(A/N: About time I updated, ne? Forgive me. I've been inspired by something else, lost my inspiration for this story, been procrastinating and every time I did sit down to work on this chapter, got stuck. I've finally got the goal back in sight and I hope I can get the next chapter out sooner. Don't count on it though. x__X
Thanks for the reviews!
Neko-jin: Sorry for not updating sooner and leaving you with that terrible cliffy! I feel so incredibly cruel! T.T
Desi2: x___X Yeah. Those chains would be nice. Can you also get me some anti-mother spray? She keeps trying to read over my shoulder. Everytime I sat down to do this, I either got distracted or got stuck. I think I've got my focus back though, so hopefully, it won't take me too long to update!
Neko Oni: Yeah...ebil cliffy, ebil Abee for not updating in a long time. x__X Life ish a bitch. Yesh, I missed u and I'm glad ur back, even if it is cloneless! And it's okay. After all, if Kai's not co-operating, just shoot him. Fixes allllll your problems. ^.~
AznWhiteTigerGirl: Ee hee...Sorry about the terrible wait/cliffy. x__X Here's the next chapter, and hopefully, the next one should follow soon. Hopefully.
Tenma Koneko: Meep! Don't kill me! o.o Here's the next chapter (after a long delay) and I hope the next one will be out soon!
And now, on with the fic!)
"And No Birds Sang"
Chapter 11 - The Wicked Minds
Only to find -
Rei sitting upright, clutching a hand to his ear, screaming bloody murder. Blood gushed out of the wound, pouring across his hand.
Kai had Mari in a headlock. The green-eyed girl was staring at her brother in utter shock. She'd dropped the gun - it now lay halfway across the floor, smoking.
Kevin studied the scene for a brief moment, then wrestled the inner indesiscion and dashed across the floor to Rei's side. He tore a piece of the sheet off from the whole. He pulled Rei's hand forcefully away from the wound. He pressed the piece of cloth to the injury.
How could such a small nick create so much blood?! The bullet had apparently only grazed Rei's ear, then gone on, through the window. Rei went slack against him and he realized the other boy fainted.
Confusion abounded in the room, until someone else walked in.
That someone was Jin. He looked around, then frowned at Mari. Slowly, Kai let go of the struggling female, eyeing her warily. Jin glared at her as she stood up. She spat blood on the floor and glared right back.
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
The yell broke the silence and deafened everyone in the room. Mari looked at the floor, as if ashamed. She mumbled something incoherent.
"I'm sorry doesn't fix what you've done, you idiot! You could have killed him, you know?! Then what would have happened?!"
Mari said nothing. She stared at the floor. Kevin wondered if they were talking about Kai or Rei. He couldn't quite be sure. Jin grabbed Mari by the wrist and dragged her to the door. He paused and looked back at them. "Excuse us. Make yourselves comfortable. There's blankets in the closet."
And with that, they were gone. Kai looked at Kevin and Kevin looked at Kai. They both looked at Rei, who was prone on the futon.
Kai sighed and walked to the closet and began hauling blankets out of the small space. He tossed some of them to Kevin. "Make yourself comfortable," he nearly growled. "I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while."
Kevin nodded and began spreading the blankets on the floor. Kai did likewise on the opposite side of the room. He glanced over at the green-haired neko-jin. "Hey Kevin..."
"Yes, Kai?" Kevin didn't even look up.
Kai sat back on his haunches and looked at the floor. "You haven't happened to see a black suitcase around here by any chance, have you?"
Kevin shook his head. "No. Can't say as though I have, Kai."
Kai felt his heart sink. "Oh, okay then," he said indifferently and turned back to his work.
Damnit! If only things could have been simple! Find Rei, find suitcase! But noooo....He'd found Rei, but Rei was no use to him without the damn suitcase!
He sat back, deep in thought. He had to find out where that suitcase was! And now, he had less than a week to do it! He had no idea where to start looking - it could have been anywhere! Or worse, it could have been stolen and then - only God knew what had happened to it! God forbid it had been stolen!
He didn't know what to do.
~*~*~*~*~*
Jin glared at Mari. And he glared. And he glared some more. Oh, he was livid! What on Earth had possessed Mari to fire the goddamn gun?! She was aware of how utterly important it was to have Rei on their side, supporting them, because he had the financial means (being the beloved pet of Kai Hiwatari) to help the neko-jins out of the bitter hole they were stuck in!
But no! She had nothing better to do, so why not just kill off Rei, their means of getting money! Her only blood relative! Or better yet, let's kill Kai and see said blood relative out on the streets, worthless and useless as most of the neko-jins were!
Rei was in a prime position. He wasn't arrogant, he wasn't cocky, he wasn't a spoiled little brat. Jin had heard all about the escapade during Emperor Johnny's reign. And he had to say, quite honestly, he was impressed. Rei may not have saved every last one of the neko-jins, but he had saved a lot of them from being sold into bondage. He had saved a lot of them from a life of opression and misery. Of course, he'd had help, but it proved Rei was devoted to the cause.
If Rei was devoted to something, then so was Kai, by default, as Jin had deducted from the story he'd been told. And if the great Kai Hiwatari was devoted to something, he could convert the ordinary people, the humans, to equality and pro-neko-jin advocates, rather than anti-neko-jin advocates.
It was an ambitious plan, but Jin knew full well that if he could convince Rei to join the cause, he could get the financial backing he needed from Kai and that crucial link - the link to the other side, the link to the humans. Even if they had all the money in the world to support the cause, they could not reach the humans on the other side. They could reach out and touch the neko-jins and instill them with hope and aspirations, but they could not reach through the barrier of hatred to make the humans realize, to make them understand.
In a sense, Kai was just as important as Rei, if not more.
But Mari! Mari knew this, Mari was aware of it and she was still so hot-headed and stupid to try and kill one of them - he wasn't sure which one she had been aiming for. Mari wanted peace, Mari hoped for equality, but she!
That stupid bitch! One did NOT attain peace and equality by killing a respected member of the other community, by killing one's only link to the other side!
He could barely look at her, her slight frame huddled pathetically on the couch across from him, her head bowed, her shoulders shaking slightly. She was crying! Oh, he hated her, he hated her! She made him so mad!
Her naivety, her utter senselessness, her adversity to being practical made him want to slap her and tell her to wake up, stop dreaming! This was the real world and you didn't get by dreaming of peace and equality! You got those things only if you strived for them, worked for them, died for them!
Mari was too young to realize that. She'd been sheltered (well, fairly) from the crimes committed against neko-jins. She was blind to others predicaments, she was bound by impulses and her own needs, wants, desires. She was self-centred and for now, it was excusable for she was an ignorat child. Sooner or later, she had to grow up and Jin saw no signs of that happening.
How long had he lived with her now? Two years, three, maybe four and she'd been like this ever since they met. She was young, beautiful and she had dreams and hopes. The whole world revolved around her and when something didn't go her way, when she didn't get something, she would get flustered, upset and frustrated. Sometimes, she'd cry.
She never shed a tear for all the neko-jins who didn't make it.
Her eyes were never wet for the neko-jins who would never hold a job, who would be forced into poverty by discrimination, who could never even dream of having the money to buy what it was she was crying over.
The thought that neko-jins were opressed never crossed her mind.
It made him sick.
"Mari," he growled, thunderous and low.
Her shoulders shook even harder and she sobbed outright now. "I'm sorry, Jin! I'm so sorry!"
He got up. "Think about what we're trying to do, Mari. Think about the others and not yourself for once," the silver-haired neko-jin growled before he exited the room.
Mari looked up, her eyes wide and startled in the darkness. She sat like that for a long, long while, just thinking, quietly.
~*~*~*~*
There was a knock on the door. Bright morning sunlight streamed into the room. Fernando groaned and rolled over. "Deigo, get the door!"
There was a chirpy, "Okay," from the blond and then, the tell-tale sounds of the door opening, squealing on its hinges. Fernando covered his head with his pillow in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Diego opened the door, a cheerful smile upon his face. "Hello," he said chipperly, then opened his eyes to look at a man he didn't recognize.
He was dressed in a heavy poncho and his hat was pulled low over his face. Odd, green eyes glared up at him from under the shadows. He didn't reply.
Diego blinked. "Uh..hi? Are you looking for someone?"
"Kon, Rei," was the only reply he got from the man, whose voice was low and raspy.
Deigo nearly shivered. "Um, well, he's not here right now, but I'm sure we could find out for you -"
The unnerved blond found himself at the business end of a pistol barrel. His eyes widened in fright and he nearly leapt back. "H-hey now -"
"Tell me, where is Rei Kon?"
"I swear I don't know!" Deigo shrilled, his voice high and squeaky with fear.
There was the sound of gunfire and Fernando threw the pillow off his head and sat up. "What the -"
He got out of bed and padded across the dirty apartment floor, peering out into the den. His eyes widened in shock and fright. Diego was lying on the floor, a bullet wound through his forehead. He was bleeding profusely and it was more than certain he was dead. Fernando bit back a cry and ducked back into the bedroom. He hadn't been seen yet, he hadn't been seen, he hadn't been seen...
There were footsteps, heavy and loud, across the floor. They were headed away from him. He could hear the mutterings of the intruder. "Where are you..."
"It has to be here somewhere..."
Fernando's eyes darted down to the floor. Under the bed, completely forgotten in most of the mess, was Rei's suitcase. Fernando felt almost sick. He had to get rid of it! It was evidence!
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, he scrambled across the room, grabbing a pair of pants, a shirt and his shoes. He threw his clothes on hastily and tore the suitcase out from under the bed. Glancing back again, he made for the window.
Steeling his courage, he clambered over the ledge and jumped.
He landed in the middle of the street, scaring a couple of pedestrians. He sprawled across the tarmac. Coughing, sputtering and hoping he hadn't made to much noise, he clambered to his feet, noting that he was bruised, bleeding and dust. Ignoring it, he took off down the street.
He had to find Mari!
~*~*~*~*
Jose growled as he stood in front of the open window. He glanced at the state of the room. Whoever had left, had left in a hurry. He guessed it was Rei, and Rei knew he was there, knew what he was looking for. He stuck his head out the window and looked around.
Nothing.
Shoving his pistol back in its holster, he turned and strode out of the ransacked apartment.
~*~*~*~*
Axel, Max and Tyson walked back into the apartment. Max and Tyson were carrying large brown shopping bags, which were overflowing with legumes (as Axel kept calling them. He apparently had been to France.), fruits, and other such edible things.
Upon entering the apartment, said shopping bags fell to the floor. The apples were probably badly bruised.
"Holy shit!"
"What happened here?!"
"Oh my God! They killed Diego!"
Axel checked for a pulse and found none. Then, he disappeared into the bedroom. Max and Tyson stood in the doorway, gaping. The sight was horribly gruesome and it made their stomachs twist, but somehow, they could not look away.
Axel came back, carrying a sheet. He threw it over Diego's corpse, effectively blocking the blank, staring eyes. He crossed his arms and looked about. "The entire place has been ransacked," he muttered. "And Fernando's gone."
Max looked fearful. "Do...do you think they got him too?" he asked, in a small, nervous voice.
Axel shook his head. "They just let Diego lie here, so why would they take Fernando's body? He's either been kidnapped to be held hostage or he got out."
Tyson swallowed, then snapped back to life. He laughed humourlessly. "Good thing we got up early to go to the market, eh?" he chuckled.
His sad attempt at laughter was strangled by a potent glare from Max. Axel frowned. "If Fernando's been kidnapped, you'd think there'd be a ransom note around here, or something."
"Not nessecarily," Max chimed in, almost miserably.
They stood there, in deep thought, not saying anything for about ten minutes. Tyson sighed and sat down on the floor, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "Alright. Maybe we should search the house for a ransom note. If we don't find one, we should contact the police and ask anybody Fernando knows if they've seen him."
Max blinked. Tyson was being...rational? Reasonable? Sensible? LOGICAL?! Critically, Max glared at Tyson. "Have you gone mad?" he asked, his tone almost bitter.
Tyson frowned. Axel looked at Max reprovingly. "He's right, Max. That's the best course of action. Thought it'll take a while to ask everybody Fernando knows if they've seen him."
~*~*~*~*
Kai sat up, blinking as strong sunlight filtered into the room. He glanced at Rei and Kevin, both who were still sound asleep.
"It's about time you woke up."
He glanced in the direction of the wall to see Jin leaning against it. The neko-jin wasn't smiling. His face was grave and his tone was serious.
Kai got up. "What do you want?" he asked, sounding almost cynical.
The bluenette meandered in his general direction, but he could have also been aiming for the door, as Jin was standing near it. The older man put an arm about Kai's shoulders in a friendly manner, but Kai shrugged him off. "Stay away from me," he muttered.
Still, Jin didn't say anything. Instead, he followed Kai into the kitchen, something like a lost puppy would follow a child home from school. Kai glared at him.
They sat down at the table wordlessly, facing each other. Jin folded his hands and looked pointedly at Kai. "Kai," he said slowly, as if unsure. "There's something I want to discuss with you."
Kai made no reply, and kept his face stoic.
Jin ploughed on. "You know how very unkindly your race treats mine," he said, keeping his eyes on Kai's face, gauging a reaction. "I don't believe you want to see us suffer like that."
Still nothing. Jin took a deep breath and continued on. "Kai, you have the resources and the status...the power to help your race to understand mine, to help bring us together. I've already reached out to my fellow neko-jins and made them believe they can be equals."
Not a word, not a twitch, nothing. Sharp red eyes seemed to see through him, watched him like a hawk.
Unnerved by the crimson gaze, Jin kept going. He was going to be deterred. "What I can't do, is reach out to the humans of the world and bring them hope of the same ideal. You can."
"You want me to help you," Kai said coolly, as though it was something he was observing from afar.
"Quite frankly, yes."
"Why should I" Kai asked, his gaze piercingly curious.
Jin didn't falter. "Do you want Rei to continue to suffer?"
Kai shrugged. "Rei doesn't matter to me anymore," he said and his voice was as cold as ice. There was no hint of any emotion on his face, in his eyes.
Jin was beginning to understand why people feared and respected the Hiwataris.
Kai stood up and walked silently out of the kitchen. Jin heard the front door closing and silently, he cursed. The link that made Kai the surest bet had fallen out.
Shit.
~*~*~*~*
The alley was quiet, and out of the way, an all together too obscure place for any normal people to go. Mari and Luis stood there, talking quietly.
"Yes, he's staying with us -"
"You didn't kill him?"
"No, I tried, but -"
"Hmph. Figures."
"I want you to do it, instead. It's less conspicous. He doesn't even know you."
Luis was silent for a long moment, then finally nodded in agreement. "Fine."
He stuck out his hand and Mari shook it. "Good."
They parted ways. No sooner had Mari struck out on her own, on her way back to the apartment, than she was accosted by Fernando.
The purple-haired boy was out of breathe, cut and scraped. He looked wild, scared, like a frightened animal and Mari nearly screamed when she saw him.
"Fernando?"
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Oh, Mari! Thank God I found you! They killed Diego, and they're after Rei and they're gonna get me, they destroyed the apartment, thank God, Axel was gone - oh God! Axel!"
Mari grabbed him by the wrists and tried to calm him down. "Fernando! Calm down and tell me what happened! Who did what?"
Fernando buried his hands in his face. "Some guy...he showed up at the apartment..and he...he shot Diego! He was after Rei, and I got out of there, by God! He would have killed me too!"
Mari looked startled. "Fernando..."
"Here," Fernando said, shoving the suitcase into her arms.
Mari looked at him, bemused. "It's Rei's," he said, almost nonchanlantly. "I thought I'd better give it to you."
Mari nodded dumbly and Fernando shook her hand. "I must be off - I've got to find out what happened to Axel!"
With that, he raced off again, leaving Mari with her brother's suitcase in hand. Stupidly, she looked down at it and then, coming back to herself, she decided to check the contents of it.
~*~*~*~*
(A/N: R&R please and Happy New Year to everyone! Hopefully, I get my act together in the new year. x__X)
Thanks for the reviews!
Neko-jin: Sorry for not updating sooner and leaving you with that terrible cliffy! I feel so incredibly cruel! T.T
Desi2: x___X Yeah. Those chains would be nice. Can you also get me some anti-mother spray? She keeps trying to read over my shoulder. Everytime I sat down to do this, I either got distracted or got stuck. I think I've got my focus back though, so hopefully, it won't take me too long to update!
Neko Oni: Yeah...ebil cliffy, ebil Abee for not updating in a long time. x__X Life ish a bitch. Yesh, I missed u and I'm glad ur back, even if it is cloneless! And it's okay. After all, if Kai's not co-operating, just shoot him. Fixes allllll your problems. ^.~
AznWhiteTigerGirl: Ee hee...Sorry about the terrible wait/cliffy. x__X Here's the next chapter, and hopefully, the next one should follow soon. Hopefully.
Tenma Koneko: Meep! Don't kill me! o.o Here's the next chapter (after a long delay) and I hope the next one will be out soon!
And now, on with the fic!)
"And No Birds Sang"
Chapter 11 - The Wicked Minds
Only to find -
Rei sitting upright, clutching a hand to his ear, screaming bloody murder. Blood gushed out of the wound, pouring across his hand.
Kai had Mari in a headlock. The green-eyed girl was staring at her brother in utter shock. She'd dropped the gun - it now lay halfway across the floor, smoking.
Kevin studied the scene for a brief moment, then wrestled the inner indesiscion and dashed across the floor to Rei's side. He tore a piece of the sheet off from the whole. He pulled Rei's hand forcefully away from the wound. He pressed the piece of cloth to the injury.
How could such a small nick create so much blood?! The bullet had apparently only grazed Rei's ear, then gone on, through the window. Rei went slack against him and he realized the other boy fainted.
Confusion abounded in the room, until someone else walked in.
That someone was Jin. He looked around, then frowned at Mari. Slowly, Kai let go of the struggling female, eyeing her warily. Jin glared at her as she stood up. She spat blood on the floor and glared right back.
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
The yell broke the silence and deafened everyone in the room. Mari looked at the floor, as if ashamed. She mumbled something incoherent.
"I'm sorry doesn't fix what you've done, you idiot! You could have killed him, you know?! Then what would have happened?!"
Mari said nothing. She stared at the floor. Kevin wondered if they were talking about Kai or Rei. He couldn't quite be sure. Jin grabbed Mari by the wrist and dragged her to the door. He paused and looked back at them. "Excuse us. Make yourselves comfortable. There's blankets in the closet."
And with that, they were gone. Kai looked at Kevin and Kevin looked at Kai. They both looked at Rei, who was prone on the futon.
Kai sighed and walked to the closet and began hauling blankets out of the small space. He tossed some of them to Kevin. "Make yourself comfortable," he nearly growled. "I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while."
Kevin nodded and began spreading the blankets on the floor. Kai did likewise on the opposite side of the room. He glanced over at the green-haired neko-jin. "Hey Kevin..."
"Yes, Kai?" Kevin didn't even look up.
Kai sat back on his haunches and looked at the floor. "You haven't happened to see a black suitcase around here by any chance, have you?"
Kevin shook his head. "No. Can't say as though I have, Kai."
Kai felt his heart sink. "Oh, okay then," he said indifferently and turned back to his work.
Damnit! If only things could have been simple! Find Rei, find suitcase! But noooo....He'd found Rei, but Rei was no use to him without the damn suitcase!
He sat back, deep in thought. He had to find out where that suitcase was! And now, he had less than a week to do it! He had no idea where to start looking - it could have been anywhere! Or worse, it could have been stolen and then - only God knew what had happened to it! God forbid it had been stolen!
He didn't know what to do.
~*~*~*~*~*
Jin glared at Mari. And he glared. And he glared some more. Oh, he was livid! What on Earth had possessed Mari to fire the goddamn gun?! She was aware of how utterly important it was to have Rei on their side, supporting them, because he had the financial means (being the beloved pet of Kai Hiwatari) to help the neko-jins out of the bitter hole they were stuck in!
But no! She had nothing better to do, so why not just kill off Rei, their means of getting money! Her only blood relative! Or better yet, let's kill Kai and see said blood relative out on the streets, worthless and useless as most of the neko-jins were!
Rei was in a prime position. He wasn't arrogant, he wasn't cocky, he wasn't a spoiled little brat. Jin had heard all about the escapade during Emperor Johnny's reign. And he had to say, quite honestly, he was impressed. Rei may not have saved every last one of the neko-jins, but he had saved a lot of them from being sold into bondage. He had saved a lot of them from a life of opression and misery. Of course, he'd had help, but it proved Rei was devoted to the cause.
If Rei was devoted to something, then so was Kai, by default, as Jin had deducted from the story he'd been told. And if the great Kai Hiwatari was devoted to something, he could convert the ordinary people, the humans, to equality and pro-neko-jin advocates, rather than anti-neko-jin advocates.
It was an ambitious plan, but Jin knew full well that if he could convince Rei to join the cause, he could get the financial backing he needed from Kai and that crucial link - the link to the other side, the link to the humans. Even if they had all the money in the world to support the cause, they could not reach the humans on the other side. They could reach out and touch the neko-jins and instill them with hope and aspirations, but they could not reach through the barrier of hatred to make the humans realize, to make them understand.
In a sense, Kai was just as important as Rei, if not more.
But Mari! Mari knew this, Mari was aware of it and she was still so hot-headed and stupid to try and kill one of them - he wasn't sure which one she had been aiming for. Mari wanted peace, Mari hoped for equality, but she!
That stupid bitch! One did NOT attain peace and equality by killing a respected member of the other community, by killing one's only link to the other side!
He could barely look at her, her slight frame huddled pathetically on the couch across from him, her head bowed, her shoulders shaking slightly. She was crying! Oh, he hated her, he hated her! She made him so mad!
Her naivety, her utter senselessness, her adversity to being practical made him want to slap her and tell her to wake up, stop dreaming! This was the real world and you didn't get by dreaming of peace and equality! You got those things only if you strived for them, worked for them, died for them!
Mari was too young to realize that. She'd been sheltered (well, fairly) from the crimes committed against neko-jins. She was blind to others predicaments, she was bound by impulses and her own needs, wants, desires. She was self-centred and for now, it was excusable for she was an ignorat child. Sooner or later, she had to grow up and Jin saw no signs of that happening.
How long had he lived with her now? Two years, three, maybe four and she'd been like this ever since they met. She was young, beautiful and she had dreams and hopes. The whole world revolved around her and when something didn't go her way, when she didn't get something, she would get flustered, upset and frustrated. Sometimes, she'd cry.
She never shed a tear for all the neko-jins who didn't make it.
Her eyes were never wet for the neko-jins who would never hold a job, who would be forced into poverty by discrimination, who could never even dream of having the money to buy what it was she was crying over.
The thought that neko-jins were opressed never crossed her mind.
It made him sick.
"Mari," he growled, thunderous and low.
Her shoulders shook even harder and she sobbed outright now. "I'm sorry, Jin! I'm so sorry!"
He got up. "Think about what we're trying to do, Mari. Think about the others and not yourself for once," the silver-haired neko-jin growled before he exited the room.
Mari looked up, her eyes wide and startled in the darkness. She sat like that for a long, long while, just thinking, quietly.
~*~*~*~*
There was a knock on the door. Bright morning sunlight streamed into the room. Fernando groaned and rolled over. "Deigo, get the door!"
There was a chirpy, "Okay," from the blond and then, the tell-tale sounds of the door opening, squealing on its hinges. Fernando covered his head with his pillow in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Diego opened the door, a cheerful smile upon his face. "Hello," he said chipperly, then opened his eyes to look at a man he didn't recognize.
He was dressed in a heavy poncho and his hat was pulled low over his face. Odd, green eyes glared up at him from under the shadows. He didn't reply.
Diego blinked. "Uh..hi? Are you looking for someone?"
"Kon, Rei," was the only reply he got from the man, whose voice was low and raspy.
Deigo nearly shivered. "Um, well, he's not here right now, but I'm sure we could find out for you -"
The unnerved blond found himself at the business end of a pistol barrel. His eyes widened in fright and he nearly leapt back. "H-hey now -"
"Tell me, where is Rei Kon?"
"I swear I don't know!" Deigo shrilled, his voice high and squeaky with fear.
There was the sound of gunfire and Fernando threw the pillow off his head and sat up. "What the -"
He got out of bed and padded across the dirty apartment floor, peering out into the den. His eyes widened in shock and fright. Diego was lying on the floor, a bullet wound through his forehead. He was bleeding profusely and it was more than certain he was dead. Fernando bit back a cry and ducked back into the bedroom. He hadn't been seen yet, he hadn't been seen, he hadn't been seen...
There were footsteps, heavy and loud, across the floor. They were headed away from him. He could hear the mutterings of the intruder. "Where are you..."
"It has to be here somewhere..."
Fernando's eyes darted down to the floor. Under the bed, completely forgotten in most of the mess, was Rei's suitcase. Fernando felt almost sick. He had to get rid of it! It was evidence!
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, he scrambled across the room, grabbing a pair of pants, a shirt and his shoes. He threw his clothes on hastily and tore the suitcase out from under the bed. Glancing back again, he made for the window.
Steeling his courage, he clambered over the ledge and jumped.
He landed in the middle of the street, scaring a couple of pedestrians. He sprawled across the tarmac. Coughing, sputtering and hoping he hadn't made to much noise, he clambered to his feet, noting that he was bruised, bleeding and dust. Ignoring it, he took off down the street.
He had to find Mari!
~*~*~*~*
Jose growled as he stood in front of the open window. He glanced at the state of the room. Whoever had left, had left in a hurry. He guessed it was Rei, and Rei knew he was there, knew what he was looking for. He stuck his head out the window and looked around.
Nothing.
Shoving his pistol back in its holster, he turned and strode out of the ransacked apartment.
~*~*~*~*
Axel, Max and Tyson walked back into the apartment. Max and Tyson were carrying large brown shopping bags, which were overflowing with legumes (as Axel kept calling them. He apparently had been to France.), fruits, and other such edible things.
Upon entering the apartment, said shopping bags fell to the floor. The apples were probably badly bruised.
"Holy shit!"
"What happened here?!"
"Oh my God! They killed Diego!"
Axel checked for a pulse and found none. Then, he disappeared into the bedroom. Max and Tyson stood in the doorway, gaping. The sight was horribly gruesome and it made their stomachs twist, but somehow, they could not look away.
Axel came back, carrying a sheet. He threw it over Diego's corpse, effectively blocking the blank, staring eyes. He crossed his arms and looked about. "The entire place has been ransacked," he muttered. "And Fernando's gone."
Max looked fearful. "Do...do you think they got him too?" he asked, in a small, nervous voice.
Axel shook his head. "They just let Diego lie here, so why would they take Fernando's body? He's either been kidnapped to be held hostage or he got out."
Tyson swallowed, then snapped back to life. He laughed humourlessly. "Good thing we got up early to go to the market, eh?" he chuckled.
His sad attempt at laughter was strangled by a potent glare from Max. Axel frowned. "If Fernando's been kidnapped, you'd think there'd be a ransom note around here, or something."
"Not nessecarily," Max chimed in, almost miserably.
They stood there, in deep thought, not saying anything for about ten minutes. Tyson sighed and sat down on the floor, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "Alright. Maybe we should search the house for a ransom note. If we don't find one, we should contact the police and ask anybody Fernando knows if they've seen him."
Max blinked. Tyson was being...rational? Reasonable? Sensible? LOGICAL?! Critically, Max glared at Tyson. "Have you gone mad?" he asked, his tone almost bitter.
Tyson frowned. Axel looked at Max reprovingly. "He's right, Max. That's the best course of action. Thought it'll take a while to ask everybody Fernando knows if they've seen him."
~*~*~*~*
Kai sat up, blinking as strong sunlight filtered into the room. He glanced at Rei and Kevin, both who were still sound asleep.
"It's about time you woke up."
He glanced in the direction of the wall to see Jin leaning against it. The neko-jin wasn't smiling. His face was grave and his tone was serious.
Kai got up. "What do you want?" he asked, sounding almost cynical.
The bluenette meandered in his general direction, but he could have also been aiming for the door, as Jin was standing near it. The older man put an arm about Kai's shoulders in a friendly manner, but Kai shrugged him off. "Stay away from me," he muttered.
Still, Jin didn't say anything. Instead, he followed Kai into the kitchen, something like a lost puppy would follow a child home from school. Kai glared at him.
They sat down at the table wordlessly, facing each other. Jin folded his hands and looked pointedly at Kai. "Kai," he said slowly, as if unsure. "There's something I want to discuss with you."
Kai made no reply, and kept his face stoic.
Jin ploughed on. "You know how very unkindly your race treats mine," he said, keeping his eyes on Kai's face, gauging a reaction. "I don't believe you want to see us suffer like that."
Still nothing. Jin took a deep breath and continued on. "Kai, you have the resources and the status...the power to help your race to understand mine, to help bring us together. I've already reached out to my fellow neko-jins and made them believe they can be equals."
Not a word, not a twitch, nothing. Sharp red eyes seemed to see through him, watched him like a hawk.
Unnerved by the crimson gaze, Jin kept going. He was going to be deterred. "What I can't do, is reach out to the humans of the world and bring them hope of the same ideal. You can."
"You want me to help you," Kai said coolly, as though it was something he was observing from afar.
"Quite frankly, yes."
"Why should I" Kai asked, his gaze piercingly curious.
Jin didn't falter. "Do you want Rei to continue to suffer?"
Kai shrugged. "Rei doesn't matter to me anymore," he said and his voice was as cold as ice. There was no hint of any emotion on his face, in his eyes.
Jin was beginning to understand why people feared and respected the Hiwataris.
Kai stood up and walked silently out of the kitchen. Jin heard the front door closing and silently, he cursed. The link that made Kai the surest bet had fallen out.
Shit.
~*~*~*~*
The alley was quiet, and out of the way, an all together too obscure place for any normal people to go. Mari and Luis stood there, talking quietly.
"Yes, he's staying with us -"
"You didn't kill him?"
"No, I tried, but -"
"Hmph. Figures."
"I want you to do it, instead. It's less conspicous. He doesn't even know you."
Luis was silent for a long moment, then finally nodded in agreement. "Fine."
He stuck out his hand and Mari shook it. "Good."
They parted ways. No sooner had Mari struck out on her own, on her way back to the apartment, than she was accosted by Fernando.
The purple-haired boy was out of breathe, cut and scraped. He looked wild, scared, like a frightened animal and Mari nearly screamed when she saw him.
"Fernando?"
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Oh, Mari! Thank God I found you! They killed Diego, and they're after Rei and they're gonna get me, they destroyed the apartment, thank God, Axel was gone - oh God! Axel!"
Mari grabbed him by the wrists and tried to calm him down. "Fernando! Calm down and tell me what happened! Who did what?"
Fernando buried his hands in his face. "Some guy...he showed up at the apartment..and he...he shot Diego! He was after Rei, and I got out of there, by God! He would have killed me too!"
Mari looked startled. "Fernando..."
"Here," Fernando said, shoving the suitcase into her arms.
Mari looked at him, bemused. "It's Rei's," he said, almost nonchanlantly. "I thought I'd better give it to you."
Mari nodded dumbly and Fernando shook her hand. "I must be off - I've got to find out what happened to Axel!"
With that, he raced off again, leaving Mari with her brother's suitcase in hand. Stupidly, she looked down at it and then, coming back to herself, she decided to check the contents of it.
~*~*~*~*
(A/N: R&R please and Happy New Year to everyone! Hopefully, I get my act together in the new year. x__X)