gigantic thanks to my reviewers. You are the people that allow me to work on this story. ~Rei's thoughts~ *Kai's thoughts*
The green glow continued to grow surrounding the figure. Kai refused to draw Dranzer, not wanting to provoke the person any further. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to speak with you for a moment. I'm looking for something." The green glow dissipated suddenly, looking like it had been sucked back in to the body.
He slowly moved over to the window, looking out at the forest. It stretched out as far as the eye could see with no visible breaks. It was the first time he'd seen his host in actual light and his breath caught in his throat. Golden feline eyes looked up at him, curiosity visible in their depths. Long, raven hair hung down his back past his knees, bound with white, keeping the strands in place. Bangs were held back from his face with a red headband, embroidered with a small black and white circle. His skin was darker then Kai's, matching his dark hair well. The boy yawned, revealing cat-like fangs. He smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry about that. I didn't sleep real well last night." He sat back down on the window seat, leaning against the frame. Kai sat down in the chair, turning his eyes to the boy. The boy turned his eyes on the knight. Golden eyes swept over the armored body, coming to rest on bare hands. "You said you were here looking for something, what are you looking for?" Kai snapped out of his thoughts before getting to his feet and bowing before the boy.
"Knight-Captain Kai Hiwatari of the Kingdom of Dalara." He rose from the bow, smirking slightly as the boy jumped to his feet with the grace of a hunting cat. "Sorry, you showed up and I got sidetracked. I'm Rei." Rei's body was lithe, his muscle moving smoothly beneath flawless skin. Kai removed Dranzer from his back, laying the possessed blade on the table next to him. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, blocking out the intruding sunlight. "The king sent me here to." He stopped at the sound of a thump followed by a squishing sound.
Rei was looking at the open door calmly, pupils narrowing to mere slits. Kai picked Dranzer back up, slipping the blade from the scabbard. Rei looked over at the sound and saw the knight tense, blade held easily in hand. "Would you mind telling me what the hell that sound is?" Rei growled low in his throat, a feral look creeping into his eyes. "It's my guardian. I'm not allowed to leave the tower." There was a final squishing sound before Rei's guardian appeared.
A wave of smell washed over Kai and Rei, slightly reminiscent of rotting meat and death. The creature was black, with green boils. The eyes were black with red pupils and were burning with an inner light. It seemed to shift between walking on two legs and four. Ragged, torn wings stuck out from its back, useless for flight. The eyes swept over them, stopping to rest on the knight.
"What isss thissssss?" The creature's voice was thick with malice and phlegm. It moved into the room with a thump and squish, intent on the knight. "Does it matter. Are you going to kill him like the others?" Rei's voice was hard; eyes still focused on his 'guardian'. The creature looked at his charge, the fire in his eyes flaring. "Of courssse. Anyone who enterssss the tower mussst die." He lunged at the knight, who dodged out of the way, hit the floor and came up from a roll in the open part of the room. Rei had sat back down at the window seat, knowing that he would be of no help to the young knight.
Kai had taken Dranzer in a two-handed grip, watching the demon. Claws sprouted from fingers as the creature made another pass at him. He felt the claws rake along his armor, a shrill sound following the claws. Somehow, Kai managed to bring his sword around, the edge biting the creature's arm to the bone. Black blood oozed from the wound, staining Dranzer's blade. The creature looked at the wound on its arm, almost puzzeled. "Thiss isss the clossesst anyone has gotten. You mussst die." The creature moved so fast that it nearly managed to decapitate the knight. Kai moved at the last moment, a thin line of red appearing on his neck. He quickly raised a hand to his neck, drawing away, his fingers wet with blood. A smirk appeared on his face, highlighted by the red glow coming from his sword. "You're going to have to do better than that." Just as the creature turned to face him he stepped well within the creature's reach, drawing his sword across at waist level. Dranzer bit into black flesh, sliding through until it hit backbone. Kai pulled his sword out, black blood dripping from the blade to land on the floor and stain. The creature held its hands to the wound, desperately trying to hold in its guts. The creature's innards started to pulse, growing each time.
Rei saw what was happening and dove behind one of the bookshelves, watching in horror as the guts of his 'guardian' continued to grow. Suddenly there was a muffled thump, as black stuffed sprayed throughout the room coating everything but a longhaired figure. Rei looked over at Kai. The knight was covered in black dripping sludge, having been nearest the explosion. His grey hair hung in his eyes, streaked with black. The only color on him was the mahogany of his eyes. "And what about this situation is so funny?" Rei was leaning against the wall laughing. He looked up, golden eyes filled with tears of laughter. "Sorry. There's hot springs at the base of the tower, just follow the stairs down." Kai cleaned Dranzer off as much as possible and left the room.
*****
The stone slowly moved from smooth, to a rough natural look. Rei walked down the stairs, clothing in hand. No light illuminated the stairs making them more dangerous than they really were. However Rei had traveled the stairs many times and he could see much better in the dark than a human. At the bottom of the stairs was a faint green glowing light. The stairs opened into a cavern, the roof no more than ten feet from the ground. A wide lip ran around the hot spring, interrupted twice by water flow. One rivulet dumped cold water into the pool, maintaining a constant temperature. The second carried away, water from the pool, keeping it from overflowing. A mage light hung over the pool, illuminating the space.
Kai was in the pool, eyes closed looking relaxed. ~Hmmm. Not bad. Of course this is the first time my guardian didn't kill the person. ~ Rei ran his eyes over the knight. His pale skin was green from the mage light, and his hair appeared to be black. "Are you done looking me over?" Rei blushed and put the clothing he was carrying to one side. "I went and got you fresh clothes from your bags. There's nothing we can do to save your old stuff."
"Hn." Was the only answer he got. He let out a silent sigh, reminding himself to be patient. Rei gathered Kai's stained clothing and set them away from the pool. Half- closing his eyes he fell into a trance. The green glow appeared again, this time contained to his hand. He sketched a rune in the air, watching as the clothing on the ground turned to a pile of ash. The green glow disappeared, leaving only the light from the mage globe. Kai watched, his mahogany eyes hooded, showing slight interest. "That was a nice trick."
Rei sat on the ground next to Dranzer and the armor; eyes focused on the far wall. "Its part of my being a neko-jin. All of us have innate magic. Some more than others." His eyes drifted to Dranzer, then to the sword's master. He was careful to keep his eyes above Kai's neck. "Do you mind if I look at your sword?" Kai was about to say no, when Dranzer stopped him. The blade wanted to know more about the young neko-jin. He nodded, watching as the blade came free of the sheath. The ruby in the blade was dull, no light shining from it. The black goo had been cleaned off, leaving the blade to shimmer in the green light. Rei heard a splashing, and looked up, before quickly looking back down at the blade. That single glimpse of pale skin had been enough to dry his throat rather quickly and bring some problems to mind.
*****
"What's behind all these doors?" They had passed a number of doors, all of them locked. Kai saw a shudder go through the lithe form in front of him. Rei stopped, and turned around looking down at Kai. "Those rooms contain my 'guardian's' collection." He turned back around, intent on the climb. Upon reaching a room, one level lower than the top room where the accident had happened, Rei took a key from a hidden pocket and unlocked the door. "This is the only room with a bed. It's the only other room I'm allowed in." He pushed the heavy door open, moving to one side to allow the knight in.
A single, white mage globe provided illumination in the room. The floor had a carpet on it, keeping the chill from the floor at a minimum. Tapestries hung from floor to ceiling, covering the rough stone. A four-post bed, that would fit four people sat in the middle of the room, with a chest at the end. Rei went to his chest and opened it digging through it, before coming up victorious. Kai sat on the bed, watching with hidden amusement at Rei's antics. The young boy had unwrapped his hair and was slowly working through the rich, mass of ebony. He came to a snarl, long, slim fingers slowly working the snarl into oblivion. His hair hung down around his ankles, obscuring his figure. "Um, Kai since we got interrupted, could you tell me what you're doing here?" The knight snapped out of his thoughts, mahogany eyes focused on the far wall. "The King of Dalara sent me here looking for a treasure, that he said was stolen from his family years ago. I don't suppose you happen to know where it might be?" Rei shook his head, fingers deftly braiding raven strands together. "No. I've lived in this tower for twenty years. I've never seen anything."
*That's just great. I'm out here on a wild goose chase. I'll just have to bring him back with me. I can't just leave him here. * The neko-jin finished tying off his hair, before sitting at the window seat. The sun was just setting, painting the remaining clouds pink and orange. The forest was black, no color visible in the trees. The only sound to reach the room was that of the wind through the trees. Rei yawned, and got to his feet, gathering power in one hand. The mage globe went out, plunging the room into darkness. He crawled into the bed, his back to the knight. "Night Kai." Kai settled down, staring straight up at the hidden ceiling. "Good night Rei."
*****
Kai shifted and snuggled up against the warmth next to him. He was used to sleeping alone, and he found having someone in bed with him comforting. Mahogany eyes shot open. Rei was tucked against his chest, the knight's arm draped possessively, over the lithe body. The blankets had some how made it to the foot of the bed. The room was chill with the early morning, which would explain why the neko-jin was curled up against him.
He got out of the bed without waking Rei, and gathering clothes he went back down to the hot spring. When he made it back up to the room Rei was up, eating a bowl of porridge. He picked up a second bowl, looking at the grey, lumpy goop. He raised an eyebrow. "It tastes a lot better than it looks." Kai looked at the neko-jin, who was cutting an apple into slices. "Are you leaving today?" Rei was still slicing the apple, golden eyes never wavering from the fruit. "Yes. And you're coming with me."
Golden eyes widened in shock. "You're what?" He nodded eyes focused on the figure in front of him. "There's no way you can stay here. It's not safe. Pack some clothes in my saddlebags and get ready to go."
*****
Rei stopped at the door, eyes wandering aimlessly over the interior of the tower that he had occupied for twenty years. There were no fond memories of the building. He had spent the time alone, with nobody for companionship. The years had been spent studying, learning to control what little magic he possessed and staring out over the forest. Closing the door behind him, he reactivated the ward.
Altair stood silently, allowing his master to prepare him for the journey back. Kai had rearranged things so that the ride wouldn't be too bad for Rei. The neko-jin had never ridden which, could lead to problems on the road. At the sound of soft footsteps behind him, he turned to meet golden eyes. Rei had dark blue, almost black pants on. Hanging from his belt, was a dagger. The golden handle was twisted into a tiger's head and Kai could see the blade was a crystalline like substance. A blue vest was on over a short-sleeved white shirt, revealing toned arms. Black shoes adorned his feet. His dark blue cloak was rolled up and tied to the saddlebags. Kai swung into Altair's saddle, before pulling the neko-jin up behind him. "Ready?" "Is anybody really ready to leave the place they lived their entire life?" The knight took that as a yes and urged Altair onto the road.
A/N: Once again, huge, gigantic thanks to my reviewers. You are the people that allow me to work on this story. ~Rei's thoughts~ *Kai's thoughts*
The green glow continued to grow surrounding the figure. Kai refused to draw Dranzer, not wanting to provoke the person any further. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to speak with you for a moment. I'm looking for something." The green glow dissipated suddenly, looking like it had been sucked back in to the body.
He slowly moved over to the window, looking out at the forest. It stretched out as far as the eye could see with no visible breaks. It was the first time he'd seen his host in actual light and his breath caught in his throat. Golden feline eyes looked up at him, curiosity visible in their depths. Long, raven hair hung down his back past his knees, bound with white, keeping the strands in place. Bangs were held back from his face with a red headband, embroidered with a small black and white circle. His skin was darker then Kai's, matching his dark hair well. The boy yawned, revealing cat-like fangs. He smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry about that. I didn't sleep real well last night." He sat back down on the window seat, leaning against the frame. Kai sat down in the chair, turning his eyes to the boy. The boy turned his eyes on the knight. Golden eyes swept over the armored body, coming to rest on bare hands. "You said you were here looking for something, what are you looking for?" Kai snapped out of his thoughts before getting to his feet and bowing before the boy.
"Knight-Captain Kai Hiwatari of the Kingdom of Dalara." He rose from the bow, smirking slightly as the boy jumped to his feet with the grace of a hunting cat. "Sorry, you showed up and I got sidetracked. I'm Rei." Rei's body was lithe, his muscle moving smoothly beneath flawless skin. Kai removed Dranzer from his back, laying the possessed blade on the table next to him. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, blocking out the intruding sunlight. "The king sent me here to." He stopped at the sound of a thump followed by a squishing sound.
Rei was looking at the open door calmly, pupils narrowing to mere slits. Kai picked Dranzer back up, slipping the blade from the scabbard. Rei looked over at the sound and saw the knight tense, blade held easily in hand. "Would you mind telling me what the hell that sound is?" Rei growled low in his throat, a feral look creeping into his eyes. "It's my guardian. I'm not allowed to leave the tower." There was a final squishing sound before Rei's guardian appeared.
A wave of smell washed over Kai and Rei, slightly reminiscent of rotting meat and death. The creature was black, with green boils. The eyes were black with red pupils and were burning with an inner light. It seemed to shift between walking on two legs and four. Ragged, torn wings stuck out from its back, useless for flight. The eyes swept over them, stopping to rest on the knight.
"What isss thissssss?" The creature's voice was thick with malice and phlegm. It moved into the room with a thump and squish, intent on the knight. "Does it matter. Are you going to kill him like the others?" Rei's voice was hard; eyes still focused on his 'guardian'. The creature looked at his charge, the fire in his eyes flaring. "Of courssse. Anyone who enterssss the tower mussst die." He lunged at the knight, who dodged out of the way, hit the floor and came up from a roll in the open part of the room. Rei had sat back down at the window seat, knowing that he would be of no help to the young knight.
Kai had taken Dranzer in a two-handed grip, watching the demon. Claws sprouted from fingers as the creature made another pass at him. He felt the claws rake along his armor, a shrill sound following the claws. Somehow, Kai managed to bring his sword around, the edge biting the creature's arm to the bone. Black blood oozed from the wound, staining Dranzer's blade. The creature looked at the wound on its arm, almost puzzeled. "Thiss isss the clossesst anyone has gotten. You mussst die." The creature moved so fast that it nearly managed to decapitate the knight. Kai moved at the last moment, a thin line of red appearing on his neck. He quickly raised a hand to his neck, drawing away, his fingers wet with blood. A smirk appeared on his face, highlighted by the red glow coming from his sword. "You're going to have to do better than that." Just as the creature turned to face him he stepped well within the creature's reach, drawing his sword across at waist level. Dranzer bit into black flesh, sliding through until it hit backbone. Kai pulled his sword out, black blood dripping from the blade to land on the floor and stain. The creature held its hands to the wound, desperately trying to hold in its guts. The creature's innards started to pulse, growing each time.
Rei saw what was happening and dove behind one of the bookshelves, watching in horror as the guts of his 'guardian' continued to grow. Suddenly there was a muffled thump, as black stuffed sprayed throughout the room coating everything but a longhaired figure. Rei looked over at Kai. The knight was covered in black dripping sludge, having been nearest the explosion. His grey hair hung in his eyes, streaked with black. The only color on him was the mahogany of his eyes. "And what about this situation is so funny?" Rei was leaning against the wall laughing. He looked up, golden eyes filled with tears of laughter. "Sorry. There's hot springs at the base of the tower, just follow the stairs down." Kai cleaned Dranzer off as much as possible and left the room.
*****
The stone slowly moved from smooth, to a rough natural look. Rei walked down the stairs, clothing in hand. No light illuminated the stairs making them more dangerous than they really were. However Rei had traveled the stairs many times and he could see much better in the dark than a human. At the bottom of the stairs was a faint green glowing light. The stairs opened into a cavern, the roof no more than ten feet from the ground. A wide lip ran around the hot spring, interrupted twice by water flow. One rivulet dumped cold water into the pool, maintaining a constant temperature. The second carried away, water from the pool, keeping it from overflowing. A mage light hung over the pool, illuminating the space.
Kai was in the pool, eyes closed looking relaxed. ~Hmmm. Not bad. Of course this is the first time my guardian didn't kill the person. ~ Rei ran his eyes over the knight. His pale skin was green from the mage light, and his hair appeared to be black. "Are you done looking me over?" Rei blushed and put the clothing he was carrying to one side. "I went and got you fresh clothes from your bags. There's nothing we can do to save your old stuff."
"Hn." Was the only answer he got. He let out a silent sigh, reminding himself to be patient. Rei gathered Kai's stained clothing and set them away from the pool. Half- closing his eyes he fell into a trance. The green glow appeared again, this time contained to his hand. He sketched a rune in the air, watching as the clothing on the ground turned to a pile of ash. The green glow disappeared, leaving only the light from the mage globe. Kai watched, his mahogany eyes hooded, showing slight interest. "That was a nice trick."
Rei sat on the ground next to Dranzer and the armor; eyes focused on the far wall. "Its part of my being a neko-jin. All of us have innate magic. Some more than others." His eyes drifted to Dranzer, then to the sword's master. He was careful to keep his eyes above Kai's neck. "Do you mind if I look at your sword?" Kai was about to say no, when Dranzer stopped him. The blade wanted to know more about the young neko-jin. He nodded, watching as the blade came free of the sheath. The ruby in the blade was dull, no light shining from it. The black goo had been cleaned off, leaving the blade to shimmer in the green light. Rei heard a splashing, and looked up, before quickly looking back down at the blade. That single glimpse of pale skin had been enough to dry his throat rather quickly and bring some problems to mind.
*****
"What's behind all these doors?" They had passed a number of doors, all of them locked. Kai saw a shudder go through the lithe form in front of him. Rei stopped, and turned around looking down at Kai. "Those rooms contain my 'guardian's' collection." He turned back around, intent on the climb. Upon reaching a room, one level lower than the top room where the accident had happened, Rei took a key from a hidden pocket and unlocked the door. "This is the only room with a bed. It's the only other room I'm allowed in." He pushed the heavy door open, moving to one side to allow the knight in.
A single, white mage globe provided illumination in the room. The floor had a carpet on it, keeping the chill from the floor at a minimum. Tapestries hung from floor to ceiling, covering the rough stone. A four-post bed, that would fit four people sat in the middle of the room, with a chest at the end. Rei went to his chest and opened it digging through it, before coming up victorious. Kai sat on the bed, watching with hidden amusement at Rei's antics. The young boy had unwrapped his hair and was slowly working through the rich, mass of ebony. He came to a snarl, long, slim fingers slowly working the snarl into oblivion. His hair hung down around his ankles, obscuring his figure. "Um, Kai since we got interrupted, could you tell me what you're doing here?" The knight snapped out of his thoughts, mahogany eyes focused on the far wall. "The King of Dalara sent me here looking for a treasure, that he said was stolen from his family years ago. I don't suppose you happen to know where it might be?" Rei shook his head, fingers deftly braiding raven strands together. "No. I've lived in this tower for twenty years. I've never seen anything."
*That's just great. I'm out here on a wild goose chase. I'll just have to bring him back with me. I can't just leave him here. * The neko-jin finished tying off his hair, before sitting at the window seat. The sun was just setting, painting the remaining clouds pink and orange. The forest was black, no color visible in the trees. The only sound to reach the room was that of the wind through the trees. Rei yawned, and got to his feet, gathering power in one hand. The mage globe went out, plunging the room into darkness. He crawled into the bed, his back to the knight. "Night Kai." Kai settled down, staring straight up at the hidden ceiling. "Good night Rei."
*****
Kai shifted and snuggled up against the warmth next to him. He was used to sleeping alone, and he found having someone in bed with him comforting. Mahogany eyes shot open. Rei was tucked against his chest, the knight's arm draped possessively, over the lithe body. The blankets had some how made it to the foot of the bed. The room was chill with the early morning, which would explain why the neko-jin was curled up against him.
He got out of the bed without waking Rei, and gathering clothes he went back down to the hot spring. When he made it back up to the room Rei was up, eating a bowl of porridge. He picked up a second bowl, looking at the grey, lumpy goop. He raised an eyebrow. "It tastes a lot better than it looks." Kai looked at the neko-jin, who was cutting an apple into slices. "Are you leaving today?" Rei was still slicing the apple, golden eyes never wavering from the fruit. "Yes. And you're coming with me."
Golden eyes widened in shock. "You're what?" He nodded eyes focused on the figure in front of him. "There's no way you can stay here. It's not safe. Pack some clothes in my saddlebags and get ready to go."
*****
Rei stopped at the door, eyes wandering aimlessly over the interior of the tower that he had occupied for twenty years. There were no fond memories of the building. He had spent the time alone, with nobody for companionship. The years had been spent studying, learning to control what little magic he possessed and staring out over the forest. Closing the door behind him, he reactivated the ward.
Altair stood silently, allowing his master to prepare him for the journey back. Kai had rearranged things so that the ride wouldn't be too bad for Rei. The neko-jin had never ridden which, could lead to problems on the road. At the sound of soft footsteps behind him, he turned to meet golden eyes. Rei had dark blue, almost black pants on. Hanging from his belt, was a dagger. The golden handle was twisted into a tiger's head and Kai could see the blade was a crystalline like substance. A blue vest was on over a short-sleeved white shirt, revealing toned arms. Black shoes adorned his feet. His dark blue cloak was rolled up and tied to the saddlebags. Kai swung into Altair's saddle, before pulling the neko-jin up behind him. "Ready?" "Is anybody really ready to leave the place they lived their entire life?" The knight took that as a yes and urged Altair onto the road.