Hey all, back again with another update. These might become even more infrequent that they already are due to the fact that I'm working full time now.

I suppose you guys are still wondering about Tala and Kai, but the time has not come for me to reveal all of that just yet. Lots more plot stuff before I can go into that. Still I hope you guys enjoy this part anyway.

Kai sat staring at a flickering candle flame as though mesmerised, however, it was obvious he was deep in troubling thought. He rested his chin in his face and tried to get his thoughts in order, but they kept tumbling over one another, concerning him even more.

            "Boris?" Kai finally choked out, staring at Tala and Bryan on the other couch. Tala looked away, but Bryan nodded.

            "Rei was ten, we were told where to find him the next morning. It's what Boris does, he picks out those he wants and he takes them, one way or another." Kai saw Tala's flinch and his eyes narrowed sharply. Bryan noticed this and frowned slightly, realizing there was something else going on, but then, he'd known that since this afternoon.

            "Were you 'picked'?" Kai talked directly to him, but Bryan didn't notice the exclusion of Tala.

            "We were approached on the streets for work quite a few years ago, almost ten I think. I'd only met Tala a week before then." Bryan glanced over at the man beside him, concerned to see Tala curled up slightly and staring out the window at nothing.

            Something was definitely going on.

            "I see, so you weren't chosen like Rei was?" Bryan shook his head. "Why were you given the role of 'educator'?"

            "Because I refused," Tala cut in softly. He glanced over at Kai once and winced seeing his harsh expression. "Boris was going to have him trained one way or another, Bryan stepped in knowing it would be better if he, rather than anyone else, trained him."

            "Again, why you?"

            "Because I know what I'm doing," Bryan said confidently. "I'd been on the streets for years, I know everything there is to know and I also know more. I understand how some people would react to certain situations. Rei was too fragile. If he'd been allowed to stay with Boris and the others he would have been completely broken into something unrecognizable. I had to do something, Tala couldn't."

            Tala looked away again and Kai knew he and Bryan had to talk more alone.

            "You act like there were no other options."

            "There weren't," Tala snapped. "At least not ones that Bryan was willing to consider."

            Bryan growled at Tala. "Damn it, it was Rei's choice! Do you really think either of us wanted you to be punished? He made the decision in the end, he could have gone, but he didn't. It's done."

            Tala glared at Bryan for a moment longer before getting up with a shake of his head and leaving the room. Bryan and Kai were the only ones left in the apartment. Bryan was sure Rei had climbed out his window and was now up on the roof, as he usually did when he was stressed. His journal would probably be gone too. He sighed. It was hard sometimes, but he would have done anything for those two.

            "You met him ten years ago?" Kai asked quietly.

            Bryan glanced at him. "You met him earlier than that I presume?"

            Kai nodded. "He disappeared, I never found out why."

            "He never spoke to me of anything about his past. I met him on the streets. He was a total wreak, starving, dirty, almost dead and not caring a whit about it. I'd seen people like that, and rarely children. It got to me and I went to him. That whole week all I did was make sure he would stay alive. He almost had no will to live at all, but I didn't want to give up on him, he was too vulnerable, and that was deadly on the streets. I hated seeing wasted life, even in our position there was some form of living. Death didn't frighten me, it was people that scared me at times, people like Tala who had just given up."

            Kai was staring at the candle again, tears shimmering in his eyes. "He used to be so bright and mischievous. He was the one who knew everything, had all the answers. Every day with his was like an adventure, something to be treasured. Then he left."

            "You really don't know why?" Kai shook his head and Bryan sighed again. "I've been trying to find out for years. He still has nightmares about things. I think he might have been raped. He reacted so violently to Boris and the others at Biovolt. I'd never seen him like that, I was barely able to restrain him and calm him down."

            Kai frowned, his mind caught by something. "Was Boris known to him?"

            Bryan shrugged. "Boris was known to a lot of people. I'd heard of him, but when he came to us with his offer, it was too good an opportunity to give up." He gestured to the large room they were sitting in. "This is luxury, to those on the streets, this sort of living is almost myth."

            "Why you two?"

            Bryan shrugged again. "I was well-known in some circles, not to mention I had contacts in a lot of places, plus, I was good, my reputation was one of the best. Tala though … he was beautiful, he still is. Those eyes and that face still capture hearts with a mere glance. He was still the most beautiful person I'd ever seen even as cold and lifeless as he was." Bryan slumped in his seat slightly, looking pained. "He hated people touching him, he'd just freak out and thrash about wildly. I was the only one who he would let near, simply because I never tried to touch him. None of them understood how to deal with him, but they weren't willing to give him up. When I heard of Boris' plans for him, I offered to train him, it was the only thing I could think of. They would have ripped his mind to shreds and his body not far from that, with what they had planned."

            Bryan glanced at Kai to see him still staring contemplatively, a grim set to his features. "I'm not trying to get you to empathise Kai, I'm just telling you what I know."

            Kai nodded, not even looking at him.

            "Does he enjoy it? Do any of you?"

            Bryan blinked in surprise at the blunt question. "Physically yes, I suppose we do," he replied slowly. "Though Rei still has some difficulty. Mentally, they hate it, despite how they appear. Tala always scrubs himself thoroughly when he returns home while Rei locks himself up with his journal. I think he's written everything down. Emotionally they're detached, they have to be, not that they would take any delight in the customers. It's not in their nature."

            "What about you?" Kai's crimson eyes caught his sliver ones questioningly.

            Bryan smiled. "I enjoy my work very much … or I would if I only had to worry about myself. I have no qualms with anything I do, I don't have any strange habits after sex, it's out of my mind until the next job. I have more important things to waste my time and energy on."

            Kai looked surprised. "You really don't feel anything?"

            Bryan shook his head. "I'm contented quite easily. Honestly, the only things I do care about are those two." He gave Kai a quick sharp look. "They are my only concern."

            Kai smirked. "You need not fear me as an enemy."

            "Good." Bryan visibly let his muscles relax and Kai stared in wonder at how much he had changed. He was like a falcon prepared to strike, or protecting his eggs from a predator. The image made Kai shiver. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his slim cigarette case.

            Bryan cleared his throat and stared pointedly at the stick in Kai's mouth. "Outside if you would, I'd rather not have the place smelling of smoke."

            Kai chuckled, getting up with Bryan and moving to the door. "No strange habits then?"

            "I said after sex. There's nothing wrong with having a clean home free of toxic fumes." Bryan looked over and winced. "Which reminds me, I've still got dishes in the sink."

            "I'll be out of your way then." Kai opened the front door and left, heading outside to smoke. Bryan sighed as he left, not really sure how to take the strange situation they were all in. He headed to the kitchen and started running water for cleaning.

            Everyone just needed a bit of time to sort themselves out.

*~*

Rei looked around curiously, sensing someone else up on the roof with him, but when he saw who it was, he froze and all colour faded from his face.

            "I usually only get that look from teenyboppers meeting me on the street by chance." Kai smirked as he lit his cigarette, making sure he was far enough from Rei that the fumes didn't touch him.

            "I … I just …" Rei looked away shamefully. "Do you despise me?" he finally asked quietly.

            Kai took a long drag and slowly exhaled before he looked over at Rei coolly, studying him closely. "I don't, and I doubt I should have a reason to despise you ever." He smiled softly and sat down on the edge of the building beside Rei, one knee brought up to his chest to balance himself.

            Rei was stunned. "Really?" he hardly dared to hope it could be true. "But I'm …"

            "No different to any other boy I've met before," Kai assured him. He blew out another puff of smoke, glancing down at the half-smoked stick. "Bryan told me about how you all met."

            Rei blushed. "Oh."

            "I can understand why you would feel ashamed by everything, but I also understand this was not your fault. I had never believed that."

            "You thought Bryan and Tala were using me for their own gain," Rei interjected quietly.

            Kai shrugged, taking another drag. "The thought had crossed my mind. The children are usually the innocents in this."

            "Then did you also know that Tala and Bryan were brought into this situation as children? Innocents themselves at one time?" Rei glared at him. "Did you also know that ultimately I made the choice, not them, this was my path, the one I chose?"

            "Yeah, I know, that doesn't mean you're still at fault."

            "You're just trying to justify it all because you like me," Rei said with a smirk.

            Kai chuckled. "You're right, I am."

            Rei grinned at him. "Adults are hopeless. They think we're all so clueless."

            Kai's cigarette hung from his lips as he glanced at Rei with narrowed eyes. "Well there is one teenager who is clueless to all of this."

            Rei froze. "Please don't tell Tyson," he begged. "I don't want him knowing about me."

            "He likes you Rei. I and all the others are rather fond of him, we wouldn't like to see him toyed with."

            Rei hung his head. "I know and I like him too, more than you could ever imagine, but a situation like this isn't something you can just drop on a person you like."

            "How else are you supposed to deal with it?"

            Rei shrugged. "Leave it for now and hope things sort themselves out."

            "Rei," Kai clucked disapprovingly.

            "Well what else am I supposed to do right now?" he snapped, golden eyes flashing dangerously. "Do you have any idea what it's like for me? I'm a whore Kai, I sell myself to other men, people look upon me in disgust, I'm never talked about in polite society. I can't bring Tyson in on all of that, he's not part of that sort of life. I don't ever want him tainted by this."

            "He is now whether he likes it or not." Kai crushed the stub of his cigarette out on the rooftop. "We all are and you have to realise that your actions had consequences, you'd have to deal eventually with your choices. Tyson deserves the truth about your life and it's up to him whether he accepts you still, or not. He's involved too far to deserve any less. But if you keep this from him, you're just going to make things worse. Tyson's not as close-minded or naïve as you'd think."

            Rei thought things over as Kai stood up.

            "He's the only one you're really worried about right?" Kai looked down at him. "Because he's the only who should matter to you right now."

            "He is," Rei assured him firmly.

            "Good." Kai turned away.

            "Kai?" He looked back around at the troubled teenager curiously. Rei had stood up and was watching him with his head tilted slightly. "Why don't you care?"

            Kai shrugged, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "You're a fan, you should know what they say about me. I'm apparently the most depraved man on the planet, I've involved myself in rituals of human sacrifice and orgies of blood. Children are never safe around me, I'm close to Lucifer on the list of all things evil. Why should whores bother me?"

            Rei laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "I forgot about that for a moment. People are stupid sometimes."

            "Yes they are, but individuals aren't. People can be very bigoted and stupid, yet I have a close group of friends who laugh with me every time we hear of a new rumour about me concerning a mutilated child corpse in a satanic temple deep underground where no one can find." Kai paused significantly. "Tyson among them."

            "But that's rumour, this is fact."

            "Do you want to know what else is fact Rei? I've tried to commit suicide three times, am still in danger of self-mutilation. I was at one time a complete junkie, almost past the point of redemption, and what I also did with some others I met wasn't so dissimilar to what you do for a living." He looked so cold standing there before Rei, the young boy shivered at his expression. "Some rumours are based in fact and they know this and still stand with me. True friends like that are hard to find, but you could have them, if you'd just open up and take a risk in trusting someone."

            Rei stood on the windy rooftop watching as Kai left him alone there to think over his options.

            What have I really got to lose?

AN: Hm … so Kai has a lot going on … or did. I'm just piquing all of your interest even more with all these little tidbits aren't I?

Still, things shall be revealed in their own time.

Hope you guys liked.

Laters.